davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-04-08
Supreme Court Quorum

In recommending that Congress
reduce the statutory Supreme Court
quorum from six to five justices,
Attorney General Biddle stresses the
fact that the court has been unable
to act on important cases because
so many of the justices have found
1t necessary to disqualify themselves
from passing on the issues involved.
This, to be sure, is an unhealthy
state Of affairs, but it should be
made clear that it is a condition
which results in large part from the
Presidents reluctance to go outside
the circle of his own administration
in making appointments to the
court.
The requirement that a quorum
must consist of six justices was laid
down when the court was composed
OF ten members There is nothing
sacred about that figure and it may
very we'll be that Congress, after
considering all aspects of the mat
ter, will see fit to reduce the quorum
to five. If this is done, however,
there should be an understanding
that the next vacancy on the court,
assuming that there will be one,
should not be filled by an official
family" appointment, for that could
easily return the court to its pres
ent status-a status in which there
are so many former administrator
advocates on the bench that the
court cannot hear cases involving
important administration issues.
President Roosevelt has made
eight appointments to the court in
the last six years. Only one of his
selections Justice Rutledge = had
prior judicial experience of any
consequence. Justices Black and
Byrnes came from the Senate and
Justice Frankfurter from Harvard
Law School. All of the others
Justices Douglas, Murphy, Jackson
and Reed-held executive or law
enforcement posts in the admin
iStration and this in some cases has
operated to the detriment of their
service on the Supreme Court.
1t is, of course, unlikely that there
will ever be a court that is entirely
free of the problem presented by
justices who disqualify themselves
because of a personal interest in or
prior connection with particular
cases. But if the President. in
making future appointments, would
show a greater willingness to look
to the worthy members of the lower
courts, he could mitigate this evil,
bring more judicial experience to
the Supreme Court and make service
in the lower courts more attractive
to outstanding men by holding forth
some substantial hope of advance
ment. 1t is no reflection on the
present members of the high court
to say that many of that tribunals
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-04-08
The Outlook for Germans

iiC SutIOUN iUf SSTI1UHS
More than once in the past, the
NaziS have escaped from the encir-
cling Russians, so that it is prudent
to regard all entrapment reports
with reserve until events prove them
to be true. Nevertheless, develop
mentS in the Odessa area certainly
encourage the belief that Hitler's
forces are being Unanswered into a
pocket worse than any since Stain
grad or Tunisia.
The Red Army is already in the
suburbs of the great Black Sea port.
Thiry-eight miles to the northwest,
at Razdelnaya. the main German
retreat route to Rumania has been
cut off. Only one land exit now
remains the single-track railway
running westward from Odessa to
Ovidopol and thence by ferry to
Alderman into Rumania. Soviet
troops are now driving forward to
sever this line as we'll. If they sue
coed, force estimated at 100000
Nazis will be walled in, with only
one possible way out-by sea. And
the Russian Black Sea Fleet is re-
ported ready to meet them if they
try to escape that way.
If this prospect materializes into
the real thing, Hitler will suffer a
defeat in the field second only to
Stalingrad and Tunisia in terms of
the number of combat troops lost.
1t may be that there will be a last
minute escape, but if there is not
the German people will have reason
to brood darkly as they ask them
selves why the Nazi high command,
guided by the Fuehrer's intuition,
decided to hold on to Odessa until it
was too late to break away.
The apparently Irresistible adj
vance of the Red Army, cutting to
pieces all of Hitler's previous defense
positions in the east, makes such
questions pertinent, particularly
when the smashing British -Ameri-
can air offensive and the impending
Allied invasion moves are added to
the overall picture. From the Brit
ish Isles to the Reich home front,
from the Reich home front to Italy.
from Italy tt. Odessa, there appears
to be nothing in any theater of the
war from which any German can
draw genuine comfort or encourage
ment. How long can a peoples spirit
keep from wavering when their out
look is so unrelievedly black? 1t does
not seem in the nature of human
beings to tolerate forever a diet of
mounting ruin and ever expanding
disaster. Sooner or later, in such
circumstances, they must crack.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-04-08

