Evening star. [volume], May 04, 1948, Page A-8, Image 8

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
| ^1\t gening Jsfaf
With Sunday Morning Edition.
I WASHINGTON. D. C.
Published by
Tha Evening Star Newspaper Company.
FRANK B. NOYES, Chairman of tha Board.
FLEMING NEWBOLD, President.
B. M. McKELWAY, Editor.
MAIN OFFICE: 11th St. and Pennsylvania Ave.
NEW YORK OFFICE; 110 East 42d St.
CHICAGO OFFICE: 435 North Michigan Ave.
Ddlivarad by Carrier—Metropolitan Area.
Dally and Sunday Daily Omy Sunday Only
Monthly ..1.20* Monthly ....90c 10c per copy
Weakly -—30c Weekly -20c 10c per copy
*10c additional when 5 Sundays are in a month.
Also 10c additional for Night Final Edition In those
sections whore delivery is made.
Rate# by Mail—Payable in Advance.
Anywhere in United States,
tvoning and Sundoy Evening Sunday
1 month __ 1.50 1 month 90c 1 month 60c
4 months.. 7.50 4 months_ 5.00 6 months 3 00
1 year_15.00 1 year_10.00 1 year _ 6.00
Telephone NAtional 5000.
Entered at the Post Office, Washington, D. C.,
os second-class mail matter.
Mambar of the Associated Prott.
The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use
far republication of all the local news printed in this
newspaper,'as well as all A. P. news dispatches.
A—t »*_ _TUESDAY, May 4, 1948
No Standing in Court
For more than a quarter of a century
the courts of the District of Columbia
have consistently upheld the validity and
enforceability of restrictive real estate
covenants. The same rule, with some
variations depending upon the nature of
the covenants, has been applied almost
without exception throughout the United
States.
But for about the same length of time
the courts have held that a municipal
ordnance or a State law, which seeks to
enforce residential segregation by pre
venting Negroes from moving into pre
dominantly white neighborhoods, or whites
into predominantly colored neighborhoods,
is invalid.
• The inconsistency which resulted was
emphasized by Justice Edgerton last year,
dissenting in a District Court of Appeals
decision upholding validity of a l6cal cove
nant. ' It is strangely inconsistent,” he
said, “to hold as this court does that
although no legislature can authorize a
court, even for a moment, to prevent
Negroes from acquiring and using par
ticular property, a mere owner of a prop
erty at a given moment can authorize a
court to do so for all time.”
It is that inconsistency which the Su
preme Court removed yesterday in its
unanimous decision barring enforcement
of restrictive covenants. Chief Justice
Vinson narrowed the issue to whether
•'enforcement by State courts of the re
strictive agreements . . . may be deemed
to oe the acts of those States; and, if so,
whether that action has denied . . . equal
protection of the law's w'hich the (Four
teenth! amendment was intended to in
sure.” The court found that judicial action
by the State courts in the enforcement
of private covenants was an action by the
States; that as such action by the States
is invalid under the Fourteenth amend
ment, then such action by the State courts
is likewise invalid.
In the District of Columbia case the
decision w'as based more specifically on
the theory that enforcement of covenants
by the Federal courts is contrary to the
public policy of the United States—"We
cannot presume that, the public policy of
the United States manifests a lesser conr
cern for the protection of such basic
rights against discriminatory action of
Federal courts than against such action
taken by the courts of the States.”
The effect of the decision is to uphold
the right of property owners to agree
among themselves as to the disposal and
use of their property, "so long as the pur
poses of those agreements are achieved
by the parties through voluntary adher
ence to the terms.” For those rights are
not affected by statute or by the Consti
tution, which directs its prohibitions
against Government action. But the
courts, as instruments of the State, can
not enforce the agreements. And the
agreements no longer have any stand
ing in court.
The Supreme Court has written new
law. It is law which in the long run will
serve public policy. To the extent that it
applies to racial covenants, it is the logical 1
evolution of ideas which began to take
form in law and in the Constitution after
the Civil War. It is well that on such an
issue Chief Justice Vinson was able to
bring before the country an opinion by
the six participating justices of the Su
preme Court which found no suggestion of
dissent. The dissent was expressed over
whelmingly in the lower courts, inter
preting the law as it once was but is
no longer.
