davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1923-05-17
Many Think Big Guns Should BE
s.. 9Eieyatedi :

Despite the fact that the British gov.
eminent has ietJt be known there never,
was any thought Of violating the 5-s--2a
big ship ratio in connection with her
plans for the improvement Of the Sim
gapore naval base, editors continue to
read into the declaration Of Lieut.. Col.
Amery. first lord of the admiralty, an
excellent reason for the United States
proceeding with its original proposition
to elevate the guns on all battleships.
This latter plan, designed to increase
the range of the big guns. was author
lied by Congress after figures indicating
British naval activity had been cited
before the naval committee. Later de-
malls of their accuracy resulted in the
announced decision that there would be
no increase Of the ranges pending the
next session of Congress. Inasmuch as
Lieut. Col. Amery characterized as an
ideal British policy" the command Of
all seas" there now is an increasing
number of editors who are urging that
and get it's warShips into better ~condi-
tion forsnational defense.
In connection with the naval treaty,
the Pittsburgh Gazette Times accepts
serve Its provisions on the seas for
the 'heriod agreed on. II points out,
however, that in other respects there
may be a departure from the ideal en-
.braced in the agreement, though with
out transgressing that instrument. At
the time Of the Washington AIMS Con
ference 1t was the common optdfon that
possible future conhicls would arise In
the Pacific. For that reason festrfo-
tions on construction Of fortihcations
were carefully drawn to prevent the
likely contestants from securing sunuue
advantage. one over the other; Britain:
was not then regarded q probable bel
Mgerent in case OF war In the Pacific.
But it Is for her to look ahead to possi
bio need. II she VIII, at the expiration
oient idea Of supremacy at sea ahe will
have made q good start during the
shipbuilding holiday by creating a great
naval base at Singapore"
The Chicago Tribune. arguing it
does not expect war with England.
nevertheless insists '"the back down
OF our government In the gun range
controversy IL evident. Of q wholly
perverted conception OF duty and
limitation agreement. We hope Col,
Amery's;. remarks will shock our
government out. OF its muddle- headed
ness and bring. about q comphrehen-
sive consideration -four problem of
defense. We hope false economy,
peace at any price Sallacies, and
sentimental internationalism willy be-
vigorously challenged in the next,
Congress. The Washington confer.
ence did not end naval competition nor
give any guarantee which would
Justified: thtsarfs arnsnt --nrsS our part.
That, is fully. Understood in Great
Britain -,and Japan, as.. their ener-
getic. measures demonstrate. 1t Is
time for Washington ito realize it
and act accordingly" The Sioux'
City Journal Tor it's part is inclined
30 feel thAk Col. Amery wanted to
Evening star., 1923-05-17
A Building Moratorium.

Recently, as a consequence Of ab-
normally high prices for labor and
material. large building projects In
New York city, and to q less degree
elsewhere, have been suspended. In
New York alone new construction in.
volving an expenditure Of between
sixty and seventy millions has been
checked in the hope Of a betterment
of conditions in the near future. In
part, the trouble is due in that city
to strikes on the part of building
trades, some OF them unauthorized
by the major unions and others with
full authority.
Yesterday a meeting was held in
New York of the board Of governors
of the American Construction Coun.
Gil, at which representatives Of all
branches of the building industry
agreed that present conditions mark
a crisis, and the board voted to urge
nationwide postponennent until next
fall Of all projected building work not
yet started.
This proposal is based upon the be.
lief that the present building program
cannot be carried out with the avail.
able resources, even If no further in.
crease in construction occurs. AZ
one means of checking the building
boom" now in progress. it was recon-
mended that the banking interests
curtail the. financing Of speculative
building; also that wide publicity be
given to the increasing trend Of con;
struction, cost; that government and
state construction departments be
urged to delay their work as much
as possible until September or Octo.
Der, and that the. cooperation Of
newspapers and trade publications be
sought to keep the public informed
of monthly increases in construction
costs. - =,
Thus. far this year the volume of
construction work projected in the
United States exceeds by 40. per cent
tho volume for the same period during
Evening star., 1923-05-17
EDITORIAL DIGEST


