Evening star. [volume], September 11, 1939, Page A-10, Image 10

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
W frbmittg ptaf
With Sunday Mornin* Edition.
THEODORE W. NOYES, Editor.
WASHINGTON, D. C.
MONDAY..September 11, 1939
The Evening Star Newspaper Company.
Main Office: 11th Bt. and Pennsylvania Avs.
New York Office: 110 East 42nd St
Chicago Office; 435 North Michigan Ava.
Delivered by Carrier—City and Suburban.
Regular Edition.
Evening and Sunday 65c per mo. or 15c per week
The Evening Star-. 45c Per mo. or 10c per week
The 8unday Star - - 5c per copy
Night Final Edition.
Night Final and Sunday Star ---75c per month
Night Final Star_ _ 60c per month
Collection made at the end of each month or
each week Orders may be sent by mall or tele
phone National 5000
Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance.
Maryland and Virginia.
Daily »nd Sunday_1 yr $in,oo: 1 mo.. J5e
Paily oclv _1 yr.. $6.00*. 1 mo.. 50c
Sunday only_1 yr.. $4.00: 1 mo., 40e
All Other Statea and Canada.
Pally and Sunday.. 1 yr.. $12 00: 1 mo . $1.00
Daily only _1 yr.. $s.00; 1 mo.. 75c
6unday only_1 yr.. $5.00; 1 mo.. 60o
Entered as second-class matter post office.
Washington. D. C.
Member of the Associated Press.
The Associated Press Is exclusively entitled to
the use for republication of all news dispatches
credited to It. or not otherwise credited in thla
paper and also the local news published herein.
All rights of publication of special dispatchea
herein also are reserved
Japan's Opportunity
With war in Europe and Britain
and France estopped by the ex
igencies of their own defense from
lending substantial aid to the
Chinese Nationalist government of
Chiang Kai-shek, Japan is in posi
tion to solve her “Chinese question”
free from European interference.
Fully aware of the opportunity
which Europe’s troubles provide,
Japan has given speedy indication
that she intends to take full ad
vantage of the new conditions. Even
before the conflict began the Ger
man-Soviet non-aggression pact im
pelled her to revamp her govern
ment on an isolationist basis, and
when war actually started Tokio
promptly announced its intention to
remain neutral.
Furthermore, Japan’s preparations
to consolidate her position in China
by means of a unified Chinese ad
ministration under former Chinese
Premier Wang Ching-wei have ad
vanced, and Wang is reported satis
fied with Japanese assurances re
garding the final peace terms. It
Is even said in some Japanese quar
ters that war in China may be at
an end in six months.
Although Japan is committed to
neutrality in the European war and
Isolation from European politics
generally, this does not mean that
Japan has dissociated herself from
European affairs so completely that
she will not reap the profit of
Eurorie’s conflict.
Exploitation of European politics
Is an old Japanese policy, and en
abled Tokio to profit immensely from
the war of 1914-1918 with a minimum
of participation in that conflict.
Although Japan and Britain had a
military alliance in 1914 Japan
came into the war independently.
With Germany fighting the Euro
pean entente Japan saw her oppor
tunity to seize the leased territory
of Kiaochow, which Germany had
carved out of the Province of Shan
tung in the earlier scramble among
the powers for Chinese loot. August
14, 1914, Japan sent an ultimatum
to Berlin, demanding withdrawal
of German warships from the Far
East and cession of Kiaochow to
Japan. When no reply was forth
coming within eight days Japan de
clared war on Germany, and in a
subsequent 6iege of Tsingtao con
quered Germany’s holdings in China.
Thereafter Japanese warships, op
erating with a British fleet, took
the German Marshall, Pelew, Caro
line and Marianne Islands in the
Pacific, and at the peace conference
these islands were awarded to Japan
under mandate, in which condition
they remain to this day.
But Japan’s biggest profit from the
war was the establishment of new
and expanded rights in Shantung
Province, outside of Kiaochow, and
in Manchuria and Eastern Inner
Mongolia as the result of the Twenty
one Demands in 1915. China, unable
to oppose Japan with adequate mili
tary and naval force, and unable to
call on Britain, France or Russia,
Japan's allies in the war, for as
sistance, was forced to capitulate to
Tokio’s demands.
