Evening star. [volume], January 25, 1940, Page A-10, Image 10

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

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With Sunday Mnrnlnv Edition.
THEODORE W. NOYES, Editor.
WASHINGTON, D. C.
THURSDAY..January 25, 1940
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Et Tu, John L.?
John L. Lewis does not think fa
vorably of a third-term nomination
for President Roosevelt. First, he
believes that Mr. Roosevelt, if re
nominated, would be ignominiously
defeated. Second, he accuses the
Democratic party and its leaders—
of whom Mr. Roosevelt is the chief—
of breaking faith with labor.
These are harsh words, coming
from the president of the Congress
or industrial urbanizations, ad
parently. Mr. Lewis is not satisfied—
and would not have been satisfied
with anything short of clear abdica
tion of power by the President and
its lodgment in his own hands.
Mr. Lewis has not shown himself
to be a temperate person, nor par
ticularly wise politically in recent
years. So little restraint has he put
upon himself that people will wonder
how much reliance they can place
upon his judgments. Some will place
none at all. In an outburst of in
dignation before a House committee,
he denounced Vice President Gamer
as a “labor-baiting, whisky-drinking,
poker-playing, evil old man.” He got
away with it, without being called
down at the committee meeting. But
the effect on the country was rather
to raise the estimation of Mr. Gar
ner and to lower opinion of the C. I.
O. chieftain. Perhaps Mr. Lewis’ at- j
tack now upon the President and j
upon his possible candidacy will i
promote Mr. Roosevelt’s chances of
obtaining a third nomination.
It is true that Mr. Lewis also says
that he does not believe that Presi
dent Roosevelt will become a candi
date. However, his remarks at the
Columbus convention of the United
Mine Workers of America, of which
he is president, were uttered in the
hope of throwing cold water on the
third term boom which has been
actively underway at the hands of
some oi me memoers oi me caoinet
and other New Deal leaders.
Mr. Lewis apparently has only one
candidate for the Democratic presi
dential nomination—unless a second
be himself—and that is Senator '
Burton K. Wheeler of Montana. Mr. 1
Wheeler followed up the Lewis pre- !
diction of defeat for President Roose
velt with an opinion of his own. His |
judgment was that Mr. Roosevelt
would have a very difficult time being
re-elected. Mr. Wheeler is not alone
In that opinion, for many other
Democrats, as well as Republicans,
concur. Mr. Wheeler does not give
the same reasons for opposing a
third-term nomination as those given
by Mr. Lewis. He, first of all, does not
believe that any President should
have a third term. He does not agree
with Mr. Lewis that labor has not
received its full share of support from
the President. On the contrary.
It scarcely seems possible that Mr.
Lewis will be able to convince or
ganized labor that the Roosevelt
New Deal administration has not
leaned over backward to support its
demands, that the Roosevelt admin
istration has not enacted many laws
favorable to labor. On the other
hand, no one can deny his declara
tion that the New Deal has failed to
wipe out unemployment.
In view of all that the New Deal
has done or attempted to do for
organized labor—and for Mr. Lewis
and his C. I. O.—the Columbus
address is almost “the unkindest
cut of all.”
Orchestra's Peril
Once again the National Sym
VI VAlVUbAUi AO AAA UUll^L A \J A VA AO
solution. Its eighty musicians have
demanded a longer season for 1940
1941, with wage increases approxi
mating twenty-seven thousand dol
lars. The Board of Directors of the
operating association, faced with a
deficit seemingly too large to meet,
has voted to cancel plans for the
annual campaign for subscriptions.
Last year’s drive fell short of its
goal, and there appears to be little
likelihood that another effort would
be more successful.
To the public the deadlock now
prevailing is a sad development. It
appreciates fine music, it sympathizes
with the musicians in their desire
for better pay and with the operators
in their anxiety to preserve the
existence of the orchestra as a going
concern. But the six thousand sub
scribers who have supported the
work since its beginning are not
people of unlimited wealth. Most of
them have been as generous as they
could afford to be. Under present
conditions they cannot guarantee
the contract the musicians’ union
insist upon. The moment for the
players’ ultimatum certainly is in
opportune. Doubtless, they realize
that "themselves. There can be no
1
question about the earnestness with
which they have put forward their
demand. Neither can there be any
speculation about the willingness of
the association’s board to accommo
date them so far as may be prac
ticable. The problem ought to be
susceptible of solution. Pending im
provement of conditions, a com
promise is suggested.
