The Washington times. [volume], January 18, 1919, FINAL EDITION, EDITORIAL PAGE, Image 14

About The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939

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editorial page WASHINGTON TIMES washington
of the
january 18. 1919
THE NATION AL DAI LY j
- R?g. u. a Patent Offlc*
ARTHVK BRISBANE. Editor and Owner
_ EDGAR D. SHAW, Publisher
_ Entered n second cl&as matter at the Poatofrtc? at ^nhington. D. C.
Published Every Evening (Including Sundays) by t
The Washington Times Company, Munsey Bldg., Pennsylvania Ave.
Mali Subscriptions: 1 year line. Sundays), $7.50: 3 Months. $1.95; 1 Month. 8Sc
SATURDAY. JANUARY 18. ?!?.
'*
What Is Money?
Is a Handful of Gold Real \ aluo?
Two interesting suggestions from Europe.
First, that the Peace Council, which might better he
called a war council, when it meets shall, by its first meet
ing become and constitute a League of Nations, that it shall
lay down laws governing territory, regulating conditions,
*mp4wring peace?any nation resisting or disobeying to be
considered an enemy of the League of Nations and at once
attacked by all of them.
That would be a very powerful combination?until the
members of the league began fighting each other.
Interesting suggestion number two is the establishment
of an international gold reserve to contain the gold supply
of the allied nations, including the United States, and to;
act in the handling of the world's stock of gold, as our Fed
oral reserve banks here act in regard to money.
The suggestion is that the nations of Europe should com- j
nine to put three hundred million dollars into the gold pool, j
and thi? nation two hundred millions. One thing Old Uncle
Sam cannot complain of, they always give him a chance to,
do his share.
The senous discussion of a poor, little five hundred
million dollar gold pool among nations that are shoveling
ont what they call "money" by the tens of billions makes us
realise what a queer thing the finances of the nations are.
Gold is supposed to be back of all our money. But i
weak little nation can print and circulate at par at least
a FEW billions of good money, and not all the nations;
together could scrape up that much gold.
What is money? What is REAL value?
It is not gold, of course; that is only a token. It has
little more REAL value within itself than the strange sea
shell used as money on certain islands. A man will tell
you that the DAY'S LABOR is the unit of value. But it
~ Isn't while you can hire a workman in Korea for four dol
lars a month and must pay four dollars a day for a work
man in this country.
Another will tell you that the unit is the BUSHEL OF
WHEAT, since that is the staff of life, but it isn't stable
value. For you can buy a bushel of wheat for $1.35 in
the Argentine Republic, and here the farmer is guaranteed j
12.20 by the Government. t
Another will tell you that the earth on which we live
and the right to use it constitute the only real value.
That isn't so. You must add lime, phosphate, nitrogen, ?
muscle, and patience to the soil to make it valuable.
Gold is a first-class money token in our civilization. It
does not rust, and it enables intelligence to control the visi-1
ble supply and compel dullness to work and pay high'
interest.
That is what the present system requires.
You cannot tell just what money is, but you can analyze
it and tell its component parts, as you can tell that water
is made up ol two parts of hydrogen and one part of oxygen j
Three things enter into making up money or value.
First?The earth ani its wealth.
Second?Power, manual labor, steam or electric power.
Third?INTELLIGENCE.
First in the trinity of value stands intelligence. With
out it, the earth would remain savage and labor would
struggle in vain.
Primitive man hitched his old wives to a plow made of i
a sharp piece of wood. They pulled it and wore out what
strength they had left. The young wife held the plow and
saved her energies. The man sat up in a tree and looked
out for his enemy or his prey. Now man has got the explo
sive gas engine pulling his tractor, the old women are work
ing in the factories or scrubbing floors or pensioned off in
idleness; the young woman is nicely dressed, doing nothing,
if her man happens to be powerful. That means progress.
