davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1924-03-22
Asserts u. S. Buildings :.
Mar Beauty Of City

Washington, as all. Americans are
proud to know, is one of<the most
beautiful cities in the world, but it
has fallen short of what It might be
through. the negligence of Congress
in failing to adhere strictly to the
plans prepared for 1t by the first
President. The government. itself has
been an offender In erecting public
buildings without regard to. their
situation as respects their, relation
to- each other and to the plan as a
whole. The. fine perspeotivss> design
ed have. thus been shut of in many
places. aud pannot now be fully re
storet. 80 PennsylvAnia avenue rs
broken by the Treasury. and this
street.. which SHOULD have been the
nobfeSt on, The continent, now is
built up in fits most important Sec
White Houssssh M anmpo.iaE se ans strce e
lures that should not have been per-
This sort of growth can be, checked
elsewhere, II the various committees
through which Congress acts on Dis
triet matters can: be brought to- Co
operate on, q Uniform plan. This is
the purpose Of the American Civic
Association and its committee. But
if ft: is to be- effective, the COMMITTEES
must have the Co operation off civic
agencies 9sverywhere and OF ali citi-
zenSa who desfre,.to see Washington
Keep It's place among the capitals: Of
the world.e3.sos-.s. = s4,.s's .,sst;t
;. Congress, which is the. city, council
Of WAshin gtonsS should feel that its
re6pon sibility@. for tho Capitals not
to the resfden of the District alone,
but to pll the people Of this United
States. II Congress can be made to
feel that through an alert and re-
Sponsiye public opinion on the sub
1ede Of a finer Washington, the. pres
efft plans will receive the attention
In that bsdY. which they deserye.-
From the Kansas City Star.
Evening star., 1924-03-22
Nearby Grade Crossings.

The people OF Silver Spring, q fast
growing town and neighborhood jus.
across the District line in Montgomery
county, Md, have long been discuss
ing means for doing away with the
Silver Spring railroad and highway
grade crossing. 1t is the most travelled
grade crossing in the vicinity of Wash
ington except that of the Washington
Baltimore boulevard and the Baltimore
and Ohio railroad at Hyattsville.. y
proposal has been pending at Silver
Spring. to have the Maryland State
roads commission take up the matter
Of doing away with this dangerous
crossing. The Maryland legislature
now has before it a bill by which the
Montgomery county commissioners
would be authorized TO issue $100, 900
in bonds to be used in conjunction
with. the state roads commission In
eliminating certain grade crossings in
the thirteenth election district Of Mont
gomery county. It fs believed that
one of the grade crossings that would
be Included under the bill is that at
Silver Spring. The thirteenth election
district OF Montgomery county is
popularity known as the Wheaton dis
trict, and includes Silver Spring,
North Takoma, Sligo, woodside, Fen
wick, Linden, Forest Glen, Kensing.
ton, Norbeck and Wheaton. There is
a provision in another bill pending be-
fore the state legislature that the
Baltimore and Ohio railroad shall lower
by at least ten feet the tracks of the
Metropolitan branch at their intersec-
ton with the Maryland highway. con-
Meeting Georgia avenue In the District
Of Columbia and the town Of Olney,
Montgomery county. That'is a specific
reference to the Silver Spring grade
crossing. TO do away with that grade
crossing would be an important step
In progress. ,4 -,
Evening star., 1924-03-22
body having business with the land
records OF the Disfrict This office had

body having business with the land
records OF the District. This Office had
n home in the old city. hall or the
courts building. When the work of
enlarging and, remodeling that build
ing was begun tho recorder of deeds
office, as other Offices, was moved to
temporary quarters. The deeds Office
was moved to tall. narrow building
constructed as an Office building for
lawyers ,As 1T is now. Liber 1 A Of
the land Records of theaDistrict may
be in a small room on the left of the
stairway on the second floor and Liber
% " E., or something OF that sort,
may be in "a. small back room on the
fourth floor, The index books may be
in another room on another noor Per
haps when loan finds the .liber 'coh-
tanning the deed he needs there Isl no
seat or table. IN thpt spom at which he
may examine the deed. There may Be
no space in, that room for a table. and
in the room where there is a table
men. are, standing because there is mot
elbow room at the table for them.
When plans We're made for the re.
modelled courts building the deeds Of
fee was to have good quarters. When
the work was nearly done it was
found that no space could be allotted
10 that office. The lease on the pri.
vate building expired and the District
agreed to pay rent. The owners want
ed their property. Private tenants
were easier to get along with than the
government. and they paid better. The
District could neither move the deeds
office nor pay higher rent. Congress
directed that a plan be drawn for a
building il Judiciary Square for the
recorders office. and a bill making an
appropriation for constructing that
building has been passed by the Senate
and is pending in the House. There
has been great delay all slong the line.
The deeds Office of the District is self
supporting, and has large and fast
growing surplus to its credit in the
Treasury. Tho landlords threaten II,
and it carries on its important busi-
ness in crowded and otherwise insult.
able rooms.
Evening star., 1924-03-22
Veterans Bureau Funds.
Errors Charged in Article by
John F. Sinclair.
To the Editor OF The Star:

