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

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

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W gening ptaf
WUb Sunday Morning Edition
THEODORE W. NOTES, Editor.
WASHINGTON, D. C.
WEDNESDAT.October 11, 19S9
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Germans' Repatriation
Germany has undertaken the re
patriation from three Baltic states—
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania—of
more than 100,000 persons of German
blood and is reported to be negotiat
ing with three Balkan countries—
Rumania, Yugoslavia and Hungary—
for the transfer to the Reich of some
2.000,000 more who inhabit those
countries. The possibility of an ex
change of Czechs and Slovaks for
Germans who still live in the Soviet
Union also has been raised.
These returning Germans, it is in
dicated, would be used to settle the
conquered lands of Poland and
Czecho-Slovakia, transforming them
into ethnically German territories.
Bphinri this mass misxratinn can
be seen a broad motive, a desire to
keep for the Reich the territories
Hitler has won for it, whether the
W’ar results in victory or defeat for
Germany.
Hitler's enemies have made much
of his seizure of alien peoples, im
pugning the sincerity of his avowals
that he aims only to build a greater
Germany for the Germans and that
he wants no foreign peoples. He
sees in the future the day of settle
ment with his enemies, the day when
the new boundaries of Eastern Europe
will have to be redrawn, and he hopes
by resettling Germans in the con
quered territories so to alter the eth
nographic facts of Europe as to fore
stall the stripping of those lands
from the Reich under any such slo
gan as the self-determination of
peoples.
Hitler realizes that the most pow
erful argument Germany will have
for the retention of the lands which
he has won by both diplomatic and
military means—Bohemia, Moravia,
Slovakia and Poland—will be the
presence of strictly German popu
lations on that land, working it and
making their living from it. If Great
Britain and France attempt to re
establish Poland and Czecho-Slo
vakia on any equitable basis they
will And it necessary, he hopes, to
take into account the wishes of
the people who inhabit those terri
tnrips nt t.hp mnmpnt Sn Hitlpr mnv
be giving force to his reiterated
boast that the Poland of the Versail
les treaty will never rise again, may
be putting the conquered territory
In the hands of Germans whom he
can trust to fight to keep it.
There are other angles to this re
population of Germany’s new “Leb
ensraum.” First of all, Germany is
at war, with millions of men under
arms, out of industrial and agricul- 1
tural production. Germany's high
productivity in foodstuffs and in the
finished products with which she
buys food and raw materials thus is
endangered. With reduced produc
tivity her capacity to live and fight
the war is put in serious jeopardy.
If, as appears likely, Germany suc
ceeds in recalling Germans home to
the Reich—by either force or induce
ment—the Reich will acquire a sub
stantial quantity of man power to
keep the wheels of industry turning
end the crops growing while the
cream of her manhood is at the
front.
If Germany’s repatriation program
Is as broad as .it now seems Hitler
jwould appear to be killing two very
desirable birds with one stone, name
ly, consolidation of his conquests
and acquisition of additional man
toARTAw mil i AVa + a finrWf 4- Va a ittar
But beyond these there are other
gains from such a policy—elimina
tion of minority quarrels with small
neighboring states, avoidance of dis
putes with Soviet Russia into whose
hegemony most of Eastern Europe
appears to be falling, and acquisi
tion of the wealth of the repatriates,
wealth which Germany may sorely
need before the present war is ended.
The Building Inquiry
The building construction probe
the Department of Justice is inaugu
rating here affords an opportunity
for a thorough airing of alleged
abuses in the industry.
A preliminary investigation already
has disclosed practices that need
correction, in the opinion of depart
ment officials, and thorough study
by the grand jury may bring to light
others that should be rectified.
There has been reason for a long
time to suspect the existence here
of dark corners in the construction
business where some light is advis
able. For one thing, recurrent stop
pages of work, particularly on Gov
ernment projects, have indicated the
ft
presence of conditions that require
adjustment. The public, with an
eye to housing costs, will be curious
also to learn if price levels are being
influenced by inflationary factors,
artificially produced.
The inquiry, one of a Nation-wide
series on which the department has
embarked, is directed at building re
straints that contravene the anti
trust laws, and the scope of those
statutes makes it possible for every
branch of the industry—contractors,
material suppliers and unions—to be
brought under scrutiny.
