anaheim-gazette 1928-04-19

THE ANAHEIM GAZETTE ESTABLISHED 1870 HENRY KUCHEL, Editor and Proprietor ISSUED EVERY THURSDAY SUBSCRIPTION PER YEAR ... $2.00 SIX MONTHS ... 1.25 THREE MONTHS ... .75 Entered at the Anaheim, California. Post Office as second class matter. THE REAL REASON Some time ago an American patriot had the courage to intimate that one reason for Uncle Sam's intervention in Nicaragua, in the interest of peace, was that he had some canal rights there which ought to be safeguarded. Immediately there went up from the European press, and the internationalist clackers in the United States the cry of "dollar diplomacy" and "American imperialism." We were given to understand by the internationalists and their communist brethren, that we had no right whatever in Nicaragua and no interest in anything excepting to permit the Nicaraguan brethren to cut one another's throats and destroy innocent lives and alien property at their pleasure. The other day Great Britain spoke some harsh words to Egypt and intimated that these words would be followed by messages from British battleships and British troops if necessary. The world was informed through the European press that Great Britain had to take action on account of the Suez canal, which she must control and protect on account of her great maritime trade and her valuable possessions in the Far East. Sir Austin Chamberlain, British foreign minister, in telling parliament why it was necessary to speak summarily to Egypt, declared that "it was impossible to escape from a situation in which God has placed us." There you are. Uncle Sam lands marines in Nicaragua to promote the peace, establish order, insure fair elections, and incidentally look after his canal site and he is assaulted on every side at home and abroad as an inhuman monster which is seeking to devour the western hemisphere. Great Britain takes summary action in Egypt and announces she will back up her position with the whole British army and navy if necessary. Do we hear any criticism from the same European press and the same American There you are. Uncle Sam lands marines in Nicaragua to promote the peace, establish order, insure fair elections, and incidentally look after his canal site and he is assaulted on every side at home and abroad as an inhuman monster which is seeking to devour the western hemisphere. Great Britain takes summary action in Egypt and announces she will back up her position with the whole British army and navy if necessary. Do we hear any criticism from the same European press and the same American internationalists who were denouncing Uncle Sam in Nicaragua? Not a criticism. Of course the reason is now apparent. It is not that the European press and the European diplomats are unduly prejudiced in favor of European interests and against American interests, not that the American internationalists want to make the United States an appendix to European policy and European culture and standards of living. The reason for the criticism on one hand and silence in the other case is this: In going into Nicaragua Uncle Sam was acting as a mere human agency, acting like an imperialist. On the other hand, John Bull take action on the Suez canal because, in the words of Sir Austin Chamberlain, he was placed there by God to do it. The British trade and the British possessions in the Far East have nothing to do in the case except that Great Britain was entrusted with these matters by a benign Providence. OUR WATERWAYS ALONG with the revived sentiment for the American merchant marine the people of the country, and especially those living at some distance from the seaboard, are beginning to realize something of the importance of our inland waterways. The nearer the seaboard is brought to the middle of the country, the more the people of America as a whole are going to benefit from our merchant marine. Major General T. Q. Ashburn, executive director of the Inland Waterways Corporation, which operates the government barge lines on the Mississippi, says that the system will show a profit this year for the first time in its three years' existence, and Congressman Hull of Illinois predicted that within twenty-five years the government lines could be sold to private interests at twice their value. Both men, who have studied the question, declared that water transportation is necessary to the development of the Mississippi valley agriculture and manufacturing industries. Water transportation, they said, ing competition between the American and Argentine grain producers. The Middle West needs more water transportation to the seaboard. There can be no question about this. J. P. Haynes, traffic director of the Chicago Association of Commerce, said recently: "Some shippers are actually using the all rail routes from Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan to New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore, and then via sea through the canal to Pacific coast point at a less total freight cost than direct rail shipment." Every shipper of the Middle West knows that this is true, and many of them are aware of the further fact that they cannot ship to the Pacific coast at all by all-rail route because the present rates make it too costly. Here is a handicap which river improvement will help to overcome. The new locks and dams on the Ohio to give that river a nine-foot stage of water the year round will be completed this year. Already there is a noticeable increase of business in the Ohio