States rights, bringing more and more
control into the hands of the Federal
administration. 1t has insisted upon
spreading Federal control over activi-
ties that in the past have been left
entirely in the hands of State and
local authority. These New Deal laws
have been upheld by the Supreme
Court, which has been revamped by
President Roosevelts appointees-seven
out of nine members of that court.
The Supreme Court, by an eight-to-
one decision, has now declared invalid
the Texas white Democratic primary.
In other words, Texas Democrats will
be compelled to permit Negroes to vote
in their primary election next July %.
Without discussing the justice or injus-
tlce OF the decision of the court, it is
quite clear that it has aroused great
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-04-08

words, they have gambled heavily on
the chance of capturing enough British
supplies at the completion of their first
step IN order to take the second,
There is no getting away from tina
TACT that the Japanese have so far made
steady progress toward their objective.
1t is diSquieting to note that at New
Delhi Allied authorities" are quoted
as pointing out that the Assam Bengal
railway is not Gen. Stillwens only
supply line, because he has available a
branch line to the Brahmaputra River.
on which river boats maintain supply
service. This looks like discounting the
cutting of the railway In advance, but
1t may be only an attempt to allay
anxiety in case Of temporary inter-
ruptlon Of the line by Japanese raidtng
parties.
Weighing as we'll as one can, on the
basis OF rather scanty information, all
OF the various factors in this jungle
campaign, the scales still appear to be
weighted against permanent Japanese
success. The Japanese are now In an
area where the defending forces have
the advantage in matters of supply and
dIlu WIltT6 bll6 AlueQ
air superiority can count heavily against
them. The mere tearing up Of few
rails by raiders will not mean much.
The Japanese, OF course, know this,
and there seems no reason to revise the
opinion previously expressed In these
articles that the Japanese purpose 10
not permanent occupation Of tho
regions into which they have penetrated,
ro ho m y,I In1o
struction of the Aedo read and prevent
the reopening of road communications
with China this season. The coming OF
the monsoon is only about a month
away and when it comes it will hamper
military movements by both sides, TO
say nothing of road building.
Success or failure for the Japanese
in the accomplishment of their objective
appears to hinge on their ability to take
Imphal within the next few days.
(copyright, 1944)
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-04-08

the League of Nations, but with "reser-
vations,'' and Warren Harding made the
1920 race without saying whether or
not he would favor American entry
into the League. Finally, after the
election, the Republican President
elect repudiated international CO.
operation by means of the League and
thereafter America retreated into isola-
tionisrn.
Will history repeat itself? Already
the Republicans are characterizing the
views of both Mr.. Willkie and Mr..
Roosevelt as extreme International
ism" This is but another way of indi-
eating that something less than what
our Government today is adopting as
its policies of cooperation is considered
a desirable foreign policy by prominent
Republicans.
n
Within the last "a hours, Gerald
L, K. Smith, national director of the
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-04-08

In his annual report as director
Of the Education Division of the
Carnegie Endowment for Interna-
:ional Peace, DR.. Nicholas Murray
9utler, veteran authority on the
subject, discusses the historic quality
Of the ideal of harmony among di-
vergent peoples in terms deserving
Of the attention of the whole public.
One OF his observations is to the
effect that the conception of uni
versal amity is much older than any
existing government of the Western
Hemisphere. A proposal for IAN
organized world" was announced by
William Penn, the Quaker sponsor
of the Colony of Pennsylvania, in
1893
But Dr.. Butler cites more than a
single instance of such provision. To
prove the continuity of the CO.
operative philosophy applied to
widely varying communities, he
writes:
The outstanding personalities in
building the American Nation were
keenly interested in international
happenings and relations. Benjamin
Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and
Alexander Hamilton gave evidence of
this. The Monroe Doctrine was a
long and definite step forward in our
Nations international policy. 1t was
President Mckinley who uttered the
striking words, THE period OF exclu-
siveness is past" only the day before
he fell by the hand Of an assassin.
Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Taft,
Wilson and their successors have all
taken a large and constructive view
of our international relations and
responsibilities.
DR.. Butler, however, does not rest
his argument exclusively on the
soresighted opinions of the chosen
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-04-08