The Manchurian invasion in 1931
and the march through China, in
progress since 1937, were merely ex
tensions of the Japanese penetration
during the war of 1914-1918. The new
war brings Japan the possibility of
completing the task which she has set
for herself for a generation—eco
nomic and political subjugation of
China—and Japan aims to complete
that program before the European
war ends and Britain and France
are enabled to turn their attention
eastward again.
Moscow Reaches
Seldom has such arrogant fantasy
ever been spread on the records of a
v Congressional investigating commit
tee as was unfolded before the House
Committee on un-American Activities
last week in the story of how^Russian
leaders of world Communism have
Imposed their direct will upon a rec
ognized and privileged political party
of the United States.
With no essential disagreement in
their testimony although they no
longer walk the path toward world
revolution arm in arm, the past and
present leaders of the movement in
this country revealed how Stalin
himself has regulated the policies of
the American Communist Party, de
creeing that certain individuals
should be local leaders, and brooking
no exercise of autonomy by the or
ganization on this continent.
Plainly, the obligations of Amer
lean citizenship carried no weight
with those dictating to American
Communism. To remain within the
party, one had no choice but un
questioning "loyalty” to Moscow, an
allegiance which encouraged such
disregard of our laws as the use of
forged passports and which has dic
tated the preaching of Communist
gospel everywhere from pulpit to
soapbox. That this gospel Is antag
onistic to our own form of govern
ment and our established order of
society is well known.
It Is worth pointing out, even
though it has been done before, that
only In the democratic countries
could such liberties be exercised.
And while their exercise in itself is
one of our proudest heritages—that
of freedom of expression—it is un
deniable that abuses of this priv
ilege must be recognized as such and
guarded against in the excess.
America, and all the world, faces
a critical period at this time and
there is nothing in the record of the
Communist Internationale which
could lead intelligent citizenry to be
lieve it offers any constructive aid to
us. The loyalty of Mr. Browder and
his comrades might be more appre
ciated and more effective if it were
transplanted to the Russian locale,
on the actual scene of the Russo
German axis “in behalf of peace."
Three Years or More'
While the tide of battle swirled
around Warsaw during the week
end, momentous utterances were
forthcoming from the highest quar
ters in both Great Britain and Ger
many. They were not unrelated. On
Saturday Marshal Goering, address
ing munition workers, taunted Brit
ain with her alleged inability to de
feat Germany, economically or
militarily.
Hitler's anointed successor spoke
in accents of calculated truculence,
seasoned with a transparent but
bungling attempt to separate France
from the democratic alliance. “We
want nothing from the French,”
Goering said. "Only America re
mains for Britain, but we can get on
without the United States as a source
of raw supplies * * * A blockade will
be ineffective because Russia has
plenty of raw materials and will
supply them. Rumania, Yugoslavia
and Hungary are neutral, hence they,
too, will also furnish Germany with
necessities.”
Great Britain wasted no time in
responding to this challenge of her
capacity in the long run to thwart
Hitler’s campaign of conquest. Only
a few hours elapsed after Goering’s
pep talk to the munition conscripts
before the Chamberlain government
replied in the most striking state
ment issued since the Prime Minis
ter’s announcement on September 3
that the country was at war. The
statement disclosed that the War
Cabinet at its meeting earlier in the
day “decided to base its policy on the
assumption that the war will last
three years or more.” All branches of
the government are making their
plans accordingly.
This manifesto that “Mr. Britling”
intends to “see it through” is not
only Britain’s answer to the Goering
taunt. It also reflects the nation's
reaction to the now widespread be
lief that, having conquered and oc
cupied a third of Poland and re
stored pre-1914 German-Polish fron
tiers, Hitler is preparing to offer
Britain and France a so-called “fait
accompli” peace. He will propose, it
is foreshadowed, that there is now
“nothing left to fight over.”
John Bull’s now proclaimed readi
ness to make war, if necessary, for
“three years or more” knocks into a
cocked hat any hope Hitler may
have cherished that the western
powers are willing to quit and
leave Poland ravaged and helpless
in his hands. Even Von Ribben
trop, who did not think the British
would fight, can hardly be trying to
make his Nazi master believe that the
sons of Nelson and Wellington, of
Lafayette and Rochambeau, and of
Kosciuszko and Pulaski, for that
matter, dream of throwing up the
sponge just because Poland has gone
the way of Belgium after initial as
sault in overwhelming force.