There is no apparent reason why
the inquiry should not be given the
widest range. The Attorney General
has ordered civil or criminal proceed
ings, or both, if law violations are
found, and nothing should be left
undone to insure that the whole field
will be covered.
Furthermore, the industry should
nrolpnm o tVio inrmirr fn** i f cnnimio
-- -— -1-iT » ~
abuses are not eliminated, it will be
the industry which in the long run
will suffer most.
/==' = ■
Embargo and Ccfndor
Now that the motion by Repub
lican Senator Tobey of New Hamp
shire to divide the neutrality bill into
two parts has been roundly and
properly defeated, the path is clear
for a resumption of debate in the
Senate on the fundamental issues of
the arms embargo controversy. It is a
regrettable fact that the discussions
on the floor to date have not been so
fulhand free and frank as they might
have been. There is, indeed, an
uneasy and resented impression
throughout the Nation today that
the matter of embargo repeal and
the broader question of American
neutrality in the European war have
not to date been argued on their
merits in the Senate or on the air
waves. This reaction does not arise
from popular doubts as to the sin
cerity of those participating in the
debate. It is born, however, of a
growing conviction that, for reasons
which do not seem adequate to the
public, the collateral and technical
and legalistic aspects of the embargo
and neutrality problems are being
dwelt upon almost exclusively in the
debate—while the actual and com
pelling reasons which inspire the
proponents and opponents of the ad
ministration-sponsored Pittman bill
are being touched upon too lightly.
It is refreshing, therefore, to have
Senator Austin, Vermont Republican,
supporting the Pittman repeal meas
ure, come out openly, in a statement
to the press, with the courageous and
forthright assertion that he favors
abolishment of the embargo for the
simple and logical reason that repeal
would be “an act of self-defense be
cause it is designed to aid Great
Britain and France.” He pointed out
that Americans “must do everything
we can to hasten the victory of the
allies”—not because of any senti
mental desire to help our friends pull
their chestnuts out of the fire, but
for the very practical and properly
selfish reason that an allied victory
over Hitlerism will mean the elimi
nation of a very serious threat to
American security. “In order to pro
tect our interests,” Senator Austin
said, “we must make it possible for
Great Britain and France to get sup
plies. * * * We do not need to ask
whether this bill is neutral. We only
need to know that it’s an act of self
defense.”
Nor should disarming candor of
this type be limited to the pro-repeal
advocates. If those opposed to the
administration bill were to voice on
the Senate floor the thoughts to
which some of them have given ex
pression in cloakroom huddles or out
side the halls of Congress, they would
probably confess that they find
themselves in broad agreement with
Senator Austin. But they think that
this country is faced with a more
serious threat than the possibility of
having to enter the war eventually
to protect its own interests. They be
lieve that the President has already
so clearly demonstrated his bias in
favor of France and England that
repeal of the arms embargo would—
despite his repeated and unqualified
assurances to the contrary—be a
signal for him to jump into the war
at once. Thus, with America at war,
they contend that the President
would achieve what amounts to dic
tatorial powers. Their conclusion—
reached by such factitious argu
ment—is that even a German victory
over England and France would not
be so grave a threat to American
democracy as would an internal
Rooseveltian dictatorship, and hav
ing arrived at that conclusion they
are opposed to arms emttergo repeal
as precursory to the abandonment of
our national democratic freedom.
The Star agrees thoroughly with
the pro-repeal viewpoint expressed
yesterday by Senator Austin and it
-3 s__J.__1__
Uioagicuo o ui niwi kaav
peal arguments set forth above but
as yet not discussed on the Senate
floor. The Star believes that such
views have been too long obscured
on both sides of the controversy; that
they are the very crux of the neu
trality issue and that in a matter of
such vital concern to the welfare of
the Nation and of every citizen there
should be the fullest disclosure of
every influence motivating those en
gaged in determining America’*
course in the present world crisis.