=
Official Dieppe Appraisal
The official review of the costly Dieppe
raid in August of 1942 may help to quiet
criticism of the venture still heard in
Canada among veterans and their families
—and occasionally elsewhere. That was
the bloody foray across the English Chan
nel by 4,963 Canadian troops, of which
only 2.211 returned to Britain. The others
were killed or captured by the German
troops assigned to beach defenses.
A special study of the Dieppe operation
by Colonel Charles Stacey, director of the
historical section of the Canadian general
staff, has just been published. Colonel
Stacey’s report stresses two points: First,
that there is no truth in rumors that the
Germans had advance warning of the
raid; second, that, despite its heavy toll
and seeming futility, the expedition defi
nitely contributed to the success of the
Normandy invasion two years later.
If the results of the undertaking were
discouraging to the Allies, they had the
long-range good effect of creating a spirit
of overconfidence on the part of the Nazis,
according to Colonel Stagey. The German
high command found that their beach
defenses were effective against a surprise
assault, the exact strength of which they
did not know. Their first impression was
that a real attempt had been made to
begin an invasion of the continent.
Despite the lack of warning, the attempt
had been turned back with heavy losses
to the invader. After Dieppe, the report
says, Hitler became convinced tViat any
invasion could be stopped at the beaches.
He abandoned plans for a comprehensive
*
defense-in-depth plan in favor of an all
out defense of the coast against landings.
This was a serious error, as he was to learn
when the actual invasion began. •
In view of this well-documented version
of the much-discussed operation, it can
not fairly be said that the 935 Canadians
who lost their lives in the raid made a use
less sacrifice. They and their surviving
comrades may well have saved the lives of
many Allied soldiers who stormed ashore
and overran Normandy when the big push
began in earnest in 1944.
Britain's Labor Left-Wingers
A long-smoldering revolt of the left wing
in Britain’s ruling Labor Party has ap
parently been squelched by drastic disci
plinary measures. Following the outright
expulsion of one member of Parliament
from the party and an ultimatum to
twenty-one others to toe the party line or
be similarly treated, the rebellious group
has pledged its obedience to Labor leader
ship.
This incipient rift in the Laborite ranks
arose almost wholly over the Labor gov
ernment's foreign policy. The restive left
wingers have been consistently critical of
the government’s understanding with
Washington, support of the ERP and firm
stand against Soviet aggression. What
they want is a complete about-face in
foreign policy envisaging general “appease
ment” of Soviet Russia, close relations with
Moscow and a corresponding coolness to
ward Washington.
The interparty controversy came to a
head when the government formally ex
pelled John Platts-Milis for calling the
Communist coup in Czechoslovakia “a
great victory for the workers.” The ulti
matum to the other dissidents was is
sued after they had sent a collective tele
gram to Pietro Nenni, Italian left-wing
Socialist leader, on the eve of the elections
in Italy, wishing him and his Communist
allies success. Since the British Labor
Party is strongly anti-Communist, this
was a flagrant violation of party policy.
The violators were therefore given until
May 6 to pledge their loyalty to party de
cisions or follow Platts-Milis into political
limbo. Apparently, they are beating the
deadline by several days, since Konni Zil
liacus, most outstanding and vehement of
the group, has given the required pledge,
with others following suit.
This entire episode illustrates one out
1 standing difference between British po
litical practice and our own. That is the
strictness of party discipline in British
political life. The reason is obvious.
Britain has the parliamentary system,
whereby the very life of the government
i is dependent at all times upon maintain
ing a majority in the House of Commons,
and where cabinet decisions involve full
: responsibility for the party it heads and
represents.
Under our system, no such party soli
darity is possible. Each Senator or Repre
: sentative stands, to a certain extent, on
his own feet, and can if he wishes kick
over the party tract/;, subject only to the
discipline of his local electorate at th^
next election. This is one reason why our
political parties tend to be coalitions of
diverse elements, bound together chiefly
by common self-interest in continued po
; litical power and patronage.
Which of the two systems Is abstractly
; better is a moot point. The fact simply is
that their dissimilarities produce cor
responding differences in political stand
ards and practices.
--*
The fellow who ate one salted peanut
now offers an amazing new demonstration
of iron will. In this, he walks through a
hardware store in April without buying
• anything.
West Europe Arms Group
The formation of a permanent joint
military committee of five West European
nations is an important step in the
mobilization of “Free Europe” against the
threat of Communist aggression.
