davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1923-02-21
SHOOTING STARS.
BY PHIIANDER JOHNSON.

TOilers.
We've heard of the slave in the gal.
ley so drear
We've heard of the Kongo, where men
toll in fear.
We've heard Of old Pharaoh, whose
merciless law
Bade the children in Egypt make
bricks without straw.
Sing Toorili, Toorili. Toorili, Lay!
Hast heard Of the rhymester who
rhymes every day?
We've heard of child labor in mine
and in mill.
The poets, like children, their tasks
must fulfill.
Till they 60 to the bad and then 70
to the worse
And I'LL up "kollum" with stuff
called free verse;"
Sing Toorili, Toorili, Toorili, Lay!
Life's rough on the rhymester who
rhymes every day.
The ditchdigger digs and the brick
layer climbs,
Each soothing his soul with a ditty
betimes.
But the scribe who goes limping on
metrical feet
Cannot measure eight hours for a task
that's complete.
Sing TooriN, Toorili, Toorili, Lay!
All poets are fools, and they rhyme
every day!
Evening star., 1923-02-21

yond that perhaps garage blaZons its
existence five and a quarter miles
away. Inasmuch as Smithvilie is less
than half a mile across, these direc-
tions are confusing and tend to weak
en- the faith Of the traveller I'M the
sense of distance possessed by the
natives.
In approaching large city, as g.
result Of the enterprise Of local bust
ness plen, a wide range Of distance d.
rections is afforded to the motorist.
He does not know whether the meas,
urement has been made from some CEN
trail municipal point or from the shop,
or hotel, or gas station. or repair es-
tablishment, or cafe thus advertised.
He is happy to know that he Is on the
way.
With the zero milestone established
in the White Lot all Official" meas
urements on the roads leading into
Washington will be based upon this
starting point. 1t is an appropriate
position. 1t may interfere somewhat
WIN lifc measurements Ill lnG
which perhaps run from some other
point noted particularly in the text,
but at any rate it serves to standard
iZe the distances.
1t is, of course. of little moment to
the motorist whether the measuring
point Is half mile or a mile one way
or another SO long as he strikes the
town for which he is headed. After
run of $50 miles. possibly more, in
day a few hundred more turns of the
wheels make little difference. But in
these motoring days it is we'll to be
accurate. Gone are the times when a
wayfarer inquiring at a country store
or d crossroads is told that the run
to So-and-So is Just piece down the
road" The gas combustion engine has
made Americans distance-wise. and
now the time has come for zero
stones"
Evening star., 1923-02-21
EDITORIAL DIGEST

which holds that such by-products as
the pacification and development OF
Central America are not to be over
looked. Our markets would be expand
ed and our industry aided by the fos-
tering of stable conditions along the
proposed canal route, and Central Amer
lean good will might well be cemented
by it, The ''cost is not an obstacle. !"
the Albany NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. holds.
as fall that needs to be considered is
whether another canal would be useful
and valuable" The angle of national
defense likewise is injected into the dis
cussion by the Des Moines Register.
which points out that because I'VE
must have one instead of two fleets. the
Panama canal is this fleets Achilles
| heel. We shall have the second canal
eventually. The real momentum behind
the project will be strategic necessity
but commercial conditions will more or
less dictate the time"
The discussion of a possible second
canal, the Oakland Tribune points out.
"has called the attention of the world
ping business between the east and
I west coasts. Those men who pointed
out these things when the canal was be-
ing dug have earned the title of proph-
cts The GAINESVILLE Gazette, for its
part. throws a monkeywrencll into the
machine by suggesting that 'it may be
we need another transoceanic canal, but
we need something else more than that
and right now-the st. Lawrence to the
ocean route. opened and ready for use.
We can struggle along for many years
without the canal across the Nicara qua
peninsula-we are in dire need of the
waterway from the great lakes to the
ocean," Indorsing this opinion, the Du-
1uth News-Tribune insists "the time to
begin to think about the Nicaragua
route is just after the great lakes-St.
Lawrence waterway has been COM
pleted. The Panama canal is not utilized
to more than 40 per cent of its capacity
now. The middle west will favor a
Nicaragua canal when the great lakes
ST. Lawrence waterway has been COM
pleted, and when the urgent necessity
for second canal is shown"
IT is the opinion of the Kansas City
Journal that if the Nicaraguan canal is
constructed this country could under
such freedom from the vexatious re-
strictions of the treaties regulating the
to American coastwise trade and world
wide shipping which the Clayton Bulwer
ana Hay-Pauncefote treaties prohibit
The advantages to this country of such
independence are manifest
1t will be well to fully consider the
and it's relation to the finances of the
country. as mo money should be spent
needlessly," but the Lima Republican,
Gazette suggests that "a canal in that
region would not require locks and
would be less endangered by earth
less expensive than the Panama canal
was" To which the Pueblo Star Jour
nal adds that cit would take years, of
course, for the Panama profits to be
sufficient to build new canal, but the
matter could be arranged by a bond
issue and the interest and redemption
taken care Of by the annual profits from
the Panama CANAL
Evening star., 1923-02-21
Old Vehicles.

