davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1943-12-21
Gould Lincoln

the whole system of medical care as
II has been known in the United States,
lhls system has had great results. In
lou years the average number of years
man will live has been nearly doubled.
In 1790 the average was 35 years. To-
Gay 1t Is 81 years. The committee
points out that in the last 40 years the
death rate per 100000 population has
oeen reduced from 1,755 to LOGO.
Under Government control there
would be little incentive, it is argued.
for doctor to become skilled or to de-
Velop Initiative. He would do only what
his superiors told him to do.
Senator Wagner of New York. one Of
the sponsors Of the measure, takes g.
very different view of the program. He
calls the committee of physicians "a
political propaganda committee" He
insists that many doctors are for his
plan. 1t is, Senator Wagner contends.
a "pay-as-you-go" plan, leaving no doc
tors bill in its wake. The bills are
paid out OF insurance funds He points
out that the bill allows any doctor or
hospital to come in or stay out of the
system. 1t allows a doctor to have
private practice as well as practice for
the insurance program The insured
person under the terms of the bill.
could make his own choice of a doctor
from those, of course, who had signed
up to care for the benefciaries of the
program-except that when it came to
the use Of specialist, the patient would
nave to be guided by the health ad-
ministration.
II such medical care plan had been
IN effect In this country, Senator Wag-
ner says, about half of the men who
have been rejected for military service
would have been fit for service-and no
fathers would have been required tn
enter the Army and the Navy.
When Congress gets back from its
Christmas recess, the hackers of the
social insurance bill will demand that
something be done about it. Their
chances Of success, with the present
temper OF Congress and the country,
is not good. However it Is expected
that the Finance Committee of the
Senate and the Ways and Means Com
mittee Of the House will hold hearings
on the bill
Evening star., 1943-12-21
Letters to The Star
Tells Of Another Woman Lawyer
Who Argued . Capital Case.
To the Editor of The Star:

VINO Argued . Capital Case.
To the Editor of The Star:
Deep in the heart of Texas, I have
before me The Stars account of the
close Of the Jeffries Henry homicide
case, appearing on page AS of the issue
OF December 3 and containing the state
ment that "a woman prosecutor" argued
"a capital case for the first time in the
history of the District"
If this statement is intended to refer
strictly to woman prosecutors" it may
be correct; but if, as I construe it, it
embraces woman members of the Dis
trict of Columbia bar generally, it is
erroneous.
I am more than glad that Miss Stiles
was afforded in this case the opportu-
nifty, long deferred, to prove her ability
as trial prosecutor, and I would GER
tainly not wish to detract from any
credit due or accorded her. Woman
lawyers Of the Nations Capital rarely
get the chance to appear in, much less
to argue, capital case: and seldom, too,
male lawyers, except certain ones COM
prising very small group; but assure
you that in the case of woman lawyers
it has occurred before in the history of
the District.
have no record here to fix the exact
date, but about 1880. (practicing under
my maiden name, Marie A. Flynn, with
my husband, Col Luther r. Maddox,
represented the defendant Herndon in
United States VS.. George Herndon ct
al" a capital case. which 1 argued to
the jury, and in which we won an ac-
quittal My remembrance is that JUS
tice Proctor presided. The stenographic
record should confirm these facts.
(Mrs) MARIE FLYNN MADDOX.
Camp Bowie, Tex
Evening star., 1943-12-21

is born properly. that he is kept we'll
and healthy, that he gets a Job, that
he is paid If he is unemployed through
no fault OF his own, that he has hos
pitalization and medical care if he needs
1t, and that he shall receive an old-age
pension, when it comes time for him
to quit work. It's quite a program.
One Of the main sections of the pro-
posed program, which has aroused a
great deal of controversy, is that deal
ing with Federal medical and hospital
ization benefits" 1t has been assailed
violently by many doctors and by the
National Physicians Committee for the
Extension of Medical Service" with
headquarters in Chicago. The commit
tee calls the whole program political
medicine" for which the workers and
employers are to be taxed S3,048, 900, 900
annually. This is the estimated share
OF the payroll taxes allotted to medical
care and hospitalization IF the recon-
mendations in this bill are enacted into
law" a committee pamphlet asserts.
they will destroy the effectiveness of
medical care in the United States"
Backing up this thesis, the commit
tee says the bill places in the hands
of the Surgeon General of the Public
Health Service the power and authority
to hire doctors-possibly all doctors-to
provide medical service; to designate
which doctors can be specialists; to
determine the number of individuals for
whom any physician may provide service
(under the insurance plan), and to
determine arbitrarily what hospitals or
clinics may provide service for patients
The number of persons who would come
under the terms of the bill is estimated
at 100000.
DO you want medical care for the
sick to be provided by bureaucrats-
politicians or by doctors" the commit
tee asks. It's mean question, intended
to be mean. It's like asking if you are
against sin. The committee figures that
the Surgeon General, under the terms
OF the bill, could hire every one of the
10000 civilian physicians in the country
at an average salary of $1,000 a year,
and pay for every available bed in every
private and Government owned hos
pltal in the country. It insists that II
the program becomes law, it will DESTROY
Evening star., 1943-12-21
MA1. George Fielding EHot

