Evening star. [volume], April 24, 1948, Page A-6, Image 6

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With Sunday Morning Edition.
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A—« SATURDAY, April 24, 1948
The Public and the Courts
- Symbolic of the growing public interest
* In the machinery of justice is the Cosmo
politan Club’s selection of Chief Justice
Bolitha J. Laws for its 1947 Distinguished
Service Medal award. This fine tribute to
the presiding judge of the District Court
is concrete evidence of the co-operative
relationship which has developed in Wash
ington in recent years between the courts
and the public which they serve. The sit
uation today iS refreshingly different from
that which prevailed in the dark twenties
and thirties, when lawlessness was ramp
ant and faith in law enforcement was at
low ebb throughout the country.
In accepting the award, Justice Laws
commented that much of the blame for
the disfavor which befell the courts in
times past can be assigned to the courts
themselves. Judges, as a general rule,
were too inclined to remain aloof from the
public. They failed to mingle with the
people—the lawyers, the businessmen, the
average citizens—and they resented criti
cism of the courts, however justified it
might be. Within the past few years,
however, judges have become less detached
from the community and more tolerant
of suggestions for improvement of the ad
ministration of justice. Justice Laws is
an outstanding example of the public
spirited jurist who, while maintaining the
dignity of the bench, has won public con
fidence by discussing frankly with the
people the problems confronting the
courts.
But even intelligent judges of the Laws
type cannot do a complete job of building
public respect for the courts under such
handicaps as those which prevail at Dis
trict Court. Crowded courtrooms, inade
quate jpry facilities, witness rooms filled
to overflowing and other undesirable con
ditions are deterrents to prompt and
effective functioning of the machinery of
justice. These are among the major
problems with which Justice Laws and his
colleagues must contend. They have not
hesitated to ask for public support in
their urgent requests to Congress for a
new courthouse. They have given mem
bers of Congress opportunity to see for
themselves the disgraceful conditions
under which justice is being meted out
In Washington.
The responsibility now rests with Con
gress. Fortunately, the outlook is brighter
for passage of legislation for a new build
ing than at any time in the past. The
bill has been classified as emergency legis
lation—which it certainly is—and may
reach the floor next week. If it passes,
another long step forward in the improve
ment of law enforcement in the District
will have been taken.
U. N. Plebiscite for Kashmir
A new test of the authority and prestige
of the United Nations is involved in the
decision of the Security Council to con
duct a plebiscite of the inhabitants of
Kashmir to decide whether they wish to
join the Dominion of India or Pakistan.
The Kashmir issue is a highly explosive
one, not only because it is the chief apple
of discord between India and Pakistan,
but also because of Kashmir’s strategic
position, situated as it is on the north
western apex of the Indian subcontinent,
adjacent to Afghanistan, the Soviet Union,
Chinese Turkistan and Tibet. British
experts have gone so far as to term the
Kashmir dispute the most dangerous in
the world, while delegates of India and
Pakistan have repeatedly warned that the
local fighting in Kashmir could develop
Into a general war throughout the Indian
subcontinent, with truly catastrophic con
sequences.
The Security Council’s decision to handle
the problem comes after four months of
hearings before itself, preceded by pro
longed but vain negotiations between India
and Pakistan. Indeed, both Dominions
protested the plan adopted for the plebi
scite, since neither was satisfied with some
of the regulations. Incidentally, it is in
teresting to note that Soviet Russia took
no part in framing the program, abstain
> lng from voting and offering no comment.
The plan sets up a five-nation commis
sion which will go to Kashmir to organize,
conduct and supervise the holding of the
plebiscite. The Security Council has ad
vised both India and Pakistan to do every
thing possible to aid the commission and
to allay current disorders. In case of
trouble, the commission can call on either
or both Dominions for help. Disregard of
the Council’s instructions would contra
vene the Dominions’ U. N. obligations,
while refusal of either party to accept the
outcome of the plebiscite would be a still
more serious matter.
