Evening star. [volume], February 09, 1952, Page A-4, Image 4

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A—4 •• SATURDAY, February », 1952
Daylight Saving *Guessing Game'
Virginia’s General Assembly has done, its
part to solve the perennial daylight saving
muddle in the Washington Metropolitan Area—
which is more than can be said of Congress.
The Legislature quickly passed a bill to give the
nearby Virginia communities authority to adopt
daylight saving whenever the District of Colum
bia goes on hot-weather time. The only hitch
in the plan is that the people across the river
never can be certain as to when to proclaim a
date for setting the clocks ahead an hour. They
must follow Washington’s lead in such a mat
ter—for the sake of uniformity—but Washing
ton itself always is uncertain about it, Congress
seems to delight in staging an annual guessing
game on daylight saving—and this year is no
exception to the rule.
For several years Representative Klein of
New York and a few other colleagues who do
not see any sense in this annual game have been
trying to induce Congress to gass a‘ bill perma
nently conferring on the District government
authority to proclaim daylight saving whenever
local residents want it—without further refer
ence to Congress. Year after year this bill has
gotten exactly nowhere against an amazing va
riety of opposing arguments having no real
relevancy to the local question. A great deal
has been said, during these time-consuming and
wearisome discussions, about why farmers and
their cows in some other sections of the country
do not like daylight saving, but little mention
Is made of the fact that an overwhelming pro
portion of Washingtonians like it. After this
repetitious performance—which no doubt is ap
plauded by the farm constituents back home—
the legislators finally compromise on a tem
porary enabling act—granting daylight saving
to the District for one more year.
That is the way it went last year and that
is the way it is going to happen again this year,
unless an unforeseen legislative miracle occurs.
The permanent daylight saving bill is still pend
ing in committee, with no evidence of any move
ment to bring it out for floor action. Meanwhile,
Representative Klein is dusting off his annual
one-year extension bill, ready for last-minute
substitution if the permanent bill remains buried.
That Congress continues to play around with
this local legislation in such fashion when there
are so many major problems facing the Nation
is a foible as inexpjicable as it is silly.
The BB Gun Is Dangerous
Many people regard the BB gun and its
companion piece, the air pistol, as toys. Not
until their own child, or some child they know,
has .had an eye shot out by one of the BB pellets
do they begin to treat these “toys” as the danger
ous weapons they really are.
Not many fathers, or at least not many in
their right minds, would turn their boys loose
on the neighborhood with .22 rifles or shotguns.
The lethal qualities of these weapons are recog
nized, and their use is restricted or supervised
accordingly. But because an air rifle will not
ordinarily kill a person it is treated with little
respect. And a itiounting toll of blindness and
serious eye injuries is the result.
The District Society for the Prevention of
Blindness is trying to do something about this
situation. It is going to try to educate the public
to the fact that the BB gun, if used carelessly, is
dangerous. It is also going to try to have laws
passed which would forbid the sale of these guns
to children under 18 throughout the Metropolitan
Area, and to require parents to supervise their
use and to be financially responsible for any
damage done through improper use.
It will not be easy to persuade the authori
ties to adopt these measures. But the danger
from unrestricted use of BB guns is real, and
the society’s effort merits understanding and
support.
Why Not Try Silence?
One of the most interesting political cam
paigns in recent history has been the one staged
by Prabhu Dutt Brahmachari of India. As a
means of self-purification, he has long been
abiding by an oath never to speak. Yet, with
lips sealed, this Hindu holy man has taken to
the hustings against Prime Minister Nehru, in
the latter’s home town, in an effort to defeat
him in the parliamentary elections. His only
weapon to that end has been his silence, and
although it has not won for him, it has been
reverberating enough to constitute a strong^
challenge—sufficiently strong, according to re
ports, to have caused ^fr. Nehru some moments
of considerable worry and anguish.
Now that we are engaged in electioneering
here in our own country,* more than a few of
our politicos could do worse than give a little
thought to the campaigning technique that
Prabhu Dutt Brahmachari has followed. The
first thing to be noted is that very large crowds
of people have flocked to his meeting places in
order not to hear him speak. Only his lieuten
ants have delivered addresses at these gatherings.
