The Washington times. [volume], February 05, 1932, Image 17

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

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AMATEU R DI PLOMAT
DISCOURAGED. BY
EXPERTS
— By GILBERT SELBES—
ONCE a week, or oftener, I am convinced of my luck
in not being a statesman. I would have been a
sorry mess at the job; I could never have thought of the
things statesmen say and do. There was, recently, New
ton Baker’s statement that the League of Nations ought
». n °t to be a subject for discussion at
the next election. If I had been a
"W warm supporter of the League, and
IF ■ knew that that support would hurt
H ak my candidacy or my party, I would
1H never have thought of that particu
fj l ar ' y cl ever way of shelving the prob-
I 1 lem. act » on 'y diplomacy 1
|JL seem to understand is that of the
early Russians —I mean the Soviets
H before the Five Year Plan. They
A blurted things out.
Clever
The latest admirable bit of di
/ plomacy is the appeal of Japan for
I protection against the Chinese in
Shanghai. It is humiliating, I know,
gilbert seldes b u t j mus s confess I would never
have hit on that particular mode of address. The Jap
anese are in China to protect themselves, they say. What
better proof can they offer than an appeal to England,
America and France to help them. And, anticipating
the worst, they serve notice that if, by any misfortune,
we fail to protect them, they will not be responsible.
A Weak Case
The Japanese have made as awkward a case for them
selves as the Germans did in 1914; perhaps they, like the
Germans, are indifferent to public opinion so long as that
public opinion remains overseas. The German case, as
we know, was infinitely better than it seemed; we might,
out of some lingering sense of fairness, suspend judg
ment on the Japanese for a little time.
Actually the moral basis of our sympathy for China
would collapse under the impact of a single Chinese
victory. We are all hopeless about China; we do not
believe the Chinese, disorganized and torn with civil
war, can strike a single blow. We assume that Japan
has been counting on the miseries of the world and has
plunged into the China adventure because she feels her
self safe from interference. But if we weren’t so sure
that China would be annihilated, we might not be so sure
that she is an innocent victim. The only evidence we
have, really, is the deviousness of Japanese diplomacy.
Coffee Critics
There is a movement for change in the laws of libel
which would make coffee and motor cars and shoes and
sauerkraut as subject to criticism as books, concerts and
music already are. The argument is that we suffer more
from the misrepresentation of things we use (and the
adulteration of things we eat) than we do from what we
see and hear; that a toothbrush which sheds bristles in
the mouth is a greater nuisance than a movie which
fails to move, and that “the greatest novel of our genera
tion” may turn out a dull book without harming us as
much as a cigarette which pretends to be made of the
best corn-tassel and secretly contains tobacco.
Shopkeepers and owners of department stores combine
to uphold certain ethical standards in advertising; the
Government manages to prevent misbranding; but the
critics feel that they ought to be free to exercise their
calling, to say in print that such a cosmetic is too costly
and such a breakfast food not nutritous enough; they
want to arrive at the point where they can say that
the cellophane around the Blank toothpick is “adequate.”
Perfectly Legal
I do not know whether the researches of our Govern
ment Bureau of Standards are made public; but there
is a private organization. Consumers Research by name,
which analyzes products for its members, tells them
which makes of toaster or motor car do their work
satisfactorily, which jams have the most sugar and the
most fruit, and how you can make your own soap.
Under the present laws it cannot publish its findings;
it prints them and sends them to members only, and
these members swear a dreadful oath not to divulge
their knowledge. The law, which does not protect the
adulterer of food, does protect the man whose package
is so dainty that you hardly care whether the produce
it contains is much good.
D. C. and Suburbs Swept
By Fierce Gale
Washington and surrounding
Sections today were repairing
damage left in the wake of last
night's windstorm, which brought
freezing temperatures from the
Northwest.
While Washington felt only a
part of the force of the wintry
gale, neighboring sections were
more severely hit. The maximum
velocity of the wind here was 37
miles per hour, but in Virginia
and Maryland it was estimated
that the velocity was between 46
and 50.
Telephone wires connecting
Washington with other sections
of the South were tom down,
while treSs and shrubs were up
rooted and one roof torn away.
Firemen spent a restless night,
having answered 18 calls up until
7 o’clock today.
Mrs. I. Miller, of 923 Second
St. N. E., was injured slightly
when she and her husband
climbed through a trap door to
their roof which had been par
tially tom away by the blast.
Mrs Miller was injured when a
sudden gust struck here, but
managed to hold on until rescued.
