davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1939-04-21
Wagner Act Change
Indorsed by Press
Proposal to Permit Election
Petitions by Employers
Wins Approval

The proposal to grant an employer the
right to petition for an election in q
labor dispute, as suggested at hearings
before the Senate Labor Committee on
revising the National Labor Relations
Act, evokes the strong approval of all
commenting newspapers. This change
Is considered one of several important
alterations which should be made in the
act to make it more effective.
In the opinion of the Columbus (Ohio)
Citizen, the hearings "were of to a good
start" when Senator Wagner, author Of
the act, approved this proposed change.
The Citizen fears dissatisfaction with
the act may cause revision to go too far,
and adds: I'm this situation the Presi-
dent could lend helping hand. The
best way for him to insure friendly
revision of the Wagner Act would be to
turn to the neglected task of wedding
out the bunglers in the Labor Boards
personnel"
The Baltimore Sun declares Senator
Wagner's statement favoring the change
for employers, and others if their need
is shown, thus underscores the charge
Of partisanShip in administration" and
also 'underscores the possibility of cur
ing some of the troubles which have
arisen Under the Labor Relations Act
through more impartial administration"
Granting to employers the right to call
elections should be limited to cases where
dispute between contending unions is
in progress, the Christian Science Moni-
tor believes. An unrestricted amend
ment. in the opinion of the Monitor,
would give employers "a means of har-
assing and possibly destroying legiti-
mate unions by seizing upon any mo-
ment of weakness or confusion as time
to call for an election"
Amendments to the law itself are
badly needed" states the Troy IN. "
Record, 'but complete change of atti-
tude on the part of the National Labor
Relations Board is needed also"
The Saginaw (Mich) News interprets
Senator Wagner's approval of the change
as an effort on the part of supporters of
the act to head off drastic revision. The
News views Senator Wagners position
as "a major concession" and "the first
admission on the part of administra-
ton stalwarts that anything is wrong
with the law designed TO promote peace
between labor and industry"
Evening star., 1939-04-21
History Of Baseball

The baseball season is now on,
which brings to mind the fact that
just a century ago one Abner Dou-
bleday of Cooperstown, N. Y, in
vented and supervised the first game,
little knowing what he had started.
In the beginning, the batter could be
retired by ball caught on the first
bounce, but an even more effective
method was available; the fielder
could throw the ball at the batter,
and put him out if he scored a direct
hit. If it happened to be in the head,
he would often be out for a month
or more. In compensation, the bat
ter would frequently beat out a hit
while the shortstop was untangling
the ball from his luxuriant crop of
WhlskerS. 1t was not until the intro
ductlon of the razor that the first
double play was executed. History
fails to record just when the first
umpire met that fate.
In that distant era, the economic
life of the Nation had just been dis
rupted by the suppression of free
booting on the high seas. Hundreds
OF pirates were thrown out of a lob.
and but for the rise of baseball would
have been in a sad plight. The more
ruthless ones were drafted as UNI
pires, especially if they had defective
vision, and this gave them something
to do in their old age. The problem of
OLD age, incidentally, was of no in
terest whatever to catchers, who
habitually fielded foul tips with bare
races, until retired to the bench, the
insane asylum, or the cemetery. To
save this rapidly vanishing species
from extinction. masks were provid-
ed. Later, plate umpires got them.
too, over the unanimous protests of
players and spectators.
In time it was found that ball plav-
ers and managers had to eat, result
Ing In the invention of the pay check,
the admission fee, and the sale of
players, the latter being made pos
slble by a Supreme Court decision
that Lincoln's proclamation freeing
slaves did not apply to baseball.
Other notable innovations were
made, such as the sale of a nickel's
worth of peanuts to fans for a dime
the lnfeld fly rule, the annual spring
holdout, and the sensational discov-
cry by the Brooklyn Dodgers that it
is practically impossible to steal Sec
ond with the bases full
Evening star., 1939-04-21
Sees Opportunity for
Bootlegging Wheat.