As for himself, remaining completely mum, not
breathing a single syllable on any burning issue
of the day, he has merely presided in august
silence, and his huge audiences apparently have
enjoyed every mifiute of his soundlessness,
drinking in the full eloquence of it and catching
the meaningful nuances of his every unuttered
word. ♦
Very obviously except for the rather remote
resemblance to be found in the current campaign
being waged for General Eisenhower, there has
been nothing in American political history quite
like this performance. What a blessing if there
were! How splendid it would be if between now
and next November our aspirants for public
office would emulate Prabhu Dutt Brahnqa
char|?at least for a few days out of ev#jy week!
What sweet balm that would be! How the quiet
would be as music to the Nation’s ear! What
wondrous, soul-soothing taciturnity! Surely, if
only our candidates would try It, the^ might
well find it worth their while. After all, ac
cording to an old proverb, the .silent man is the
best man to listen to, and in this too-verbose day
and age such a man could hope for a rich reward
from a grateful electorate.
A Bad Day hr Senator Taft
Senator Taft did not add to his stature in
the debate on the unsuccessful attempt to amend
the NATO treaty.
The amendment, offered in connection with
the move to admit Greece and Turkey to NATO,
was sponsored by Senator Watkins of Utah. Had
it been passed, it would have put the Senate on
record against any commitment of American
armed forces by the President “in a manner
which would necessarily involve the United
States in war.”
Senator Taft lent his full support to the
amendment until it was withdrawn in the face
of certain and overwhelming defeat. But—and
this is the significant thing—he was unable to
carry even the Republican minority with him,
and he was strongly opposed by Republican Sen
ators who have been closely identified with him
in the past.•
The North Atlantic treaty, while obligating
the United States to aid any member nation that
is attacked, provides that such aid shall be ex
tended in accordance with our constitutional
processes. Senator TJaft Vas not satisfied with
this. The Constitution reserves to Congress the
power to declare war, and he argued that the
Watkins amendment would reinforce and
strengthen that principle.
senator Tait seemea to trnnK, ior example,
that the President, lacking the express consent
of Congress, x could not send troops to Greece
or Turkey. That, presumably, would necessarily
commit the United States to war in event of an
attack. But he conceded that the President
could send air units into those countries, and
that he could station naval units in adjacent
waters. The distinction seemed to be that air
and naval units could run away in event of an
attack, and that therefore we would not be
necessarily committed to war.
Senator Knowland asked whether the Presi
dent could send to Greece or Turkey one of the
six American divisions which, with congressional
approval, are to be stationed in Western Europe.
Senator Taft said he hadn’t thought about that,
but it seemed clear that the President could do
so without seeking any further congressional
authority. If those troops should be attacked
in Greece or Turkey, however, we would be
necessarily committed to war under the Taft
theory.
Senator Millikin wanted to know who would
decide whether a given troop assignment would
necessarily involve us in war. Senator Taft said
that the President, of course, would make the
decision. Senator Millikin wanted to know what
formula would be used to determine whether
one troop assignment would necessarily lead to
war, while another would not. Senator Taft
said that the line is bound to be a shadowy
one. And so on, and so on.
v The point of all this is that finely spun
legalistic arguments, while they may be all right
in the Senate, cannot be fitted into the practical
problems of opposing aggression. The North
Atlantic pact either means that the subscribing
countries will stand together and use force if
necessary to oppose aggression, or it means
nothing. Our obligations under that treaty were
assumed when the Senate ratified it, and the
country has accepted them. Those obligations,
assumed after the “great debate,” ought not to
be whittled down by indirection. Yet that is
what the Watkins amendment would have done,
if it would have done anything. It is significant
that Senator Taft, in making a fight for it,
found himself, for the first time, standing almost
alone in the Senate. The inference is that while
he may want to take action that would be or
would seem to be retreat from international*
obligations which we freely assumed with our
eyes open, the rest of the Senate,- including the
overwhelming majority of its Republican mem
bers, will not go along with him.
Embarrassment of Riches
Embarrassment of riches, a condition which
seems to pose a paradox within itself, has be
come a reality of life to certain personages in
the Persian Gulf area. Specifically, those who
are reportedly so embarrassed are the ruling
sheikhs of Kuwait, Bahrein and Qatar. Pos
sessed of nominal independence but closely tied
to the British Commonwealth in matters of
economics and external policy, the three sheikh
doms are almost literally floating on seas of oil
and the generous income accruing thereby.
