davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1935-09-21

BlOckingP PatronageP olitics.

When legislation was under considera-
ton setting up the new Federal Alcohol
Administration, which is to supervise
manufacture and sale of alcoholic bev-
erages and the manufacture of other
products containing commercial alcohol.
a strong undercover fight was waged
between the politicians on the lookout
for patronage opportunities and those
who believed the new agency should be
protected at the outset by civil service
choice of personnel. The President was
supposed to favor civil service, but never
made known his wishes publicly. The
patronage politicians won, and the new
agency was set up without regard to
civil service regulations.
The President, however, has just ap-
pointed Frank Chase Hoyt, a former
New York Judge and Republican, to
direct the new agency. And there is
reason to believe he deliberately chose
a Republican to thwart the plans of
the patronage dispensers. Certainly q
Republican with Judge Hoyt's back
ground, owing his appointment to the
President, will be less amenable to polit-
ical pressure than a Democrat with po-
litiCal obligations to meet. And Judge
Hoyt will find in Secretary Morgenthau
a strong ally, whose views on the merit
system are we'll known.
The desirability of filling positions on
the new alcohol agency with qualified
personnel should appeal to those who
remember the difficulties which arose
during prohibition days as result of
injecting politics into the enforcement
of the liquor laws.
Evening star., 1935-09-21

and District revenues-without some
assurance that it would be approved.
And approval means one step in pollu-
ton removal. Other steps, including the
construction of an interceptor sewer fol-
lowing the course of Rock Creek, and
connections with Maryland sewers, will
be necessary. These may be contem-
plated for the future.
The disgraceful conditions in Rock
Creek resulting from the dumping OF
city sewage into the stream during
storms and the pollution from Maryland
sewers beyond the District line led to a
sharp curtailment of original plans for
the sewage disposal plant near Blue
Plains. 1t was felt that money would
be better spent in purifying Rock Creek
than in purifying the Potomac River
below Washington. If the Commission
ers' recommendations are approved
progress will be made on an essential
undertaking that some day must be
completed.
Evening star., 1935-09-21
Parents Are Responsible
For Children i'm Streets
To the Editor of The Star:

10 the EQltOr OF Inc SCar.
Day after day we read about children
being killed or disabled by autos. The
car driver is arrested, sometimes held
for manslaughter. But what about the
parents of these innocent children? They
are never called to court to explain why
they have neglected to care properly for
their minor children.
If car runs on the sidewalk the
driver is arrested (if minor, his parents
are called to court), because streets are
for cars.
Sidewalks are for children, but if
child plays in the street, jumping out
from between parked cars and is hit
by car, the driver of that car is arrested.
As the parents of minor drivers are
called to court if their minor children get
their autos on the sidewalk, why not
call the parents of minor children to
court for allowing children to play in
the streete
Why not have law that will compel
parents of minor children to appear in
court and explain why their minor chill
dren (babies hardly able to walk) are
playing in the streets and getting in the
way of automobiles, causing the driver
to suffer mental injury because he has
hurt neglected baby?
No, I'm not driver and do not
own a car. J. M lloyd.
Evening star., 1935-09-21
Motor s..Iunk'' and Safety.

While perhaps not a typical case. that
of the motoriSt who was sent to jail
yesterday in default Of a fine was illus
trative of the low percentage of safety
among a large class of drivers. It was
disclosed that his machine had bad
brakes, a bad windshield, no rear view
mirror and no horn. Thus it was a
decided liability in the traffic stream.
But furthermore it developed that the
driver had no permit. Just how long
without a permit and with a car so
deficient in the ordinary provisions for
control and for the safety of others
was not disclosed, if ascertained
1t is not to be assumed that there
are very many cars in use today that
are so poorly set up in their appoint
ments, or that there are many drivers
who have no, permits. But this one
instance certainly suggests that there
should be a stifening of the penalties
in all cases of negligence of the safety
equipment and assuredly an emphatic
and expensive rehuke for driving with
out permit.
The percentage of public safety is
seriously lowered with each badly out
fitted machine that is permitted to run
in the streets. If the danger were only
to the driver of such a machine the
penalty of his folly would be self applied.
But the danger is invariably to others.
The driver of a bunch of junk" in
capable of seeing the traffic conditions
ahead or behind, unable to control his
Evening star., 1935-09-21
Would Use Relief Workers
In Curbing Traffic Dangers
To the Editor OF The Star.

