davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-12-31

Washington, Dec 31.--The Treasury has Q big tax surprise up it's sleeve.
 Despite all pooh-pooh talk by the Old Guarders, Young Hen- are harboring secret program for drastic tax revision at this session.
 Three of the most important features of the plan are:
 1. The principle that only an arbitrarily fixed amount of wealth may be inherited. The "ceiling" that MOrgenthau and his advisers have agreed on is a closely guarded secret. But they want the principle writ ten into the law on he theory that once 1t is fixed the s'ceil-, ing' can be raised or lowered with greater ease.
 2. A tax on dividends. 3. Increase of the capital stock tax.
 The program is the work of group of young economists whom Morgenthau has had SluuyluS lAc IdA QuSotAOAAt WI many months,
 They recommended that the Administration delay no longer in fundamental tax reform, that it begin by tackling the prob- lem of great inheritances.
 Their plan has been pro- visionally approved by the Presi- dent, but will come before him in final form before it is decided whether to submit it to Con- gress.
 PRESS TUTOR
 Secretary of Labor Perkins no only is the closest mouthed member of the Administration where news is concerned, but she also acts as a press tutor for the rest of the Cabinet.
 One day she was leaving White House conference togeth- CT with Secretary of the Treas ury Morgenthau, Relief Admin istrator Hopkins, and Interior Secretary Ickes-all three be- lievers in cooperation with the press. White House scribes gathered round, they asked Mor- genthau: M &
 Gan you give us any idea of what was discussed?" ",
 Well" he began, "we talked over the questions of"
 But he got no further. With complete finality, Miss Perkins broke in:
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-12-31

There was really nothing at all under discussion. We were just having a friendly little chat. The Secretary (Morgenthau) has nothing he can give you just at this time."
 And Morgenthau and 1ckes and Hopkins, somewhat fiabber- .gasted, murmured in chorus:
 "Yes. .... .er. of course. Nothing at all. We were just having pleasant little chat"
 Note: They had spent an hour discussing Relief and PWA ap- propriations for the new budget. HATiI-KARI
 President Roosevelt came near losing his Steel Labor Board en masse.
 It happened this way:
 For weeks there had been strenuous behind-thesscenes ef- forts to bring steel operators and union leaders into agreement.
 The negotiations got nowhere.
 Labor leaders insisted on rec ognition of the principle of ma jority rule. Employers refused to yield on their demand for minority representation in plant councils.
 Finally, the Stee l Board pro-
 posed a three point formula:
 Factory elections to be sus-
 pendeS for sixs xsmonths. Elm
 ployers to deal. with all union
 groups. The Steel Board to be
 recognized by both sides as arr
 bitter in. complaint cases.
 The plan was submitted in-. formally to representatives of the warning groups.
 The operators signified their approval. The Steel Board re- ceived what it considered sim- liar authoritative assurances from the unionites.
 Elated, the Board informed the President of it's success.
 To give the matter an impos- ing setting he summoned labor leaders and employers to White House conference.
 The confab began most aus piciously. The operators said that while the compromise was not all they wanted, they would A. F. of L. declared that the workers insisted on elections, but did not oppose the Boards proposal.
 But when Roosevelt called upon 77.ycar old Mike Tighe, President of the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel & Tin Workers, he blew the conference sky high. W
 He not only insisted on im- mediate plant elections and un- equivocal acceptance of major ity rule, but wound up by an- nouncing that he was without
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-12-31