Those who are familiar with the
quatrain:
Mother, may 60 out to swim?
Oh, yes, my darling daughter,
Hang your clothes on a hickory limb
But don't 60 near the water;
and who appreciate the import Of the
decision that Congress (acting under the
direction of the Great White Father is
within its constitutional powers in enact
ing legislation restricting the marketing
of farm products. will recognize the
sources of inspiration for the following
stanza-if it is a stanZa:
Father, may go out to plant?
Oh, yes my serf, you farmer,
Plant as you please, the land is yours,
But don't go near the market.
Lest some may say that farmer" and
market" do not rhyme (and certainly
they will not, or harmonic, for a long
time to Gomez, may point out the virtue
of expediency (if 1t needs any further
indication) and that when . sacrifice IL
to be made it should bs imposed at the
Evening star., 1939-04-21
Population Decrease Urged
To Prevent War.
To the Editor of The Star:

40 the Eollor OF Inc star:
We have read Justins interesting letter
to The Star entitled: emphasizes need
for trade with Germany" in which he
says another war is certain If raw ma
terials are denied Hitler
Justin's letter is an able presentation
of that point of view, and, no doubt,
there is great deal of truth in what he
says. 1t is very we'll for Americans to
say that they are peaceloving people,
but I wonder how peace-loving they
would be If they had to live under the
economic conditions in which the Ger
MANS Italians and japanese live at the
present time.
Germany. Italy and Japan need re-
sources and the world, including those
countries, needs peace-a lot of it. If
the world could be assured that con-
cessions to those countries would not
create larger appetite, it would be
worth while to make some concessions
even, as Justin's says, if it did cost us a
few million or billion dollars. But how
can the world be assured that those
powers will not use the concessions to get
still more?
The only way the world can be assured
is for the dictators to agree to stop this
high birth rate propaganda and to en-
courage their populations to decrease to
number at which the inhabitants could
be reasonably supported. 1t has been re-
peatedly said that there are 10000 900
too many people in Germany. The same
iS of
OF course, it would take a long time
to decrease the populations of those
countries that much, and there are tech
nical reasons concerning age compost
ton which indicate that the birth rates
OF those countries should not be lowered
too far Therefore, some of the wealthy
democracleS chat are not as wealthy as
many lmagine) should agree to furnish a
lew colonies, some raw materials and
some capital to aid the dictator countries
to decrease their populations and raise
the standard of living. The colonies must
IN no way be fortified, and the raw ma
terials and capital must not be used for
arms. Instead the raw materials and
capital furnished the dictator countries
should be equaled in materials and cap
ltal taken out of armaments by those
countries
In the meantime, the democracies and
their allies should agree not to increase
their populations further, because any
population increase in this day and age
is danger to neighboring countries. AS
matter of fact, even the democracies
have larger populations than are con-
duclve to the best interests of their
citizens.
This is a pretty flimsy program to ad-
vocate at this late date, but one thing we
can be assured of, as long as populations
increase there is danger of war and in
ternal conflict. GLIB.
April 10.
Evening star., 1939-04-21
Believes Police Should
Concentrate on Thugs.
To the Editor OF The Star:

To the Editor OF The Star:
Is the action of the Police Department
IN regard to pedestrian regulation ac-
tually in the interest of public safety?
Many arrests are being made daily,
which Is rather natural, as the public
has been on its own initiative In street
crossing for years.
I think the department could serve a
far better purpose If the police would
exercise more diligence in arresting the
thugs that swarm the city. One reads
daily Of holdups and purse snatchings
And seldom are these criminals caught.
Could not the police department serve
a far better purpose for public safety
by devoting their attention to curbinR
this crime wave, instead of arresting a
few innocents for failure to obey the
light signals at street crossings.
April 20. F.. w. q.
Evening star., 1939-04-21