Apart from Mr. Chamberlain’s
earlier pledge that Britain has gone
in to “finish” Hitlerism, the Berlin
suggestion that Germany has al
ready reached its objectives in Po
land, i.e., “re-establishment of her
eastern frontiers as they stood in
1914,” deserves immediate notice. If
that is a promise, it is about as trust
worthy as the average Hitler prom
ise. Once again Der Fuehrer gives
himself the lie. In the chapter on
“Eastern Policy” in “Mein Kampf,”
he wrote:
me iiunweis ui mean
nothing in respect to Germany’s
future. They were no protection
in the past, nor would tney mean
strength in the future. They
would not give the German people
internal solidarity, nor would
they provide it with nourishment.
From a military standpoint they
would not be suitable or even sat
isfactory, nor would they improve
our present situation with regard
to other world powers, or rather
the powers that are the real world
powers. The distance from Eng
land would not be shortened, nor
would those frontiers make us as
big as America. France, moreover,
would not suffer any essential
diminution of her importance in
world politics.
In this revelation from the Nazi
Koran there is food for thought in
neutral capitals like Berne, Copen
hagen, The Hague, Brussels, Buda
pest, Sofia, Ankara, Bucharest—but
most of all, as the German war ma
chine plunges east and northeast
across Poland, is there food for fast
and serious thinking at Moscow.
The Ukraine is today only a march
of a day or two from the German
advance guard—the vast treasure
house of natural wealth which Hit
ler, three years ago this week at
Nuremberg, asserted would make the
Reich rich beyond its wildest dreams.
Railroads and War
The sharp difference of opinion
between Railway Age, a trade publi
cation of the railroad industry, and
the Association of American Rail
roads as to the ability of the carriers
to meet the prospective demands of
war focuses attention once more on
the perennial transportation prob
lem in this country.
Editorially, the Railway Age, re
calling the difficulties attendant
upon the World War traffic move
ment, starting with 1914, declares
that from the standpoint of car sup
ply, the railroads are in no position
to handle such an increase as result
ed then, and that the obsolescence of
motive power is even a more serious
factor.
In summation, the publication says
that should hostilities in Europe be
come general, the railroads are likely
to need almost immediately a large
increase in freight car supply, and
adds that adequate preparedness
against the possibility of this country
being drawn in would call for a min
imum of two thousand four hundred
more locomotives, and more than
three hundred thousand cars.
In rebuttal, J. J. Pelley, president
of the Association of American Rail
roads, as spokesman for the principal
lines of the country, has this to say:
“The railroads can handle at least
twenty-five per cent more traffic
than they are now handling, and by
repairing approximately two hun
dred thousand freight cars and eight
thousand locomotives now awaiting
repairs, and not required for present
traffic, they could handle forty-five
per cent more than the present busi
ness. If and as additional equipment
is required, it can be had and the
railroads can and will keep ahead of
any demands that may be made upon
them.”
Mr. Pelley says that while there
has been a great reduction in the
amount of equipment owned, a
compensating element has been the
great increase in efficiency of move
ment.
For the present, the case must rest
there; the merits of the conflicting
claims will be weighed in the light of
what the future may bring.
There is however this to be said:
As a practical, common-sense propo
sition, there should be no question of
the ability of so vital an industry as
the railroads to function under any
conditions, for certainly there is no
substitute for them as an emergency
always demonstrates. For nearly
twenty years, as new forms of com
petition have appeared on the scene,
the necessity of “doing something ’
about a national transportation pol
icy has been urged, but outside of a
belated effort to regulate motor ve
hicle operations, little if anything
has been accomplished, clashing in
terests invariably blocking effective
changes. The railroads, of course,
have been loser thereby.
The indispensability of the rail
roads in the war scheme may be the
means of advancing the transporta
tion problem beyond the talking
stage.
