davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-07-15
Congress Still Squanders

Despite continued warnings that the majority of people deplore and will rebuke the profligate spending of our national government, Congress, on both the Re- publican and Democratic sides, still votes away public money, knowing full well that the revenue is not available and that they are only adding to our national debt. They vote to raise the price of silver from about GA cents to n cents an ounce when its true value in free market is about 24 cents an ounce.
 We buy $125,OOO,OOO forth of foreign silver year at these false prices of which Waterburys per capita share is over S10O,-- 900, but if someone locally suggested spending that much money for such silly purpose the taxpayers would rise up in wrath. When done nationally, we sit back as though public money was mama from the skies
 Of course 1940 is an election year and it has become a custom to use public money to suit political purposes. There can be no return to healthy prosperity while such profligate squandering con- tinues and the public realizes this more than the politicians think.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-07-15
Costly Retaliation

The Automobile Club of New York has been taking poll of residents of Vest chester County and early reports show that there is nine-to-one opposition to the plan to invoke toll along the Hutch inson River Parkway. All of which is proof conclusive that the idea behind the Westchester County toll is purely retalia- tory. It has been that from the very be- ginning. Why should the officials deny it any longer when the residents of the county say they don't want toll?
 Connecticut certainly isn't going to object to imposition of toll on the via duct that is being built at Fleetwood along the Cross County Parkway. In fact, most Connecticut motorists who have traversed this route going towards or from the Saw Mill River and Henry Hudson Pathways would gladly pay 1o-cents to have the "bottleneck" at Fleetwood eliminated. We don't question the right of the county to levy toll here or at any other point, even along the Hutchinson River Parkway, so long as it doesn't look as if it were being done to get back at Connecticut
 It's unfortunate that we have to collect toll on route that leads directly from the Westchester County parkway system, but only by this means can Connecticut hope to extend its parkway system all the way across the state, which will be just as big a boon to the New York motorists using it as it will to those in this state. After all the 10-cents paid down at Green wich for the 30-mile ride along the Merritt Parkway is returned before the driver has left either terminus
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-07-15
A New One

Everybody is for traffic safety Every one agrees that the personal liberty of drivers must be compromised for the sake of the safety of others. But like all these compromises between the rights of one and the rights of all, there must be some point where reason marks off dividing line.
 That line must be somewhere pretty close to a new German regulation pro- mulgated by General Kurt Daluege, chief of German police, who has ruled that no one may smoke while driving. Apparently Germany has not yet bred the omnipo- tent sort of American auto driver who can drive, smoke, listen to the radio, neck a pretty girl, and read the shavIng-cream advertlsements, all at the same time. This is a peculiarly American product. not yet developed, 1t would seem, in Hitler land.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-07-15
A SEAT ON A TRAIN (New London Day)

The victory of Philip Davis, a Jew York attorney, in his fight against the New York Central railroad to obtain damages, and the return of his railroad fare from New York to Albany. on the ground that he had to stand the entire distance on a train from the metropolis to the state capital back in June, 1886. does not establish any legal prece- dent, attorneys for the railroad in- sist. Davis, who sued the railroad because it failed to provide him a seat after paying his fare for the trip, fought the issue through seven court decisions; the railroad finally capitulated and paid him $23280- $45 in damages and $18789 in court costs-rather than appeal direct to the New York state court of ap- peals to review the case.
 Davis feels that this case sets up a precedent, and that the railroads can be sued, hereafter. for failure to provide seats for paying passengers. but the railroad lawyers don't see 1t that way. The Davis case was "set- tied on it's merits." they say, and the company doesn't acknowledge that it is obligated to provide c seat for every passenger on its trains. The victorious lawyer. however, says he is very sure that the railroad will hereafter take steps to put extra coaches on trains. when more seat ing room is needed.
 The effects of this decision on the part of the railroad to pay up. rath-
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-07-15