The chickadee, in his black cap, alone
fulfills the conditions which entities
him to It,
He usually pals around with the tit
mouse.
Most often he comes to a bird feeder
sometime during the winter, almost al
ways with his friend.
And there are no finer guests there,
to be sure.
Sometimes he does not appear until
along about spring.
1t really makes no difference. He is
welcome any time he arrives.
There is no use putting out a bird
house for chickadee. It doesn't use
'em.
1t prefers a deserted woodpecker hole
In tree. It likes natural cavity In a
stump.
The nest is a neat affair, made of
grasses. lined with fur from small ami
mails, and feathers from birds.
All these the chickadees collect as
siduously. The nest is lined with the
loving care which is natural with birds
at this season. How do they know
what to do? This is a question no one
ever has answered, and probably never
will, but it does no harm to ask it again
Though small, the chickadee eats its
full share of insects, filling in between
meals with weed seeds and the like.
1t is another of the garden helpers.
Just how much pair of chickadees
really helps, in this respect, must be
left to conjecture. But because one can
not say exactly how much good thew
do is no real reason for disregarding
them. 1t would seem logical that all
the birds together help give us a better
garden.
Chlckadees, as a group, are moving
north now. The ones you see in the
yard today were not there Yesterday
The ones which were there Yesterday
have gone on.
This column won't go into the question
of whether the chickadee in our varjs
Is the true black-capped chickadee, or
the so-called North Carolina chickadee
The latter is supposed to be the COM
mon permanent resident here, the other
sometimes seen in winter only. Well. we
don't know Perhaps during recent
years there have been more of the real
black-caps here than formerly.
After all, what difference does it make
TO any except an ornithologist? The
bird we see and love is certainly a
chlckadee, and it has black cap.
The amateur bird observer will do
well to resist the lure of becoming zoo
technical for his own best pleasure.
Let him be accurate, by all means, out
not at the expense of happiness!
Evening star., 1939-04-21
Reflections on Bald EuoIes

The bald eagle was set up by the
founding fathers as a symbol of
sovereignty, freedom, courage and
strength.
It's life was an expression, they
thought-without considering the
matter too literally-of the virtues
they wished to see perpetuated in the
new Nation. Literal minded Benja-
min Franklin, who had studied birds
realistically, was not much impressed
with the idea but he acceded to it as
something not worth fighting about.
The bird has not thrived with the
extension of civilization into it's ma
tive wilds. It is actually in some
danger of extinction, according to
ornithologists; and Senator David I.
Walsh of Massachusetts, proposes
that stringent laws be enacted to
protect it, with Jail sentences for
those who are convicted of taking,
selling, transporting or purchas-
ing" it.
This is all well enough. The bald
eagle is now so scarce that farmers
suffer very little from it's depreda-
tions. Not many, it may be pre-
sumed, will go to prison for illegal
traffic in the national bird.
Unfortunately, it will not be so
simple to save, by legislation or
otherwise, the virtues which the eagle
symbolizes from extinction. They
were the supreme assets of a young,
poor but vigorous Nation. They also
have found it difficult to keep their
place in the skies of national ideals
and on the mountain crags of ma
tional morale with the inroads of the
machine age, its softer living, its
teeming populations, its material
ism.
The American Indian had an in
spring nature-religion. He believed
that every kind of living creature had
its spiritual counterpart which ex-
emplifled on a cosmic scale all It's
characteristic virtues and vices. The
living creatures were its children.
There was, for example, the cosmic
bear who owned all earthly bears.
So when the Indian killed bear for
food he humbly begged the pardon of
the spirit bear and attempted to
justify the act because of his dire
need.
There was the cosmic bison, the
cosnic grounding, the cosnic robin,
the cosmic turtle, the cosmic skunk,
the cosmic chickadee-supposedly
immortal creatures Of whom their
Evening star., 1939-04-21
Letters to the Editor
Wants American Interests
Safeguarded First.

To the Editor OF The Star:
May I be allotted a small amount of
space in your valuable columns to ask a
few questions? The more read and
observe the more seem to be unable to
get out of the "fog" 1 find myself in.
Headlines in our newspapers make me
wonder just what the American people
are letting themselves in for. We read
OF bill being introduced into Congress,
the so-called "Wagner-Rogers BILL" to
open up our gates and allow over a
period Of years, thousands of refugee
children into this country. Some will
reply by asserting that children cannot
take the jobs of workers here True, but
will not these children be of working age
in few years? What happens then?
Do you know that adult refugees are be-
ing landed in New York every day? This
is true but we fail to read of it in the
newspapers. Is it because some pressure
groups" keep this from the public?
Now, any deed or act to relieve the
suffering of our fellow men is a fine and
glorious gesture, but should we not con-
Germ ourselves more with the $4,000 900
unemployed here first? Passage of this
bill or any similar bill will never solve
this problem. Refugees have become q
major problem, one that cannot be treat
ed as an emergency any longer. It be-
comes routine business. There will al
ways be refugees from Europe because
European countries will always be en-
broiled in "undeclared wars"
Is it not true that in view of the fact
that this country has such gigantic
problems as unemployment. business re-
cessions and other internal difficulties
our SIC, ,00O-a-year legislators should con-
centrate more on the welfare and happi-
ness of our own people first? Rather
than send Spain thousands of barrels of
Hour, why not think of the undernour-
ished and underprivileged children of
this country? All the world looks to us
IN time of trouble. It seems as though
England will not make a move without
consulting Washington first. Why? Are
we allied with England in any way?
What is our foreign policy? Are we 60
ing to police the world? Europe loves us
only for the gold that she would like to
borrow in the event of another Conflict.
Can we not see that there is concerted
effort to organize terrific amount of
propaganda here to have this country
give Europe all We have in the event of
war? The powers that be" in this coun-
try would do well to plan little more
for the welfare of our people. W.D.
April Is.
Evening star., 1939-04-21
Sees Danger in
Marketing Decision.

