davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1944-05-29
A Sign of Desperation

The latest evil from DR.. Goebbels'
poison pen is an open invitation to
the German people to lynch Allied
flyers. Writing in the Voelkischer
Beobachter, Hitler's own newspaper,
the Nazi Propaganda Minister, with
his customary hypocrisy and cum
ming, calls our bombing offensive
murder pure and simple" and, in
effect, serves notice that the au-
thorities of the Reich will look the
other way If any mobs go after our
fallen airmen.
Apart from being a confession of
the Luftwaffe's inability to cope
with our Allied blows, this incite-
ment to murder is a measure Of the
enemy's desperation. Events have
caught up on the Nazis; they are
not the top dogs that they were
when they. were pulverizing Warsaw
and Rotterdam and machine gun
ming helpless refugees on the roads
OF Belgium and France. Through
Goebbels they now say that 'it has
always been our wish that war
should be conducted within the
limits of chivalry." They would like
to have 1t forgotten that they ever
gloated over the deeds OF their air
force during the blitz on Britain, or
that they ever leveled Lidice and
shot hundreds Of innocent hostages
and inaugurated a deliberate mass
slaughter Of Jews. All such things
they would like to have forgotten,
and while raging and ranting about
chivalry, they egg on the German
people to one Of the most unchival-
rous acts imaginable-mob violence
against prisoners Of war.
1t is only an enemy grasping at
straws, and lacking principle en-
tirely, who would resort to such
measure. Quite possibly, Goebbels
meant his message to reach us as
much as the German people, think
Ing that we might thus be fright
ened into softening our blows or
that the morale of our airmen
might be injured. Long ago the
Nazis proved themselves masters at
Understanding the fiber and spirit
OF our Allied forces, and they prove
it again by this vicious and ugly
threat. The answer to it is sharper
than lightning and louder than
thunder-the ever-mounting inten-
sity OF the gigantic British-American
bombing assault.
Evening star., 1944-05-29
On the Record
By Dorothy THOMPSON

The vacuum in the Teheran agree
ments Is Europe. Although the creation
OF an Association Of Nations is envisaged.
European countries will apparently
function In 1t only as relatively small
units which would have to tie up with
one or another Of the Great Powers to
have an effective voice.
No one European power will be
allowed to have hegemony over Eu-
rope. Neither will Russia, Britain
or the United States. But there Is no
encouragement for any other European
solution-such as its organization into
one, two or three interlocking con-
declarations which would, by consolida-
ton, enable Europeans to enter as
equals with the big powers into q world
association.
This solution will inevitably lead to
the following things:
l. The Big Three will be interested
to foster divisions In Europe, az the
only means of keeping her weak, in
effective and servile.
2. When rationalisms do not succeed
In preventing European consultations,
eAAS LAG AAAACS WALL UC ICllptCO 10 1OS-
ter conflicting social and POLITICAL
organizations, augmenting national hos
tilities by social hostilities. The parallel
Is India-and there are signs Of 1t al
ready. The Anglo o-American policy is
supporting monarchistic, anachronistic,
conservative governments. The Russions
are promoting popular front govern
ments.
8. Invariably these different types of
government will gravitate toward
Britain or Russia; there will be a con-
slant interplay of influences inside the
small European room; progressive coun-
tries will try to extend their ideas into
conservative countries, and vice versa,
and both sides will appeal to one or
another Of the Big Three. Moreover the
various movements will appeal to sec
tions Of public opinion in the democ-
racies. The struggles inside Europe will
be reflected inside our democracies. And
in all this division and struggle are
the seeds Of a new war.
Under these conditions, 1t is i'm
possible to believe that the solidarity of
the Big Three can be permanently
Evening star., 1944-05-29
Decisive Battle Area
By Maj. George Fieldine Eliot