The commission certainly has its work
cut out for itself. Kashmir is the scene
of bitter fighting between Indian troops
sent in at the request of the Hindu ruler,
who wants to join India, and a large por
tion of his subjects, most of whom are
Moslems, seemingly desirous of joining
Pakistan. The situation is further com
plicated by the presence of fanatical
Moslem tribesmen from the semi-inde
pendent frontier region adjoining Afghan
istan, who have entered Kashmir apross
Pakistan territory, apparently with the
*
0
connivance of the Pakistan authorities.
India bitterly protests this connivance,
while Pakistan charges that the Indian
troops in Kashmir are terrorizing the local
Moslems and preventing them from their
justifiable political activity. Just how the
commission will function in the complex
situation remains to be seen.
A troubled world will watch intently this -
exercise of U. N. initiative. Kashmir is
not the only issue between the Hindus and
Moslems of the Indian subcontinent. Yet
it is the most sensitive and explosive aspect
of their differences. A successful and
statesmanlike handling of the Kashmir
problem by the U. N. might go far toward
easing tension between India and Pakistan
while enhancing the prestige and author
ity of the United Nations everywhere.
Progress at Bogota
The Inter-American Conference of
twenty-one nations is vindicating by its
actions the wisdom of the decision to
continue its sessions at Bogota despite the
disruptive effects of the uprising on
April 9.
As might have been expected, that
anarchic interlude insured the passage of
an anti-Communist declaration proclaim
ing vigorous condemnation of totalitarian
tactics in furtherance of world-wide revo
lution. The universal nature of the prob
lem was specifically recognized by the
statement that the world situation de
mands urgent measures to keep “agents
in the service of international communism,
or of any other totalitarianism, from
tampering with the true will of the peoples
of the Western Hemisphere.” And, while
Soviet Russia was not named, the role of
Moscow was clearly indicated when the
declaration goes on to condemn “the inter
ference of any foreign power or of any
political organization serving the interests
of a foreign power” in the life of the
Americas. It is noteworthy that this
trenchant declaration was adopted by the
conference unanimously and with no dis
senting arguments in the lengthy discus
sion which preceded its adoption. All this
goes far to undo the temporary harm
inflicted by the Bogota uprising. The
associated nations of the New World thus
affirm their solidarity against the menace
of totalitarian revolution and dictatorship.
Another cause for satisfaction is passage
by the conference of an innocuous resolu
tion on the so-called “colonial” issue. Re
cent assertion of claims to territories in
long-term British polsession by Argentina,
Chile and Guatemala had inspired a move
ment among a number of Latin American
nations to urge indorsement by the con
ference of the principle that all territories
now held in the Western Hemisphere by
non-American powers should be emanci
pated from their “colonial” status. This
movement has been strongly opposed by
the United States, not only because of the
complications it would cause with Britain,
France and the Netherlands, but also
because it would contravene one of the
basic tenets of the Monroe Doctrine—that
existing New World possessions of non
American powers should not be interfered
with. Furthermore, the weight of evidence
tends to show that the inhabitants of these
colonial possessions do not wish any such
change and might be unfavorably affected
if detached from their historic connection.
■ The resolution in question, from which
the United States significantly abstained,
recognizes the “just aspiration” of the
American republics to end occupation of
American territories by foreign powers and
advocates setting up a commission to study
“pacific means” for adjusting the so-called
colonial problems of this hemisphere. The
net result should be to put this ticklish
issue safely “on ice,” at least for the
immediate future.
The Atom and Cancer
At a time when nearly all the headlines
invite gloom, it is decidedly refreshing to
be told that our Atomic Energy Commis
sion now is producing in abundance a
relatively costless substitute for radium.
This is good news, and it is news of first
importance. Indeed, in terms of the treat
ment of cancer, it is the most encouraging
development of its kind since the harness
ing of the atom.
As explained by Chairman Lilienthal,
the AEC's new product is cobalt 60.
Manufactured by subjecting ordinary
cobalt to radiation in a small uranium
graphite pile at Oak Ridge, it is a radio
isotope that gives every promise of being
at least as effective as radium, and much
easier to use, in fighting malignant growths
in the human body. This does not mean
that man is within reach of a cure for
cancer, but it does mean that he now has
an instrument that will be of enormous
help to him in treating the disease.