The significance of this move is three
fold. In the first place, it implements the
defense pact recently signed at Brussels
by the five signatories, who are Britain,
France, and the Benelux combine—Bel
gium. the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
Secondly, it gives positive assurance to
the United States that the West-European
bloc is marshaling its forces in effective
combination. Last but not least, it poses
for this country more insistently than be
fore the question as to how best we may
extend support to this protective evolution.
The nature and scope of this committee
should not be misunderstood. Although it
represents the combined land, sea, and
air staffs of the five powers, it will not be
empowered to unify the several armed
forces immediately or even to take opera
tional control in case of an emergency.
Rather is it a military drafting group,
authorized to draw up joint plans for
operations, for intelligence, and especially
for standardization of equipment and ma
teriel. The outcome of these consultations
will, however, be a sort, of master-plan
which can then be laid before the United
States Government as an authoritative
guide to what the West European bloc
considers its defensive needs. This is, of
course, the concomitant to the economic
studies made by the 16 European nations
to determine their economic co-operation
and set forth their requirements under the
European Recovery Program.
It is no secret that the West European
bloc feels Itself at present unable single
handedly to resist an all-out offensive by
Soviet'Russia and its satellites. Neither
is it a secret that these powers hope for
effective and speedy backing from the
United States. In their eyes, this should
logically take the form both of armaments
furnished on the pattern of lend-lease
and of a firm guarantee of American aid
in case they are attacked from Che East.
Nor can there be any doubt that our own
interests argue powerfully for such an
arrangement. However, there is consider
able hesitation in this country because of
diplomatic considerations, possible com
plications with our own rearmament re
quirements, and even domestic politics in
a Presidential year.
By presenting our Government with a
clear chart of military needs coupled with
an unequivocal proof of its determination
tx) make the most of its own military
potentialities, the West European bloc will
make possible a more realistic decision
on our part, based" upon factual analysis
and appreciation of our national self
K
« \ 1
interest. The establishment of this Jpint
military committee can thus be con
sidered a constructive step toward the
safeguarding of the democratic world.
Wedgwood Exhibition
Three centuries of great artistic pottery
are represented in an exhibition now cur
rent at the Brooklyn Museum. It consists
of six hundred carefully selected produc
tions of Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795),
his son and grandson at the Etruria works
in Hanley, England. The display, arranged
in chronological as well as in natural
esthetic sequence, tells the story of a
family of exceptional creative distinction
but it also provides a history of a 6ort
for the age to which it belongs.
Jasper ware especially, as Josiah first
made it, developed out of a wave of clas
sical feeling which swept over Europe fol
lowing the beginning of the excavation
of Pompeii in 1763. The beautiful relics
I of antiquity retrieved by archaeologists
I challenged imitation, and Wedgwood was
j the most notable of all the potters who
rose to the opportunity. His porcelain
■ bisque was—and still is—a marvelous
! material. With it he did miracles of
! modeling. Engaging John Flaxman (1755
1826) to furnish many of the designs from
1775 onward, Josiah proved his right to
the highest position ever attained by any
man in his held since the Greeks.
But Wedgwood was more than an artist,
a chemist and an inventor. He possessed
a philanthropic instinct which won him
fame as a constructive reformer. The
community he built for his employes was
a pattern for other progressive industrial
ists. His labors for the improvement of
roads, the digging of canals, the organ
ization of schools and other cultural insti
tutions had a wide Influence in his own
day and still are remembered with appre
ciation in ours. Always a perfectionist,
Josiah visualized a world without poverty
and without war. His family maintains
the tradition he set.
The Brooklyn show has been assembled
with the help of Victor Skellern, the
present art director of the Wedgwood
potteries. Many of the “pieces” were lent
by the plant museum at Etruria. Since
the exhibition will continue until Septem
ber 6, many Washingtonians, journeying
to New York on other errands, may see it.
Meanwhile, a few choice examples of
Josiah’s taste and skill—including one of
his copies of the celebrated Portland vase
—are in the Smithsonian.
Films that go back to 1923—the year of
“The Covered Wagon,” “The Hunchback of
Notre Dame” and Harold Lloyd's “Safety
Last”—are now being shown to Greek vil
lagers, the lucky people.
