davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1944-11-25
The Political Mill
By Gould Lincoln

II any doubt existed anywhere that the
C1O intends to remain a powerful politi-
cal factor and to extend this power the
action Of its convention meeting in Chi
cago this week effectually lays this doubt
to rest. Not only has 1t determined to
continue its Political Action Committee,
but 1t also has voted to prepare the
groundwork for effective participation
in important local elections of 1945 and
in local, State and national elections in
1916" In addition it has taken stand
against the formation of third political
party.
If this means anything it means that
the CIO and its PAC intends to DOM
mate the Democratic party, if not to
control it. 1t means also that it is
preparing to lock horns with Democratic
city machine bosses-to whom it lost the
fight for the Democratic vice presidential
nomination in Chicago-the renomina-
ton of Vice President Wallace.
Further, it appears that the CIO and
its Political Action Committee has
already, four years in advance, expressed
a preference for Mr. Wallace as the
presidential nominee of the Democratic
party in 1948 The ovation given Mr.
Wallace by the convention and the calls
Of "1948" when he appeared in the con-
vention are indicative. Barring the pos
sibility that President Roosevelt will be
a candidate for fifth term, the CIO
undoubtedly will seek to bring about
the nomination of Mr. Wallace. This is
logical in the light of past history. 1t
certainly will happen unless some other
outstanding liberal leader in the Demo-
cratic party leaps into prominence in
the next few years.
Mr.. Wallace himself has gained
strength with this group rather than
lost it since his defeat at Chicago. And
by his consistent and strong support
of the reelection of President Roosevelt
Mr.. Wallace may have gained ground
with other Democrats. 1t seems clear
that he is to have an important post in
the administration after he has relin-
quished mis- duties as Vice President
next January.
Whether the rest of organized labor
the AFL and the railroad brotherhoods
for example, will see eye to eye with the
CIO on Wallace presidential candi-
dacy remains to be seen. If Mr.. Wallace
is shown to have friends in these other
Evening star., 1944-11-25

unions-and there is reason to believe
he has-he may be in an extremely
strong position when 1948 rolls around
The CIO and its PAC maintain that
it is going to act along nonpartisan
lines, supporting its friends VINO are
seeking nomination and election to pub
lie office irrespective of party. Republic
cans will seriously doubt this non-
partisanship. Nevertheless, it Is true
that the CIO-PAC and it's followers
will hold balance of power politically
in many cities and States and con-
gressional districts in the coming elec-
lions. Because of this, it may well be
able to force the Democratic organiza-
tions to accept candidates of its choice.
The obvious threat would be the nomi-
nation of independent candidates-with
the consequent election of Republican
candidates Or the PAC might actually
go over to Republican candidates If they
were to its liking.
Present leaders of the Democratic
rganization-including Democratic Ma
tional Chairman Robert E. Hannegan-
have this situation to face. They can
accept and make common cause with
this effort of the CIO, or they can
fight it, 1t is obvious that the CIO
and its PAC will be effective in the big
cities and industrial areas-which the
last election showed to be the Demo-
cratic strongholdS. If the bosses of
the city machines undertake to buck
this new political organization, for it
is no less, the fur will fly.
The end Of the war and conditions
in the country that follow it will have
tremendous influence on the political
thinking of the people during the next
few years. So far as the CIO and the
PAC are concerned there will be no
turning to the right" What other Demo-
cratic voters and their leaders may do
is another question. 1t was these others
who called halt on the denomination
of Mr. Wallace for Vice President last
summer. There is no sign yet that
they have weakened in this opposition
The battle for control of the Demo-
cratic party is still in the making
The CIO and its PAC are not letting
the grass grow under their feet, how
ever. President Roosevelt is still in
absolute control, largely due to the
support of these organizations.
Evening star., 1944-11-25
X-Factor in Japan
By Maj. George Fielding Eliot

