davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1944-02-29
Samuel Grafton

to Russia. Two such diverse personali-
ties as Roosevelt and Churchill can have
agreed on conciliatory attitude toward
Russia for only one reason: that of abso-
lue, overwhelming necessity
Yet substantial minority opinion IN
both countries refuses to concede such
necessity it closes its eyes, it bawls that
Stains personal charms are so great
that he has made mindless slaves of
tough Tory and tough liberal alike;
something like Cleopatra.
- So, there are real contradictions
among us. Hitler drools when he spies
contradictions. The fact that nobody of
any importance in either Britain or
America has any use for Hitler, does
not disturb him; he prefers that our ami
mosities be sincere, and genuine. Sin
cere animo$ $ties make better materials
for the great craftsman of confusion
than even treachery itself.
Suddenly he has turned furious new
military resistance on us; he has sent
precious legions into Italy: he is bomb
ing London again. He Is going to hold
on, to let nature take its course, to see
what he shall see.
Who can deny that contest OF will is
going on? Who can say that it is not
our instant duty to end the war between
President and Congress, to heal our
splits, if only for the sake Of the lives we
may lose during the months while Hitler
hangs on, refreshed by hope that we
ourselves give him?
Evening star., 1944-02-29

In the hight, supporting his veto of the
tax bill. Here is a chance for the voters
in Tammany district to say how they
feel
Democratic majorities in the 21st dis
trict, however. have been staggering in
the past. For example, in 1888, the
Democratic candidate, Mr.. Gavagan,
polled "a ,629 votes to 36034 for his Re
publican opponent; in 1910, the score
stood 108,1 ,139 Democratic votes to 1926
Republican, and in 1912, it was 46,324
Democratic to 1882 Republican. In
each case. it was a vote of to 1 or
more in favor Of the Democrat
Mr.. Torrens, the Democratic candi-
date, also has the nomination of the
American Labor party. The Republicans
have been working hard for Mr.. Bennett
He has been indorsed by the Central
Trades and Labor Council, which may
tend to split the labor vote in the dis
trict. Also there is reported to be strong
colored support for Mr.. Bennett. Alto
gether the election in the 2lst district
will have considerable significance,
whichever way 1t goes.
The struggle between the President
and Congress, which now seems destined
to go into the national campaign, is not
at an end In the first place, the House
Ways and Means Committee is at work
on bill to simplify income taxes and
income tax returns.
The President, in his recent veto mes
sage, charged Congress with response
bility for the mystifying income tax re-
turns which the people are now engaged
in filling out with considerable anguish
The committee had already begun work
on a simplification bill when the veto
message descended on Congress.
Evening star., 1944-02-29
Gould Lincoln

While every man on the committee
insists that the Presidents effort to pass
the buck to Congress was unjustifed,
they are now intent on putting through
simplification bill without delay, and
laying it in his lap.
Members of the committee point out
that it was the Treasury Department
which recommended the Victory tax,
which has AIDED to the confusion. And
also that it was the Presidents threat to
veto the Ruml pay-aS-You- income tax
plan which resulted in the compromise
which is now still further confusing the
taxpayer Decidedly, the committeeman
say, the blame cannot be fixed on Con-
gress.
Two other major issues between the
President and Congress are still to be
fought out. One is the solder-vote bill,
which has been deadlocked in confer
ence. There is much speculation as to
what the President will do if and when
he finally gets this measure from Con-
gress. He called the State ballot bill a
fraud" in a recent message. II such a
bill is finally sent to him, he may veto it..
Indeed, it has been said he will veto the
measure. This would make room for
more fireworks.
The second issue is subsidies to roll
back prices. Congress passed a bill to
prohibit subsidies. The President vetoed
it, and the veto was sustained in ths
House by a narrow margin. But Con-
gress is to have another crack at the
whole question. For the Price Control
Act, which has been cited as authority
for subsidies, must be re-enacted by
June
Evening star., 1944-02-29
laps ThWarted in Burma Maj George Fielding Eliot