-Four Freedoms and the Atlantic Char
ter are a couple of distractions to these
natter-o fact Americans. They haven't
been sold, either, on the idea that this
is purely defensive war. As to Japan,
1t is. ."
But Immediately after Pearl Harbor,
oSu ruler decided that the best way to
defend ourselves against Japan was to
throw our main weight first against
Germany. That decision has never yet
set we'll with most Americans, as we
understand their reactions.
Germany was no immediate threat
to us, because Germany was too busy
with Britain and Russia. Had Germany
beaten them, it might later have become
a threat to us. But in this war, the
popular American belief is that we
are fighting Germany primarily to de-
fend the British Empire; and most
Americans do not like that"
This is an accurate expression of
"isolationist" and Nationalist" doctrine
and the Daily News insists that Gov.
Dewey now adopt 1t as the program
and policy of the Republican party in
the event that he should be the nominee
and be elected President. Mr.. Willkie
is advised to return to his first and
longest love, the Democratic party"
The question, however, that troubles
some of the more internationally minded
Republicans here who do not agree
with the foregoing viewpoint is: If this
is the meaning of the Wisconsin pri-
mary, how many independent voters
and how many former Democrats and
Republicans will find that perhaps they,
too had better return to the Democratic
party in company with Mr.. Willke?
Reproduction Rights Reserved)
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-04-08

American and British assault waves.
1t Is believed that the Germans now
have fewer than 200 divisions on the
Russian front, and it is safe to assume
that by the time they retire to their
eastern defensive line at least another
20 divisions will have been put out of
action. But it also must be realized
that there are about Is Estonian and
Latvian divisions ready to fight the Rus
slams.
II II X
The puppet governments established
In Riga and Tallin in 1941 after the
withdrawal of the Red armies have come
to an agreement with the Berlin gov
eminent whereby no Estonian or Lat
Wan forces will fight against Russia
unless it is for the defense of the two
former republics The IS divisions are
said to have been well trained by Ger
man instructors and are supported by
German aviation and sufficient amount
OF heavy artillery. To the Nazis' east
ern defense force also must be added
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-04-08
The Draft Tempo

Although the Army is at last at
its planned strength of 100000 men
and the Navy only about 100000
short of its goal of 100000, there
will be no notable reduction in draft
quotas throughout the remainder of
the year. Up until next July in
auctions will continue to number
about 100000 a month, and after
that, according to present estimates,
they will total at least 10000
month for an indefinite period be-
yond 1914.
This prospect. suggesting that an
additional 100000 men will be put
IN uniform between now and next
January, may seem at first glance
surprising in view of the fact that
the Army is already at full strength
and the Navy expects to be at full
strength before the end OF summer.
But, as both the War Department
and General Hershey. director of
selective service, explain, undimin-
.shed draft calls-with the accent
on youths between the ages of Is
and 26--will be essential to main
tain our armed forces at their maxi
mum fighting levels. This will be
required not merely to replace battle
losses but to fill the gaps caused by
normal attrition" resulting from
accidents, disease and other non
combat disabilities necessitating the
discharge of men currently in
the ranks.
Actually, as General Hershey
suggests, there is no way of telling
at this time precisely when the
number of inductions will begin
substantially to taper of. We can
be certain Of only one thing: That
there will be no marked decline
during the balance Of this year. In
The period beyond that, the tempo
OF the draft will depend primarily
on the course Of military events in
Europe and in the Pacific-Asiatic
theater. In General Hershey's opin-
ion, we shall have to keep our Army
and Navy personnel at their maxi
mum strength of some 100000
until such time as the international
picture indicates that the Nation
can support its vital national inter-
ests with smaller number" Con-
eeivably, in other words, the world
situation could demand the calling
up of 10000 men a month to main
tain this great force even after the
defeat of Hitler.
General Hershey's remarks in this
respect, though they apparently re-
feet only his own views, are signifi-
can't. Certainly" he says, America,
with possessions unusual in this
world, cannot afford to shut her eyes
20 the fact that this world leaves a.
nation only those things for which it
IS not only willing to fight, but for
which it is constantly prepared to
light. Our voice in the establish
nent Of peace will be heard only as
It is backed by military strength"
AS he sees it, demobiliza ton, when
The time comes for it, will thus have
to be a gradual process adjusted as
much to the international situation
as to the ability Of our home front
economy to absorb the millions of
Americans eventually to be mustered
out. Meanwhile, with the war still
Ear from won, the prospect of any
spectacular letup in the draft seems
remote.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-04-08
This Changing World