1t 10 heralded that the number Of
jinrikishas Is diminishing in Japan,
and that the vehicle will probably
soon disappear from Toxic. The auto
mobile and bicycle and higher 'rilxisha
fares are given as some of the reasons
for the decline of the man-drawn cart,
and now the news is that subways are
to be built in Toxic. The passing of
the 'rikisha will give feeling of re-
gret to many persons, but we in
Washington have seen pass from use
many types Of vehicle once familiar
in our streets and on the roads near
the city. There was the public hack
with it's pair of lean horses and it's
colored driver in seedy livery and a
rusty plug hat. A few specimens Of
the hack survive but it is almost ex.
tinct.
If one of the old four-horse stage
coaches carrying mail and passengers
between Washington and Baltimore.
Washington and Frederick Washing.
ton and Winchester and Washington
and Port Tobacco should come upon
our streets one would be apt to think
that Rice's circus had come to town
and was about to pitch its tent on the
south side Of the canal at 9Th and B
streets. Around our markets not many
years ago were OK teams-a yoke" Of
steers and cumbrous cart. One could
see them plodding along the Avenue.
Now, man must go into the depths
Of Charles or ST. Marys county, King
George, Westmoreland or Northum-
berland to see an OK cart. and even in
those counties they are becoming few.
A hanson cab" with its driver on
high seat at the rear, would now be
viewed as a spectacle in the street,
yet once it was a stylish and popular
thing. Even the once common buggy
has become rare in the capital. So,
too. have the luxurious victoria and
landau. and very likely specimens of
these will find place in the National
Museum before the jinrikisha passes
from Japan.
Evening star., 1923-02-21
that. We'lI get less a year hence than
we get nnu


We get now"
Commissioner Haynes has on his
stan about 3.S00 workers. Manifestly
1t is impossible for that small stan
| TO make and keep America dry.
TT was never intended that they
should" he told me. I'VE are now
getting the organized enforcement aid
or the states. the cities, the counties,
the towns and the villages. The local
authorities are the ones to enforce
the prohibition law. the same as they
/ enforce the other laws.
my staff could then be free to go
after the big conspirators whose ram
ihcations extend through several state
Jurisdictions
"And we are getting that assistance
in ever-growing volume. Only three
states now have failed to enact en-
forcement laws. There are very few
| large cities whose authorities are
sees that the other laws are observed
has added the prohibition law to his
list.
"One police chief came about 500
miles to see me the other day. He
had taken office only with the under
pered in the enforcement Of all laws
the prohibition law included.
Another police chief recently is
sued instructions to his force of $500
to enforce the law against liquor.
! Failure to enforce will mean trouble
for the policeman who fails. In that
one case I feel have added $500 en-
forcement agents to my stan
There is a good deal of talk about
! the flood of liquor in bootleggers'
hands, but it's mostly talk. The boot
leggers are finding it harder every
day to do business: and what they sell
isn't liquor at all, but poisonous stuff
of the rankest kind"
The chief of the prohibition move
ment in Europe, hearing of the prev
alance Of bootlegging here, came to
the United States to find out condi-
tions at first hand. He landed in New
! York.
II bought a pad of paper and some
pencils" he said. "and took my place
at one of the busiest corners in New
York. 1t was just after dinner.
| wanted to count the drunks.
! 81 stayed there two hours and didn't
see a single drunken man. Then i
went away, thinking that I had been
unfortunate in selecting site for my
count.
"The next night I went to another
place where / had seen many drunk
there two hours, but didn't see a sin
gle one.
IT went to Philadelphia and tried to
find a drunken man there. 1 failed.
I came to Baltimore and there ! saw
my first drunken man. He was not
even fully drunk-about half drunk.
/ should say.
-Four nights in New York. Phila-
delphia and Baltimore and but one
half-drunken man to be seen! I'm
, going back home and tell the propa-
gandists.
THAT is where most of the propa-
ganda against prohibition comes
from. you may know-from Europe.
Well, I'm going back and tell them
that America is headed toward total
prohibition so fast that she'll get
there in a couple or three years.
You can't stop it. A noisy minor
ity is talking a lot about bootlegging
but they're only making noise. Reai
liuilor isn't to be had. Poison-d drink
ing is losing it's fad. Prohibition Is
ut the threshold"
Evening star., 1923-02-21
No Vice Presidential Home.