The position of the German 10th Army
In Italy now may be described as des-
perate. That word, indeed, is being used
in front dispatches referring to the
frantic attempts being made by the Ger
man high command to throw reinforce
ments into the decisive area around
Valmontone.
We are able, from these dispatches, to
see very clearly at least a few of the
dividends we are receiving from our air
superiority and its use northaof Rome
to interrupt enemy communications.
Thus we heard Saturday morning that
the German 92nd Infantry Division was
on It's way to the battle front. But on
Sunday it appears that only one infan-
try regiment Of this division has as yet
arrived - the 1060th - and prisoners
taken from this regiment say that it lost
nearly half its men from bombing and
straflng while on the way, leaving the
regiment SO weak that the survivors
were almost completely wiped out by
Allied tanks when they went into the
line.
The famous Hermann Goering Divi-
sion appears to be going into the line in
the Valmontone sector and may prove
a harder nut to crack-but prisoners
have already been taken from it who
say that the troops were told they were
going to repel an invasion of the French
coast, suggesting that the German high
command thought the morale even of
this division needed little extra lift.
The reason for the crucial Importance
of Valmontone is the fact that it stands
squarely on the Via Casilina, the main
line Of supply and Of retreat for the
German 10th Army down in the Sacco
Valley. That valley Is walled in by
mountains on either hand. The Ger
mans are fighting rear-guard actions at
its lower end, against the Canadians and
British who are closing In on Arce and
are already In Ceprano. and against the
French who are still outflanking the
Germans on the southwest. having taken
Castro del Volsci. This latter town Is
about nine miles southwest OF Ceprano,
and Is only some Is miles from the i'm
portant road center of Frosipone.
The total strength of the German
force IN the Sacco Valley apparently
amounts to some IL divisions or frag-
ments OF divisions. Probably from so 900
to 100000 German troops are still there
Retreat across the mountains to the
north Is possible only by two highways,
that by way Of Arce and Sora, which Is
now practically closed by British guns,
Evening star., 1944-05-29
This Changing World
By Constantine Bro,cn

The highest ranking Army and Navy
ofncers in Washington are spending
much time In the study and promotion
Of proposals to consolidate the various
branches of the armed forces into one
national defense department.
Every government in the world has
given some thought to the idea in peace
time. But only the governments OF two
great military powers have adopted it
Germany and Russia. and neither Of
these is a great naval power. The navies
in Germany and Russia are mere COM
plements to the land and air forces.
Until her defeat in the World War, the
Germans had Reichsmarine Amt
Navy Department. and Kriegsminis-
terium (War Department.. Previously
Germany had been one Of the three
ranking naval powers. It was only after
the German Navy was reduced to naught
after its surrender that the Reichs-
marine Amt disappeared When Hitler
came to power the army and the navy
were placed under one head who was
responsible only to the Fuehrer for the
entire national defenses Of the Reich.
Russia, before the revolution, also had
a Navy Department. The revolutionary
government which succeeded the czarist
regime paid much attention to the army
and the aviation, but neglected the navy,
principally because of the lack of skilled
naval constructors. Between 1919 and
1929 many German military specialists,
particularly technicians who were ex-
perimenting with tanks, new types Of
guns, chemical gas and planes, obtained
the aid Of the Russian factories In max
ing such new weapons as the Treaty of
Versailles prohibited from being manu-
factured in the Reich.
The lessons of the German specialists
helped the Soviet considerably in i'm
proving its ordnance and the other
branches of the army and air force. But
there were no German naval specialists
IN Russia at any time. In 1895 the Rus
SLAMS attempted to get the United States
to build for them prototype battleship,
but the Navy Department refused. When
the war broke out the Soviet Navy still
was composed mostly Of old imperial
warships. The keel Of new battleship,
the Third Internationale, was laid in
Leningrad In 1899, but the ship was
never completed. Under the technical
direction Of italian architects. a number
Evening star., 1944-05-29
Tighter Controls

