Evening star., 1922-12-20

There is one spread" which is even
: worse than that between what the
farmer gets for his crops and what
the consumer pays for his food-it
is the spread" between what a
householder would have to pay some
willing shoveler to clean off the snow
from his sidewalk within eight hours
of daylight after the snow falls and
what he will have to pay to the court
when the city cleans it off for him
and sends him the bill, through the
Police Court. The first cost would be
about SO cents-unless the aforesaid
householder elects to do it himself;
but when the city does it the bill
will be between s2S and $50. The
spread" amounts to $500 per cent,
which, we must confess, is eXorbi-
tfnt and adds seriously to the high
cost of living. The only way to avoid
it is to eXcavate undsr the sidewalk
and build a red-hot fire beneath, so
as to roast the snow as Ii falls, In
stead of "roastinG'' the officials who
do their sworn duty, regardless of
who swcars at them.
Competition is the life of trade. A
department store of Washington
plans to send out broadcast waves
after Christmas. which will serve as
exercises and directions for reducing
corpulency. II is expected that hun
dreds of patrons of wireless will
'isten-in and by taking the exercises
ill grow thinner. But now comes
III" heaviest man on the police force
IL, rtFNf a
new psycholoGic magic words DAY
hy day in every way. ! am growing
thinner and thinner and he alleges
+hat he is losing twenty mounds a
week Something remarkable Wonid
happen If this man were to combine
both methods of reducing and then
forget the shut-of until he grew
into the very ether itself.
!: y = x
That is a severe arraienment or
Washington police methods which is
made by Raymond Hitte. now serv-
ing a sentence Of five years in the
penitentiary as narcotic addict. He
alleges that he. was arrested last
spring and was obliged by the court
to take a cure" for the narcotic
habit. He thought that he was
cured after a thirty hour treat
ment as he was able to keep away
from his old haunts for weeks Then
certain police paid him to act as
deroy in the buying of the drug, in
order that they might procure evil
dence against the sellers. In that
way. he alleges. he was induced TO
re-enter his old haunts. and he soon
found that with the temptation be
fore him he could not resist the
drug So now he is suffering a
sentence for five years.
1t is impossible for any one. with
ont investigation. TO judge as to the
reliability of his story of police temp
tation. but the charge Is serious
enough to warrant careful inquiry by
proper authorities. II is recognized.
outside Of actual police circles at
least. that the police are never justi-
fed in influencing stoolpigeon to
commit crime in order TO trap Grim
inals. Detectives must fnd other
methods of efficiency in their work.
The government claim that world
war veterans cannot have cause for
complaint that they have not ade-
quate disqualification. since there are
at present 5000 vacant beds, avail
able as needed, is not frank. The
total S,U0U might De vacant anu yet
there might not be capacity of kind
to meet the needs Vacant beds pos
sibly in very distant parts of the
country. or in the wrong Kind of
hospital. would go to make up statis-
ties but do no good whatever IN a
prac zeal way. for one cannot SEND
a tubercular patient, for example. in
10 a shell shock ward IT is unfair
therefore to quote such misleading
statistics.
* = #.#
1t would be hard to conceive the
attempt of our immigration officials
to differentiate between nationalities
coming as immigrants to Ellis Island.
as urged by the British ambassador,
Sir Auckland Geddes. While we may
have no clause in any treaties COM
pelling us to accord to all national
tiles all favors that we do TO the
most favored nation" it must be
obvious that the government cannot
make invidious distinctions. When
citizens of foreign countries come TO
our shores, do they not come as
prospective Americans, or do they
come as hyphenated Europeans? If
they are all to be Americans, they