Meanwhile, a word may be said
with regard to competition. The
National Symphony Orchestra is not
the only musical organization of its
kind in the world. By throwing a
switch and twisting a dial, the aver
age citizen may hear great music
purveyed by radio. Washington is
proud of Dr. Hans Kindler’s company
of players, but audiences may stay
at home and listen to equally
talented artists—if they must.
Zero Hour
Japan by tomorrow will have had
exactly six months in which to con
template the effects of the demise of
the twenty-nine-year-old commer
cial treaty which expires by our ter
mination of it on July 26, 1939, under
terms provided for such action by
either signatory. As late as this
week Ambassador Horinouchi was
instructed to inquire at Washington
(1) whether, after January 26, there
will be any change in American du
ties and tonnage rates now imposed
upon Japanese imports; (2) whether
there is any possibility of an ex
change of notes between the two
governments defining the immedi
ately future status of trade relations,
anH what. will ho tho
Japanese merchants who have been
doing business in the United States
under the old treaty’s provisions.
The Japanese envoy was left in
no doubt of this Government’s atti
tude. In a nutshell, Uncle Sam
proposes to stand pat. When most
favored-nation rights, hitherto en
joyed by Japan, come to an end on
Friday, our trade relations with her
will remain on a day-to-day basis.
The next move, to convert those re
lations from a transitory basis to a
more permanent foundation, such
as that upon which they have rested
since 1911, must come from Tokio.
The Mikado’s government has long
been aware of what it has to do to
make the United States once again
treaty-minded. The Island Empire,
without mincing words, must pledge
itself to mend its ways in China;
and it will be judged in Washington
by its works and not by its words.
Our denunciation of the now de
funct trade pact was not lightly
undertaken. At stake is a trade vol
ume of vital importance to both
countries. While the grand mutual
total indicates that Japan is more
dependent on America for foreign
trade than our export industry is
dependent on the Japanese market,
the benefits of our long and profit
able commercial intercourse with
Nippon can be described as truly
reciprocal. She is the largest buyer
of American raw cotton; we are her
lnrcrpcf. pnstnmpr fnr raw Qiilr Rut.
it would be a much greater depriva
tion for Japan to be cut off from
American cotton imports than it
would be for American women to
get along without stockings made
out of Japanese silk.
Important as these trade details,
possible tariff reprisals, etc., might
be, it is the vaster aspects of the
whole Far Eastern problem which
really will be at issue as the after
math of the economic breach now
imminent with our old friends on
the other side of the globe. That
breach has ensued as a deliberately
punitive measure on our part—as a
peaceful but forceful protest against
the pretensions of the Japanese
militarists to establish “a new order
in Asia,” pretensions which are the
outgrowth of their undeclared war
of aggression on China. In the wake
of that wanton conflict and the
illegal occupation of China, the im
perial army for the better part of
three years has ridden roughshod
over the rights of the United States
and its nationals in many parts of
the invaded country. Establishment
of “a new order” would mean, as all
the world knows, the eventual exclu
sion of foreigners and foreign trade
from China and its conversion into
a Japanese monopoly. Protest after
protest has been submitted to the
Tokio government, to evoke only
empty apologies or promises of good
behavior, which were repeatedly
broken.
This is why January 26, 1940, will
denote a turning point in Japanese
American relations. The people of
the United States earnestly hope it
mov nrnvo a turn fnr tho hotter
But there is no longer any room for
doubt that a beneficent result can
follow only a fundamental change
of heart, spirit and policy in Japan.
If the army clique which rules the
roost at Tokio believes this country
is content indefinitely to accept
pious professions instead of prac
tical performance from the Jap
anese in China, the helmeted and
spurred exponents of the “new order
in Asia” are inviting for themselves
disappointment and disillusionment.
