davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1934-09-22
The Socialist Democrat Party.

The Socialist Democrat party Of
California is now revealed in all its
budding glory. When Upton Sinclair,
who had labored in the vineyard Of
Socialism for thirty years, turned
Democrat and won the party nomi-
nation for Governor the country was
amazed. No one quite knew whether
the Democrats had turned Socialist
or the Socialists had grabbed the
Democratic party. Sinclair's plat
form-the EPIC plan, to end pow
erty in California-was Socialistic
enough to give an inkling as to what
was going on. And now that Sinclair,
dominating the Democratic State
Convention, has had this plan in all
its essentials written into the party
platform and has had the blessing of
McAdoo and Creel and others of the
Roosevelt New Dealers, the picture is
complete. The Sinclair plan is called
by Senator McAdoo "a good platform,
progressive and to the interests Of
the people" He added the significant
statement that the plan supplements
the Presidents New Deal policies. In
other words. it Is only step, a further
step, toward that point to which the
New Dealers are advancing. California
Is Just q little ahead of the pro-
cession.
Mr.. Sinclair, with that newly ac-
quired political acumen which has
taught him that it is easier to bore
from within than from without.
Evening star., 1934-09-22
Japan's Second Great Disaster.

Themselves often in the past the
victims of visitations of nature, in
the form of tremendous storms that
have taken many lives and destroyed
property of vast value, the American
people feel now the keenest sympathy
for the unhappy japanese, upon whom
another blow of appalling magnitude
has fallen. A typhoon raging up from
the south swept across the western
portion of that country, causing the
death, it Is now estimated, Of over
sixteen hundred persons and material
losses of more than three hundred
million dollars.
Japan has suffered frequently from
storms of this character, Just as has
the southeastern part Of this country
They form in the China sea, gigantic
cyclonic whirls that sweep ships to
destruction and lash the land with
resistless power. Had the latest
typhoon swerved slightly to the east
after striking the southernmost island
of the group, Kayushu, the destruc-
ton would have been even greater,
for 1t would have included in the
path of its full power the capital,
Toxic, and the great port Of Yoko-
hama. which escaped with compar-
atively slight losses. 1t did, however,
envelop IN its furious blast three of
the industrial centerS Of Japan, Kobe,
Osaka and Kyoto, and there the losses
and casualties were very heavy.
The great earthquake, with its ac-
companying fires, which occurred Sep
tember /. 1923, was the severest blow
ever to fall upon Japan. This present
calamity is rated as the next in order
of destructiveness. The horror of
eleven years ago took more than
ninety thousand lives, nearly sixty
thousand in Toxic alone. Half a mil
lion families were left homeless, and
the property loss was estimated at
over a billion dollars. In a measure
this was a blessing, in that it led to
reconstruction upon more substantial
principles, so that the stricken cities,
as well in some degree others that
escaped the calamity, were rebuilt in
a manner to resist the tremors of the
out completely. 1t could not be, short
of the expenditure of an incalculable
sum, which Japan could not possibly
provide short Of mortgaging its reve-
nues for at least two centuries. In
even the larger industrial centers hun
dreds of thousands Of structures COM
posed of the slight materials that
prevail in that country remained, and
in the three cities that have now
chiefly felt the blow of the typhoon
these have been demolished, and even
stouter buildings have been crushed.
1t is estimated that the storm de-
stroyed no less than 1854 structures,
a figure that will probably be in
creased as the reports become more
complete.
The japanese are resilient and
courageous people, and they face dis
aster with a philosophy that carries
them through. They will repair their
damages, reconstruct their cities and
profit by the lesson taught by the
storm. just as they did in the past
decade, when they suffered a loss far
greater than any ever before in mod
ern history inflicted upon q nation.
Evening star., 1934-09-22
Soviet Debts and Credits.

