Evening star., 1932-02-05
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS

| the accompanying documents which he
submitted have filled more than 200
consecutive pages OF the Congressional
Record, and much of it is in extra small
type, too. The La Toilette opus alone
entails a printing cost Of more than
$25 900. When the Wisconsin Senator
concluded, his colleague, Senator Costi-
gan OF Colorado, took up the cudgels Of
debate, and his speech, too, was a two
day affair. The authors are taking the
subject and taking themselves with
deadly seriousness. Senator Costigan
goes back to the days OF the famous
debate OF Webster and Hayne, when
questions of slavery and secession were
hanging in the balance, for parallel
to the present debate. Most of the
Senate Democrats, privately convinced
of the unwiSdOm and ineXpediency Of
the Costigan-La Toilette proposals for
a dole to the States from the Federal
Treas Try, are, nevertheless, hard put to
oppose 1t without seeming to be un-
sympathetic to the pleas of human mis-
cry Furthermore their own utterances
last Winter are now rising to plague
them They are distinctly on the de-
fensive.
A new countrywide prohibition poll
has been started by the Literary Digest.
Twenty million ballots are being mailed
out at the rate of 100000 \ day.
Two questions only are asked. DO
YOU favor continuation, of the eight
eenth amendment? Do you favor re-
peal?" The 1880 poll under similar
auspices showed 80 per cent in favor
of prohibition enforcement, 20 per cent
for modification and 4 per cent for
repeal. Both the vets and the drys
contended the results sustained their
position. Doubtless the results this
time will provoke similar claims and
settle few disputes. But the expecta-
ton Is that the percentage for straight
repeal Of the eighteenth amendment
will show a big increase.
Representative George Holden Tfnk-
ham of Massachusetts, startled some Of
his associates In the House this week
by announcing, informally, but en-
phatically. that he had adopted an
openly pro-Japanese attitude in the
Shanghai affair. He declared he could
not refrain from heartily indorsing any
movement which resulted In discomfort
to Methodists even so far away as
China. His only regret, he added, was
that Bishop Cannon was not present
in the stricken area to share some Of
the horror and suffering. Having just
enjoyed several favorable rulings on his
pleas in Bishop Cannon's libel suit
against him, Representative Tinkham
is now preparing for the trial. which he
expects will bring him to the stand just
before election, when he can use the
slogan, "A vote for my opponent Is a
vote for Cannon"
*
Something brand new in the way Of
electric traftic signals has been installed
in Washington'S famous Rock Creek
Park. Employing the electric eye" or
photo electric cell, as means of de-
tecting approaching horsemen, the
flxedly to the auto highway and red
light shows to the intersecting bride
path. At the approach of a horseman
the signal miraculously changes so
that the horses pass through the inter
section fully guarded without having
had to halt for single moment. The
secret Is in two little invisible beams OF
light cast across the bride path. When
a horse and rider pass through the
beams, shadow Is cast on the electric
eyes" and an electrical impulse Is sent
TO the brains" of the system, the con-
troll box. Immediately the lights change.
The two beams that play across the
path are sensitive only TO horses going
toward the intersection. When horses
pass the other way through the rays, no
notice Is taken Of them, thus not oper-
ating the signal needlessly. The signal
knows" too, when there are q number
OF riders, and automatically holds the
red light against traffic until the last
rider Is clear of the intersection.
(CopyriRht, 1922