Release^ from prison where he did time
| for stealing chocolates in a drugstore, a
j Los Angeles thief is picked up by the same
| detective for stealing in the same drug
! store. Different box of chocolates, though.
That plane-crash incident In Berlin
would seem to be closed, now that Russia '
has covered its apology with three abject
j retractions.
This and That
By Charles E. Tracewell
' The flicker is a bird that always attracts
I attention.
5 E. H., a resident of Arlington, writes as
follows:
“We noticed a lovely bird very early Easter
morning picking beneath a hickory tree, which
looted tawny in coloring from a distance.
“The size of a starling, more slender and
! lengthy. General coloring seemed to be brown
j ish, dark stripes running horizontal over en
tire upper part of body.
"Upon the head a spot of red, upon the breast
tip a large, long splotch of black. The break,
large and long. A bit of white at the base of
tail. Was this lovely birdjone of the wood
pecker family? If so, we had not seen him in
] this vicinity before.”
The flicker is a woodpecker, sometimes called
I the golden-shafted woodpecker. It eats ants,
j its favorite dish, and sometimes drums on
j metal.
j We will never forget the racket one of them
i made on a neighbor's garbage can that had
been cleaned and left on its .tde for drying.
The bird hammered away for half an hour,
i rolling the notes as capably as any drummer.
! Some flickers stay here the year around,
others fly in at migration time.
The name probably comes from an attempt
to imitate the cry of the bird, though the
original meaning of the word “flicker” is to
flutter.
The flicker indulges in no more fluttering
however, than most birds.
* * * *
This correspondent calls attention to a fact,
that birds seem to be nesting closer to houses
this spring than ever before:
“Perhaps it would Interest some of the read
ers who, like myself, have thought that more
domestically inclined birds such as the robin
and mocker nested near civilization but just
to what extent they do, I was surprised to note
this spring.
"A Mrs. Robin has built herself a nest upon
a narrow second story window ledge, just wide
enough for the nest, where, except for the
kindness of the residents in closing the curtain,
sjie would be brightly illuminated at night. She
, is now on the nest.
“A Mrs. Mocker is building in shrubbery only
} three feet from the ground and as near a door-^
way as she can get.
“She has not yet gone officially to housekeep
ing. The male mocker, whom i fed all winter,
religiously helped to build the rather loosely
woven, shallow nest carrying bits of fine roots,
string, paper. A real helpmate.
“I thought that nature endowed birds with
more sense of protectiveness than these loca
tions suggest. Or is it to be supposed that they
feel we humans will offer protection to them?”
Birds feel no such thing: life to them is real,
j and life is earnest, and the placing of the nest
| must take its chance, as all living things must
! take their chances.
The birds know this, and all pure animals
1 know it, with the sublime knowing of nature’s
creatures. Most humans, perhaps, do not know
I it. They have become bemused by man's mind,
which tries to build up a picture of "social se
curity,” and the like.
j The birds know better. They know there is
| no such thing, and never can be such a tiling.
They know, as a few humans know, that life
is balanced on lazor edges. One moment a
dog is happy at play, the next he is just a
bloody mass in the street.
The birds build their nests. They take their
chances, Just as all living things must take
j chances. That was what Walt Whitman meant,
! whe^i he wrote about how he would love to live
! with the animals. “They do not whine about
, their condition," he said.
Often the sites chosen by nesting birds seem
absurd choices, from a human viewpoint, but
| the birds like them, and manage to bring up
| most of their young. In the long run—some
millions ol years—they have done as well with
their choices as if they had listened to the
reasons of mankind.
After all. man’s mind has not led man to
much." the birds might chirp. "See what we
see: rising prices, inflation, men fighting men
all over the world, crying peace when there
; is no peace, all under the shadow of that
; masterpiece of man's mind, the atom bomb.
"We’ll stay birds, and don't come trying to
give us any advice, thank you.” '
i i»
Eyes of the World Are on Him
Trans-Jordan’s King Has Become a Key Figure Through
Struggle for Palestine Jewish State
By Russell Barnes
No man in the world, probably, is being
watched more closely today than Abdullah Ibn
Hussein. King of Trans-Jordan. •
Abdullah is a world figure, not because he
Is either gen
uinely great or
strong, or be
cause Trans-Jor
dan is an im
portant country,
but because:
The Arab
League is push
ing Abdullah out
in front as the
Moslem cham
pion to crush the
proposed Jewish
Palestine state.