Diplomacy seems to have found the
way of breaking the deadlock in the
Washington Moscow negotiations for
settlement of the old Russian debts
due to the United States and for
coincident extension of American
commercial credits to the Soviet
Union. Discussions between Ambas-
sador Troyanovsky and the State De-
partment, broken of on September 5
in an atmosphere Of hopeleSsneSs on
both sides, are to be resumed next
week under what are described as
somewhat more favorable auspices"
That is the diplomatic way Of saying
that both governments have modified
positions hitherto persiStently main
tained-that, in a spirit of mutual
accommodation, they are now pre-
pared to advance toward an agree
ment.
The strong presumption is that the
Soviet is ready to come forward with
new proposals. The previous nego-
tiations collapsed as a result Of M -
cows insistence upon an outrissA
American governmental loan of $780,
00o,0 900 for twenty years. This loan
was to have been granted coincident
with extension Of five-year credits Of
about the same amount through the
Washington Export Import Bank to
exporters of American goods to the
Soviet. Moscow demanded that these
financial conditions should be met
ahead Of any discussion Of the Ameri-
can claims on account of the pre-Soviet
debts and American property con-
fiscated when the Communists seized
power in Russia Debt and property
claims aggregate roundly $500, ,OO0, 900,
and it was mainly on the question of
how these were to be satisfied that
negotiations were wrecked. Probably
Evening star., 1934-09-22
To the Editor Of The Star:

To the Editor of The Star:
In the Winter of 1878 I began
work in the Office OF the chief clerk
of the Government Printing Office.
Washington, D. C.. The telephone had
just come into use, and the first line
in Washington had been installed be-
tween the Capitol and the Govern
nent Printing ONCE to enable men,
bers of Congress to order extra copies
of their speeches and other documents
with more dispatch. l was placed In
charge Of the Printing ONCE end of
the line. The line was gradually ex.
tended to other Government depart
ments. but always with the primary
object of facilitating inquiries concern
ing printing.
Needing a word to describe tele-
phonic message, I coined the word
telephone" from the Greek, tele, far,
and pheme, speaking. 1t was q very
convenient word, I thought and still
think, and although it crept into the
dictionaries it did not persist"
The telephone was then exceedingly
crude. The receiver was also the
transmitter, being transferred from
ear to mouth alternately. so that it
was not uncommon for two persons to
be speaking at the same time without
being aware that neither was listening.
Conversation was very indistinct, and
to make the situation worse. the tele-
phone wire had been strung on tele-
graph poles so that the induction from
the telegraph wires caused the tele-
phemes to be mixed with the dots
and dashes of kilograms. Calls were
made by turning crank and pushing
button. One ring called the Capitol
and two rings the Printing Once.
Ideas regarding the telephone were
exceedingly hazy. One quite intelh-
gent man supposed the wire was
hollow-that is, that the telephone
was merely an elongated speaking tube.
Another thought the message was
transmitted by ordinary vibration. so
that it could be heard by attaching a
string to the wire 1t took trial OF
his theory to convince him of his
error.
As the telephone was such novelty
dJ tIld1 tlIIlc, Iildlly pClooiiS FioieSN eAtS
office merely to see and hear it. Call
ers for that purpose would probably
average half a dozen a day. In such
cases would call the Capitol and ask
the clerk there to speak to the caller.
The exclamations of astonishment at
hearing the human voice at such a
distance were quite amusing, and es-
pecially If the hearer happened to
know the speaker and recognized the
| voice. One of the callers was Phineas
T. Barnum, and I had the pleasure OF
showing this great exhibitor of freaks
curiosity which he had never seen.
AS all Government documents were
published at the Printing Once, had
the pleasure of meeting many promi-
nent men of that day who called IN
| connection with some report in which
they were interested. Among them
was Gen. John C. Fremont, the Path
finder and the first Republican can
didate for the presidency, and at that
time Governor of Arizona. A very
frequent caller was Maj. John w.
| Powell. Western explorer. who in 1869
made the first hazardous trip through
the Grand Canyon Of the Colorado.
On another occasion Frederick
Douglass came in, his white woolly hair
and his broad smile giving him the
| appearance Of Uncle Tom who had just
Evening star., 1934-09-22