Bnt further progress is possible.
|. A Constitution for Ireland
"Why Not? Ireland Is a Nation. j
The Sinn Fein, triumphant at the recent election, goes
ahead with its preparations for independence, taking it for ?
granted, as it well may, that the President's sympathy for
, little nations does not necessarily exclude those controlled
rrj Great Britain.
The Sinn Fein has drafted a constitution for Ireland
-vhich begins. "Whereas the people of Ireland have never
relinquished their claim to separate nationhood."
It is a fact that for seven hundred years strong par
ties in Ireland have maintained a constant fight and protest!
against English rule. '
It will be interesting to see what will come of this Irish I
attempt at "self determination" at the peace table.
There would not be much peace around that table if
sQ those interested in all the lands where St. Patrick used j
to travel about preaching gathered and had their say.
The peace table will be made up, however, so far as
real power goes, of Lloyd George for England, Clemenceau
for France, Orlando for Italy, and Woodrow Wilson for the
United States. Even the United States will merely occupy
the position of a gentle adviser, if it be true; as the London
j
f Continued At Bnttnm I
> ".
A League of Husbands
ttwv swear.: T7W:
By T. E. Powers
WWtSTAND Mo
DICTATION FRoH (
FRIEND WIFE
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independent
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fjll be v<,h
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T/iFiRE All very wea/^f
Vo SAND!
/? JlKE ta HA V?" ^ome w oni ah
*tell ME What To DO f
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^7
Beatrice Fairfax, Writes of the Problems and Pitfalls of the War Workers
Especially for Washington Women
THERE'S an aspcct of the
lifo of many young girl
wage-earners that I wish
all mothers would con
sider. Not only here in
Washington, hut all over the
country.
It's the homclessness of living
at home.
The homelessness, I mean, of
living with parents who. ab
sorbed by other anxieties,
haven't realized that a self-sup
porting: girl needs more than a
room to lodge in and food to
eat.
T'n" homelessnes.s of always
having to make way for the
other members of a selfish or
tumultuous family, of never be
ing able to invite ore's friends,
or to reeeivo calls from young
men.
I'oes this hound like a simple
and shallow grievance, 0n the
part of the hundreds of voung
girls who wistfully give it ex
pression ?
To my mind it's a very serious
one.
The plain truth is that a girl
who contributes to the main
tenance of a household, as these
wage-earning girls do, isn't be
in? treated squarely when she
isn't piven the privileges of a
home.
She knows this herself. In
manv cases she's on the point of
leavinp hon>e because of it. So
I think it's time that mothers
fared th? question, too.
To be sure, motVrs are usu
all overworked. We all know
that.. And the claims of the
younger children are very press
ing. So it's quite natural that
they should lose the sense of re
sponsibility for sons and daugh
ters who i-eem old enough to
take care of themselves.
Mother*' Problems.
Mothers know that flats are
usually too small for the fami
lies that live in them, and so are
houses. Days are too short,
evenings seen* scarcely to exist
at all, and families make greater
Jemands than any parents could
possibly grant.
In the face of all these grim
farts, is it still the parents'
duty to sacrifice the family sit
tjnw roon ?n ?H ,A
TODAY'S TOPIC
Social Life for the Girl Wage-Earner
lous as a voung daughter's social
life?
lrankly speaking. I th'nk it is.
For part of the time, at least. And
I think mothers would agree with
me, if they once carefully thought
the thing over.
The eighteen-year-old wage
earner works longer hours than
she should, except in a few fortu
nate case;. The hour or two that
she might he outdoors she has to
sppnd in a stuffy train or crowded
trolley. When evening eornes, she
needs recrcation almost more than
she ne?-ds food or sleep. All the
youth in her cries aloud for it?
that youth that all day long has to
pretend it's a grown-up machine.
Her parents, even though they
may work much harder than she,
cannot possibly need a normal so
cial life as much as she needs it.
The needs of youth arc impera
tive. Something goes wrong if
they're not granted.
This would he just as true of
boys, if it weren't for two things.
