davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-23
Praises Sullivan Law.
New York's Chief City Magis-
trate Discusses Pistols.
To the Editor of The Start

To the Editor of The Start
have read with great interest and
qualification your editorial of Decem-
Der ~ entitled pistols by Mail"
was police commissioner Of this
city for years and have been
chief city magistrate for over IL
years and, assure you, you are more
than right when you say that the
Sullivan law has not been ineffective
as charged by Senator Reed of Penn
sylvania. The Senator is quite wrong.
The Sullivan law, in spite of the
handicaps pointed out in your edito-
rial, is so very effective here that II
it were repealed the crime wave would
be immensely increased and the police
arm of government tremendously
handicapped and conditions generally
would be inexpressibly bad. AS 1t is
now, and I am quite sure Commits
sioner Mclaughlin will agree with
me, the Sullivan act is the most
powerful weapon that the police have
in dealing with dangerous criminals,
of which we, in common with all other
American cities, have too many.
AS you say In your editorial, we
have been handicapped by the fact
that New Jersey has not as stringent
a law as that known as the Sullivan
act. although that State is fully alive
to the situation and at the last session
of their Legislature amendments were
made to the existing law intending
to break up what had been an open
market for pistols on the west bank
of the Hudson River; but most Of all
we suffer from flooding this city with
pistols by mail. and from here uncon-
scionable rascals send pistols all over
the country through the mails.
Senator Reed is distinctly mistaken
in saying that the pistol is of any
value to q laW-abiding citizen as
weapon Of defense. The element of
surprise in all cases Of shootings, kill.
ings and hold-ups is on the side of the
outlaw, and the person surprised, if
he had a dozen pistols, would find they
would be useless to him. If am going
to hold you up, or assassinate you or
rob your house, alone know the time
when l will do so. You will be held
up, assassinated or robbed when you
are not expecting it or any assault on
your person or property. The gun
man carefully and thoughtfully pre-
pares the time and the place when
the assault or robbery is to take
place. l have been held up in broad
daylight by two young gunner and
robbed and was glad did not have
a pistol. II I had had a dozen, or
even one, they probably would have
killed me or at least hit me over the
head with my own weapon. When
every law-abiding citizen in the
United States comes to the proved
conclusion that the pistol is Of no
value to him or her by way Of de-
Tense, then the only people we will
have to deal with will be outlaws,
criminals, crooks and gunner gen
orally. They will stand apart in a
class by themselves of armed ruffians
and potential murderers, and in that
day man will lose his responsibility
who even owns or possesses a pistol.
WILLIAM McADOO,
Chief City Magistrate.
New York City.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-23
Check Upon Firearms
Sales Is Suggested

To the Edito' Of The Star:
Your editorial in The Star recently
| relative to the bill to prevent the
selling Of firearms through the mails
is blow In the right direction. I
fear, however, that there would be a
too powerful influence against such
bill to make its passage at all
probable.
However. there is a way that the
sale Of firearms to gunner through
the mails can be prevented to some
extent, and I would like to see The
Star using its influence to bring this
about.
Congress has the right, by the Con
stitution, to regulate interstate com.
merce. Under this right it could
| make law under the terms of which
it would be necessary for all persons
desiring to purchase firearms through
| mail order house in another State
to appear before a notary public and
have his flngerprints taken on a
blank to be furnished by the Federal
Government. these prints to be for
warded by him to the company SELL
ing the firearms. The prints would
then be forwarded to the Department
of Justice by the mail order house.
together with the number OF the gun
sold.
To make this system even more eff.
fective the gun ma nufacturer could
have a secret number stamped on
some part Of the gun unknown to the
buyer and in such q place that, as
suggested by The Star some time ago.
1t would impair the gun to attempt
to remove II. This number could be
noted on the back of the card bear.
ing the flngerprints Of the buyer and
cross-flle kept in the Department
OF Justice SO that when a person is
killed or other crime committed and
gun is found nearby, II would be
possible. in MANY cases, for the De-
partment OF Justice to advise the
local police, on receipt Of the gun.
who purchased same.
l believe that Congress should enact
such a law at once and also a law
making it necessary for all persons
purchasing firearms locally to get a
hermit from the Police Department.
the police to take the fingerprints Of
the buver and issue him a permit
with the print Of his index finger
thereon. When the dealer sells the
gun he should take up this permit
| note the make and serial number Of
the gun purchased. and send II to the
Police DEPARTMENT for their files.
JOHN ARTHUR SHAW.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-23
Airplane Collisions.


