Evening star. [volume], September 17, 1949, Page A-6, Image 6

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

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gening paf
With Sunday Morning Edition.
WASHINGTON. D. C.
Published by
Th« Evening Star Newspaper Company.
SAMUEL H. KAUFFMANN, FrasMant.
B. M. McKELWAY, Editor.
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illfi SATURDAY, September 17, 1949
The Work Should Begin
In its plea for some additional legisla
tion, one detects a note of plaintive exas
peration on the part-of the Commission on
Renovation of the Executive Mansion.
In replacing the interior of the White
House, the commission is going to collet*
a lot of old material, ranging from rubble
to hardware and perhaps some valuable
relics. Congress has directed the commis
sion to recommend to Congress and the
President a plan for disposing of this
material—by preserving anything of his
toric importance, selling it, giving it away
or destroying it. Congress does not want
a lot of people salvaging and selling the
debris from wreckage of the White House
as souvenirs.
But before the commission can evolve a
plan for disposing of the stuff it, accumu
lates in tearing out the interior, it must
know what the stuff will be. Yet it cannot
know that precisely until it begins the work
of restoration. But under the law, it can
not very well begin the work of restoration
until it reports to Congress and the Presi
dent on its plan to dispose of the material
and obtains approval of the plan. And in
the meantime, it is essential that the
restoration should get under way as quickly
as possible.
The problem is aggravated, or course, by
the nature of the scrap material that will
be available. In 1927, when repairs were
made at the White House, nails taken from
the building were being peddled around
town at twenty-five cents apiece. Imagine
the souvenir hunters who would descend
upon any trash pile or dump used to dis
pose of old junk from the White House!
The additional legislation sought by the
commission is simple and should be ap
proved immediately. It merely gives to
the eommission the authorlty'lo formulate
its own plan for disposing of the material
taken from the White House and, with the
President’s approval of the plan, to proceed
with the work of restoration. Otherwise,
the commission will have to devise some
vast storage area and pile up the material
there under close guard until Congress
approves plans to got rid df’ it.
New Chemical Corps Chief
Normally the selection of a chief*for
the Army’s Chemical Corps would be made
from among senior officers of the corps.
That procedure assures appointment of
a man thoroughly familiar with the highly
specialized work of this technical branch.
The policy is a sound one under ordinary
conditions. But, in the light of the extraor
dinary situation in which the corps finds
itself as a result of the Waitt-Hunt
Vaughan expose, the appointment of an
“outsider,” Major General Anthony C.
McAulifTe, to head, the outfit is a warranted
expedient.
Fortunately, General McAulifTe is not
an ordinary outsider. He is well informed
on chemical and bacteriological warfare
by reason of his service as deputy director
of research and development in the logis
tics division of the Army’s General Staff.
Furthermore, as ground forces adviser at
the Bikini atomic bomb tests, he helped
to assess the effects of atomic blasts and
radiation—a field closely related to gas
warfare. His combat experience at Bas
togne and in other sectors during the late
war have given him an outstanding repu
tation as a military leader. And right now
the Chemical Corps needs sound, strong
leadership more than it needs technical
advice.
Perhaps there was another quality which
helped to make easier the choice of a suc
cessor to General Waltt. This is General
McAuliffe’s demonstrated capacity for say
ing “Nuts” to improper proposals, from
whatever source they may come.
• British Wage Policy
There probably Is not any great signifi
cance in the overwhelming vote of the
British Trades Union Congress to continue
its policy of restraint on wage increases.
The vote was decisive enough—6,485,000
to 1,048,000. But the proposition on which
they were voting—to exercise “the greatest
possible measure of restraint in seeking to
increase personal incomes”—is a bit on the
nebulous side. Any American labor leader
worth his salt could drive a ten-ton truck
loaded with wage increases through it.
And there is the further point, dwelt upon
acidly and at length by some of the oppo
sition speakers, that many of the unions
voting in favor of the polfcy of restraint
actually have pending wage-increase claims
of their own. Still, the fact remains that
adoption of the resolution at least is a
token of recognition of the realities of
economic life in Britain today. General
wage increases are one of the last things
the British can Afford at this time, and
it is easy to visualise the consternation of
the Bevln-Crlpps mission to tills country
if the TUC had plumped for higher wages.