Large scale irrigation of potatoes in Connecticut has just been Successfully attempted and right at Waterbury's own back door, too. A farm out in Woodbury was the scene of one such experiment this season. Eighty-five acres of potatoes have been irrigated by a new type spr1nk, County other potato fields have also been irrigated. Wells were used in the latter instance to supply the water which fell on the plants from an overhead sys- tenn. Out in Woodbury the planet pumps water from river by means of three engines removed from old automobiles. They force water through series of pipes and it is elected from rotating nozzles at the rate of 30 gallons of water minute from each of "A nozzles. Bumper crops of large potatoes are expected in both places. There's hint for the home gardner.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-07-15
COMMUNITY PAINT (BoSton Post)

Weatherbeaten railroad stations are to be found in many small towns throughout the nation, the reason, of course, being decreased incomes of the carriers. Public-spirited citizens in these communities naturally real- ize that unsightly depots are poor advertisements, but usually get no farther than deploring such condi- ton. At Ipswich, live-wire business men decided to do something about it when Boston & Maine officials ex- plained that all available funds for such purposes had been expended for hurricane damage repairs. So, under the sponsorship of the Cham Der of Commerce, 8 fund to give the Ipswich station a new coat of paint Is being raised, the railroad to sup- ply the paint and the citizens the money for the work.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-07-15
THE THREAT IN WINCHESTER
 (New Britain Herald)

Westchester county has been threatening to reciprocate for the Merritt Parkway tolls by setting up 8 toll station of its own. It must be remembered that the county will charge toll to cross the bridge at Fleetwood, when completed, and that the parkway toll being dis cussed will be in addition to that. To cross Westchester county along the parkways, therefore, would mean two tolls. Added to the Merritt tolls this would total three tolls. And as there is toll to cross the Henry Hudson bridge n the parkway route to New York city, it would mean four tolls for a parkway trip from Connecticut to tte great city. Tn the world of tomorrow 1t will be even worse, as there will be other tolls on the Merit or Cross park ways when fully completed: A toll over the Housatonic bridge, and an- other between Berlin and North Ha- ven. The world of tomorrow there fore will provide 60 cents in tolls before the George Washington bridge is reached. The world ofday Is cheap in comparison.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-07-15

Senator John Danaher of Meriden is included in the list, of freshmen" sena- tors who didn't wait Tor their first session to end without being heard from the floor. There is an old Senate custom that the newcomer is seen but seldom heard. Of recent years, however, the new crop of senators has been not only young, but outspoken. Few wait for their elders or for their senior-ranking brothers to opinions to the discussion. Senator Dan- aher is one of the eight Republicans and six Democrats who believe they are mem- bers of the Senate at all times.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-07-15
RUNNERS MUST BICYCLE
 (New Haven Journal Courier)

We like the attitude of that track coach in the middle west who's de- cided that his young men have got to give up automobiling. Campus distances in the middle west are apt to be extended, and many a young ster brings his old jallopy to college with him. But races are won by the feet and not by the sitting parts of the human anatomy. Much sitting, moreover. weakens the muscles of back and legs which make the racer go. That is why, not merely in track but in football and other games of strenuous contact and effort, the rate of injuries to these muscles is always going up.
 The midwestern coach didn't want to be extreme about it, though, and so he didn't cross bicycles off his list of permitted vehicles. There is such a thing as saving time; he couldn't expect even his sprint experts to run Co the field from classes. The bicycle probably doesn't exercise the leg and the back in just the same way that running does; but here
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-07-15