Onf is that it's possible for hoys
to get their social life away from
home. And the other is that it is
particularly a girl's business to
keep hersc'f strong and normal,
with steady nerves and good vi
tality, because earning that week
ly pay envelope doesn't comprise
the meaning of life for her. Some
day she'll be a mother.
And a girl can't be the right
kind of mother unless she's sound
and strong. So, looked at from
this point of view alone, don't you
see how important it is that she
has her recreation?
What Home Means.
This is, in fact, an argument
that I know most mothers will re
spond to. They won't have thought
of it in this light before; but now
that they do see it as it is, they'll
contrivo the family life so that the
eighteen-year-old girl stenographer
can have a home in the only real
sense. That is, have her friends
come to see her.
There are. a- it happens, plenty
of other arguments in favor of
granting home privileges to the
girl that boards at home. There's
one in particular that's rather
forcible.
If a girl is spirited and reso
lute, strongly conscious of her in
dividual rights, you can t really
deprive her, except temporarily, of
th?i social life she needs. She's
going to get it anyway.
If her own family doesn't give
her the space and the time to
lead her own life, she'll live some
where else. She doesn't in the
least want to do this. It's a dreary
business, at eighteen, finding a
home for oneself. Hut she feels
that she's being forced to.
She feels, in fact, just as the
What's Doing; Where; When
Today.
Mating - Mississippi ^tate Society, 12! t
F street northwest, 8 p. it a. Conffrfaiman
Variable will apeak.
Meeting?Society for Philosophical In
quiry, I'Mblic T.ibrary building. * V- ???
L<lwar?l S. Steele will speak.
I?inner an<1 smoker?t'hl !>euteron rharpe
ef Theta Delta Chi Fraternity (Georgw
Washington University), 1842 Calvert street
northwest, ft p. ih
Lerture-^Charies D TVsleott, secret .uy
of the Smithsonian Institution, auditorium
of New National Mupoum. Tenth and li
streets northwest, 4:50 p. m
Hance?-Allotment an?1 Allowance
elation of War Klik Insurant e Bureau. Ra
lelgh Hotel, H p. m
I Ds.n^e ? Benefit Ursulln* Kindergarten.
Carroll Hall, SCO G street north weal, ft it'
( P ?n.
I Across?Col. ft. Owen, TT. fl. A., before
"* " | H'tr-n .1 rtf tPn?r??,l"*'
Printing*. Pythian Trmplo, 8 p m "Fit to
Fight." h motion picture war feature, w'*.i
.shown
Meeting?Federation of Citizens' Associa
tions. board room of District building. * 1>.
OHiirr -Ka.?t Washington Community
Canter. Kaatern High School, R:30 p m
Motion pictures -For children of Thom
flftii School neighborhood. Thomson School,
Twelfth and I. streets northwest, Z p. m.
Tomorrow.
lecture-?Joseph W Phillips before
Washington Secular League, 1612 9th street
northwest, :t p. m
Community sing?War Camp Service
Club. No. 3, 2011 (jenrgia avenue northw??<?t.
:t0 p m
Exhibition Photographs t*ken of \Vn?h
ington at night by R Hayes Hamilton.
Monroe Courts. 4 p. m.
J>odi? atlon exercises--Knights of Colum
bia Hut st Washington Birrs* ks. 2:".? p
following letter reveals. It is one
of many, voicing the same burden.
Don't for a moment think of it as a
solitary case.
"Do you think it advisable." asks
this wage-earner, "for a girl of al
most nineteen to leave home when
conditions have become almost in
tolerable? My mother ceems to
think that my whole lfte should
consist of my work, and begrudges
me amusement of the most inno
cent kind. My home is not open
to my friends. If I go out with
them, which is not often. I have
to meet them outside or at their
homes, and 1 imagine they wonder
why I do not invite them to my
home.
"And as for having a young
man call?that is beyond the ques
tion. I have to refuse the hos
pitality of. my home to the men I
meet in business and who want to
know me socially and 1 have too
much self-respect to meet them
outside.