It would have not been altogether sur
prising, however, if the delegates had taken
the bit in their teeth. One of the guest
speakers at the meeting was Harry Bates,
a vice president of the American Federa
tion of Labor. In the course of his remarks
he told the delegates that bricklayers in
New York were making nearly as much for
a seven-hour day as the average British
Industrial worker earns in a forty-four
hour week. This might have been the
needed spark to set off the explosion, but
the British unionists, while interested,
showed admirable restraint. Possibly they
had been told about the Taft-Hartley Act
enslavement of the American workman.
Perhaps they had even heard the clanking
of the chains by which American labor is
bound down and oppressed by the em
ployers. At any rate, the Britons will con
tinue to work for about one-sixth the wage
paid bricklayers in this unhappy land of
ours.
Steel Talks Should Start
There does not seem to be any good
reason why the parties to the steel dispute
should not sit down and begin collective
bargaining.
At the moment, they are bombarding
each other at long range with harshly
worded statements which are only serving
to muddy the waters. What is shaping up
is a quibble over words, and this could lead
to a hardening of attitudes that would
bode ill for the immediate parties to the
dispute and for the general public.
The immediate issue is whether the rec
ommendation of the President’s fact-find
ing board for a ten-cent hourly package,
including six cents for non-contributory
pensions and four cents for social insur
ance, is to be accepted as a basis for
negotiations or adopted as the essential
condition of a new contract.
In this matter, both sides seem to be
blowing hot and cold. Philip Murray,
president of the United Steel Workers, now
insists in his second statement that the
steel industry must bargain with the union
“on the basis of the board’s recommenda
tions.” An unidentified union spokesman,
however, said Mr. Murray’s first statement
meant that he would strike any company
which failed to agree to pay all insurance
and pension costs. On the other side, Jones
& Laughlin Steel first notified the union
it was prepared to bargain on the basis of
the board’s recommendations. Now Jones
& Laughlin, which has a non-contributory
pension plan of its own, says it is opposed
to the fact-finding board’s recommenda
tion that pensions and insurance be on
a non-contributory basis. This position is
similar to that taken by Benjamin Fairless,
speaking for United States Steel, the
largest single producer.
A good way out of this apparent dead
lock would be for the steel companies to
offer to sit down with the union in accord
ance with the views expressed Thursday
by the President. Mr. Truman stated at
the outset that neither side would be
bound by the board's recommendations.
And he told his Thursday news conference
that there is a decided difference between
acceptance of the recommendations as a
basis of negotiations and outright accept
ance; that his understanding has been
that the recommendations should be used
as a basis negotiations.
This is a reasonable view of the matter,
and it should satisfy the contentions of
both parties. Whether, when the shadow
boxing is over, „ the steel industry can
afford noh-contrlbutory pensions in the
amount lndicatedby the board is a matter
for the steel companies to decide. But
they ought to be willing to make the best
provision they can for the future of em
ployes who have become too old to work.
And if a strike has to come, the steel In
dustry would stand in a much better posi
tion in the public eye if it had met with
the union and laid upon the table the best
offer that it honestly felt it could make.
If six cents is too much, then let each
company say, after appropriate study, what
it can contribute toward a pension plan.
From that point on there could be real
negotiations as to whether the employes
should contribute anything, and, if.so, in
what amounts.
Boxing Commission Vacancy
It is to be hoped that the Commissioners
will take the opportunity, presented by a
vacancy now existing, to select some
qualified colored citizen to be a member
of the Boxing Commission. The 8tar’s
sports department estimates that about
80 per cent of the boxers appearing here
are colored and that the attendance of
colored spectators at boxing matches runs
, M high as 90 per 'cent of the audience.
While such statistics may have no valid
bearing on the point, they do supplement
the equitable consideration that on this
commission of three, tlfcre should be at
least one Negro.
Perhaps the Commissioners would have
made the appointment before now, except
for the receipt of the usual type of pres
sure telegrams threatening them with such
vague punishment as a “boycott of boxing”
in Washington if they did not choose
a colored man. The Commissioners being
human, the effect of such throats may
have been to create opposition where none
existed before. That is sometimes the case.