valley. The same thing is true "Some shippers are actually using the all rail routes from Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan to New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore, and then via sea through the canal to Pacific coast point at a less total freight cost than direct rail shipment." Every shipper of the Middle West knows that this is true, and many of them are aware of the further fact that they cannot ship to the Pacific coast at all by all-rail route because the present rates make it too costly. Here is a handicap which river improvement will help to overcome. The new locks and dams on the Ohio to give that river a nine-foot stage of water the year round will be completed this year. Already there is a noticeable increase of business in the Ohio valley. The same thing is true of the Mississippi since the barge lines were established, and it will be true of other river sections as the improvements are made. There was one period in the history of the United States when the river towns flourished because of their location. Then the railroads came along and took away the business. But times are changing again. The rivers, as they are improved, show an increase in traffic. This time there should not be destructive competition, but co-operation between the railroads and the river men. The country has grown so that there is business for all. And as middle western towns grow and flourish because of cheaper water transportation, the railroads will grow and prosper along with them. One of the great problems of the day is freight rates. Lower freight rates, we are told, will help the farmers of the Middle West more than any other thing. One way to give them lower rates is to give them a chance to ship by water. Any improvement made to our inland waterways means more prosperity for the entire country. FREE TRADE AND THE FARMER The free traders now generally accept the fact that they have lost out with the wage earners and they are beginning to fix their attention almost entirely on the farmer in an effort to capitalize his discontent, for capitalizing discontent is one of the best things the free traders know how to do. He is now declaring that protective tariff legislation is class legislation because it favors the manufacturer and the wage earner at the expense of the farmer. The farmer is being told that the tariff does not benefit him either directly or indirectly, but that to the contrary, he is penalized by having to pay higher prices for what he buys, because of the protective tariff." Hey, Fellers,--They're Choosin' Up!——By Albert T. Reid "NOW SLING 'ER FITTEEN FEET OVER YEP" CUTTING TAXES Governor Fuller of Massachusetts stated recently that his state will collect about three and a half million less in the way of taxes from the cities and towns of Massachusetts in 1928 than something that must be done by the people themselves. The President, congress, the budget commission, and the governor cannot help them here. The work of reducing must be done by the local units themselves. Public improvements must be carefully considered and The lack of merchant vessels during the late war was a serious handicap to the United States, besides necessitating enormous expenditures. The cost of unpreparedness in this field is estimated by Representative Reece at $8,000,000,000, of which $3,000,000,000 rep CUTTING TAXES Governor Fuller of Massachusetts stated recently that his state will collect about three and a half million less in the way of taxes from the cities and towns of Massachusetts in 1928 than was collected in 1927. At the same time the state debt is being steadily reduced. This proves again that it can be done, in state government as well as in the national government. National taxes have been cut almost to the limit, and as a result the income tax rates have been reduced so that they affect the average man little so far as direct taxes are concerned. What he may have to pay in the way of increased cost of living because of the taxes passed on down from the big industry, is of course another story. Massachusetts has a commendable record of economy, but it is a record which is being made by other states too. In fact, a great many of the state governments, inspired by the federal achievement, are cutting taxes, practicing cency and cutting state debts. Now with economy in national and state government achieved, the battle will be two-thirds won. But by far the biggest third remains. Most of the taxes which affect the farmer, the home owner and the small business men are not the taxes collected by the national and state government, but the taxes levied by the local authorities. Here is the place where the most good can be done for the little yellow. Local taxation makes up the great bulk of the assessment of the ordinary citizen. The money goes for schools, roads, public buildings and so on. These are, of course, necessary institutions, but the expenditures must be watched carefully. It is so easy to tack on a little expense here at dither and so add to the tax burden of the people of the community. And the money, for these improvements, and local expenses, must it is to be remembered, be collected at home. It cannot come from the tariff collections or the international revenue bureau at Washington. With federal taxes reduced, and various state administrations attempting with success to reduce expenditures and tax rates, it then is up to the county and local authorities to complete the