'Happy' Chandler
Albert Benjamin Chandler of Ken
tucky yesterday satisfied an ambi
tion. He became a Senator of the
United States. In his forty-one years,
the new Senator has traveled far—
and fast. Not long ago he was work
ing his way through college; begin
ning the practice of law. Since that
time he has served in the Kentucky
State Senate, been in turn Lieuten
i
ant Governor and Governor, relin
quishing the latter office to be ap
pointed to the Senate.
What the youthful Senator from
Kentucky has accomplished is a trib
ute to his energy and determination
and to his undoubted ability. The fa
cility with which he makes friends is
attested by his nickname. As “Hap
py” Chandler he has been known
throughout his own State and, in
deed, in recent years, throughout the
country. He has courage and an in
dependent spirit. He has personal
charm and boundless capacity for
work.
The method of his present ap
proach to the Senate seat he now oc
cupies leaves something to be de
sired, however. As Governor of the
State of Kentucky it became his duty
to appoint a Senator to fill the va
cancy created last week by the death
of the late Senator Logan. Instead
of making an appointment, he re
signed his office as Governor and
brought about the immediate eleva
tion of the Lieutenant Governor,
Keen Johnson, to the Governor’s of
m-e. uuvernor aonnsons nrsi act
was to appoint Mr. Chandler to the
vacant Senate seat. Mr. Chandler’s
appointment to his new office was,
of course, a part of the understand
ing he had with Governor Johnson
when he resigned as chief executive
of the State.
Other Governors of other States
in the past have hesitated—and de
clined—to make a similar approach
to the Senate. It is not good ethics.
Whether it is good politics time will
disclose to Senator Chandler. The
Senate is the sole judge of the quali
fications of the men and women who
are seated in that body, but so far as
the Senate is concerned the matter
appears to be a closed incident. No
one is disposed to make a contest.
The inclination is to allow the people
of Kentucky to deal with the matter
as they see fit.
Only one other Governor of a State
has taken a course similar to that
taken by Senator Chandler—former
Senator Erickson of Montana. What
happened to Mr. Erickson is a matter
of history. He sought in 1934 to win
election to the Senate seat to which
he had had himself appointed, after
resigning as Governor in 1933. He
was defeated for the nomination and
passed out of the political picture.
The new Senator from Kentucky may
not be overtaken by such a fate, but
the issue may be raised against him
in the future.
Senator Chandler sought election
to the Senate last year, against the
i vkviuit wuiv/uiuviu ui uit
Senate, Alben W. Barkley. It was
his right to do so. But with Presi
dent Roosevelt throwing the full
force of his favor to Senator Barkley
in the Democratic primary, Mr.
Chandler was defeated. Senator
Chandler apparently has buried
the hatchet with Senator Bark
ley. He has come to the Senate
prepared to support the President’s
proposal that the arms embargo in
the present neutrality law be re
pealed. How long this era of peace
will continue is problematical. Mr.
Chandler is not the type to wear any
man’s collar. He is a genial, friendly
person—but a fighter and a hard hit
ter when he fights.
Censored Weather
The latest skirmish on the censor
ship front is a ban against the pub
lication of weather data from Can
ada. The weather factory at Medi
cine Hat is expected to turn out its
usual quota of barometric low pres
sures and chilblains but they will
not be reported. Fortunately the cen
sorship will not affect the guessing
department of the United States
Weather Bureau, which is informed
confidentially by the Canadian gov
ernment just how cold the country
is. It will however raise hob with
many Americans who like to sit
around comfortable firesides and get
sadistic glee out of perusing the
evening paper and learning that it
is now forty below in Winnipeg after
an unseasonable and depressing heat
wave of zero.
The real damage will of course be
done to Hitler’s minions, balked by
the suppression of such vital infor
mation. In retaliation, they will nat
urally prevent the allies from discov
ering how' the wind blows in Berlin,
and in addition will undoubtedly dis
tribute weather spies throughout the
Dominion and work out some way of
getting their reports to the Father
land. .Loyal Canadians should be
careful how they discuss their cli
mate, and that should be easy. Even
without a war, the less said about it
the better; and in the light of past
events, even the most rabid Cali
forniacs would do well to emulate
this example of prudence.
Americans are inclined to feel rath
er sorry for those small, “backward”,
Balkan nations. Take Rumania, for
example; she has no unemployment
problem and rejoices in a balanced
budget.