The Jewish
Agency would
like to make a
deal with'Abdul
lah, under which
Abdullah would Abdullah Ibn Hussein
annex Arab portions of Palestine, and leave
the remainder to the Jews.
Abdullah is to a considerable extent a crea
I ture of Great Britain, since it put him on
his throne and finances the Arab Legion—
the army the Jews fear most.
So in the confused Palestine problem—com
plicated to the point that only a Middle East
ern specialist can hope to keep up with what
is going on—Abdullah has become-the key
| figure.
Personally, he is described by men who
know him as a rather indolent, aesthetic,
chess-playing, crafty, oriental monarch, 66
years old. He is the second son of Sherlf
: Hussein of Mecca, who, according to one
1 British plan, was to become King of Arabia,
^ as well as Caliph, the highest Moslem dignl
| tary.
Past No Guide to Future.
Previously, his relations were bad with the
Grand Mufti, of Jerusalem, head of Palestin
ian Arabs; King Farouk, of Egypt: King Ibn
Saud, of Saudia Arabia; and Syrian and
Lebanese politicians. They knew Abdullah as
pired to become King of greater Syria, to in
clude Trans-Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon
and Iraq. >
But, according to the experts at United Na
tions who are watching the changing Middle
Eastern picture for their governments, it is
easy to go wrong through paying too much
attention to Abdullah's origins, or previous
relationships. For that matter, they say it
is dangerous to try to project into the present
what went on in the Middle East prior to
World War II, because:
The tide of Arab nationalism is mounting,
and the Arabs are determined to throw off
foreign domination over their countries.
The major force which is solidifying Arab
nationalism is determination to prevent the
Jews, whom the Arabs consider to be, foreign
invaders, from carving out a Jewish state in
Palestine.
In every Arab country, there exists a grow'
ing social and political ferment, which not
only threatens the old Arab order, but also
every present Arab government.
Russian influence, pressing down from the
north, trying to take over leadership or the
Arab revolutionary movement, has frightened
Arab ruling and proparty-owning groups.
Without becoming too involved in the sub
tleties of the middle eastern problem, as It af
fects Palestine, most Middle Eastern intelli
gence officers advising their U. N. delegations
seem to agree:
Abdullah la being pushed out in front by tlie
Arab League, not only because Trans-Jordan
borders Palestine, and has a strong army, but
also because Trans-Jordan Is not a U. N. mem
ber (its membership application has been
biocked by Russia). Abdullah is therefore in a
position to take actions which might get other
Arab nations into trouble with the Security
Council.
Old rivalries among Abdullah, Farouk, Ibn
8aud and others have been at least tempor
arily shelved in the face of Jewish ambitions
to establish a Palestine state.
The Grand Mufti has been largely elimin
ated, first, because the Arab League is running
the Palestine show, and, second, because the
Mufti lost contact with and control over his
Palestine followers during his years of exile.
If Abdullah attacks Palestine, the other
Arab governments will simply attach military
units to his command.
Needs British Backing.
Abdullah, under present circumstances,
could not move without British connivance. If
he did, he would sacrifice the $8,000,000 an
nually he draws from Britain, mostly to fi
nance his army. If he gave that up, the other
Arab governments would have to finance him.
The Arab masses are inflamed against the
Jews—possibly more so than their govern
ments.
The Arab governments have had difficulty
restraining their peoples from moving against
the 850,000 Jews who reside in Arab countries
—more than in Palestine.
The Arab governments are reluctant to dis
patch their armies against the Jews, because
they fear revolutionary uprisings at home—
partly social and economic, and partly be
cause political opponents might seize the op
portunity to attack.
As long as Abdullah is acting for the Arab
league, the Jewish Agency has no chance to
make a deal which would permit establish- j
ment of a Jewish Sovereign state.
Neither the Jews nor the Arabs want to let
the present situation degenerate Into a gen
eral Middle Eastern war. The Jews know that 1
if the Arab states go all out, Jewish forces
are fairly certain to be crushed, becaus'e of
tneir inferiorities in manpower, aircraft, tanks, '
and heavy artillery. The Arab governments,
on their side, fear that while Arab armies are
fighting in Palestine, revolutions might break
out at home.