This can be better understood when we
keep in mind that there are in the United
States today only about twenty-six ounces
of radium. The total constitutes most of
the world’s supply, and it costs at least
$20,000 a gram, or approximately $560,000
an ounce. On the other hand, radioactive
cobalt 60, whose penetrating power is
much greater, can be produced in such
abundance that the Atomic Energy Com
mission is selling it for $33 a gram and
may soon charge nothing at all for it.
In other words, where doctors and hospitals
heretofore have been severely handi
capped by radium’s scarcity and expensive
ness. they now will have access to a very
plentiful and very cheap substitute ex
pected to be just as effective in aiding
’ cancer victims.
According to AEC experts, the substitute
has a half life of only 5.3 years, which
means that it loses half its radiation in
that time, as against 1,400 years for
radium. But the difference is of no prac
tical importance since cobalt 60 can be
produced at will in great quantity. As
for using it generally in the treatment of
cancer, another two or three years may
be needed to establish safe, standardized
doses—a remarkably, brief period compared
to the quarter of a century it took to
standardize the radium dosage. There is
reason to believe, moreover, that the sub
stitute may be better in dealing with
certain types of cancerous tissue.
Mr. Lilienthal and others at the AEC
have been at pains to emphasize that this
new radioactive material is by no means
a cure. It is simply an alleviating weapon
in the fight against a terrible disease.
But it is a most important weapon, and
nothing could better illustrate the benefi
cent potentialities of nuclear fission—po
a ' ■
tentialities that may yet show man how
to conquer not only cancer, but other
dread scourges as well.
In sum, like carbon 14—whose produc
tion a few years ago would have cost
$1,000,000 a millicurie, as against only $50
now—cobalt 60 belongs to the great new
family of radioisotopes beckoning man to
a healthier and happier world. In its own
way, it is another bright promise that the
atom, if properly used, will do us gocfd,
not evil; will be a mighty tool not for
death but for life.
A Man of Distinction
One of the big stars of the current Ring
ling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus
is a remarkable Austrian named Franz
Furtner. He is remarkable because he does
something that nobody else in the world
seems able to do. He balances himself on
the tip of his index finger—head down,
feet straight up in the air, and the whole
weight of his body supported by that
single, sensational, peerless, daredevil little
digit.
To get an idea of the magnitude of Mr.
Furtner’s feat, one has merely to try doing
the same thing. It is impossible. It is
beyond belief. Yet the man does it. He
does it every day. He has been doing it
for years, even on top of some of Europe’s
tallest buildings. As far as is known, there
is no one anywhere who can match him.
He stands apart. He is unique. There are
plenty of tightrope walkers, concert pian
ists, poets, painters and statesmen, but he
alone among all types of people can
balance himself on a finger.
In fact, it seems safe to say that never
before in history has any human being
done what Mr. Furtner does daily. Prob
ably, until he came along, nobody felt
inclined to devote much time to the idea.
As for himself, though, after practicing at
it for almost a decade, he has made an
art and career of it just as others have
done with poetry, music, banking, politics,
etc., etc. What was it that inspired him,
years ago, to choose his specialty? What
drove him to keep at it? What sense of
values was it that filled him with a burn
ing desire to make his index finger the
most outstanding index finger in the
world?
Such questions are for the philosophers
and the psychologists. As far as Mr.
Furtner is concerned, the answers, if any,
can matter little. It is enough for him
to know that he makes a good living with
his peculiar talent. Beyond that, if he is
so disposed, he can derive a kind of
spiritual satisfaction from the fact that
there is one thing at least that he can
do that no other human being has yet
been known to do. He has something on
the rest of us there. He is a genuine man
of distinction.
Rearmament talk centers now on a draft
which would be “limited.” It would have
to be that, if Eisenhower is firm in the
insistence that they include him out.
In Washington State a woodsman has
built himself a home out of a cedar stump
10 feet high and seven feet thick, and
the moths will hate it.
A Hollywood authority on sounds names
S and F as the weakest in the language.
Our thought would halve been “But, dar
ling, I can explain—”
This and That
By Charles Es Tracewell
Want your house gutters cleaned out?
Look up a friendly blue jay.
One of these big fellows has been operating
recently in our front gutter, and the amount of
black, decayed leaves he has pecked out is
amazing.