picture of economy and efficiency. Here is something that must be done by the people themselves. The President, congress, the budget commission, and the governor cannot help them here. The work of reducing must be done by the local units themselves. Public improvements must be carefully considered and expenditures pared to the lowest level consistent with the public service. And if the local officials are to do this they must have the co-operation of the taxpayers themselves. It is poor sportsmanship to vote for bigger public buildings, wider roads and other improvements and then complain violently because the local tax rate goes up. The people who vote these improvements must pay the bill. For this reason it is necessary to take a long look before we leap into something that sounds good even if it is expensive. AMERICAN SHIPS NEEDED The House of Representatives on Thursday heard from the lips of a member from a district in the interior—Representative Reece of Tennessee—a stirring appeal for an adequate merchant marine as an auxiliary of the navy. The national defense feature of the merchant marine problem has been overlooked by too many legislators. It happens that Mr. Reece was in the American Expeditionary Force, and that his own observations and experiences drove home to him the vital fact that the United States is not safely protected if it does not possess merchant ships capable of serving as naval auxiliaries in time of war. Mr. Reece pointed out that during the War of the Revolution armed merchantmen captured or destroyed three times as many enemy ships as did all American warships combined. In the War of 1812, American merchantmen again gave a good account of themselves, inflicting six times as much damage upon the enemy as did the United States navy. But for merchant ships the North could not have successfully blockaded southern ports in the Civil War, and during the war with Spain the few American merchant vessels available were as valuable as warships. One of them, the St. Paul, defeated a Spanish cruiser and a Spanish destroyer in a hot battle off San Juan, Porto Rico. The lack of merchant vessels during the late war was a serious handicap to the United States, besides necessitating enormous expenditures. The cost of unpreparedness in this field is estimated by Representative Reece at $8,-000,000,000, of which $3,000,000,000 represents the cost of the war emergency fleet and $5,000,000,000 paid out in ocean freight charges. Mr. Reece quoted the assertion of Admiral Gleaves during World war: "The outstanding lesson which the experience of the war has driven home to us is the value both in peace and in war of a prosperous deep-sea merchant marine." A NATIONAL JOKE It is impossible to figure what Muscle Shoals has cost the taxpayers. Few persons know just how many years it has been kicked around Congress. If anyone tried to figure up the time which the paid servants of the American people in the House of Representatives and the Senate have wasted on this question, the value of the lost time charged against the public payroll would be astounding. For political purposes Muscle Shoals has been magnified into a national issue, when in reality it is just one ordinary power project similar to many which are built and operated by private companies all over the United States. Muscle Shoals is a typical example of what happens to an industry which becomes bogged in the quagmire of politics—the taxpayers lose, the country loses, and private development is discouraged with resulting loss and detriment to territory affected. TALKERS AND DOERS Charles A. Lindbergh is doing a lot of flying and very little talking. His attitude recalls the speech made by William Wright, one of the inventors of the airplane, at a dinner given in honor of the Wright brothers in Paris many years ago when he was doing his first flying in France. "The parrot," said Mr. Wright, when he was called on, "is the best talker among the birds, but the poorest flyer." Then he sat down. EMUEL WILL YOU COME HERE MINUTE? I'M TRYING TO HIX OVER AN OLD HAT FOR EASTER EMUEL WILL YOU COME HERE MINUTE? I'M TRYING TO FIX OVER AN OLD HAT FOR EASTER~ I WANT YOU TO TRY IT ON AND SEE HOW IT LOOKS IN THE BACK HEAVEN'S SAKE! IF IT LOOKS LIKE THAT ON ME I'LL BUY A NEW ONE! OBSERVATIONS VALLE DE LA MUERTE DEATH VALLEY, its very name, in years past, filled a person with fear, but now it has lost most of its terrors by the advance of civilization. Then, lured on in their quest for hidden wealth, not a few prospectors left their whitened bones to tell the tale of their adventure; and now many people go by motor vehicle to view this barren, almost lifeless land of romance and tragedy. A desert inn is kept open, on the floor of that formerly forbidding desert, between the months of October and May, when the temperature is ideal, ranging from 60 to 80 degrees. But during the remaining months of the year no human being dare venture into the valley when the heat ranges up to 140 degrees. During the months from May to October, the summer period, people are cautioned and warned to stay away. Harrowing tales are told of this desert valley—among which is the story of the Mormon emigrants, for instance, who ventured across that barren waste in 1850, seeking pastures new. Of a party of fifty or sixty of those adventurous people, from Utah, only a few survived. Their hardships were severe, and only a small percentage of them lived to tell of their sad and bitter experiences. And just