Kuwait, a tiny corner of desolate landscape
at the top of the gulf, is the most extreme of
these extreme cases. Beneath its sands rests
what geologists describe as the largest single
oil pool in the world, the Burgan field. In the
official files of the Sheikh of Kuwait is a con
tract with the Kuwait Oil Company, Ltd., owned
jointly by British and American interests, that
provides royalties on the magic formula of a
50-50 division of profits. To the Sheikh this
might mean up to $2.5 million of weekly in
come, to be devoted to his own needs alone or to
be shared as he sees fit with his 100,000 subjects.
By any plan of investment or development it is^
a staggering figure, genuinely a problem to a
country where even needs or capacity for im
provement are limited. Bahrein and Qatar have
comparable worries.
To help solve the dilemma, the British For
eign Office is sending a special mission, includ
ing fiscal experts, to the area. With them will
go suggestions for internal developments within
the sheikhdoms—proposals for improving facili
ties in the fields' of transport, sanitation, hous
ing and dther aspects of modern living. Very
likely there will be proposals for foreign invest
ment also, loans perhaps to countries whose
credit is good but whose resources have less
vitality.
. Some measurement of what might be done
in the&e circumstances is available .in Saudi
Arabia, a neighboring country where income
from oil has also reached spectacular heights.
In this desert land millions of dollars are being
^spent today on the building and extension of a
new railroad, the construction of port facilities,
experimentation in scientific agriculture, the
building and operation of hospitals and so forth.
Progress in a matter of years to levels of
modernity which have taken many other coun
tries centuries is not in itself a simple matter,
regardless of the wealth available.^ The human
adjustment cannot be imposed overnight and the
Bedouin who has learned to become an oil-field
worker may still prefer to sleep in his tent
while he c tethers his goats in modern housing.
There has been encouraging evidence, however,
that both the rulers and the populations of these
richly endowed countries are receptive to in
telligent! guidance of good intent. Their his
tories hi this period will make interesting case
studies for the futi^
A Silver Anniversary Bereft of Love
By Edward Boykin
BEFORE the fur flies in the battle of
the ballots, it seems worth observing
that this is something of a silver anni
versary year in politics—the 25th time
Democrats and Republicans have
squared off in the main bout.
It was with great loathing on both
sides that the Republican Party made its
initial bid for the presidency in 1856
with a candidate who today would qual
ify as glamorous. He was John Charles
Fremont. 43, so-called Pathfinder of the
West, a dashing figure who had explored
the Rockies and helped wrest California
from Mexico. The elephant was only a
2-year-old when it trumpeted its first
challenge.
In the Democrats' comer was aging
James Buchanan, who at 64 had held
such a variety of high Government
posts that he called himself Qld Public
Functionary. Buck by then had already
served in the House and Senate, been
Secretary of State under Polk and had
seen foreign duty as Minister to Russia
and Britain. He was short on glamour,
but his party was long on cash. For
every Republican campaign dollar, the
Democrats had ten.
Another principal was Jessie Fremont,
32, and lovely, the Republican candi
date for first lady. She had so much
more glamour than her , glamorous
husband that lots of the Republican
campaigning was done in her name.
Strangely, the first issue between the
Democrats and Republicans was one of
morals—slavery. The Democrats had
indorsed repeal of the Missouri Compro
mise which led to strife and bloodshed
in Kansas. While he wasn’t actually for
it, Buchanan at least was tolerant of
slavery. The Republicans got themselves
a song which ran “Free speech, free
press, free soil, free men, Fremont” etc.,
and launched what they called “Thermo
pylae of Freedom.” The idea caught on
like a prairie fire. Poets, authors,
preachers, college presidents, professors,
young people, flocked to the Republicans.
Henry W. Longfellow, Ralph Waldo
Emerson, William Cullen Bryant, Walt
Whitman, Bayard Taylor made poetic
pleas to the voters. Chanted John
Greenleaf Whittier:
“Rise up, Fremont, and go before,
The Hour must have its Man
Put on the hunting shirt once more
And lead in Freedom’s van.”
Spellbinders Charles Sumner, Henry
Political cartoonist ddring the first Democrat-Republican presidential
campaign shows "Old Buck” Buchanan headed for the White House while
Fremont’s gun explodes and Fillmore tries to get in a shot.
Ward Beecher, Salmon Chase and Wen
dell Phillips cut loose. Abraham Lincoln
made 90 speeches,for Fremont. Wash
ington Irving and Edward Everett Hale
turned out catch lines.