1t is much to be regretted that Con-
gress has not found a way to accept
the generous and patriotic offer made
by Mrs. John B. Henderson of a home
for the Vice President Of the United
States. That offer was made in a spirit
Of helpfulness, with a view to equip
ping the second executive officer Of
the country with permanent, suit
able residence. Heretofore no pro-
vision whatever has been made for
him, and this fact has initiated against
the development of the office. Unless
man of large private means the Vice
President has been unable to take part
In the official functions at the capital
in manner comporting with the posi-
ton.
The reason advanced for the declina-
ton of the tender of the artistic build
ing is that an indisposition prevails at
the Capitol to provide the necessary
funds to enable the Vice President to
maintain such a residence properly
Naturally it would be essential to
h'eAhS Sosi "a pi Wv Nicioil, SlSe tic OlllCidl
home attached to the office would be
a serious burden. which the incumbent
should not be expected to bear. 1t
would be required either to increase
his compensation materially or to ap-
propriate annually for the upkeep of
the mansion. Neither seems possible
now in the circumstances Of economy
that prevail.
Eventually it may be decided that
the government should provide a suit.
able residence for the Vice President,
to enable him to render effective as
sistance to the President in the dis
charge of those social duties which
are a necessary part of the chief execu-
tive office. In that event the cost will
be very much greater to the United
States than if the handsome offer of
Mrs. Henderson had been accepted
and provision had been made for the
proper upkeep Of the house. 1t is
usually thus with economies that have
only the short range of perspective.
The rejection of this offer does not
in the least lessen the public apprecia-
ton of Mrs. Henderson's gracious and
public-spirited tender. 1t was made
unselfishly, and the misfortune is that
it could not be accepted in the same
manner.
Evening star., 1923-02-21
The Zero Milestone,

In the picture section of The Star
yesterday was printed an illustration
OF two officials Of the American high
way education bureau starting for San
Francisco from the zero milestone"
on the White Lot. The particular pur.
pose of their journey westward is to
serve as guide to the thousands Of
motoring Shriners who will come to
Washington awheel for the June
meeting. From this zero milestone"
win be measured the distances noted
on the roads centering here.
Every motorist knows the con.
fusion Of measurements that prevails
on the roads Of this country. "Five
miles to Smithville" appears on Q
haberdasher's sign on the outskirts Of
that teeming metropolis. and . few
rods farther on toward Smithville .
hotel IL posted a. being four and q
quarter miles Aistant and just b.
Evening star., 1923-02-21
The School Report.

