davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1938-03-16
District Should Protest
Legislative Ineauities
To the Editor of The Star:

10 the Edltor OF The Star:
A repetition of last year appears in
store for the taxpayers of the District
Of Columbia. At that time months of
discussion took place and Congress gave
us the business privilege tax plus other
increases, but failed to live up to the
60-40 subsidy plan. This year much dis
cussion has been had. What we shall
get is anybody's guess. 1t is stated that
Congress will this year repeal the 60-40
subsidy plan.
While estimates of Government tax
able property run as high as 1914 per
cent, let us. for the sake of argument
agree it is 25 per cent. On top of this
we have embassies and legations not
subject to tax. Our city, due to it's ma
ture, is known as a retail city and not
manufacturing city. Aside from our
Government employees our next largest
employers are the utilities companies.
In cities where large manufacturing pre-
dominates, it is those large industries
that provide the tax and income to the
city. Our Federal Government is in a
measure similar to the large manufac-
turers.
A study Of the income tax paid to the
Federal Government by the citizenry of
the District of Columbia shows we pay
a greater tax than many States, but
the ALLEGATION for relief by Congress gives
States that pay lesser amount in tax
greater consideration than we here
in the District enjoy.
When laws are created the citizens
have to obey the law or suffer the con-
sequences. Congress, on the other hand,
has set wonderful example by flaunt-
ing the law when it appropriates S.
00O,OOO to a $48O000O0 budget, creating
$70O0,0OO saving at the expense of the
citizens OF the District of Columbia; said
saving based on Is per cent basis
instead of 40 per cent
Has any attempt been made to go
to the Court of Claims and sue for the
funds that the law specifically stated
was due as, namely, 40 per cent of our
budget requirements?
1t is also stated that the Federal Gov
ernment is holding $4,50000O of ear
marked money from the collection of
gasoline taxes, which money cannot be
used in our general budget. How long
are they going to hold it and will we
ever get it?
If We are short $4,000, 900 at this time
why doesn't Congress be reasonable and
buslnessllke and direct the Treasury to
turn over to a general fund $3,000O00
of that $4,500,0O0?
How long are the citizens going to
take it on the chin? I have heard for
months that mass march would be
made on Congress by the citizens de-
mandlng what is justly theirs by law,
but it appears some one has gotten cold
feet What outstanding citizen or busi-
ness group will sponsor this march which
should be orderly and in keeping with
the dignity of the city and its citizens?
Other groups have come here with
their demands and we have had to bear
the expense OF policing and at times
feeding these groups
1t is about time we think of our
selves and demand what is rightfuly
ours by law. JEROME B. MCKEE.
Evening star., 1938-03-16
The Spats of MIR. Bloom.

Representative Sol Bloom of New York
Is possessed of sense of humor. He
desires the world to know that he does
not wear spats. The adornments which
an admiring public has detected upon
his pedal extremities are "overgaiters, :"
which, he insists, are intended to protect
their wearer against the danger of cold
feet. No taint of foppishness is involved
IN a habit entirely practical
Carnations also are avoided bv Mr.
Bloom. He wishes it to be understood
that he believes it unnecessary to
patronize a florist. The business of
being a statesman, the DISTINGUISHED
Representative has indicated, needs no
advertisement. His services to his coun-
try are adequately publicized in connec
ton with national celebrations like those
OF the bicentenary of the birth of
George Washington and the sesoui-
centenary OF the adoption of the Con-
stitution. The sponsor, manager and
director of enterprises so widely popular
can dress conservatively without i'm
periling his fame. 1t is his privilege to
leave to smaller men the doubtful
benefits of spats and boutonnieres.
But Mr.. Bloom ought not to worry.
His contemporaries are willing to permit
Evening star., 1938-03-16
Oversubscribed!

All Washington rejoices in the news
that the campaign for the National
Symphony Orchestra has been a tri-
umphal success. The fund has been
oversubscribed, and every resident of
the District of Columbia may take pride
in the announcement. 1t signifies that
musical culture in the Nations Capital
is living force.
OF course, the orchestra deserves such
a vote of confidence. DR.. Hans Kinder
and his organization have earned the
support OF the community they serve
earned it by labor by high idealism, by
earnest devotion to the art in which
they are enlisted
The public also now has shown that
it is not lacking in appreciation. Walt
Whltman's dictum that ito have great
poets there must be great audiences, too"
has been placed in effect. A bond of
fellowship has been established between
the orchestra and the city. In a time
when beautiful things and sacred things
are being hurt in other lands it is en-
couraging to know that America is. in
one particular at least, sound and sane
enough to want to protect an enterprise
dedicated to values lovely and holy.
Music is gracious prayer of a sort. 1t
is good to have reason to believe that
1t is safe in Washington for another
year.
Evening star., 1938-03-16