create. Ereater efiiciencps fl person
nek" holding, that .sheSRritish feel
that is the most vttaf. Requirement
sasas s. aats sna1s. fimls tn ssaSisssahe akron
was designed to give assusapce of de-
fensS to Australia and New Zealand
Fbut 1T feels the occasion a good one
toEI Secretary Hughes .hintjng 10
Lord Balfour that the Occasion is
propftious for another apostrophe to
hist beloved dove -of peace which at
the moment seems to be discovering
some of the. attributes of turkey
bu3zard..
Regardless Of all declarations 10
the contrary the Tacoma Ledger In
sists. establishment of great naval
bases are as much an essential part
OF a navy as is possession of huge
dreadnaught. This latest declaration
is a reversion to the traditional basic
policy of Britain. which for centuries
has proudly boasted that Britannia
rules the waves. and. in the light Of
the latest British protest against the
purported intention of this govern
meht to read just the guns Of its bat
would look as though there was
somewhere a considerable lack of
consistency and sincerity" Complete
iy disagreeing with this contention.
| the. words complained of were just
! an outcropping OF rhetorical exuber-
ance. What he was trying to say was
that the British navy must be kept
In efficient condition: The phrase was
indiscreet. But such oratorical lapses
happen in the best regulated parlia-
mentary bodies. Our own lawgivers
and cabinet members have been
known on occasions to indulge in I'M
prudent statements"
Because ""ro nation welcomed the
naval "a greement with greater ap-
q Prif Sh
people did, and :Sower taxes is the one
thing that England is praying for
the Detroit Free Press holds Great
Britain. Has no. ;tntentsen of attempt
the most of %its' hoRs for security in
that quarter pysep Continued friend
ship with the United States" That
likewise is the view entertained bv
| which believes that II was entirely
personnel. Amery had in mind. mas
much IS "superiority of personnel and
skill cannot be regulated or limited
by treaty and the treaty does not
undertake to do so. With navies OF
equal size British or American su-
premacy on the seas would be deter
mined by. brains. The billions of
money invested by us during the war
period aEe.to. .se. wsa.edz and the plain
riod are to be discarded in our fool
ish notion that we can compete with
out subsidies on the seas with foreign
shipping. England commands the
seas commercially because we permit
her to. She will command 1t mill
tariiya.withs fewer ships if we insist
|ppon utsuings, the sway we are now
1t It is TO- Sc rresigrettea in the opinion
|.of the. New York. Times, that too
conciu sion that t;sSas Britain has no
idea of diving up iosh her agreement of
Nothing. could bSS more hurtful to
Anglo Am srlcar aItrfsy than a prone
mess ito read into deliberate official
utterances bad faith and dark de-
signs" T i
Evening star., 1923-05-17
The Alley Closing Law.

The alley closing problem, which
long disturbed the District authori-
ties. philsnthropic societies and pub
lic-spirited men and women in gen.
eral. may be considered solved. No
great number of poor persons are to
be evicted on June 1 to prowl about
the city in search of humble shelter,
to camp in parks or be taken care of
by the District government or chari-
table folk Of the town. Under the cor
poration counsels construction Of the
law Of Congress compelling the aban-
donment OF dwellings in alleys it is
held that 265 alleys. in which live ap-
proximately 5000 people. are exempt
from the operation Of the law. and
that only nine little alleys or courts, !"
in which less than 100 people live. fall
within the terms Of the law.
The names of some Of these alleys
recall the Washington of long ago.
some Of them being Car Stable alley
and Cooper Shop alley. in George.
town; Daggs lane, in Hillsdale, and
Crab Tree alley. in Northwest Wash
ington, near the Capitol grounds.
Washington is thankful that a way
has been found to save thousands Of
people from eviction at this time. The
situation looked threatening for a
long time. and, although 1t was known
that not all the inhabited alleys would
come within the prescription OF the
law, it was generally understood that
most Of the city alleys would be closed
as places Of habitation. 1t was not
until the Interpretation was put upon
the law by the corporation counsel
and a survey Of all the alleys had
been made by the secretary OF the
condemnation board that the real sit
uation was discovered. Nearly all the
alleys complied with at least one Of
the terms Of the law. The names Of
Crab Tree, Car Stable and Cooper
Shop alleys recall to elder Washing
tonians many loca! place names once
familiar, but now seldom heard. such
as Foggy Bottom, Hells Bottom, Blood
field, the Slashes, swampoodle, Tincup
alley. Louise alley. Willow Tree court
and a hundred others.
Evening star., 1923-05-17

again his papers made no mention Of
the fact. Sir Arthur doeS not say
whether Northcliffe was pesved about
that. But we have an idea that North
cliffe would consider 1t was worth g
line or two In his papsrs-aat an itepf
that would interest his readers. {:
The departed publisher was sorry he
did not have his checkbopk along.
else he would have given Cohan Doyle
. substantial amount to further the
cause Of spfritualism. 90 Cohan Doyle
says No doubt Conan Doyle was sor-
ry. too; 1t would n be ntntsrssting to see
check, could It have beert written.
They gould hardly send, i back 70
want to give a check to-: forward d
cause IKE spirituali.m and then for
not check on his account! fhe spirit
world must be a place Of agony. II
Sir Arthur has quoted Lord North
cltffo correctly.
Sir Arthur makes us rather want to
e about o4r , T3rk kn dals E9rld than
other 'worfd.-omaha World Herald. :
Evening star., 1923-05-17
THE WAYS OF WASHINGTON
BY WILLIAM PICKETT HELM.