necessary either a large e-scale German
counterattack to recover Polotsk in a
hurry, or a very hasty withdrawal on a
large scale all along the German line to
the northWard.
Possibly the Germans have hung on
to their positions near Leningrad and on
the shore of the Gulf of Finland as long
as they have for prestige reasons. 1t
may be that wishful thinkers in the high
command could never quite bear to
abandon the dazzling little hope that
a chance might come for a sudden Of
fensive that would give them possession
of Leningrad itself. That would be q
fine symbol of German power and re-
sourcefulness, something to show the
world. Moreover, to leave the environs
of Leningrad now will be to restore that
city in full usefulness to the Russians,
and to permit of Russian concentrations
to the northward on scale which has
hitherto been impossible. Coupled with
a giving up of German positions on the
shore of the Gulf of Finland, that means
the definite abandonment of Germanys
Finnish ally. 1t means that the Firms
will have to sue for peace and take what
ever terms the Russians are willing to
give tnem.
\
This is not, from the German view
point, an auspicious moment for Ger
many to thus throw little satellite state
to the wolves. There are other waver-
ing satellites in the Balkans, notably
Bulgaria, whose detection would hurt
Germany vastly more than the loss of
Finland. But If Germany now, for mill
tary reasons, abandonS Finland one
needs little imagination to understand
what capital the Turkish Legation at
Sofia, which is busily engaged in trying
to pry the Bulgars loose from their Ger
man alliance, will make of that fact;
nor to understand what effect must in
evitably be produced on the Bulgars.
Hence the repercussions OF the Russian
advance on Polotsk may be felt as far
away as the outermost corner Of the Bal
kan peninsula: and with all this in mind,
Evening star., 1943-12-21

service overseas, up to a maximum
of one thousand two hundred and
fifty dollars. The magnitude Of the
latter proposal, envisioning extra
compensation double that paid after
the First World War, can be best
visualized if we multiply its sug-
gested rate of payment by the figure
of eleven million-the approximate
number of individuals making up
our AIMED forces.
And over and above all this, over
and above mustering-out pay and
possible educational program and
some special bonus, the Nation will
have to meet such long-term mat
ters as disqualification costs, vet
erans' insurance outlays and extern
sive pension programs. In the latter
field alone the United States has
spent in the neighborhood of
thirteen billion dollars as a result of
it's past wars, and since this war
involves an incomparably greater
number of Americans than any be-
fore, we must expect that it will
leave us with a proportionately much
heavier pension load. From the
standpoint of the Nations fiscal
well-being, therefore, this prospect
should be SOLDERING enough to call
forth from Congress the most judi
cious kind of action on veterans
legislation now pending or likely to
be proposed.
1t is prospect, however, that
should fill the American people as
whole with an unbending determi-
nation to collaborate internationally
for an enduring peace. For, wholly
apart from the blood and life being
expended on (which is the most
terrible loss Of all-this war has
forced us to dig dangerously deep
into our Treasury, imposing upon us
costs so enormous and so lasting that
many long years of tranquility will
be needed to absorb the shock. And
what holds true for us, holds true for
the rest of the world as we'll; man
kind simply cannot afford to be con-
vulsed again in another generation.
Evening star., 1943-12-21
simple" Tax Law
Wanted by Iowa Farm Woman.

