davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1942-03-22

reporting its reasons in detail to Con-
gress and to the President; CD State
agencies carrying out projects IN which
the expenditure of Federal funds would
be involved, should be debarred. from
making use of any Federal loan or grant
unless the recommendation Of the Plan
ming Commission were observed by them.
The purpose OF this suggestion is that
in the case of any difference of opinion
between the Park and Planning Commits
sion and any administrative agency, the
fact Of any such difference of opinion
will be brought to the attention of the
President and Congress; that the rea-
sons why the administrative officer finds
it impossible to comply with the Com
missions recommendations will be COM
municated to the President and to Con-
gress and that the commission will have
an opportunity to answer these objec-
tions.
AS for the State governments, it is
surely not unreasonable to expect that
they be guided by duly constituted Fed.
eral agency in the expenditure Of Fed
eral funds.
IL. The reorganization should be car
ried out without delay.
There has never been time when the
Governments Of the District and the
Federal Government were faced with
more important or complicated problems
Evening star., 1942-03-22

so that land which was almost worthless
yesterday may, as result OF them. be-
come today very costly, and land or
buildings which at one time seemingly
represented an assured and permanent
investment may overnight become al
most valueleSs.
With the changes in population distri-
button and changes of economic status
comes the disease that has come to be
recognized as "city blight" The exodus
Of population produces vacancies, declin-
ing values, neglected property and busi-
ness slumps. The crowding Of popula-
ton into congested areas produces slums.
So that the attempt to combat trafic
congestion by the provision of more and
better highways produces a chain Of
consequences that extends over q long
period of years and over wide social
field. Where the new thoroughfare goes,
populations follow. They require SUBJ
sidiary streets with paved sidewalks,
street lamps and shade trees. They re-
quire schools, churches, Fairgrounds,
parks, theaters, shops and services OF
every kind and description, police sta
tions, fire engine houses. sewers, water,
gas, electricity, carlines and buses, tele-
phones, medical services and hospitaliza-
ton, newspapers, and means Of disposal
of garbage and trash.
Into the area from which this popula-
ton has moved, another population
shifts, and this process continues until
there has been a general readjustment
throughout the whole area.
The problem of city planning is, there
fore, not merely an engineering problem,
much less an architectural one It is an
engineering, architectural. sociological,
economic one and to solve it correctly re-
quires the cooperation of experts in a
dozen different fields
Streets and highways, parks and build
Evening star., 1942-03-22
As O. Plunner VieWS the Problem
Mr. Delano Sees Need for City Manager

I Ihave read with Q good deal of interest
proofs Of Francis P. Sullivan's article.
think it Is very good. but that does not
mean that agree with every line Of it.
1t is. Of course, easy enough to see that
the program OF 1924-1926, as put into
law, was by no means complete or sat-
isfactory solution Of the planning prob
lem. Those Of us who worked to put
through this legislation realized that we
must begin in a small way and in the
end sell the idea to the public.
Even now. after a longer experience.
we probably cannot secure from Con-
gress the kind of legislation that We
really need. Recently. after appearing
before the Senate District Committee.
wrote to the chairman, telling him
was glad that he believed In reforming
some of our enabling legislation, and
hoped If he was planning reform that he
would not concern himself simply with
the minor elements of the problem.
Cumbersome Government
The trouble which think any sincere
student of present-day conditions would
recognize is that the form of government
Of the District of Columbia is exceed
ingly cumbersome and ineff1cient. Under
the conditions laid down by the Consti-
tuition, the District Of Columbia is wholly
under the control Of Congress. That
was not 50 bad in l791 when there were
only 13 States and comparatively small
Senate and House of Representatives;
but the suggestion that the Senate and
House Of Representatives, now number
ing 531 men. might properly act as q
council or board of aldermen for
great city is unthinkable.
The only solution that I can suggest is
that a joint committee of say flve men,
possibly seven. chosen by the two houses,
might make an efficient council. Men
who are sincerely anxious to be helpful
should be selected. Such body should
have . well-paid secretary who would
do all the footwork. and meetings should
Evening star., 1942-03-22