But the Commissioners are Mg enough to
Ignore such trivia and appoint a colored
man.
Alaskan Housing Crisis
News correspondents and other visitors
to Alaska In recent months have told of a
serious housing problem confronting our
defense forces in that key outpost. That
they were not Exaggerating when they
spoke of “atrocious” conditions under
which our troops there are forced to live
is evident from telegraphic information
received by Defense Secretary Johnson
from the touring Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The JCS expedition to Alaska had been
planned for some time. That it was accel
erated by appeals for aid from military
authorities, there seems to be little doubt.
Their findings must have been of startling
nature, Judging from what Mr. Johnson
has Just announced. He said the JCS had
sent him "the strongest telegram, the
strongest message I have ever received”
from them, urging immediate housing
relief for our armed forces in Almira
A bill is now pending to authorize a
$138,000,000 construction program for our
well-guarded bases in that strategically
important sector. One of the difficulties
in obtaining passage of this legislation is
the secrecy which necessarily must sur
round our defense preparations In our
Far Northern bastion. Testimony regard
ing housing and other construction needs
there has had to be given in executive
session. The Russians would like to know
how many men of each branch we have
there, or plan to station there, and the
program for barracks and other construe
tion would give them a fair idea of our
present and planned strength. The in
ability of the Department of Defense to
disclose publicly the housing and other
needs of the troops in Alaska hampers it
in its efforts to press for needed legislation.
Adequate housing is vital not only to
accommodate our Army, Air Force and
Navy troops but also their families. Pres
ent facilities are so poor as to threaten a
real morale problem. A partial start was
made on a housing program, but failure to
provide additional funds has brought it
to a halt. The construction crews are said
to be still available to continue the project,
but it is feared that they will leave the
territory soon unless they can be assured
of renewed activity. The situation seems
to be critical enough to call for special
action by Congress, even if this should
involve passage of a separate Alaskan
housing bill.
Crime Here and Elsewhere
Crime nationally is not following the
“leveling off” trend which Police Superin
tendent Barrett perceives in Washington.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s
semiannual Uniform Crime Reports tabu
lation for the first half of this year shows
a Nation-wide increase of 2.7 per cent in
urban crime and of 7.6 per cent in rural
crime. In Washington, however, all major
crimes except murder and assault de
creased in number as compared with the
first half of 1948. Curiously, the national
murder rate slumped during the same
period.
The rise in crime noted by the FBI in
its comparison of 1949 and 1948 first-half
figures included such categories as rape,
robbery, burglary, assault and larceny.
Murders declined 6.6 per cent, negligent
manslaughters 15.5 per cent and automo
bile thefts 3.7 per cent.
In the District;, however, there were four
more murder cases during the first six
months of this year than during the
similar period in 1948. And “aggravated
assaults” increased from 1,865 to 1,996. In
sharp contrast were the decreases locally
in robbery, burglary, larceny and automo
bile theft. The figures seem to justify
Major Barrett’s opinion as to a “leveling
off” trend here.
Complicating the comparison between
this year’s and last year’s statistics, how
ever, Is the fact that Washington’s new
crime-reporting procedures were in their
shakedown period in the first half of 1948.
It is possible, therefore, that the 1948
figures were not so accurate as those for
this year.
This and That
By Charles E. Tracewell
“FALLS CHURCH, Va.
“Dear Sir:
“I am very much concerned oyer the ap
pearance of a small rodent-type animal
which showed up a few nights ago for the
first time on the upper branches of a dog
wood tree, whose branches touch the roof
of t';e welihouse.
“I am hot sure whether it is in opossum
or raccoon, it being * dirty gray, with hog
type head, and thick rat-like tail.
“It seems to be about 9 or 10 inches long,
minus tail, and appears about 9 o’clock in
the evening, when the dog goes into dithers
(whatever that is) because he cannot climb
the tree and get at it.
“It wraps itself around a limb of the tree
and later perches afbp the welihouse, but
during which nightly visits it travels along
-the light wires to reach such perch, causing
the lights to flicker and the radio to be af
fected by the fluctuation of the current, and
I fear its nightly visit might wear off the
insulation in time.
“He emits no odor and I don’t object to
him, but I am concerned to know whether
he is carnivorous or herbivorous, something
of the nesting habits, etc.