the other day descendants of a little party of Jayhawkers, rescued seventy years ago, after a tormenting journey through Death Valley, on their way to the coast from Kansas, met to relate the stories told by their fathers and relatives of those stirring and heart-rending early days. Death Valley, as most people know, is described as being a sunken desert, ranged in by high mountains, estimated to be 300 feet below sea level, and is said to be the lowest land on the face of the globe. One cheering thing about this desolate waste is that Mt. Whitney, snow-capped and the highest peak in America, stands within a few miles of the valley. There is no vegetation in Death Valley, save a few varieties of cacti and plants common to such regions. It is said the mountains nearby conceal rich deposits of gold and other minerals; but the trick is to find them. Many people go on excursions to this famed valley. Going in on the south, by way of Baker and Shoshone, a fairly good road has been graded, but it is narrow and winding, and 10 miles per hour in many sections is the best time made by an automobile. After leaving Baker, on the main gravelled highway, the road detours into the Mojave desert, and no supplies are to be had until Shoshone is reached, 62 miles inland. Autoists are warned not to venture on the trip unless well equipped with water and gasoline. Should an accident occur to a motor vehicle, the occupants would just be out of luck. From Shoshone to Stovepipe Wells, then to Dante Point and further on to Riverside Park and Foothills Park. Anaheim, Calif., April 19, 1928 MEDLEY FOR MOTORISTS PEOPLE who crave an interesting trip should go out onto the desert and then climb the San Bernardino mountains, from the north, and get into Big Bear canyon. Back of Victorville a road trails from the barren wastes to the summit of the mountains, where the Joshua and the pine trees meet; thus affording the tourists a breath of the desert air, while in a short hour's travel they come to snow-capped mountains. The situation is unique. Coming out alongside the frozen Baldwin lake, the difference in climatic conditions is pronounced and you marvel at nature's handiwork. Pressing onward, you come into the Big Bear region, where snow is found from two to six feet deep. The ride then over onto the Rim-of-the-World and down City Creek canyon, which finally lands you amid the orange groves of Highlands, affords you a journey unparalleled anywhere. NOW, DON'T ALL SPEAK AT ONCE THE Mojave river, fed by the melting snows from the San Bernardino range of mountains, wends its way through the barren country back of Victorville and finally the waters disappear in the desert sands near Barstow. Now, why in the name of Luke McGluke, does not some genius rise up and pump that precious water into a reservoir and then use it for irrigating those thousands of acres of desert land roundabout? If (and that mysterious word "if" crops up again) the government would just take a hand and conserve the waters in those desert areas, and allow settlers to take up land there and pay for it in installations, thousands of people in the overcrowded cities could build homes for themselves, become independent, and bigosh that would do away with all this unemployment foolishness. FAILING TO GET A RAISE EVERY once in a while a monologist, or whatever you call him, comes along on the vaudeville stage and unlimbers a lot of jokes (some of them ancient) and when he does not receive the applause expected, he looks about with that dejected mien—wondering why his salies do not take. Of course, in what are called hick villages the soliloquies may take hold and get the glad hand, but where the audience is somewhat intellectual, his metaphor falls upon deaf ears, and the wag no doubt wonders if he will get a return engagement. BEARDING THE LION IN HIS DEN The police in an up-state city gave a grand dance the other evening, and after the ball was over, it was discovered that a $900 fur coat and two wallets had been stolen. Perhaps there are some light-fingered gentry roaming around up there. BEARDING THE LION IN HIS DEN The police in an up-state city gave a grand dance the other evening, and after the ball was over, it was discovered that a $900 fur coat and two wallets had been stolen. Perhaps there are some light-fingered gentry roaming around up there. LOOKING UNDER THE LID An irate man steps up to say that just because a man rides around in a fine big car, that is no reason why you should endorse his note. ALL GONE BUT HOLE IN THE DOUGHNUT A certain newspaper in a town up the boulevard, when it comes to patting itself on the back, through the "Letters To" column, takes the bakery. THEY GET IT IF THEY DO OR THEY DON'T A young actress who was convicted of manslaughter, when her car ran over and killed an elderly woman, fainted in court when she was sentenced to prison. When she came to she cursed the officers. APPLESAUCE IN ABUNDANCE Ever since easterners discovered that Southern California is a wonderful place, you can hear many compliments from them; but one of the latest spilled over the other day. When a man up state received a traffic tag, he wrote to the chief of police, telling him that his officer, when handing out the slip, was very courteous; and, indeed, it was a pleasure to get a tag from him, he said. GOING OVER THE TOP One of the proudest and happiest moments of an actor's life, it is said, is when he has been loaned by one manager to another to fill an important part.