1t Is announced that the joint con-
gressional committee on public schools
will submit its report on the investi-
CATION which it has conducted into the
local school system before the close of
the present session. 1t will, of course,
be too late for any action by this Con-
gress 1t will be in the nature of an
advisory report for the guidance of
Congress in the future. and as such
It will be valuable provided. through
further postponement of this matter
of school rehabilitation, it will not be
outdated by delay.
This report represents a long-con-
tinucd inquiry into the school condi-
ton, their physical equipment, the
ratio of teachers and pupils, the place
ment of buildings, the proper design
of structures, the arrangement Of
classes and courses, the administrative
organization. Already an indication of
its nature has been given through the
publication Of the report of the COM
missioner of education of Pennsyl-
Sania, DIR. Finegan, whose services
were utilized by the committee as an
expert. Save on the point of his
Recommendation that the board of edu-
cation be appointed by the President
DR.. Finegan'S observations and pro-
posalS are in. the main satisfactory
He sees. as would any educator of ex-
perience surveying the local situation
that the Districts schools are sorely
underequipped and undermanned, and
that their chief need is a larger plant
and personnel.
The primary question in this matter
Is how to provide systematically and
within the means of the District under
appropriation conditions the large ar
rears of school buildings required to
give the children each a seat and to
allow for the assured increases of the
future. A large sum will be required
to this end. Many millions are needed
right now for school building arrears
Allowing two years for each group of
new structures to be completed from
the time OF appropriation-and that is
reasonable eSIl1late-lC is OBVIOUS
that to overtake the accumulation of
needs will in the present building con-
ditions call for nearly a decade of in
tensive appropriation and construc-
tion.
Thus time is an essential element in
the case, and it is much to be re-
gretted that this report, upon which
1t is expected will be based the broad
program of school provision contem-
plated, has been delayed, through no
fault of the committee. but from
series of circumstances beyond it's
control, until it is now impossible to
act at the present session.
With this report made now. and in
hand for study during the recess of
Congress, it may be taken up as an
urgent matter of unfinished business
by the next Congress, to the end of
prompt answer to the demand of the
capital community for a school equip
nent that meets it's needs of today
of
Evening star., 1923-02-21

chards are found ON the wide plateau
between the Piedmont and the "faIl
line" or that line where the and
drops from the plateau to the coastal
plain.
All through the western coMaties of
Maryland fruit culture is carried on
extensively. South OF Washington are
immense stretches Of land where no
doubt fruit culture could be carried
on, and there are also great stretches
Of land Of proved adaptability for the
cultivation Of vegetables. The pro-
posed exposition would have a stimu-
lating effect. on the people Of a wide
area. and 1t would be a revelation
to most persons In the east as to
quality and variety Of things grown
in our section.
Evening star., 1923-02-21
Fruit Exposition.

Washington may be chosen as the
place for holding "the largest and
most complete fruit and vegetable ex.
position ever held in the east" The
condition is that a building or hall
large enough for the exposition shall
be found. Most likely this condition
can be met. The news that such an
exposition will be held comes from
Winchester, the apple capital Of
America, and has been given out by
the secretary of the Virginia State
Horticultural Society. He says that
the horticultural societies Of Virginia,
West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsyl.
vania are cooperating in the proposal
for holding such an exposition an
nually.
The National Capital would be an
appropriate place for an exposition Of
peculiar interest to the group Of
"neighbor states" and Of nationwide
importance as well. The production Of
food is one Of the big questions Of the
world, and the production Of food and
wealth from American soil and from
the soil Of our neighborhood are ques.
tions Of prime importance. Much Of
the land in our section 10 undeveloped
or underdeveloped, yet the potentiali-
ties are there.
We are close to one Of the largest
and most profitable apple.growing re-
gions of the world. Figures published
about a year ago showed that Virginia
was the third apple state. New York
being first and Washington second,
but in the number Of young trees not
in bearing Virginia was Tar ahead Of
Washington. and it may be that vir-
ginia Is, or is close upon being. second
to New York. The chief apple section
Of Virginia IL the Shenandoah valley,
but fne orchards Of apples and other
fruits are spreading In the eastern
Piedmont eountry, and profitable or
Evening star., 1923-02-21
Glad to Talk About It Even
Though Cost Is Prohibitive.