difficult task which lies ahead of the
new Ambassador is one in which the two
great democracies are equally interested,
because both are eager to see European
conditions stabilized and peace prevail.
While the United States does not have
the close and immediate involvement
which faces France in this unsettled
state of affairs, nevertheless there is
necessarily mutual desire to help bring
order out of the existing maladjustment
OF international feelings and relations,
and it is to this duty the Ambassador
will devote himself.
X
Announcement from Rio de Janeiro
that OsWaldo Aranha. former Brazilian
Ambassador to the United States. who
recently was appointed minister Of for
eign affairs of his country, actually
has taken over the portfolio of state,
was received here with particular pleas
ure. Because of the valuable service
which he rendered during his service
here and because of the friendliness
which he showed for the United States
it is held that the long cordial relations
which haXe existed between the two
countries will continue and will be
strengthened as result of his influence
and activities in his new post.
X X
In spite of the rapid growth in air
travel and the increasing use of that
means of transportation, it is still COM
paratively in its infancy, as was evi-
denced by the statement made yesterday
by President Roosevelt following his
opening conference with representatives
of railroad management and labor. This
was to the effect that transportation by
air constitutes only one-fifth of one
per cent of the total in the United States.
This, it was claimed, gives added impetus
to the need for improving the facilities
of the railroads and of placing them on
a basis where they will be able to give
the best possible service to the demands
of the country. While the President
was not sure what will be the outcome
of his conferences with the railroad
representatives, or whether he would
send message to Congress on this sub
ject. it was conceded by all interested
parties that a solution of the vast and
complicated railroad problem is one
which calls for prompt and permanent
adjustment.
Pan-American Day, which has been
observed throughout the American re-
publics for some years past and which
will be celebrated here on April with
a concert Of music of the Americas that
evening at the Pan-American Union,
will be of unusual significance this year
because of the closer cooperation which
is taking place in many fields of
activity. economic, cultural diplomatic
and otherwise. With preparations well
under way for the Eighth international
Conference of American States, to be
held at Lima, Peru next December, study
has been given for months past by the
various governments of this hemisphere
to the questions which will be discussed
at the conference. All similar previous
conferences have resulted, it was pointed
out by diplomatic representatives of the
different countries. in the development
of better understanding and accord and
in the adoption of constructive treaties
among them.
(Copyrisht, 1889
Evening star., 1938-03-16

content to borrow and spend until we
now have a public debt of about $685.
00000000O. Some day the administra-
ton will have to shake the people down
to meet these extravagant expenditures
Or else repudiate its debts. 1t is true
that it has increased taxes, but the in
creases have been made to fall upon
the few rather than the many-except
in the more or less concealed, indirect
excise taxes. 1t is probably true that
this procedure will continue. In the
end it will not be possible to squeeze
the few any further, because the money
will have given out. Then tax exemp-
tions will be lowered and the working
man will pay as he has never paid
before.
The Democratic National Committee,
now out of the red by virtue of the
abilities of Mr.. Farley and his commit
tee as collectors, really does not need
great deal of money to use for CAM
paign purposes so long as money con-
tinues to gush from the Federal Treas
ury to pay relief benefits, farm benefits
and the scores of other benefits which,
the New Dealers have been able to de-
wise. Every time there is an increase
in unemployment Congress gives the
President another billion dollars to spend
for relief. Unless halt is called the
bottom of the loan market will fall out.
In that event the case of the American
people as whole will be more deplorable
than ever in the history of the Nation.
Evening star., 1938-03-16
A DOuble.CrOssed Duce?

