davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1940-02-19
Asks for Leadership From
Congress and President
To the Editor Of The Star:

To the Editor Of The Star:
Various motives have been ascribed
for the failure Of this Government to 20
to the aid of Finland promptly with
money for planes and munitions of war.
These suesses have included the fear
OF charge Of unneutral behavior, fear
OF embodiment in general war, fear Of
the loss Of investment funds fear of the
isolationist sentiment, fear Of the loss of
political POWER in presidential year,
Tear OF Russia. In other words, the
editors and columnists are unanimous
IN picturtng our rip-roaring Democratic
New Deal Government rs frozen in its
tracks with fear. What q picture to
admire! With what pride do we boast
OF It! What a page to hand to posterity.
However, other motives may be sug-
gested. These may stir feelings Of dis
trust. It Is well known, for example,
that the Government is in debt to the
limit. Perhaps the reason we are holding
out on Finland is that our financial struc-
ture Is ''tottery" and that the proposed
loan would cripple US. A word from
headquarters on this point would be
heartening.
Again, it may be that the members of
House and Senate have received infor-
nation that We are likely to be attacked
soon by the Aztecs or the Zulus, and
therefore We need oil our planes at home
RICHARD L. FELDAxAN.
February Z.
Evening star., 1940-02-19
Shades of Cupt. Kidd

Privates Chipley and Hall of the
United States Army, although sta
toned in the garden spot of Homo
lulu, were unhappy. There was a
great discrepancy between actuality
and the ideal Of Army existence as
depicted on that triumph Of fiction,
the recruiting poster, which had
played up heavily the beaches in the
moonlight, the ukulele and the hula
hula, and fraudulently omitted all
references to close-order drill, hard
boiled sergeants, and staggering
amounts of potatoes reluctant to part
with their skins. To the east, mere
twenty-four hundred miles distant,
lay California and freedom-and in
the harbor were scores Of vessels.
Unfortunately the details of what
occurred are meager and confused.
All that is definitely known is that
the amateur pirates tried in turn, all
in one morning, a sixteen-foot sail
boat, cruiser, a rowboat, and an
outrigger canoe, but abandoned them
in favor of a seventy-five-thousand-
dollar yacht, the Manuiwa, unde-
tered by the fact that they had
wrecked another yacht q few days
before. With this nautical expert
ence behind them, they had no dif1i-
Guilty in piling up the Manuiwa on q
reef, where they were arrested by
Detective Paul, pinch-hitting for
Charlie Chan, who was away on the
mainland with his seventeen chill
dren attending a rally Of the "Con-
fucius Say" Club. The Honolulu
admiralty announces with pleasure
that Hawaii's two-man shipping
menace has been definitely removed,
and will soon 60 on trial for at
tempted desertion, second-degree pi-
racy, and first-degree optimism.
Evening star., 1940-02-19

been no stimulation Of the urge to
sing. Armed strife is ugly in its
modern aspects. The older bards are
dead or silenced, and no successors
have risen in their place. Cities
bombed, ships sunk, ports blockaded,
long lines OF fortresses fruitlessly
attacked-it is difficult to make
music about such things. Up to the
present moment, no one has had the
heart to attempt 1t.
Evening star., 1940-02-19
THIS AND THAT
These observations coincide with thos.
BY Charles Z. Trace,oell.