There are 16,000,000 thunderstorms
a year throughout the world. Of
these it is estimated that perhaps
1,600 hit exactly where and when
they are really wanted.
As the ticks, daggers and mosqui
toes pass out of the picture we are
afflicted with the foreign correspond
ent who begins all his dispatches
with the pronoun “I.”
“El Capitan,” the 3,000-foot cliff in
Yosemite Valley, is known as the
world’s biggest single piece of un
broken granite. It would make a fine
tombstone for the New Deal.
The title of a recent book is "The
Seven Lady Godivas.” This suggests
a rodeo In a nudist damp.
ft
Says Embargo Repeal
Will Lead to War
Fears German Reprisals if
We Sell Arms to France
And Britain
To Ihe Editor of Tht Star:
In this neutrality debate, both sides,
the pro-embargo group and the antis, are
agreed as to the objective—to keep the
United States out of war.
Admittedly the sustaining of either side
of the argument depends to some extent
on speculation as to the progress of the
war and the developments in Europe
consequent upon our action or inaction.
It is said that a restriction on the sale
of arms, since it would benefit Germany,
would tend to prolong the war. Repeal
of the embargo now would, on the con
trary, contribute to a quick and decisive
allied victory, and the ultimate danger
to the United States inherent in a Ger
man victory, would be avoided.
VII LA A V UUIL1 UOIIU, illUllllVIlUllVl. Vi 1.11V
present embargo on arms and implements
of war is defended as designed to keep us
out of a European conflict. On this
point, it is said that American sales of
munitions abroad, and American loans to
belligerents, inevitably involved us in the
last World War.
That this latter view should now pre
vail is, I am convinced, abundantly
proved by the experience of this Nation
during the period from 1914 to 1917. In
brief, the United States then insisted, at
the outset, upon normal trade with bel
ligerents, subject to the rules of existing
international law. That policy was modi
fied, in successive steps, by the action of
Great Britain. That nation, after pub
lishing a list of absolute contraband (war
materials) and conditional contraband
(other goods subject to seizure if proved
to be destined for the use of a belligerent
army), then proceeded to impose a block
ade of the entire North Sea. Such a
blockade, flagrantly in violation of inter
national law. was succeeded by an ex
pansion of the contraband list, the net
effect of which was to shut off entirely
our trade with Germany and Austria
Hungary.
Parallel with the mounting restrictions
imposed by the English on our trade was
the war boom in the United States, stim
ulated, of course, by the extraordinary
demands of the allies for guns and am
munition, as well as for wheat, cotton,
oil and steel. It was a genuine boom and
few stopped to question its basic validity.
The fact that by the early part of 1915,
the cash resources of the allies were
largely exhausted, and that purchases
were being made from the proceeds of
loans floated through J. P. -Morgan &
Co., the American purchasing agents for
the allies, was lost upon the general
public.
Only one slight flaw developed in this
picture of American "neutrality" and wrar
prosperity. The U-boat raised its ugly
head, ships w-ent down, and American
lives were lost on the Lusitania and other
ships. America's natural feeling of out
aiivi no ucmanua vjii \_JCXXliailv XUi (
cessation of submarine warfare were met
by the German response that England
was starving Germany by an illegal
blockade. For a time, however, the sub
marine warfare abated. But not for long.
This was the dilemma. The United
States, having acquiesced in the illegal
blockade by the English, had loaned
large sums to the allies. Could America
now turn back? By no means, for the
overwhelming force of our new prosperity
had tied us irrevocably to the fortunes
of the allied cause. America had en
tered the war, and it was only a question
of time before the final declaration which
was to send American boys to the French
trenches.
Again, in 1939. repeal of the arms em
bargo would produce a situation basically
the same. Maintenance of the embargo
will not prevent the allies from procuring
food and raw materials. Again the Eng
lish control of the sea will stop ship
ments of practically all kinds to Ger
many. With repeal of the embargo,
America will be taking the first step on
the road to casting its lot definitely with
the allies.
