Judge — February 8, 1930 — page 15: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Representing the Consumers? t the lobby investigation in Washington a New York A merchant, questioned about the tariff activities of the importers’ council, remarked. “We represent the consumer and, so far as I know, we are the only group that does.” ‘This is approximately trac, And it is a sorry day for the consumer when his only protection ag producers is to be found in retailers, In the tariff de now coming to its climax, it is hard to say which hi the more shameful—the greed of manufacturers, the rynicism of Congressmen or the indifference of the con- sumers themselves. What started out to be “limited” tariff revision turns out as usual to be a raid on everyone's neckels, And except for those statesmen whose great arts always bleed for the multitudinous farmer, nobody Het gets excited. No doubt the reason for the public apathy about the tariff is the knowledge that protest is futile. There are not enough voices to be raised on behalf of the men and women who will pay the increased cost of living. Every now and then it is suggested that there be a paid representative of the consumer in| Washington. And it doesn’t seem to ocenr to anybody to ask in rejoin- der what all these Congressmen are there for! s been Tip-Legging from traveled readers on that moot question, whether tipping still exists among the Soviets. brings from M. Bowles the followi “Mrs. Bowles was in Russia summer before last. She had tips refused. If a member of the Communist party re- ceives tips he is expelled. I imagine, however, there is tip-legging.” There is alw: tip-le where rules are made against the practice—not so much because the receiver of the tr request for testimony ds, expects or extorts it, as because the giver arm glow of superiority in bestowing it. Give the Coast Guard Credit ( yertina sore runners at the Coast Guard for killing rum- irticularly constructive function of ¥ blame Pro- hibition. As Admiral Billard says with proper spirit, the Coast G ard is not spe arged with the enforce- ment of Prohibition, Its job is to prevent smuggling and to uphold the Constitution on the sea. When a surge of fanaticisin put Prohibition into the Constitution and made the importation of liquor an act of smuggling, the Coast Guard had a new duty and it is trying to perform it. Among its other duties during the past year the Coast Guard rescued 4,375 persons and aided vessels in distress whose value with cargoes was above $49,000,000. We despise the entire gang of snoopers, moralizers, paid) propagandizers and hypocritical vote-smirchers whipped up by the Anti-Saloon League et al. But we Guard, even when they get drunk on the booze they ture. They have to have some compensation for be forced to do a dirty job. Triumph of the Talkies W: didn’t go to see it, but we read in the papers that they got Cal Coolidge on a talking newsreel. It seems he was found in Florida in conversation with Presi- dent Kingsley of the New York Life Insurance Company. And this is the way the film records their snappy line: “How long ago was the New York Life founded?” Mr. Coolidge asks. ehty-five years "Mr. Kingsley replies. Lighty-five years! ‘That's a long time. ‘They ha gathered together a good deal of property in that time?” “Well, about a billion, seven hundred million.” at's a lot of money,” s: Mr. Coolidge. Note the simple dignity of it, the passion for cold fact, the restraint. Coolidge asks two direct questions. He gets two direct answers. And he voices two forceful, unequivocal opinions: (a) that eighty-five years is a long time and (b) that one billion, seven hundred millions is a lot of money. Now, if it had been Al Smith, we'd probably have been informed that the first eighty-five years are the hardest, that a billion or so is small change and that the whole thing was a lot of boloney. But you wouldn't catch Al in a situation like that. In fact, the same newsreel program showed him watching six sina battle royal, Being an ex-President has its peculiar responsibilities. Amateuriana President Day of Union College stood up in front of a gathering of athletic directors, pro- fessional coaches, and purveyors of sporting equipment and told them that it was time to abolish gate re pts and paid coaching. He even proposed that a league of small colleges get together and agree to do it. So far as we can discover, he didn’t get to first base. It is so much simpler and more interesting to debate about the subsidizing of athletics and the amateur standing of this or that star. But it is becoming clearer all the time that the large ques- tion is not the amateurism of individuals but the con- spiracy of commercialization in which most of the col- leges and athletic associations are involved. Write it down as an mn: wherever there are gate receipts there amateurs. R.J.W. Some weeks a Pane eee ee 2 et Pe comicbooks.com