No doubt he was looking for grubs, full
grown insects, and maybe insect eggs, since
almost anything is likely to be found in such
leaf masses.
The blue jay, vigorous, happy, full of fun, Is
never so full o’ pep as in the springtime.
He has the nest on his mind, and the rearing
of the young.
The increasing warmth does it, to all appear
ances, but scientists tell us that it is rather
the increasing light.
* * * *
The blue jay in the house gutter is a merry
bird soul.
There just beneath the roof—and eaves, if
there are any—he works away, digging into
the homogeneous mass the leaves have become.
Locust leaves, in particular, make a fine
mulch, for that is what the material has be
come, subjected as it has been to plenty of
water, rain and the action of frost.
The jay, whose powerful neck is almost as
strong as that of a woodpecker, braces him
self on the rim of the gutter, and then drives
with his big bill.
Often he brings up something good to eat.
* * * *
In doing so, however, he dislodges some of
the material, much to the distress of the tidy
housewife, who finds it all over the walks.
It is black, rich, in the gardening sense.
What the jay throws out, should be gathered
up and put on the flower beds. It should not
be wasted.
Even the greatest bird lover will admit that
the jay. as a gutter cleaner, misses a great deal.
Despite the overflow he makes on the walk,
there is more left aloft than he sends down.
The gardener is tempted to think up some
way to induce the jay to put in a few more
hours, and do a better over-all job of it.
If the bird could be trained to keep at it, he
would be quite as efficient as any man-with-a
ladder.
* * * *
That is the trouble, come to think of it, with
all the animals and birds as human helpers.
There is no way to induce them to take their
extra job seriously!
Consider the birds, for instance, in regard
to insect control.
We are told, in all solemnity, how many tons
of weed seeds they eat a year, how many hop
perfuls of inimical insects, but when we look
around the yard it is difficult to see them doing
anything of the kind.
The result is that many honest people fail
to believe, down in their hearts, that the birds
help us at all.
* * * *
Reason the thing out, however, and they will
realize that an insect in the grass is pretty
small.
A weed seed is even smaller.
It is difficult, practically impossible, to see
either the seed or insect as it goes down the
bird throat.
It goes down, however, be assured of that.
There can be little question that humanity
is much indebted to the birds. Not, of course,
that the birds gather in conventions and pass
resolutions affirming their undying affection
for mankind, therefore be it resolved that each
titmouse be ordered to eat 999 insects "com
monly held to be inimical to the best welfare
of our great friends, men, their wives and
children.”
Birds are not so silly.
They leave resolutions and rules of order
to humans. Such matters do well enough
for the latter. They must need such "rules.”
in order to keep from quarreling, even from
fighting.
The birds, with superior wisdom, simply do
what nature calls for, and she, in her general
intelligence, calls both for what is good for
them and for mankind.
Letters to The Star
Professional Engineers’ Responsibility
To the Editor of The Star:
The District must have a law that will give
the public protection ^against incompetent,
unscrupulous or inexperienced persons design
ing or constructing such horror traps as the
Empire Building which collapsed last December.
Any law that does less than require that the
actual design of such projects be <Jone by H*
censed professional engineers and that the con
struction be actually supervised by such compe
tent persons is a travesty upon the public and
not worth the paper upon which it is printed.
The Engineering Joint Council, which repre
sents all of the major engineering societies and
associations of the District, is now sponsoring
before Congress a bill that does far less than
this.
This bill is designated as HR 4884 and S 2031.
It allows persons with absolutely no previous
engineering training or technical experience
to perform the actual design and construction
supervision of such projects. All that is re
quired by this bill is that a licensed professional
engineer assume the responsibility—morally
and financially—for each recurrence of a struc
tural collapse which may be caused by the
technical errors of an incompetent person
whom he may hire to perform the work.
Will such an attempted assumption of re
sponsibility protect the public against repetitive
catastophes; will it replace even one stone upon
another; will it restore the lives of dear ones
to the bereft mothers and fathers, sisters and
brothers left behind?
No part of this bill requires a licensed pro
fessional engineer to personally check the
figures and computations of the incompetents
that it allows to practice engineering. By its
own terms it defines the practice of engineer
ing as the actual making of these computations
and then exempts the very ones who make the
computations from responsibility for their own
errors, omissions and incompetence by pro
viding for the assumption of these responsibili
ties by another.