The announcement that the War
Manpower Commission is planning
to tighten up its Job placement con-
trolls presumably is that agency's
answer to the advocates of some
form Of compulsory service legisla-
ton.
VINO officials are opposed to the
legislation now under consideration.
They say that it is not needed and
that the American people would not
submit to it. In their opinion COM
pulsory service legislation, and par
ticularly the bill affecting men who
have been deferred from military
service because of physical disquali-
fications, actually would do more
harm than good.
This is purely negative attitude,
however. It does not dispose of the
fact that more stringent controls
are needed, as evidenced by the dis
closure that the VINO program to
transfer from 10000 to 10000 men a
month to areas where there is ur-
gent need for their services has been
only about so per cent effective. The
program which the VINO is now
whipping into final shape recog-
nizes that this deficiency must be
overcome, and proposes to overcome
1t by an extension of voluntary"
methods already in use.
The broadened plan Is built
around the United States Employ
ment Service. When the new plan
is in full operation it is expected
that all male workers in areas of
acute or serious labor shortages will
be able to secure employment only
through the USES. The VINO has
no means of compelling men to seek
work through this channel. But, as
a practical matter, it has a greater
measure of control over employers,
and in most instances it will be able
to compel them to hire their new
workers through the Federal agency.
Thus, in effect, a substantial control
over individual job seekers can be
exercised.
1t remains to be seen just how this
Will be worked out. AS an example,
a man in Washington might register
with USES for a JOB. If his services
are most urgently needed in Detroit.
ne would be exposed" to Job op-
portunity in that area, and if he
refuses to take that job he could be
denied other employment. It is not
expected, however, that there will be
frequent resort to this drastic form
OF indirect compulsion. More prob
ably, If the applicant refuses one lob
he Will be Exposed" to another, and
so on, until he is placed.
This system has been in effect for
some time in twelve labor shortage
areas, and if it has been successful
on that limited scale it presumably
Is feasible to enlarge it. In anv
event, the VINO is going to try the
experiment. 1t is unfortunate, how
ever, as it has been from the begin
ming, that the experiment still de-
pends on executive order instead of
legislation for its authority. Legis-
lation would give to the VINO orders
a prestige they do not now possess,
Evening star., 1944-05-29
Loyong Falls Silent

When the last signals over the
ether from besieged Loyang flick
cred out and the Tokyo radio shortly
afterward blared forth an an
nouncement of it's capture, hearts
must have been heavy in Chung
king. Loyang, the key to Honan
Province, has been a symbol of Chi
nese ability to resist the japanese
offensive launched a month ago
with the aim of gaining a strangle-
hold on Central China and getting
a through rail connection between
the japanese strongholds in the
north and their zone of occupation
in the Yangtze Valley. The stra-
tegic and economic Importance of
this ancient city is shown by the
fact that it has been six times the
capital of China at various periods
in its long history.
Loyang was heavily defended, and
its fall implies the loss not merely
OF large numbers of Chinese troops.
but also, what is even more un-
fortunate, the loss of much war ma
terial, which for blockaded China
is irreplaceable. The loss of Loyang
cannot be offset by recent Chinese
recovery of portions of the railway
line between the Yellow River and
the Yangtze. That line has long
been out of commission, the Chinese
having removed the rails. But the
roadbed remains and can soon be
put into commission by japanese
engineers. The japanese high COM
mand evidently concentrated against
Loyang. Now that it is in Japa-
nese hands, the chances are that
the railway link can again be re-
forged. 1t should also be remem-
bered that another railway, in
actual operation, runs westward
from the main nortA-south line to
Loyang and beyond into Shensi
Province, its terminus being the
provincial capital Of Sian. There
are no natural obstacles to q Japa-
nese drive on Sian, less than 200
miles west Of Loyang, and Sian is
the gateway to the highlands of
Western China, wherein lies Chung
king.
Another point to be noted is that
Sian is the hinge between the terri
tories in allegiance with the Kuo-
mintang government at Chungking
and the region of China's remote
northwest controlled by the Chinese
Communist party. Those rival fac
tions are in state of armed neu-
Evening star., 1944-05-29