wrenched his shoulder.
 Crosby sent Joe over to his physician for x-rays, to make sure no bones were broken. No bones were broken, but ther were evidences of tuberculosis. The doctor said that the keyboard pounder would have to take the cure.
 So Crosby arranged a benefit concert and gathered in pro- ceeds of twenty-eight hundred dollars. Then Bob's brother, Bing heard of Joe's hard luck and ar- ranged benefit performance in the cinema colony. The monetary return was good.
 ,(And with the supply of cash, the unfortunate pianist entered the famed sanitorium in Mon- rovia, Cal.
 Joe was pronounced cured Q few weeks back. Crosby got a lucrative contract for an orches- tral program on the ether waves.
 On the night the contracts were signed, Joe received wire. Ely east" was the terse message, and Joe hopped a plane back.
 He is on the platform now tickling the worries cheerily, is if nothing ever had happened. FINANCIAL HARMONY AMONG MUSICKERS
 Few branches of entertainment so well ensure the security of their craftsmen as the orchestral world.
 The other day Guy Lombardo called in a lucky insurance sales man and bought ten thousand dollar life policies for each mem Der of his band-their wives and kin to be the beneficiaries.
 Glen Gray's Casa Loma Orches- tra is @ cooperative, in which each is a stockholder in the or- ganization.
 Horace Heidt conducts his or. chestra with a baton and with a big executive felicity. Each members financial status is se- cured by a vigilant comptroller and none is permitted to sink into the mire of debt.
 And Heidt also has a well-es- tablshed welfare committee in the band which meets all emerg- encies with plentiful cash re- serve and personal aid.
 Artie Shaw's orchestra hire- lings are required to put aside part of their earnings for a safety reserve and 8 health fund against any emergency. And Paul Whiteman is equally solicitous of his own orchestra.
 Why this should be so in the orchestral world is quickly ap- parent. There are more nusi- clans than jobs and the problem of unemployment is keen, on and off Tin Pan Alley. So when ern- ployment is steady and the band becomes @ well-knit unit, 1t is important to make hay while the sun shines.
 RUG
 PLUG
 Silliest bragging I've seen around here in a long time is the display of strip of rug in a midtown carpet store with the mo- tation, "This is the rug upon which Their Majesties, the King and Queen of England, walked"
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-07-15
. HIGHLIGHTS FROM
 LATEST BOOKS
Rain Magnifies Jungle Horrors

You will look long time for
 more vivid description of life
 in the hinterlands of South
 and Central America than
 CeciIe Hulse Matschat writes
 in Seven Grass Huts" Ear
 rar and Rinehart: $3). Mrs.
 Matschat found enough ad-
 venture in the tropics, with
 her husband, to last lifetime.
 The author of "Suwannee" describes a typical evening In
 camp below
 Suddenly an agonized wall smote the darkness. Deep pitched, prolong- ed and horrible 1t reverberated through the house "Yo-yo- ho-ho-ho-ho-wah!" Stunned, I held my breath in fright. Mateo and Cauto looked at each other; the vaqueiro crossed himself. 'Haunts," he whispered to Mateo. The place is haunted, thought; the noise seemed to come from the bedroom. Mateo snatched his gun from its holster and with me as a quaking rear guard, entered the room.
 He stepped outside, pushed open the shower-room door and turned the light of the flash on the floor. In the lighted circle squatted @ frog of unbelievable size, form and color. It was as large as a small plate. Its sides were so fat and round that 1t appeared circular in shape. Mateo prodded the creature gently with a stick. It swelled to twice its size, opened its mouth, and gave voice to long wail- ing screech. We smiled at each other in relief the frog hopped for the security of the cashew thicket.
 After January summer the heavy rains began. Always there was a steady drip, drip from the leaves of the forest trees, dripping onto black leaf-mold rotten since the be- ginning of the world. Crimson, blue, and orange patches of mold covered the brown of the palm thatch. Armies of ants swarmed relentlessly up the walls of the huts. repelling with singing bites all attempts to remove them. My clothes were damp, as was my linen; that is. what there was left of it after the vaqueiros washed 1t in the muddy lagoon and pounded out the dirt with sticks
 I spent every sunny hour on the lagoon. polling from one bank to the other On the water l did not feel so shut in. But. gradu- ally, the eerie jungle cast It's fascinating spell upon me; It's poetic beauty. It's wildness. It's un. known possibilities took hold Of my imagination. Under its lure my fears evaporated.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-07-15

1. Tn troy weight, how many ounces are in pound?
 9. Which naval battle in the World War was most important?
 3. How many trips did President Wilson make to Europe during his administration?
 3. How many trips did President Wilson make to Europe during his administration?
 4. Name the State flower of Flo- rida.
 5. Who was recently appointed Assistant Secretary of the Treas ury?
 6. Does freezinw destroy the rlu- tritive value of foods?
 2. What is the correct pronuncia- ton of the word nucleolus?
 8. Name the horse that defeated Man O War in his only loss.
 9. Where is the natural habita- ton of black swans?
 10. Name the chief body of our planetary system.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-07-15