To the Editor OF The Star: s54-e
In your paper Of March Il there ap-
peared an article under the caption
Can Your Taxes Be Cut?" by one
John F. Sinclair concerning the United
States Veterans Bureau, which pur-
ported 70 set forth facts and figures
concerning the cost Of the Veterans
Bureau.
This article is: full OF misleading
kand erroneous statements throughout
The opening paragraphs says: Its
(the Veterans Bureaul activities are
confined strictly to the veterans Of
the last war" whereas all veterans
of all wars of the United States re-
ceive benefits from the money appro-
priated TO the Veterans Bureau and
are properly chargeable as an expense
of the Veterans Bureau.
However, there are several appro-
prfatfons which are charged to the
which the bureau is, in fact, agent
only. These include $4,000 900 for
national security and defense" s974,
osei9n as6 9no a, and family aIleWanes wa s5"a
on American vessels. their cargoes,
etc; $126, 100000 military and naval
insurance and $4,000. soldiers and
sailors and civil relief claims. Mr..
Sinclair ignores this, fact in computing
his enormous total OF So, Ia, $4,000, as he
does likewise the $67 ,O00,0 profit on
war risk insurance, the ss7 ,ooo, 900 re-
turned to the Treasury Department
and the s397 100000 unexpended bal
ance which he certainly must have
known to be the case, or he could nor
have known the other facts set forth
lby him.
| He likewise ignores the s465,0o0, 900
taken from the pockets of the soldiers
and sailors TO pay government losses
which, according to all workmen's
tcompensation acts, was proper
charge against the government in
stead of the soldier.
He likewise fails to take cogniZanco
of the $50, ,000,eO0 used by the Treas
ury Depar tment to bolster the market
ton liberty bonds and other Treasury
securities
lartfcie reads as-follows; AT the close
of. the fiscal year 1929 there were
ininety-one government hospitals i'll
operation, with total bed capacity
OF 2s,714: II was necessary o6o for the tn,
hospitals. where, an additional 1886
patients were cared for" This state
iment might well leave the impression
that the Veterans Bureau hospitals
Bureau had only fifty of those ninety
one hospitals and their bed capacity
was nowhere near $4,000, ana at the
isame time there were nearly 25,00o
patients receiving hospital treatment:
IThis is the reason for the present bill
lin Congress appropriating s11,o00,0oo
to construct new hospitals.
Now, IL Mr.. Sinclair viii please
4 abandon his attack on the hospital
program of the Veterans Bureau and
.subtract the. amount of the agents
funds in the amount of A,154,900,000
from his total cost OF S2,l22,295,000
! (which is not correctly he may per-
ihaps find the true cost OF the Veter-
ans Bureau and the benefits accruing
10 In' ~e'e FToYp w. wooIdEY,
Stuart walcott Post, No. TO- Ameri-
| can Legion. -
Evening star., 1924-03-22
Control of Private Architecture.

: It is an old proposal that there
should be public authority to pass on
the architecture of private buildings
in Washington. Such authority well
used, and no doubt it would be, would
be for the benefit of the city, and
therefore the benefit of all citizens
The officer in charge Of public build
ings and grounds, and who is also a
member of the Zoning Commission,
said at Il recent public meeting that
the Zoning Commission should be
given power to regulate the character
and appearance of buildings as we'll as
their height and use. He believes that
the commission should have the power
TO supervise and pass on the plans OF
buildings, before they are erected to
make sure that nothing OF an inhar-
monious appearance is erected in
residence section. He said that the
Washington which we call beautiful is
hideous in some ways, and that some
dwellings, which have been remodeled
for commercial purposes are "atroci-
ties
The founders of Washington had in
mind that there should be erchitec-
tural harmony and elegance in the
Capital. George Washington wrote to
Thomas Jefferson In 1871 concerning
building regulations for the federal
city. and Jefferson replied under date
Of Georgetown, September s, 1871.
Hased on that correspondence is the
following from Bryan's History Of
the National Capital: -,
The regulations in the requirements as
to the character of the buildings to be
erected were unusual in that day. The
nsw structures were not only to be sub
Evening star., 1924-03-22
WASHINGTON. OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WfLE