The death Of four aviators in a
head-on collision yesterday near Cha
mute Field, Illinois, stresses the ne
cessity for enactment OF some kind
of specific flying traffic regulations
That four lives should be sacrificed
in such an accident only three hun
bred feet from the ground and with
both machines apparently functioning
perfectly, does not fit in with the
scheme of constant advance in the art
Of flying, but. on the contrary. is a
setback too serious to be overlooked.
Street cars and trains collide be-
cause they are on the same track;
automobiles crash because there Is
only q comparatively narrow space
for them to operate, but an airplane.
with unlimited room in which to ma
neuver, should certainly never be the
agent Of death-and il is always death
because Of head-on or side.swipine
collision with another machine.
Aviators. no doubt, have general
rules and signals with which to gov.
ern themselves, but 1t is apparent
from the large number Of accidents
Of this type. that these rules are not
specific. When 1t Is realized that dur
ing the World War. with its almost
hand-to-hand combats in the air. com
paIativeiy few flyers met their death
through collisions with enemy ma
chimes. then an accident In peace time
between two airplanes which had nc
reason or right to be dangerousl,
close Is tnexpltcable.
The time is coming, ana soon. wher
aircraft win multiply IN the saus
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-23

manner as automobiles. Whas will
happen then? IF there is not enough
room In the sky for two airplanes In
the whole State Of Illinois the casual
ties win be terrific when there are
two thousand or two million ma
chimes winging their way through the
air. It is too horrible to contemplate.
Yesterdays accident was caused
by either a complete lack of signals
and regulations or clunsiness and
carelessness. The second fault can
probably never be cured, but the ilrst
can be and should he. Therefore, the
subject of traffic regulations for the
DIR deserves the immediate coHsidera
ton Of the authorities. SO that Flyers
Die in Head-On Collision" will not
hereafter feature the headlines Of the
newspapers Of the country.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-23

| volume of 1,747,000 cubic yards and
cost 100000 to build.
@. What should 1 feed n small
| turtle2--J. c.
A. Turtles eat very little in the
| Winter time unless they are KEEP
warm. The Bureau of Fisheries sug
gests that you try feeding them fruit
| tomatoes, possibly worms (slugs), and
a little fresh meat.
Q. Do police patrols and fire engines
take precedence over mail wagons?-
| NJ. Z.
A.. The police headquarters OF the
| District of Columbia says that at all
| times fire engines. police patrols and
| ambulances have the right of way IN
| traffic; mail wagons. etc, must comply
! with local traffic regulations. These
rules may vary in different municipal
tiles, although in general they hold
true.
q. How long have stock exchange
| existed?-M. Z. c.
A. The idea Of a stock exchange is
| an old one, and stock brokers. So
called, have existed for many years.
In fact, Nelson states that as early a.
1885 In England the term broker" is
| referred to in an act OF Parliament
Q. How are bells cast to get the
proper tones?-G. S.
A. The art of bell making is one
| requiring a high degree of technical
| skull. The amounts of various metals
and alloys, the sizes and weights of
| the bells must all be calculated to q
| nicely to produce the musical sound
necessary to an acceptable tone.
Q. Should cabbage be cooked Will
| meat IA NJ
A. No, because it destroys vitamiu
A. The potency Of vitamin A is grad
! ually reduced by ordinary cookins
processes. For this reason, methods
| of cooking green's and other foods
containing this vitamin have been
revolutionized OF late. Cabbage, spin
| ach and similar foods should be
| cooked only long enough to make
them tender and not enough 20
| shrivel them. They should not be
cooked with meats, for the time OF
cooking should be determined by the
vegetable itself and not by any added
material.
| @. How many aliens file income taA
returns reporting income from sources
within the United States FL. H.
| A. For the calendar year 1924, non
resident aliens filed 1890 returns re-
| porting net income of $4,000 and over
| The net income reported was $50.
| 1922 45 and Federal income tax paid
| was $5,044,767. Resident aliens filed
2,373 returns, reporting a net income
of $23.596,069. The Federal income
| tax was sS7S.S04.
| What do you need to knotr? is
| there some point about your business
| or personal life that puzzles pouf Is
there something you 1oGnt to kn0qc
t0tthout delGyP Submit your question
to Frederic J. HdSkin, director Of our
Washington Information Bureau. He
is employed to help you. Address
your inquiry to The EUeninO Star In
formation Bureau. Frederic J. HGskin
director, Washington, ID. O., and in
close g cents in stamps for return
postage.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-23