For a party waging its first major
fight, the Republicans put on a terrific
show. They deluged the Nation with
songs, slogans', pictures, pamphlets.
They whooped it up with glee clubs,
fife-and-drum corps, marching bands,
torchlight parades, cannon on street
corners, pageantry, floats, mass rallies,
picnics and speeches by tens of thou
sands.
But the Democrats were old hands at
political .free-for-alls. They had been
at it 40 years. In the South, their
orators threatened secession if Fremont
won. Money talked louder than the
orators.
Almost forgotten was a segment of tJie
dying Whig Party that allied with the
Native Americans and nominated Mil
lard Fillmore on a third ticket.
Fremont’s wife Jessie was the daughter
of Senator Thomas Hart Benton, Demo
crat, of Missouri. With the tempo ris
ing, the ticket seemed at times to be
"Fremont and Jessie.” As the Republi
cans began glorifying Mrs. Fremont,
she became a potent factor. Everything
she ever said or did was trotted out.
Her runaway marriage to Fremont in
1841 was depicted as “the most beauti
ful love story in the history of the world.”
The public seemed to love it. \
To thousand of voters swept along by
the Republican whirlwind, a Fremont vic
• tory seemed certain. But the new party
didn’t make it. Buchanan carried 19
States with 174 electoral votes; Fremont
got 11 States, 114 electoral votes; Fill
more 1 State with 8 votes. Fillmore’s
900,000 popular votes siphoned oft
enough to elect Buchanan, a minority
President.
For Jessie, who had already announced
her plans for redecorating the White
House, it was a double shock. Her
father, a Democrat to the end, refused
to vote for his own son-in-law.
4
I *-11. i_ Tl Pi Pen-names may be used if letters carry
L_eTiers TO' I ne Jinr writers’ correct names and addresses.
* * AH letters are 'subject to condensation.
Reluctantly* for Taft
Senator Taft calls the Korean war
a useless war. If Russia takes Korea,
then the Korean war will be a useless
war. Does this meair Senator Taft
would give Korea to Russia? Japan is
very close to Korea. If we fight to keep
RUssia out of Japan, would that be a
useless war? Just where is the line?
Is it Alaska?
I am a Democrat who was going to
vote for Senator Taft. I have admired
him for a long time. Now it looks like
the Senator is just a politician playing
for votes. But I will still have to vote
for the Senator or any one else who runs
against Truman.
We have otir choice: Bomb Manchuria
now or all of Asia later.
Democrat.
Case of the Stolen Star
An item in The Star February 5 told
how a policeman solved the case of
his missing newspaper by attaching a
thread to his Star as it lay outside his
apartment door and then tracing it to
a neighbor’s apartment. The officer
says “he followed the thread inside the
apartment’’ and told the woman there.
“I’d knock your teeth in if you were a
man.”
On top of revelations of police graft
and scandal, with police officers accused
of connections with gamblers and other
flagrant violators of the law, now we
have self-evidence of illegal entry and
brutality. Or did the officer in this
case have a search warrant?
Is it conduct becoming an officer when
this man acknowledges he would have
taken the law into his own hands and
meted out his idea of justice? This
officer should be suspended.
Irate Reader.
* *
Here is how I solved my problem of
the missing Star. I prefer it, for my
method does not require seeking admis
sion to the offender’s apartment; there
is no necessity for keeping a close watch
at the door; also, the thread might be
a give-away to the thief, or might break.
I missed my paper three dt four
times a week—any evening when I
arrived home after 6:30 it was ioiie.
One evening I came home early—waited
for the boy to drop The Star in front
of the door. I ran a string through the
fold, put the paper outside the door,
with just the middle fold extending
under the door to the inside, brought the
ends of the string inside—about 3 feet
of string to either end, so the person
picking it up could resumd standing
position.
I had an old aluminum coffee pot
consisting of five parts—pot, stem, cof
fee basket, strainer, top. This I set in
side the door, perching the parts on
top of the pot in such a manner that
a slight tug would dislodge them. I
tied the string to the percolator. It was
30 minutes before the whole works
crashed to the floor. 1 leaped to the
door, opened it, and there was the
startled culprit, paper in hand.
It was not necessary to say anything
except good evening to my neighbor.
But my paper hasn’t been missing since.
Subscriber.