be composed OF men whose training
qualities them to pass upon the COM
potency Of those detailed studies and to
prescribe broad lines Of planning policy
in accordance with the best theory and
practice.
2 The planners composing the COM
mission should be selected, not as dis
tinguished individuals, but as representa-
tives OF the body Of their professions in
the United States, and, to that end,
should be chosen from nominees desig-
mated by the principal national profess
sional organizations.
The interest Of the planning profess
sions in the development of the plan
OF washington is factor that could be
utilized to support the commission by
insuring an active and informed public
opinion In support Of its decisions. To
accomplish this continual flow of
thought between the men chosen to rep
resent the point of view of their pro-
fessions on the commission and their
interested fellows is desirable This can
best be accomplished through the me-
dium of the great national professional
societies.
3. A large proportion OF the member
ship Of the commission should be not
merely bona fide residents" in the con-
ventional sense in which that term has
come to be employed in making appoint
ments in the District, but real Wash
ingtonians whose lives and careers have
been carried on In the city. whose livings
have been made here, who have a real
background Of knowledge and experience
of the city and its affairs.
While every citizen takes an interest
in the development of the Capital of
his Nation, this interest does not neces-
sarily equip the citizen or even the plan
ner Of Louisville or Buffalo to plan wisely
for the development of the District of
Columbia. The Planning Commission is
setting up pattern according to which
the lives Of the people Of Washington
will be nodded for years and perhaps
for generations to come. 1t is sensible
then that those who know the city not
only as BoStonianS know 1t, but also as
bOSCOnlanS KNOW Boston, Snould nave an
important place In deciding what is to be
done with their home town.
Full-Time Job.
4. The commission should be required
to consult and advise with the admins
trative officials Of the Federal and Dis
trict governments whose responsibilities
are most particularly concerned with the
development Of the city plan, but these
officials should not be members OF the
commission.
All the officers who might conceivably
be given ex oficio membership on the
commission have important duties OF
their own which require their full time
and attention. They cannot and sheuld
Evening star., 1942-03-22

groups with certain administrative func-
tions.
A commissioner. Of public works would
be an important ofncial under the direc-
ton Of the city manager, and number
of other department heads which need
not be mentioned in detail. The ham
ding Of traffic in great city Is an i'm
portant function. which at present Is
very inadequately handled; and as IS
well known, there are certain pressure
groups In this city, as in other cities.
that are to blame for much that has not
gone well.
Just how commission, perhaps com.
prising fine arts, planning and zoning,
should be set up need not be discussed
in great detail here because until We get
the fundamental idea across we can get
along with the kind Of commission We
now have.
Ex Oficio Members.
Obviously. it is not very satisfactory to
rely on ex oficio members of
commission and then not have those
ex oflcio members attend meetings.
For example, that the chairmen OF
the Senate and House committees
are members Of the Planning Com
mission Is easy to understand. but the
fact that they can rarely find 1t possible
to attend meetings illustrates the futility
of the plan. In the case of important
executive department heads. we find it
increasingly 'dif1cult to get members who
will personally attend meetings, or send
representatives always familiar with the
work.
OF course, the city manager would
naturally be accessible to the public, and
the council meetings would give oppor-
tunity for interested persons to make
recommendations.
So my answer to the problem is that
instead of patching up the present law.
making it only a little bit better, let US
do something that makes sense and goes
to the foundation Of the whole question.
Evening star., 1942-03-22

