Indianapolis Times, Volume 39, Number 253, Indianapolis, Marion County, 29 February 1928 — Page 4

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J C HI PPJ - HOW AAD

Politics and Our Stake Abroad During 1927 American foreign investments—investments made by the rank and file of the American people—reached the staggering total of $2,071,954,100, according to Dr. Max Winkler, nationally recognized financial authority. That much money would buy the State of Maine, lock, stock and barrel, or Delaware, Vermont and Nevada in a lump, at the valuation placed upon them at the time of the last census. At the beginning of this year, according to the same authority in a tabulation made for the foreign policy association of New York, our total investments abroad, not including the war debts, amounted to $14,500,000,000. Which would buy Maryland, Alabama, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Including the war debt, says Dr. Winkler, our foreign investments reached the amazing total of approximately $25,600,000,000—a figure incomprehensible to the human brain without aid. The magnificent State of California, for instance, along with Texas, an empire in itself, could be bought outright for such a sum—cities, towns, farms, factories and everything, with all the improvements. Or the States of Ohio, Kentucky and Georgia. Or all six of the New England States in a block, an entire georgraphical section of our country. Nor do these estimates represent a maximum, Dr. Winkler reminds us, but rather a minimum. While his figures for 1927 are somewhat higher than those hitherto published, the latter dealt only with foreign loans publicly, offered in America, while his figures include issues privately placed, purchases of properties abroad, and similar investments not involving the sale of securities. It is difficult for us to realize what a brain-daz-zling thing has happened to our United States in the last few years. It has come upon us too quickly, At that, the above resume is far from being a complete survey, for there is foreign trade, a $10,000,* 000,000 a year institution, providing jobs for hundreds of thousands of our citizens. And our territorial possession worth billions more. All told, we have a foreign stake to watch over, foster and protect, worth something like $50,000,000,000, or more than half what our total national wealth amounted to no longer ago than 1900. And yet some folks say we have no interest in foreign affairs. Some of our politicians—even some who aspire to the presidency—affect to sneer every time they hear it suggested that our interests are international in scope. Imagine such a person in charge of the nation’s business! Whether we like it or not, fate, or what you will, has made America a leader of the world and the richest of all nations. Our interests have become universal, inexorably so. Today we have more to look after overseas than we had here at home 50 years ago and any political spellbinder who tries to tell you different is a Rip Van Winkle stirring in his sleep. Just mark him down as such and pass on. Conditions in the Coal Fields The congressional investigation visit to the Pennsylvania coal fields has served to verify many charges made in recent months by striking miners. Four Senators visited mines ana camps, and interviewed workers, operators and public officers. They seemed unanimous in their opinion that the courts and the police power of the State were being used in violation of the Constitution to oppress the striking workers. They found that injunctions had been issued to forbid picketing, the gathering of strikers in groups in public places, advertising in newspapers to persuade other men not to work, and performing other acts which Senators declared the strikers had every right to do under the Constitution. They found that large number of deputy sheriffs and coal and iron police were maintained at company expense, although operating under State warrant, throughout the strike region. They heard tales of the eviction of thousands of miners and their families from company houses. They collected evidence which indicates, on its face, an amazing lack of humanity in the attitude of the operators toward the workers. They found living conditions of almost unbelievable squalor among strike breakers and strikers alike. The testimony of Senator Frank R. Gooding of Idaho, normally temperate ill his expressions, is typical of the group: “Conditions which exist in the strike-torn regions of the Pittsburgh district are a blot upon American civilization. It is inconceivable that such squalor, suffering, misery and distress should be tolerated in the heart of one of the richest industrial centers of the world. “The committee found men, women and children living in hovels which are more insanitary than a modern swine pen. They are breeding places of sickness and crime. . . . “The dispute is more than a local fight between the union and a group of coal operators. It is an industrial war that affects the entire Nation. . . Thinking Campaigns Politics is quieter than it used to be. A few years ago a presidential campaign meant lots of excitement, with torchlight processions, impassioned stump speakers and blaring brass bands. The color has gone out of it now. The campaign is conducted quietly. Probably this is a change for the better. Presidential campaigns call for clear thinking on the part of the voter. And certainly brass bands and torchlight parades didn’t Induce thinking. Their appeal was solely to the emotions. Know What You’re Voting For The national “get out the vote” campaign has already begun. Efforts will be made to get an unprecedented number of people,to the polls in this year's presidential election. It’s a worthy aim, to be sure. But, after all, there isn't much sense in voting if you don’t know just exactly what you’re voting for. A vote unintelligently cast can be worse for the community than no vote at all. Get out the vote, by all means. But see to it that the stay-at-homes you bring to the polls know What it’s all about. . ..