' A PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER.
Praises Mr. Truman on Inflation
To the Editor oi The Star:
President Truman again has shown wise and
courageous leadership, which shines especially
by comparison with the actions of the Repub
lican majority in Congress, when he set forth
again in his speech before the American News
paper Publishers the need for legislation to give
power to the Government to control prices and
credit and to allocate scarce raw materials in
order to prevent inflation.
More inflation is particularly likely because
the Republican majority in Congress has re
duced taxes by a measure which gives to the
wealthy, especially if they are married, a far
greater proportionate increase in Income after
taxes than to people with small incomes; and
this additional spending power has not yet had
time to exert its full effect in driving up prices.
The refusal of the Republican majority to do
anything effective to curb inflation shows that
freedom for prices is more important than free
dom for human beings in their opinion.
President Truman has shown as much cour
age in sticking to his demand for power effec
tively to control prices in the face of this Re
publican inertia as he has in refusing to with
draw his recommendation for greater protection
of the civil rights of minorities despite the re
volt in the Southern wing of his own party.
ALFRED BAKER LEWIS.
1 /
Editorial on Home Rule
To the Editor oi The Star:
“This Bill Should Be Passed," your recent
editorial indorsing the revised bill for District
Home Rule, deserves to be read by every Dis
trict resident interested in the future of this
community.
As your editorial so convincingly points out,
the bill, as redrafted, lays directly before the
people of Washington the question of whether
they approve “a plan for local government
that will make it responsive to the will of the
voting citizens who are to be governed by it,
while retaining . . . the supreme control of.
the Federal city by Congress.” If Congress
permits the people of Washington to answer
this question, I firmly believe there can be but
one answer—a resounding “yes."
From the introduction of the original
Auchincloss bill, The Star through its edi
torial columns has made clear its adherence
to the principle of local self-government, but
has reserved judgment on the bill itself pend
ing decision on several modifications urged
by The Star and others, including the pro
vision for a referendum.
The complete support which The Star now
has given to the revised measure is striking
evidence of the willingness of the draftsmen
of the bill to perfect the Home _Rule plan by
incorporating constructive suggestions from
those most vitally affected—the residents of
the District.
We, the disfranchised “second class citizens”
of Washington, now face, as never before, the
challenging prospect of real participation in
our government. As your editorial urged, H. R.
6627 should be passed by Congress without
delay. CHARLES C. GLOVER III.
Further Argument for Postal Workers
To the Editor of The Star:
An editorial appeared in The Star on April
14, entitled “Treat All Employes Alike,” in
which criticism was leveled at congressional
proposals to grant postal employes a larger
individual annual wage raise than would be
given other Government workers.
On the face of the basis established by the
writer of the editorial it would appear that he
had drawn a logical conclusion—if it were read
about anyone other than a postal employe,
other Government workers or members of con
gressional committees dealing with post office
matters.
But it is apparent that the writer of the
editorial was not acquainted with certain facts
regarding employment conditions of postal em
ployes and had not deliberated on distinctions
in the type and extent of service rendered by
the Post Office. The editorial writer was guilty
of a number of sins of omission. He failed to
point out that the postal worker is in the field
service, symbolized by the man in gray who
brings your daily mail, gets 15 days annual
leave and 10 days sick leave each year as con
trasted with Government workers for other
Federal agencies who get 26 days annual leave
and 15 days sick leave. The total for the postal
worker—both annual leave and sick leave—is 25
days whereas any other Government worker is
allowed leave of 41 days.
The above fact is most important when you
consider that all leave can be taken at one time
if the worker becomes seriously ill. Without
losing any pay, a Government worker, other
than a postal employe, would receive full com
pensation for 41 days of illness. The postal em
ploye would receive his full pay only for 25 days.
This poses a question: Who would be more
susceptible to illness—the worker in a well
heated and ventilated office in winter and air
conditioned in summer or the mail man who
must brave the elements at all times of the
year? In general, certainly the man who must
carry a pack on his back on the street during
the worst weather conditions is laying himself
open to illness more than is the office worker.