It is because both Jews and Arabs want to
avoid a decision war that the American dele
gation, at least, figures present negotiations— i
both open and undercover—may result in a
Jewish-Arab truce before the British sur- '
render their mandate May 15.
But action will have to come fast, because
the Palestine fighting is steadily growing i
worse, and the British will step out in less than I
two weeks. From now on the eyes of the world
will be on Abdullah.
(Distributed br North American Newspaper Alliance.)
Letters to The Star j
Mr. Culbertson on World Government
To the Editor of The Stir:
In your editorial, "Only a Dream,’* April 29,
you castigate one of the century's greatest
thinkers for his ‘ dreams'’ of world government.
"It is easy for a man like Dr. Einstein,” you
write, "who has no responsibility for the safety
of this nation, to denounce our armament pro
gram and assert that our only hope of peace
and security lies with world government . . .
The course which he would have us take ignores
all of the lessons of our experience.” Then you
point out that "once before,” after World War
I, the United States discarded its arms and
"put our faith in solemnly worded interna
tional agreements.”
Admonishing that "we must not be soft
minded enough” to do it again, you conclude:
'"As long as we are confronted with a threat
from hostile arms, as we are today, we have
no rational choice except to remain armed and
ready ourselves.''
Dr. Einstein is not only one of the world's
greatest citizens, but is also a proud citizen of
the United States. I do not think you can cite
a single instance where Dr. Einstein favors
unilateral disarmament of America in a world
of the armed ca;np. Nor is he as naive as you
make him appear in his faith in solemnly
worded treaties, since the very purpose of the
world government, like the purpose of our
Federal Government, Is to substitute the rule
of enforceable law for the anarchy of power
politics and treachery of power politics
treaties.
Amateur Federalist* Criticized.
I respectfully disagree with some of Dr.
Einstein's concept* on the structure of the
world government. His idea borrowed front
well-meaning amateur federalists of a world
federal government with an elective world
house of representatives would mean the poli
ticians of the biggest have-not nations like
India and China could hopelessly outvote the
biggest, have nations, the U. S. A. and the
U. S. S. R. It would mean that a foieign
world federal army could walk at will into the
militia-defended United States. This is sheer
political fantasy. The right to be sovereign is
a right to be free. And the only freedom the
American nation will be willing to give up,
unless, conquered, is the freedom to rearm for
aggression or wage aggressive war.
If I had to choose between Dr. Einstein's
"dream” of world government and your "'?al
Lstic” atomic race now going on between Amer
ica and Russia—a race in which other nations
too will soon take a hand—then I Would cer
tainly choose Dr. Einstein's world government.
For there is one profound truth of which hr
is tragically aware a.s father of the Atomic
Revolution and of which you are apparently
oblivious. That is the fact that within a lew
short years the world must choose eitht-r a
world dictator or a strong cooperative of na
tions to prevent any dictator ffom producing
and launching atomic bombs for the destruc
tion of the cities of the world. Power politics
and atomic bombs cannot be mixed. Your old
fashioned concept of balance of powers—a bal
ance that never failed to end in the unbalance
of war—can mean only awaiting bovinely the
Inevitable atomic catastrophe. This catastrophe
can come in one of two ways: A preventive
war by America now to stop Russia from build
ing enough atomic bombs to blow up our cities
(which would be a logical power polities solu
tion >: or a war later by Russia whejfr her post
war "conquests” are consolidated and she feels
strong enough with atomic weapons to move
against Paris and Nanking at whose doors ahe
stands now temporarily arrested only by the
ephemeral atomic supremacy of the United
States. The American people will not favor a
preventive war since they do not understand
the logic of power politics. They understand
only the logic of Christianity plus the simple
fact that a mother does not want her boy to
go to war. American mothers and fathers will
vote out of office anyone whq talks about a
)
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.
preventive war. Therefore the political effect
of your “realistic'’ policy of rearming and do
ing nothing with armament until Russia re
arm* more and better and decides to attack
will be a far worse nightmare than any
“dream’’ of Dr. Einstein.
ABC Revision Plan.