about 20 Hungarian divisions which
are expected to fight we'll in the de-
Tense of their own territory. In Ger
many five italian divisions, hand-picked
by Marshal Rodolfo Grazziani, have
been in training since last fall. Some
OF them already have been in action
at the Anzio front. They do not form
individual divisions, but are incorporated
in German units.
The inclusion of these auxiliaries is
necessary in order to reach a fair esti-
mate of the strength of the Wehrmacht.
Their existence leads military observers
to conclude that about 300 German di-
visions are available for the defense
of the European fortress even If the
Germans were to suffer casualties ex-
ceedlng 20 divisions in Southern Russia,
The Nazl forces in Western Europe
under the overall command of Marshal
Erwin Rommel are placed at so divisions,
OF which about so are in France and
Belgium under the leadership of Mar
shall Karl Won Rundstedt. In view of
the excellent communication facilities
by water. railroad and highway, at least
half that number can be rushed from
any part OF Germany. and even from
the east, In relatively short time.
y y
The quality of the German troops is
still excellent, if we take the operations
in Southern Italy as a criterion. In
most cases, German prisoners captured
by the Allies show a high degree of
cockiness. This is particularly true of
the soldiers between the ages of IS and
II. Of course, many of the older men
show signs of war WEAKNESS and are
glad to be captured, but this frame of
mind cannot be generalized to the
bulk of the forces.
The equipment and the food provided
to the German fighting men is excel
lent. While on the home front people
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-04-08

to be a diversionary
operation intended
as a counter to the
StllWell- Wingate at
tack upon Myitky-
ina.
The japanese OPP
eratlonS now appear
to be on a larger
scale than we had
h / t h ertO supposed
and it does not seem
likely that the Jap
aneSe could have
mounted this often
SiVe and carried for
ward its preliminary
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-04-08
Prayer After the Attack

Dear Lord, deal gently NTH our ne1UIy
dead,
Some we're so i'll prepared for sudden
end
1heSe boyS-juSt out of School-they
scarcely knelD
1hee get, but as an Unseen Friend.
so many youthful hearts imbued NTH
zeal
For life and Lore, for ,Dork and friends
and tun,
Thrust forth into the chaos man has
made,
Then, suddenly, their lung done.
Deal gently, Lord, 'Uith these our nelUlv
dead,
They had so little time to proue their
north,
Yet nobly died that Others might be free.
Be kind to them-and those then
loUed on earth.
FRANCES ANN FISKE.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-04-08
Constantine Bro1Vn