Peace Cross Congestion
Motorists who use the Defense
highway and Baltimore boulevard
welcome the promise of the chairman
of the Maryland State Roads Com
mission that traffic jams at the
Bladensburg Peace Cross will be
ended “by next summer.” It is dis
closed that three plans are under
consideration:
1. Extension of the Cheverly-Tux
edo road to join the Defense high
way about two and one-half miles
from Bladensburg, routing traffic
into the District over the recently
improved Kenilworth avenue and
Benning road. While this would re
quire construction of only a half
mile of new road, it is possible that
drivers would have to become “edu
cated” to the use of what many will
consider a “roundabout” route,
2. Conversion of an eight-mile
stretch of the abandoned Washing
ton, Baltimore & Annapolis roadbed
into a highway that would join the
Defense highway near Lanham.
This would serve the double purpose
of relieving some of the Defense
highway congestion and affording a
much-needed road for communities
bordering the old W. B. & A. It is
reported that the principal diffi
culties that the State has experienced
in obtaining a clear title to the
abandoned roadbed are not encount
ered in that eight-mile stretch.
3. Improvement of three miles of
Finn’s lane, leading from the De
fense highway about four miles east
of the Peace Cross, to Jefferson ave
nue, Riverdale, and the Baltimore
boulevard. If this were done em
phasis would be added to the long
standing need for a grade crossing
elimination project over the Balti
more & Ohio tracks in Riverdale.
None of the suggested plans prob
ably would be as satisfactory as a
clover-leaf junction at the Peace
Cross, with one highway raised on
an overpass. Not only has this pro
posal been termed too expensive by
Maryland officials, however, but it
should not be attempted until a
permanent Bladensburg flood con
trol project is completed and the
Defense highway widened. Mean
while, the utmost co-operation is
called for between Prince Georges
County, District of Columbia and
Maryland State roads officials to ob
tain the promised relief from con
gestion by one of the other proposed
plans.
i
Says G. 0. P. Nominee
Must Be a Liberal
Proposes Mayor La Guardia
As Most Promising Dark
Horse Candidate
To the Editor of The Star:
As one of the few avowed Republicans
left in the city of Washington I was very
much interested In the letter signed
"American Patriot” urging a businessman
as the next nominee of the Grand Old
Party. However, the only businessman
mentioned by your contributor was
Bruce Barton of New York, who was de
scribed as “a very capable legislator who
has been in the thick of the fight in Con
gress all the time.”
May i, as one oi tne wen-wisners ior
my party, take exception to the state
ment that Barton is ‘‘a very capable
legislator” In the first place Mr. Barton
was elected on a platform which called
for the repeal of at least one law a day.
Of course he did not succeed in the re
peal of any laws, and did not succeed in
securing the passage of a single piece of
legislation. Why then, did our "Amer
ican Patriot” call him a "capable
leader”? He has never accomplished any
thing in the field of legislation, and a
look at the roll calls in the House during
the past session will show he was not
"in the thick of the fight in Congress all
the time."
Then our "American Patriot” called
the roll of those whom he termed the
"dark horse” candidates who might be
nominated.
He mentioned Senatos Lodge of Mas
sachusetts, who, except for the fact that
he had a famous grandfather, has cer
tainly done nothing outstanding in
Washington. He listed Gov. Bricker of
Ohio, who, outside his own State, has
not been heard of. Then Joseph Martin
oi Massachusetts, the Republican floor
leader in the House, was named, together
with his qualifications, and so on through
the list of Wadsworth of New York, Col
Frank Knox, who said all our insurance
policies would go to pot if he and his
running mate were not elected; Senator
Nye of North Dakota, Col. Charles March
and so forth.
But the "American Patriot” did not
mention the one qualification a nominee
must have if he expects to be elected—
liberal views.
The New Deal, whether we like it or
not, was put into power by Republican
votes. It is a well-known fact that the
Democrats have never had enough votes
| in the United States to elect a President.
The only way they have gotten in is
through the votes of liberal Republicans
who refused to follow the lead of an old
guard candidate.
On the basis of liberalism practically
all the candidates listed by American
Patriot must be eliminated—Vandenberg
of Michigan, Taft of Ohio, Bridges of
New Hampshire, Baldwin of Connecticut,
Martin of Massachusetts, Wadsworth of
New York. Barton of New York. Bricker
of Ohio, Knox of Illinois and James of
Pennsylvania.
That leaves only Dewey of New York.
Lodge of Massachusetts, March of Minne
sota, Nye of North Dakota and McNary
of Oregon as even “possible” successful
candidates for the presidency.
If a member of the reactionary old
guard is again selected, our party might
just as well not run any candidate at all.