To the Editor Of The Star.
l was very much interested in the
article appearing recently under the fol-
lowing heading:
"Relief Leads Parents to Shirk Duties,
Court Officer Finds"
Isn't it strange that court officers, re-
lief workers and practically all other
Governmental agents land are they all
not on political reliefO follow the line
of least resistance when referring to
those on relief or in distress and seem
to delight In destructive, abusive criti-
cism, rather than going into the causes
and finding out why Relief Leads
Parents to Shirk Duties?"
Is 1t a crime to defend those on the
relief rolls? Is it crime for me to show
you what causes parents to take this
attitude? Or must it go on having
tragedies multiply until they compare
with that which has befallen the poor
veterans in Florida this past week?
I dare say that If little encourage
ment and cooperation were given many
of the men Miss Helm refers to they
could get jobs right here, but lot Of
them have been driven to the belief that
because they have large family or have
reached the age of 40, or both, they are
blacklisted, and if you will take walk
with me some day around the streets Of
Washington I'll show you many jobs
these men could fill. Then, again, a
lot of the men belong in hospitals.
Now you are running The Star Safety
Council, and everybody is in accord with
it's spirit. Some time ago I submitted
a plan in the city of Cleveland, to take
these men Miss Helm refers to, give
them a little schooling in traffic laws
and station them at strategic points
through the city, and where they found
reckless or wild driving either to warn
or report the autoiSt. This would have
absorbed quite few unemployed and at
the same time saved many lives. Then
it was laughed at but l am informed
the city of ST. Paul, Mimi, having tried
everything else, is going to give this
plan trial. And isn't now, with school
just beginning, good time to try this
out in Washington, using w. p A..
funds? You can save some lives, give
some of these men with families some
thing to do and, properly handled, the
police would have more time for run
ming down the different rackets.
Take Defense Highway, for instance,
at the bends where the accidents and
deaths have occurred don't you think
it would be worth while to station a
man with red flag or checkered flag
to warn the autoiStS-they don't have
to stop the cars, but to flag those going
at 60 or 10 miles per hour around the
bends?
Further, isn't this just as good as some
OF the so-called "boondoggling" features
OF The W. p. A? Remember, this is not
in criticism of the w. P A.
To return to the men on relief, prac-
tically all of them that are able want
to work, but they have been kicked
around so much they lack confidence in
themselves in even being able to work
work
Would be glad to cooperate with
ANYBODY to help correct the evils of
relief, but why not get at the causes?
j. H. LITTLE.
Evening star., 1935-09-21
Prince Georges Resident
Recites His Grievance

To the Editor of The Star:
l read an article in The Evening Star
OF recent date headed Prince Georges
Heads Weigh Publicity Campaign for
county and, being resident and
property owner of Prince Georges County
Just about ready to hang up the For
sale sign. 1 thought I may state my
reasons for my exodus and l believe
the same will apply to many others who
nave already moved or are thinking about
IL, the same reasons preventing thou
SANDS every year from buying property
and establishing homes there.
some three years ago 1 purchased a
small tract of land from the old Randall
estate located at the end of the gravel
road leading off the District Heights
Silver Hill road about 1900 feet from the
crossroads at Suitland. This road serves
about u families. all property owners
and taxpayers, and in the Winter months
the road is in such condition at times
that we have to leave our cars on the
side of the road and continue through
the mud and water on foot. Now this
particular road is not an exception in
the Suitland community: there are others
just as bad. and nothing is being done
about it. Before publicity campaign
is started to bring more people into the
mud and mire. would it not be more
fitting to take care of those now in use
by making them safe so that we may
get to and from cur various places of
employment?
Recently I carried a petition from
house to house and obtained the sigma
lures from the property owners living
along Randall road and presented 1t
to the Board of Commissioners in session
at Marlboro requesting they do some
thing for us. 1t was all joke. I was
told so many things I must do before
could even get any consideration that
I decided it would be useless for me to
continue, for, after all, the road we
wanted repaired leads only to our homes
and that is not justification enough.
AS I see the condition in Prince
Georges County from the viewpoint of
an ordinary citizen and workingman. the
only way we who have bought our homes
on roads that lead nowhere will ever
get any relief will be through the ballot
box Elect the representatives that will
pledge themselves to do away with these
mud holes that we have to wade through
year in and out and build a good all
weather road.
Mr. Baxter and the commissioners
need not look for any appreciable growth
in Prince Georges County until they
devise some means of building up the
important feeder roads which have so
long been neglected and where so many
people whom they represent have estab-
lished their homes. H. A. KEY.
Evening star., 1935-09-21
CalOnne.