The important fact about the first
B-29 bomber attack on the Tokyo area
is just that it Is the first-the beginning
of rising scale of blows that from now
on will be rained upon the centers of
power of the japanese Empire.
AS Brig. Gen. Hansell, the brilliant
young commander of the 21st Bomber
Command, points out, the B-29 must,
on the Saipan-Tokyo run, be considered
as still in the experimental stage. Our
airmen are feeling their way; they are
experimenting with their weapons, and
with the conditions under which those
weapons must be used to obtain maxi
mum results. The Japanese have not
felt anything yet-in comparison to
what is to come.
The attack from the Marianas is one
more indication, however, that the Pa
ciflc campaign has reached the end of
the preparatory offensive stage and is
coming into the decisive stage. Japan
now is beginning to be hit at home,
where 1t hurts. The effect on the sum
total Of Japanese war effort will be in
creasingly effective as the scale of the
attacks rises, both in number of mis-
sions flown and In the effectiveness with
which the various blows are placed; but,
as always, the moral effect must be
taken into account as well as the
material effect.
In Germany. the moral effect of our
bombing was cushioned by the fact that
the attacks were on gradually rising
scale, both in actual amount of force
applied and in the gradual extension Of
the areas brought within the scope Of
our major efforts A slow, steady in
crease Of pressure Is never SO great .
psychological shock as sudden blow
Of unexpected violence.
X X +
In the case Of Japan 1t seems likely
that the inhabitants of the main island
Of Honshu may be hit harder In this
respect than the inhabitants of Central
Germany, who could watch the bomb
falls creeping up on them from the west
almost mile by mile and day by day.
Honshu is the principal island Of
the japanese Archipelago. It contains
slightly more than Is per cent Of the
total population of Japan proper. About
one-fifth Of its people live In the Tokyo
and Osaka prefectures alone, which have
an average Of something Ike $500 in
habitants per square kilometer. This
Is the heart Of Japan, and It Is at that
heart that our B-29s are now beginning
to strike.
Evening star., 1944-11-25

left-wing elements, especially by the
Communists, who have sought to
maintain their armed organization
built up during the underground re-
Sistance to the Germans as an entity
apart from governmental control
The winter now settling down over
Europe is bound to be one of acute
privation. That impending ordeal
has been envisioned with dread in
France as supreme test for ma
tional unity and stability.
At this crucial moment, the tri-
umphant march of Frances reborn
army through the cherished "lost
provinces" provides just the tonic
needed to awaken patriotic enthu-
siasm and confidence in the national
future. It should strengthen the
provisional government more than
anything else which could have
happened.
Evening star., 1944-11-25

thing. including the democratic gov
ernment itself.
If we are to be realistic in ap-
preaching the postwar era in which
continued cooperation with Russia
Is essential to the maintenance OF
peace, we must face the fact that
democratic" government does not
mean the same thing to the Soviet
rulers. To them. any expression of
opinion or fact not in accord with
the Moscow policy is something to be
suppressed.
To understand this is not to ques-
ton Soviet sincerity in proclaiming
democratic aims. It is simply to
realize that certain words have
meanings different from our concep-
ton when they are used by the
Soviet government.
Evening star., 1944-11-25
Condemnation Issue

In his letter printed in today's
Star, the Reverend George B. Kin
kead contends that the Government
is seizing private property for the
benefit of the George Washington
University. He thus expresses one
conception of the basic issue in
volved in this case.
In fairness to the university, which
Is not a party to the dispute, the
issue as so described should be clari-
fed. The issue is whether the use
for which the property is condemned
would be public use. The property
would be used for a hospital. con-
structed and owned by the Govern
ment, but leased for operation to
private agency, the George Washing
ton University, which possesses the
facilities and personnel for hospital
administration. At any time within
a period specified by the lease, the
university could acquire the property
upon terms satisfactory to the Gov
ernment, provided it is thereafter
used as specification a hospital.
The validity of the proceedings
hinges on the courts determination
OF whether the use, as described is
a public use. So far the Govern
ment has been upheld. The Govern
ment contends that the hospital is
needed by the people of Washington,
including many Government en-
ployes essential to the prosecution of
the wars; that no precedent is in
volved, that comparable undertak-
ings+outlined by the statutes as to
procedure and upheld in the courts
have established their legality. The
courts, of course, and not debate in
these columns, will decide the merit
of these contentious.
In the meantime, it might be we'll
to bear in mind that George Wash
ington University is not condemning
the property, is not writing the terms
OF the agreement, but is assuming
voluntarily, on the Governments
own terms, responsibility for dis
charging an obligation. That the
university may be improving it's own
facilities while meeting a public need
is incidental
Evening star., 1944-11-25