The United States is the only country
on earth capable of supplying, in a short
time, large amounts of planes, munitions
and guns. In a war in which the time
element is all important, American ac
tion which will secure a stream of muni
tions to one side to the exclusion of the
other, will, as in 1915, 1916 and 1917, lead
to reprisal by the belligerent adversely
affected by this policy. What means of
reprisal Germany will take can be
guessed at; sinking of our ships, sabotage
in munitions factories, mistreatment of
American citizens in Germany. Protest
will be unavailing, for Germany will re
fuse to abide by laws openly flouted by
England.
To offset such effects, proponents Of
the embargo repeal advocate the cash
and-carry plan. Such a plan would ob
viously not forestall the cumulation of
the factors binding us to the allied cause.
Whether we transport munitions in our
ships or in English ships is a difference
in degree, and not in kind. The sale of
ever mounting quantities of guns, air
planes and war equipment to one nation
or group of nations, with its concomitant
prosperity, would place this Nation, emo
tionally as well as economically, in the
position of having no alternative, in case
of German provocation, but a declaration
of war. JAMES MUNRO.
Fairfax, Va.
September 23.
Thinks Statesmen Should
Be the Ones to Fight.
To the Editor of The Star:
ouice mauiuuu seems aeierminea mj
achieve peace, good will and mutual un
derstanding by fighting, may I suggest
that national leaders responsible for set
tling differences, or fighting over them,
be the ones to fight. This seems very
cruel and unreasonable, but it would
mean less of bloodshed. After the fight a
peace council could be called that would
do no worse than have those who have
made other “peace treaties.” There may
be high-minded statesmen who would
rather face death and oblivion than doom
multitudes of their fellow countrymen to
that fate. After such a settlement per
haps some wise men, or women, could be
found to devise ways of dissolving differ
ences before they reach the war stage.
To be sure, this method would be hard
upon those whose business is to fatten
on war making, but the money spent on
all that goes to make war could be in
vested in the welfare of youth and sav
ing the babies so that they would be
ready to carry on the "warless world,”
about which wa dream even while we
go on fighting, A CITIZEN.
October 4
k •
THIS AND THAT
By Charles E. Tracewell. >
W.a rtna Vtoa aval1 avnlainaH avaaf.lv tka I T# fka*a Is a maakAnUal «««•«« 4a *->*%*
fascination of watching a building op
eration.
It is easier watching today, of course,
with the so-called ‘‘sidewalk superin
tendents” provided with neat windows,
and depressions in which to stand.
Some astute building company is going
to improve on the idea some time by
installing a bank of free seats.
In the meantime, the watchers must
be content with far more recognition
than they ever got before.
Ideas are queer things, after all.
Here men for centuries have liked to
watch the operations going on in the
building line, but it was only within the
last few years that any one did any
thing about it.
That was in New York, as we recall.
Then builders everywhere realized
that it was a very human longing, after
all, to want to see easily what was going
on down in that big hole.
Why wasn’t it thought of before?
* * * *
The answer to that is almost as dif
ficult as to the prior question, why
men like to watch building operations
in the first place.
To say that men like to build, and are
fascinated by it, is only part of an an
swer.
It is only a little less mysterious
than the plain fascination of recorded
music for men.
These twin appeals are to men. You
seldom see a woman in the sidewalk su
perintendents’ class. And 9 out of 10
in the music stores buying records are
10 *i/ i/iic ui uic gauftcu
Men are notoriously gadgeteers. Any
new wrinkle in the mechanical line
leaves them breathless. Go into any
office, and the chances are very large
that you may see a group of men hud
dled over a desk, watching the opera
tion of some toy or other being dem
onstrated by a fellow. In the old days
such a huddle might have ended with
a great guffaw, but today men do not
indulge in off-color stories as much as
they used to. The "why” of this, too,
might prove interesting, but we be
lieve it is a fact, and a good fact. Per
haps there is more going on in the
world, and more opportunities to see it.
Among these opportunities must be
classed sidewalk watching.
* * * *
The appeal of mechanical music, so
called, to men and boys seems irresis
table. While some women buy records,
they are outnumbered by the men.
Go into any record shop and see for
yourself. Nine out of ten of the pur
chasers are male. Pew women ever
bring home records to donate to the
general cabinet.
This is preponderantly a male hobby,
not to be explained by the presence in
it of an electric motor to operate the
turntable, or other gadgets.
given much rope, because few men
today know enough about electricity to
repair their own radio or electric pho
nograph.