“Having read of the nightly visits of your
opossum Blossom, I am inclined to believe
it is the same type, and my airedale would
also like to know if it safe to have him
around. “Sincerely yours, O. E. C.”
* * * *
This is a young opossum.
It is an omnivorous animal, as proved by
its teeth and digestive apparatus. ’
It eats almost anything in the food line.
It will eat everything from corn to insects.
Ground-nesting birds, their eggs and
young appeal to it.
The animal loves young chickens, but is
equally fond of moles, mice and young rab
bits.
The persimmon is a favorite dish.
It will be realized that here is both a use
ful and not so useful animal, from the hu
man viewpoint, but it also must be said that
its good points far outweigh its bad ones.
When full grown, the opossum is about
the size of a housecat, of which, by the way,
it is not in the least afraid.
Both Smoky, the rat-catching Persian,
and old Malty, the common cat, gave Blos
som the ’possum all the room she wanted.
Smoky followed her, but kept at a distance
of at least four feet, while Malty simply
failed to see her, as he passed within two
feet of her as she sat on the porch roof.
His friends believed that Malty saw her,
all right, but Just pretended not to see her.
Does this mean that cats, too, need face
s&ving devices?
Scientists tell us that no other animal on
our continent has the long prehensile tail,
the grasping hind foot and the marsupial
pouch of our ’possum.
The pouched animals are among the most
distinctive of all animals, and for that rea
son it seems a shame to thoughtlessly kill
the only American specimen.
Every one has read about the pouched
animals of Australia, including the most
famous of all. the kangaroo.
Well, the same fame attaches to our opos
sum. . She, in this case, possesses the same •
external abdominal pouch, in which the
young are carried. .
This pouch serves as nursery for the
young animals, which at birth weigh only
from 18 to 25 grains! That is grains, not
grams. And that is pretty small. They are
sightless, hairless and entirely helpless.
There usually are from 8 to 12 young.
Even after the young are able to leave
the pouch they go no farther than the
mother’s back, where they ding to her tail
with their own tails, with their heads down
and their forefeet touching, her back. .
This is a sight that few persons see any
more. It was more or less common in the
great woods which once made up so much
of North America. , r
The opossum feet have naked soles and
five toes, each with a nail, except the hind
feet, which have the first toe nailless and"
opposed to the others for grasping.
The teeth are sharp, but offer no harm
to dogs, certainly. If a ’possum or squirrel
can cause the house lights to blink, it is not
the animal the householder has need to
fear, but the wiring, and an appeal should
be made to the light company.
The opossum is a nice animal to have
around for observational purposes. It will
take bread and suet from the hand after
dark, but not in the daytime.
Letters to The Star
Further Recollections of Streetcars
Of Times Long Gone By
To the Editor ot The Star:
May I add a word or two to the remarks
of W. Seymour McLeod describing the old
Georgetown streetcars?
I, too, remember them very well. The
horses acquired a slew ambling trot which
was the gait at which the car moved. Patrons
did not have to go to street corners to get
aboard. The car would stop anywhere, and
the horses became very sensitive to the ap
plication of the brake as the driver turned
it on to bring about a stop. Also the horses
seemed to sense when the brake was re
leased and would start off without urging
by the driver. Young and middle-aged men
hardly ever signaled the car to stop, but
would approach the moving car in such a
way as to grasp the handle bar with the
right hand, and raising one foot to the step,
would find themselves aboard. This was
common practice and seemed to be favored
by the conductors. The fare was 5 cents,
or six tickets for 25 cents.
Tickets were in envelopes, and when a
patron made a purchase, the conductor
would open the end of the envelope and
remove one ticket and give the remaining
five to the purchaser. Then the conductor
would punch a hole in a long strip of blue
cardboard attached to his belt which became
a record of the fares he received.
The horse barn was on M street, then
called Bridge; and when a car returned
from a round trip to the Navy Yard, that
being the eastern terminus, the horses were
removed for a rest period and a new team
attached to the car which thus became
ready for another trip. As there was no heat
in the cars, it was customary in winter
to put straw on the floor to the depth of
almost 1 foot. This appeared to give some
relief to persons with cold feet.