and reished any claim which he feels
Is based on something besides scien-
tific instruments. Maybe we hear too
much about scientific instruments
for our own good.
Anyway, there Is q deep-seated
belief among the common people, as
they used to be called, that some one
ought to be able to predict . the
weather at long range just by sheer
brain power.
They are willing to believe almost
any one who makes the claim, but
he must hit" 1t at least OCCASION
ally.
The scientific answer to this Is
that his hits" are remembered and
his misses" forgotten.
Thus there are thousands who
swear by" the Hagerstown Almanac
who have forgotten entirely how
badly it missed it on last Inaugural
tion day.
Many Washingtonians purchase this
almanac in a spirit Of fun, and use
1t rather as game than anything
else. Many Of these find 1t amazingly
accurate, at times, and quite mac
curate at others.
The same might be said of the
official" predictions of the United
States Weather Bureau.
- ~
Your average man places a great
deal of reliance on his own obServa-
tions, as q matter of fact.
1t makes no difference to him what
the Weather Bureau says" If his
own eyes tell him something different
When the bureau predicts fair" +"
when he awakes in the morning he
is very likely to believe the evidence
of his own sight, rather than the
scientific pronouncement of the
weather man.
The joke Is that often enough he
Is right. The best thing the officials
do is to predict temperature changes
They are uncannily correct about
this.
Any one who Is genuinely interested
in the weather. as all sportsmen are,
for instance. as all Nature lovers are,
as all gardeners are. will find him.
self in time working up fair amount
Of weather lore.
| In a strictly amateur way he comes
in time to be able to tell" what the
weather Is going to be, at least he
can make q good guess, which Is what
any prediction Is. after all.
The best guesser Is the best prog
nosticator. In the event of success,
one assumes a SNUG expression and
takes credit for great knowledge II
he fails. he begins to explain juSt why
something else happened. and in the
explanation the failure Is forgotten.
$3.50
The marvellous thing Is that any
weather prophet hits" it, whether q
scientist. or just plain citizen who
thinks he has something figured out.
They used to talk about the vagaries
Of the weather. but they didn't know
what they were talking about: 1t
took the present year to show more
''vagaries" Of all sorts than . dozen
years could display before.
| Forecasting is becoming so hazard
Gus that pretty soon anybody with
system" will be accorded respect.
The future-Who can see 1t. or
tell it with unvarying truth? Despite
the pretensions of those amiable ladies
and gentlemen who claim to ''see all.
hear all. know all" the world has
long doubted the unvarying success
of any one who sets himself up as
foreteller Of what is to come. 1t
may not happen-and then again 1t
may.
Wherefore, those who can hit" 1t
once in a while, when 1t comes to
predicting weather, are sure to be re-
| garded by many as wizards. The
surprising thing is, not that they SO
often miss" it, but that they ever
manage to guess right.
Evening star., 1934-09-22
The Textile Peace Plan.

The Textile Peace Plan.
The textile strike is not yet officially
ended But the formula of settlement
proposed by the Winant board is so
obviously fair and reasonable, and the
Presidents appeal for a return to work
without prejudice to striking employees
so direct, that neither side can con-
sistently refuse to accept the outlined
course toward settlement.
The Textile Mediation Board has,
on the face Of its report, selected the
best basis for settlement. 1t does not
argue that the causes for complaint
on the part of the strikers are without
foundation; neither does it admit that
the mill owners have everything on
their side. 1t finds that the issues
behind the Strike-union recognition
and methods of collective bargaining;
proper machinery for adjustment of
labor disputes. hours and wages and
lllC ait Issues
can only be settled by disinterested
consideration of the facts, and the un-
through deep study. 1t is manifest, as
the board concludes, that wholesale
agreement between the employers and
the United Textile Workers is not
practical. The strike stands as con-
vincing evidence of that. But it finds
there is real need for a permanent
impartial board with powers in the
textile industry comparable to those
possessed already in industry and steel
by the Industrial Relations Board and
the Steel Labor Relations Board. As
for the labor conditions within the
industry and the matters Of wages
and hours, the Winant board suggests
that the first requisite is to obtain
statistics by an independent inquiry
on the part Of the Bureau Of Labor
Statistics. The payment Of fair wages
is. of course. dependent on ability Of
the industry to pay fair wages.
If, as now seems SO probable, the
general formula proposed by the
Presidents advisers proves accept
able, the question which appeals SO
directly to the byStander is why the
same method could not have been
proposed and accepted before, in
stead of after. the strike. Does 1t
require strike, with its costly finan-
cial losses, its violence and bitterness,
its loss of life and damage to prop
erty, to bring about a final settle
ment of industrial disputes?
The significant showing of the tex
tile strike is undoubtedly the weak
ness of the labor relations machinery
established by N R. A. in the form
of code authorities. Under the Winant
plan the supervision of labor rela-
tions, including wages and hours, is
taken away from the code authority
and placed in the hands of an in
dependent board. The code authority
will occupy itself principally with SUI
pervision and enforcement of the fair
trade practices provided for the in
dustry. If the Winant plan is sue
cesSful, it will undoubtedly point the
way to establishment of effective ma
chinery to adjust labor relations dis
putes before. not after. strikes.
Evening star., 1934-09-22