There's a tremendously interest
ing new democratic dark horse IN the
running. He is Gray Silver of West
Virginia. the power behind tho throne
of the farm bloc, representative In
Washington of, the American Farm
Bureau Federation. !. Silyer's. friends
declare that the movement" in his
favor is unorganized and wholly
spontaneous. 1t comes from the
sticks." Though practical farming
has been Silver's lifelong occupation,
and training in politics and public
life. Once he was president Of the
West Virginia: state senate, which
corresponds 10 the lieutenant gov
ernorship. Silver was the real or
ganizer of the farm bloc, and the
agricultural community credits him
with chief responsibility for the pas
sage OF twenty-seven separate piece S
of farm legislation at Washington in
recent years His bucolic activities
cover a wide range. 1t extends from
apple orchards in the Shenandoah
valley OF Virginia to cattle ranches
and sheep farms in Illinois and Ar
three-and said TO be in receptive
mood.
y 4 4
senator Reed Smoot Of Utah has a
grand passion that isn't listed among
his recreations in who's Who" 1t
is the game Of solitaire. He plays it
inveterately, and 1t has to be "A mo-
mentous affair of state that is per
mitted to ihtrude upon his favorite
pastlme. Like most solitaire ad-
A.
Tor overtaxed nerves and a banisher r
OF worries. Some of the astutest
poiuCaf and Legislative strate gems
the q. o.. i. has ever evolved are said
to- nave mad their origin on Shoots
solitaire table.
. = X \, 3 -
Herbert Hoover has Just been i'm
mortali5ed at his alma mater, Stan
ford University, in California, by the
formal opening of the Hoover War
Library. Of $4,000 volumes. 1t be-
comes one of the four biggest colIec-
tions Of its kind In the world. worthy
counterparts being only those INSTALL
ed in the Imperial War Museum in
London, the World War Library at
Leipzig and the Museum of War in
Paris. The Secretary OF Commerce
has financed the immense work of re-
search and assembling, extending
since 1914. which has resulted in O
compilation destined to bring to Stan
ford future generations OF historians
in search of first-hand data on Arma-
geddon. Ephraim ID. Adams, profess
sor of history at Stanford, has been
elected chairman OF a board of ten
directors who will supervise the
Hoover Library.
One OF Americas most restless re-
formers of another day-the late DR..
Wilbur Fisk Crafts of Washington
would have taken a lively interest in
the Daugherty investigation develop
ynents. 1t was Crafts who. as super
intendent OF the International Reform
Bureau, instigated the law forbidding Z
transportation OF prize fight pictures
in interstate commerce. Before the
Dempsey Carpenter encounter Or.
Crafts was actively engaged in was
and means to prevent exhibition OF
the films outside of New Jersey. He
told this observer that attempts 10
smusgle the pictures out of that state
were certain to be made and that ex-
treme vigilance would be necessary TO
checkmate them.
+ x
Huston Thompson, president of the
Federal Trade Commission, thinks II
might be better to decorate worthy
Evening star., 1924-03-22
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN

O. How much salary are the at
torneys receiving who are represent
ing the government in the oil lease
cases?-J. S. d.
A. No amount has been designated
as COMPENSATION for the attorneys.
An appropriation of 100000 has been
made to carry on the case.
@, = Did Abraham Lincoln ever
stop at the Willard Hotel?-H. B. u.
A Abraham Lincoln was not a
guest of the New Willard Hotel On
the site of the New Willard there
was d low red brick building which
bore the. name Willards Hotel. 1t
WAS here that Lincoln was a guest
a. What is horse latitude?-
A. Horse latitude is the name
given to this belt OF. calms in the
North Atlantic ocean between the
region of westerly winds of the
higher 1atitudes and the region of
trade winds of the torrid zone.
Authorities differ in regard to the
origin Of the name, some claiming
that vessels with cargo of horses
were often 80 delayed on account
of the calns that the animals per-
ished from lack OF water.
q, Who is the poet laureate of
Engiand?-E." c. 3.
A. Sir Robert Bridges has held this
post since 1913, when he succeeded
Alfred Austin.
@. What is white pine blister rust
and how can it be controlled?-F. s.
A Blister rust is a fungous disease
imported from Europe and is very de-
structive to white pine timber. II
has two stages, one on white pine
and one on currant and gooseberry
bushes. The method of control is to
destroy all currants and gooseberry
bushes within about 900 feet of the
pine trees to be protected. This has
been found entirely practicable and
the value of white pine timber is
high enough to fully justify the ex-
pense. The, cultivated black currant
is the most dangerous carrier OF the
disease and should be entirely de-
and It's production in nurseries should
cease. --
@. What Is q weicher e. r. S.
A. In race track parlance, a
welcher, or welsher, is one who makes
bets or receives betting money and
then abSCOndS, not paying MS iooSC0
or returning the money of those bet
ting. In card games welcher is one
who refuses to pay mouth bet
Q. was Clara, Barton a lover OF
music!-A. n. II.
A. On the contrary, Miss Barton
Is said to have had little If any love
for music.
O. What are the characteristics OF
Washington bent grass?-A- q.
A. This new grass for golf greens
Ia Of fine texture, durability, uni
formity of surface and has bright
green coloring. This variety was
introduced by accident with mixed
bent seed from Germany and was dis
covered on the golf course of the
Washington Golf and Country Club
1t is a true creeping bent grass and
the Department OF Agriculture eX-
perts who discovered 1t removed
enough of it to the government ex-
perimental farm TO develop seed
plots, All the Washington bent
grass.in America can be traced back
| to this beginning.
O. What is the difference between
i skilled and unskilled laborers:-
| @. 4.
A. Skilled laborers are those re
| quiring such training In particular
Evening star., 1924-03-22
Plight Of the Deeds Office.