ings are only elements of the problem.
There are other elements as important
which reach into every field Of human
activity, of governmental practice. and of
private life.
The Planning Commission must, more
over, possess an intimate knowledge Of
the lives and habits of the people of the
city whose interests are so intimately
affected by every decision that it makes.
1t must know how its plans will affect
the fashionable neighborhoods where
the wealthy live, the slums where the
poor live, and the vast areas between
these extremes, containing the homes Of
the middle-class businessmen and wage
earners whose health, comfort and hap
piness may be added to or destroyed by
a stroke of the planners pencil
After the planners have formed this
imaginative projection into the future
of the city as it is to be, they must reduce
it into a form where it can be under
stood by the public, for the task of the
planner includes not only the attempt
to forecast and provide for the needs of
the future city, but the statement of his
conclusions in such terms as to convince
the people who are to be affected by
them and the administrative officials who
are to carry them into effect that they
are wise and practical.
Planning and Publicity.
1t is necessary, therefore, that COM
plete physical plan Of the area as Of
some specific date, showing the develop
ments to be realized within some specific
period, should be drawn up and made
public, and that this should be supple
mented with such explanatory material
in the form of reports, graphs, statistics
and computations as to make clear what
the recommendations of the commits
sion are, both to serve immediate needs
and for a considerable future period.
It has frequently been argued that the
work of planning agency should be
conducted in a highly secretive manner
in order to avoid the possibility that
spectators would take advantage Of the
disclosure Of proposed improvements to
profit by them unfairly. This danger
can be overcome by careful administra-
tive methods, but in any case, it is one
that must be risked in order that the
commission may obtain the intelligent
public support which is necessary to
make 1t an effective force.
Next. the plan must be given an au-
thoritative status, so that it will not be
subject to be set aside at the will Of
individuals.
And lastly, on the day when this mas
ter plan and its subsidiary statistics,
charts. reports and computations are pro-
mulgated, its revision should be begun
without delay, for such plan will be
merely a point OF departure for further
study and further planning. It cannot
Evening star., 1942-03-22

The accompanying article by Francis P Supan
National Planning
further discussion OF the
subject from those whose reus important.
To this end The Star has invited
appear Sunday subsequent issues Of The Star
Evening star., 1942-03-22

By-passing of the established
planning agencies by the War De-
partment almost resulted In the
placing of the huge concrete neD
War Department Building (aboue)
at the front gates of Arlington
National Cemetery. The Presi-
dent auerted this mistake by or
dering the structure to be built
farther to the south, along Colum-
bia pike. The photograph 1oas
taken from, the Arlington Canton
ment road. Note Monument IN
background, indicated by arroU.
(RighD after spending 81 ,000,-
600 on developing the Mall, the
Government has been forced to
use it as site for temporary ,oar
buildings. This ercduattng ma
chine Is one OF many that haze
been at pork along Constitution
auenue. Star staff Photos.
be enacted into law, or solidided into
a pattern. but must be constantly fluid,
being nodded and remolded to conform
to the change and growth Of the living
organism that Is the city.
If these general ideas can be accepted
as correct with regard to the mission
with which the commission is charged,
it would appear that, reduced to concrete
terms. the following principles should be
followed in the suggested reorganization:
/. The majority Of the reorganized
commission should be men Of technical
training and experience in the field Of
planning, including the professions OF
civil and mechanical engineering, land
scape architecture, architecture, sociol-
ogy. economics, education and public
health.
Since the purpose OF the commission
is to plan. it seems obvious that the
best results are to be obtained by utiliz-
ing the services Of those who know how
to plan.
And since the commission must con.
slider all phases OF urban life. the widest
possible field Of professional training
should be included.
Naturally, the commission would en-
ploy staff to carry out the detailed
studies, but the commission itself should
Evening star., 1942-03-22

CHuUWUH, VULIOUut Cupttut ruin
and Planning Commission.
-UnderUood Photo.
be only at stated intervals, say once q
month.
I think the next step would be that
city manager, nominated by the Presi-
dent and approved by the Senate, should
be chosen. He should be paid good
salary, say $25, 900 a year. and be given
sole responsibility, subject, Of course, to
approval by the joint council.
City Managers Job.
The city managers duties need not be
stated in detail, but he would have re-
porting to him various executive, admin
istrative and advisory bodies; e. g., a
planning and zoning commission would
be desirable, just as school board would
be desirable. as representing advisory
Evening star., 1942-03-22
Rapid Growth of Nations Capital Compcae City Planners
Architect Offers Suggestions
For Reshaping Planning Group
Present Opportunity to Correct Deficiencies of
Existing Organization Called to
Attention of Residents
By Francis P. Sullivan.