are fed mostly starches. the army has
6 wen-balanced diet. German arma-
yaent is at least as good as 1t was at
ine beginning Of the war.
! Aviation is the weak point in the Nad
armor The planes are up-to-date and
treir crews are courageous, but the
q;ality of their men is not Of the same
high standard as that OF the Americans
ard British.
The situation on the home front Is
$pid to be better now than 1t was last
bslmmer. The air bombardments have
caused terrific damage, but 1t appears
tftat there Is something which makes
the people determined to carry on. Some
observers would call it "air psychology"
Ii was shown in the Spanish civil war,
was amply demonstrated during the
ihA0-41 air blitz of Britain and Is being
SHOWN now all over Germany. People
s}ehome homeless and are forced to 1--we
nr7 aid from their next-town neighbors
OF on charity, but their morale does not
appear to be shaken in any way.
-
The Gestapo is fighting the home
front battle with its usual viciousness.
Any individual reriarking about the bad
situation or saying that it Is time to
ED this senseless massacre and de-
sfruction is spirited away. Since 1t ap-
pears from observations of neutrals that
population of the concentration camps
nas not been increased, 1t Is assumed
ti}at the recalcitrants are being exc
cuted.
This evaluation of German morale In
tie field and on the home front Is a
warning not to take for granted a
repetition of the home front collapse
In 1918. The Germans may fold up
only If their military leaders come to
the conclusion that they must abandon
all hope of a stalemate
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-04-08
Letters to The Star
Drafting of At Men Brings
Protest and Alternative Ideas.
To the Editor OF The Star:

To the Editor of The Star:
Drafting of AIS into labor bat
talionS" is the Fascist short cut for regi-
menting labor as solution to the pro-
duction problem.
This new attempt at a labor draft
follows pattern that has been dividing
the American people instead of uniting
them. First. there was special class
Of citizens instituted who were not
drafted because they were parents of
children born before Pearl Harbor; sec
ond, there was an attempt to draft all
labor which failed because of the wide
spread opposition against methods akin
to Fascism; third, we now see this at
tempt to split the opposition to labor
graft by a partial draft of only the ATS.
We. are told that this draft is neces-
Sary because a shortage of labor exists
IN certain industries remote from the
sources of available manpower. The
American way to solve this problem
would be to provide an incentive to
workers to migrate to those places. But
we find that in these areas there exists
lack of housing, a shortage of facil-
tiles for education and recreation, and
nothing done to allay the fears of
workers that the temporary employment
they have found would not leave them
penniless and stranded thousands of
miles from their homes when it ter
minated.
These fears on the part of the workers
could be removed without resorting to
totalitarian methods. We could make
provisions that, after the veterans, pref
erence would be given to ex-war workers
In filling postwar jobs; the cost of NOV
ing to and from their war jobs should
be paid by the Government; decent hous-
ing facilities, adequate means of trans
portation and provisions for shopping
should be made available; churches.
schools and amusements should be fur
nished in sufficient numbers as to pro-
vide for all their needs and, finally.
where both husband and wife work
there should be places where children
can be cared for properly until the
parents come home from their en-
ployment.
Recognition on the part of Congress
that 1t is easier for a man to give all
his energy when he comes to grips with
the enemy on the battlefield than it is
to run lathe or tractor or trolley
car or a typewriter would go long
way toward an understanding of the
labor problem.
Congress could inspire greater eff
cheney and more production by sug-
costing that labor and management
groups work out an equitable system of
pieceWork and, as an inspiration and
morale builder, could award medals to
those workers on the production front
whose achievements contributed to
production record or in saving man
hours necessary to produce a given
commodity.
BY understanding the workers and
giving them inspiration instead of re-
sorting to fascistic DEGREES, Congress
would help create the greater unity of
American people needed to satisfy war
requirements. RICHARD STEIN.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-04-08

area. It has failed
up to date.
And now, where
the COP has failed
the New Deal party
may be effective.
The old Democratic
party of the South
has had two basic
t e n e t S n t er-
related. They are
first, States rights,
and second, white
supremacy.
TIL e N e W D e a |
party in Washing
ton has inVad e d
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-04-08

fenSive power on
all battle fronts and
their morale on the
home front.
According to re-
c e 1t information,
between 285 and 300
divisions are avail
able to the Ger
mans. The DISPOSE
ton of their forces
is elastic because of
communication ia
Cilities, and it is diff
ficult to ascertain
how many N a e.
trOoDS will meet the
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-04-08

ton contest, there
Is no question about
the fact that spokes-
men for the "isola-
zionist" or so-called
nationalist" school
of thought are in
terpreting it as a
rejection not merely
of Mr.. Willkie S
principles but those
of President Roose-
welt as we'll.
Back in 1919, the
Republicans started
out with an alb
Stract approval of