Stringent Government control Of
the arms traffic in this and possibly
other countries Is foreseen by many
editors as result Of revelations be-
fore the Senate committee inveSti-
eating the munitions industry.
IF England, as well as the United
States, conducts munitions inquiry"
in the opinion of the New Orleans
Times -Picayune, there are sure to
be demands for action in still other
countries, and the imagination shrinks
from what may be disclosed by the
mass of this war business testimony
when it is pieced together. Since
1918 there have been numerous in
ternational clashes, great and small,
but with one fairly common factor
the amazing extent to which both
sides had been equipped with weap-
ons, usually Of the newest and most
efficient design"
Belief in the necessity for govern
mental action is quite generally ex-
pressed and the Buffalo Evening
News AYERS that 1.-The interested peo-
Piles may be expected to adopt strongly
restrictive measures for control Of
the traffic" The Philadelphia Eve
ming Bulletin adds: THE inquiry
has at least focused attention on the
question of the responsibility Of gov
ernments in permitting sales clearly
hampering efforts for peace. Legis-
lation greatly increasing Govern
ment powers Of embargo Is clearly
indicated as one probable result of
the investigation
The Macon (Ga) Telegraph thinks
that "the situation in Great Britain
will be found quite as bad as it Is
here" and the Long Beach (Calif.)
PreSs-Telegram declares that "it Is
glaringly inconsistent for nations to
organize tribunals for peaceful settle
ments of disputes and to sign treaties
outlawing war, and then to assist
statesmen for manufacturers Of war
munitions" Unless something Is
done, the Newark Evening News sees
''the possibility of a conf1agration
that would destroy civilization ITSELF"
1T is not so important" thinks the
New York Times, Ito decide who
shall furnish the means to do i'll
deeds as it is to make sure that the
personnel and policies Of modern
governments will be such as to make
it impossible that the i'll deeds be
DONE"
1T is only matter of simple
logic" observes the Des Moines Trib-
une, "to reconstruct picture of the
eagerness with which the munitioneers
were working in 1916 for an early
and lasting truce, and to understand
their present hatred of the thought
of bigger and better wars to come"
The Dallas CTex.) Times-Herald
concludes: For many centuries war
has been regarded as a legitimate
form of business. highly profitable to
parties equipped to wage it success
fully. But under modern conditions
it is too destructive to be ultimately
profitable to anybody. 1t is ruinous
even to the victors. Therefore, a new
view must be taken of the traffic in
munitions" The Boise Idaho) Capt.
tai News looks forward to cleaning
up what, by common consent, Is a
soul-sickening state of affairs"
The value of the investigation is
attested by the Omaha World Herald,
the Indianapolis News, the Birming-
ham e-Herald, the Louisville Cou-
rier-Journal and the Topeka Daily
Capital. The Grand Rapids Herald
states: eff the disclosures should re-
suit in Government control and oper-
alton Of all munitions plants. in
Evening star., 1934-09-22
more, and was opened for instruction

more, and was opened for instruction
in 1876.
@. Who is Lewis Corey, who wrote
"The House of Morgan" and "The
Decline of American Capitalism"?-
j. w.
A. He Is an associate editor Of the
Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences.
Born in San Francisco in 1894, he re-
ceived his early education in public
and parochial schools. He speaks four
languages and Is married to Russian.
@. Has Ireland ever prosecuted the
Jews?-R. T.
A. 1t Is one Of the few countries
which has never prosecuted Jews.
@. What hotel was the first to in
stall an elevator?-G. A.
A The Fifth Avenue Hotel in New
York City installed the first, in 1853.
@. There is a town in Wales whose
name contains So letters. What do
people call it for short?-T. N.
A. The first four letters OF the
name are Liam, and this is the word
by which the town is known.
@. How many monumental re-
ligious statues are there on South
American heightS?-W. K.
A. There are at least three: Christ
of the Andes, a statue of the Virgin
on a hill in Santiago, Chile, and
Christ the Redeemer, overlooking the
Bay of Rio de Janeiro A fourth is
-t.t @f irt to Ho
erected on the Moro Of africa, part
of the territory long in dispute be-
tween Chile and Peru. 1t will bear
in Spanish the inscription, Love
one another as I have loved you"
@. What are the most popular
card games at present?-C. M.
A. Contract and auction bridge.
Other very popular games are 500,
pinochle, auction pitch, poker and
cribbage.
@. Why is gasoline more explosive
than kerosene?-T. D.
A. Because gasoline Is more easily
vaporized The air near gasoline be-
| comes full of gasoline vapor and
this makes an explosive mixture.
Kerosene gives off very little vapor.
@. When and where was the first
Confederate Veterans reunion held?
"A. P G.
A. 1t was held in Chattanooga,
Tenn, in 1890.
@. What part of the land area Of
the United States is in farms?-L. H.
A. The per cent of the total land
area of the United States repre-
sented by all land in farms in 1880
was 51.8. The approximate land area
Of UNITED States is 1903, PIT 900
acres, while all land in farms in
1880 amounted to 986, III 900 acres.
@. How long are the intestines in
human being?-P. L.
A. The small intestine Is about
81 feet long; the large instestine is
about 5l2 feet long.
@. How long has the Friendship
fire department Of Alexandria, Va,
been in existence?-H. F. H.
A 1t is probably one of the oldest
in existence, having been organized
in 1774. George Washington was an
| honorary member.
@. How many people never cut all
four wisdom teeth?-L. H. S.
| A. About per cent do not have
full sets of teeth, including four wis
dom teeth.
Evening star., 1934-09-22