TO the Editor Of The Star:
I'm like Will Rogers. All I know
about the income tax is what I read in
the papers or, rather, all I don't know
Is what l read in them or what wasn't
even in them.
I'm g. widow out here on an Iowa
farm, trying to operate successfully
little more than 300 acres. The farm
is one of the best, and I'm anxious to
produce every bushel of corn, pound of
pork, every chicken and egg can. My
only son wears Uncle Sans uniform,
and I'm anxious that he, along with his
buddies, will be well fed
Almost every day when tune in on
the radio, hear some speaker appeal
ing to us women to really do something
to win the war. They tell us to do
this and to do that and to do the
other thing
Now I'll admit it's up to all Of us to
win the war. We won't have any farms
to operate or any income to figure, if
we lose it. But some of us are con-
vinced if we lose the war on the home
front, it will be because we spent too
much time figuring income tax and
worrying too much about it. 1t isn't
that we ought not TO pay an income
tax. We know 1t is the least we can
do. But some of us have begun to
wonder If we couldn't send some one
to Congress who could evolve a simple
income tax plan, see that it was enacted
into law and pass it on to us. There
certainly must be some one in Congress,
just some one among those who rep
resent us, who could think up such
PLAZA plan any one could understand.
Just think of the hours of manpower it
would save or maybe womanpower, too.
Just think of the hours that could be
diverted to the war effort. We could
sleep at night, get up the next morning
refreshed and ready for days work,
If we didn't have to worry about the
income tax.
MRS. PEARL VANATTA.
Randolph, Iowa.
Evening star., 1943-12-21
Monte Casino

The battle for San Pietro took
place against background of scenic
beauty unequaled in Europe. Amer
ican troops fighting to clear the
road to Rome had the high, bare
granite peaks of the central Apen-
mines to witness their valor. Mount
Cairo rises nearly fifty-five hundred
feet above the sea. A third of the
way to the top Of an adjacent height
stands the huge pile of the Abbey
of Monte Casino, perhaps the most
famous monastery in the world.
Founded by Saint Benedict of Muir
sia in 529 and several times re-estab-
lished, it is alleged for the abbey
as center of religion and learning
that it was "a beacon Of civilization
throughout the middle ages" In its
halls Paulus Diaconus wrote his his
tory OF the Lombards in 100. A long
list of Benedictine scholars is rep
resented in the library and archives.
The monastery buildings generally
are modern, but traditional architec-
tural and iconographic conceptions
have been followed in their design
and construction. Pilgrims enter the
grounds through gate close to
which is the cell in which the spon-
sor of Monte Casino lived and in
which he received the Gothic king
Totila in SAB. '@The patriarch of
western monks" died soon after that
date, but his disciples, many of
whom were the sons of rich and
powerful Roman families, carried
forward the work he had begun until
1t currently reaches to the ends of
the earth.
Three large courtyards give access
to the Abbey church, re-erected be-
tween 1887 and 1927 after plans by
Cosimo Fansago. A door of bronze
cast at Constantinople in 1866 adorns
the facade. The interior of the edi-
flee has frescoes by Giordano and
canvases by Solimena. Elaborately
carved stalls are in the choir. The
crypt contains brightly colored
Evening star., 1943-12-21
Red Winter Offensive

AooSoW d1lllOuI1CcIIleHJ OF
smashing blow in the Newell sector of
White Russia confirms what Berlin
has been reporting for week-that
large-scale Russian offensive was
under way. Moscow, as usual,
waited until a substantial success
had been attained.
1t is naturally too soon to predict
the eventual outcome of this opera
ton. The vast eastern front should
be visualized not as continuous
line of Notifications, but rather as
an elastic defense in depth" 1t is
usually possible for either side to
make an initial penetration by
massed forces. The test comes when
the defense stages counterattacks on
the front and fanks of the new
salient. However, the Russians have
struck at an obviously favorable
point. BY capturing Newell last
autumn they drove a small wedge
into the German defense system and
cut the north-south railway which
served as shuttle communication
line for that section of their front.
If Moscow is correct in stating that
they have already driven westward
some twenty miles on a fifty-mile
front, they have already outfanked
the German anchor-point of Vitebsk
to the southwark, and are almost
within striking distance of Polotsk,
a railway junction which controls
the secondary German communica-
tions system behind their present
White Russian front. From Polotsk
1T is only a short distance to the
Latvian border Indeed, Moscow
has, perhaps significantly, entitled
the forces engaged in this new
operation the First Baltic Front
Army, which would seem to indicate
that its ultimate objective is the
conquest of the Baltic States, there
by raising the German siege of
Leningrad and sundering German
communications with Finland.
Strategic and climatic consider
ations have long indicated that the
northern end Of the eastern front
would be the scene of a great winter
offensive by the Red armies. Except
for local pushes like that which
retook Newell last autumn, the
weight of Russian arms has been
directed at the center and south.
Despite their notable successes there,
the Red armies have been increas-
ingly handicapped by extemporized
communications across the broad
band of reclaimed territory, and the
stubborn German defense may indi-
cate at least temporary balance of
forces. But in the north the Rus
slams have been able to perfect their
communications and amass troops
and supplies. Furthermore, the
north Is now deep-frozen for the
winter, whereas South Russia still
has occasional thaws which disrupt
transport and slow down operations
If big northern offensive has
been decided upon, the Newell ad-
vance presumably heralds other
blows all along the line to Lenin-
grad. Furthermore, it is by no
means unlikely that the Red high
command may resume operations in
the center and south when high
winter has come to those regions.
The Russians appear to have vast
strategic reserves of men and equip
ment, and a recent order of the day
to the Red Army declared that "this
winter will see Soviet offensive on
a larger scale than ever before"
Evening star., 1943-12-21
War News POLICY