Most popular of current wisecracks on
Rome's Corso concerns the kilograms
exchanged between Hitler and Musso-
lini following Der Fuehrers triumphal
entry into Vienna. The German chan
cellor had wired he would never forget"
the Italian dictators attitude toward the
annexation of Austria. According to the
Corso, a disillusioned Duce should have
replied: Neither shall l."
Behind this grim witticism turks the
truth which the Fascist nation and its
proud leader are only beginning to
realize-that chief among the victims
OF the Nazi coup on the Danube is
Italy. For five years the Brenner Pass,
the gateway which separated decrepit
Austria from her former Tyrolean prov
ince and three hundred thousand resi-
dents Of German blood, has symbolized
1talys watch on the Alps" AS long
as Austria remained independent the
Brenner insured Italy against the mill
tary menace of a stronger Germany.
Italian divisions were mobilized when
Dollfuss' assassination in 1884 paved the
way to this weeks supreme tragedy in
Austria. The principal virtue of the
subsequent Rome Berlin axis, in Musso-
lini's eyes, was its supposed guarantee
that Nazi power would never be pushed
to the Brenner.
That rosy dream has vanished. The
colossus of Berlin and his war machine
now not only sit astride the Pass, but
within shoulder brush OF those "op-
pressed national comrades in the Tyrol,
who have just been promised the ruth
less protection Of the wings of Goering's
air amada, like the three million Sudeten
Germans of Czechslovakia and other lost
Teutonic tribes. Small wonder that,
despite official acquiescence in the Aus
trian annexation, Italy feels in fact that
Mussolini has been tricked by Hitler.
She has discovered that there is no hon.
or among thieves. II Duce now has Der
Fuehrer an unwelcome neighbor not
only on the west, at the door of the
Tyrol, but on the east. adjacent to Aus
tria's ancient port of Trieste, on the
Adriatic. There are national comrades"
there, too, who may some day enlist the
Pan-German Reich's attention.
Will or can Italy take things lying
down? II Duce's journalistic mouth
piece, Virginio Gayda, writing in Gior-
male dItalia, indicates she will not. Our
reply" he thunders, will be prompt and
clear" The extremities in which the
Fascist state finds itself demand
tangibles to prove that the dictatorship
is not bankrupt. National economics
are at the breaking point The Ethi-
opian and Spanish adventures are prov
ing unendurably costly. Britain's de-
termination to check italian pretensions
in the Mediterranean has cooled Musso-
linis ardor in that direction. It may
be that the prompt and clear reply"
he is preparing for his double crossing
pal across the Brenner will be British
deal. 1t will hardly be as stiff bargain
as might have been driven before the
Rome-Berlin axis began creaking-and
cracking-this week.
Evening star., 1938-03-16
Triple Civil Service
Commission Safer
To the Editor OF The Star:

To the Editor Of The Star:
Those who favor the substitution Of
a one-man civil service administrator
for the present form of a commission
OF three members, not more than two
of whom shall be adherents of the same
party, fail to appreciate the radical diff
ference between local commission and
the Federal commission. Nine -tenths of
the Federal classified employees are scat
tered throughout the 43 States in the
13 civil service districts. Dr. White,
who served on the Chicago commission
and later on the Federal commission. in
his book on Public Administration,
page 25l, describes the task in a large
jurisdiction by saying:
In large Jurisdictions, the commits
sions are the center of an enormous
amount of pressure. Politicians appeal
to them for special privileges or exemp-
tons for their henchmen; employees in
the service appeal to them for changes
IN classification and for increases in
salary; department heads complain to
them because the quality of probationers
is poor; the reformers urge upon them
constantly greater efforts to eliminate
the spollsmen and new efforts to intro
duce some of the more refined methods
OF personnel management. Their task,
difficult enough under any circumstances,
becomes almost impossible at times
The first Civil Service Commission
under President Grant had seven men,
bers. The civil service H. as introduced
In 1882 by Senator Pendeton, provided
for commission of five members-two
from the public service and three from
outside. 1t has always been felt that
there was need of multiple commits
sion from different parts of the country
to make the system harmonious, con-
slstent and representative.
MIR. Deming, who was president of the
commission for nearly eight years, op-
poses the one-man plan because he fears
that the entire attitude of Congress and
the public toward the commission, favor
able in the past, would change and
dlstrust would follow. He says that this
is too much to pay for a theory. AS
quas1-Judicial body he believes that the
two political parties should be repre-
sented in its personnel.
1t is inevitable that many applicants
should feel that they have been unjustly
dealt with and many will misrepresent
the facts. There should be multiple
commission to supervise appeals and see
that justice is done. It is vital not
merely that justice is done, but that
members of Congress and the public
shall have confidence in the findings
of the commission and satisfied that
there has been no secret, partisan or
personal manipulation. Without such
confidence the pressure upon the COM
mission could not be withstood Mem
bers of Congress have said that if all
applicants were treated alike they would
keep their hands off. but if some men,
bers were favored they would press for
favorS also. JOHN T. DOYLE.
Evening star., 1938-03-16
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL,