mentioned the enormous advances
which have been made in medical
science and in medical education
during the last 80 years, and the
specific information that has been
gained about narcotic addiction dur
ing that time AS result, there
has come about a better UNDER
standing of the dangers and
therapeutic limitations of opium and
cocaine. and these drugs are no
longer used in many Of the diseases
for which they were at one time
commonly prescribed In a
recent report. Simon states that less
than per cent OF approximately
10000 addicts arrested or committed
to hospitals in New York City dur
Ing the past three years owed their
addiction to physicians. The latter
are supported by our findings. Ex-
aminations made by one of us dur
Ing the past two. years show that
less than per cent of the cases
of recent addictions are caused by
physicians.
"The greater number of addicts in
prison at present Is due to the rigid
enforcement of recently enacted
laws and not to an increase in the
the trend which narcotic addiction in
this country has taken In recent years.
as a result of the attention given the
problem by the medical profession and
law enforcement officers, 1t is be-
lieved we may confidently look for.
ward to the time, not many years
distant, when the few remaining
addicts will be persons taking opium
because of an incurable disease and
addicts of the psychopathic delinquent
'vpe, who spend a good part of their
lives in PRISONS"
tcopyTiEn. 1895. By Paul v. Couinsl
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-23
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

Don't be an Old Scrooge, when it
comes to neckties.
Remember those lines Of Long
fellow:
Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate"
Wear your Christmas ties with a
smile. and thank God that you have
some one who thinks enough OF you
to remember you.
Let the bold colors enter into your
heart, and the snappy stripes into
your soul, or something along that
line.
Remember, every man you meet the
day after Christmas will be wearing
a similar tie, and misery loves COM
pany. so you human beings say.
At that, you will be no worse of
than the ladies', who will have to
wear some of those stockings l am
going to bring them at your solicit
tation.
You will not suffer more than little
Johnny, bless his heart, who wanted
an iron truck and ladder, and who is
going to draw an expensive electric
train, principally because yeu wanted
to play with it yourself
4 X =
In reference to the purely personal
part of your letter, I wish to take eX-
ception to two statements contained
therein.
In the first place, you related an
anecdote, purporting to come from
an authority, in which l was de-
scribed as receiving a Christmas neck
tie from my wife, and you repeatedly
attributed to me some such language
as the following:
"Ho, no, no, am q jolly good fell
low, my jolly spouse?' etc.
This is in error on two points
/. I do not talk 50.
.. I have no wife.
Aside from these statements, the
anecdote was essentially true. You
newspaper men know everything.
I will pass over the absurd Ian
guage attributed to me, stating only
that 1 am a college graduate and
would not think for the world of de-
claring "Ho, no, hop'. and, If I had a
wife, I am sure she would not say
"Tee, hee, heel"
can but ask you to give publicity
to this statement, In order that the
idea that I am dodder1ng old idiot
may be corrected. Too long have /
been pictured as a half-w1t.
If + were the corpulent moron I
have been pictured, how In the world
could I deliver 999 49,, 1857, S43, 345 ,567.-
T65 ,987,789 individual gifts through
out the world in one evening?
The feat speaks for itself, Mr..
Jones.
Your old friend Santa Claus Is some
man, If he is forced to say 1t himself.
AS for the second point, although
there has been some attempt to marry
me and some reference to Mrs.
Santa Claus" allow me to assure you
that this Is a gratuitous error.
II l had q wife she would expect
all the Christmas gifts herself.
If you still doubt, recall further:
Have. you ever seen me in q 68-cent
Christmas necktie? You bet you
haven't, nor has any one elsei Well,
If l had wife, you would, wouldn't
you? The fact that still wear plain
black bow tie proves that l have no
wife.
Yours faithfully,
TNP/SC. SANTA CLAUS.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-23
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