These observations coincide with those
Of the writer here.
We have no doubt ct all that our cor
respondent has seen bluebirds as stated,
but We remark again that 20 years is q
long time, and to sum up 20 years OBJ
servations in q few paragraphs really
gives wrong impression.
Articles about birds In this column
have been written solely from the stand
point OF the average observer.
Our idea has been to be true to our
own observations, no matter how much
they differ from those OF others.
Purposely we refrain from reading the
authorities until afterwards-and have
been pleased to nnd our thoroughly
amateur observations, and those Of our
readers, quite in line with the authorita-
tive dictums.
We believe that bird observation can
teach most Of us one very fine thing,
that is, to try to observe fairly, and
without holding back anything.
Then more often than not we will have
the satisfaction Of being correct.
4 -
Correct observation, as to birds, Is not
theoretical, but solely personal and In
dividual.
Bluebirds are not common birds to be
seen in every winter garden hereabouts.
Those who have them as permanent
residents are supremely fortunate.
Out Of the many thousands of letters
received by this column on the subject
OF birds during the past four years, not
more than three writer's have ever
claimed to have them in winter.
Most Of us, alas, do not even have
them in spring!
No, this beautiful bird, regarded by
many as the most beautiful, is all too
rare in any individual garden at any
time Of year.
A keen observer, such as our CORE
spondent, no doubt has seen many tow
hees In winter hereabouts, but this does
not mean that every home owner who
takes up the fascinating sport of feed
ing and watching the birds Is going to
have towhee.
BY no means.
A towhee, too, is rare bird in many
q garden, at any time.
Wherefore, we are all the more glad
when one does arrive.
Perhaps it is just little better, after
all, to believe that birds are on the rare
side, for then when they do come, one
/ gets all the more thrill out of the sight
An excited reader near Forty-flrst and
1ngraham streets called up the other day
to say that she had snow bunting In
her yard.
Now, we have never seen a snow bunt-
ing in our yard, and never expect to.
But we are glad when some one else
has snow bunting.
An accidental visitor from the north
he, and although recorded many times
will never be seen by most of us in the
District of Columbia, nearby Maryland
or Virginia.
Evening star., 1940-02-19
No Poets

The first World War, from its very
start, brought forth a quantity of
verse which, generally speaking, was
OF an order high enough to justify
the commentator of a multitude of
readers. Rudyard Kipling, Thomas
Hardy, Henry Newbolt, Rupert
Brooke, Alan Seeger, Joyce Kilmer-
these were but few of the singers
who put their patriotism into rhymic
language with credit to themselves
and to the cause in which they were
engaged. A vast number of lesser
bards Joined in chorus not alto
gether unworthy. It commonly was
believed that poetry was destined to
enjoy renaissance.
And this confidence was justified
IN large measure. Books of verse
flowed in steady stream from
presses on both sides of the Atlantic,
skilled editors compiled anthologies
which were widely sold, periodicals
exclusively devoted to verse were es-
tablished and maintained. It seemed
that the conflict had released the
imaginative energies Of an army Of
melodists. The paradox was &C.
cepted by public not unwilling to
think that romance still persisted
even in time of carnage. Such
efforts as w. N. Ewer's give Souls" I"
1t was supposed, foreshadowed a
period Of peace in which all the arts
would prosper. A new vision ap-
peared to have come to men.
But such hopes were trail. Within
few brief years the dream expired.
The democracy for which the war
was fought never was realized.
Gradually, it was made plain to poets
as it was to other people that the
struggle had been supported and
endured in vain. History moved in
q circle. The ancient quarrel was
revived. Once again Europe was
ready for q gamble with fate. The
events Of last summer inevitably
led to renewal Of the contest Of
1s14-l9ls. Conditions, however. had
changed enough - that there has
Evening star., 1940-02-19
Comments on Meetinxs of
Youth Congress.

To the Editor of The Star:
In The Star of last evening events of
the days proceedings of the American
Youth Congress were reported. Mr..
Howard Ennes, chairman of the WASH
ington Youth Council, made a "dra.
matte" plea to the Youth Congress As
sembly for suffrage" for the District of
Columbia. The article states: IF the
District had had a vote, he predicted.
this city would have had municipal
stadium or some kind of municipal hall
big enough for the meeting. He asked
the question what will happen next
year when the A. Y. c. comes back with
10000 delegates"
Am to assume from that statement.
attributed to Mr.. Ennes, that the dele
gates are merely interested in Washing
ton getting the vote so that the A. Y. G.
may have an auditorium for themselves
next year, and ad infinitum? And will
the residents of the District of Columbia
then have to house and possibly feed
an increasingly large number of dele
gates also?
MRS. PEARSON G. CoNLYN,
February 13.
Evening star., 1940-02-19
DirieibIe Program