power to approve any agree ment.
 Members of the Steek Board were terribly embarrassed. They had assured the President that the stage was all set for agree .ment.,
 After they left the White House they talked of offering the President their collective resignations. But cooler counsel prevailed. And it was decided to make another stab for an agreement.
 CONGRESS ROOKIE
 George M. Mahon, democratic rookie from Texas, represents a district as large as the state of Maine. His campaign for Con- gressional nomination. last sum- mer was made throughout 25 counties, each geo square miles fin area. Along with Martin Dies, Mahon is the youngest member of the Texas delegation. Both are 34, both have lived in the West Texas town of Colorado, which they pronounced with a long "a", as in parade.
 Mahon developed. a resonant baritone voice by initiating his fathers Gee" and "Haw" on a tenant cotton farm and had good need of it in the campaign. His principal plank was an att tack on distribution of obscene literature.
 In Washington, Mahon mar vels at the rain, would like to send some back home. The only other time he visited the Capit A was in a model-T Ford eight years. ago when he got into trou- ble for driving the wrong way on one-way street. He told Texas crowds last Summer that if they would send him to Wash ington again, he would drive the right way and vote the right way.
 MAIL BAG
 A. G., New Orleans, La.-The Speaker of the House is paid no more than any other member of Congress. He is allowed, how ever, an automobile and driver, plus additional office help, 1. {. J. K, St Louis, Mo.-Senator Bennett Clark and newly-elected Senator Truman have patched up their campaign differences and are at peace-on the sur face, anyway. .. F. M., Waco, TcxaS--There has been no an- nouncement that Mrs Anna Roosevelt Dall is engaged to be married. Recent newspaper re- ports have associated her name with John Boettiger, former Chicago Tribune" correspond ent,, and their engagement has not been denied. w. H., Wheeling, w. Va.-Senator-elect Rush Holt will not be saeted when Congress conyenes next Thursday. On advice of demo- cratic floor leaders he has de- cided to delay seeking the oath of office until he reaches the constitutional age of 30, which will be next June. Y. E. P. S., Philadelphia, Pa.-The Brazil ian commercial treaty, soon to be completed, will be placed be- fore Congress as evidence. of the wisdom of the New Deal foreign trade policy. The only trouble is that the State Department forgot that the Brazilian Con- gross adjourns to-day, so the treaty must remain unratified and useless to the United States until the Brazilian Congress convenes next May.
 Copyright, 1884, by United
 FYeaturc Syndicate, Inc.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-12-31
JANUARY i. 1925

JANUARY i, 1925
 Today is a dangerous day. You should not start anything new for if you should it may end briefly and unpleasantly. The morning is better than the afternoon. Dealing with. women is better than with men, no matter to which sex you may belong. The evening is filled with delays.
 Birthdate.
 You may be inclined to be toe serious about. life. You should be benefited : through agriculture land or minerals from May 1a through July 25. 1885. Avoid con- tention and argument from Jan. through 5. from April through ? and from June IS through 2s 1895.
 Socially favorable October II through 1G.
 Write letters or do literary work from Dec 23 through 2G 1885.
 Readers desiring additional In. formation regarding their hOrO- scopes arc invited to cOnlinuni- cate with Octnvine in care of this DewsfAaper. Enclose q .3-cent stamp cd seif-addresscd envelope.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-12-31
The Most Important Thing

'Of all the needs of the present situa- tion," writes very conservative professor of economy, improvement in the fiscal situation of the government is most impor- tant. 1t involves of cours moderation m government spending and at an early date, a substantial increase in federal taxation. :" Many newspaper men, whose business puts them more closelyin touch with actual life than is the theoretical economist quoted, will say that the professor is getting things twisted. Granted, that it is very desirable on general principles to stop piling up government debt, curtail govern ment expenditures and increase tax in- come. But is that the most important thing right now?
 No! The most vitally important prob lem in this country today is getting unem- ployed people back to work. That takes precedence over everything else. Why? Because of their claims on the industrial society of which they are part. Because until they are back at work our nation can not prosper. Because without their re- employment, neither our economic system nor our government can endure. And how get them back to work? That is primarily the task of private enterprise. If private business can't do it, the government must.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-12-31
Selected Poem
MAINE BARN