The United States weather bureau
Is Investigating the Smithsonian dis
covertes to see IL they will be useful
IN weather forecasting, The weather
bureaus Of Argentina and Brazil al
ready are using them. TO. an extent
DIR. Abbot has not always stayed al
home and checked up on the other
fellow. Knowing that the work must
be done in desert places, he has
trekked over the earth to find the
best ones, and has had disappoint-
ments many and great
Back in 1909. he climbed to the top
Of Mount Whitney, nearly $4,000 feet
with 2 case OF instruments so delicate
that' he would not trust them out or
mis- own hands. A thunder storm met
him at the top of the mountain. Ii
was followed by sleet and snow, and
ne had to como down 4Without the re
suits he wanted. -,
Prevented by revolution in 1911
from going into the desert mountains
OF Mexico: foiled at Bassdpr' in Al
geria once by clouds mi a Sland that
ought TO be cloudless' and: $gain by
width OF the world. from Alaska
turned back from Australia by the
breaking out Of the world war: kept
from the deserts of South America
by the United States getting into th-
fight he did finally get established
in 1918.
His two stations. one at Harqua
Hafa: and one at Montezuma, are the
two most cloudless spots in the west
ern world. There. from years end to
years end, his men measure the heat
OF the sun.
The long, black tube: at Harqua
Hala has-hollow walls and in them is
a column of water. The black walls
absorb the heat from the sun and the
foy YN( fN,r-n h siceS
most delicate therpometer known to
science measures how much.
Then the san-heated water is let
out. Fresh water is put in and an
electric current is turned on When
il brings the water to exactly the
same temperature asathe other water
took from the sun, II is measured and
translated into stan dafdized terms OF
electric energy.
The change In temperature is not
the same for any two days. and it is
far from the. same through any. two
years. -. y.
Sun. spots swing through. a. cycle
eleven years long. They We're most
numerous in 1917. They are fewest
in 1928. When the spots are at high
tide, the. SUMS heat boosts the tenn
perature of the water in the black
tube-boosts it pretty high. When
the spots are at low tide, the tent-
perature of the water is boosted not
SO much. - .ss,.tt'
But It is never tile same todayz.ax
1t was yesterday. and that is because
all parts of the sun are not hot alike
The same spot may be Just as hot
today as was yesterdsSr-Jnst as
hot as it was 10,Q00,000. years ago
but the. spot that Was. turned toward
the. earth yesterday is tufned. perhaps
toward Jupiter today and a colder or
hotter spot'is sending its rays to
the earth
When all the measurements are
finished. when all the results have
been checked up and tried out, will
it be possible TO foretell the weather
year ahead?
Scientists are cautious clan. You
ask them-they say that time wil4
tell. They do say this much:
If tha theory holds, every man may
be his own Joseph. foretelling the
lean years and the fat years even
in cyclesspf seven.
Evening star., 1923-05-17

