The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-12-02

From Japan, Smiles Only.
What to Do With Germany.
Living In a Lis7 Perhaps.
A Mayor to Watch.

Livsseg In a Lie? Perhaps.
4 Mayor to Watch.
by ARTHUR BRISBANE-l
tcopyrtsht. issl.)
The intsresting thing at WASH
ington Is the display of japanese
diplomacy. II you like polite
smiles you can get them from
japan. Putiif you want promise
to take troops out Of China and
allow that ancient placid nation to
govens herself, you won't get it.
From Europe the news is the
row between France and London
~ to what had better be done with
Germany.
London wants to let Germany
sit down and get her bres "A, finan-
cially. BY arranging .noratorium
for two years. France says that
II Germany can't pay she ought to
have . receiver appointed.
Financiers putting up foreign
exchange indicates that they think
the London plan will 20 through.
Lloyd George proved long ago
IN handling the finances Of Eng
land in peace, and more recently
in handling all western Europe's
finances in war, what he knows
about international finance. He
has undertaken the foreign ex-
change job and something will
come cut of 1t.
DR.. John H. Slevin, speaking in
Detroit, says we are "living in q
lie" under prohibition. Even boys
spend pocket money for liquor.
This writer believes, and for
more than twenty-five years has
written, that the drink question
would best be solved by getting rid
Of saloons and whiskey, and allow
ing Hight wines and beer.
But give the devil his due; also
fhe angel prohibition.
There is q great deal of whis-
key drunk; some die Of wood al
cohol poisoning: but not so many
as formerly. There is less drink
ing than there was: hundreds of
thousands of workmen take their
nay homo instead Of spending it
In the corner saloon.
Prohibition is not ideal and a
nation on bootleg basis is not
pleasant. But prohibition is bet
ter than unlimited whiskey, with
the Government as a partner Of
the whiskey makers sharing their
profits.
Mayors and populations Of
other cities, keep you eve on Mr..
Couzens. mayor of Detroit. He
believes in public ownership Of
street railways. What is more.
he is going to get it for Detroit
II it can be done. He thinks it
can.
The plan is to rent street rail-
ways now, run them for the bene-
fit Of the city, and next election
allow the people to vote on buy
ing the roads at a fair price.
1t is a pleasant thing to elect
q man mayor, as Detroiters have
done. on a public ownership basis,
and find after you have elected
him that he really is a public
ownership man.
On December 20 at New Co
logne, in Germany. the school
children will have magnificent
bonfire of trashy, worthless books.
That's an improvement on ancient
bonfires.. when the best books
were burned; for instance. the
famous bonfire of the great Ii
brary at Alexandra. which de-
stroyed manuscripts Of which the
loss never can be made good.
From burning science and phi
losophy to burning trash is prog
ress.
A girl, thirteen years old,
forced by her mother to marry
a man of forty, il rescued by a
Judge, who annuls. the marriage.
It happens in Michigan, and
such q criminal marriage fills
you with horror.
Not long ago, before the Eng
lish ruled in India, such mar
riages were the rule, and mar
riages much younger. Girls