The Indianapolis Times (A SCRIfi S-HOWARD NEWSPAPER) Owned and published dally (except Sunday) by The Indianapolis Times Publishing Cos.. 314-220 W. Maryland Street, Indianapolis, Ind. Price in Marion County, 2 cents—lo cents a week; elsewhere, 3 cents—l 2 cents a week. BOYD GURLEY, ROY W. HOWARD. PRANK G. MORRISON, Editor. President. Business Manager. PHONE—MAIN 3500. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 29. 1928. Member of United Press. Scrlpps-Howard Newspaper Alliance. Newspaper Enterprise Association, “Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way.”— Dante.

An Opportunity for Comparison The indictment of Edward Kidwell, juror in the Fall-Sinclair conspiracy case, who is reported to have said he expected to get an automobile “as long as a block” out of the trial, is being sought by the United States District Attorney in Washington. Kidwell was instrumental in bringing about a mistrial, and may be indicted for contempt of court. It will be interesting to see whether Kidwell, a man without means, is as successful in evading jail as the multimillionaire Harry F. Sinclair. Sinclair was adjudged guilty of contempt by the Senate nearly four years ago, and still is out cf jail. He has been indicted, tried and convicted, and will not go to jail before next summer—if at all. He still has two courts in which to argue appeals. An almost endless vista of litigation stretches in front of two other contempt proceedings, that of Sinclair for having the Fall-Sinclair jurors shadowed, and that of Robert W. Stewart for refusing to answer questions of the Senate. Kidwell’s case should furnish interesting information on the question of whether the law applies equally to rieji and poor. Senator Norris Year after year, Senator George W. Norris of Nebraska has led the fight to keep Muscle Shoals from passing into the hands of the power interests. Again this fight is being waged on the Senate floor and Senator Norris is in the thick of the battle. For two days he has been battering down the opposition with fact after fact to show that, no matter what the disguise, any attempt on the part of i private interests to lease Muscle Shoals is an effort of j the power companies to get control of resources in 1 which the Government has invested close (o $200,000,090. Norris may not get his own plan of Government; operation adopted, but he does keep private hands off the power. Not only has Norris devoted much of his. time and effort to this one thing, but he has spent several! thousand dollars of his own money to collect facts to j use against his opponents. Every one knows of Senator Norris and the fight j he is making. This is written to thank him and to j let him know that the public appreciates wbat he is j doing. Debt and Extravagance Willard B. Pillsbury, banker, announces that four- i fifths of all wage earners are in debt. Only about a quarter ot the country's population, he says, are free , from financial worries. This sounds rather appalling. But there are debts and debts. The man who owes for a home, an automobile, a piano or furniture may be in the soundest kind of financial condition. Extravagance is one thing, and going into debts that can be met promptly and without strain is another. ' There are times when the wisest thing a man can do is go in*o debt. It is only when debts are incurred unwisely, or when misfortune brings a flocks of bills greater than income can meet, that there is trouble. Meeting the Japanese The Japanese government, believing that its present arbitration treaties with other nations have too many loopholes and "exceptions” in them, may seek to revise them and make them more all-inclusive, according to dispatches from Geneva. Among the treaties is one with the United States, soon to expire. Japan is said to be ready to redraft this to make it a more effective anti-war intrument. Somehow we don’t hear as much of the “Japanese peril” as we used to. It is slowly becoming evident that the Japanese want to be friendly, and that the dreaded specter of war in the Pacific can be forever averted if we will go to the trouble of meeting them half way.