From the above it should be deduced that the
postal worker should be given at least the same
consideration as other Government employes
on matters of sick aiyi annual leave. Equal
treatment here would be welcomed by the
postal worker. (Incidentally, it has been esti
mated that the variable sick and annual leave
* f
Letters for publication must bear
the signature and address of the
writer, although it is permissible for
a writer known to The Star to use
a nom de plume. Please be brief.
tor postal workers as contrasted with other
Government employes saves the Post Office
$42,000,000 a year).
Other distinctions in working conditions be
tween the postal workers and other Govern
ment workers are: Postal clerks regularly are
required to work on Saturdays and Sundays;
postal carriers are required to work regularly on
Saturdays; on legal holidays a large percentage
of clerks must work as they do on a regular
business day, and postal clerks rat their own
time must continually learn new mail distribu
tion "schemes” on which they are examined and
graded at regular intervals.
Overtime is not paid postal employes for Sat
urday, Sunday and legal holiday work (except
Christmas). They are given an equivalent
amount of time off, usually the following week.
But the fact remains that unlike other Govern
ment workers with regular hours the postal
employe can be detailed for service at prac
tically any time of the day. In the larger post
offices, for example, there is a regular 2:30 pm.
to 11 pm. shift for clerks. Workers on this
shift certainly would be happy to trade their
hours for a 9 am. to 5 pm. work day.
To sum up, the postal worker certainly de
serves the same treatment accorded other Gov
ernment workers in matters of working condi
tions, and sick and annual leave—or additional
compensation for unequal treatment. And it is
on the latter that Congress is considering bills
to make the postal annual wage increase higher
than for other agencies.
JOSEPH G. LYNOTT,
Secretary, Branch 227, National Association
of Postal Supervisors, Fairlington Station,
Arlington, Va.
“Abandonment of War”
To the Editor of The Star:
Preparation for war (though it may be
called preparation for defense) and the propa
ganda connected with it are treason against
the human race and an insult to the intelli
gence of man.
The world has been ruled by war since the
dawn of history. Progressively, we have been
brought at last face to face with the horror
of its logical conclusion—mass killing and
maiming of men, women and children; chaos
and ruin; perhaps termination of the exist
ence of man on earth.
But our leaders refuse to deviate one iota
from a military course. Instead, they only
intensify their efforts. Every activity is to be
geared and controlled in the minutest detail
to war. Every man, woman and child, if not
in one way, then in another, is to be a slave to
militarism—a cruel, wicked, senseless slavery.
We fear an atom bomb attack by Russia.
Why shouldn’t we? I think we will go down in
infamy as having initiated atomic warfare
and persisted in a race for its continuance.
Stalin alone, as has been said, could not
control this world, nor could we, nor could
any other nation.
Winston Churchill has asserted that World
War II could have been averted had not men,
though honorable and well-intentioned, erred.
But men always will err. It is human. Mr.
Churchill’s significant, profound observation
means man should not be allowed the weapons
of war.
We at present are the leading nation. Let
us prove an instrument of destiny. Let Con
gress declare at once for the abandonment
of war. The world would be electrified. So
profound an incentive would cause the human
race to arise from the fear and despair that
now are overwhelming it. M. P. W.
Palestine Hospital Tragedy
To the Editor of The Star:
The news items in most of the papers were
about the same. They stated simply that a
Jewish caravan of 10 vehicles, traveling from
Jerusalem to the Hadassah hospital atop Mt.
Scopus, was ambushed by Arabs, resulting in
the deaths, among others, of 12 doctors and
several nurses. The items, as such, were true,
because the papers reported from available
facts. However, there was more to it than
the mere relating of another round in the
Arab-Jewish struggle for Palestine. To some
of 'us who were more fortunate—or unlortun
*ate, according to the way you see it—in being
apprised of further facts, the deaths of these
martyrs meant the marking of a dreadful page
in the history of medicine in the Near East.
Not only were 12 doctors killed—among them
Dr. Haim Yassky, director of the hospital—but
by their murders there was created an irrepar
able void for a long time to come. With med
ical services in Palestine at a premium, the kill
ing of these doctors means there is no one—ab
solutely no one—at this time, who can replace
them, not alone in knowledge but in man
power. .