All day long on Harqua Hala, two
mon look in the face of the sun.
There 10 not = tree on HarQua Hala.
There is never a cloud above 1t OK
oept. psrhapA. for two days in jan
uary and one or two in Jaiy -
From Harqua Hala. the world is
reached only by a system Of strong
light signals to a water-tank town
on the level desert. .,...
Up there 5000 feet. along with. the
sky, the two men look at the sun and
catch its rays In q long. black tube.
Sometimes. when the sun goes down
IN desert glory. they pitch horse
shoes-whtch are really shoes from
the feet Of a little mountain 'burro.
They have a photograph and a dozen
books or so.
They scrimp and pinch to save a
drop Of water. for it comes eleven
miles up tho mountain side in burro-
back lots of seven gallon. a day.
Sometimes they can save enough
for a bath at the end Of a week.
Then they 60 to work refreshed and
keener at their task of staring the
sun out or countenance.
what are they doing-these two
Haraua Hala. in the desert lands Of
Arizona?
They are perfecting q system for
telling what the weather will be years
ahead-maybe. Certainly, they are
measuring the radiation of the sun
OF heat.
They have two brother. in the
faith, 1000 miles away, at the top of
Montezuma on the edge Of the nitrate
desert in Chilli.
Here in Washington. at the Smith
soian Institution. Sits Dr. c. G. Abbot,
the father Of the work, and checks
up on results.
FOR twenty-one years, on a dozen
aeserts or four continents. this thing
mas peen going on. And they have
Iound-Dr. Abbot and his assistants
that whenever all or nearly all of
the sun spots have bean blotted out
ana the face OF Sol is calm, the earth
weather.
Take" says DIR. Abbot, "the winter
just ended-or is it ended? There
many years-it Is radiating less heat
than At any other time since we
began measuring It,
ON the earth. the spring is, lat e
ana cold and wet. Cyclones lose their
way and stray where cyclones never
went before. Great numbers of ice
bergs hoat so far south that steamer
tracks have to be shifted to escape
them,. One group OF states is hotter
than 1t ever was before and another 10
coider than ever. The coolest weather
OF: the winter comes to a large part Of
ene country, not in January but in
March. and early April brings to the
whole eastern half Of this continent the
most severe cold wave ever known SO
late in the season.
Does the absence of sun spots and
low radiation cause this sort of
weather on the earth? ! don't know.
do know that, for twenty years
whenever there have been few spots
onSthe sun, most weather stations on
nes sarth :hayesxeststered Temperatures
oeiSW -naiaal It's job for the
metero1e4t44sft TO tAgyre out how they
qan t1tset it, IL AT ALL
Evening star., 1923-05-17
The Way to Peace.

At a time when all the world is
longing for an assurance Of peace
which is lacking. it will be worth the
while of statesmen in other lands to
halt their maneuverings long enough
to read the speech made last night by
Secretary Hughes before the National
Conference of Social Workers. He
gives a simple formula by which war
and the danger Of war may be ban
ished from the earth; but he does not
advance it as any new discovery.
Confucius set it forth negatively In
the dawn Of civilization when he said:
What do not wish men to do to me,
I also wish not to do to them"; and
two thousand years ago Jesus OF Naz-
areth translated it positively in the
Golden Rule: Therefore. all things
whatsoever We would that men should
do to you, do ye even so to them"
BY the precept of the Golden Rule.
and not by any agencies Of force, Sec.
retary Hughes believes, can peace be
had and made secure, and without
any improperly or lack Of national
modesty he showed what America has
achieved in the way of banishing in
Justice and suspicion from the inter-
course of nations. For more than
hundred years the long boundary be-
tween Canada and the United States
has stood unguarded. a condition
made possible because neither country
thinks the other has any wish but for
friendship and fair dealing. What is
possible on our northern boundary is
possible on every boundary III the
world whenever the nations reach
state of honesty in their own inten-
tions and confidence in the intentions
of their neighbors.
To those who will say this is an
altruistic dream and beyond the realm
cf practical things, it ought to be
necessary only to direct attention to
the Washington conference on the
limitation of ornaments. A war in
the Pacific-war between the United
States and Japan--was felt by many
conservative statesmen to be unavoid-
able, because Of misunderstanding
and suspicion as to motives. At the
Wa shington conference misunder-
standings were removed. motives were
explained and cleared up, and the re.
sultant four-power pact removed that
menace from the world.
Not only the statesmen Of the world
but unofficial people can find profit In
Mr.. Hughes philosophy. Often, he
said, the intriguing diplomats" are
prevented from doing the fair and
friendly thing by the nationalistic SEN
timents of their people. and the same
people complain at the same time that
their diplomats are unable to assure
them the peace for which they clanor.
If the French people, for instance,
willed to do unto the Germans only
such things as they would that the
Germans would do unto them, and the
Germans were equally imbued with
the spirit Of the Golden Rule, how
quickly the dimeulties over repara'
tiops and other postwar problems
would melt away!
Evening star., 1923-05-17