Satisfaction expressed by the Presi-
dent with the Winant report on the
cotton textile situation Is calculated
to make Clarence Darrow think Of
a number Of things he might say f
he would not be regarded as talking
out of turn.
Evening star., 1934-09-22

The first assistant radio operator
on the Moro Castle says the radio
men were treated with disrespect. II
appears that in order to command
Difference in radio service it is neces-
sary to be a singer, q comedian or
a statesman.
Evening star., 1934-09-22
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

A reader can get the answer to any
question Of fact by writing The Eve
ming Star Information Bureau, Fred
eric J. HaSkin, director, Washington,
D. c. Please inclose stamp. for reply.
@. What are the advertising no.
tices of a book which appear on its
jacket called?-H. w.
A. In the publishing trade these
exploitation articles are called blurbs.
@. Are there many families still
living doubled up as result OF the
depression?-R. A.
A. In a survey made Of SO widely
scattered cities it was found that OF
/ ,70l $50 families, 162, ITO, or an aver
age of about 95 per cent. were found
to be living with other families.
@. What is the relationship be-
tween President Franklin Roosevelt
and William Aspinwall, who built the
Panama Railroad?-M. B.
A. William H. Aspinwall was the
brother of the Presidents grand
3. 1ShdC ItOOcCbC4I Va L1ydC
Park, Dutchess County, N. Y. He is
therefore the Presidents great-uncle.
@. Is the grape crop as large as
usual this year?-A. H. S.
A. The crop report indicates yield
of about 1000 tons, compared with
about $1,000 tons last year. The av-
erage yield for the past five years has
been about 1900 tons.
@. Please suggest a simple remedy
for sea nettle stings.-I. z.
A. Relief from q sea nettle sting
may be obtained by applying house
hold ammonia. The sting lasts only
a few minutes after the ammonia has
been applied.
@. How long Is the Department Of
Commerce Building in Washington
J. H.
A. 1t is 1,O5o feet long, 325 feet
wide, and seven stories high.
@. Was there a saint named Clare?
F. H.
A. Saint Clare G1s3-1253) was
born of noble family of Assist in
1912. She founded the order of Fran
ciscan nuns, which spread rapidly
through Europe. Two years after her
death she was canonized by Alexander
Nv. Her festival falls on August IL.
@. At what time did the Red Cross
sell the tuberculosis SealS?-G. M. S.
A. tuberculosis seals were issued by
the Red Cross between 1907 and 1919,
when the anti-tuberculosis campaign
of the National tuberculosis Associa-
tion took it over entirely.
@. What per cent of the people
born within the borders of State
of the United States continue to live
in that State?-B. A. A.
A. About 765 per cent Of the peo-
pie who were born within State live
within that State.
@. What is q coon oyster?-M D. c.
A. A coon oyster is one growing
wild near shore, where it can easily
be obtained by a raccoon. The name
originated in the South, where these
oysters are often called strap oysters
| because their clustered manner of
growth makes them long, narrow and
thin.
@. Who founded Johns Hopkins
University at Baltimore?-J. c.
A. The university was founded by
Johns Hopkins, a merchant of Balti-
Evening star., 1934-09-22

ness country; the Government in
stalled a new system Of overland mail.
The decade was one Of the brightest
In American letters; Emerson. Tho
reau, Melville, Hawthorne, Whitman,
Parkman and Motley were writing.
So DR.. Coles book is not merely
history of the slavery struggle and
its outcome, but political and social
history Of the whole period.