Virginia Redistricting
Proposals for a reapportionment
of General Assembly districts in
Virginia are of special interest to
residents of nearby counties of the
State, for a redistricting to conform
with population trends of recent
years would be certain to give the
growing areas across the Potomac
more adequate representation in the
Legislature. A bill sponsored by
Delegate E. Blackburne Moore of
Winchester would create a commis
sion of nine members to “make such
study as shall be necessary to ascer
tain what changes, if any, should be
made in such apportionment to re
\
move any inequalities and inequities
which may be found."
Under the present arrangement of
districts the three counties of Arling
ton, Fairfax and Prince William and
the City of Alexandria are repre
sented by only one State Senator.
That may have been proper repre
sentation a decade or so ago, when
most of the twenty-ninth senatorial
district, covering the Northern Vir
ginia section, was largely rural, but
it is hardly adequate today, with
Arlington a thickly populated urban
community and with Fairfax Coun
ty’s population increasing rapidly.
There is no longer the community of
interests and of problems which ex
isted when dairy and truck farms
dominated the district, and the
changed conditions have added con
siderably to the responsibilities and
the burdens of the Senator elected
to represent the three counties and
Alexandria at Richmond.
An area so important surely is
entitled to send more than one Sen
i ator to the Legislature. Moreover,
Arlington at present is entitled to
only one Delegate, despite the fact
that its population has jumped phe
nomenally in the past few years.
Such “Inequalities and inequities”
as these should be corrected at the
earliest feasible date. Appointment
of a reapportionment commission
now would give the group ample time
for consideration of 1940 census data
prior to the convening of the next
regular session of the General As
sembly.
c_:_r>_
i uv.my i\cuim»
I By a vote of eighteen to two, the
Senate Committee on Banking and
Currency yesterday approved a one
hundred million dollar increase In
credit for the Export-Import Bank
for the purpose primarily of enabling
it to lend up to twenty millions of
dollars additional to Finland—but
with strings attached. There were
two strings: First, that loans to Fin
land or any other nation must be
in conformity with international
law as interpreted by the State De
partment, and, second, that the
loans must be earmarked for pur
chases in the United States of sup
plies other than arms, ammunition
or implements of war, as defined in
the President’s neutrality proclama
tion.
The first condition is a logical
one—and State Department officials
| already have advised Congress that
I a loan to Finland at this time would
in no way conflict with international
law. The second reservation, The
Star sincerely believes, is quite illog
ical—if it be the desire of Congress
to offer practical, realistic aid to
sorely-beset Finland in her desperate
fight for life. Surely Congress must
want to make more than a gesture
of good will and sympathy to the
courageous Finns. Surely Congress
is not insensible to the overwhelming
manifestations in recent weeks of
vigorous, widespread public support
iui an unrestricted loan to t lmana—
a nation that has earned a credit
rating unique among foreign debtors
of the United States, and that has
earned the admiration of all demo
cratic peoples for its heroic stand
against the Russian invaders.
The Export-Import Bank already
has extended a ten million dollar
credit to Finland for non-military
purchases in the United States. This
credit is far from exhausted, for
Finland’s immediate, urgent need is
not for non-military supplies, but
for warplanes, anti-aircraft guns and
other “implements of war” to con
tinue her gallant fight against the
Red aggressors. To make twenty
more restricted millions available is
to shut our eyes to the grim realities
of Finland’s plight, to stop our ears
to her appeals for effective aid
against a ruthless foe. The Star
hopes that the Senate Foreign Rela
tions Committee, to which the loan
bill will be referred for study, will
take these realities into considera
tion and respond to Finland’s pleas
by recommending removal of the
restrictions which would so gravely
circumscribe further loans to the
beleaguered Baltic republic.
Stolen Goods
Let there be no more discussion as
to who is the greatest radio come
dian. The palm, with hammer and
sickle, unquestionably goes to a
woman announcer at a Moscow
radio station, who broadcast in
Finnish on the recent unpleasant
ness at Suomussalmi, in which two
Russian riivisinns xvpro srnachoH onH
vast quantities of arms captured.
Olga from the Volga said “On this
occasion the Finns stole weapons
from the Russians. If these weap
ons are not returned to their rightful
owners, war will be declared on
Finland!”