Clinic on 'Decentralization'
Regarding your recent discerning
editorial on "Decentralization,” this
word has become prominent as a name
for the proposal to move various Fed
eral ggencies to cities remote from
Washington. This proposal opens a
problem that appears difficult for some
people to comprehend. Perhaps this is
because it is so simple.
Government administration may be
compared to the human body. Both
operate under a mechanism of decen
tralization. But “decentral” imples "cen
tral.” There must be one central head
and certain needed branches thereof at
various ends of the total structure. The
human mechanism consists of one head
and many branches. Among these
branches are two hands and two feet.
Hands can reach for things, and feet
are made for walking. The head can
neither reach nor walk; it can only give
orders. The head is the sole co-ordina
tor of the total human body’s destinies.
Suppose we had no such co-ordinator—
imagine what would happen. Suppose
the hand reaches to open a certain door;
at the same time the foot moves toward
another dopr. Thus the body as a whole
is afflicted with conflicting destinies.
So the funttions of reaching and
walking must be controlled from a cen
tral "office,” namely the brain. This
very simple fact is recognized by all
makers of government. They have
always placed the brain or head or
“capital” of government in one place
upon the map—whether Paris or Lon
don or Washington. The “hands” and
“feet” of the United States Government
can be and must be placed all over the
United States map; they can and must
be (and always have been) decentral
ized. But to de-centralize a head you
must de-head it. In other words, de
capitate.
This is what the “decentralizers”
would do to Undle Sam’s government.
Uncle’s head, instead of remaining all
intact and complete in Washington
where it belongs, would be cut up intf
pieces which would be scattered over
the United States map. His right eye
would reside somewhere over in Maine,
his left ear out in California, his whis
kers up in Minnesota, and his nose down
in Texas. Decentralization of this sort
is decapitation.
They started decapitation during
World War n. I myself was one victim
of it. I worked for a land-use agency.
}/ly work required close and constant
co-operation with certain other land
use agencies. This I was able to have
while stationed in Washington. Then
my agency was moved to St. Louis.
While there, the only co-operation pos
sible was by mail or expensive journeys.
Such co-operation in my case was
wholly impracticable. And so in thou
sands of other and more important
cases.
I hope you will continue on your
splendid start in the campaign against
Uncle Sam’s decapitation.
Benton MacKaye.
'Flammable' or 'Inflammable?
Recently some publicity was given to
fUe-hazardous sweaters and the word
“inflammable” was used to describe
them. You will be interested to know
that the National Safety Council of Chi
cago, the National Fire Protection Asso
ciation of Boston and United States De
partment of Agriculture have come to
use the word "flammable" as burnable
and "non-inflammable” as non-bumable.
A. M. Sowder.
Anniversary of Yalta Pact
Six million Americans of Polish de
scent, through the organization that
unites them, the Polish-American Con
gress, wish to remind all fellow Ameri
cans about ignominious Yalta.
'February 11 marks the seventh an
niversary of the signing of the in
famous Yalta pact which gave so many
concessions to Communist Russia and
enabled Stalin to enslave millions of
peoples of Central and Eastern Europe
and East Asia.
Today, the evil ghost of Yalta hovers
over a haunted world. Because the
authors of Yalta have placed ^Poland,
Czechoslovakia, the Baltic and Balkan
nations, all of China and North Korea
in Red bondage, there is a threat of
World War in. As a direct result of
the great sell-out in Crimea on February
11, 1945, Soviet Russia is more and more
the direct menace to world peace.
Charles Rozmarck,
President, Polish-American Con
gress, Inc.
Boycotts Columnists
I would like to give a bit of advice to
“Constant Reader” who was so incensed
over an article written by Stokes:
To preserve your peace of mind, don’t
bother reading Fleeson, Mellett, or
Stokes. I stopped quite a while ago, and
don’t even bother to glance at their
headlines. It will keep your blood pres
sure down, and you won’t waste precious
time. C. M. L.
This and That . . . ey 0*^ e. w^//
"RIVERDALE ROAD S.E.
"Dear Sir:
"H. H. B. of Fairfax, Va.. writes to ask
if the big gray animal with fluffy tail
seen in^his yard could possibly be a
fox—only 14 miles from Washington.
"Brother, you don’t know nothin’!
Here in Prince Georges County, on the
hanks of the Potomac with the Wash
ington Monument in full view, 82 foxes
and 8 wildcats haye been shot by
hunters in a radius of 2 miles in the
12 years since we have lived here.