The Presidents commentator of
American newspapers, news agen-
cles and broadcasters for having
kept the faith" during the mis-
handling Of news releases on the
Cairo and Teheran conferences is
gratifying, but it is difficult to see
wherein the remedies that he has
outlined fit the case.
The American press and radio.
although they had the information
on a "hold for release" basis, were
"scooped" on the Cairo conference
when Reuters dispatch from Lisbon
was cleared through British censor
ship, and again on the Teheran
conference when the official Russian
radio broadcast premature report
OF the meeting. Mr.. Roosevelt pro-
poses to prevent recurrence of this
by instructing our own War and
Navy Departments and the Office of
War Information to stop distribut-
Ing stories having a security value
for future release. Instead, all such
stories are to be given out for i'm
mediate release at the earliest time
consistent with national security.
This undoubtedly is well-intended,
and it would be helpful If the re-
cent difficulties had resulted from
breaches of confidence by American
newspapers or broadcasters. But
this was not the case. At Teheran
the Russian radio jumped the gun
after the Germans had been telling
the world about the meeting. Had
the Presidents new policy been in
effect the American press would
have been scooped just as badly,
with only the difference that the
latter would not have known
whether the Soviet report was true
or false.
There probably is little or nothing
that the President can do about
such incidents. Certainly he cannot
control the Russian radio and it is
difficult to see how he could have
prevented the break by Reuters on
the Cairo meeting But if the Amer
lean press and radio, in order to
keep the faith, must make the best
of such determinations as these,
they are entitled to expect as much
consideration as possible in other
respects. For instance, 1t is difficult
to understand why the story of the
Presidents visit to the troops on
Sicily had to be made public through
former newspaperman who is now
in the Army and who was travelling
with the President. Was there any
legitimate reason which precluded
the handling of that story by &C
credited war correspondents or was
1t merely another development in
the effort to restrict the flow of news
by using nonnewsmen as mouth
pieces to insure that the people get
only the news that the Government
wants them to have? It Is the sus-
picion that the latter is the case,
rather than the bad faith of foreign
agencies, which is at the bottom of
the current unrest and profound
dissatisfaction with this Govern
ment's news policy.
Evening star., 1943-12-21
Why Jups Are Worried

Prom the Clay Center (Kansas) Dispatch.
For nearly two years now the United
States has been producing planes at ths
rate Of over 5000 per month. OF course.
we did not produce that many planes 8
month two years ago, or even year and
half ago. But we are making so many
now the average for the past two yeara
goes up to over 5000 month. No wo1s
der Japan Is being told the war situA.,
ton y serious. sesss
Evening star., 1943-12-21

it is believed that Hitler will use his
rocket gun in the next few weeks
principally as retaliation for the
severe devastation of Berlin by the
British bombers and hopes to boost the
morale OF his people by inflicting equal
If not greater damage on London and
other British cities.
X X X X
For the time being there seems tc
be no antidote for this new weapon.
The only way to ward off the danger
involved would be to attack from the
air and by land the territory where
the emplacements have been estah-
Evening star., 1943-12-21
Supporter of Tito
Criticizes His Opponents.
To the Tditnr nf rTba St.r.