Are You a Machine? BY BRUCE CATTON

The things that men boast of sometimes are queer. Theodore Cognacq, wealthiest merchant of France, died the other day at 89. It was his especial boast that during his long career he never had missed a day at his office. This was a record of which he was highly proud. Industry doubtless is one of the higher virtues; but there is something almost terrifying In the thought of M. Cognacq's devotion to his business. To convert oneself into a machine, running with monotonous regularity, consuming countless columns of figures, taking over the functions of cash register and filing cabinet, hardly seems the highest possible development for which a man may aim. We have all read enough copy books to know that “life is real, life is earnest.” But the man who refuses to spend all of his days in toiling and getting —the man who insists on his heaven-born right to loaf occasionally—has never been praised half enough. There are times when idleness is a great virtue. For here is the unfortunate thing about a life like that of M. Cognacq; just when you have reached the acme of efficiency—just when you have become fully reconciled to the grindstone against which you are eternally forcing your nose—your life comes to an end. And what have you had? Nothing that the ant has not had in equal measure. Life offers a great many things that can be enjoyed only in idleness. And these things are too precious to miss. There are winding roads through rolling countrysides, where petals from apple blossoms drift lazily down through the long spring days. * There are roads that rise over green mountains, with unexpected curves now and then where half a dozen counties lie like colored maps, spread out at your feet. There are long stretches of sea shore, with yellow sand, white surf and blue water. There are tiny lakes hidden in quiet uplands, where clean winds will ruffle your hair and blow the dust out of your heart. These things are the common property of all who own as much as a six-year-old flivver. And they are boons beyond price. They remain with you through all your days. They provide inner retreats to which you can retire without leaving your chair. They furnish conviction that life is a grander, more beautiful affair than is dreamed of in offices and factories. And they can be had only by those who know how to loaf. Continued idleness is a curse, of course. But it isn't much worse than no idleness at all. The man who takes M. Cognacq as his model may become wealthy. But he will not be a man to be envied.

. THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

BRIDGE ME ANOTHER (Copyright, 1928. by The Ready Reference Publishing Company) BY W. W. WENTWORTH

(Abbreviations: A—ace: K—king; Q—oueen; J—jack; X—any card lower thar. 10.) 1. When you hold: spades—J 10 XXX; hearts—XX; diamonds—AK X; clubs—XXX; what should you bid initially? 2. How does bridge resemble radio? 3. What does pass by initial bidder indicate? The Answers 1. Pass. 2. The partners should e continually sending each other radios. f 3. That he is too weak to make any bid in suit or no-trump.

Times Readers Voice Views

The name and address of the author must accompany every contribution, but on request will not be published. Letters not exceeding 200 words will receive preference. To the Editor: The latest addition to the false prophets of today seems to be our present Secretary of State of Indiana and candidate for the governorship, Frederick E. Schortemeier who will cry: "Prosperity! (Peace) Prosperity! (Peace) when there is no I prosperity (peace).” This seems to be | the studied program of our RepubliI can friends, office-holders and can- | didates, to creato a kind of "psychological" prosperity and keep up II he prosperity cry. According to the Labor Review of August, 1927, published by the United States Department of Labor, we have among us from ten to fifteen millions of people who do not share as they should in the prosperity enjoyed by the rest of us. Several months ago at the Los Angeles convention of the American Federation of Labor it was stated that more than a million workers are out of employment, while three and a half million are working on part time. R. G. Dun & Cos. reports: “Commercial failures in the United States in January were the largest for all months since January, 1922.’’ During the greater part of 1927 we were told that “unemployment conditions were improving,” and nov we are filled \tith “optimism for 1928.” The real situation is this: "We are making so much of everything that some people haven't got anything.” I If conditions do not improve in the near future we will be told “it is always so during presidential campaign years.” We have now the highest protective tariff in the history of our country, we have “sound money,” we have an “elastic currency” through the Federal Reserve System, we have a Republican administration which will permit no “tinkering with the tariff,’’ a broad expanse of country with twenty people to the square: mile, whereas England. France and Germany have some 200 inhabitants to the same area. We are rich in natural resources, blessed with a diversity of climate; no obstruction of trade between our States as in'Europe and yet the latest reports are that “some 4,000,000 people are out of work in this country.” Competition as reported by some New York business man will le “still keener in 1928 than in 1927.” Truly, as a New York review stated: "The relief and remedy of unemployment should be one of the leading issues of the day.” Oh. yes, Mr. Schortemeier business is good, all you have to do is go after it.”—and get it if you can. And working men and women, ‘there are plenty of jobs, just go after them and try and get them.” Is he aware that during November and December seven jobless persons committed suicide in Indianapolis? And the pity of it is that so many good people are of the opinion that all the nation needs is “good men in office,” and the question of prosperity for all people will be thus solved automatically. CHARLES H. KRAUSE, SR., 674 E. Drive, Woodruff PI. To the Editor: I saw in Monday’s Times the talk about women working. Let the women read 113th Psalm, 9th verse. “He maketh the barren woman to keep house and to be a joyful mother of children.” What is a woman for if she can’t stay at home, keep up the house and raise children right? She sure will have to give account of all at the day of judgment. M. E. B.

