The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1920-12-29

Another Low"
The Unbroken Atom.
The New Is Old.
A Gentle Radical.
ARTHUR BRISBANE

many new lows" before the Gov
ernment does something TO pro-
tect cotton growers and itself?
Italian currency also was at IA
new low Lire, which ought TO
be worth 20 cents. sell for less
than 31s cents. The Fiume trouble
explains this new low" War Is
not SO popular with financiers as
II used TO be. Ii no longer profits
anyone, not even the winner.
The allies in the League of Ma
tions are said TO have worked out
a scheme for extending credits 10
distressed countries. They need
it, and the allies might use some
OF the money they borrowed from
us which they say they cant pay
back.
Professor Unruh. well named,
almost made German and other
scientists believe that he had sue
ceeded ''in breaking down the
atom"
The word atom" meaning in
Greek mot to be cut was sup
posed to indicate the smallest pos
sible particle OF matter. We know
now that every atom is made up
OF a certain number OF electrons
and scientists count those cleo
irons. If Professor Unruh had
been able to break down the
atom and release for use the ter
rible force that binds its particles
together. a lump Of coal as big as
your head could run the machin-
cry of Germany for a long time
and all miners would be out OF d
job.
But wise Providence doesn't in
tend just yet that man shall get
SO much for so little. Professor
Cnruh is in Jail.
Hiram Johnson says disarma-
ment would be a good thing, if the
five great powers would meet and
decide upon it.
By and by, when the Republican
party marches up in absolute COM
mand, you will see what Hiram
Johnson really thinks about dis
armament" He will be in favor
of disarmament for Root, Penrose
and many others. But HIRAM
JOHNSON will keep in good fight
ing condition until all the others
convince him that they mean to do
the right thing. And even THEN
he will keep in fighting trim. That
is what the United States will do.
This country is willing to be rea-
sonable and economical, not will
ing to be at the mercy of any COM
bination of countries.
Almost everything that we call
modern was done long ago. Scien-
fists have discovered in the South
western desert presumably on a
cIiffside, prehistoric apartment
house." forty-fve stories high,
with a thousand rooms.
Everything is old. Leonardo
tried to build a flying machine.
The first steam engine was built,
and actually ran, long before the
beginning of our era. 1t was only
a toy. Cavemen a hundred and
fifty centuries ago possessed prim-
tive knowledge of printing. If the
Romans had known enough to de-
velop it, working together through
printed words, they might, as
Wells suggests, have extended
world control through many more
centuries.
Certain gentlemen who think
the way to deal with radicalism is
to initiate the Russian Gar. and
compress radicalsm until it eX-
plodes, are much delighted at the
Presidents refusal to pardon
Eugene V. Debs, now suffering
from heart disease in the Federal
prison.
No individual among one hun
dred and five millions makes
much difference, and where hun
dreds of thousands are imprisoned,
morally, by poverty and worry, a
few extra prisoners in jails don't
matter
But if reactionary gentlemen
were wise, they would be glad to
see Debs released and restored to
his radical leadership.
Debs is gentle. kind-hearted. He
would not hurt a fly, much less a
plutocrat. He believes in reform
through love, brotherhood and all
sorts of pretty things.
That's just the kind of radical
leadership that plutocracy, If wise,
would encourage and set free.
There might turn up here. some
day, radical leader different
from the gentle Debs, some man
OF the Lenin type, that wouldn't try
to reform the world through love
or gentleness. BY keeping Debs,
the human dove, in jail, foolish
plutocracy might bring to the
front some wildcat type of radi-
cal not so easy TO deal with
Woman votes, works, explores,
sits in jury boxes and may be in
the Cabinet. Will she ever get
rid Of her swishing skirts, relic
of trammeled harem days? The
answer is that she probably will.
in course of time, in her own
queer way. There is no question