According to international law,
new style, there can be no war un
less both parties agree, and as long
as Russia insists that Soviet troops
in Finland are merely there to free
the downtrodden populace, Finland
stands convicted of larceny, and in
imminent danger of being involved
in war. It must be a great comfort
to Stalin’s poor dupes now being
decimated in Finland to know that
what they are engaged in is not war,
but merely one of the more strenu
ous varieties of peace so typical of
Europe. It is to be hoped that war
may be avoided, which seems likely
at the moment, as many of the mu
nitions in question, especially bullets
and shells, are being returned to
their original owners as fast as guns
can carry them.
Kicked in the head during a foot
ball game in England, a Welshman
wandered eighty miles before he
came to his senses. That is the
furthest “off-side” in the history of
the game.
> A
Of Stars, Men
And Atoms
Notebook of Science Progress
In Field, Laboratory
And Study
«
By Thomas R. Henry.
Probable length of a person's life Is
influenced by the rate at which the
heart beats.
Evidence for this conclusion has Just
been reported to the National Academy
of Science here by Drs. Raymond Pearl
and W. Edwin Moffett of Johns Hop
kins University.
It long has been known, they report,
that longevity runs in families and
presumably is hereditary. Barring epi
demics and catastrophes, the human
race might be divided into long-lived
and short-lived groups entirely regard
less of the causes of death. They have
been trying to isolate the factor, passed
down from parents to children, which
either is responsible for the difference,
or will serve as an indicator.
Their observations are based on 2,332
adult males for whom complete physical
examinations, showing perfect health,
were available for some years before
death. In no case had any discernible
trace of the malady which eventually
would kill the individual made its ap
pearance. They used life insurance
tables based on the average life ex
pectancy of the American population at
different ages to estimate how long the
******* »***b**v tv/ iltc OU U1C U1UC Ui
I his examination.
At death these men were assigned to
one of two groups, based on whether
| they fell below Expectation or exceeded
it. With these long-lived and short
lived groups established, Drs. Pearl and
Moffett went back over the first physical
examinations in search of something
which would be constant for each.
The one difference they found which
held regardless of the cause of death
was the heart beat rate. For healthy
males in early middle age it averages
72 a minute. Very few individuals, how
ever, fall exactly on this average. The
investigators found that the rates of
the short-lived regardless of the cause
of death averaged higher than those of
the long-lived group—in some cases as
much as three beats a minute.
“It is perhaps not unreasonable to
suppose,” Dr. Pearl says, “that the heart
of the average man that had beet more
than 18.246.000 times more in the first 41
years of life would not be likely to last
; so long thereafter. Many diverse lines
of inquiry have led to the conclusion
that the duration of life in general vaiies
inversely with the rate of living. The
present findings appear to add further
confirmation to this generalization.”
They tested such other criteria as
stature, weight, chest girth, chest ex
pansion and relation of height to
weight, but found no consistent differ
ences in the two groups as a whole.
The findings do not mean, it is
stressed, that everybody with a fast
heart at 40 is doomed to a short life.
They only indicate that the average
expectation of life for persons with fast
AAV CAA w UtOlO AO 1C03 tllCXII U/l IIIUOC W1LI&
slow-beating hearts, but any individual
may be an exception to the average.
* * * *
A tidal surge of weeds is sweeping over
American farmlands.
Four or five noxious varieties, accord
ing to Dr. M. A. McCall of the Depart
ment of Agricultures Bureau of Plant
j Industry, now are talcing over at least
a half million acres of productive soil
a year. They have swept over 8.000,000
; acies since 1920.
Once an invasion has become estab
lished, Dr. McCall has reported to Secre
tary of Agriculture Henry A. Wallace,
the land is practically ruined for crop
purposes since useful plants cannot
thrive in the same soil with them. He
estimates the loss in property values at
"tens of millions of dollars” and the loss
in crops at many millions more.
The worst of these invaders is the
wild morning glory. Another bad actor
is the Canada thistle. Both rob the
soil of its fertility and strangle all com
petition. They spread so rapidly and
occur in such abundance that the
struggle to keep ahead of them may
cost more than a crop is worth.
The invasion is particularly bad, Dr.
McCall reports, in the West. It is due
to two factors, first of which has been
the dry summers ‘which are favorable
1 to seed formation in these particular
plants. Second has been the economic
distress of the farmers which has pre
vented the proper care of land.
Says La Guardia Was
Incorrectly Quoted.