SlHlolE F IQIOIT

The Rules 1. The idea of letter golf is to change one word to another and do it in par, or a given number of strokes. Thus, to change COW to HEN in three strokes, COW, HOW, HEW, HEN. 2. You can change only one letter at a time. 3. You must have a complete word of common usage for each jump. Slang words and abbreviations don’t count. 4. The order of letters can not be changed.

GIOILID _B _o__L_ D_ _B BURY

That Springtime Office Feeling

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Schools Dispel Darkness of Age

IT became a religious duty to obey an anointed kine; and the theory of the divine rights of kings—“kings by the grace of God” —was set upon a road that would not end until our generation. But also it left in the hands of the popes a power of "interdict’’—a power to absolve subjects from fealty to their king—which made the papacy, after the death of Charlemagne. predominate over the Empire; it laid upon the State the obligation of maintaining the prerogatives and inviolability of the Church in its property and personnel: and is initiated those earthly territorial rights which were to form the problem of the “temporal power.” This power had its origin in the supposed “Donation of Constantine.” We find no mention of this amon| contemporary historians before the eighth century; then Adrian the First writes to Charlemagne exhorting him to Imitate the generosity of Constantine, and tells him how the first Christian emperor, healed of the leprosy and baptized by St. Silvester, gratefully withdrew to Constantinople, and resigned to the Popes the perpetual sovereignty of Italy and the provinces of the West. Charlemagne responded with simple generosity, and donated to the Popes that central section of Italy which became the foundation of the Papal States. An event in history even when it has never taken place —is like a movement among the stars: it has endless results in space and time. an CROWNED and secure. Charlemagne returned to France, waged further wars, and then retired to the prosaic life of his court and his concubines. His virtues did not include chastity; and he contributed liberally to

Hartford City News Attorney General Gilliom is turning on the light on the KuKlux Klan and the exposure tells the same story as that wherever the organization has grown strong enough to become impudent and insolent. From Old Doc Evans to the minor officers in the different States, the klan has been rotten. Thousands of good citizens were beguiled into joining, only to soon find that they had made a serious mistake and taken up with the wrong crowd. From a membership of almost 200,000 in Indiana at one time, the numbers have dwindled, until today there are only 4,000 members paying dues. Thousands have been trying for a long time to live down the memory of the day they made the error into applying for membership. They were misled and it did not take them but a short time to learn that the whole organization was built upon the wrong theory and was in the hands of men who never had either the good of the individual or the government at heart. Kokomo Jyispatch Since the announcement was made by our fellow townsman, John E. Frederick of his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for Governor, his campaign has received generous space from the newspapers of the State. Many of the newspapers, both large and small, have devoted considerable space to telling of the record, platform and characteristics of Mr. Frederick. From the start his candidacy has received favorable mention from the press, many papers editorially endorsing his candidacy and urging his nomination in strong and no uncertain terms. A part of this editorial comment has been reprinted by The Dispatch in order that the Kokomo friends of Mr. Frederick might know in what high esteem he is held over the State generally. Certainly such general endorsement should encourage Kokomo people. In announcing his candidacy

THE STORY OF CIVILIZATION

Written for The Times by Will Durant ■

the birth rate. But these were modest vices for so great a king, and indicated merely one side cf a varied appetite which ranged from eggs and maidens to philosophy. Though he himself could hardly read, and strove in vain, between venison and vencry, to learn the now rare accomplishment of wmiting, he ordered the clerics and scholars of his time (in 789) to open the schools of every parish to such of the people as were lucky enough to be males and to give them again the instrumentalities of civilization. He felt the darkness of his age, and envied the cultural attainments of the ancient kings of whom some tradition had filtered down through the decay of letters and of social memory. One hundred years before his birth, the supply of papyrus had run short, or trade in it had ceased; now only costly parchment could be had, and it seemed sacrilegious to use this for anything but hymns and prayers. The towns, those crossroads of commerce where ideas had been exchanged as well as goods, had melted away into the agricultural hinterland, and rural isolation had nourished stupidity and superstition. The great cities that had housed and cherished literature at Athens, Alexandria, Carthage and Rome—had been sacked by invaders, or their libraries had been destroyed; and many precious manuscripts of classic genius had been lost through indifference, or overtraced with pious lore. St. Jerome had condemned the pursuit of learning; those who enjoyed profane literature were in his judgment doomed to hell; and they might consider themselves fortunate if God did not, as they read the classics, strike them dead. It was better to recite the Rosary than to read Plato or Cicero. Ig-