To the Editor Of The Star:
An lndissoluble Union Of indestructible
States is going, If not already gone
with the wind" as result of all power
being centralized in Washington. This
disastrous end is being aided and abetted
by the Supreme Court in its decisions
sustaining the constitutionality of laws
that are in such violent conflict with
the Constitution as to call from the dead
the spirits of the departed founders of
the Republic.
Being interested in farm in the
South that raises nothing much but
tobacco was naturally concerned with
the courts decision of last week holding
constitutional the law imposing a tax
OF SO per cent of the sale price upon
all tobacco raised by farmer in excess
OF the quota assigned him by the Secre-
tary of Agriculture. AS the raising of
tobacco is solely a local matter over
which the Federal Government has no
constitutional authority the court, in
its determination to sustain the law,
had to resort to process of reasoning
that is beyond the ken of common
sense, and that would hardly be credit
able to child of IL years of age. They
held that the tax was not in restraint of
production, but upon the sale of the
tobacco, and that as the product was
destined to enter interstate trade the
Federal Government had the power to
impose the tax under the interstate COM
merce clause of the Constitution. This
holding was in the face of the manifest
intent of the law as a whole and of its
purpose to curtail production as pro-
claimed by its proponents over and over
again. The dissenting opinions of
Justices McReynolds and Butler were in
conformity with common sense and
complete answer to the majority.
April 10. A. S.L.
Evening star., 1939-04-21
THIS AND THAT
BIZ Charles E. Tr1ceUeH,

In the last few days, this column has
praised the wood thrush, cardinal.
meadowlark and titmouse.
One bird, we realized, had been left
out.
Chickadeel
The very name would entitle 1T to
recognition, but the live bird is better
than its name, even.
Just as pert" was the word for the
titmouse, so cute" is the word which
best describes the chickadee, sometimes
called the black k-capped chickadee.
Many people wonder how the bird got
It's name.
No doubt 1t comes from imitation Of
the dee-dee-dee call, combined with
"chick," universally used as term. of
endearment.
Some watchers, on first taking up bird
observation, have quite time OF 1t tell
ing one from the other.
1t Is always easy to be sure which is
titmouse and which is chickadee, even
at first, by looking for the titmouse s
crest.
The chickadee has no crest, but in
stead wears a very fine and we'll
anchored cap"
1t Is this fine black headpiece which
enables any one to be sure which is
which.
But the general appearance of the two
birds is so different, after all, no one
ought to have any trouble.
There Is really nothing "cute" in the
appearance of the titmouse, whose slight
crest and longer bill gives him a rather
piratical look.
He is the pert one.
The chickadee is cute to a degree.
Even hard-boiled persons who rather
shrink from the word find themselves
using it, almost involuntarily, when they
see this fellow.
1t is not only his size, 5H inches, Off
cially, but even more his fat, bustling
body, his round head, and coloration.
The newcomer to bird watching, used
as he may be to sparrows, robins and
starlings, and maybe the f1ashy cardi-
nal. scarce can beileve his eyes at the
sight OF the cheerful chickadee.
X X
Cheerful chickadee."
That was the phrase used in the good
song in Snow White" It we'll describes
this bird at all seasons of the year.
The chickadee is cheerful, but he is
/ above all cute. This quality sets him far
apart from other small birds.
The ruby-throated humming bird, the
only one we have hereabouts, is beauti-
ful, interesting, but scarcely cute
There are number of smaller birds
on the Western Coast, but not one of
these really deserves the adjective
Evening star., 1939-04-21
Letters to the Editor must
Dear the name and address of
the 1Driter, although the use OF
a pseudonyn1 for publication is
permissible. Please be brieT

point for which the author has the least
regard.
Now for bootleg wheat!
Since the 18th amendment expressive
OF an earlier noble experiment. engen-
dered general disrespect for law and its
agencies among the people, and placed
host OF scamps upon the pay roll to
harass liberty loving citizens, who re-
garded the province of government as
definitely limited, no better instrument
tality for reducing the people to subserv-
lence to political masters has been de-
veloped than is now recognized as avail
able. HARRISON TILcHMAN,
April 12
Evening star., 1939-04-21
Shooting Stors
BY PHILANDER JOHNSON.
Bedecked.