To the Editor of The Star:
We wish to call your attention to a
situation which has arisen recently in
connection with the report of the Fire
Survey Board of which Capt. Tansey
was the chairman. In the supplement
issued by the committee there appeared
a letter from one Rufus Lusk, president
of the Washington Taxpayers’ Associa
tion, dated November 21, 1939, and ad
dressed to the committee. In the third
paragraph of the said letter there ap
peared the following content:
“With new methods of preventing and
fighting fires and more fireproof con
struction, many a city is beginning to
realize that their fire departments are*
overmanned. Mayor La Guardia told
New York firemen last summer they must
look for a decrease in the number of fire
fighters beginning the first of the year—
and the Washington situation is similar
to New York’s.”
Our Legislative Committee, after some
slight research, has obtained a copy of
the remarks actually made by the Mayor
of New York from which the above is
supposed to have been “quoted.” There
follows herewith extracts of an exact
copy of the article as printed in the
New York Times on Ahgust 16,1939:
“ ‘We believe that the peak in the
fire department personnel will be reached
in 1940 or 1941. As a result the young
men who came in within the past five
years and are coming in today will face
the likelihood of being unneeded before
they have put in the required 20 years
for pension.’ He said, ‘he did not expect
much transferring would be necessary
for at least 10 years, after which the
fire department employment curve will
go down.’ ’
From these quotations it appears that
Mr. Lusk quoted Mayor La Guardia in
correctly. J. L. WERHETM,
President, District Firemen's Association.
A
I THIS AND THAT
Bv Charles E. Tracewell.
“Dear Sir:
“The purple finches have been ‘In’ for
about 10 days; 50 or more.
“I have waited with Interest to read
what your constituents have to write
on these fine birds but your column
has carried nothing of late about them.
"Is it early or late for these finches—
what is their season about here?
“Is it probable that your readers have
missed the young males and females
among the regular feeding line of
sparrows? x
"If you find this subject appropriate,
kindly suggest ideas on best liked foods.
"Very truly yours,
R. J. B.”
* * * *
The purple finch is a fairly common
winter visitant here, and an abundant
spring migrant, less common in the fall.
The average period in which the bird
is likely to be see* hereabouts extends
from the last of October until the middle
of April or thereabouts.
The discovery of this finch in one's
own garden is always an event.
The personal discovery of any good
thing is an event.
Music, books, pictures, people—their
discovery is of two kinds, general and
personal.
What difference does it make to a
reader, in a sense, if the whole world
has discovered a book, if he has not dis
covered it for himself?
To read about Beethoven’s "Third” is
one thing. To hear it is another. But a
different hearing still remains, that first
one in which somehow the peculiar mes
sage of this symphony gets over to the
individual hearer.
A famous Washington newspaperman
told a young reporter, "Do not bother
about whether a story has been written
before. Remember, it has never been
written until you write it.”
The same applies to seeing birds.
All the people in the land may have
seen a purple finch, in all its purple—
really a deep wine pink—but until you
have seen it, what difference does their
seeing make to you?
This personal discovery of the birds
is what makes this indoor-outdoor sport
so fine.
That is why it is always a matter of
deep interest, to be able to help people
identify that "new” bird in their yard,
especially in winter.
Fortunately, there is little "holier
than-thou” attitude in the sport of bird
watching. One seldom hears an enthusi
ast say, “Oh, don't you know what
that is?”
No, the answer is, "Why, that is the
purple finch,” or. “Yes, that is a real
bluebird, and you are very fortunate to
have one spending the winter in your
yard.”
Some common names of the purple
finch are purple linnet, purple grosbeak,
red linnet and gray linnet, the latter
applying to the immature birds and
the female.
Young birds aod the females often
are mistaken for r ’’sh sparrows. Some
very sad mistakes have been made on
this account. There have been Instances
of persons trapping and killing many
of these fine birds, under the impression
that they were "Just English sparrows.”
The moral, of course, is not to harm
any creatures which come to a "free
lunch.”
This finch is 6li inches long. The
male is pinkish-purple and brown, the
pink suffusing the breast and the tip of
head and back.
The female is olive-gray above, white
below, and quite conspicuously streaked
both above and below. She is a plain
bird, not in the same class, as far as
"looks” are concerned, with her attrac
tive mate. She is much thinner, espe
cially in winter, without the round
breasts of the more glamorous male.