in antitank defense. Today this gun
has been replaced by the 88-millimeter
gun which cannot be fired from inside
the pillboxes.
The Germans long ago abandoned
the construction of the smaller weapon
and are reported to have large guam
titles of the newer rifles which are being
dug in near the pillboxes where they
are cleverly camouhaged. These con-
crete constructions with their long
underground tunnels are now being used
exclusively as strong points for the
infantry. :
Marshal Gerd Won Rundstedt is COW
ering the southern anchors Of the Rhine
defenses, but Is believed to have ade-
quate reserves in the north. From ques-
tioning of prisoners who have been
captured in the last two weeks 1t ap-
pears that he has placed in the first
line only average divisions to hold as
best they can. His choice troops, Elite
and SIS corps, are being used as a re-
serve for counterattacks after the front
line forces have yielded to the Allied
pressure.
The membsss of the Wehrmacht in
the front line are as fanatical as the
best German troops.
A similar strategy was attempted by
Won Rundstedt last summer in France.
There, however, he was unable to use
his select reserves in time because the
Allied air forces, helped by favorable
weather conditions, prevented the as
sembly of the reserves after our ground
forces had performed the break-through.
Won Rundstedt's reserves have been
substantially increased in the last few
weeks by the arrival of battle-experi-
enced troops from the Balkans.
These facts indicate that the task
ahead of Gen. Eisenhower's armies is
hard and likely to be long For the
time being, the Allies are inching ahead
in the northern and most important
sector of the Nazi defenses, where the
Germans are resisting desperately. For
the first time since the invasion of
Europe the Nazis seem to have large
quantities of artillery and the necessary
ammunition. This also is due to the
fact that weather conditions are keep
ing the Allied planes from disrupting
the German lines of communication as
efficiently as in Normandy.
Despite these difficulties the Allied
high command is optimistic and believes
the operations undertaken two weeks
ago will be brought to a successful
conclusion, possibly by early next year
Evening star., 1944-11-25
This Changing World
By Constantine Broscn

The Aachen area is considered the
key to the Allies winter offensive which
many military men hope will prove to
be the decisive one Of the war.
The other fronts are regarded as
dlversionary and of no immediate con-
sequence. The rapid progress of the
French forces in Alsace had been fully
expected. The German high command,
foreseeing this attack, had begun to
withdraw its forces since November 8.
Reports from Basel, the Swiss town
across the Rhine, said at that time that
the German withdrawal from Alsace
was so rapid that in addition to the
available bridges across the river the
German engineers had built pontoons to
enable masses Of tanks and mechanical
artillery to cross in larger numbers Only
holding force which was to be sacri-
flced was left behind to delay the Of
fensive OF our French associates.
The Germans are believed to have
concentrated the bulk of their forces
in the north, especially east of Aachen,
where a major reak-through would
gravely endanger the defenses of the
Rhine and might hasten the complete
defeat OF the German armies. 1t is
conceded in military quarters that the
battles in that area will be very hard
and costly.
We continue to hold the air suprem-
acy in spite Of the appearance of q
substantially increased German fighter
force. But our aviation Is handicapped
by bad weather and by the fact that
there are not more than eight hours Of
daylight in that section of Europe.
Night bombing is efficient in attacks
against fixed targets, but is useless in
attempting to interfere with troop
movement. The main task of the Ameri-
can and British planes is to prevent the
Germans from bringing reinforcements
Of men and material to the front line
And in this our aviation holds a less
favorable position than it had in the
Normandy battles. The weather Is not
likely to improve in the weeks to come.
Hence, the role of the aviation as an
auxiliary of the ground forces is
handicapped
1t is also pointed out that the Ger
man Notifications which were con-
sidered by many technicians as out
moded are seriously delaying the ad-
vance OF the Allies. 1t is true that the
many pillboxes with which the Nazi
defense lines are studded are outmoded.
They were built for the 37-millimeter
gun which until 1941 was the last word
Evening star., 1944-11-25
How Much Is q Billion?
By David Laurence
From Liberty.

From Liberty.
In these days we let the word billion"
roll glibly of our tongues as easily as if
it were hundred" We know that it's
lot of money, but how many people have
any actual conception of the amount?
Compare it to minutes, of which there
are LAO day, and guess offhand how
many years equal billion minutes. An
swers will generally range from 10 to 100
years, with only few a little higher.
Actually, figuring 365 days to each
year. the answer is approximately 1902
years. Since the birth of Christ, only
a little more than 1,021 100000 minutes
have passed.
Evening star., 1944-11-25
Pronunciation Explained
To the Editor of The Star:

TO the Editor OF The Star:
Radio news broadcasters seem to
pronounce the name of the city of Metz
recently occupied by our troops) as if
it were spelled "Mets," though properly
it is pronounced approximately like
the English word Mess"
While following the -Prussian
War the Germans retained this city and
part OF the province of Lorraine, of
which it is the ancient capital, its name
Is not German either in origin or in
spelling
1t is merely contraction of the
Roman name Mediomatrica, and it is the
fact that no modern French words other
than few proper names end in "tz"
that gives the name of this city its un-
French appearance. Yet words termi-
mating in these consonants were COM
mon enough in old French. In single
poem of Francois Villon, the great
fifteenth poet, have counted
four. This ending also appears in the
family name Of Retz, which was borne
by famous seventeenth-century French
cardinal. Two centuries earlier there
lived Giles de Retz, wealthy French
nobleman who, though he had been
comrade in arms of Joan Of Arc and
marshal of France, later committed
such macabre murders that some have
considered him the original Bluebeard.
This name is pronounced "Ress," and
sometimes Is spelled Rails.
A number of French towns contain
the name Metz in combination. In the
Department of the Pas-de-Cal there
was a Metz-en- Couture, which was en-
tirely destroyed in the First World War.
In the same department there also is a
Beaumetz-les-Cam as well as q
Beaumetaz-les-Loges and . Mametz.
CHARLES II. PROBERT,
Evening star., 1944-11-25