This would leave the Japanese gar
risons in Burma entirely dependent on
their land communications with Thai
land, which are of very low capacity
because of the intervening mountain
range. Across this range there is one
road, from Chiengmai in Thailand,
which the japanese have improved; and
they are reported to be building mar
row-gauge railway farther south, which
may possibly be completed by this time.
linking the narrowgauge Burmese rail-
ways with the standard-gauge system
of Thailand.
But one mountain road and one
hastily built narrow-gauge railway over
heavy mountain gradients do not, taken
together, promise very much in the way
of the delivery of supplies. Certainly
they would not be adequate for the
supply of an army of five or six divisions,
such as the Japanese are now maintains
ing in Burma, even considering that
as far as food is concerned, the Japa-
nese can live off the country.
They must still bring in from outside
their ammunition, equipment, spare
parts, engineer stores and in addition
the coal for the operation of the Bur-
mese railways, whose locomotives are
all coal burning. Thus British thrust
at the Andamans seems to offer great
advantages.
But even for that, an advance down
the coast to Akyab would be a useful
preliminary; for at Akyab the British
bombers and their comrades of the 10th
United States Army Air Force would be
only 400 miles from the northern
most island of the Andaman group,
whereas at present, in Ceylon, they
are 300 miles away. This might make
an important difference when the time
for an attack on the Andamans comes,
tCopyrisht. 1914. by New York Tribune, Ine)
Evening star., 1944-02-29
I'd Rather Be Right

Well. it doesn't 60 so far, yet, as to
amount to any real break in British
ranks. But, again, to Hitler, the great
artist of animosities, the maestro Of
mess, this incident, too, must be of
fascinating interest.
For once before he waged psycholoei-
cal warfare against us very successfully,
and as he scents new opportunities for
it coming up, his nostrils must fare like
those of a race horse remembering an
cient glories. Once he needed only to
murmur the word Russia" and half the
gentlemen OF France Immediately clapped
silly hoods over their heads and began
drilling and saluting each other in
should have been in their beddy-byes.
resting up for the coming war for de-
mocracy.
Hitler may not see any such clear and
simple program, yet, to divide us. But he
can see small splits, political assures
crevices. And small split may suddenly
become a real hole. The point I am
making, and the only point am making
is that these internal splits must en-
courage Hitler to hold on, while time
passes. and our internal processes ripen.
Speak on, my little chickadee," he must
be murmuring, as We denounce each
other Speak on!"
Hitler's lips must purse thoughtfully
when he reflects that both a liberal
President and Tory Prime Minister are
under attack for being too "subservient'
Evening star., 1944-02-29

fear that Russia intends to crush
them once and for all. In such q
mood, even sustained air lombard
ments would not necessarily break
their last-ditch defiance nor de-
stroy their fighting capacity. De-
spite its small population of four
millions, Finland is a large coun-
try, half the size OF Texas, and Hell
sinki with its 100000 population is
the only considerable city. There
are thus few targets worth bombing
and little concentrated industry to
disrupt, Even after organized re-
sistance had been broken by large
scale Russian land invasion, guer-
rilla fighting could probably be
carried on for long time. 1t is to
be hoped that SO tragic a conclusion
can be ayerted by peace settlement
drawn on constructive and enduring
lines.
Evening star., 1944-02-29
Defeat for OPA

The Supreme Courts decision in
the Hecht Company case is
notable victory for traditional
American concepts of fair play.
The issue of real Importance in
the case was a simple one. BY its
own admission, the Hecht Company
had failed to comply with OPA
regulations with regard to ceiling
prices, the keeping OF records, etc.
Officials of the company said that
they had made an honest and a
diligent effort to comply with the
regulations, but had found it phys
ically impossible to do so in all
instances. The court found this to
be a fact. But counsel for OPA,
relying on language in the Price
Control Act which appeared to sup
port their position, argued that the
good faith of an accused party was
not material; that with the viola
tions established the court had 10
choice but to issue a requested
Injunction.
Justice Let's, presiding at the trial
In District Court, refused to accept
this view. Courts of equity" he
said, "are not inquisitorial, but
remedial" The purpose of Congress,
he added, was to seek compliance
with OPA regulations for the public
good and to recognize honest and
true efforts to meet the require
ments of the law" Counsel for OPA
were not content with this, however,
and took the case to the Court of
Appeals, where the findings by
Justice Let's was reversed. And now
the Supreme Court has reversed the
Court of Appeals and sent the case
back to that tribunal. The decision
by the highest court stops short of
sustaining Justice Let's in his out
right dismissal of the OPA suit, but
it afflrms the right of the equity
courts to exercise their discretion
in granting or refusing an injunc-
ton, and directs the Court of
Appeals, in the light of this holding,
to go back over the record and ascer-
tain whether the decision by Judge
Let's was a proper one.
This is all that any one can rea-
sonably ask. It assures accused
persons of their day in court. And
at the same time it should not
weaken the enforcement machinery
which has been setup in OPA. On
the contrary, it well may strengthen
it, for OPA certainly had slienated
an important section of public opin-
ion by its insistence-even in a
relatively few cases-that good faith
and honest effort we're not valic
defenses when some of its multitude
of regulations had been violated.
Evening star., 1944-02-29