Still, she is a mighty nice creature, well
worth looking for, if the observer will
try to single her out from the crowd of
sparrows to be found around most feed
ing stations.
\ * * * *
The scientific name—Carpodacus—
literally means “fruit biter.”
They like to eat the buds of peach
and cherry trees, and sometimes devour
the green fruit.
They like .the seeds of all trees, and
of some weeds.
One of the best baits for them is the
sunflower seed. This is a treat for most
seed-eating birds. The home owner
cannot go wrong when he puts out sun
flower seed, or mixes it with other seeds
and grains. Most of the commercial
mixtures have sunflower in them, but
since it is rather expensive, some of the
mixtures do not have enough. It is easy
to put in a handful now and them, to
"pep" up the regular batches.
The addition of sunflower seed makes
even cracked corn and wheat and oats
palatable for many seed eaters. They
will nibble the grains, now and then,
and thus supplement their regular seed
diet.
Friends of birds who have 50 or more
of these finches to feed are fortunate, for
there are few more interesting birds.
Not as flashy as the cardinals, nor as
bold as the jays, the male finch will at
tract attention anywhere.
The deep purple-pink-wine coloration
makes this an outstanding songster.
It is not likely to make much song at
this time, but occasionally utters its soft
cheep, cheep, feeding note.
At mating time it puts on considerable
of a show for the female, hopping around
her in trees, and now and then flying
high into the air, singing as it goes, to
return to the exact point from which it
flew.
There are only a few' birds which do
: this. The finches are said to like ever
I green trees particularly well, so owners
| of conifers should watch out for their
antics in the spring.
In the meantime, it is well if all ob
j servers scan gatherings of English spar
! rows, to see if there are not some purple
i finches among them.
Letters to the Editor
Cites Dates on Law
Locating Seat of Government.
To the Editor of The 8t»r:
In your Sunday editorial approving
the suggestion from Kansas that the
Post Office Department issue a stamp
commemorating the sesquicentennial
(150th year) of the law establishing the
seat of government of the United States,
you get your basic date too far from
home to record historical accuracy.
The seat of government was “estab
lished” by the Constitution of the
United States. The act of Congress, July
16, 1790, was enacted to “locate” it.
This act of July 16. 1790, authorized
President George Washington to locate
the seat of government on the River
Potomac between the mouth of the
Eastern Branch (Anacostia River) and
Conococheague, the latter a tributary
of the Potomac 20 miles south of the
Pennsylvania State line. The distance
between the two points designated was
approximately 80 miles, at any point
along which President Washington could
start the 10 miles square, or less. Ob
viously, this act was unconstitutional, as
it placed the seat of government entirely
within the State of Maryland.
Though announcing by proclamation
of January 24, 1791, that he had acted
under authority of the act of Congress
of July 16, 1790, President Washington
moved the lines of the 10 miles square
south of the mouth of the Eastern
Branch, so as to include the town of Al
exandria. The “lines of experiment”
took in part of the State of Virginia as
well as of Maryland and complied faith
fllllvr VIM f Vi tVlA OAMptitufi nw n 1 onn nl»n
ment that the seat of government must
be a district of territory ceded by States
—more than one. Maryland had offered
to cede territory for the purpose by en
actment of its General Assembly, De
cember 28, 1788, and Virginia made a
similar offer through its General As
sembly by act passed December 3,1789.
Probably perceiving the unconstitu
tionality of its first act of July 16, 1790,
Congress passed the supplementary act
of March 3, 1791. This enactment re
pealed that part of the act of July 16,
1790, which required that the seat of
government be located on the River Po
tomac above the mouth of the Eastern
Branch (Anacostia River) and declared
that it shall be lawful for the President
to make apy part of the territory below
the said limit and above the mouth of
Hunting Creek (in Virginia) a part of
the district of territory and also to in
clude the town of Alexandria.
This act of March 3, 1791, is a ratifica
tion of President Washington’s location
of the Federal district, or seat of gov
ernment of the United States (as shown
by his second proclamation of March 30,
1791), and is the law of Congress which
fixed the location of the seat of govern
ment authorized by and in conformity
with the Constitution of the United
States.