Ill luck has dogged Americas dir
igible program, but naval airship
experts have not lost their faith in
the ultimate military and CONNER
cial possibilities of great non-rigid
lighter-than-air craft Of the general
type represented by the unfortunate
Shenandoah, Akron and Macon. The
Shenandoah was wrecked in q wind
storm over Ohio in 1925, the Akron
was destroyed in a thunderstorm OF
the Jersey coast In 1888 and the
Macon plunged into the sea and sank
OF California in 1885. Similar dis
asters have marked dirigible expert
ments by the Germans, English and
French.
One of the Navy's earliest Zep-
pelins, thes German-b Los An
geles, succeeded in withstanding the
ravages of time and the elements,
however, only to be condemned for
old age and sacrificed on the altar
of scientific research. What the ex-
perts have learned from study of the
dismantled Los Angeles has helped
to convince them that large dirigibles
are practicable-if properly con-
structed and blessed with a reason
able amount of cooperation by the
elements. Nature so far has proved
to be the chief conspirator against
airship progress, but the Navy has
learned something from each catas-
trophe and it has high hopes of
developing huge helium-fl ships
capable of outriding the most severe
weather and conquering other haz-
ards which beset lighter than air
craft.
1t is not easy to give up altogether
a phase of aerial transportation
which holds so much promise from
commercial as we'll as military view-
points. Substitution of helium for
the highly inflammable hydrogen
originally used in dirigibles has re-
moved one Of the chief dangers in
herent in such sky cruisers, that Of
fire and explosion. Greater struc-
tural safety has been attained with
the building of each new ship. More
light on stresses and strains has
come with each accident and with
studies made of the metal framework
OF the dismantled Los Angeles. These
and many other considerations have
led naval board to recommend a
$10,000,000 five-year dirigible pro-
gram. The board urges immediate
construction of a ship Of 100000
cubic feet capacity-sAghtly larger
than the Los Angeles, but much
smaller than the Akron and the
Macon. A number of smaller ships
for experimental purposes is proposed.
The board points out that airships
have extraordinary potential value
as plane carriers and scouting cruis-
ers in time Of war and as long-range
passenger and freight carriers in
time of peace. Recommendation of
the naval experts deserve the most
careful consideration by those con-
trolling policies and expenditures for
the national defense.
Evening star., 1940-02-19

for IS years and never had a vote. I
have lived here 81 years and have never
had the privilege of the franchise and
my daughter and son have been living
here Is and 21 years, respectively, and
they have never had the privilege of a
vote. My wife has also lived here all of
her life and has never had a vote.
We that have been denied the priv
ilege OF voting are resentful of that fact.
Keep up the fine work and it will not
be very long before we win our goal
ARTHUR CLARENDON SMITH.
February II.
Evening star., 1940-02-19
EUCLID STREET.

G0NAA0 04NGc4s
Dear Sir: As more or less constant
reader Of your column in The Star I
was rather surprised = few nights ago In
your reference to the bluebird and the
towhee.
II have found the bluebird common
winter visitor to Washington and 1t ap-
pears constantly throughout my notes Of
the past 20 years as having been seen
IN various parts Of the District In single
pairs to % many as 20 individual birds,
seen at any time in West Potomac Park,
Massachusetts, avenue from Dupont Cir
Gle to the Cathedral, Calvert street,
Woodland drive and many other places
Northwest, Northeast Southeast and
Southwest.
"As to the towhee, 1t is = frequent visi-
tor to the District during the winter
and breeds throughout the District.
Last spring had under observation at
least three pairs nesting on the grounds
Of the Bulgarian Legation.
"The breeding range of the towhee is
very large, from the lower Mississippi
Valley and Georgia northward to Maine,
Ontario and Manitoba. It winters from
the District Of Columbia to Florida.
"The bluebird winters from Southern
Illinois and Southern New York SOUTH
ward, but its breeding range is from the
Gulf States through to Manitoba and
Nova Scotia.
yours cordially, G. 8. B."
Twenty years, Of course, is 4 long
time in any mans life.
While it Is quite true, as stated here
many times, that both bluebirds and
towhees are seen here frequently in win
ter, neither can be said to be as common
as our correspondent indicates.
May Thatcher Cooke, in her Birds of
the Washington ID. c. Region" says of
the towhee, or chewink:
This might be classed as . perma- =
nent resident for few individuals nearly
always winter.
1T is a common summer resident and
abundant migrant"
OF the famous bluebird, she states:
Permanent resident, local in winter,
and only fairly common in summer
1t is common during migration in March
and october. The breeding season Is q
long one, for two and sometimes three
broods are raised. Young in the nest
have been found from April % to Au-
gust 10.
"Bluebirds are much less common than
formerly; several times. notably in the
winters of 1895 and 1912, many have
been killed by storms, and, at least in
the latter case, they have recovered
their numbers very slowly.
1T is question whether they have
ever been as abundant since"
EHH4
A "few" individuals, our authority
says of the towhee, and questions II the
bluebird has ever been abundant since
the great storm of 1912.
Evening star., 1940-02-19
Killing the Goose