Meriden may get the honor of being the first Connecticut community in which legalized bingo is played. Already the Court of the Common Council has ap- proved the playing of bingo in view of petitions presented to it. Now all that remains is for the petitioning societies to secure police permits to operate. We haven't yet read of any other Connecticut city or town progressing that far.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-07-15
Questions
 and Answers
By FREDERICK Hl KERRY


 Enclose . three-cent stamp for reply when addressing any ques- ti0n OR fact or information Co the Waterbury DemOcrat's Service Bu. reau at Washington. Legal and medical advice cannot be given, nor can extended research be un. dertaken. Bo sure all mall 6 ad. dressed Co the WATERBURY DEMOCRATS SERVICE BU. REAU, 1O1? Thirteenth Street. Washington, D. 0.
 THE EDITOR @. Name the vice presidents who succeeded to the office of president upon the death of the incumbent. A. John Tyler, Willard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, Chester A. Arthur, Theodore Roosevelt and Calvin Coolidge.
 c. Is 1t possible to find out if . certain letter was sent to the Dead Letter Oflce?
 A. Ask your local postmaster or mail-carrier for a copy of an appli- cation blank for lost mail. Answer the questions on 1t and return 1t to your local postmaster. You will be notified of the results of the search. c. Is there an Onion river in Vermont?
 A. It is a former name of the Winooski river, which runs by Mont pelier.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-07-15
Selected Poem

PEONIEs (Pearl Strachan in the Christian Science Monitor) Full bowls of crimson petals and of white Hold layer upon layer till the core Is overlaid entirely. The robe That hangs in the closet The silk robe with its embroidery Of pink and pigeon-gray and lavender, The silk robe was woven To cherish the poeny. New England gardens pillow in the summer light Artists are painting them with wet, full brush, Laying on scarlet-lake deep ivory, To show at Provincetown Or Gloucester, where the visitors will cry: How lovely and how real!" feeling sure They have case against neighboring work Surrealist, writhing button-hook The Chinese woman who embroidered the silk robe Studied the peonies, the way they blew Like boats full-san across the green lagoon Of garden in a court; The way she thought The peonies thought In centuries gone by She stitched their hearts Unseen beneath the strands of twisted silk. But neither paint nor silk is flower, nor words Which may write all day, and every day That will come after. All ever say Will bring no rounded blossom to my room That can feel the texture of, or smell The fragrance of, or finger the full shape The painting will be hanging on Its wall Ten years from now The closet still will hold The silk robe. Though the peony will be A ruin in two days. l have, to keep. Not painting on wall Nor stitchery. but knowledge of the flower
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-07-15
tons probably have made him the richest man in Louisiana.


 Anothe is James Brocato (alias Jimmy Moran) who served a term in Atlanta and now boasts that he Is the best-dressed man in New Orleans. He is one of the big men in the city's gambling racket. Then there is Placide Frigerio, who runs the race track racket - all pals of Bob Maestri. LOUISIANA TRIUMvIRATE
 The triumvirate which has ruled Louisiana since the death of Huey consists of Maestri, Boss No. l; Seymour Weiss, No. 2; and up until recently, puppet . Governor Leche. Weiss and Maestri work in perfect harmony. Together they financed the race track and also the Pelican base- ball team. Now, state and city employees are obliged to buy tickets to the ball games on opening day.
 You will also find that when the Weiss-Maestri race track is in full swing, 1t becomes strictly il- legal to place bets in the city with @ bookie. Bets must be placed at the track, and anyone caught doing business in @ city pool-room is hauled to jail, while the establishment may be chopped up by an efficient detective squad.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-07-15
But the week the race track