The people of this country have gone
liberal, notwithstanding some of the re
verses suffered by the New Deal in the
last election.
If the Grand Old Party cannot give
progressive, liberal leadership, the people
will not have anything to do with it.
Even Roosevelt running for a third term
would be able to defeat the conservative
candidates listed above.
As for me, I nominate a Republican
who Ls a real liberal, one who has dem
I onstrated his ability as a real public
servant, an administrator of one of the
largest governments on the continent—
Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia of New
York.
REAL REPUBLICAN.
September 6.
J. Edgar Hoover Suggested
For Presidential Consideration.
To the Editor of The Star:
Last week a local paper had an article
on Mr. Dewey as a presidential prospect
which was interesting—but thought-pro
voking. Why consider an amateur?
Dewey’s record can't be compared with
J. Edgar Hoover's of the F. B. I. Here is
a man, a native Washingtonian, who
knows official Washington as few men
do, who has proven his ability for over
20 years. He has taken a governmental
agency and made it function like none
other in industry or government. More
than that, the F. B. I. has proven an
asset in dollars and cents. He is a
statesman skilled in the art of govern
ment.
Isn’t it time that a man like J. Edgar
Hoover—a symbol of Americanism and
decency that he is—was given a chance?
He is ready for greater responsibilities.
Why not a Washingtonian for Presi
dent?—one who is sincere, brilliant,
courageous and able.
F. B V
September 6.
Star Editorial Commended
By Veterans.
To the Editor of The Star:
The editorial entitled “False Neutral
ity” on your editorial page of Tuesday,
September 5, expresses the sentiments of
a group of veterans who 21 years ago
were holding a section of the allied lines
in France and participated in the Somme
defensive, Chateau-Thierry sector, Aisne
defensive, Champagne - Marne, Aisne
Marne, St.. Mihiel and the Meuse
Argonne offensive.
Many of the men paid the supreme
sacrifice and many were wounded as a
result.
Last Friday, September 1, at a meet
ing of the 3d Division Society, A. E. F„
Washington Branch, No. 7, unanimously
passed a resolution that Washington
Branch, No. 7, Society of the 3d Division,
A. E. F., go on record as approving any
action that the President may take in
calling a special session of Congress to
repeal the present Neutrality Act, which,
as your editorial points out, leaves much
to be desired. We are very grateful for
your wonderful editorial, which I am
forwarding to 3d Division headquarters
for our publication, the Watch on the
Rhine.
HARRY CEDAR,
Secretary Society of the 3d
Division, A. E. F„ Wash
ington Branch, No. 7.
September 6.
I THIS AND THAT
By Charles E. Tracewett.
English sparrows apparently have more
adventures than most birds because
there are so many more of them for the
observer to see.
There was that specimen the other
day that got stuck in the suet basket
affixed to the feeding station beneath
the maple.
It had been filled with seeds, as auxil
iary to the main trough. The birds
seemed to get peculiar pleasure out of
eating from this basket.
This bird had started, evidently, with
the basket full, and had eaten her way
down, her head going lower and lower.
When she had finished the last seed,
she found that her wing and tail feath
ers, sticking backward through the small
meshes of the wire, prevented her from
getting out.
* * # *
When she was spied at last by human
eyes, she was perfectly quiet, looking
for all the world like a dead bird.
She made no motion when released,
but lay in the hand quietly.
Had she eaten herself to death?
This natural question was answered
speedily, and in a most satisfactory
manner.
She raised her head, opened her eyes—
And flew away!
No doubt she had exhausted herself in
trying to get free, and required a little
time to get her breath.
The experience might have resulted
fatally for her if she had not been
rescued in time.
It points to the danger of gadgets on
feed boxes.
The plainer the latter are, without
paskets. hooks or other devices, the bet
ter for the feathered guests. This should '
be kept in mind in purchasing or making
a feeding station.
It is impossible for even the most in
terested householder to watch the sta
tion all the time, and to come to the
rescue of all songsters which get into
trouble.
At first hand it might seem that little
could happen to them, except from ene
mies, but this is not true. Squirrels can
overturn even a heavy station, causing
it to fall upon a bird. If the feeder is in
a tree, the same rodents can dislodge it,
precipitating it upon birds which may
be feeding on the ground beneath.