remains under the tutelage Of Britain.
The American movement Is based
more on emotion and sentiment than
on practical politics. There is little to
indicate much support among the Jews
in Britain.
Palestine has an area Of about 10000
square miles, about 1000 miles greater
than the State OF New Hampshire. Ac-
cording to the 1941 estimate It's popula-
ton comprises 960,431 Moslems and AL
124 Jews. There has been remarkable
increase in the population since the 1920
census, the Jewish increase being 379,-
600, the Moslems $4,000. According to
official British reports, the Arab increase
was due to high birth rate. Four
fifths OF the Jewish increase was the re-
suit of immigration.
X
There has been bad feeling between
the Arabs and the Jewish immigrants
ever since Palestine became a British
mandate, and money from abroad
mostly from Jewish communities in
America and Britain-began to pour
into Palestine. All the funds were. de-
voted, of course, to assisting the Jewish
Evening star., 1944-02-29

cans elect their candidate, former Rep
resentative William s. Bennett, who
years ago represented another district.
But even if Mr.. Bennet is defeated by
his Democratic opponent, James H. Tor
rens, Tammany district leader, and at
the same time cuts deeply into the usual
Democratic majorities in the district, the
result will be considered rebuff for the
President.
Much has been said about the pos
sible political effect of the revolt Of Con-
gress against the Presidents attack
since Senator Barkley of Kentucky
Democratic leader Of the Senate,
dramatized this revolt by his speech in
the Senate and subsequent resignation
and reelection as majority leader.
Tammany Democrats in the House
went down the line for the President
Evening star., 1944-02-29
Bright Wonderment

Herein is floss akin to cabled steel,
A swinging bridge of lace and spider zeal.
Mauve, gold. and shimmerino plati-
nun, in the sun,
All in the silence of the darkness spun.
Here sighted truly by the spiders eye
Are perfect arcs dnd tnultless rndi
OF silk that tor,Dard and then back
,DGrd pass,
Shining as splintered iridescent glass.
Here is bright i0onderment in flmy
gGnze,
An utter trdgileness that makes man
pause
And ponder on the sheer derterity
Marking the architects geometry.
ROSE MYRA PHILIPS.
Evening star., 1944-02-29
This Changing World

population and particularly the immi-
grants, who were aided In purchasing
land and farm implements The policing
Of Palestine Is exercised by the British,
represented by . high commissioner,
who also Is commander In chief of the
British forces.
Under the pressure Of the Arabs the
immigration of Jews has been dras-
tically curtailed. The British govern
ment Is mindful of the military and
highly explosive political situation. It is
true that the Moslem element in Pales-
tine is only twice as large as the Jewish,
and by opeAing wide the gates of the
country to immigration it would be pos
sible to reach parity between the two
elements in a short time.
While there is no political unity
among the Arabs, past experience has
shown that the Moslems in the Middle
East are united in their determination
to prevent Palestine from becoming a
purely Jewish country. There have been
many uprisings since the British OBJ
ta1ned their mandate and most of
them were directed against the Jews.
The native Arabs were assisted in their
rebellions by Arabs from Iraq and Sau-
dia Arabia. Trained soldiers from the
newly formed Iraq Army deserted when
the rebellions broke out to join their
co-religionaries in Palestine.
British sympathies are said to lean to-
ward the Jews. But practical politics
has prevented the British from comply
ing with the many requests of the Zion
lists. Although British forces are large,
the British government which has vital
interests in the Middle East and North
Africa is worried lest change in policies
would result in an uprising of all the
Arabs.
The hands Of the Allies are pretty well
tied in the struggle against Germany
and Japan, and the general stats of
Britain and the United States admit
frankly that a widespread rebellion of
Evening star., 1944-02-29
FinIund's TRAGEDY