What Other Editors Think

and sounding the keynote of his campaign, Mr. Frederick has struck a popular chord, which no doubt accounts for a large meu.iure of the favor with which he is being received. Instead of “harping ’ upon corruption and fraud and threatening to lead crusaders, investigations, probes and prosecutions, Mr. Fredrick, while making it plain that he intends to “clean house” much as a business man would do who went into an establishment and found itse organization honey-

Questions and Answers

You can get an answer to any answerable question of fact or Information by writing to Frederick M. Kerby, Question Editor. The Indianapolis Times. Washington Bureau, 1322 New York Ave., Washington, D. C.. enclosing two cents in stamps for reply. Medical and legal advice cannot be given, nor can extended research be made. All other Questions will receive a personal reply. Unsigned requests cannot be answered. All .Jeters are confidential. You are corflfally invited to make use of this free service as often as you please. EDITOR. Is there a magazine devoted to tennis? American Lawn Tennis is published monthly at 461 Eighth Ave., New York; yearly subscription, $4. Are all employes of the Federal Government exempt from income fox? No. What tools were used by the Indians in arrow making? American Indians used flakers for shaping the stone heads; straighteners, wrench-like objects of bone, and polishers of grooved sandstone for working out the shafts. A good account of the process is given in Hodge’s Handbook of the American Indian. How are shrimps caught? Shrimp fishing occurs chiefly in shallow water. It is carried on usually by wading, the shrimper pushing a wide mouthed net in front of him. Shrimps are extensively caught for market in San Francisco Bay.

i norance was looked upon as the | “mother of devotion”; astronomy | became astrology, chemistry became alchemy, and biology became mere fables of talking animals. Gregory, bishop of Tours (and. 594), lamented in bad Latin, the illiteracy of his age: “Woe to our time, for the study of books has perished from among us.” an it TO establish a center for diffusion and emulation from which the taste for letters might trickle down to the people, Charlemagne called to his aid the great English scholar, Alcuin. and bade him establish a school in the royal palace where young princes and nobles might study Latin and so bridged the gap that had grown between them and the ancient mind. Charles himself, as modest as greatness always is, sat now and then among the students, and strove to lift himself from the level of a king to that of an educated man. There in that school the European mind w T as born again. When Charles the Greaß died, in the year 814, the fatal flaw of monarchies appeared. His son and heir was a mediocrity in whose hands the great realm fell to pieces. Charlemagne himself had weakened it by grants of land to his generals in payment for their services. These soldiers (comites) became comtes, vicomtes and counts, these leaders (duces) became dukes, and these guardians of the “marches” (marks, frontiers) became margraves and marquises; the feudal powder sprouted in a hundred places at once in an empire too unwieldy to be ruled except by a continuity of geniuses, or with such instrumentalities of order as had passed with the fall of Rome. (Copyright, 1928. by Will Durant) (To Be Continued)

combed with defrauders, emberzzlers and spendthrifts, has centered attention upon a constructive program of redemption of Indiana and is urging such measures as will increase the prosperity activity, progressiveness and well-being of the State. The public undoubtedly wants a “house cleaning” but there is no indication that they desire to have the fact incessantly dinned into their ears. They prefer to look at a brighter picture of the future, and that is what John Fredrick is offering them.

What do the names Margaret and Veronica mean? Margaret is from the Greek and means “ a pearl.” Veronica is also from the Greek and means “a true image.” How fast does light travel? As the culmination of years of painstaking effort, Professor Michelson announced to the National Academy of Sciences of which he is president, a final figure for the speed of light. It is 299,796 kilometers of 186,284 miles per second. What is the population of Kingston, Jamaica? 62,562. What Is the unit of money In Soviet Russia and what is its value? The legal unit is the ruble of 100 kopecks, and the par value in •United States currency is 51.46 cents. Currencies in circulation are: Chervontsi notes issued by the States bank against gold reserves, but inconvertable at ppresent; treasury notes; silver coins and copper coins. Where Is “The Painted Desert?” The name is sometimes applied to the plateau region of Arizona, bordering upon the Colorado and Marble canons. The term is derived from the brilliant coloring of its rock surfaces.