President Roosevelt possesses diploma
from Harvard University to attest the
fact that he is scholar, and it therefore
may be presumed that he has heard of
Charles Alexandra de Calonne, courtier
and minister of state who was one of the
unwilling architects of the French Revo-
luton and who, by his blunders, assisted
in bringing his royal patron, King Louis
XVI, to the guillotine. But because of
the pressure of other business the Chief
Executive probably has not had oppor-
tunity in many years to consult the
ponderous tones of GuAot and Duruy,
Carlyle and Belloc, in which the tale is
told.
Yet the record is worthy of reading.
Indeed, if history repeats, it might be
a warning against current dangers in
America Calonne was a forerunner OF
a class of opportuniSts with which Mr..
Roosevelt must be acquainted. He, too,
sponsored a New Deal, initiated vast
reforms, undertook economic miracles.
aspired to establish better order OF
society," But the character OF his methods
brought about his failure, accomplished
his disgrace and aided in running his
sovereign, his class and his country. He
wanted results too quickly to care very
much about how they were obtained. In
vain endeavor to deceive the masses, he
deceived himself. Listen to his voice as
it whispers from pages yellow with time;
If my own affairs had not been in such
a bad state, I should not have under
taken those of France. A man who
wants to borrow must appear rich, and
TO appear rich he must dazzle by his
expenditure. Act we thus in the public
administration. Economy is good for
nothing. it warns those who have money
not to lend it to an indebted treasury,
and it causes decay amongst the arts
which prodigality vivifles.'
Sentiments of that sort were immensely
popular momentarily. Under Calonne
new public works on a gigantic scale
were begun everywhere throughout the
kingdom, gold was shoveled out to all
comers. 1T was scarcely necessary to
solicit the royal favor" remarks a sober
chronicler. All that was required was
to apply to the Kings agent. A prince,
remarked, When I saw everybody hold
ing out hands, held out my hat And
the headpiece was filled without delay
or protest!
The aftermath, however, was tragic.
In 1875 the acceptances rose to more
than a hundred and thirty-six millions
of livres. Obviously, some one had to
pay. Yet, when Louis appealed to his
minister to be reasonable, Calonne an
swered: *The people would be grieved
if they saw any interruption in the ex-
penditure which silly parsimony calls
superfuouS." The King waited as long
as he dared, then declaring, Il wish all
the world to know that am we'll salts
fed with my controller general ban
ished him to Lorraine But tardy justice
was too late to save the regime.
Evening star., 1935-09-21

cows or feeling the tongues Of no cows
on its multitudinous blades, it begins to
thin out of its own accord, since it cannot
De accomplished any other way.
Then, too, there is the matter of toad
stools.
The householder can know of a GER
tainty that he has meadow grass by the
number of toadstools it grows at this
time of year.
They crop up over night, ugly-looking
blackish ones, and white ones, too, which
grow low and spread their spores out
into the remainder of the lawn.
Then the next night there are more
OF them, and so on. until the old lawn,
utterly free from them, would in time
be covered with them, unless something
were done. about it.
The thing to do about it is to use a
trowel, since one does not care TO touch
the ugly things, and dig them out at once
= X 4 X
To get back to those little birds, how
ever!
Squirrels haven't must use for birds.
Did you know that?
II you live in town you probably don t
know that, because few squirrels como
to city yards
Out in the suburbs, however, squirrels
are among our most interesting residents.
There is many man in a fine big
car VINO thinks he is pretty great, but
after all he isn't half as interesting as
a fine squirrel to many persons.
The man in the car is half man, half
car until it is hard to tell what he is.
The squirrel is all squirrel and that
means fancy rodent. of course
Any one who despiSes rodents, as
class, will have to draw in his horns
when it comes to the subclass squirrels" ="
These are among the most interesting
of the family and scarcely seem ratlike.
to most observers. although if you look
at them well you will see the family
likeness.
Squirrels do not like birds and birds
care little for squirrels. There is per-
petual warfare between them, with the
advantage on the side of the latter, of
course, because of their size, except for
one thing:
Squirrels are almost as nimble in trees
as birds, but lack the ability to fly
No food is relished by squirrel better
than a baby bird.
At least half of the bird deaths COM
monty attributed to house cats are the
work of tree squirrels.
4
We have said squirrels cannot fly,
but there is a flying squirrel, of course.
Every one has heard of the flying
squirrel, but few have seen it.
Occasionally in small country towns
the flying member of the family will
get into a house, causing terror among
the rightful inhabitants thereof
1t is not the easiest thing in the world
to get rid Of flying squirrel, once it
gets indoors, or of an ordinary squirrel,
either, for that matter.
Both are destructive, especially to
woodwork. Squirrels imprisoned through
their own inquisitivenesS in houses have
been known to gnaw doors and window
SillS almost to shredS.
We hope no squirrel catches any Of
the pretty little gray birds flying around
in gardens at this time of year. These
small fellows are beloved of all Nature
students. They are with us for a time,
on their way South. then they vanish
to be replaced by the juncoS and the
jaunty starlings.
Evening star., 1935-09-21
Shooting, Stars.
BY PHILANDER JOHNSON.
Instruction.