* * * *
No, the fascination of recorded music
for male listeners must go back to music
itself.
They like music more.
Let no lady listener deny this. There
is no other real explanation for it. To
listen to your music in the booth and
then to take it home and listen to it
again—isn’t that eating your cake and
having it, too? One has to be a real
music lover to go through with it.
The dyed-in-the-wax phonophile often
wonders what the sellers buy half as in
teresting as the discs they sell.
* * * *
One man's guess as to the magnifi
cent fascination of watching building
operations to the average man is that
it allows him to loaf without making
him feel that he is doing so. < Maybe
listening to records works in somewhat
the same way.)
All humans like to relax, but the
creed to work has operated so long that
many find it impossible to indulge in
plain loafing without some excuse to
themselves.
That is where the embrasure in the
big board fence comes in, and those
windows cut in for the benefit of pass
ersby.
“I’ll just stop a minute,” the scurry
ing businessman says to himself. The
first thing he knows he has been there
manv
Men are great bluffs when it comes
to work. They like to think that what
they do is very important, and the best
way to achieve this, both in their own
minds and that of others, is to be per
petually in a great hurry.
So they hurry here, and hurry there,
or are so perpetually in a flurry that
they even cannot get up from their
desks.
But watch them on that trip down
the street, and you may see them stop
"just for a minute" to peer into the big
hole in the ground. The "minute" be
comes half an hour without their realiz
ing it, or, happily, feeling ashamed of it.
Practically all the sidewalk superin
tendents, so called, are well off; you can
tell it just by looking at them. The
bums are out. Maybe they are all down
in the hole working.
The white-collar men are watching.
The fascination of building up, rather
than tearing down, seems perennial.
There is something about it which exalts
the soul of man. That, without doubt,
has something to do with it.
Man, the magnificent loafer, likes to
watch others work, but he likes to think,
too. “When I am down in my excava
tion of labor, I work just as hard as
those fellows down there and >*taybe
get as much done; I hope so. anytCfc "
Letters to the Editor
Denlores Unfinished f I I
Maritime Memorial.
To the Editor of The 8t*r:
It will soon be Navy Day again and
much will be said about our Navy and
the glories of our sea service. Posters
will be placed everywhere as usual re
minding the people of the vital impor
tance, past, present and future, of our
Navy, merchant marine. Coast Guard,
etc., but little mention will be made, per
haps, of our only sea memorial—the
Naval and Maritime Memorial—which
stands unfinished and abandoned on
Columbia Island in Washington.
It has so stood during six years. In
deed, some not very friendly and not
very patriotic hand has attempted, and
in no little part succeeded, in obliterat
ing it from the sight of the public by
planting bushes and trees around it.
I have the privilege of being one of
the largest contributors to this memo
rial. A group of patriotic men and
women undertook years ago to erect this
enduring tribute of gratitude to the men
who during the 300 years of our na
tional life have served us on the seas.
This group of true Americans devoted
their time, efforts and money under the
sponsorship of three Secretaries of the
Navy to the realization of this lovely
memorial. Two-thirds of the money was
raised and the memorial was erected
with the exception of the beautiful base.
This memorial is still “veiled” in the
heart of the Government. I and the
other contributors feel that while it was
wonderful for patriotic Americans to
realize their debt of gratitude to the sea
men and to offer two-thirds of the me
morial fund, this does not relieve the
Government, which at times spends mil
lions to commemorate by stately monu
ments individual patriots, from its patri
otic responsibility, lest patriotism means
to be entitled to service and sacrifices,
and deny them recognition and honor.
The Government should be grateful to
the countless subscribers to this memo
rial, who have reduced to a nominal sum,
about $100,000, the expenditure necessary
to complete it.
If the spirit and ideals of our great
sea service in all its branches—Navy,
merchant marine, Coast Guard, avia
tion—have meant anything in the past
and will mean anything in the future of
our country, this memorial should be
completed and unveiled with the dignity
due its noble object. ABEL I. SMITH.
Norfolk, Conn.,
October 5.
An American in England
Hopes for Embargo Repeal.