The majority of the doctors on Mt. Scopus
today found their way to Palestine over the
tortuous road of hell created by Hitler. Most
of these doctors are beyond middle age, just
as most of those 12 killed were. There are no
new young medical recruits to draw irom for
replacements, because the medical schools of
Nazi-occupied Europe were closed for years
to Jewish students. Where, then, are the
replacements to come from?
The ironical part of this sad story is that
the caravan was traveling over a road that had
been guaranteed safe. Just a short while be
fore both Arab and Jewish leaders had agreed
to abide by the Geneva Conference in matters
of ambulances and medical forces. Yet these
doctors and nurses were murdered in an am
bulance.
The caravart was traveling to the American
built hospital which was organized over 35
years ago by a far-seeing, mild-mannered
rabbi’s daughter from Baltimore, Henrietta
Szold. This medical center has grown to be
recognized as the most modern institution of
its kind in the Middle East, where Arab, Jew
and Christian are treated alike. There will
be the necessary adjustments made for the
continuance of this life-giving institution in
the new Jewish State, because the people of
Palestine do not take time out now to cry.
The void is in their hearts, but they are filling
it by hard work, built upon hope and faith.
Nevertheless, the passing of these brave men
and women is more marked by their absence
and the world's inability to replace them.
And where does the blame for these tragedies
lie? With the people who reneged on their
word. Yes, the United States is guilty, and
the more she tries to mend her ways the more
involved she becomes. Everything goes back to
this country’s change of policy on the Pales
tine partition plan. Do you think the trustee
ship suggestion is any better solution than
some of the others offered? It is just a con
tradiction to the reasons offered for the drop
ping of the partition decision. The United
States didn't want to send troops under the
partition plan, but is now suggesting that the
trusteeship be implemented by the use of troops.
Are these grown men conducting our affairs?
In July the first Hebrew Medical School of
the world will be opened in Jerusalem. There
are young, eager students awaiting the day.
But some of the professors wid be missing.
The absence of these professors is a result of
our dilly-dally policy. We should be ashamed
of ourselves for permitting things to come to
such ft pass. MRS. JULIUS S. SEIGEL. 1
f
The Political Mill
Desperate Battle Waged
On Government Finances
Bureaucrats Seeking to Have Senate
Restore Budget Cuts Made in House
By Gould Lincoln
The Republican House—with Chairman John
Taber of the Appropriations Committee tak
ing the lead—has knocked nearly half a billion
dollars off the combined total budget estimates
of six appropriation bills. These bills repre
sent less than thirty per cent of the President's
budget for the next fiscal year.
The fight now shifts, so far as these bills are
concerned, to the Senate. Department and
agency heads and bureaucrats, all are seeking
to have that body restore all the money which
the House has so far saved the American tax
payers. It is the most desperate battle yet
waged over Government finances—and padded
Government pay rolls and wasteful methods
and administration. If the Senate relents and
relaxes, much that has so far been accom
plished toward reducing Federal expenditures
will have been lost.
One of the toughest assignments the Repub
lican Congress received in the elections of 1948
was to cut expenditures and save money. Econ
omy was a big issue In that campaign. It sttU
is. The voters of the country, before they stw»
up to the polls next November, will want an
accounting.
Facts, Figures Dug Out.
The House voted early this year to reduce
Government expenditures $2,500,000,000 below
the budget estimates submitted by President
Truman. Chairman Taber, his committee and
the House membership itself have worked hard
to prune away the excess and reduce the budget
to essentials, without destroying service to the
people and the Government itself.
The House Appropriations Committee has
had new help—a group of investigators of its
own. These investigators have gone into the
departments and agencies and dug out facts
and figures from official files. Too often they
have found waste, inefficiency and overstaffing.
They have been able to provide the House com
mittee and the House itself with information
which makes juggling of figures, covering up
maladministration and the confusion of facts
surrounding appropriations difficult.