BY FfancS p. 0MNVdN.
Institute
months forwarded the President his
Planning
suggesting the time that there need Of reorganization OF the
commission President his letter stated that would call
the the make the problem and asked
commission
the conclusion will the final with
drawa from the Planning Commission Mr. Dano is to be hoped
that its report will be delayed long possible.
valuable
that probably the question change in its organization would never
itself asked efficient
opportunity such
consider without prejudice what
fashion that continue the useful unc
carried the but be greater benefit over
The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-03-25

and undeclared war without shadow of a cause. Very well. Now Alaska is some thing else again.
 Alaska can be threat to North Amer lea. Should the Japs succeed in the South Pacific, they might well turn to the North Pacific, and try to secure this foothold on North America within ready bombing distance of the United States west coast. Against this we are preparing to defend Alaska and ourselves That may be assumed. Has not the whole course of the war thus far proved that we must do much better than that? This long series of desperate rear-guard actions beginning in Poland in the autumn of 1889 IT is there to be no end of them? Are we of the free nations perpetually to wait for attack and fight those long, heart-break- ing rear-guard actions?
 Not forever. Alaska can also be made a threat to Japan. Dutch Harbor is actu- ally closer to San Francisco than IS Hawaii, and it is closer to Japan, too. The land-based airplane strength that will keep Japanese naval away from Alaska; the bomber strength that will at length make Japan feel at home what she. has visited on a half-dozen peoples -- these may be based on Alaska. Industrial Japan is not now within bombing range of the Alaskan bases. But new planes, new bases, new developments may well put it in range little later.
 Defend Alaska? Certainly. But that is not enough. We may hope that present preparations going on in Alaska are aimed at carrying the war to Japan, which is the way 1t will be won in the end Alas ka, threat to whom? The way in which we answer that question may be the key to whether we have before us an endless war threatening our own U. S. territory, or a relatively short one fought on and over Japanese territory.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-03-25
The Voice of the People

Hitler and his aging, bald partner south of Brenner Pass once kept their vocal cords in condition by telling their sub- jects what great thing it was to live like lions and strong Nordic gods. The "soft, decadent, plutocratic democracies" drew only scorn. Democracies would fall apart in time of war, they trumpeted Well, we were soft, but we haven't fallen apart. In fact, it appears we are doing a right fair job of pulling ourselves to- pether There's a fellow named Mac Arthur putting up one of the greatest scraps of all time. The assembly lines in Detroit and other cities spill out more fighting tools each day. MT. and Mrs John Citizen and children buy more ana more bonds and stamps. And, Adolf ana Benito ask our senators and representa- tives if democracy clicks in a crisis
 Some time ago in the dark of the moon, an amendment was attached to an lin- portant bill, and the folks back at the corner drug store and out where the creeK forks for the last time, had not hearo of this amendment. Naturally, they missed 1t because members ot congress- usually happy to crate on any occasion, did not debate this amendment. It pro- vided pensions for life for lawmakers who retired voluntarily or who were retired oy the voters One of the greatest uproars since Mickey Owen dropped that thlra strike in the World Series swept the lana as soon as the people (cannon-fodder to you, Adolf) got wind of this They blew such a storm over Washington that con gress quicker than you could say "SeV- enty-dollars-eve Saturday" undid What they had done.
 That was only the beginning The people Suckers to you, Benito) rared up and demanded an end to all that toollsh, ness in civilian defense. They demanded a one-man war production boss more centralized Army and Navy control, fewer fol-de-rols in government. At the same time they were marching up (not being driven, Adolf and cheerfully paying the biggest income tax in history. congress- men say the torrent of mail continues. Some of the solons admit they are trille timid when they consider the coming elections. They have never seen tne people so non- n-complacent, so alert ana so hot and bothered to get this war job done. And when this storm becomes Vlolent tornado of demand for the absolute crush inc of the axis, well, then you boys who thought we were expiring of country clubitis better seek the deepest storm cellar your old pal Satan can spare.
 The voice of the people is the voice of the government in the United States. Sometimes that voice croaks, sometimes 1t whispers. It has been completely silent, but 1t never, never whines. And when 1t sounds clear and strong across the prairies, swamps, Hills, mountains, ana river valleys, things start happening the American way - way Benito, Adolf, ana you, Honorable Son of Heaven. don't un- derstand, but one that you will.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-03-25
Home Front Heroes