The plight Of the recorder of deeds
office Is brought to public notice again
by renewed efforts of the owners of
the building to evict- this government
office and regain possession Of their
The recorders office is in a
private building most unsuitable for
use as public Offices. moi. large enough
for the too small force Of the. Office
and entailing inconvenience or. every.
Evening star., 1924-03-22

occupation as would involve material
| and industrial loss IN a transference
TO other occupations. ANY laborers
| who do not have to serve an ap-
prenticeship TO learn a trade are un-
skilled laborers.
Q. How much did the Mayfiower
COSTA. NJ. f.
A. The Mayfower, owned by the
government and kept for the use Of
the Presioent, cost $4,000
Q. In automobile racing Is there
such a thing as an invisible tow
Iine7-J. A
A. This so-called tow exists only
on the board tracks in speeds Of bet
ter than ninety miles an hour. 1t is
the suction Of the machine in front
caused as It travels through space
and can be likened very much to an
inverted funnel If the car back Of
it can keep within the space which
would be equivalent to the spout of
the funnel it is taken along at the
same rate of speed as the car which
Is creating this vacuum. This
method of riding is used quite often
by the slower cars. It's disadyantage
is that the motor picking up such a
tow has no means of cooling and the
motor is inclined TO overhead very
quickly.
Q. How can lemons be kept from
drying up?-Ci. A. NJ
A. II lemons are put in a glass
jar which fs sealed they will keep
from one to three months.
Q. In what state are there the
most people who draw pensions from
the pension bureau?-D. T.
A. Ohio leads the list with 51,20e
| pensioners who received total OF
s24,4sS,4s0 during the last fiscal
year.
O. Do they have klndergartens in Ja-
I, pan "A. NJ. II.
! A In 1919 there were about $4,000
! children in the 612 kindergartens re-
! corded in the official statistics Of Japan.
| Presumably there were between three
and four million children Of kindergar-
! ten age.
! Q. When was the purchasing power
I OF the farmers dollar at it's highest
and when at its lowest?-R- II
! A A table prepared for Congress By
| the joint commission OF agricultural in
Quiry shows that the purchasing power
Of the farmers dollar reached its high
est point, 112 cents, in 1918 and 1919,
and was at its lowest, 81 cents, in 1895.
| O. To whom did Dryden refer in
| these lines: with leering looks, full
I faced and freckled fair, two left legs
and Judas-colored hair and frowsy
pores that taint the ambient air'?-
A. T. 3.
A. Dryden thus described his pub
! Usher.
! Q. What is the membership OF the
! house of lords IT. H J.
| A. The membership Of the house OF
, lords varies according to the number
| of peers who are qualified by age or
| otherwise to take their seats At the
| present time there are about $50 peers
Of whom 80 are women. The women
who inherited seats have not at the
| present time been permitted TO oc-
! cupy them, the seats remaining in
| allegiance until the advent of males
! in the families.
(Hove you asked Hosksnf He does not
krotc all the things that people ask him,
| but he k,notcs people toho do k,tot1. Try
him. Stote your question brieffp, ,1r5tc
| plainly and incbose 2 cents in stamps for
return postage ADDRESS Frederic J.
! HdSkin, director, The StGr Information
Bureau, 1920 North CGpitol street,
Evening star., 1924-03-22
SHOOTING STARS.
DY pIIII.ANDER JOHNSON.