A solution is being offered by 16 Senators*
and 14 Representatives which is neither your |
do-nothing policy nor Dr. Einstein's partly ‘
utopian world state—a solution which means j
neither appeasement of Russia a la Wallace
nor a preventive war against Russia. It con- !
sists of three specific proposals for the revision
of the U. N. Charter with Russia if possible, |
without Russia If necessary, called the ABC
Plan. This plan will eliminate the veto In
matters of aggression, stop the atomic and
armament race, establish a powerful but
tyranny-proof international police force, and
bring a showdown with Russia on the only
issue that the American people will support—
the issue of freedom from aggression enforced
by the overwhelming collective front of peace
ful nations under a higher law with an Im
partial judge and unchallengeable policeman.
That is the kind of a world government which
Dr. Einstein is certain to approve even though
he would want more. That Is the kind of a
revised United Nations that you did not
approve in your previous editorial of April 13.
At present, the House Foreign Relations
Committee is holding hearings on the reso
lutions dealing with the ABC Plan in particular
and the issue of the world government in
general. It is to be hoped that in future
editorials you will at least try to move for
ward into the atomic age which has arrived
and which promises to humanity either unpar
alleled mass happiness or unparalleled world
destruction. ELY CULBERTSON,
Chairman, Citizens' Committee for United
Nations Reform, Inc.
Mr. Wallace a ‘Fellow Traveler’
To th* Editor ol The Stir:
I also was glad to see that you treated the
Wallace Interview with impartiality, as every
one deserves a square deal. However, the In
terview convinced me more than ever that most
of the Democratic and Republican candidates
are head and shoulders above Henry Wallace.
I was not born with a sliver spoon In my
mouth, I am not a “Wall Street capitalist,”
nor am I an advocate of race, creed or class
hatred, but I do believe Mr. Wallace's way is
not the American way. You cannot pass laws
to make one race respect another's rights;
by patience and understanding, however, you
can attain the goal of better relationship and
conditions.
Henry Wallace and his kind only agitate the
minorities and put salt in their wounds to
gain support. His repeated harangues about
the “Wall Street capitalists’’ and the ' militar
ists,” only serve to brand Wallace a “fellow
traveler" and not a true and understanding
liberal. iMR8.» ANNE C. WILSON.
- ,
Danger in Palestine
To the Editor oi The Star:
It is gratifying to know that Jews and Arabs
have agreed to spare Jerusalem proper (the
old Walled City) from the fighting. If the
Mosque of Omar should be destroyed, or dam
aged, terrible will be the vengeance of the
Arabs.
Factors not yet thought about enter into the
picture, and we Americans should be ex
tremely careful not to get Involved. There Is I
more to this matter than any one suppooes.
Boston. GIRALDA FORBES. 1
ft
The Political Mill L
Democrats Speculating '•
On Suljivan Successor
Some Propose Southerner as Good
Political Move
By Gould Lincoln
Chairman J. Howard McGrath of the Demo
cratic National Committee has set himself the
Job of nominating and electing President Harry
S. Truman to succeed himself—and he is leav
ing no stones unturned. As a matter of fact,
he believes that things are improving both
for Mr. Truman and for the Democratic Party.
There is no blinking the fact, however, that
there has been room for a great amount of
improvement, and there still is.
The retirement of Gael Sullivan from the
office of executive director and vice chairman
of the Democratic National Committee has
led to much speculation over his successor.
Several weeks ago Chairman McGrath brought
into the organization as “the assistant to the
chairman" Joseph Lawrence—an associate in '
the practice of law with former Assistant At
torney General Joe Keenan. Mr. Lawrence,
who hails from Connecticut, was in the Depart
ment of Justice for 10 years before he Joined
forces with Mr. Keenan. In some quarters the
suggestion has been made that perhaps Mr.
Lawrence will take over such of Mr. Sullivan's
duties as may be necessary.
Sullivan Had Wide Powers.
Mr. Sullivan, dynamic go-getter who came
to Washington to become an Assistant Post
master General with the blessing of Ed Kelly
of Chicago and was selected by former National
Chairman Hannegan for the post he is now
resigning, really was acting chairman as well
as executive director for many months last
fall and winter—while Mr. Hannegan was away
from Washington. This meant, among other
things, that he was a policy director—so far as
the national committee was concerned—and
also that he drew down a salary of $20,000.
Chairman McGrath has to determine whether
he wishes to replace Mr. Sullivan with a man
who has such wide powers. The chairman,
who happens also to be Senator from Rhode
Island, In all probability will be the sole policy
maker for the committee henceforth—after, it
may be expected, consultation wiyr the Presi
dent. What he wants, therefore, is a man
with executive ability to take on a large Job
of office management, a man who knows the
Washington scene and can find his way about.