(Reprned from Christian Science Monltor) The roof of this old barn :s all in tatters, It's caves all travelled. Not though. it matters sSnce now pert raindrops enter and grave stars. And sun and moonlight slide their weightless bars Where once the breathing creatures, solid. stood. I think the worn old barn must find 1t good To be so insubstantal and so thin, That only light and clements come in. It spent so long a life in being safe
 For every marsh and meadow weary waif. It must rejoice in being perous
 With what rakish look 1t leans towards us! It would not come as much surprise to mo To wake some day and find 1t gone to sea.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-12-31

e. what is the protein content of frog legs? A. The food value is 97.3 per !cent protein; or 24.95 grams in q 100 calorie food portion. Q. What does the name Oscar mean?
 O. Is Joe Penner the real name of the comedian?
 A. His real name is Joseph Pinter. 0. What method of executing the death sentence is used in fed- eral penitentiaries? A. Electrocution.
 0. How old is Senator Robert M. La Toilette?
 A. Thirty-nine.
 If, you want copy of our
 six bulletins on CITIZENSHIP
 write to the Waterbury Demo.
 crat's Washington burea
 enclosing five cents i'm postage
 stamps.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-12-31
Horoscope
By OCTAVINE

For persons who believe that human destiny is guided by the the planets, tho daily horoscope Is outlined by a noted astrOlOg- CT. In addition to information of general interests, it outlines information of special interest to persons born on the designat- ed dates.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-12-31

We were quite interested in some of the things that the Honorable George w. Wickersham of New York had to say in letter to the editor of the New York Sun late in November. MT Wickersham did not like the order of Police Commissioner Valentine telling his men to muss up pris- oners whom they knew to be hardened criminals The writer stated that it was a brutal invitation to the police to resort to methods of violence in performing their functions. - And yet we don't seem to feel very happy about the mussing up that respectable citizens get at the hands of the lawless gentry. Turn about is more than fair play in this case.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-12-31
Questions And Answers
 by The Democrats Washington Information B',reau
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The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-12-31

Returning again to the theme of deaths by automobile accidents we quote few excerpts from letter of w. w. Abell of Baltimore to the Honorable Homer s. Cummings, U. s. Attorney General MT Abell says, "A report of the War Depart ment May 23, 1880, states the number ot Americans killed in the World War as 126,000 and the injured during the same period amounted to 234,000. This war destruction was viewed as a national tragedy by the government, not to be re- peated. Now let us see the toll autorno- piles have taken. According to the 1884 National Safety Council Bulletin 'Acci- dent Facts the number of persons killed in automobile accidents during the last 21 years was 361,691, concerning which the Bulletin states that there were nearly 8 times as many deaths in the latter year as in the former and that 158,27O deaths oc- cured in the past 5 years The number of injured as result of automobile acci- dents during the past 3 years approxi- mated 8O0,000 yearly" Figures speak louder than any pleas for safe driving.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-12-31
Daily Washington Merry Go Round
DREW PEARSON and ROBERT s. ALLEN
of .washlngton Merry Rouna and More

MeryG Round" and"
 
  Pna Awas Fina Draft Measure Steel Boards Embarrassment oy in
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-12-31

No wonder girls don't hang up their stockings as they used to. Those roll socks wouldn't hold much
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-12-31

If Europe does start fighting over the Saar coal mines, we suppose England will march in and start carrying coals to Newcastle.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-12-31

We don't doubt but what plenty of cities will jump at the chance to get money to build and operate electric power plants. Yet in good many cases such action is not warranted and time will prove it so. We believe that if sufficient reason for such action is at hand it should lead to some such plan as municipal electric plants. But we can't quite understand why there must be hysteria in place of reason.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-12-31
COMMON ERRORS

Do not say. "Whcrc are you going to?"; the Ito" is superiiuoua.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-12-31

Yes. $1O5, ,OOO,OOO,OOO would be an awful lot of money to spend, even on 20-year plan. It used to take us IA months to make that much.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-12-31
MONDAY, DECEMBER 31. 1884
A Thought for Today

] Remember the days of old consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee thy elders, and they will tell thee.-Deuteronomy, 32:7
  That man is wise to some purpose who galns his wisdom at the expense and from the eXperl- sence of another.-Plautus
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1934-06-27
Labor Complaints
Inquiry Should Proceed