Has the person with 5000 phonograph
records in his collection any more real
enjoyment of music than the enthusiast
with an humble two or three hundred?
After the first pangs, of jealousy the
answer comes more easily.
He has not
Musical enjoyment or happiness Is not
written in numbers any more than the
honest thrill of the garden comes to the
gardener with an acre of peonies, as
contrasted with the poor wight who has
but six bushes.
The loWly back yard gardener who
selects his bushes wisely will have all the
glory of peonies just the same as the
grower with his far-stretching fields.
True, there is a certain something in
such a vista which the back yard grower
cannot have, but why should he want it?
Numbers, after all, mean just some
more of the same thing. 1t is not SO
easy to see this-or to accept it-when
it comes to money, but much more
readily grasped in matters artistic.
There is an urge in music, even, which
must be resisted, and that is the age-old
one for something new"
Music, too often, is permitted by the
individual lover thereof to resolve itself
into fad.
The essence of fad is the new.
The men of Athens, we are told, did
nothing all day long but talk about or
look at some new thing.
The people of Athens had no monopoly
on that idea or feeling; we Of Washing
ton know it quite as we'll as the residents
Of Paris Or London or Vienna
The terrible temptation of phonograph
records is to get more and more and
still more of them. To this urge the
makers and sellers say hearty amen.
That is exactly what they make and
sell for, of course.
Let us see what fan" who has ac-
cumulated 5000 records over a period
of years has had to do. 1t should be
pointed out at once that an average
record buyer probably will never ac-
cumulate more than 200 to 500 records
in lifetime.
Electrical recordings have been in
existence only about II years or so.
If our fan" has been purchasing them
for the past 10 years. let us say, that
will mean he has done so at the rate of
about 300 per year. If he has been pur-
chasing them for IS years. which
would mean he would have some of the
older acoustical recordings as we'll. he
would have done so at the rate Of 200
year.
Let us consider the latter probability.
Had he bought nothing but 35-cent
records, his 200 would have cost him
$40 year; records costing S150 each,
then $500 year; at 50 each. $40O year.
An average album set of the best type
of music will run to about five records an
album; this would mean that he would
purchase so such albums a year, or at
the rate Of five month. If these were
the most expensive 12-inch records.
they would set him back about $500 or
more year.
While these figures may appear almost
astronomical to the average record buyer,
they are we'll within the means of our
aforementioned fan It is only the
Evening star., 1938-03-16
Congressional Hold.Up
As a Crime Deterrent

To the Editor of The Star
The Schultz hold-up will, no doubt,
do much to speed up local police activi-
ties. It reminds me of the old country:
Holes in the sidewalk were never mended
until some member of the worshipful
board of aldermen broke an arm or a
leg.
Another thought occurs As The
Star has it, there were lat robberies in
the city during the last hold-up year.
quite few never cleared up. And so
it is quite possible that some dis
gruntled victim, dissatisfied with present
police methods, hired private yeggs on
his own. The idea perhaps was to have
them manhandle member of Congress,
preferably Representative Schultz. An
outrage of such magnitude will speedily
make for permanent results. This is
called the "argumentum ad hominem."
Also dirty work at the cross roads,"
FRED VETTER.
Evening star., 1938-03-16
A Job Well Done.

Considering the number of differences
that existed between House and Senate
when the 1899 District supply bill was
sent to conference last week, the con-
ferees have well performed a difficult
task in reaching a complete agreement
SO promptly.
The trimming Of approximately ST.
100000 from the $48 900 total ap-
proved by the Senate naturally will leave
some agencies and organizations disap-
pointed, as certain items were eliminated
or reduced in amount. This, however,
Is inevitable, since the purpose of con-
ference is to enable the two branches of
Congress to meet on some middle ground.
In achieving that end each must re-
linquish projects or principles it would
like to see retained.
Viewing the revamped measure as a
whole, the conference report reflects
careful thought and an effort to keep
In mind the deficit the local community
will have to meet through added taxa
ton in the coming fiscal year. Even
with the reductions made in conference
this tax deficit appears to be about
S3,70o,0O0, depending on the final re-
turns from this years unpopular business
privilege tax.
BY allowing relief investigators until
August l, instead of May l, to study the
local unemployment situation, the con-
1erees apparently have closed the door
to any increase in the $4,000 relief
fund before next January if the report
shows need for larger amount. Con-
gress virtually is certain of adjournment
before August unless now unforeseen
developments prolong the session.
There is in the bill, however, a list
OF construction projects that should
create new opportunities for work for
skilled and unskilled labor if preliminary
steps make 1t possible to start these
Improvements promptly.
For example, by making available all
but 100000 of the highway fund.- the
conferees have authorized expenditure of
several millions on the new Pennsylva-
mia Avenue Bridge, Southeast; Thomas
Circle underpass K street grade separa-
ton project at the Rock Creek-Potomac
parkway and a new tunnel under Mas
sachusetts avenue to open up a bottle
neck on the Rock Creek Park drive.
Then there is $500, 900 for a new police
headquarters building and 100000 to
build new city reservoir in the Soldiers
Home grounds out Of water funds.
There is division of opinion over the
wisdom of the parking meter amend
ment, which still hinges on the outcome
OF separate vote in the House, but even
If 1t is approved its sponsors indicate
they want only small-scale trial of
the plan to see how it would work.
Now that the terms of the supply bill
are settled, Washington will turn it's at
tention to the tax measure which it
makes necessary. The community will
continue to hope that the next Congress
may see its way clear to consider a fairer
Federal payment toward the Nations
City, In view OF the new and increasingly
heavy tax burdens which are being
imposed.