Although the cabinet quickly drop
Fed the suggestion of a new canal
uniting the Atlantic and Pacific, to
be constructed along the Nicaraguan
route, because the lowest estimate or
cost was a billion dollars, the news
papers of the country still are dis
cussing the proposal. Many seem in
clined to indorse the proposition In
the abstract, especially since the
Panama canal is showing an excellent
profit in it's operation. But most mid
dle-western editors insist that the
great need of the nation at this time
waterways and want any other
scheme sidetracked until that is ac-
complished.
The suggestion of a billion-dollar
cost caused The Star to recall that III
that figufe had been breathed as a
possibility when the canal project was
under discussion at the beginning OF
the century everybody would have
been staggered. But since then the
world has been talking terms of bill
lions, and there is no longer any rea-
son 10 SliTlilh lToii TIE lIlile-h6 ui q
sums The Panama canal Is making
money at a rate that no optimist ven-
tured to predict when it was started.
Some day, without doubt, that Sec
ond canal will be constructed, and
probably at Nicaragua, where this
government has a concession. Con-
sidering the length of time that such
a work requires and also the length
Of time IT needs in the stage of de-
cision, this present contemplation of
the matter Is by no means prema-
ture." The possibilities of such a
canal would be almost limitless, and
bring the west coast, which is now
being exploited largely by western
American capital, in touch with the
American east and Europe. The pos
sibilitieS of the tranSnicaraguan
route give US bond Of interest with
the Central American republics and
make their efforts to help themselves
one Of our legitimate concerns" SO
far as the cost is concerned. the At
lanta Journal sees mo reason why
the work should not be started with
In a year or two, using a part Of the
revenues from the Panama canal to
help dig the second and evidently
needed channel"
Attention is directed by the Brooklyn
Eagle 10 the fact that politicians will
not be slow to ascribe the suggestion to
the hope that American enthusiasm may
be aroused by such q project and the
national attention be diverted from the
conditions in Europe and our relations
to them during the campaign of next
year." And 1t is the political rather than
the economic aspects of the proposal
that appeal to the Springfield Union,
Evening star., 1923-02-21
THE WAYS OF WASHINGTON
BY WILLIAM PICKETT HELM.
I dropped into prohibition head
quarters the other day and chatted

I dropped into prohibition head
quarters the other day and chatted
for few minutes with Commissioner
Haynes. chief boss of the nations en-
forcement officers.
How about this prohibition busi-
ness. Mr.. Commissioners" 1 asked him.
"A fellow told me the other day that
the prohibition law never would be-
come fully effective. Is he right?"
Dead right. as far as he went" Mr..
Haynes replied. Did he say anything
about any of the other laws?'
why. no." I replied. I'VE were
talking about booze and bootleggers
and enforcement and so on"
He didn't happen to remark that
the law against murder never would
be entirely effective. did he?"
mo: not a word about murder This
fellows peaceable-"
Didn't say anything. either, about
the law against stealing, suppose?
Nothing about forgery? No reference
to arson? Just talked about prohibi-
tion. take it,"
"Yes, sir; that's right. Said we'd
never see the law fully effective"
Well" replied the commissioner,
The prohibition law, as he calls it.
is no different from any other law in
one respect; every law on our law
books is broken.
IF the law against murder were
never broken, 1t would be the only
law in it's class. If the law against
who sell locks. keys. sa1Qs. vaults and
burglary insurance would go out of
business. So also would many of our
10000 sheriffs and 10000 policemen.
Now this law against liquor isn't a
whit less of law than the law
against murder. Both have got to be
obeyed. I didn't make the law against
liquor, but l believe in it and / am
going TO enforce it to the best of my
ability.
Furthermore. it is being enforced a
great deal more strictly than some of
the propagandists against it would
lead you to believe.
when the law against murder and
the law against theft are never
broken. then the law against prohibi-
ton will be 100 per cent effective, too"
And in the meantime?" I asked.
The United States was never so
dry as 1t is today: 1t was never SO
hard to get drink as now. And
what you get
what would you think of a friend
who invited you into his home and
set. before you bottle labeled '9S per
cent rank poison, and urged you to
have some?
when your friend offers you boot
leg whiskey, that's what he's offering
you. The forged label doesn't say so,
but our chemists do. They've an
alyzed 1t and they know.
mot per cent of the stuff sold by
bootleggers today is bonded whisky.
co, no in frnv IN n
and the Bahamas Is made right there
and shipped here under labels that are
printed there. Pure Scotch is made
from Cuban cane; rye is made from
moonshine and coloring matter.
"And put this down: no matter
what any one tells you, less and less is
coming in as time passes. We are
not getting so much now as we got a
year ago. We were not getting so
much then as we got a year before
Evening star., 1923-02-21
Logical Valuation Plan
for Street Car Rates
To the Editor Of The Star:

To the Editor Of The Star:
Referring to your editorial in Sun
days Star Of February IS. 1t would
seem hardly conceivable that the gov.
ernment would prescribe an arbitrary
rate for the local street railroads on
the one hand. and on the other re-
quire the Interstate Commerce Com
mission to make rates for the inter-
state railroads on valuation basis.
The proposition appears to be too in
consistent to be enacted or sustained.
The logical valuation plan for rate
making will prevail because any 9TH.
er plan will make the necessary cap
ital scarce and high and keep the
railroads underdeveloped.
F.C. SMITH.