Evening star., 1923-08-30

You've gotta quit kickin' my houn'
dawg aroun'"
The "houn" is the market for farm
products. which is now, and always
has been. in charge of the Depart
ment of Agriculture, so far as
studying farm market conditions is
concerned.
1t Is alleged that certain influences
are at work to persuade President
Coolidge to transfer the bureau of
agricultural economics from the De-
partment of Agriculture to the De-
partment of Commerce. 1t seems to
be the theory of some that 1t is the
thermometer which warns the house,
the house is chilly. the mercury, not
the coal. is blamed. Now that farm
marketing Is chilly" they would
poke up the mercury by shaking up
the Department of Agriculture, and
even trying new Thermometer
the Department of Commerce.
The Presidents secretary. C. Bas-
com Slemp. who was interviewed in
Kentucky last week. Is reported to
have said: The agricultural situa-
tion is far more grave than the av-
erage citizen realizes, and something
must be done to help the farmers"
Apparently. Mr.. Slemp had not got
ten the psychology slant" of the low
price of wheat. the high tide of the
boil ,weevil and the slumping of farm
values everywhere. All he knew
came through actual observation, not
through bankers and New England
lawyers. He. had not yet begun his
work of advising" presidential ut
teranceS.
Thousands of acres of undeveloped
land In California and Colorado will
be open to settlement by veterans Of
the world war next month. The vet
erans are given the rare privilege of
creating farms. needing every sort of
Improvement before becoming farms,
and at time when even the econo-
iniSts OF the Department of Agricui-
ture frankly say that what farming
needs Is contraction, not expansion.
4 4
The honk of the wild geese travel
ing southwark proves that the birds
have heard Of the coming coal strike
and the early winter. and are taking
no chances. Safety first"
X X y
Senator Kenneth McKellar, now
travelling in Europe, is urging that
the United States buy a palace from
! the German government in which to
house not only the American en-
bassy, but all other American offices
now scattered over Berlin. Palaces
may be bought for a song, or less.
They might even be paid for in Ger
man marks. or, still better. paid for
by crediting the price on the unpaid
account due the United States for the
army of occupation.
what is said of buying an embassy
| Duilding In Germany would apply
with almost equal force to several
other European countries. where the
United States Is doing business in
rented quarters. Aren't European
palaces bargain counter remnants?
K !: x
Secretary Mellon of the Treasury is
disposed TO add his influence to the
program of Congress--or certain con-
gressional committees-to urge a
building program for the offices Of
the government in Washington and
elsewhere In this country Rent is
keeping Uncle Sam poor Some day
a fire, destroying priceless public rec
ords, will make Uncle Sam sorry, as
we'll as poor. because he postponed
the erection of safe archives build
| ing. The rent man will get US if we
don't watch out.
A New York philanthropist has
given 100000 to the Boy Scouts to
elevate their taste in fiction, so they
will eschew the dime nover'-what-
ever that is, in this day and genera
ton. Time was when the dime
dreadful was recognized as the great
demoralizer of society. but that was
prior to jazz and movies. Just how
the 100000 fund is to be used has
not been explained unless the plan is
to pension really good writer's of
highly moral fiction.
x x x Il
However. there is a greater move
ment started here in Washington by
the Brotherhood of Man Foundation,
whose president is Miss Katherine A.
Giles. Now Miss Giles might easily
be a sister" to the entire brother
hood. but she has not yet explained
how she can be a brother" to them