Evening star., 1926-05-30

President Coolidge last week gave
out the text of an executive order
which allows State, county and munic-
ipal officers to be placed on the Fed
eral pay roll fur purposes Of enforcing
the Volstead law. The order at once
aroused q storm of criticism, especial
ly from "wet" Members Of Congress
who insist that it is an encroachment
upon States rights. The order was ex.
planned at the Treasury Department.
however, as applying only to the
States which wish to make use of it.
and. for the time being at least. to
California only. 1t is voluntary to
| the States to accept or decline the
privileges contained in the order, and
there Is nothing obligatory about it,
1t was stated.
The United States is heartily in
sympathy with any movement toward
disarmament, but disarmament ques-
tions which have to do directly with
the League Of Nations must be set.
tied without the help of the United
States. This was the sense of an
explanation given by Hugh Gibson,
American delegate to the preparatory
commission on disarmament now
meeting at Geneva, to the commission
last week. He said the United States
naturally was unable to take part
in discussions involving the League
Of Nations, as this country Is not a
member Of that body. but that this
country will not stand in the way Of
such discussions.
Germany came in for a prominent
part Of the spotlight last week when
she dramatically set forth, through
her delegate, Count Won Bernstorff,
that her own neighbors are not yet
disarmed, and the conference must
take into consideration the fact that
no one nation should possess greater
the countries which would be at the
disposal of the League Of Nations in
case of an emergency.
Five Americans were in the hands
of outlaw bands in various parts of
Mexico the latter part of last week
and Mexican federal troops were dis.
patched against the bandits to rescue
them. John J. Shanklin Of Canyon,
Tex, was to be killed by the bandits
on Thursday, If ransom was not sent
Tor him. The four other Americans
also were threatened with death. One
or the Americans, c. c. Braden. an
engineer, was tortured by being hung
up by his thumbs. according to one
report. While the Government in
washington has shown some anxiety.
II Is not believed here that the kid.
nappings are part of a plot to embar.
rass the present government of Mex.
leo, the outrages being widely scat.
tered.
The United States Supreme Court
iast week declined to decide the in.
teresting question which has come be-
Iore 1t from the lower courts in the
District of Columbia concerning the
rights OF property owners to enter
INTO an agreement barring colored
residents from certain sections. The
court held 1t lacked Jurisdiction but
this had the effect Of continuine in.
functions granted by the lower courts
10 restrict a white woman from selling
ner nome to negro. The question
was held interesting not only because
or the race question involved but be.
cause 1t concerned the right of prop
erty owners to sign an agreement to
exclude from their neighborhood per.
sons they considered undesirable, The
case was watched throughout the
united States, because Of the many
controversies which have arisen in va
rious cities over the same situation.
@AuuhcoSiuS the pan-Amer1cdn Red
Cross conference now meeting in
Washington. President Coolidge last
week declared that the Red Cross So
cletleS are taking a definite part in
the building of new order, and he ex-
pressed the hope that this conference
will mark a new advance in the cor.
dial and helpful relations among the
peoples of the Western Hemisphere in
their relations to each other and in
their relation to the Old World" At
tending the conference, which is the
second of its kind, are delegates from
all Latin American countries, from