In an opinion which should have
an important bearing on the rates
which public utilities may be per-
mitted to charge in the future, the
New York State Public Service Com
mission last week issued a timely
warning against excessive taxation
of that industry.
The essence of the rate-making
body's admonition was that taxation
now has reached a point where fur
ther rate reductions are impossible.
AS a result any new taxes will have
to be passed on to the public, and it
is probable that some of the present
tax burden will be shifted to con-
sumers in the form of higher charges.
After authorizing the Rochester
Gas and Electric Corporation to raise
some of its rates because it was not
earning a fair return, the commits
sion discussed at length the problem
OF taxes and utility rates, and
reached the following conclusion:
practically every investigation by
this commission into the accounts
and practices of various operating
utilities In the State of New York
during recent years has disclosed
that the predominant cause of in
creased costs of service is the enor-
nous growth in the amount of taxes
which these utilities must pay. Since
these Increased taxes are reflected
IN rates charged to consumers, the
public must bear this increased
expense"
A graphic picture of the share of
the tax burden now being carried by
the public utilities is given in recent
analysis by the Edison Electric Insti-
tute, showing that electric power and
light companies in this country alone
paid taxes totaling $345, ,O00, 900 in
1889. That was an increase of 500
100000 over 1898, and represented
ABOUT l6 cents out of every dollar
received from power consumers. A
large portion of this increase was in
the form of higher payments to the
Federal Government.
The advent of the New Deal was
the signal for a double e-barreled
attack on the private utilities. On
the one hand the private concerns
were confronted with serious threat
OF Government competition, which
reached its peak with the setting up
OF the Tennessee Valley Authority
and the lending of P. w. A. funds to
municipalities for the acquisition of
their own electric distributing sys-
TENS. The attack from the other di-
rectlon came in the form of higher
taxes, an example being the imposi-
ton in 1888 Of per cent levy on
the gross revenues from retail sales
by all operating utility properties.
That tax was devised as an emergency
measure, but it is still on the statute
books in its original form.
1t is important to note that rates
nave been scaled down to the lowest
level in the history of the industry,
despite the difficulties faced in recent
years. But, judging from the find-
lngs of the New York Commission
this public benefit will be sacrificed
unless the taxing authorities face the
plain fact that the public utility
industry has just about reached the
limit OF its tax-paying capacity.
Evening star., 1940-02-19

In one German city. at least, the
thoroughfare heretofore named Hin
denburgerallee" Is now known as
Horst Wesselerstrasse." It is not
unlikely that q good many million
Germans will live to see the name
changed back again.
Evening star., 1940-02-19
Unrestricted Sea War

The Reich's warning that armed
British merchant ships henceforth
will be subject to sinking without
notice is not the first German threat
to resort to unrestricted submarine
warfare against her enemy, but,
coming as it does in the midst of
an intensified conflict at sea, 1t has
Important implications.
It was just such ruthless subma-
rine warfare which Immediately pre-
ceded Americas severance of diplo-
matte relations with Germany in 1917,
and the same situation might be
expected to recur now if the Neu-
trality Act were not keeping Ameri-
can vessels out of the war zone
around Europe The possibility of
American ship losses is not excluded,
however, if Great Britain persists in
: taking American vessels to contra
band control stations within the
forbidden zone
Like many questions in interna-
tional law, there is no absolute
standard against which to measure
belligerents' conduct in this respect.
On the recognized ground of reprisal
one or the other is able to meet every
violation of law with equal viola
tions.
The question of armed merchant
men is highly controverted sub
ject. Belligerent respect for the
rules Of visit and search is predi-
Gated upon the enemy merchant
ship refraining from any action
which would endanger the searching
warship or its crew, Thus, if the
merchantmen is provided with arms
capable of destroying the submarine,
the latter scarcely can be expected
to perform its legal obligation of
visit and search, and the belligerent
using submarines is faced with the
choice of abandoning the conduct of
a lawful war on it's enemy's merchant
commerce or Of regarding merchant
ships as warships and sinking them
as they would destroyers, cruisers or
battleships. Ample authority is found
In law for regarding armed merchant
ships as ships of war.
Britain's purpose in arming her
merchantmen-an action which i'm
pelS the Germans to warn of possible
unrestricted submarine warfare-is
not without justification. German
submarine commanders have not
been too scrupulous in giving warn
ing before torpedoing both British
and neutral ships, although a num-
Der of cases have come to light where
German submarine chiefs, at great
peril to themselves, have taken pains
to provide for the safety Of crews.
But the failure of some submarine
commanders to observe rigidly re-
quirements Of international law has
forced upon Britain measure which
Is necessary for the preservation of
her lines of supply.
The growing frightfulness of the
war at sea emphasizes the necessity
Of considering again, when the pres
ent conflict is ended, the outlawing
OF the submarine, whose vulnerable
ity to attack by even small-caliber
cannon is too great to permit it to
operate with any degree of legality
against merchant ships.
Germany was forbidden in the
treaty Of Versailles to build subma-
rines, and the movement to forbid use
OF the submarine in wartime took
definite shape after the last war, but
failed against the objections of
France. The submarine remains a
problem which can only be solved
when the governments can approach
1t with some degree of calm and
detachment.
Evening star., 1940-02-19