Georgia Avenu\street cars were
blocked for several hours by a
fallen trolley wire, and traffic
on New Jersey Avenue at L
SSO for News Tips—Ten Cash Prizes Each Week—Phone News Tip Editor, Washington Tinies, District 5260
Keep Your, Eyes Open for Unusual Events—Don’t Write—Phone Between 6:30 A, M, and 6 P. M.
Street Southeast was impeded for
a time by an uprooted tree.
Rockville, Md., was in dark
ness when two stately elms, hun
dreds of years old, succumbed to
the elements and fell across the
power lines.
The temperature at 8 o’clock
today was 32 degrees, the lowest
the thermometer is expected to
reach.
SKIPPY By Percy Crosby
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) IT, 50 H66P (7s nothin’ BuT — ‘ivash 3 | WORSE $6 lToeg rp
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Brl,a|n reserved. -"RjrvW .. ’’St C rHr'/
/ © 1932, K,ng Features Syndicate, Inc. _ A '
WASHtNGMMTIMES
lift V 111
I Telephone District 5260
4 SUSPECTS SOUGHT IN ABRAMS SHOOTING
Rep. Sabath Denounces Stock-Fleecing District Firms
BILL WILL CURB
“BLUE SKI”
SALES
Congressman Cites Smith
Firm for Its Nefarious
Capital Activities
A scathing denunciation of
stock brokers and real estate
men, who he claims have
fleeced citizens of the District
out of millions of dollars, was
made today by Representative
Adolph J. Sabath (D.) of Illi
nois. I
The criticism of some of Wash
ington’s brokers was made by
Sabath when he introduced a bill
in the House designed to curb the
sale of worthless stocks and real
estate mortgages, deeds of trust
and other paper issued on highly
inflated real estate. Sabath de
clared:
“Government employes,
widows and men with few
dollars have been swindled and
robbed out of millions of dollars
through the practices of corrupt
brokers and real estate men.
Hits Smith Firm
“The F. H. Smith Company
case is an example of the
nefarious work of some of these
agents. Many employes have
lost all of their money because
they invested in worthless
securities which they hoped
would bring them a small in
come in their old age.
“The sale of watered stock
and real estate securities at an
inflated value must be stop
ped in the National Capital and
men who permit these enter
prises should be severely
punished.”
Sabath’s bill would authorize
the District Commissioners to
regulate the sale of stock and
real estate paper and provide
that all agents or brokers be
licensed by the Commissioners
only when they proved to be of
good repute.
Limits Sales
In the event of issuance of
real estate paper, Sabath’s bill
provides that an expert agent
of the District determine the
value of the property involved
and prohibits the sale of secur
ities exceeding 75 per cent of the
fixed value.
The Commissioners also would
be empowered to prohibit the
sale of stocks that are listed on
the New York and other stock
exchanges if they determined
that the companies issuing the
securities were not of sound
financial standing.
Sons of Revolution
Honor Witherspoon
Tribute to the Rev. John
Witherspoon, signer of the
Declaration of Independence, as
a patriot and a scholar was paid
today by the Rev. Albert Joseph
McCartney, pastor of the Cove
nant First Presbyterian Church,
speaking at the memorial services
at the Witherspoon monument,
Connecticut Avenue and N Street
Northwest.
A wreath in memory of the
Revolutionary leader was placed
on the monument this morning
by the Sons of the Revolution.
Lutheran Church
Class Gives “Vodvil”
The annual “vodvil” of the Louis
Dale Leeds class of St. Paul’s
Lutheran Church will be held this
evening at the church.
The program will include a
revue entitled “Sweethearts On
Parade.”
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1932
Assault Victim
T H w
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IbSbhbHhL,
—lnternational Photo
louise McCloskey
THIS 19-year-old girl was
grabbed by a colored man and
knocked down today near
Illinois Avenue and Hamilton
Street Northwest. The man
was captured by a pedestrian
who was passing the scene.
KNIGHTERRANT
SAVES GIRL
William J. Wally, known as
“One-Punch Wally” to workers of
the Washington Railway and Elec
tric Company, where he is em
ployed as a truck driver, proved
that he is entitled to the nick
name when he saved a 19-year-old
white girl from an attempted at
tack by a colored man shortly
after 8 o’clock this morning while
she was walking on Hamilton
Street between Illinois Avenue and
Seventh Street northwest.
The girl is Louise McCloskey,
an employe of the Maryland Per
sonal Bankers at Silver Spring,
Md. On her way to work she
was accosted by Haywood Perry,
colored, of 1622 Eleventh St. N. W.