Longs for UliTs l.il'e.
*?[ am getting of an age when I
am no longer a child and long for
a girl's life. 1 have thought of
leaving home and living at the
Y. \V. C. A., but 1 am earning
only J1H a week a.nd am afraid of
facing the world alone v itli that
amount. What shall I do'.'"
You see it's only the most rea
sonable and conservative irO.iul
life that the>e young girls ask fir
themselves. You are almost sur
prised at their tolerance and C< od
sense. It's perfectly obvious that
they are not pointy to al>u>e any
freedom they secure. They i-<e
not reckless, moon-coveting cr.U
tiren. They are young women,
prematurely steadie?i by their ex
perience of the workers' world,
and what they are asking for :s
really only life itself.
Can't you give it to them?
Persuade father that even
though he 1 ike.- peaceful evenings,
he isn't after all entitled to all
the peace that one household can
supply, and that besides, it's good
for him to go out occasionally.
And it's good for you to go oat
with him. You know it's what
you secretly like better than any
thing. And as for the young l.v,
they oughtn't to be anywheie out
studying their lessons or in bed.
You can arrange it all if you seit
ously make an effort to. (itve
n fV|?no<?
The W. & 0. D. R. R. Wants
Higher Fares
And the Hearing Before the I. C. C. Will Perhape Allow the Paaaen
fers To Get In a Few Reaarhs On the SERViO!
If They Care To Talk.
By EARL GODWIN.
The Washington and Old Dominion railroad has asked
the Interstate Commerce Commission to give it permission
to cancel its present rates. The commission has granted thi?
permission.
Now the next step, I presume, is for the Washington
and Old Dominion to ask for an incrrase in fares. Th*?
only reason I publish this is to give the public due notice
that these moves are contemplated, because goodne*s
knows the railroad is not going to do much advertising of
the fact.
The old rates on this line will remain in force at least
until thirty days after the filing of a schedule of new rates
with the Interstate Commerce Commission.
Meantime the passengers of that' line will have a
chance to get together and present THEIR side of the
argument.
P. S.?Publicity in these 6treet car matters helps won
derfully. A little light turned on the way the Rockville
line treated its passengers in the way of increased fare?
of questionable propriety and a little light from this
column turned on the awful service on the Berwyn line has
resulted promptly in hearings before the Maryland Public
Service Commission and before the Public Utilities Com
mission of the District of Columbia.
All that is needed is a little more limelight, and
perhaps then we will get some SERVICE for our nickel.
I hasten to apologize for my recent
defamation of CLIFF BREADf'S au
tomobile. wherein I inferred that It
was in the ume class aa the Foreat
Glen car service. I find that the au
tomobile does not belong to Cliff, but
to one of the lady members of his
family, and 1 have almost gotten my
neck in a sling. I am now sure.tha:
the automobile is a practically new
one and not third-hand, as I errone
ously stated.
GUT E. MITCHELL.
WiIh 43.210,770 pound* of ertomcry ku?
*er in atoragt, the query "Bow OH u
.4.V.V?"" gink* Into tHtipiulicaiirt beatdt
the question, "Why u butter 78 cent* ?
pound?" BROTHER POLLOCK.
Here's One Man Meaner Than the
Kaiser.
POLICEMAN RALPH JENKINS,
who directs traffic at Fourteenth
and U streets northwest, told me
yesterday that a very young girl
rot on the cars at Fourteenth and U
-treeUs with $46 in her pocket*. It
was all she had and included money
belonging to her mother. She was
on h<"r way to pay the rent.
A black-hearted whelp aboard one
of the crowded Fourteenth street
cars picked the girl's pocket, leaving
her absolutely penniless.
Bureau of Htandards >ew?.
FRANK WHITCHER MARTIN is
stepping high today.
It's a boy.
The hours I wait for thee, dear heart,
Are as a tiring of d s to me;
/ n<*8 thee, every one apart,
My Wrec-o-ry, My H'nec-o-ry.