Q. What poet is called "the Eliza
bethan Of Today"?-D. J..
A. Perhaps you refer to Sara Teas
dale, of whom Jessie Rittenhouse
writes in the Bookman: "She is the
Elizabethan of Today-one of the
purest and cleverest voices in our
poetic literature.
Q. About how much does a single
ration for a man in the Navy COST
W. r.
A. Ration costs are calculated by
fiscal quarters, and the average cost
for the quarter ended June 80, 1926,
was $O.55126. This was a slight in
ended June 80, 1925, which was
$0.526s5.
Q. When Is 1t too cold to paint a
frame house?-G. c. T.
A. The Bureau of Standards sug.
gests that no outside painting be done
when the temperature is below So
f. Painting in frosty, sultry, or
wet atmosphere will not produce
satisfactory results. This Is also true
IL paint is applied during or immedi-
ately after a heavy fog or dew.
Q. Is there any kind of clothing
legislation which protects the public
in the buying of cloth and clothing
similar to the pure foods and drug
acts, which regulates the food sup
ply?-N. o. L.
legislation. There is only the implied
warranty Of the merchant that his
goods will wear.
Q. How can living tree be dyed?-
r. M. D.
A. The Forest Products Laboratory
says that this process was proposed
some years ago in Germany, where, we
understand, it is used to some extent.
1t consists in boring q hole into the
living tree and inserting a pipe
through which colored material such
as dyestuff can be drawn. We do not
have the details of this process nor
the dyes which are valuable for this
use, but we believe that any dye which
is soluble in water and is not thrown
out of solution by tannin would serve
the purpose. In boring the hole II
is essential that It be bored under
water, otherwise the dye will not be
absorbed. You understand, Of course,
that only the sapwood will be colored
and not the whole tree"
Q. Can veteran borrow money on
his adjusted compensation certificate
without the permission of the benef1-
ciary named?-C. b. H.
A. The law specifically says that a
loan on the security of the certificate
may be made with or without the
consent Of the beneficiary thereof"
@. How did our Army obtain pure
drinking water in France?-C. II.
A. The American Expeditionary
Forces obtained pure drinking water
by use of lyster bags or by chlorinat.
ing the water.
@. Is the Dix Dam a Government
project?-F. l.. G.
A. The Dix Dam, located in Ken
lucky, Is not a Government project
| It is a project OF the Kentucky Hydro
Electric Co., and is located on Dix
| River. 1t is 270 feet high and 80 feet
long. 1t is rock-filled dam, having q
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-23
NORTH POLE.

4
December %, 1926.
Mr.. Templeton Jones,
Washington, d. G.
My Dear Mr.. Jones:
Yours of the 22d instant, in which
you ask that I do not bring you a
necktie for Christmas, received, and
l hasten to answer the same. although
l am pretty busy man, as you know.
In the first place, let me inform
you that it as decidedly improper to
inform me what one does not want
I am not in the business of not bring.
ing things, but in that of bringing.
In the second place, permit me to
say that your letter was not exactly
in keeping, for my mail is confined
almost entirely to letters from chill
dren. A letter from an adult, there
fore, is generally looked upon by me
with great suspicion.
On the theory. however, that you
have the heart Of q child, always a
good thing, l am willing to forgive
your missive, in the belief that YOU
will not do 1t again.
Think of all the persons to whom
you owe letters-think of each and
every one, when next you feel the
urge to write to Santa Claus-and
don't do 1t! Don't do it, I tell you,
frankly, freely. without misgtving.
but very seriously--don't do it.
DeSiSt
I have more mail than l can read
now and much more than I can ever
hope to answer. That Is why I feel
some slight misgivings in tipping this
letter, but I wanted to try out one of
these new typewriters, and must say
1t works very nicely, thank you.
Now, my dear Mr.. Jones, about
those Christmas neckties--
Really, you ought to be ashamed of
yourself for poking fun at all the
good women who are bent on giving
ties for Christmas.
Honest, you ought.
AS man to man, / ask you-if YOU
were a woman and started out to buy
a gift for your husband, or your
brother, or your "sweetie," and
couldn't find q single thing you
thought he would like
If you selected a book, and then had
the awful thought that he might have
read 1t already
II you picked out q pipe, and then
realized that he had given up smok.
ing
If you chose a muffier, and then re-
called that he had distinctly stated
that he hated muffiers-
II you remembered that he had
more socks than he wore, and twice
too many handkerchiefs; that he has
specifically asked that he be given no
more safety razors, and especially no
gift sets Of shaving soap and so on
Well, now, Mr.. Jones, If you were
lady. and realized all this, and then
came across big counter heaped
with fine neckties, in respondent col
ors, which the clerk said every man
dotted upon
I ask you, Mr.. Jones, would you not
then and there unlimber your wallet
er. your handbag-and fork over $1.s5
Tor the big purple baby there, third
from the left of the rack?
l rather think you would.
X X X X
Be a sport, Mr.. Jones.
Let the Christmas cheer enter into
your heart.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-23
SHOOTING STARS.
By PHIIANpER JOHNSON
All Modern improvements