Instruction.
BY hard experience we learn,
Whatever our position,
And pay, whichever way we turn,
. Right dearly for tuition.
Before we walk we have to creep;
We rise with many tumble;
Before we learn life'S road to keep
How often must We stumbled
Ere we can learn to think We grope
Through much fantastic folly.
Our smiles of friendship and of hope
Are earned through melancholy.
And so it is with every man,
And SO with many nation;
1t is part of natures plan
Compulsory education.
Evening star., 1935-09-21

car or to give proper signals, menaces
everybody travelling on the same road
with him.
The speeder is not the only public
enemy" in respects to traffic safety.
Incompetence in manipulation, faulty
judgment in the matter of distances,
lack of consideration for others and
especially undependable mechanism con-
tribute to the accident record. The
remedy for these evils lies in repeated
and increasing penalties up to the point
where repetition is fruitless of real
correction, when the forfeiture of license
should follow.
Evening star., 1935-09-21
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

The last birds Of Summer are fiut-
tering around the yard.
They are mostly ground birds, little
fellows with pale gray markings, intent
on getting the last Of the grass seed.
We do not know what their names are
and have given up trying to find out.
What difference does a name make,
after all?
The real name of robin isn't robin
In Nature things have no names, and
1t Is just as well.
Dog is not dog, cat is not cat.
The names Of human beings are only
convenience names. In the grand roll
call Of Nature we have no names at all.
There is something pleasing in watch
ing these little gray fellows, hopping
around on the lawn.
Especially in the famous old cleaning,
the time Of day somebody wrote a song
about.
Twilight comes earlier these days, now
that Autumn is definitely at hand, and
in the air.
Yes, it is in the air that Fall first shows
itself by the very simple and age-old
cApcUtcllL VI lOWcTulB
especially in the morning.
These are the sort of mornings one
feels inclined to walk to work.
II one is not quite up to that, it is
possible for even the most lethargic to
walk part of the way.
One sees many interesting things on
the way, utterly lost to the patrons of
public utilities or drivers of their own
cars.
Here is a big dog on a leash, tugging
woman along the sidewalk.
The dog hitherto has been permitted
to run at will, down the hustling, bustling
avenue
The pedestrian thinks the new order
Of things is due to the presence now of
many large and imposing silver busses.
He is mistaken, however.
Il am glad you are keeping him on
LEASH" he says. Il have been watching
that dog for year now and I have
shuddered at his narrow escapes many
a time"
The woman stops, smiles, speaks.
"Oh, he is sick now" she exclaims,
with the implication, plain enough, that
when he gets well he will be permitted
to run at large again.
II you do" says the pedestrian. half
to himself, half to the woman, there
will be dead dog along here. The
time has gone by for animals to roam
at large in this town"
Whether the woman heard him or
not he did not know for she was gone
down the sidewalk, pulled along by the
big dog.
You miss all that sort of thing when
you ride.
So maybe you had better ride!
To get back to those birds hopping
around in the grass
The grass is not what it used to be;
it is showing peculiar spots where the
action of growth has slowed up.
And if you had any sodding done last
Spring, as well as it may have looked
all Summer, the chances are it was
meadow grass and would be cropped
close by COWS by this time.
No cows cropping it, however, it be-
comes sere and thin just the same, be-
cause it is used to it, and when Autumn
comes around it thinks to itself, Now
where are those cows?" and seeing no
Evening star., 1935-09-21
Serious Neglect.