* * * *
Hooks for meat are sometimes put
into the side of a feeding station.
These are totally unnecessary, and
often dangerous to a degree. In the first
place, raw meat tends to attract hawks,
whose presence are not desirable at a
station from any standpoint, either that
of the observer or the smaller birds. In
the second, the sharp point of the hook
may impale some feathered creature.
Similarly, the suet basket may be
dangerous, as illustrated, unless it is
made of a wire mesh far too small to
offer hazard to the birds as they with
draw.
Careful scrutiny should be made of
any feeding device, therefore, to see if
it contains unsuspected dangers to the
birds.
* * * *
Many people will be putting up feeders
for the first time this fall and winter.
They will want to know the best loca
tion.
A great deal depends upon house and
yard, but there are some general prin
ciples to keep in mind.
First, be sure the feeder is placed so
that the birds can be seen eating.
This is what one wants to see, but
often a station is so placed that it is
difficult to watch them.
Placed too hight on a post, the station
is out of view except from an upstairs
window.
Put too far from the house, the watch
er will require binoculars, which are dis
advantageous except for purposes of
identification.
* * * *
Relation, therefore, of the favorite
window w'ith the feeding station, espe
cially in regard to height from the
ground and distance from the house, is
the main consideration, but there are
others. One is the possible attraction
of mice and rats to the house. This pre
cludes putting the feeder too close. The
window sill feeder is excellent, but in
case it is used, care must be taken to
keep husks and rejected seeds cleaned
up on the ground below the window.
Squirrels and pigeons are other possi
ble guests, and neither is good too close
to the house, so that a station some dis
tance in the yard is better from almost
every standpoint.
Sight must not be lost of the possi
bility of viewing the birds in flight by
having several feeders at different points
in the yard.
These flights, from feeder to feeder,
especially in snowy weather, affords
some of the very finest scenes in feed
ing. Here the bands of English sparrows
shine. Whatever one may think of them,
as flyers they are on a par with any
other species, and usually fly together, so
that their forays from one station to an
other are constant sources of interest
to watchers. It must never be forgotten
that birds are most bird when they are
in flight. This is their specialty, among
the creatures of this w’orld. and oppor
tunities to view it must never be over
looked by those whe-- appreciate the
rightness of natural things.
Letters to the Editor
Speech by Senator Walsh
Praised and Criticized.
To the Editor of The Star:
Senator Walsh, who spoke over your
radio program September 4, is the first
casualty to the propaganda danger he
warned against. He began by stating
that the origin of the present war is in
the Versailles treaty. That treaty, the^
Senator said, was unjust. He did not
actually say Herr Hitler was justified in
the use of force to rectify the supposed
errors of the Versailles treaty, but is it
not a more subtle propaganda which
leads the listener to a point where the
desired conclusion suggests itself?
Senator Walsh always referred to Eng
land and France as “so-called democra
cies.” Is that not a second subtle sug
gestion? Namely, that England and
France are ruled by autocratic govern
ments little different from Germany?
Finally, we were warned that the only
way in which the United States can
maintain neutrality is by withdrawing
as completely as possible wdthin our
own boundaries and spending billions for
the creation of a naval and military es
tablishment so powerful no possible
combination of nations would dare at
tack us. Would it not be more wise to
adopt a realistic view of the world situa
tion rather than burden this Nation with
the gigantic armament required to en
able us to face a world of dictators?
The Versailles treaty obviously did not
make the world safe for democracy or
any other form of government. (I leave
to your imagination what the treaty of
Berlin would have done if Germany had
won the war.) However, Herr Hitler has
already rectified by unilateral action
many clauses in the treaty, and he has
added Czecho-Slovakia for good measure.
He has now attacked Poland and fright
ened part of the world at least with the
unhappy prospect of a military alliance
with Russia, a combination of man
power (250,000,000), natural resources
and technical ability stretching from
ocean to ocean, to a point only 50 miles
from the United States—Alaska. If Po
land and the allies crack it may become
a reality.
That is the combination Senator
Walsh is encouraging by his demand
that the miscalled “Neutrality Act” be
maintained. Miscalled—and falsely call
ed a “Neutrality Act” because it forbids
something that has always been recog
nized as neutrality—trading freely with
either side in a war so long as they give
satisfactory payment. The present Neu
trality Act is actually an unfriendly act
toward England and France because, as
Senator Walsh admitted, it affects them
alone.