The recent suspension by executive order of the Bacon
Davis prevailing wage should not be permitted to interfere
with the investigation which Senate committee making
into the INSCRIPTIONS practice of wage rack public
struction jobs.
Already the committee under the craftsmanship of Senator
David Walsh has developed testimony of startling nature
It has been brought at the hearings that the kck-
back system whereby the employee returns part of his
nominal wages the employer has been pracced several
governmental jobs.
THIS PRACTICE WAS PATIENTLY DEVELOPED TO
EvADE THE PROVISIONS OF THE BACoNDAvIs ACT
WRITTEN INTO GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS. UNDER
THE PROVISIONS OF THAT ACT CONTRACTORS WERE
ORDERED TO PAY THE SCALE OF WAGES PREVAILING
IN THE COMMUNITY IN WHICH THEIR JOB WAS To-
GATED
The act written to prevent the further downward
sprang of wages and the growth of itneran army of
workers who would from town to working for
small and thus deprvng local residents of their jobs
To the that Government have violated
evaded the plain provisions of that they have initiated
against the recovery movement.
In addition to that they have mulcted the Government of
its money because the contracts approved with the un
derstanng that the prevailing and generally higher rate of
wages would be paid
In the midst of the investigation by Senator Walsh the
provisions of the act have been suspended
That suspension in way minmes the Importance of the
revelations thus far adduced by Senator Walsh Nor does
in any way indicate that further investigation is unwar
ranted
WITH THE GOVERNMENT SPENDING THOUSANDS
OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR CONSTRUCTION AND
PREPARING TO SPEND ADDITIONAL THOUSANDS OF
MILLIONS 1T SHOULD KNOW WHAT CONTRACTORS
ARE TO BE TRUSTED AND WHAT CONTRACTORS WILL
USE THEIR CONTRACTS TO PREVENT THE ACCOM-
PL1sHMENT OF THE GOVERNMENTS RECOVERY OBJ
JECTIvE
The investigation should be carried through as completely
and fearlessly it has begun
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1934-06-27
Highway Safety
Toll Must Be Cut

The conference of officials of the American Automobile
citation being held in Washington will render truly worth
while public service is able to work any effective scheme
for cutting the heavy mortality the nations and roads
Unless method is found by which motorists will
Voluntarily cura the death rate would be surprising
the American people in dsmay took drastic action
Thus far the matter has been left largely in hands of the
motorists the assumption that is their problem And thus
far the motorists themselves have little remedy the
dition.
The improved conditions of the roads and the building
new highways coupled by the scientific advancements which
have been made in the construction automobiles would have
been expected to cut the accident rate.
Unfortunately that has not been the and thousands
being killed annually.
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ARE BEING SPENT FOR TRAF-
FIG CONTROL, PATROL AND REGULATION IT WOULD
PROBABLY BE INCORRECT TO SAY THAT THIS MONEY
Is LARGELY WASTED, BUT 1T WOULD BE EQUALLY IN
CORRECT TO CLAIM THAT IT IS BUYING THAT FOR
WHICH IT IS sPENT-sAFETY ON THE STREETS AND
HIGHWAYS.
After ALL patrols and regulations and signals will emi
nate careessness the wanton speedster
Those two agents of destruction be conquered by
drivers themselves and unless they conquered by the drivers
there will be drastic action possibly going to curta
greatly the number of machines permitted the highways
No one wants such action TAKEN but there important
significance attached to the words which President Roosevelt
addressed to the conference when he said:
"We cannot longer afford tenpOrize uUith this
problem. Those lUho the highways must realize
the responsibility they when they take the
Whee."
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1934-06-27
President Will Blaze New Trail
In Visit to Hawaii
BIZ James T. Williams, Jr.