"Yes," remarked Farmer CorntoSSel,
Josh knows a heap. He can tell me
all the scientific names of what I'm tryin'
to raise an what Injuries the crops. But
there's one thing he never investigated.
If he had studied little deeper, Josh
wouldn't have got all mussed up while
out walkin' in his Sunday clothes"
What did he omit?"
HE never investigated the psyche
logical effect of red necktie on bull" :"
Evening star., 1935-09-21
MussOlini POnders.

At the end of week which seemed
the very brink of war there are hopeful
signs that a catastrophe may yet be
averted. Mussolini is definitely reported
to be wavering. Two concrete develop
ments, apparently, have caused him TO
pause and ponder. Britains concentra-
ton of naval power in the Mediterranean
and Frances readiness to stand with
the British in opposing Italy's plans for
war against Ethiopia have combined to
persuade II Duce that, after all, diScre-
ton may be the better part Of valor
The atmosphere in Rome is CORE
Spondingly and conspicuously less belli-
cose. 1t can hardly be doubted that
London's announcement that mot
ship will be withdrawn from the
Mediterranean while Italy threatens war
in Africa is largely responsible for the
moderated tone in which the inspired
Fascist press is now discussing Great
Britain. In tune with the new key,
In price on the Stock Exchange. Peace
is in the air, hitherto charged exclu-
sively with war talk.
Today's developments in Rome may
prove decisive. Mussolinis attitude to-
ward the settlement plans proposed by
the League committee is expected to be
proclaimed. Despite his early and unottl-
cial contemptuouS references to them,
the outlook now is that, instead OF re-
iecting them, he will make them the
basis for continued negotiations in some
modified form. The Italians consider
that they have won substantial point
in the Councils conclusion that the Ethi-
opians require reorganization and civil
zation" under foreign tutelage, even
though Geneva declines to assign exclu-
sively to Italy the coveted task of under
taking that mission
Undoubtedly the Italian government is
grievously disappointed by the unwill-
ingness of France to support the Ethi-
opian adventure. Had the French
evinced any genuine reluctance to sup
port British opposition to MuSsolini's
African program, it is altogether i'm
probable that he would hesitate to carry
it into execution. One of the motives
inspiring the British to maintain an
unyielding stand is the mobilization of
a considerable italian army in Libya,
adjacent to Egypt, with its menace to
Britains vital interest in,tl Nile. There
have been reports Ssffst if Mussolini
agreed to move his Libyan troops from
the Egyptian frontier, Britain might re-
duce her naval forces in the Mediter-
ranean. That the stationing of over
whelming British sea power in those
waters gives II Duce furiously to think
is manifest from his reputed purpose
to protest to the League against its
presence.
Whatever the motives and influences
now at work, peace sentiment is evi-
dently on the march. The greatest peril
lies in the extent to which Mussolini has
committed himself in the form of war
preparations and the bombastic prom
ises of conquest and imperial glory with
which he has surfeited his people. 1t
will be terrific blow to his pride and
prestige to have to draw back now, but
with world united against his purposes
and with Europe's leading powers
leagued to thwart them by force, if
necessary, withdrawal while there is still
time is the part of wisdom for the
Fascist dictator.
Evening star., 1935-09-21
A Rhyme at Twilight
By
Gertrude Brooke Hamilton
Heartstrings

Where does your heart abide?-
With the white yacht you ride,
Comrades and wine;
Or does the hunting horn
Where the red coats are worn
Quicken your pulse at morn,
Good friend of mine?
Is it your hearth you love?-
Though you may hunt and rove
Do you still pine
For your wide fireplace
And in the restful space
A woman's ideal face,
Good friend of mine?
Or where your Drawn and might
Win in the daily fight
When foes malign;
Where power is your bent
And your big hours are spent
Do you find hearts content,
Good friend of mine?