Next came the cable cars, which went
with considerably mote speed, and I also re
member that young men found it a little
more difficult to mount these cars while
in motion, so that that practice gradually
disappeared. Then came the great fire to
the cable power house and a change over to
the modem electric cars. This change over
was not so easy, and it was not unusual to
see cars stalled on the street for some reason
or another, just as today we occasionally
may see an automobile that won’t go.
It has been a long step from the old
horse-drawn car to the present cars. But
the transition did not come by magic. Much
development through the years was required
to bring all this about. C. A. SLOAN.
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.
priate that all these books should be taken
to Fort Knox and handled with all the
efficiency and modern techniques already
in use there? The resultant savings would
be a really noticeable item, but I wasn’t
through yet. I knew that many of our
universities (most of them having large
libraries) have Government contracts to
carry on scientific research, so it seemed only
just to give them the benefit of the changes
contemplated for Government libraries. The
savings then would be passed on by means
of the smaller sums written in the con
tracts. There would be no great opposition
from unco-operative academies, for who
could stand in the way of unification and
reorganization?
NON ILLEGITIMITAE CARBORUNDUM.
Advocates Letting Robeson Speak
As Proof That Democracy Prevails
To the Bdiior ol The Star:
Let us not, as clear thinking Americans,
be intolerant of Paul Robeson and his bol
shevik sympathizers.
The Constitution of the United States
gives every man the right to speak openly.
Paul Robeson has chosen to idolize the
Soviet Union. He is following the Moscow
line in trying to create a “scapegoat” perse
cution complex in the American Negroes.
If he were in Russia, Moscow would "have
him liquidated by the MVD—but they see
in him a means to an end. He is their
tool whereby the white and Negro races in
America may be drawn into civh conflict.
I would like to say to veterans and fellow
citizens: "Don't give Robesojj, the benefit of
baiting you. Ignore him, let him speak his
mind.”
If we deny freedom of speech to even
one man, we defeat the purpose of our
great Constitution. Let the outside world
see real democracy at work. Though it may
be difficult, let us be tolerant.
JAMES W. BACKSCHEIDER. j
Objects To ‘Personal Letter’
About Minister to Luxembourg
To the Editor of The Star:
Never in my 50 years of reading The Star
have I been so shocked as when I read on
Page 1 of the Sunday edition the story “A
Letter Prom Luxembourg” by David Nichol.
How The Star could so demean itself by
printing a personal letter consisting of noth
ing more than a mean despicable harangue
from one person fjo another is beyond me.
Had this been reported in other papers one
could understand. But The Star! Shame!
IRVING M. GREY.
Friends Across the Sea Meet
In Kent With Some Help From The Star
To the Editor of The St»r:
Two years ago you kindly published my
letter about life in rural England during the
current crisis, '{his proved to be a pebble
that still ripples the pond. At the time, sev
eral of your readers wrote me encouraging
letters and a few sent parcels. Such evi
dence of understanding and sympathy was
so touching and heartening that I felt a
strong desire to meet these kind people.
This wish shows no sign of being realized
by my visiting America, but imagine my
delight when I received a telephone call
from one of my correspondents, who with
her son from Harvard, was touring Europe
and had arrived in London.
A meeting was arranged and we had the
great pleasure of welcoming our Washing
ton friends in our village home. This en
abled them to see a bit of family life without
comment from a guide and also gave us an
opportunity to discuss some of America's
problems from a lay point of view. Time
was very limited, but we managed a visit
to the silk farm now being worked in a
.nearby Tudor castle. Here was woven the
silk train worn by Princess Elizabeth at her
wedding. Across the park, a Roman villa
recently has been excavated, revealing a
beautifully preserved mosaic floor and stat
ues of an emperor. .
Our American friends found peculiar relish
in these ancient traces amid the peaceful
agricultural scenes of Kent. It was a day
which we shall none of us forget, the day
when ‘‘pen friend” became a flesh-and
blood-companion-hands-across-the-sea that
met in a Arm grasp.
Thank you very much for your share in
the introduction. MARGARET BANGER.
Eynsford, Kent, England.