ANON.
I receive a check today for $1.25
from Dr. C. G. VAN EMON. which he
wants me to turn over to the police
and fireman s pension fund.
The check is signed by MAURICK
SPLAIN, our w. k. U. S. marshal,
and is a witness fee in some court
case.
1 called up ALONZO TWEEDALE
about this check, and he tells me
there are two funds, one in the police
department and the other in the Are
department, so I guess that check
will have to be split. One fund will
get 62c. and the other 63c.
But HOC VAN EMON is a thor
ough-going citizen at that, and I con
gratulate hitn on having the kind
thought which prompted him to send
the check for this worthy purpose.
There is an order conspicuously
posted in the street cars of our city
which declares that "the ventilators
in these cars must be kept open."
| This order it signed by the Health
'Department. Can you tell mo. or ?
I does anybody know, who is rwpon
. sible for the enforcement of the
order?
This morning, January 11, in the
southbound Eleventh street car No.
382. reaching Eleventh and O streets
st #:10 s. m, there were sixty-three
passengers registered. The ventila
tors were all shut tight and the doors
were opened only to permit ingress
and egress of pasaengers
| Who is asleep at the switch?
J. F. CULVERWELL.
.
And, if it is not an impertinent
question, I might add:
j "What has become of the Public
I Utilities rule to allow every passen
1 ger seven square feet of space in the
street cars?"
"Residents of Gre?ham place. Har
vard street and Georgia avenue"
write to ask why Georgia avenue
cars do not stop between Euclid
street and Columbia road. Five
blocks are passed without a stop,
while in a less populous neighbor
hood the car stops are much more
frequent.
Toon* Timer Wallops BmTiI.
In response to B00*FUL*8 mo?t ef
fervescent effort to bawl me out. I
wish to say that the question and
answer or rather the finale of his
article which reads as follows: "Can
you beat that YOUNG TIMER? Ill
say not!" is a very elementary mat
ter which I have to refute.
It is very apparent from the state
ments which BOO'FUL claims I made
that he is sn OLD TIMER (too mod
est to admit it I and without taking
the trouble of explaining what I said
in my two letters sent to the Heard
snd Seen column. I respectfully sug
gest that he read or have read to
him the matter submitted by me
This, as you see, is not retracing
from my former position, as a cer
tain MR. A. has been guilty of
As to the lirst movie keate
Seventh street block l?l#s
0 street, around INK or 1*t?. 1
must admit that 1 do not remrw
her such a movie, hat have a
brother who does. HOWS THATt
Assuring you that these letters are
not sent in for the purpose of being
terse or having a come-on style, and
also being very Borry that BOO'
FULS attempt at EDIFICATION and
INFORMATION has been an utter
failure, I am
STILL A YOUNG TIMER
P. s.?Hope that BOO'FUL has re
tained copies of the editions of The
Washington Times which contained
my first two letters.
A CONSTITUTION FOR IRELAND.
(Continued From First Column.)
Times has said, that "France, England, and Italy have
made their plans and will present a united front."
The very latest news shows a slight crack in the
"united front," owing to the different views of France and
j England as regards Russia. England has said that she
would send no more men against the Bolsheviki, and would
withdraw from Russia, as rapidly as possible, her men now
there. Her idea is to let Russia run herself her own way?
or perhaps let France and the United States arrange Rus
i si an matters, if they choose.
France urgently demands action in Russia and estab
ashment, by force if necessary, of a responsible government
The Bolsheviks put repudiation of the national debt at
' the top of their program. And the French people have
invested billions of francs in Russian government bonds.
This Russian debt is not held by Rothschilds or other very
rich men in France, but by citizens of modest means, small
business men and workers that have lent their savings to
j Russia in good faith.
Naturally the French Republic, which fought and spent
billions to secure the peace that protects Russia as well as
France, demand* oavment to her people of Russia's debt.