Miss McCloskey began to run,
with the colored man chasing her,
when Wally alighted from his
truck and made good on “one
punch.” Wally’s blow apparently
landed right on the “button,” be
cause when police arrived the col
ored man was still unconscious.
Despite her unnerving experi
ence, Miss McCloskey reported for
work at the bank at Silver Spring.
Perry was taken to the Sixth
Precinct, where assault charges
were placed.
D. C. Jobless to Get
Profit From Game
Arrangements are being com
pleted for a basketball game be
tween Howard University and
City Cillege of New York and the
local institution has requested
that 40, per cent of the receipts
be turned over to the District
Employment Committee.
Notification of the plan was re
ceived today by Paul Benjamin,
executive secretary of the com
mittee, from John H. Burr, of
the local university. No date
for the game has been set, al
though it has been decided to
stage the contest in New York.
Coat on Guard Rail
May Be Suicide Clue
A man’s blue coat found hang
ing over the rail of Highway
Bridge early today led park pdlice
to suspect a possible suicide. Har
bor police, notified of the find,
were unable to find any trace of
a death leap.
Office Address, 1317-21 H St. N. W.f
SUCCESS SU BE,
CHESTDRIVE
HEADS HOLD
Workers’ Reports Encourage
Leaders as Campaign for
Funds Nears End
Community Chest
Many pledges are being
made direct to the Com
munity Chest, 223 Invest
ment Building, or at the
Gridiron Room, Willard Hotel,
to help in eliminating its
present campaign deficit. If
you desire to make an or
iginal or an additional pledge,
send it to the Community
Chest.
Reported
yesterday $1,257.00
Previously
reported 2,384,913.98
Total to date... 2,386,170.98
Campaign goal.. 2,601,000.00
Still needed 214,829.02
Volunteers are covering all
of Washington to obtain fur
ther pledges for final report
next Tuesday.
Encouraging reports were re
ceived last night from the 4.000
Community Chest workers who
are still striving to raise $214,-
829.02 needed for the $2,601,000
goal set for the 1932 chest.
Many pledges are being sent
directly to the Community Chest
headquarters, 223 Investment
Building and the Gridiron Room,
Willard Hotel, to help in elimi
nating its present campaign
deficit.
Chairman Edward F. Colladay
announced last night that he had
received encouraging reports from
both H. L. Rust. jr„ chairman of
the metropolitan unit, and Lloyd
B. Wilson, chairman of the group
solicitation unit.
Chairman Colladay said today:
“I still have faith that Wash
ington, knowing we arc ex
pected to set an example for
the rest of the nation, will
not fail the chest. I just can
not conceive that our people,
knowing of the emergency that
confronts the National Capital
and knowing the vital necessity
for raising every dollar asked
by the chest, can or will per
mit this humanitarian project
to fail.”
Capt. Treadwell
Transferred Here
Navy orders today bring to
Washington for duty with the
Naval Examining Board here, Capt.
Lawrence P. Treadwell, com
mander of the Navy cruiser, U. S.
S. Rochester.
Captain Teradwell served here
previously in the Bureau of Ord
nance in 1930 following comple
tion of a course at the Naval
War College.
Delay Asked I.C.C.
On Rail Valuations
The President’s Conference Com
mittee on Federal Valuation of
the Railroads of the United
States today asked the Interstate
Commerce Commission to post
pone for at least one year from
July 28 last the commission’s
order in the matter of deprecia
tion charges of steam railroads.
MASON FOUND GUILTY
George Mason, of Rockville, was
sentenced to a fine of $25 or 30
days in the Montgomery county
jail by Judge Woodward in Rock
ville, for disorderly conduct. 1
WOUNDED BY GUNMEN
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DORIS HELEN
THESE TWO girls were shot last night while they
were walking from the Takoma Park branch library.
Gunmen fired at them from an automobile. The girls
are Doris Beall, 16, of 1411 G St. S. E., and Helen
Andrews, 18, of 5811 Sixth St. N. W.
(Story on Page 1.)
BASIN TO HAVE
POWER BOATS
A fleet of electric-driven
pleasure boats, which even chil
dren can drive, will be installed
at the Tidal Basin next spring*
under plans being considered by
Lieut. Coi. U. S. Grant, director
of Public Buildings and Parks,
and Capt. F. W. Hoover, execu
tive secretary of the Welfare and
Recreational Association.'
• The small boats will not replace
the gondolas introduced last year,
but will provide an added attrac
tion, offering an opportunity for
youthful boating enthusiasts to
try a new water novelty.
The crafts will accommodate
three persons. They are oper
ated by automobile controls and
set to travel at six miles per
hour. Tests have shown them to
be fool-proof and thoroughly safe
for even small children to operate.