It took Just one year of reduced
speed limit to cut Atlanta's traffic
death rate in half. This will be hard
for any traf1lc expert" paid or
amateur, to laugh Oh.
Evening star., 1940-02-19
voteless Family Resents
, District Disfranchisement.

10 the Editor Of The Star:
am sorry that our Commissioners do
not see the light In granting Chairman
Randolph permission to revise their plan
for reorganization Of the municipal gov
ernment SO that We can have an elected
council rather than m appointed council.
! think II the Commissioners had been
living In Washington all Of their lives,
without . vote like my family and thou
sands Of other good citisens have, they
would zee conditions . little differently.
Ny father, Clarendon Smith, lived here
Evening star., 1940-02-19

President Roosevelt has invited
the whole world to see America"
Fine and dandy. and please be care
ful with your cigarette butts and
gum wrappers.
Evening star., 1940-02-19

~. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to
credited to It or not otherwise credited in this
paper and also the local news published herein.
All tights of publication Of special dispatches
herein also are reserved
Evening star., 1940-02-19
Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor must
bear the name and address OF
the tOriter although the use OF
q pseudonyna for publication is
permissible. Please be brief!
Evening star., 1940-02-19
Member Of the Associated Press

Entered as second-class matter post once,
Washington. D. c.
Evening star., 1940-02-19

Q. What is q stock post2-L. T. R.
A. This is the name by which each Of
the many-sided structures on the floor
of the New York Stock Exchange Is
known. Each listed stock is assigned to
one OF these posts and its name appears
on one OF the faces There is a cush-
ioned seat at its base. Here gather the
brokers, specialists, iloor traders and
others who are interested in transac-
ions IN the stocks assigned to a post,
These posts have distinctive names, q.
for example. the "steel Post"
z. How may I obtain an Uncle Sama
almanac ana handy reference book
r. p.
A. See page A-2 Of today's Star.
The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1940-06-27
SENATOR ECAN
MAY RUN AGAIN
Denies Reports That He Is
Not q Candidate From
10th District

Senator Edward p. Egan OF the
10th district today denied reports
that he did not plan to be @ candi-
date for denomination and reelec-
ton, informing The Democrat that
he has not yet decided whether or
not he will enter the race. II
haven't given the situation much
thought, said Senator Egan, "and 1t
probably will be some time before I
make up my mind
Ex-senator Joseph II. Lawlor is
expected to be q candidate for the
nomination, along with William
Upper" Conley, who lost the NOM
nation to Mr.. Egan at the sena.
torial convention two years ago.
Several ther possible candidates are
also being discussed. Some quarters
believe that Senator Egan will de-
lay any announcement al TO his
candidacy until after the Demo-
cratic state convention, slated to be
held In August.
In any case, 18th district prin-
airy Is threatened. though leaders
hope to avert such a contest. Two
years ago the primary was contested
by Daniel Pickett. whose ticket was
defeated by the slate of delegates
which later gave the nomination 70
Senator Egazl.