But the week the race track closes, saloons, pool rooms and rears of restaurants put their places in order for regular business. And as soon as they have been given the OK by the man who makes the collections (about $40 to $60 8 week for racing results servicc), these places open up and do thriving business until next sea- son when the race tsack opens again.
 Businessmen give Maestri a big send-off as an efficient mayor, say he has kept the streets clean and emptied the garbage; but in few other cities of the United States have lotteries, pinball prostitution and the race track racket flourished so luxuriantly.
 Regardless of praise or criticism, squat, silent Bob Maetri goes about his highly diversified busi- ness, and there is only one per- son in the world since Huey Longs death who can influence him. That is his mother, the former Angele Lacabe. He will defer to her when all the politicians in Louisiana will not move him.
 Copyright, 1889, by United
 Feature Syndicate, Ipc)
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-07-15
Daily Almanac

Moon rises AIT a. m. daylight time).
 Sun rises 5:32 a. na.; sets 8:23 p. m. (day- light time).
 All vehicles must be lighted thirty minutes after sunset.
 High water at Milford Sunday July 10, ii:3s: low water. 6:46 daylight time).
 st. swithin's Dayl This is the day when we judge what kind of weather our summer va- cation is going to produce. Fair today. fair for oiorty days; rain today. rain for Co days And last year remember what happened when it rained
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-07-15
Views of The Press

CT than carry the fight any farther, may well be far-reaching. If a rail- road is obligated to supply a seat for each purchaser of a ticket, what about street car or bus line? What about the, New York subway, in which it often seems there are three times as many persons stand ing as there are seated? How does the rule apply to a baseball game, or theater, admitting patrons who cannot be pr vided seats and with out the customary standing room only" sign to warn the customer? It all brings up interesting specula- tions and possibilities.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-07-15
In New York
BY GEORGE ROSS

New York, July 15-The cliche on Broadway is: '"They need you on the way up and forget you on the way down"
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-07-15

put HeIe S
 one episode without a iis- nal en din g. Two years ago b e fore B o b Crosby and his Dixieland Band
 became one of the supreme quartette in the "kingdom of s W in g" his pia n is t, Joe Sullivan slip- ped on an icy sidewalk and
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-07-15
ToDAY's COMMON ERROR Do not say, "The actors fur. nished their own costumes"; say, supplied"

e. Where and by whom was iron ore first discovered in the United States?
 A. Tn @ number of places in North Carolina in 1585, by an expedition sent out by Sir Walter Raleigh.
 o. Can the British parliament enact laws affecting the Dominion of Canada?
 A. No. The Imperial Conference of 1926 defined the dominions, inc cluding Canada, as: "self-governing, autonomous communities, within the British empire, equal in status, though united by common alle- glance to the crown"
 e. Do dummy clocks displayed by jewellers have hands painted to indicate the time 18 minutes after 8, ot commemorate the hour that Abraham Lincoln was assassinated?
 A. No. He was shot at 10:10 p. m. and died about 7:30 a. m. Dummy clocks had their hands in that poe sition long before Lincoln's assas- sinatfon. Besides being symmetrical the arrangement leaves the maxi- mum space for advertising.
 e. What is the percentage of H. literacy in Spain?
 A. The last official census of 1880 enumerated 47.22 per cent of the population able to read and write, including 0.94 per cent who could only read, and 45.46 per cent com- pletely illiterate. The remaining 7.32 per cent corresponds to the infant population under six years of age.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-07-15

If you want copy of our book let POPULAR SCREEN STARS" send to the Waterbury Democrats Washington Bureau, 1913 Thir- teenth st., Washington, ID. 0. En- close 10 cents in postage.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-07-15
Washington Merry Go-Round
ouisiana Scandals Third of a Series of Articles
D R E W PEARSON ROBERT S. ALLEN

of
  the late Huey Robert Sidney Maes howled
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-07-15

International diplomacy has made dis courtesy fine art.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-07-15
A Thought for Today

And the people said unto Joshua, The Lord sur God will we serve, and his voice will we Obey.-Joshua 24:A.
 We are born subjects, and to obey God IS perfect liberty He that does this shall be free, safe and happy-Seneca.