Advocates Real Estate Reduction
In View of Sales Tax Yield
To the Editor of The Star:
The District of Columbia sales tax and
increases in various other kinds of local
taxes have been in effect only a short time,
but already it is apparent that official esti
mates of their yield were considerably short
of actual receipts. , .
As may be seen from newspaper articles,
the sales tax is producing about $iy4 million
a month, about $3 million annually above the
official estimate. The cigarette tax, on the
basis of early experience, is running about
$100,000 a month, or about 25 per cent above
advance estimates.
Your attention is respectfully called to an
article, “Are D. ,C. Taxes Really Low?" in the
May issue of the Home Builder’s Monthly.
It shows that owners of identical properties
in the District and in nearby Maryland and
Virginia pay about the same amount in taxes,
with the District owner paying a little more
than his enfranchised neighbors.
WAlre*30re you know that the sales tax
and other levies also hit the owner of real
estate. If the home owner who is buying a
tiny bungalow purchases wallboard to finish
his attic to make room for his growing family,
he must pay the sales tax on the materials.
Of course;!® pays the higher real estate tax
as well. This is ho argument against the
sales tax. However, we feel that it warrants
reconsideration of the real estate tax; and
we hope you will agree that this tax, < now
$2.15, should be put back to $1.75 * per
$1,000 valuation, where it was until 1947.
CHARLES J. BAUER,
Secretary. Building Owners and Managers
Association of Metropolitan Washington.
Excoriates Socialism and New Deal
As Forms of Devastation
To the Editor of The Star:
Norman Thomas, ex-Socialist presidential
candidate, has failed to pyramid the patron
age of the Socialist ballot box not because
of aqy lack of honest eloquence, but because
the disparities between proposed and applied
socialism require more explanation than the
gap between proposed and applied immor
tality.
Now further complicated by the unlimited
liabilities of the socialized isle of austerity,
socialism is the deadliest economic philosophy
ever inflicted upon the fertile fields of cap
italistic conduct—all except the New Deal
devastations of subsidlzed-insolvency; paying
bonuses to some farmers not to raise crops,
while paying bonuses to other fanners to
raise crops; jacking up wages to jack up
commodity costs; inflating costs and de
flating dollars; mortgaging America for more
than it could be sold for and dumping the
proceeds into socialistic-communistic rat
holes.
To Mr. Thomas I owe and offer suitable
apologies. If he can wreck wreckage; if he
can salvage anything whatever out of the
volcaniq-ash of New Deal devastation, he is a
miracle man—and more power to him.
A. C. HARROVER.
Scituate Harbor, Mass.
He Look* on Library Unification
With His Tongue in His Cheek
To the Editor of The Star:
The other night as I slept fitfully after
thinking long about econodly in Government
and unification of the armed services ana
how I as a Government scientist, could heip
bring them about, I had a dream in which
tf scheme came to me.
' The dream proposal was this—to com
bine the technical libraries of all the various •
research laboratories around Washington
which belong to the National Military Estab
lishment and put all the books in the Penta
gon Building. This would be a real,
concrete step toward both unification and
economy. In my dream. I could see that
fewer librarians were needed, many of them
being replaced by janitors, since the books
required only dusting. F\irther, the books
themselves lasted longer and looked more
orderly on the shelves, because the wear
and tear resulting from constant use were
diminished.
Of course, when I pondered this scheme
the next day, I realized only too well that
such a change would do more to hinder
me and my colleagues in our professional
duties than would cutting off our supply
of pencils. On the other hand, I had to
admit that certain economies would be pos
sible which would look well on paper.
Imagine my chagrin when X learned
through devious but reliable channels on
that very same day that X had been scooped;
my. scheme not only had been considered
by others, but, In fact, was scheduled to
become effective after Hallowe’en. In a
characteristic fashion I did not let this dis
hearten me, but Instead applied myself to ■
finding a means of making an even larger
contribution to the same ends.
It wasn’t long until I had found a solu
tion. Why restrict this unification to the
armed services? Why not apply it to all'
Government technical libraries? The sage
truly has written: “Knowledge is more pre
ci$|u thm gffd,” so does it not seen^ appro
Protests Lack of Good Music , |
On Radio Programs.