The mass bombing of HelSinki
and other points in Finland by the
Russian air force re-emphasizes one
of the most tragic aspects of the
war-the grim dilemma confront
ing a people for whom, despite their
belligerent status in conjunction
with Germany. Americans retain a
sympathetic interest. It certainly
dampens recent hopes that Finland
was about to extricate itself from
a struggle which has become a hope
less one.
However, correct Interpretation
of Russia's air offensive at this time
is difficult. A similar intensif1cation
of Russian attacks took place at the
close of the first Russo-Finnish War
in 1910. when peace negotiations
had already progressed to an ad-
vanced stage and a settlement was
obviously in the offing. It may be
that history is repeating itself and
that Finland has already resolved
to bow to the inevitable. The unfor-
tunate aspect in that case would be
a seemingly needless legacy of ILL
will on the part of the Firms. Those
last-moment Russian attacks in
1910 did much to create the atmos-
phere of suspicion and animosity
which led Finland to renew hostil-
tiles with Russia in conjunction
with the German invasion of the
Soviet Union only a year later. The
antagonism between Russians and
Films is historic, going back many
generations. Yet a genuine under
standing between the two peoples
based on a settlement of mutual
grievances would seem to be a pre-
requisite to enduring tranquility in
Northern Europe. A peace imposed
by sheer force would not accom-
plish this end, because it would not
only leave the Films recalcitrant
but would also alarm Sweden and
perhaps even Norway, thus starting
the postwar period on insecure
foundations.
What keeps the Firms fighting
more than anything else, even in
| their desperate circumstances, Is the
Evening star., 1944-02-29
Critic of Russia Replies
To the Editor of The Star.

To the Editor of The Star
The criticism which appeared in The
Star of February % concerning my let
ter in The Star of February 7, leaves
no doubt in my mind that the writer
GA. b. must be an ardent communist.
In reply to him, I wish to say first of
all that If I did not condemn fascism
as strongly as I did communism, it is
because I am taking for granted the
defeat of Hitler, which will mean the
end of fascism and leave communism
the greatest enemy of democracy.
1t certainly is distortion of his
torical truth when A. B. says: THE
neighbors of Russia were ganging up
on her" when we know only too we'll
who was guilty of ruthless aggression
regarding Finland, Rumania and the
small Baltic states. The sympathy of
America was SO strongly with the VIC
TINS in those days that whenever the
face of Stain appeared on the screen
in the movies, it was received with
boos
I conducted parties in Europe every
summer from 1919 to 1899 and, in OBJ
serving the political developments, be-
came convinced that fascism is only the
reaction to the fear of communism
and without the existence of the latter,
the former would not have succeeded
anywhere. OF course, we should be glad
to have such a powerful country fight
ing our enemy, but let us remember that
the Russians are not fighting to help
democracy. They are fighting only be-
cause Hitler declared war on them as
he did on us. 1t is to be hoped that
the United States and Great Britain
will insist on the restoration of po-
litical freedom to France, Belgium, Hol-
land, Norway, Poland, ETC., for If Russia
is permitted to install communism in
those countries, again say we shall
have fought in vain.
DORE WALTEN.
Evening star., 1944-02-29
Day History Avoids