To the Editor of The Btar:
Last night at my cottage in Devon,
where I am awaiting my turn to sail
home to the United States, I heard
President Roosevelt’s splendid address
to Congress on the subject of raising
the arms embargo and substituting the
cash-and-carry system. It filled me with
hope that at last there might be a
shortening of the dreadful sentence
hanging over Europe of three years of
war. But this morning I was shocked
to hear that the isolationists still pro
pose to fight it, as they were reported
to have said, “from hell to breakfast.”
In some people the bump of obstinacy
is greater than that of sympathy and
imagination. If these gentlemen could
only be herein England now, and see
for themselves what I can see, they
would probably take a very different
attitude. Every week of delay in ending
the present “Neutrality” Act means a
week more of playing into the hands
at the brutal lose of democracy; a week
k
Letters to the Editor must
bear the name and address of
the writer although the use of
a pseudonym for publication is
permissible. Please be brief!
more of suffering for freedom, with an
awful toll of human lives.
How can Americans sit by and see
Russia supporting the Nazis and supply
ing them with arms to crush the free
dom of all small countries? In three
weeks of diabolical air bombardment
the Nazis have mortally shattered Po
land. Whose turn is next? How long
will It be before they attempt similar
tactics on the evacuated women and
children of England and France?
These stanch allies in the cause of
liberty and humanity can, and will,
hold out a long time. But how many
million fine youths at the front and how
many thousand non-combatants will be
slaughtered? Think of the hundreds of
rinrtfir* tArhnirionc onH mircac Hanont
kindly citizens doing voluntary aid work
in every city, town, village and tiny
hamlet throughout the length and
breadth of England! These are the
people who will bear the brunt of air
raids; in their work to save civilian
lives many will themselves be killed,
and more wounded. How many must
be slaughtered before the United States,
the land of the free and the home of the
brave, will raise a hand to stop it?
Paignton, Devon, England.
September 22. ELLA SHERMAN.
Sees One North America
If Germany Wins.
To the Editor of The Star:
You think it will be very bad for us if
Germany wins the war? Maybe so, but
here’s my guess:
Canada will join us in an offensive
defensive alliance, if she does not unite
with us in one American Nation from
the Rio Grande to the Pole.
We will fall heir to all other French
and British possessions in the Western
Hemisphere.
World peace will be attainable through
getting rid of dozens of bickering little
independent states.
We will have universal military service,
and a very good thing for the average
American boy.
We will get rid of the pro-British
prejudice of our controlling class. It
springs from British control of trade,
trade routes, banking and communica
tions. We were anti-British when we
were poor; see Kipling’s American notes
on that. SAMUEL J. JONES.
October 7.
Believes Anns Embargo
Should Be Repealed.
To the Editor of The Star:
I believe that we are under a moral
obligation not to assist Qermany, as
existing laws now seem to require, there
fore I favor repeal of the embargo and
substitution of the so-called “cash-and
carry” plan.
As far as involvement In war is con
cerned, I do not believe that any law
which we might enact will make any
difference, as Germany has proved that
she has no respect for international
law or common usage and can manu
facture a cause of war whenever she
wishes.
I llirther believe that we should pre
pare for defensive military operations,
but only on Continental United States
territory, and for defensive naval opera
tions only within the area of tip West
ern Hemisphere. W. DA? BOYER.
October S»
i
Haskin's Answers
To Readers' Questions -
By Frederic J. Haskin.
A reader can get the answer to any
question of fact by writing The Eve
ning Star Information Bureau, Fi^d
eric J. Haskin, director, Washington,
D. C. Please inclose stamp for reply.
Q. Did the Government control gold
movements in the last World War?—
T. W. H.
A. The Federal Reserve Board set up
the Gold Export Committee. This wa«
a free gold market then but permits had
to be obtained from this committee be
foue gold could be exported.
Q. What Vice President of the United
States referred to that office as taking
the veil?—D. H. M.
A. After his nomination for Vice
President In 1900, Theodore Roosevelt
wrote to Gen. Leonard Wood, saying, »
“By the time you receive this you will
have learned from the daily press that
I have been forced to take the veil."
Q. Who was the first woman to be
elected a member of the American
j «v»uv,ih; Ui nuo Oiiu iJC ItCiOf-X . .