To the Editor of The Star:
I wonder if there is not some method by
which those in charge of radio stations can
be convinced that there is other music in
the world besides “popular” music? No
matter what' station you turn on during
the day, nothing is offered but silly modem
jazz, sickeningly sweet, or nonsensical bal
lads sung by crooners with mediocre voices.
Why can’t we have some good music for a
change? The Choraliers on Sunday after
noon have a fine program, and it is a
shame that we should get nothing but cheap
music all the rest of the week.
I like to listen to the radio in the morn
ing while getting ready for work, but turn
it off in disgust at the type of entertain
ment that is offered. WMAL used to have
a fine program from 6 to 7 am., but
changed it to the same monotonous fare
that is played on every other station.
I am not suggesting that we have the
most abstract classical music, but would
suggest that it would be a welcome relief
to hear selections from Victor Herbert,
Franz Lehar, Stephen Foster, Carrie Jacobs
Bond. John Philip Sousa, and such, sung by*
real singers, and give us a rest from all the
girl crooners and their ilk. I am tired to
death of jazz and a steady diet of “brand
new” trash. Why not play records by James
Melton instead of Frank Sinatra? And why
not play selections the way they originally
were written instead of jazzing them up?
DISGUSTED.
Appreciation f.or Editorial
On Buffalo Strike Violence
To the Editor of The Star:
I wish to commend you for your wonderful
editorial, “A National Disgrace,” pn the Bell
strike rioting in Buffalo. You have acted as
a spokesman for many of us little fellows
who have no way of expressing our feelings
to the public. May you continue to write
more editorials on the same subject!
FRANCES WARD.
To the Editor of The Stor:
Congratulations on your splendid editorial
of September 9, “A National Disgrace.” Let’s
hope more editors will join your crusade.
^ T. W. R.
Gasoline Fumes and Radio
Bracketed by Critic of Transit Co.
To the Editor of The Star:
If the Capital Transit Co. would spend a
little money on engineering talent to de
■ vise ways and means to keep the noxious
and obnoxious fumes from the exhaust of
the engines out of the buses, and a little
less on the equally obnoxious radio pro
grams, they would go a long way toward
justifying the public service title which is
attached to transportation’systems of this
i nature. FRANKLIN P. WOOD.
| The Political Mill
Scare Word 'Statism' Puts
Democrats on defensive
Dulles Due to Dramatize New Issue
in New York Senatorial Campaign
By Gould Lincoln
“Statism,” just a word and called by Pres
ident Truman a “scare word.” is putting the
Democrats on the defensive. It had its effect
in the recent Pennsylvania 26th district
election, won by the Republicans. It is go
ing into the New York senatorial campaign,
where Senator John Foster Dulles, Republi
can, is opposing former Governor Herbert
Lehman, Democrat. And it gives promise of
being as effective in the 1950 congressional
elections as was “had enough” in the 11)46
elections.
Whether statism means anything to Pres
ident Truman or not, it means a lot to
many other persons. It doesn’t mean the
same thing to them all—except that they
don’t like it. The very fact that it means
different things to different groups makes
it all the more difficult to combat.
Statism means plenty to the man and
woman who are paying high taxes—big and
little—and it doesn’t mean anything good.
It means plenty, too, to the man and woman
who see Federal Government expenditures
running the country into the red by billions
of dollars, and an administration which in
sists upon adding to these expenditures in
stead of cutting them. It means quite a
lot to the man and woman who dislike the
administration’s socialized medicine plan.
Means More to Farmer.
It means even more to the farmer who
still wants some say about how he is to run
his farm, and sell his produce, and to the
laborer who believes he has a right to work
where he desires and to bargain with his
employer, and doesn’t want the Government
to dictate those issues. It means much, too,
to the man and woman who believe the
Federal Government should not take over
control of education in this country—and
dictate that.
“Statism” is a short, mean sounding word.
Its meaning to the man in the street is
something entirely alien to America and
what the United States stands for. It is
already being used effectively by the Re
publicans. Mr. Lehman, running as the
Democratic senatorial candidate in New
York, is attempting to combat it by labeling
President Truman’s program a “program of
progress”—but that doesn’t take the edge
off Senator Dulles’ cry of “statism,” which
he stressed when he announced he would
gladly accept a Republican nomination.