Sir Auckland Geddes. the British
ambassador, has notified the lieuten-
ant governor Of British Columbia that
President Harding will spend a day In
its capital, Victoria. II At all possible.
plans were first mooted the Canadian
northwest has been anxious TO greet
him. The Canadian Club at Vancouver.
British Columbia's great port, Graves
a visit from Mr.. Harding. too. and
has put in an urgent bid for 1t. En-
route to Or from Alaska. the Presi-
dent hopes to ind IL feasible to touch
Canadian SOIL Seattle 10 only . stones
throw from Victoria. and they have
much in common. There's q precedent
for Mr.. Harding to follow. President
Taft once stepped across the Rio
Grande to shake hands with the
President Of Mexico.
Albert d. Lasker won't be out Of a
job long after quitting the chairman
ship Of the United States Shipping
Board next month. Fred w. Upham,
treasurer Of the republican national
committee. has offered him imme-
diate employment on the board of di-
rectors Of the Consumers Company of
Chicago. Of which Upham Is president.
Tie corporation Is a big dividend
payer. 1t sells Chicago coal In winter
and ice in summer. There's Q vacant
dictatorship. and as Upham doesn't
want to see even a millionaire unem-
ployed. in view of 1894. he decided
to give Lasker work without delay
= u
The American Legion affords one of
the finest examples extant Of re-
ligious tolerance and non-sectarian-
ism. The ritual for ceremonial oc-
casions now in use was drawn up by
a Presbyterian clergyman, a Roman
Catholic priest and a Jewish rabbi
respectively, the Rev. Eliot Porter of
Ctncinnati: Father William p. OCon-
nor, national chaplain Of the legion,
and Rabbi Lee ]. Levinger OF Will
mington, Del. All three were Ameri-
can expeditionary force chaplains in
France.
Wayne 3. Wheeler seems to have
received promotion. Hitherto he
has ranked merely as general coun-
sci and legislative superintendent of
the Anti-Saloon League. The other
day the New York branch Of the
league, in appealing to Gov. "Al"
Smith for a. hearing on the prohibi-
ton enforcement repeal in that state,
recommended that Wheeler be per-
mitted to file brief. He was describ-
ed as "the recognized legislative lead
Evening star., 1923-05-17

The telephone company plans a new
special Shrine separate phone sys.
tenn. equal to that serving a town Of
100, 900. 1t expects local calls to Jump
up to 100000 per day. Yes, you
guessed it-citizens Of Washington are
asked to limit their calls during Shrine
week.
Evening star., 1923-05-17

An Alabama boy leads the authori.
ties to a private graveyard. contain
ing nine victims who knew too much.
kept by his father. q moonshiner re-
Gently killed in clash with dry
forces. Those who peddled his stuff
can probably beat this record, al
though they do. not know exactly
where the bodies are.
Evening star., 1923-05-17

The Old Dominion Is right good
sort Of neishbor and we like power
fully to hear such neighborly and
sympathetic talks as Gov. Trinkle
gave at the Washington Chamber of
Commerce meeting Tuesday night.
Evening star., 1923-05-17
Rate by NIail-Payable in Advance.
Maryland and Virginia.
All Other States,
Member of the Associated Press.

The Associated Press is exclusively entitled
to the use for republication of all news dis
patches credited to II or not otherwise credited
10 this paper and also the local news pub
special dispatches herein are also reserved.
Evening star., 1923-05-17

New York city council raps Vol
stead act" states headline. This act
can stand more knocking than some
on the four-a- day vaudeville circuit.
Evening star., 1923-05-17

Will it not be rather lonesome for
the 800 guests invited to go on the
special trial trip Of the Leviathan to
Guantanamo?
Evening star., 1923-05-17

Mr.. G. Harvey of London, England,
is visiting friends at 1900 Pennsyl-
vania avenue northwest.
Evening star., 1923-05-17

Washington is said to have a lawyer
for every 1s1 INHABITANTS. And a
bootIegger for every 81.
Evening star., 1923-05-17

Speaking of railroad receiverships.
the British now have the Berlin-Bag-
dad railway.
Evening star., 1923-05-17
~
In a Few Words.

The Germans are a. people to whom
war is ~eternaiiy a national industry
and for whom peace never was any
thing but a truce between combats
PREMIER POINCAIRE.
Evening star., 1923-05-17
The Evening Star Newspaper Company

The Evening Star, with the Sunday morning
edition, is delivered by carriers within the city
at 60 cents per month; daily only. 40 cents M ger
ders may be sent BY mail, or telephone Main
1000. Collection Is made by carriers at the
end Of each month.
Evening star., 1923-05-17


If Spain were to become a republic
tomorrow. the king would be the
first president. He is about the
hardest working man in the country.
AMBASSADOR WOOD.
..'-y@s.. ~ 'T4s..'-.'
=, 3Den6ereeies moresehAa any other
form :ot. sayftHsa ehh srtshas for sue
indiStduaR. citizens. So, F------f2
s:.az sR|sHaEYF DURHAM
Y y -. Z: -
!. II y6I nut Me archbishop of CAM
teTStry insprisbn Tor eighteen months,
,ssuSt Fl, eests -sasssa5 Sight but ]
'-s.- -BISHoP OF ST. ALBANs
If you would be perfect a." take;
ss'sass assas fsss
S-MYRTLE GONZALES