1t seems altogether likely that the
inhabitants of this part of Japan may
have regarded the blows of our China
based planes, directed at the southern
island of Kyushu, as dangerously bad
business. but after all, distant business
They have been warned with monot-
onus persistence by their own govern
ment as to the certainty that someday
the blows would come to their own home
towns, but as time passed and the blows
did not come, they would be less than
human If they did not begin to shrug
aside such warnings as belonging to a
misty future which might never be
realized. Now the blows have come Now
the first bombs have fallen in Tokyo
And others will follow.
What will be the effect on the people
of Japans heartland, the people from
whose efforts flow almost all the mill
tary power of Japan?
We do not know.
This lack of ability to estimate Japa-
nese reaction under conditions which
the Japanese have never before faced
is the TX factor" in all estimates of the
length of the Japanese war. The Japa-
nese people have been taught as an
article of religious faith that they are
the subjects of an Emperor Of divine
descent, who cannot be defeated by the
less favored rulers of other countries
They believe that the Japanese race Is
divinely ordained to become the masters
of the world.
What will happen when these people
see the inescapable evidences of the fact
that their Emperor and all his divine
ancestors cannot protect them from the
bombs Of the white barbarians? What
will happen when their factories and
public buildings lie in ruin across the
face Of their land and their night skies
are lighted by the glow Of their blazing
cities? What will happen when they
call in vain upon the gods from which
their Emperor presumably is descended,
and the only answer from the unforgiv-
ing heavens Is the drone of another
squadron Of American bombers?
It will be an interesting experiment,
indeed. which Gen. Hansell and his offi-
GERS and men are now beginning. It's
material effects can be. plotted and cal
culated with considerable precision; It's
moral effects must await the light Of
further experience before they can be
assessed.
tcopyrisht. 1914,
Evening star., 1944-11-25
American Power

III 4ldh1IlS Cilc uilQudllQeQ state
ment that the United States has
become "the greatest military, naval
and air power in the world" Prime
Minister Churchill has done more
than pay friendly and handsome
tribute to this country. He has re-
minded us, and other nations as
well, OF what may prove to be one
OF the most significant and far
reaching developments in history
the fact that fundamental change
has taken place in the international
balance of armed strength. a change
whose Importance in relation to the
future can scarcely be exaggerated.
The American potential was of
course immense before the war, but
our actual power-What we then
had in being-ranked behind that of
countries like France, Britain, Ger
many and Russia in one category or
another. In the last three or four
years, however, the whole picture
has been transformed, so that we
are now the mightiest Of all in every
armed department., except possibly
that the Soviet land force may be
equal to ours or perhaps even slightly
bigger. Assuming that this distribu-
tion OF strength remains relatively
the same during the next peace, the
United States will thus obviously
hold position unique in its history,
standing for the first time at the
head of the family of nations not
merely economically but martially
as well.
1t Is truly remarkable that this
deeply meaningful shift in the bal
ance of world power has been
brought about, as Mr.. Churchill SAYS.
IN so short time by "the peaceful,
peace-loving people of the United
States with all the variety and
freedom OF their life. in such con-
trast to the iron discipline which
has governed other communities.
The British Prime Minister. who
argues cogently for the perpetuation
OF close relations between our two
countries. halls the achievement as
something calling for profound
thanksgiving in America. but in ad-
dltion to that it calls for an outlook
on our part that will be in keeping
with the greatness of our new
position. For our vastly increased
strength imposes upon us heavy
additional responsibilities in our in
ternational dealings. and unless we
discharge them properly by pursuing
sound, cooperative policies abroad
we shall be hurting ourselves by
falling to act as makeweight for a
good and lasting peace.
In other words. with the greatness
that is now ours, we have the accom-
panying moral obligation to employ
it with wisdom and vision in a Joint
effort with other nations to build
genuine security system beneficial to
all. AS Germany has demonstrated
the use of power merely for powers
sake can lead only to mischief and
grief on a gigantic scale. 1t is for
American power, in accordance with
the American tradition and temper.
to dedicate itself to a constructive
role In the World-on the side of
freedom and in behalf of an enlight-
ened new era relieved of the terrible
prospect of having to endure another
global war in another twenty-five or
thirty years.