means destruction to the re-
public"
Secretary Bishop, who was on
the platform when this speech
was delivered, says that the
closing sentence of the passage
above quoted was delivered with
great force, "the President
striding to the front of the
platform and fairly hurting it
into the faces of the assembled
crowd of Panamaians."
Although it was a condemna-
ton of Panama's "chief politi-
cal industry for half a century,"
Roosevelt's biographer reports
that "the Panamaians greeted
it with shouts of approval"
And apparently the people of
Panama took to heart the warn
ing because the new republic has
been fairly peaceful ever since.
Action Unprecedented
If President Roosevelt during
his cruise in the Caribbean or
his visit to Panama should re-
peat the ringing words of Theo-
dore Roosevelt which the Pana-
maians SO loudly applauded in
November, 1906, the repetition
might have a calming effect on
the chaotic conditions in Cuba.
Because they are so chaotic. the
Cuban government will not have
the opportunity to welcome the
President of the United States
as he passes through the Carib-
bean on his way to Hawaii.
Every President since Rose
welt, except President Hoover,
has visited the canal during his
term of office, and several have
been to Puerto Rico. President
Coolidge went to Havana to
open the Pan-American Con-
ference, which was held there
in 1923. President Wilson went
to Europe and President Hard
ing to Alaska. Mr.. Hoover, as
President-elect, circled South
America.
It is a far cry, however, from
the growing nation that Theo-
dore Roosevelt helped to expand
by the requirement of the Pana.
ma Canal route and by the
building of the canal, to the
dwindling nation that the Sew
enty-third Congress has started
toward an unknown goal.
No other Congress ever threw
away one hundred and four,
teen thousand square miles Of
American territory with a nat
ural wealth running into the bill
lions of dollars. This is what
the Seventy-third Congress die
when it attempted to bind the
American people to haul down
the flag over the Philippine Is
lands q decade hence, regardless
of whether at the moment an
enemy is off Manila Bay or
Steaming to attack the Hawaiian
Islands.
Copyright. 1884, by The Washington
Times Coz
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1934-06-27

that time, a man can think of
nothing to get excited about,
except what-the-country-is-com-
ing-to.
A lot of money can buy a
man almost anything-even his
Wife's respect for his bathtub
carols and his razor blades.
Some men love their wives de-
votedly, some comfortably, some
SubconsciouSly-and some in.
termittently.
Idolize a man, and he'll toler
ate you: make a chum of him,
and he'll like you; make a foo
of him, and-through SOM
strange quirk of masculine peE
versity-he'll keep on your trail
until he marrieS you.
Oh yes, there were two sexes
even away back in the gay
nineties, but nobody thought to
feature the fact; so everybody
accepted it as a matter OF
course.
If a woman were given only
three minutes to live, she would
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1934-06-27
The Human Side of the News
Curious and Interesting Facts About Weather
Blu EdlUin C.. Hill

Over wide areas of the gran
airy of America, savage sun
has scorched and shriveled the
very life out of the soil. Re-
lentleSs Nature, mans eternal
enemy, accomplishes in a few
days what the wonder boys of
Washington failed to do in
many months, boost the price
OF wheat above a dollar.
Day after day, in some tor
tured regions, the red tube of
the thermometer showed hun.
dred and five or six, and the
air was like the sirocco that
sweeps across the Mediterran-
can from the Sahara and
makes life miserable for folks
in Spain. All of which empha-
sizes again and very dramatic
ally the important part weather
plays in the lives of most of
us.
Weather is always news.
Sometimes it is by far the
biggest news in the papers.
Sometimes it means the COM
fort, happiness and the very
lives of thousands of people.
Weather records are noted and
kept with almost as much
sporting interest as is at
tached to the home run rec
ords of Babe Ruth or the golf
scores of Johnny Goodman or
Paul Runyon.
Hottest Spot
And there are some very
curious and interesting facts
about these records-about the
strange things and pranks that
weather accomplisheS here and
there on this spinning ball we
call the earth.
Generally speaking, the hot
test weather on earth is not
found near the equator, but pre-
walls during the summer season,
in the great desert areas near
the Tropics Of Cancer and Cap
ricorn. But it is by no means
impossible that the hot weather
championship will some day go
to a place in the Southern Hem
isphere, perhaps the interior of
Australia.
The present highest on record
is 1876 degrees Fahrenheit at
Azizia, Tripolitania. There is
much less uncertainty about the
temperature of 1874 degrees reg
istered in July, 1913, on the bor-
der of the Death Valley, 178
feet below sea level and in the
midst of a large desert region
that has always been notorious
for excessive summer heat. So
Charles Fitzhugh Talman tells
us, along with many other odd
facts. in an article in Nature
Magazine.
The worst hot spells in Death
Valley occur when the intensely
heated air from the higher
desert drifts down into the val
ley and there undergoeS fur
ther heating by compression.
This place has also the lightest