Today we understand a democratic
government to be (in part) one in which
decisions affecting the national welfare
are made by duly elected representatives
of the people, where these representa
tivs may speak, consult, and vote on
measures without fear of personal vio
lence or intimidation. France and Eng
land have such governments. Senator
Walsh knows it. Then why keep re
peating “so-called democracies.”
Another measure of democracy is the
degree of freedom citizens enjoy in ob
taining information enabling them to
participate in an intelligent solution of
common problems. France and Eng
land are democracies by this standard.
For centuries past their citizens have
taken a leading part in man’s struggle
for personal liberty. Germany has no
such tradition, their ideal being sub
servience of the individual to a mythical
state. It is this disregard of the indi
vidual which results in the Germans al
ways committing such acts as the sink
ing of the Athenia, and so supplying
K
Letters to the Editor must
bear the name and address of
the writer although fhe use of
a pseudonym for publication is
permissible. Please be brief!
! their opponents with free propaganda,
i If Senator Walsh is so apprehensive
about America succumbing to propa
, ganda, he ought to have set an example
by speaking objectively. We can, as
President Roosevelt said, remain neutral
in fact, but still continue to use our in
telligence in evaluating events.
R. L. MUCKLEY.
Chicago.
September 6.
To the Editor of The Star:
! We heard the broadcast over WMAL
Monday night by Senator David I.
Walsh. It was the best speech we have
heard on the radio lately. And it was
right from the heart.
I wish that 90 per cent of our Senators
and Congressmen could have that same
feeling when the President calls the
special session to knock out the Neu
trality Act in order that France and
England can get our planes and muni
tions of war.
We have everything we need and we
can protect the United States. So why
should we get messed up with Europe's
affairs again as we did in the World
War?
May the words of Senator Walsh sink
deep into the heart of every American.
I am a natural-born Texan, 54 years old,
and the other war is still fresh in my
mind. So I say, stay out of Europe.
D. J. NIEMEYER.
Skidmore, Tex.
Sept. 5.
Editor's Note: The letters printed
above are published by The Star be
cause of the widespread interest in the
subject matter of Senator Walsh's ad
dress. In fairness, however, it is stated
that the number of letters commending
the speech greatly outnumber those
critical in tone. More of the former
cannot be printed because the writers
merely expressed agreement with Sena
tor Walsh and did not discuss the issues
involved.
Urges Abatement
| Of Needless Noises.
To the Editor of The Star:
Can't something be done to stop the
constant honking of automobile horns,
the playing of radios in automobiles
parked in front of our homes all hours
of the night? Our latest persecution is
the constant yelping of “extra papers,”
which is nothing short of commercializ
ing the war.
All of these things are nerve-racking
as they make sleep impossible, and in
many instances have caused illness and
doctors’ bills.
M. H. D.
September 4.
Asks Fair Chance
For Negro Soldiers.
To the Editor of The Star:
If this country should go to war I
hope that we colored Americans, many
of whom distinguished themselves in the
last great conflict, will be given a fair
chance to be represented in the Army
and Navy of the United States.
We, the Negro soldiers, have proven
our worth from San Juan Hill to Chateau
Thierry and the Argonne. Should war
come, many thousands of young, effi
cient Negro men, many of them quali
fied to be officers, will answer & call from
Uncle Sam.
WORLD WAR VOLUNTEER.
September S.
Haskin's Answers
To Readers' Questions
By Frederic J. Haakin.
A reader can get the answer to any
question of fact by writing The Eve
ning Star Information Bureau, Fred
eric J Haskin, director, Washington,
D. C. Please inclose stamp for reply.
Q. How many teachers in the United
States are protected by tenure laws?—
J. G. M.
A. According to a new survey entitled
"The American Teacher,” by Dr. Willard
S. Elsbree of Columbia University, of the
900,000 men and women in the teaching
profession, 340,000, or 37 per cent, are
protected by tenure laws of varying de
grees.
Q. Who said “The causes of war are
profound, but the occasions of war are
slight”?—D. P.
A. Aristotle.
Q. What animals besides the kangaroo
carry the young in a pouch?—V. 8.