.FEB. 29, 1928

M. E. TRACY SAYS: “It Is Said That No Less Than 75,000 Americans Celebrate Feb. 29 as Their Birthday. To My Mind This Is a Very Low Estimate.”

People bom on Feb. 29 are out of luck. They miss three out ct four candle-lit cakes when they are young and the same proportion of family gatherings and neighborhood celebrations if they are lucky enough to grow old. If they were not in the minority something would be done about itj As it is they can only call attention to their misfortune and blame Julius Caesar. The chances are that he does not mind, besides which he did very well under the circumstances. nan Caesar Corrects Calendar When Julius Caesar adopted Rome as a plaything he found the calendar in great confusion. Previous to that time, the Roman year contained 355 days, which was a week and a half too short and which was certainly running the seasons, the equinoxes and everything else off schedule. When Caesar came on the scene he found summer where spring ought to be. The year was beginning some ninety days ahead of time. With his usual quickness of decision and disregard of precedent, Caesar took one look, saw what was the matter and corrected it by tucking in three extra months into the year 47 B. C. Then he sat down with Sosigenes to figure out how thj fault could be permanently remedied. You hear a lot about the dictators of today, Mussolinis, Pilsudskis and Stalins, but there is not one of them who would dare undertake such a thing or who has the power to carry it out if he did. tt u u Scorn for Fractions Sosigenes calculated that it took the world 365% days to make its revolution, but a military man like Caesar would have no fractions in his calendar, so he compromised human affairs with heavenly time tables by ordering that three out of every four years should contain 365 days and that the fourth should contain 366. Sosigenes had made a mistake of 11 minutes and 14 seconds in his conclusion which had to be corrected some nineteen centures later, but that is another story. tt tt tt Months Are Installed Having decided that ttie regular year should contain 365 days, Caesar divided it into twelve months—six of thirty-one days, five of thirty and one, February, of twenty-nine. Why he picked on February is a mystery, since he might have avoided it by ordering five months of thirty-one days and seven of thirty. He probably had his reasons, but that, too, is another story. At all events, he sent poor old February rolling down the ages with a handiegap from which it has never recovered. tt u tt Steal From Smallest When Caesar was assassinated, the Romans paid him the compliment of naming July in his honor, and when his no less distinguished nephew, Augustus, died, they offered up August in a similar way. But August had only thirty days while July had thirty-one, and that was an intolerable disparity to perpetuate between the two Caesars. The obvious thing was to steal a day from some other month in order to make August equal with July, and what month could better spare it than the littlest of them all. By such roundabout and delightfully human processes was February reduced to twenty-eight days. tt tt tt Birthday of Many It is said that no less than 75,000 Americans celebrate Feb. 29 as their birthday. To my mind, this is a very low estimate. There are approximately 110,000,000 people living in this country. If the same number of them had been born each day of the year, it would average about 300,000. That is not true, of course, because the birth rate, like everything else, has its ups and downs. With an average of 300,000, however, it is difficult to believe that Feb. 29 is not represented by more than 75,000. Among others who claim the distinction of having a birthday only once in four years is Rear Admiral Colby M. Chester, retired. He was born Feb. 29, 1844. it tt a The Day in History According to the “everyday book” by Joel Munsell, that is the day on which the great gun “peacemaker” exploded on the board of the United States man-of-war, “Princeton,” killing the secretary of state, the secretary of the navy, a colonel, a captain and the colored sevvant of President Tyler. Other authorities give a different day for this event. Maclay’s “History of the Navy” says that it occurred on Feb. 23 in one place and on Feb. 28 in another. But let thi-.B pass. The “Princeton” was the first screw-driven ship ever commissioned in the American navy. The "Peacemaker,” modeled after a gun cast by John Ericsson some years previously, was the largest wrought iron cannon made up to that time. It was of 12-inch bore and threw a projectile weighing 212 pounds. The propellor and this gun made the ‘Princeton” the nation’s pride, and -when she appeared in the Potomac for maneuvers and target practice, Washington turned out in all its glory. The President, his cabinet and several other distinguished guests went on board to see the great gun do its stuff. At the third discharge it exploded, with the fatal results above recorded and with the effect of putting a damper on the installation of anything bigger than a nine-inch gun for the next twenty years.