So it is this act of Congress, March 3,
1791, that definitely located the seat of
government of the United States in
Maryland and Virginia—and not the
partially repealed act of Congress, July
16, 1790, which restricted it to Maryland
alone.
However, as President Washington’s
second proclamation of March 30, 1791,
definitely fixed the boundary lines of
the 10-mile-square seat of government
of the United States, it would seem that
that should be the proper date for Is
A
Letters to the Editor must
bear the name and address of
the writer, although the use oj
a pseudonym for publication is
permissible. Please be brief!
suance of the seso.uicentennial commem
oratcry stamo. JOSEPH W. CHEYNEY.
January 22.
Argues Against Independence
For Philippines in 1946.
To the Editor ot The Star:
A press dispatch from Manila states
that President Quezon, in his address
at the opening of the Philippine Na
tion Assembly, warned the Filipinos of
the dangers of independence, saying that
they must be prepared to shoulder the
responsibilities that an independent gov
ernment entails, including public de
fense.
Mr. Quezon has known right along of
the dangers and responsibilities which
an independent Philippines would face,
but during the years of his campaign for
independence he never told his people
about those dangers and responsibili
ties.
I do not have to remind the Philippine
Commonwealth president that he and
his hand-clapping coterie alone were
responsible for the enactment of the
congressional legislation freeing the
Philippines in 1946. Students of Ameri
can-Philippine relations will recall that
the Independence Act was the result of
pleas from Filipino politicians who
wanted independence as quickly as
Congress decently could give it to them.
The independence law certainly was the
result of the well-conceived ^propaganda
campaign for freedom carried on in the
United States for years by Mr. Quezon
himself and by other spellbinders.
But it is not yet too late for Mr. Que
zon to undo the wrong he has done to his
people. He can come out in the open
and declare for a realistic re-examina
tion of the Philippine question With a
view to postponing independence in
definitely. Congressional leaders have
indicated their desire to amend the In
dependence Act, provided the initia
tive for the movement comes from the
Filipinos themselves.
Mr. Quezon, however, must be reason
able in his demands. He must be pre
pared to sacrifice some of his political
principles, to modify his credo of dynam
ic Filipinism, for it is clear that the
United States would not assume any re
sponsibility in the Philippines without
corresponding authority. In other words,
Mr. Quezon cannot have his cake and eat
it, too.
Looking over the world situation, I say
that Philippine independehce, if granted
in 1946, will be as vain and short-lived
as the shadows of passing clouds. It is
not particularly desirable merely to have
independence for its own sake. Na
tional independence is not by any means
the same thing as freedom and liberty.
Where there is liberty, and where free
dom is actually enjoyed as in the
Philippines today, independence as a
nation is hardly something to be fought
for. In this situation in which we
Filipinos find ourselves, protection is
the main thing. And safety appears to
be assured only under the wings of
the American Eagle.
TEDDY DE NOLASCO.
Brooklyn, N. Y.
January 23.
•
*"• *
Answers
To Questions
By Frederic J. Haskln.
A reader can get the answer to any
question of fact by writing The Eve
ning Star Information Bureau, Fred
eric J. Ilaskin, director, Washington,
D. C. Please inclose stamp for reply.
Q. How deep was the snow in Wash
ington, D. C„ at the time of the Knick
erbocker Theater disaster?—J, C. B.
A. The total depth of the snowfall was
28 inches. The roof of the theater col
lapsed shortly before 9 pm. on January
28, 1922.
Q. On what radio frequency will the
Byrd snow cruiser operate?—D. R. 8.
A. The Byrd snow cruiser will operate
on a frequency of 1,500 kilocycles and
have a power of 125 watts.
Q. How many newspapers are pub
lished in the United States? How many
dailies?—T. D.
A. According to the latest edition of
N. W. Ayer’s Directory of Newspapers
and Periodicals, the combined total of
dailies, weeklies, semi-weeklies, and tri
weeklies in publication at the end of
1939 was 13,281. A total of 2,015 dailies
was Included in this figure.
Q. Do dairy cows drink much water?—
T. H. P.
A. Most cows drink from four to five
pounds of water for each pound of milk
they produce.