All MODERN improvements.
Our stockings we were wont to leave
Where gentle warmth was kind.
And wait, the presents to receive
That Sanity left behind.
No Santa Claus, my child, is due.
In wisdom you grow ripe.
How could fat saint wr!ggle through
Yon radiator pipe?
To Ami" the human race
Gives unrestrained applause;
And yet we miss that chimney place
And dear old Santa Claus.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-23

Bye Bye Blackbird' is now as fa
nous as THE Sidewalks Of New
York" The song plugger is ever aler,
IN securing attention where men
gather on public business Of any kind
He manages in some way to penetrate
even into the Jury room.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-23

The old-fashioned society publtca.
tons" were content with mild scan.
dals involving at worst preliminaries
OF divorce. A scandal now is not com.
piete unless it holds some hint of
homicide.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-23

Participants In the Hall-Mill case
have retired from public life with q
wonderful collection Of photographs
to put into the family albums instead
Of the rogues' gallery.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-23

It was Warren G. Harding who
maze prominent the word 'normalcy."
This country and the entire world are
struggling forward toward that state.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-23

New York trading has brought en-.
thusiastic satisfaction. Santa Clans
is in even more generous evidence
with the stocks as well as the stock.
ings.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-23
Great ElOauence.

Your speeches have caused many
man to pause and think"
I'm that CASE. said Senator Sor.
ghum, I'm no spellbinder. The OBJ
1ect Of q true spellbinder is to make
the crowd rush to the polls and vote
without thinking"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-23

There is no actual base ball at
present. But base ball politics serves
as usual to while away many a long
Winter evening.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-23
Rate by Mail-Payable In Advance.
Maryland and Virginia.
All Other States and Canada.
Member of the Associated Press.

The Associated Press 10 exclusively entitled
20 the use for republication Of all news die
patches credited to II or not otherwise cred.
Ited IN this paper and also the LOCAL news
published herAln All riRhts OF publication
o. special dispatches herein are also reserved.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-23

Purchasers Of steel stocks are
happy. Christmas is especially merry,
as usual. for those who managed not
to guess wrong.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-23
A Bear Market.

I'm glad to see the announcement
that all you Crimson Gulchers have
gone on the water wagon"
Them Snake Ridge bootleggers was
gettin' exorbitant," answered Cactus
Joe. I'VE had to do something to
bring the price down.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-23
No Place for Israel.

From the Fresno Republican.
You can't blame Moses for leading
his people out Of country that
wouldn't accent gift Of $4,000 900.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-23

Fannie Frostbite stood under the
mistletoe and waited for some one to
kiss her"
WAS her patience rewarded"
FINALLY. Her mother came and
kissed her good night
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-23
Examinations of q Survivor.

Sad wars we've been compelled to see
The flivs crash right and left.
II seems a wonder there should be
So many Of us left!
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-23

IA man dat minds his own bust
ness" said Uncle Eben. us sure to be
unpopular Wit folks dat ain found no
business Of DER own to mind"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-23
Carol.

A Christmas carol now we hear
Good friends and citizens, draw near!
A bootleg vender humbly waits
To guide you through the pearly
gates!'