Here is the record of House action on appro
priations up to April 16, showing the President's
budget figures, the amounts approved by the
House, and the reductions thereby. First, the
Independent Offices Bill, budget $1,048,106,664;
appropriation $991,826,351; reduction $56,280,
313. Second, the Civil Functions (of the De
fense Department) Bill, budget $734,333,300;
appropriation $606,558,766; reduction $127,774,
534. Third, the State, Justice and Commerce
Bill, budget $590,606,431; appropriation $505,
057,263; reduction $85,549,168. Fourth, Labor
and Federal Security Bill, budget $960,021,752;
appropriation $929,902,373; reduction $30,119,379.
Fifth, Treasury and Post Office Bill, budget $5,
885,999,283; appropriation $5,850,095,433; reduc
tion $35,903,850. Sixth, Agriculture Bill, budget
$781,340,807; appropriation $691,860,580; reduc
tion $89,480,227. The totals for the six meas
ures; budget $10,000,408,237; appropriation $9,
575,300,766; reduction $425,107,471.
Targets of Abuse.
This is the second year the Republican Con
gress has had to deal with Government ex
penditures. A year ago, when it lopped millions
off the proposed expenditures for th^ State
Department — particularly the "Voice of
America”—and for the Bureau of Internal
Revenue, Congress, Chairman Taber, and the
House Appropriations Committee, were the tar
gets of abuse and ridicule, turned out by Gov
ernment propaganda agencies, and spread
widely by New Deal sympathizers, writing for
all kinds of publications. The same attacks
are again underway.
One of the greatest gambles undertaken to
day with the taxpayers' money is still the
“Voice of America" as it is operated under the
State Department. This year the budget esti
mate for the whole cultural program of the
Department was $34,378,000, of which $14,
000,000 was for "the Voice.” The House has
cut the total estimate to $28,000,000. More re
cently, the Department has asked $5,125,000
for the program—$3,000,000 for “the Voice”—in
a deficiency bill.
The whole thing is a gamble because the de
partment admits it has no definite informa
tion regarding the number of radio sets in
operation in each country the programs are
beamed, nor regarding the number of listen
ers. Everything is a guess. Judging from some
of the scripts which are broadcast, the num
ber of listeners must be infinitesimal. For ex
ample, one to Russia giving the history of the
Atlantic Monthly and a wooden description of
its contents; another to Spain giving data, in %
6 typewritten pages, about Big League base
ball players, and a third to Britain on the law
of probabilities versus fortune telling and horse
gambling.
Answers to Questions
A reader can let the answer to any Question of
fact by writing The Evening Star Information
Bureau, 31fi Eye street NE . Washington 2, D C.
Please inclose three (3> cents for return postage.
By THE HASKIN SERVICE.
Q. How long Is the Cape Cod Canal?—
M. L. L.
A. The Cape Cod Canal Is 8 miles long
and saves 60 to 70 miles of sailing between
Boston and New York, The plan for such a
canal was conceived by Miles Standish as
early as 1614.
Q. Did Julius Caesar have hobbies?—H. McC.
A. John Buchan, in his chapter on the youth
of Caesar, says that Caesar acquired "two
hobbies which never left him, astronomy and
an eager curosity about the undiscovered
regions of the globe.”
Q. What is the origin of the term "dean"?—
V. B.
A. The word derives from the Latin
“decanus” meaning “one set over 10” as, for
example, over soldiers, k>r over monks in a
monastery.
Q. Is it a com©on practice to guard the
graves of the Presidents of the United States?
—M. K. I.
A. The graves of all former Presidents of
the United States are not guarded. Whether
or not there is a guard at the grave depends
on circumstances. ,
Q. How many species of wildlife are in dan
ger of disappearing in this country? H. B. P.
A. According to a recent report of the Smith
sonian Institution, at least 50 species are in
danger of extinction in North America.
To a Soldier—Returned
Here when you waken you will see the hills,
Your own wide river and the little town,
And you may wonder waking thus to find
That you are soldier dressed in khaki
brown.
What you may first recall, / cannot know,
The battlefield, the fearful day, the hour,
But feeling your own land beneath your
feet *
And apple blossom air will have the power
To still whatever memories remain
Of war and darkness. May there be that
day
A meadow filled with daisies and with sun,
A wagon, lazy with a load of hay,
A lighted window when the day is done,
That you may walk gay-hearted, home at
hand,
To see if Heaven holds a fairer land.
GLADYS McKEE.