Q. What proportion of the world’s
land and population is in the British
’DmnienO TIT n <-«
A. The British Empire covers about
one-fourth (13,320,854 square milesj of
the world’s habitable land surface. Ita
population in the aggregate is more
than one-fourth of the inhabitants of
the world totaling 495,339,761.
Q. Please give the instrumentation and
personnel of Glenn Miller’s Orchestra.—
R. L.
A. It is as follows: Vocalists—Marion
Hutton, Ray Eberle; saxophones—A1
Klink, Wilbur Schwartz, Hal McIntyre,
Jimmy Abato, Tex Beneke; piano—
Chummy MacGregor; bass—Roily Bun
dock; guitar—Dick Fisher; drums—
Maurice Purtill; trumpets—Lee Knowles,
R. D. McMickle, John Best, and Clyde
Hurley; trombones—Paul Tanner, Frank
D’Annolfo, A1 Mastren, Glenn Miller.
Q. WTiat is the name of the famous
child guidance clinic in Boston?—E. T. P.
A. It is the Judge Baker Guidance
Center which is internationally known
for its successful methods in treating
problem children.
Q. To what country does the Island
of Reunion belong?—R. T. M.
A. Reunion, an island in the Indian
Ocean, about 420 miles east of Mada
gascar, has belonged to France since
| 1643. It is represented in Parliament
at Paris by a senator and two deputies.
y. What is the highest peak in the
j Andes mountains?—M. T. H.
A. Aconcagua on the Chilean-Argen
tine border, with an altitude of 22,834
feet, is the highest peak in the Americas.
Q. For whom is Germany's Siegfried
Line named?—R. S. H.
A. The name is derived from the
legendary Teutonic hero, Siegfried, who
was immortalized by Richard Wagner.
Q. Please give the aue and birth
place of Greer Garson who played la
“Good-bye, Mr. Chips.’’—R. L. P.
A. Miss Garson was born in County
Down, Ireland, on September 20, 1914.
Q. What is the name of the war
relief organization with which Miss
Anne Morgan is connected?—L. B. P.
A. Miss Morgan is president of the
American Friends of France and since
the beginning of the European war has
been actively engaged in organizing and
directing the field work of the associa
tion.
Q. Where can I find the quotation:
“Was this the face that launched a
thousand ships’’?—L. T. P.
A. It is from the “Tragical History
of Doctor Faustus’’ by Christopher Mar
lowe.
Q. Please give some information
about the’ First Church of Christ
Scientist in Boston.—G. D. A.
A. The original building of the
“Mother Church,” as it is called, was
completed in 1895 with a seating capacity
of 1,000. This soon became inadequate
and there was erected in 1905 an ex
tension with a dome reaching 224 feet
above the street. The auditorium seats
5,000. The extension cost nearly $2,000,
000. The church is built of Indiana
limestone and New Hampshire granite,
New Hampshire being the native State
of Mary Baker Eddy.
Q. Did the United States Navy borrow
binoculars during the World War?—
J. K.
A. At the time of the World War
President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who
was then Assistant Secretary of Navy,
appealed through posters to the people
of the United States to send binoculars
to the United States Naval Observatory
in Washington, D. C. About 52,000 binoc
******o niiu opy Bitwach WCIC iUttlieU, C»i
which approximately 32,000 were suit
able. Roughly, between 28,000 and 30,000
were returned to the original owners
after the World War. Acknowledgments
signed by Franklin D. Roosevelt were
sent to those individuals who lent binoc
ulars to the Navy.
Q. Is Lake Pontchartrain fresh water
or salt?—R. T. M.
A. Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana is
a salt water lake. It communicates
with Lake Borgne and Mississippi Sound
by the Rigolets Pass, through which
tidewater flows.
Winter Etching
The rose-haw lights a crystal lantern
globe,
And the path now covered by an ermine
robe
Is marked by brave green shafts above
the snow. .
Where stately yuccas blossomed in a
row.
Over white acres gleaming birches lift
A pearly colonnade. From drift to drift
Shadows of barren tree and conifer
Are mystic runes of palest lavender.
No cloud rides forth upon a questing
way
Across the peaceful firmament of gray
No eager wind is bent on Journeying
Just quiet unto quiet answering.
ROSE MYRA PHILLIPS.
& a