"We hear foxes bark at night and
have several pelts in the gunroom, one
a beautiful mi fox, shot a few yards
from the house.
* *
"A couple of mornings ago our eyes
fairly bugged out as we saw a deer
strolling down the garden path.
"Last summer my neighbor was eat
ing brfcakfast and a doe looked in the
picture window—humans and animal
petrified, getting a good view of each
other.
"We have found possums in the
chicken bucket, coons in the rabbit
trap, while Miss Puff, a silver Persian,
brought in a baby weasel.
“Rabbits are a pest on earth, squir
rels steal from the bird feeder. A large
crow’s nest sits sprawling in a water
front free. (Don’t tell the Game and
Wildlife, who are gunning for crows.
We will defend our nest to the limit.)
“We like crows, and until recently a
’mammoth eagle's nest was nearby: it
ii
•
was as large as a double bed, and
known to be over 100 years old. Since
eagles still circle our place, a new nest
is doubtless in the vicinity, as eagles
are dead-set on the old home place.
“Many varieties of birds frequent the
woods despite the presence of our spoiled
darlings, Muffin, Miss Puff and Madame
Pompadour, Persian cats, and Mister
Shakespeare, a wise old. alley fellow,
rather proving your assertion that cats
are greatly maligned as bird extermi
nators. A phoebe which built under the
porch ceiling has used the same nest
three years running.
“When these fur and feather brothers
are bored with country life they sit
around and enjoy the Washington
Monument. Thanking you very much,
Mr. Trace well, for your interesting
column, I am
“Very truly yours, P. P. P.”
* * V
No one in suburban Washington need
worry about foxes, opossums or other
wildlife.
In a few more years there will be
none, just as there are few cows.
When we moved to nearby Maryland
a cow could be heard every evening.
There are few more pleasant sounds
in nature, unless it be the morning
caw of crows.
We are glad our correspondent likes
the crows, and wishes to protect them.
Crows not only are fun, but are won
derful birds.
Farmers and others hate them, and
maybe if one were a farmer, one would
understand; but lacking the felicity of
the real farmer’s life, we like crows.
Surely there is something American
about the crow, the way he flies around,
lord of all he surveys. Now and then
he takes a chicken, and that is why
the fanners hate him, why they hate
the foxes, too.
* * •
It is plain that hard-working country
people, whose chickens are a part of
their work, do not like any animal that
interferes; they ^also hate hawks, even
the good hawks, the ones that help
keep nature’s balance true.
It is also plain that the city or
suburban man, whose interest in wild
life is the wildlife, will have a different
viewpoint about all the animals.
Such a viewpoint is a growth, built
up over the years. Even such a man. if
he is fair, will not deprecate too much
the failure of others to get his own
viewpoint. He reaches for a camera,
instead of a gun, and thinks he has
kindness and mercy on his side. He
Watches, rather than kills; and finds
that many of his friends, the cats, are
one with him in interest, rather than
strife. It is amazing how interested
many house cats are in other animals;
we have seen them follow along, a few
feet behind an opossum, without once
trying to harm it. Perhaps the fact that
the opossum was as large as the cat
had something to do with it!
The Political Mill
Upcoming Primaries
Could Be Very Potent
Candidates May Be Made
Or Lost by March Results
By Gould Lincoln
Eyewash or not eyewash, presidential
candidates may well beware the pri
maries of March, 1952. There are only
two of them—New Hampshire on March *
11 and Minnesota on March 18. Their
results conceivably could be potent.
When Senator Taft of Ohio, on tha
Republican side, announced bis inten
tion of entering the New Hampshire pri
mary despite the fact most of the im
portant party leaders in the State had
announced for Gen. Dwight D. Eisen
hower, he paved the way for the first
actual test of voting strength between
himself and the general. The outcome,
if favorable to Taft, would be a serious
setback for the Eisenhower candidacy.
On the other hand, if Eisenhower should
clean up in New Hampshire and win all
the State’s delegates to the Republican
National Convention, or nearly all, it
would have a strong psychological effect
—even if it did not spell defeat for the
Ohio Senator in July.
Harold E. Stassen, former Governor
of Minnestota, is entered in New Hamp
shire, too—but not in the contest for
delegates. He is entered in the so-called
“preference” race, where the voters de
clare their preference for a presidential
nominee. Taft and Eisenhower are in
that race, too. Some of the Taft man
agers are hopeful that the Senator will
do well in this vote, and so dispel what
they call the myth of Eisenhower popu
larity. It is possible that Stassen's en
try in this contest will divide in a
measure the vote which does not favor
Taft.