Bedecked.
The flowers bloom upon the bank
And on the leafy tree;
The weed, though of lowly rank,
Blooms on, most fair to see.
This useless pomp mid woodland bowers
Is but small display
Compared to millinery flowers
Which on her hat are gay.
And still the statesman strives to reach
Fame's destination quick,
BY blooming forth into speech
OF flowery rhetoric.
And so where e'er you turn to see
This floral mood hold sway,
This blooming nonsense seems to be
The order of the day.
Evening star., 1939-04-21
II Duce Says NO

Mussolini for some time has been
waiting and hoping to be one up on
Hitler. He did the trick yesterday.
He has beaten the Fuehrer by eight
days in replying to President Roose-
velt's plea to the dictators for ten
year peace guarantee.
AS the tone of the inspired Italian
press had foreshadowed, II Duce's
answer is an unqualified "no." Be-
cause of the teamwork which distin-
guishes axis foreign policy, the mega
reply announced from Capitoline Hill,
in the shadow of the heroic statue of
Julius Caesar, doubtless is the pre-
cursor of the rejection which will be
thundered in the Reichstag, in the
shadow of the monumental bronze
Bismarck when Hitler pays his re-
spects to the President of the United
States a week from today.
In accents of heavy irony directed at
"messiah-like messages" ''the mon
gers of panic" and "the anticipators
of catastrophes," Mussolini holds
that, as far as Italy is concerned,
non-aggresSion guarantees are un-
necessary because she has no inten-
tion of attacking any country.
Whether the conqueror of Ethiopia
and the invader of Albania seri-
ously expects the world to accept
this profession at face value may
be questioned. II Duce's naive plant
that Italy's plans for worlds fair
In 1912 attest her peaceful program
IS on all fours with Hitler's an
nouncement that Germany's policy
of brotherly love toward her neigh
bors is so fixed that next September's
Nazi party annual meeting will be
called "the peace convention" With
the scalps of Ethiopia, Austria,
Czecho- -Slovakia, Memel and Albania
dangling at the dictators' belts, they
must have profound faith in the
gullibility of other nations, to think
such protestations capable of con-
vincing the world that the Rome
Berlin axis is consecrated to non-
aggression. European history since
Munich utterly confutes such a
theory.
For the rest, Mussolini pillories the
"absolute injustice and unjustifiabil-
ity' of placing Germany and Italy
ION the seat of the accused" He
charges President Roosevelt with
lack of "even rudimentary knowl-
edge of European affairs" derides his
proposal as absurd" and lambasts
the United States for limiting itself"
In the proposed world conference to
''its customary role of distant
spectator"
1t is thus anything but a hopeful
prospect that is offered by the axis
powers. Doubtless their intransi-
geance toward the American invita-
ton to don the raiment of territorial
self-denial for a decade is partially
dictated by Mr.. Chamberlain's in
ability, to date, to form an indubita-
bly, effective stop aggression bloc.
Hungary has just declared its fealty
to the axis. Russia and Turkey seem
still on the fence. If between now and
April %, Anglo-French plans were to
develop substantially along projected
lines, the chances are that the dicta-
torships would be more receptive to
Mr.. Roosevelt's proffer than is now
indicated.
Evening star., 1939-04-21

living counterparts were but tranM-
tory expressions.
It was of the cosmic bald eagle
that the founding fathers, who had
absorbed something Of the red mans
attitude, were thinking. It is this
creature. composed OF intangible
soul-stuf1. whose extinction Is to %
feared now.
Evening star., 1939-04-21

A Washington youngster only three
years of age deliberately stayed away
from an Easter egg-rolling to which
his parents sent him. Many will
think he showed remarkable judg-
ment for his years.