Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-04

They'll be too polite to say 50, but
the foreign delegates to the InteTna-
tional Chamber of Commerce are pretty
sure to be hot under the collar about
President Hoover's choice Of welcon-
ing theme today-diSarmame He'd
have made o much bigger hit with the
tariff, war debts. PREPARATIONS, gold.
silver, Russia or other world topics on
the program. Probably the Germans,
who comprise the second largest dele
CATION. are the only ones pleased with
the Presidents action in loud pedaling
the 1882 Geneva Disarmament Confer
ence. The emotions OF the British, who
want to keep their navy, and Of the
French and Italians, who want both
their navies and their armies, are far
less enthusiastic. There was method
In Mr. HoOver'S madness in selecting
disarmament as his topic. He addressed
himself TO men who are the powers
behind their thrones. Their interest in
disarmament aroused, the President
figures that he is striking for that cause
q blow much more effective than any
which could be addressed TO mere
statesmen.
There is another reason. Mr.. Hoover
knew, OF course, that the ticklish issues
of Teparations and war debts-tO say
nothing Of the worlds dislike OF the
new American tariff laW-are due for
frank discussion in Washington this
| week. His deliberate side -Stepping OF
| cerned that they are not debatable,
from the United States standpoint:
Outstanding delegates like Pirelh OF
Italy. Balfour Of Great Britain, Par
mentier OF France, Kagami OF Japan,
Theunis OF Belgium and Helneken OF
Germany, business statesmen all, Will
not mistake the significance OF the
Presidents tactics. Incidentally, Presi-
dent Hoover trots out q brand-new
reason for world depreSSion-the
"maIign inheritance" OF the Great War,
which finds expression in nearly
S. 900 900 900 of annual expenditure on
armaments IL years after the armistlce.
Evidently the Presidents pal, Julius
Barnes, hadn't thought of that when
he said in Atlantic City last week that
politics u what played havoc with
business.
Election of Silas H. Strawn to the
presidency OF the United States Cham
Der of Commerce reunites in key posi-
tions at Washington not only two old
time Chicagoans. but pair OF old law
partners. the other being Judge John
Barton Payne, chairman Of the Ameri-
can Red Cross The firm OF Winston,
Payne, Strawn & Shaw dates back to
the gay nineties. StTawn comes close
to being the first citizen OF Chicago.
His interests ramify into every field Of
civic and commercial activity. Once
upon q time he was president OF the
United States Golf Association, also Of
the American Bar Association. PreSi-
dent Coolidge sent Strawn to Peking as
Uncle Sans representative on the COM
missions appointed TO wreStle with
Chinese tarh and extraordinarily.
The Chicagoan, like Frank B. Kellogg,
achieved fame and fortune at the bar
without ever having gone to law school.
He is official host 10 the International
Chamber at Washington.
No more interesting vessel plies the
placid Potomac than u. s. s. Oceanog-
rapher, nee Corsair, the scientifically
equipped flagship Of the Coast and
Geodetic Survey. She was COM
Wandered by Vice Admiral DR.. Julius
Klein the other day for q cruise past
| Mount Vernon by way of entertainment
for International Chamber of Commerce
| visitors. The Coast and Geodetic Sur
Vey is one Of the Department of Com
| merce's far-fiung activities. About a
year ago j. Pierpont Morgan sold" his
IhJc ldIIICl ldIuOuS ydCklI, NOTSdlT, u
| the Government for 81. The stream-
| lined proportions OF the 1,6O0-ton, 341-
| foot long craft. still coated in the
original black, characteristic of its
| original piratical name, is admirably
adapted to the service which occupies
itself in exploring the vastly deep. Dur
| ing the firSt few months OF her official
career, Oceanographer discovered q
hole in the Atlantic Ocean, 4
miles deep. The cavity is now clearly
charted for the safety OF men who
go down to the sea in ships The old
! Corsair was an armed convoy ship in
1918.
Here's the inAide of hlaa rAflIaal of the