So you thought all our brave boys were battling on Bataan, or were in training camps, or on the sea or in the air? NO, siree. Not by jug full. Some of our foremost scrappers do their slugging rlgnt here on the home front, and in soup-and' fish uniforms. ,-,
 Two topflight cafe socialites banged each other ali over the plush and chrome of a Chicago boozery the other night be- cause one didn't like the way the other spoke to his girl. This was the day our flyers gave 23 Jap ships 23 kinds of Hail, Columbia. Then Pat di Cicco, recently wed to a young heiress, was hauled into court to answer charges of seeking a hotel clerk who wouldn't fetch him a cook pan. Hold on, MacArthur, rein Gorcements are rushing to you.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-03-25
Keep 'Em Working

It doesn't take an efficiency expert to tell us that idle tools are things of joy 10 our enemies. Dull chisels, rusty saws, ana broken screwdrivers means fewer 1mple- ments of war. One of the greatest stores of idle tools and labor lies idle, or soon will, in the 44,000 commercial garages oi the nation.
 The War Production Board estimates that between 500 and 1000 of these gar ages, fully equipped and manned With skilled labor, have been converted to war work. The others should be put to work as soon as possible Production would be increased, considerable unemployment would be averted, and best of all, we would geep 'em working to ax the axis.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-03-25
For a Free Press

At time when civil liberties are cur tailed by the exigencies of world war, there is encouragement in the Louisiana Supreme Courts decision dismissing con- tempt proceedings against New Orleans newspapers Too unquestioningly, some of us fear, the nations press is permitting bureaucracy to dictate what shall and shall not be printed. Every responsible newspaper editor shrinks from the dread responsibility of publishing war and pro- duction data which official Washington thinks might help the axis
 Under such restrictions, the spotlight of publicity may be kept off of incompetence and corruption. This makes 1t doubly i'm perative that where no confidential facts are concerned, the newspapers should remain completely free to analyze and criticize official action.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-03-25

1t would be worse for us than 1T we suffered ignominous defeat.
 We should always bear in mind that life is not what we make 1t but what we allow God to make It. The Almighty has q plan for the life of every individual, and this plan deals not just with generalities but with things specific. Not Q sparrow falls but God notes the circumstance. As Jesus told us, the very hairs of our head are num- bered. God holds the universe In His hands, and the planets traverse their courses under His direction. likewise. His living presense $ manifested in the atom. From the great spaces across which we sweep the telescope to the finest particles which we examine under the. mic croscope, God is in complete coil- trol.
 What we need to do is not to strive to put our own plans Into operation, but to try so to plan our lives every day that the will Of God may operate through iIs. Life is not what we make it, but what we allow 0cd to make 1t. All Rights Reserved Babson News-
 paper Syndicate
The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-03-25
AIaska - Threat to Whom?

The test of whether the United States has come to an appreciation of the job before 1t may lie in what is going on i1 Alaska. Just what Is going on there, we don't know, and that's as 1t should be. But 1t is clear that there can b. two ap- breaches to what is going on. Are we stfll thinking in terms of the defense of Alaska" as we thought of the defense of the Philippines" and the defense of Hawaii? Or are we thinking in terms of Alaska as Jumping off place" for an attack on the heart of Japan?
 Alaska was never any menace to Tokyo in the days before the war, and there is no excuse for any pretense that it was Up to 1889, Alaska was totally undefended. The lonely few hundreds of tlfantrymen who garrisoned that vast land were no threat to anybody. Tokyo can never claim that the United states had done in Alaska what Nippon had been doing for 20 years in the nlandated islands in the South Pacific. Japan has chosen war. Sudden