A. Julia Ward Howe, author of "The
Battle Hymn of the Republic,” was the
first woman accorded that honor.
.__ V
Q. What was the longest battle In
ring history under the modern rules?—
R. T. H.
A. The longest fight with gloves was
that between Andy Bowen and Jack
Burke at New Orleans, April 6, 1893. It
lasted 7 hours and 19 minutes.
Q. How long is it possible to hold
travelers’ checks beftfre cashing them?—
C. H. P.
A. There is no limit on the time these .
checks may be held uncashed.
Q. Where is the largest forest reserve
in the United States?—J. A. H.
i A. The largest established forest re
serve in the United States is the Supe
rior National Forest in the northeastern
part of the State of Minnesota.
Q. Was Horace Greeley at one time a
printer?—B. S. H.
A. At the age of 14 he became an
apprentice in the printing office of the
Northern Spectator at Poultney, Vt. He
later went to New York and secured a
job on the Spirit of the Times. In De
cember, 1832, he and Francis Story,
foreman of the office, left it and estab
lished a printing business under the
name of Greeley & Story. After Story'e
death, Greeley and the former s brother
in-law, Jonas Winchester, were part
ners and in March, 1834. they began a
weekly literary newspaper which they ‘
named the New Yorker.
Q. In what year was Florida taken
into the United States?—W. C. S.
A. Florida was admitted to the Union
on March 3, 1845.
Q. Is there a branch of the air serv
ice called the High Hats as shown in
the motion picture, “Hell Divers?” —
E. M. S.
A. The High Hats are members of
Navy Bombing Plane Squadron No. 3,
which is attached to the Saratoga. This
is an unofficial name derived from the
fact that the planes of this squadron
carry on their sides a picture of a high
hat, which is the squadron’s insignia.
Q. How many race horses have won
over $300,000?—R. G. J.
A. Sun Beau, Equipoise. Phar Lap,
Gallant Fox. Zev, Mate and Seabiscuit
are the only horses in turf history to
win over $300,000.
Q. Which of Mark Twain's books was
dedicated to John Smith?—J. D. L.
A. “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of
Calaveras County and Other Sketches’*
bore the following dedication: “To John
Smith. It is said that a man to whom »
a book is dedicated always buys a copy.
If this is true in this instance, a princely
affluence is about to burst upon the
author.”
Q. Please identify the line, “I'm tired
of thinking, tired of books, tired of
looking in the glass for looks."—T. J. C.
A. It is from a song entitled “I'm
Tired,” by William Jerome and Jean
Schwartz.
_ «
Q. What are the names of the castes
in India?—T. H. J.
A. There are four main castes: The
Brahmans or priests and scholars, the
Kshatriyas or warriors, the Vaisyas or
merchants and the Sudras, servants or
serfs. Outside of castes are the Un
♦nnrViflhl*c nf whnm thora are AAA .
000.
Q. How many known species of fish
are there?—M. B.
A. There are over 13,000.
Q. Is there a star called the white
dwarf?—P. J. H.
A. The Dog Star, Sirius, has a very
faint companion star known as a white
dwarf.
Q. What country has the most aliens?—
H. P. S.
A. The United States has more alien*
living within its borders than any other
country in the world.
Q. What famous character was in
mourning for his mother three years?—
D. S. K.
A. When Confucius was 22 his mother
died and he resigned his office of dis*
trict inspector of agriculture, living in
retirement for three years. This act la
said to have led to the restoration of
ancient funeral rites in honor of the
dead.
To Children in Starlight
The moon now holds he* torch a littl*
low
And stars draw softly nearer in surprise
To see their light imprisoned in the
eyes
Of playing children. Round the path*
they go
As figures on some ancient vase may flow,
While on tjie shining air their happy
cries
Ring clear as bird-calls In the star
gemmed skies
And passing summer’s pulse is warm and
slow.
Celestial light a sage cannot define,
Lamps which divide the night-time
from the day,
The stars wherein the ancients traced
design
Of gods and heroes of mythology—
The glittering hosts of heaven serene
Incline
To light earth’s little children at
their play!
BOPHRQNIA FULLER,
t 4