A. The phenomenon of a pouch In
which the female carries her young after
they are born is peculiar to the group of
mammals known as the marsupials.
With the exception of the common
opossum of the United States and a close
relative of tropical America, all the
members of this group are confined to
Australasia. Besides the kangaroo, the
most familiar member, the group In
cludes the wallaroo, several species of
wallaby, the wombat, the koala, the
Tasmanian wolf and the Tasmanian
devil.
Q. Did Shakespeare leave a will?—
K. H. M.
A. Shakespeare made his will on
March 25, 1616. There were legacies to
his daughter, Judith Quiney, and ills
sister, Joan Hart, and remembrances to
friends both in Warwickshire and Lon
don. The real estate was left to his
daughter, Susanna Hall. His wife, who
had, of course, dower rights in most of
the real estate. Is only mentioned in an
interlineation, by which the second best
bed wuth the furniture was bequeathed
to her.
Q. Who was the first newspaper col
umnist in the United States?—E. H. F.
A. The Rev. Increase Mather was
; probably America's first columnist, start
ing his “Advice to the Public’’ column in
1721.
Q. Where in California is the mystery
house that was never finished?—E. A. B.
A. The Winchester House, built by the
widow of the famous firearms manufac
turer, is about 4 miles from San Jose
| and 2 miles from Campbell in the Santa
Clara Valley. Mrs. Winchester, a spirit
ualist, believed that she had received a
message from the spirit world that she
would not die.as long as the sound of
hammers was heard in the house. As a
result, it is a strange composite of archi
tecture with steps leading nowhere,
strangely placed balconies and some
rooms no larger than 1 foot wide. It is
estimated that at least a million dollars
was spent on the structure, parts of
which have not been explored.
Q. Howt much paper did it take to
print the convention issue of the Town
send National Weekly?—C. V. G.
A. Approximately 37*4 tons of paper
were used to print the convention issue
of the Townsend National Weekly.
Q. What kind of locomotive is used on
the cog railway which ascends Pikes
Peak?—L. J. H.
A. Formerly steam engines were used,
but they have been replaced by a Diesel
electric locomotive. It is powered by
three generating units, weighs 21 tons
and makes the climb in 1 hour and .
10 minutes.
Q. How does the number of white
corpuscles In the blood compare with the
red?—L. N. T.
A. The blood contains about 11.000
white corpuscles per cubic millimeter.
There is only one white corpuscle to
from 400 to 500 red corpuscles.
Q. Did the W. P. A. make a list of im
migrants who came to this country many
years ago?—B. W.
A. One of the projects of the W. P. A.
was to list in a card index the immi
grants arriving at Ellis Island previous
to 1902. These records are available at
Ellis Island.
Q. How did Lloyd's get its name?—
R. G.
A. This association of underwriters (
first met in a coffee house kept by Ed
ward Lloyd in the 17th century, from
which it took its name.
Q. Please give some information about
the publisher who established freedom
of the press in America.—G. H. Z.
A. John Peter Zenger was born in Ger
many about 1680. He came to America
about 1700 and became a printer's ap
prentice. He began the publication of
the New York Weekly Journal Novem
ber 5, 1733, an organ opposed to the
Governor and supported by Chief Jus
tice Lewis Morris and other leading men. ‘
The paper was credited with greatly in
fluencing public opinion against the
Government, and Zenger was arrested
November 17, 1734, on a charge of pub
lishing seditious libels. He was im
prisoned for some time before his trial,
at which he was defended by Andrew
Hamilton, and his acquittal by the jury *
was regarded as the first important vic
tory for the freedom of the press. The
verdict has been called “the morning
star of that liberty which subsequently
revolutionized America.’’
Discount the Ash
Host to emotion, pain and ecstasy,
Twin fires lying dormant in my heart,
I know not what small circumstance
may be
The breath that bids a conflagration
start. *
A flower, a voice may fan the sleeping
flame
To white, consuming passion, till I
know
That agony and rapture are the same
Fierce tongues that set jpy being’s core
aglow.
I would not have It otherwise. Unstirred
By wreathing gusts of anguish or
delight,
My soul would lie as sullen as a bird
Denied its haven, denied its throbbing
flight. *
No,—let me writhe to the searing, fiery
lash,
Discount the gray, inevitable ash.
INEZ BARCLAY KIRBY.
i