Could Help General.
Now, it has developed, the Minnesota
primary may conceivably add greatly to
the Eisenhower prestige—and at the
same time be a blow to that of Mr.
Stassen. Eisenhower enthusiasts have
entered a slate of delegates for the gen
eral. Under the primary law, consent
of the candidate is not mandatory. This
action was taken over the protest of
Senator Henry Cabot Lodge of Massa
chusetts, the Eisenhower campaign
manager, who argued that Stassen was
entitled to the support of his old home
State’s delegation—particularly as it
would be an anti-Taft delegation and
probably ready to go Eisenhower at a
crucial time.
The Eisenhower slate of delegates was
filed by Bradshaw Mintener, general
counsel of the Pillsbury Mills, a great
personal friend of Gen. Eisenhower. In
some measure the action was forced, for
Leorard Lindquist, who wishes to be the
Republican nominee for Governor over
C. Elmer Anderson, the acting Governor,
ptoposed to enter an Eisenhower slate.
Anderson has declared for Mr. Stassen,
although he has a high regard for Gen.
Eisenhower. Senator Taft, according to
Roy Dunn, Republican national com
mttfeeman and Taft’s manager in Min
nesota, will not be entered in the Minne
sota primary.
MacArthur Begs Off.
A slate of delegate candidates for Gen.
Dcuglas MacArthur also has been filed
in Minnesota, but Gen. MacArthur has
asked that it be withdrawn. Gen. Eisen
hower, it is expected, will let the issue
ride. He does nbt have to say anything.
Pulls taken by the Minneapolis Star
Tribune show Gen. Eisenhower running
wt<l ahead among Republican voters
ana far ahead among the independents.
It is regarded as more than likely some
of the Eisenhower district delegates will
be elected, and observers say it is not
inconceivable the general might win a
majority of the delegates there. Such
an outcome would be extremely sig
nificant.
In the New Hampshire primary Presi
dent Truman is finally landed in direct
opposition to Senator Kefauver of Ten
nessee. The Democratic organization is
backing the President. Mr. Kefauver, on
the other hand, has a certain following
glowing out of his anti-crime investiga
tions The President will not campaign
in the State, but the Senator will. If the
unexpected should happen, and Senator
Kelauver win, or run extremely close to
Mr. Truman, or pick up as many dele,
gates as Mr. Truman, the result would
be startling.
Senator Humphrey is the Truman
stalking horse in Minnesota—and will
have the delegation as a favorite-son
candidate. Perhaps, if the President
should not run, the Minnesota Senator
might crop up as a dark-horse candidate
for the Democratic presidential nomina
tion—even though he has disclaimed
piesidential ambitions.
Questions and Answers
The Star's reader* can get tbs answer to
any question ol fact by either wri'lng Xne
Evening Star Information Bureau. 1200 I street
N.W., Washington 6 D C. and inclosing 3 cents
return postage or by telephoning 81 T3«3.
By THE HASKIN SERVICE.
Q. yftio awards the Pulitzer Prizes?—
B. C.
A. The prizes are awarded annually
by the trustees of Columbia University
on recommendation of the Advisory
Board of the School of Journalism at
Columbia University.
Q. Was Lord Byron’s left or right foot
a clubfoot?—O. S.
A. Though it is well established that
Lord Byron was born with a clubfoot,
records show disagreement among family
and friends as to which foot was de
formed.
Q. Why is a cat so often referred to
as pussy?—E. L. T.
A. The origin is unknown, although
the word is present in many Teutonic
languages. It was applied also, in the
17th century and since, to hares.
Q. What general’s head was carried
on a spear?—M. K S.
A. General Charles G. (Chinese)
Gordon, British Governor of the Sudan,
was slain on January 26, 1885 by a Mo
hammedan soldier who stuck his victim's
head on a spear.
' > ' •'
Unexpected Callers Sunday
Afternoon
Quietly we stand before the door: then
touch
The button that will sound the belli
we have
Been here many times before: today,
no one
The visit could foretelli happily we
hear steps
lust inside—so they are home, the ones
We know quite well, and then their
front door
Opens very wide, and we are welcomed
where
Our good frienC. dwell.
Grace Mereditk 4
r i * *