They are equipped with radio sets
and are non-Capsizable.
Local Group to Hear
New York Engineer
O. B. Blackwell, transmission
development engineer of New
York, will address the American
Institute of Electrical Engineers,
Washington section, at the
Potomac Electric Power Company
auditorium, Tuesday night.
The meeting will be preceded
by a dinner at the Raleigh Hotel.
■MMSM
NEWS OF SUBURBS!
POLICE PROBE
HOSPITAL CASE
Capt. R. C. Montgomery, super
intendent of park police, is today
conducting an investigation as to
why Floyd Brown, colored, se
riously injured victim of an auto
mobile accident yesterday, was
allowed to lie for five hours on
a table at Emergency Hospital be
fore being transferred to Gallin
ger Hospital.
Park police were requested at
4 a. m yesterday by Emergency
Hospital officials, it was revealed,
to transfer Brown to Gallinger.
Third precinct police sent a sta
tion wagon to Emergency to ef
fect the transfer. They found
the man in such serious condition
they refused to assume responsi
bility for the transfer.
Dr. Bastable, of Emergency Hos
pital would not explain why the
Emergency Hospital ambulance
was not used. Brown was left on
a table in the operating room
pending arrival of the Welfare
Board ambulance at 9 a. m., be
cause there were no beds avail
able.
BANQUET TOMORROW
The District of Columbia Die
tetic Association will give a ban
quet tomorrow evening in the
Cabinet room of the Willard Ho
tel. Miss Mary A. Lindsley will
preside.
POLICE TRAIL 4
FOR SHOOTING
OF ABRAMS
Two White Men, Two Negroes
Believed to Be Involved
in $5,000 Holdup
Two white men and two
negroes are being sought by
police as assailants of Harry
Abrams, 30, wounded Wednes
day night in a racketeering
raid on local gamblers.
William Henry Coates, colored,
was arrested last night as a sus
pect and will be held indefinitely,
according to Inspector F. S. W.
Burke, chief of detectives, who
said:
“We are positive that there
were two white men and two
negroes involved in the case.
As to their identity, I will make
no admissions.”
Inspector said the investigation
was being conducted on the theory
it was nothing more than a hold
up case. He added that several
similar holdups involving gamblers
had ben investigated recently.
Abrams was reported resting
easily at Emergency Hospital to
day.
Abrams was shot when he and
William Poe Moses, boxing pro
moter, alighted from an automo
bile in front of the latter’s home
on Buchanan Street Northwest,
near Sixteenth Street. Moses
was robbed of jewelry valued at
approximately $5,000.
The gambling fraternity took
heart as a result of the shoot
ing, believing that the raids
which have been staged almost
at stated periods would now stop.
YOUTH, 24
Stanley E. Melvin, 24, who gave
no address, today told Police
Court Judge John P. McMahon
it was “fortunate” that he was
arrested last night on.a concealed
weapon charge, as he was des
perate over his failure to land
wokr. Police quoted him as
saying:
“I was going out tonight to
get some money some way, but
I hadn’t made up my mind how
to get it.”
Judge McMahon reserved sen
tence.
Melvin said he had been un
employed since he was released
from jail in September, after he
had served seven months on bad
check charges.
Radiotelephonists
Take Exams Feb. 15
Examinations for operators’
licenses of the newly created
radiotelephone aeronautical class
will be started, February 15, in the
district and sub-district offices of
the Department of Commerce
radio division, Director W. D. Ter
rell announced today.
The examinations will be held
in Boston, New York, Baltimore,
Philadelphia, Norfolk, Atlanta,
Portland, Ore.; Seattle, Miami,
New Orleans, Los Angeles, San
Francisco, Chicago, St. Paul,
Kansas City, Denver. Dallas,
Texas, Detroit and Buffalo.
More Jobs in Spring,
Gifford Tells Hoover
Employment conditions will re
main about as they are now until
spring, Walter S. Gifford, head
of the President’s organization for
unemployment relief, declared yes
terday following a conference
with President Hoover.
Gifford said he had not noted
any increase in unemployment
during the past week or so.
Professor to Speak
At P.-T. A. Meeting
Dr. Katherine McHale, professor
of education at Goucher College,
Baltimore, will speak at a meeting
of the Parent-Teacher Association
of Central High School in the
school auditorium, Monday, Febru
ary 15, at 7:45 p. m. The school
orchestra will play from 7:30 to
7:45.
Whatever your wante may he, there
la aJways a noealblllty that they ran he
satisfied throuah the many services ad
vertised in today's Classified Hection.