Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-31

Senator Borah and President Hoover
| appear to have reached the parting OF
| the ways. Increasing GOODNESS between
the President and the independent
Idahoan has been manifest on many
recent occasions. Now on the Hoover
cruiser suspension program and the
disarmament parleys there Is a clear
break, as yet under cover. but certain
to come into the open when Congress
reconveneS. Borah is a leading advocate
of world peace. He favors disarmament
but he is exceedingly critical of the
Presidents latest moves along those
lines. He was not consulted nor ad-
vised. The freedom-of-the-seas issue
must be settled before there can be
any actual naval disarmament as dis
tinguished from political disarma-
ment," in Borah's view, Though the
naval cruiser bill passed by Congress
last Winter carried q Borah amend
ment dealing with this issue, it is be-
ing ignored in the present tnterchanges
between Washington and Downing
Street. Borah is in disagreement with
the administration on tariff revision
He supported the farm debentures
which the President castigated. He is
cold to the administrator prohibition
moves, or lack Of moves. 1t now ap-
pears that Mr.. Hoover's most jealous
campaign protagonist is to become his
severest critic.
- *%
The first result of the probe Of post
Office operating expenses ordered by
President Hoover will be to explode the
popular fallacy that postal deficits are
principally due to the free mail han
died for Congress and for Government
bureaus. ABUSES Of the Thanking priv
ilege!" has been a familiar cry every
time postal deficits are talked about
The fact is that all of the mail car
ried free last year actually cost the
Post Office Department approximately
$7,500,000. Yet the operating deficit
for the year was upward Of $500 900.
also, that of the $7.500000 figure
only 100000 was actually chargeable to
congressional mail. A mere drop in the
proVerbial bucket. Last year profit on
first-class mail-the 2-cent 1etters-of
about $87,O0O,000 virtually balanced
with a loss Of $85,oO0,00o on second
class mail, newspapers and magazines.
Mounting losses in the air mail service,
in ship mail subsidies and in adjusted
compensation" to the railroads were
the main factors in the postal deficit.
Assistant Secretary of the Treasury
Lowman continues to be deluged with
samples of galvanized wire, plain and
barbed, and samples Of wire mesh
fence, plain and fancy, from manufac-
turers all over the country. The denials
that the Prohibition Bureau ever con-
templated erecting an 8-foot fence the
length Of the Canadian border to keep
out the rum runners has not yet
caught up with the original story.
X X + X
Oscar De Priest, the colored member
Of Congress from Chicago, is stealing
some of the thunder of Representative
George Holden Tinkham Of MaSsachu-
sets. De Priest announced in Chicago
recently that at the next session Of
Congress he Is going to introduce a
Federal election law "that will create
more storm than the White House tea
party" He said that with q Federal
election law and an enforcement Of the
Constitution 1--WE will make the South
ern States give the Negro his vote or
we will reduce the States representa-
ton in Congress-" This is the very is
sue at which the bewhiskered member
from Boston has been hammering away
for the past dozen years.
X n n X
Representatives Of the American toy
manufacturers descended upon Wash
ington last week to whisper their tariff
troubles into the ears Of Chairman
Smoot and his colleagues. They don't
ask higher rates, but for Qualification Of
disastrous" interpretations Of their
schedule in the present law. Specific.
ally, they object to the classification Of
toy steam engines as locomotives,
diininutive magic lanterns as"optical in
struments," toy tenpin sets as sport
ing goods and toy animals with small
Commitments for fruit and candy as
Containers" and like anomalies which
let into the country boatloads of Ger
man toys at q fraction of the tariff
duty which Congress intended.
Secretary Of the Navy Charles Fran
els Adams has acquired o nickname
With the ueWspaper men who COVER