Whatever the dictionaries have said in the
past about statism—and they have differed
about the meaning of the word—the use
of statism in the present and next year’s
campaign will leave no doubt as to what
it means in the minds of most people—no
matter whether they are anti or pro-statism.
A former Secretary of State and Associate
Justice of the Supreme Court, a distin
guished Democrat honored by both Presi
dent Truman and the late President Frank
lin D. Roosevelt, was the first to raise the
issue of “statism” against the Truman pro
gram. Speaking at Washington and Lee
University last June, Mr. Byrnes said:
“We are going down the road to statism—
where we will wind up no ope can tell. But
if some of the programs seriously proposed
should be adopted, there is danger that the
individual, whether farmer, worker, manu
facturer, lawyer or doctor, will soon become
an economic slave pulling an oar in the galley
of the state.”
Gerf. Dwight D. Eisenhower, president of
Columbia University, recently used the word
statism when he warned that the best path
for the United States is in the middle road,
“between the unfettered power of concen
trated wealth on the one flank and,the un
bridled power of statism or partisan interests
on the other.” No one had the slightest doubt
that either Mr. J3yrnes or Gen. Eisenhower,
in their use of "statism” was referring to
the Truman program. And other speakers
have made or attemoted to make “statism”
synonomous with “the welfare state” and
the Truman “fair deal.” It’s likely to stick.
Republican National Chairman Guy George
Gabrielson has taken official notice of “stat
ism” as both issue and slogan. He put out
a statement declaring the Republican Party
fortunate in having Senator Dulles as its
candidate in New York and saying that the
party welcomed the “statism” issue which
Senator Dulles had raised.
"He has dramatized an issue which may
well be paramount (trend to statism) in the
congressional camoaign of 1950, as well as
in this year’s soecial election in New York,”
said Mr.Gabrielson.
-.
Questions and Answers
A re«der can yet the aniwer to any yueatlon
of fact by vrltiny The Evening Star Information
Bureau. 316 Eye at. n.e.. Waahtnyton 2. D. C.
Please inclose three (S) cents for return postnce
By THE HASKIN SERVICE
Q. What happened in the libel case
brought against the editor of the New
York World by Theodore Roosevelt?—C.H.W.
A. On February 7, 1909, the Government
procured an indictment against Joseph Pu
litzer of the New York World and two of
his editors on five counts for criminally li
beling Theodore Roosevelt, J. P. Morgan,
Charles P. Taft, Douglas Robinson, Elihu
Root and William N. Cromwell. The case
was later dropped.
Q. Can a cat swim?—L. C. M.
A. Cats are able to swim although they
are not essentially water animals.
Q. Was Ary Roseland a famous paint
er?—L. D. R.
A. Harry (or Ary) Roseland was a well
known genre painter. He was born in
Brooklyn. N. Y., on May 12, 1886. Rose
land studied with J. B. Whlttoker in Brook
lyn and with Beckwill in New York. The
artist won numerous awards.
Q. What waterfall in Western United
States is known as the "Niagara of the
West?"—G. W. F.
A. Shoshone Falls in Idaho is sometimes
called "Niagara of the West.” The water
fall is 210 feet high, and because of its im
pressive beauty has been compared to
Niagara.
Q. What was the name of the only horse
to beat the famous Man ’o War?—T. W.
A. The name of the only horse that bettt
Man o’ War was Upset. The race was the
Sanford Memorial Stakes at Saratoga
Springs, August 13, 1919.
Q. Why is the fat of some meat a decided
yellow in color?—J. D. K.
A. The color ef fat on beef depends on
the amount of carotene given the animal.
If there has been a great deal of carotene
in the feed, the fat will be yellow. The color
of the fat makes no difference in the grading
of the meat.
Q. What happened at McCulloch’s Leap,
near Wheeling, W. Va.?—W. McM.
A. “McCulloch's Leap” refers to an ex
ploit of Maj. Samuel McCulloch. In 1777,
he rode his horse over a 300-foot precipice
to avoid capture by the Indians. They tried
many times to take the major alive. Always
they were foiled by his daring and re
sourcefulness. On July 30, 1782, Maj. Mc
Culloch was attacked near Fort Van Meter.
The officer was slain and scalped and his
heart cut out.