Important events do not seem to
happen on the extra days of sue
cessive fourth years. The explana-
tion obviously is mathematical.
An ordinary day has four times as
much chance to be the calendar
date of a significant happening. The
anniversary roster of the National
Cyclopedia of American Biography
lists only eleven distinguished per-
sons as having been born on Febru-
ary 20, and not one of the number
may be said to be truly famous.
Included in the group are: Ann Lee,
founder of the Shakers in America,
1875; Ben Hardin, lawyer and Con-
gresham, 1874; Sidney S. Campbell,
Michigan pioneer, 1904; Lewis A.
Sayre, orthopedic surgeon, and Lewis
Swift, astronomer, 1920; William T..
Coleman, California merchant and
head of the San Francisco vigilantes,
1924; Evan Pugh, chemist, and
Henry A. Tupper, Baptist clergyman,
1928; French E. Chadwick, naval
officer, 1874; John w. Dunsmore,
artist, and Herbert w. Bowen,
author and diplomat, 1856.
Each certainly was worthy" in
distinctive field, but the field was
limited. A similar observation is
indicated for Leap Day in relation
to occasions deserving to be regarded
as possessing enduring general value.
The only incidents mentioned in the
National Cyclopedia are an attack
upon Deerf1eld, Massachusetts,, by
the Indians and the French, Febru-
ary 20, 1704; battle with Indians
on the Withlacoochee River in
Florida, February 20, 1886, and the
establishment of the Philadelphia
Public Ledger also on February %,
1886.
Even in the hectic modern era OF
wars and revolutions history appears
to shun the added date. In 1882
the headlines for February 20, were
merely: "Armistice at Shanghai
Bulk of United States Fleet Sent to
Pacific" "Yeggmen Cut Way Into
Bank" Four years later, the front
page Of The Star for February 20
1896, showed simply: Premier
Okada Still Alive in Toxic" italians
Fighting Furious Battle in Ethiopia,
"Air Transport Companies Exoner-
ated in Airmail Row." The most
recent Leap Day, February 20, 1910
brought forth nothing but: "Welles
Finds Reich Determined Upon Vic
tory" Food Rationing Decreed ir
Evening star., 1944-02-29

German home ranks, the short hairs
would rise up on the backs of our heads,
and We would be bright-eyed with ex-
pectation. At the very least, we can be
sure that the war between Congress and
the President encourages Hitler to wait
to hold on, to- see, hmm hmm, what he
shall see.
y
Now let us make a quick switch to
London, where the House of Commons
has just given Mr.. Churchill a bad day.
To be sure, no British Barkley has re-
signed as majority leader. but a number
of members tore into the Prime Minister
for being too "subservient' to Russia.
Evening star., 1944-02-29

ding which Still mas 10 DE proved AL Che
eating.
1t is one thing for an army on the
offensive to be counterattacked, to find
itself in trouble and to fight Its way
out, but what really counts thereafter
is whether in SO doing 1t handles the
enemy so roughly that it can resume Its
advance on its objective. The objective
of the British 14th Army Is necessarily
the port and air base Of Akyab. The
measure of that army's present success
is to be found in whether 1t can now
resume its advance on Akyab.
Very likely this will, in part, depend
on whether the Japanese can send in
reinforcements. The Japanese troops
which tried to surround the two res
cued divisions are probably In no shape
to offer effective opposition to re-
newed British thrust to the southwark.
The Japanese will need more troops
for the defense Of Akyab; the British
may well need more In order to go
ahead. One interesting point to be
noted is that West Africans are pushir Z
toward Akyab on parallel course T.
the eastward Of the roads being fol-
lowed by the 5th and 7th Indian
Divisions.
II, In the next few weeks. the tide Of
Evening star., 1944-02-29

battle rolls southwark toward Akyab,
we shall have the best possible evidence
that the 14th Army has accomplished
something more than merely to thwart
the enemy's intentions.
The taking of Akyab itself is, how
ever. only one Of the preliminary moves
which must precede any large-scale op-
Grafton directed toward the expulsion of
the Japanese from Burma. There has
been evident growing belief in in
formed quarters that no really big move
in the Southeast Asia theater can be
expected within the near future The
troops Of Admiral Lord Louis Mount
batten's command are keeping up minor
preSSures along the frontier, which Ger
ta1nly keep good many Japanese
troops busy and is of some divisionary
value. but not likely to produce any
decisive results
Probably one move that can be ex-
pected Is jump to the Andaman Is
lands. In view of the decline of Japa-
nese air power, as evidenced by condi-
tions in the Pacific and in China, a
British amphibious operation against
the Andamans seems full of promise.
1t would not only give the British
forces a well-placed advance base for
any future landing on the Burmese
coast, but 1t would be of great defensive
value as against a possible thrust of
the Japanese fleet into the Bay of Ben
gal. If British air power were firmly
established in the Andamans, and per-
haps in the Nicobar Islands to the
southwark as well, the Japanese would
hardly dare to try to bring any con-
siderable naval force out Of the north
ern exit Of the Strait Of Malacca. Even
II they did manage to sneak out, the
odds would be very great against their
ever getting back in again.
Moreover, q British emplacement In
the Andamans would flank the Japanese
shipping route to Moulmein and Ran
COON. Probably it would seal OF those
ports as effectively as some Of the Japa-
nese positions in the Southwest Pacific
are now sealed OF by American by
passing tactics.