Of cruisers were planned. but the Ger
man attack In 1941 prevented their COM
pletion.
Thus, the USSR, with only nominal
navy. did not need special navy COM
missariat. The entire national defense
force was Jumped into one national de-
tense organization, within which there
was, Of course, a special naval section.
During the first labor government Of
Prime Minister Ramsay Macdonald 4
Britain considered the creation of one
Ministry Of National Defense which
would include the three existing mill
tary branches, the War ONCE, the Ad-
miralty and the Air Ministry. The oppo-
sition from within the cabinet, especi-
ally that of the First Lord Of the Ad-
miralty, A. v. Alexander, and the Min
lister Of Air, Lord Thompson, was so
strong that Mr.. Macdonald abandoned
the plan. The Prime Minister was con-
vinced that country with large navy
and potentially large army and air
force could not afford to place the three
branches under one head.
The change in Germany and Russia
occurred In peacetime. The study of
similar organization in Britain also
came when the world was at peace and
the leaders Of all countries were hopeful
that peace would continue for many
years. At the time Britain's accent was
on disarmament and everyone hoped
that the future Of armies, navies and
air forces would be merely that Of
police organization.
Revival of the subject in the United
States has caused a considerable stir
in military quarters. There appears to
be no obvious need for such change
now or in the immediate future. The
fact that high-ranking officers are
pressing the question leads some observ-
ers to believe that there may be more
behind the idea than appears on the
surface
While no definite plans have appeared
before the public, 1t is believed that
strong political reasons may be prompt
ing pressure for such legislation at a
time when the military men should be
concerned exclusively with the winning
Of the war. The Army and the Navy,
working under two separate depart
ments, have done very we'll so far. What
ever failures occurred before and after
Pearl Harbor are due to individuals and
not to the system,
Evening star., 1944-05-29
Music Box

Not sigh OF uiols in chime OF bells. no
clockWorE
OF clipped brittle ninuet tapped out
ON Louis heels
Beneath piled POWDERED pompadours.
court plaster and black fans,
Beneath gold candle -shtmmered chan.
deliers and damask cells:
Not flash OF flying fountains blo,rn
against blue noon,
Nor pirouette of pigeons under pop
lars son,ber shade;
No lace-cufed snap OF snufbor on er.
quisite sharp epigram,
Nor lisp OF silks or roses brilliant on
q buluStrnde
Only the dusty arnlor OF dark years and
unremembered hours,
Lost luster OF black lacquer, time
chipped and thinned;:
Echoes of Mozart melodies from strings
joreuer stilled,
Ashes OF roses and laughter long pdas-
tshed on the toind.
FREDERICK EBRIGHT.
Evening star., 1944-05-29

traught yet not altogether crazy
world.
The future Of Canadian art, it
would seem, is safe in the hands of
such youthful but rational esthetic
interpreters of the times in which
they live.
Evening star., 1944-05-29


Undoubtedly in Britain, as elsewhere.
there are malcontents able to make bic
grievances out Of small ones and create
serious situations out Of nothing. One
need merely remember the number of
strikes over trivial matters in Canada
a year and two years ago and recall
that there were political factors In.
fiuencing labor actions then. That In
possible in Britain as well.
Evening star., 1944-05-29
Letters to The Star
Three Simple" Suggestions for
Greater Traffic Safety


To the Editor Of The Star:
The press last week reported the de-
plorable news Of the death of young
WAVE who was struck by streetcar
last Monday in the 1400 block Of H
street NV. The injuries received
proved fatal. A companion, another
WAVE, was also injured at the same
time.
Your fine newspaper has been making
valuable contribution to the cause of
accident prevention but you and other
forces that have been working toward
that end apparently have received in
sufncient cooperation from the NUM-
cipal authorities Of the District of
Columbia.
For example, cite below some simple
and easily operated measures that could
be employed in the interest Of safety:
l. Time after time, have seen street.
car motormen start their cars across
an intersection against red light,
simply because the amber light was
showing on the cross street, travelling
sometimes more than half the width
Of the intersection before the proper
signal appeared.
That II criminal carelessneSs, yet 1t
p is q common occurrence. Throw q few
Of those offenders into jail, impose a
fine on the transportation company.
and that hazard forthwith will be re-
moved.
2. Streetcar loading platforms should
be protected with a handrail One
usually has to descend from cars hur-
riedly-there always is a pushing crowd
In the rear-and an inflrm or unwary
person Is In danger of losing his balance
and involuntarily stepping of the plat
form into the street trafhc.
Then, too, when passengers are
crowded on these narrow platforms dur
ing the peak hours. milling back and
forth in their efforts to get on or Of
the jam-packed cars, with automobiles
whizzing by within few inches on both
sides Of the platforms, death can, and,
too frequency, does, strike swiftly and
horribly.
Handrails for platforms would not
entail prohibitive expense. Why can
not sucn simple, yet necessary, meas
ure be adopted?
8. Why should automobiles be per-
nitted during the rush hours to travel
at high speed in the parking strips
between the sidewalk and the bus load
ing platforms on K street NV. In the
section lying between Thirteenth street
NV. and Connecticut When K street
was widened and these parking strips
were provided, they were designated
parking strips" and not q part Of the
thoroughfare. Only autos seeking park
ing space should enter those strips and
10 miles an hour should be the maxi
mum permissible speed.
YrGYNNN ATDr
Evening star., 1944-05-29
Pleads for Dogs as Guards