The Crocus.
Hello, YallerblossomIs
: Peekin' through the snow.
Haven't you got sense enough,
When the weather is SO rough,
Not to try to grow?
When the world Is weary,
= Why should you appear
In so very small, a way
Strivin' for bright display
OF persistent cheer: t
Hello, Yallerblossom,
Winter is not done!
Yet your way seems. kind o wise,
Smilin' at the changetul skies,
Trustin' III the sun. ,
Evening star., 1924-03-22
A Spring Tragedy.

spring this year lends verisimilitude
TO the otherwise unconvincing nara.
tive OF the limerick which declares
that:
THE first bird ct spring
Attempted to sing.
But e'er he had uttered d note
He fell from the limb.
A dead bird was him.
The music had friz in his threat"
Evening star., 1924-03-22

It is intimated that Albert Beveridge
would not be averse to a presidential
nomination. This may be true, but it
is no time to throw the spotlight on a
perfectly good dark horse.
Evening star., 1924-03-22

Not only has the public learned a
great deal about Teapot Dome, but
those involved in the deal have Sc
cured some surprising information
about one another
Evening star., 1924-03-22
Hard to Deliver.
From the Birmingham Ase-Heraid.

There are already indications that
some of the mid-western- statesmen
who went to Washington under cam
paign pledges to reorganize the gov
ernment may soon find 1t a bit em-
barrassing to explain why they didn't
make good
Evening star., 1924-03-22

The fact that racing is known as
the sport of kings does not convince
the English public that eQuestrianism
Is essential TO the Prince OF Wales.
Evening star., 1924-03-22

A number Of politicians would be
glad to find Mr.. La. Toilette SO inter
ested in the summer campaign as to
forget his spring housecleaning.
Evening star., 1924-03-22

Il is safe to predict that no French
statesman will discuss ideas Of loan
in connection with money
advanced by ]. p. Morgan 6 Co.
Evening star., 1924-03-22
MANY Uses for Gas,

From the Birmingham .AgeHe,sld.
In Nevada. gas is officially employed
to punish murderers. In many other
places political spellbinders suse : it
freely to punish perfectly innocent
people. ..-es. =
Evening star., 1924-03-22

BerGdoll is willing TO come home
and take his sentence. But he fears
unofficial demonstration, and does not
wish to bite anybody in self-defense.
Evening star., 1924-03-22

Wireless communication still has a
long way to go before 1t can be de-
pended on to meet emergencies when
a storm blows down the telephone
poles.
Evening star., 1924-03-22

About the only form Of culpability
not hinted at in the course Of congress
sional investigation is disregard Of
speed limits and parking regulations.
Evening star., 1924-03-22

In his efforts to close the Philadei-
phia saloons Smedley Butler is cheered
by the assurance that he has the full
moral support OF Gov. Pinchot, ,-r.
Evening star., 1924-03-22

Events have taken a turn which
calls upon VIII Hays again to stand
forward patiently for d little heckling.
Evening star., 1924-03-22
Best Government.
From the Albany Journal.

From the Albany Journal. -
That nation has the best govern
nrert whose individuals do not look
to government to DO for them what
they ought to do for themselves
Evening star., 1924-03-22

AS usual, the first days of spring
brought the reminder that man may
be a. 'frst.rate astronomer but a poor
weather prophet
Evening star., 1924-03-22
Rate by MaiI--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 it or not otherwise credited
IN this paper and also the local news prb..
special dispa tches herein are also reserved.
Evening star., 1924-03-22
Passing of Sunday.

From the Chicago News.
Somebody asks where the old
fashioned Sunday suit has gone.
sunday. -. -
Evening star., 1924-03-22
Peace Plan Old.

From the Baltimore Sun.
If the judges had been ciergymen,
somebody might have won $50. 600 by
sending in the ten commandme entA -
Evening star., 1924-03-22

The tax producer is now wondering
whether Congress is going to dodge its
duties as a tax reducer.
Evening star., 1924-03-22

The Dempsey-Carpentier fight proved
a long, hard legal battle.
Evening star., 1924-03-22
Completed. Task.

"a; Completed Task.
AS in the happy school days long gone
= :; by,
I. try to cut a caper, -,' .... ,..-
And hope the tax collectors pleased
with my -..---. 49,.
Examination paper.
Evening star., 1924-03-22

The Start and the Finish.
Marriages are made in heaven.
...That's where they may be made" !"
re3oined Miss Cayenne, "but some Of
them don't wind up there"