Among the names in the gossip for Sulli
vans place—even though it be a modified place,
—is James Rowe of Montana, a member of the
Commission on Organization of the Executive
Branch of the Government, now headed by
former President Hoover. Another is William
Bray, who at one time was former Postmaster
General and National Chairman James A.
Parley's right-hand man and has more recently
been with John R. Steelman, assistant to the
President. A third is former Representative
Aaron Ford of Mississippi. Mr. Ford has been
recommended by a number of Southern mem
bers of Congress. In some quarters it has been
urged that the appointment of a Southerner
might be a good political move, calculated to
soften the hard hearts of the Southerners who
are now demanding Mr. Truman's scalp.
No Weakening bv Truman.
Others do not look at it that way. They be
lieve that Mr. Truman will be much better off
going right along the line he started—that of
seeking the support of the liberals who believe
in “civil rights." Indeed, there has been no
indication of any softening of the President's
position. The President has not gono as far
as some of the old Roosevelt New, Dealers wish
—particularly those represented in the Amer
icans for Democratic Action. But he has done
pretty well. And as his selection for the chair
manship of the Democratic National Commit
tee, Mr. McGrath has shown no weakening
whatever in the face of demands of Southern
Governors, Senators and Representatives.
The ADA, in a statement declaring its belief
that Mr. Truman should not use the powerful
political weapons he has at his command as
President of the United States to get himself
nominated, frankly admits that Mr. Truman
can win the nomination ‘‘if he Insists." But
it suggests to the President that he must be
aware that the progressive forces within the
Democratic Party—liberal and labor forces that
supported Franklin D. Roosevelt—seek an open
convention where “the will of the party may
honestly govern the choice of a candidate."
This is unkind. Mr. Truman has gone along
with Roosevelt policies—and has overempha
sized some of them—to a remarkable degree.
His failure, however, to keep around in places
of influence all the old Roosevelt officers is
what is griping the New Dealers.
Questions and Answers
A reader can getthe answer to any quegtlon ef
lac. by writing The Evening Star Information
Bureau. .»lrt Eye street N.E.. Washington 2. D C.
Please inclose three (.'<> cents for return postal*
BY THE HASKIN SERVICE.
Q When and by whom was the date of
Easter established?—D. S. K.
A. The Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325.
decided that the date of Easter should be
the Sunday after the first full moon follow
ing the spring equinox. The date for the
equinox was fixed as March 21. Consequently
the date moves between March 22 and
April 25.
_ •
Q. What. States have decreased the most,
in population since 1940?—P. P. R
A. The Bureau of the Census says that the
six followihg States had the largest percent
age of decrease in population for the period
1940-1947: North Dakota, 14 per cent; South
Dakota. 12.3 per cent; Montana, 11.7 per cent;
Idaho, 7 per cent; Mississippi, 4.2 per cent;
West Virginia, 2.8 per cent.
Q. How many officials are to be elected In
November besides the President and Vice
President?—C. R.
A. The voters will also elect 32 Senators,
435 members of the House of Representatives,
32 governors, and a number of other State
and local officials.
Q. What college basket ball player holds
the Individual scoring record at Madison
Square Garden?—D. R T.
A. The Madison Square Garden Corp. says
that Harry BoykoCf of St. John's University,
holds the record for individual scoring at
Madison Square Garden, having scored 54
points against St. Francis during the 1948-47
season.
Q. When was the first Hague Peace Con
ference called and by whom?—H. C. R.
A. The first Peace Conference at the Hague,
Netherlands, was held In 1899, at the instance
of Czar Nicholas II of Russia.
Blind Man to His Seeing Eye Dog
No more I need to stumble on my way.
Approaching every crossing in dismay.
With cane to tap a tune in minor key,
Object of pity and of sympathy;
To feel my way, to fear each stick and
stone,
To grope in darkness and to walk alone.
With you. my Seeing Eye, my faithful
guide,
I walk the street with confidence and
pride;
On thoroughfare, each danger you divine,
And freely would you give your life for
mine.
You are my guardian angel, true and wise,
Protector, friend, my hope, my faith, my
eyes!
NANCY GRADY MCDONALD.
< k