To the Editor OF The Star:
With the rumors that Gen. Draja
Mihalovich, Minister of War in the
exiled Yugoslav government, has signed
an armistice with the Axis so that the
NaZis can fight the troops of Marshal
JOSH Broz (Tito) unhampered, many
Americans wonder what has happened
to their idolized Chetniks. Students of
Yugoslav politics predicted this event.
Yugoslavia was created by the treaty
OF Versailles. It lies in the Balkans,
composed of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.
Constitutional monarchy was established
by small majority at its first con-
stitutional convention. The constitution
insured liberty to its people But King
Alexander dissolved Parliament in 1929
and ruled by decree until 1881, when,
to overcome unfavorable criticism, he
granted new constitution in Septem-
Der, but devised means whereby he
retained his autocratic powers. This
constitution intrenched the Fascists and
reactionary elements in Yugoslavia more
than any device Hitler invented to rule
Germany, but King Peter and Gen. Mi
halovich are interested in calling it the
Magma Charta" for the new Yugo-
slavia.
There are two satellite Yugoslav gov
ernments. one headed by Ante Pavelitich
(CroaD at zagreg, the other by Neditch
(Serb) at Belgrade. Neditch is an old
political figure who helped King Alex
ander to overthrow democracy. The
exiled Yugoslav government is a cross
between lame duck and a carpet bag
ger. only interested in imposing its des-
potic rule on Yugoslavs regardless who
wins this war.
The setup for the restoration Of the
autocratic monarchy was perfect until
the people exercised their will and
formed government of their own under
Marshal Josif Broz (Tito). In his cab
met of II members only 2 are Com
munists. while 8 represent non-Com-
munistic groups. 1t represents cross
section of the Yugoslav people. Over
$50, 900 men bear arms under the direc-
ton of Marshal Josif Broz, while Neditch
commands less than 10000 and Mi
halovich less than $4,000
RICHARD j. ZAVERTNIK,
Evening star., 1943-12-21

dppcdI dIlCcS, y IL {
Russians are trying
both to envelop the
fortress of Vitebsk,
and to push on to-
ward the very i'm
portant rail junction
of P olo t k, from
which they were only
about 20 miles dis
tant at last accounts.
If the Russians can
break into Polotsk,
they will have seri-
ously impaired the
communications be-
tvY,AAv, %IaA ,zArfI, Nrx,
Evening star., 1943-12-21

1t seems that the
Nazis actually have
put in production a
rocket gun capable
of firing between 6
and 8 tons of ex-
ploSives a distance
of about 120 miles.
Radio con ntrol
from the individual
gun or battery can
direct the explosives
with accuracy.
In London, where
reports about the
new weapon are
scanned carefully.
Evening star., 1943-12-21

in both houses of
Congress since its
in t r o d u c t ion six
months ago. It's op-
ponents declare the
measure is the New
Deal carried to the
nth degree-that it
is a long step toward
national socialism.
Its New Deal sup
porters, on the other
hand, insist that the
program, If carried
out, will result in So
cial security such as
the American people
Evening star., 1943-12-21

governing agencies
in the end.
Look what we
tried to do for King
Peters Yugos av
government in ex-
lie! We have held
it to our bosoms. we
have coddled 1t with
recognition, we have
surrounded 1t with
our ministers, We
have signed treaties
with it.
Yet it is breathing
with difficulty. On
som e evenings 1t
Evening star., 1943-12-21

The personnel of the Internal
Revenue Bureau are urged by their
superiors to make their letters to
taxpayers reflect a friendly and
personal tone" Curt and peremp-
tory communications are out. This
will be nice. but those digits follow
ing the dollar mark will remain just
the same,
Evening star., 1943-12-21

The FBI has reported the theft OF
499 cases OF rye whisky and the find
ing of an empty truck on which it
had been loaded. Possibly the 500th
case, If it were explained, might
solve the mystery.
Evening star., 1943-12-21
Sees National Salvation
In Republican Good Men,"
To the Editor OF The Sta

To the Editor Of The Star:
The salvation of this country depends
upon the Republican party. This state
ment may seem strange coming from
lifelong Democrat from the deep South
one who has voted for President
Roosevelt-but the Democrats have been
in power for long time, and look what
miserable mess things are in today!
C w LINDSEY
Evening star., 1943-12-21
The Political Mill

The Wagner Murray-Dingel bill to
establish a unified social insurance
system called "the cradle
to the grave bill"-has been hanging fire