To the Editor OF The Star:
In honor and memory Of some small,
stout-hearted, intelligent dogs who con-
tributed much toward the security OF
their country:
Both in peace time and war, dogs
have more than proven their worth by
loyalty and protective instincts. It
amazes me that every effort is not made
to keep them well cared for and healthy.
That would be small reward. Also, wan
dering dogs often are lost dogs searching
for kind master and home. What can
be done for them besides placing them
in gas chamber?
In view Of the statistics, how many
people might have been saved from a
fiery death? Apartment buildings and
rooming houses sheltering many Sleep
ing humans, should be guarded by alert
animals.
wish to commend the police depart
ments in our land for the prompt in
vestigation Of barking dogs" Well
trained dogs do not bark unless they
have no other way Of warning. They
should be kept clean so that they may
be kept close to their owner during the
night Often do we read of how trag-
edies haye been averted. An alert ami
NAL nearby is both assurance and insur-
ance.
With the dangers surrounding us these
days IN our lonely homes, much should
be done to protect one of our most valu-
able assets: the unapproachable in
stinct of our Nations dogs.
Evening star., 1944-05-29
Commends Warning to Sponsor.

To the Editor of The Star:
want to commend the position taken
by Elmer Davis in warning the sponsors
OF programs on the radio, beforehand,
against exploiting the invasion in con-
nection with their products. I listened
recently to one of the most popular 10
o'clock broadcasts and was amazed to
hear the sponsor use the invasion in
distinctly commercial and advertising
connection.
What is going on in Italy Is grim busi-
ness today, and thousands of our best
sons are giving their lives for the cause.
When the invasion comes (and God
grant that Germany may collapse before
1t comes), the loss of human life will
be terrible, and any sponsor or COM
mercial firm should scorn to use 1t as
a sounding board for their wares.
ALBERT JOSEPH MCCARTNEY.
Evening star., 1944-05-29
Political Factors in Strikes
the Regina Leader-pos,

Reproduction Rishts Reserved ,
The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-05-17
SupreneCoilrt Finds No Error Decision Given
Judgment of $I,07O Given Waterbury Woman Per.
 mlitted to Stand

A superior court judgment of $1,979.79 returned for Adele L. Comcowich in her action against Michael and Mary Zaparyniuk was up held by the State Supreme Court of Errors in a unanin1- ous decision handed down to- day.
 The litigation, which was heard in the Waterbury court before Judge Frank P. McEvoy, was based on claims that the plaintiff en- trusted money over a period of many years to the care of the de- fendants, who later refused to re- turn 1t.
 After the decision was returned the defendants asked for reopen ing of the judgment on the ground they had discovered new evidence, but their motion was ienied. The high court states that the sole ques- tion in their appeal to Hartford was whether or not the trial court erred in denying the motion to open the judgment, and rules there was no error.
 The trial court had ruled that the new evidence could have been produced at the original trial and that the account book preferred as new evidence and submitted for examination was not such as would affect the judgment.
 In the memorandum of decision the high court states, Tt does not appear tn .. injustice has been done in the judgment rendered; the case turned supon the credibility of the parties whom the trial court had an opportunity to observe. and we cannot say that the hearing of ad- ditioal testimony would probably change the result