davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1944-06-28
More on "Birthplaces."

TO the Editor Of The Star:
There is some compensation for max
ing regrettable mistakes when they
elicit corrective letters such as those
under Different Birthplaces' In The
Star Of June 20.
Calvert County, Nd, rightly is proud
Of DR.. Thomas Parran, Surgeon General
Of the United States Public Health
Service, for his outstanding character
ana achievements. M. B. P. speaks
with the voice Of neighbor OF "the
respect and love in which that family is
held" 1t is no wonder! And some OF
us remember the picture of his late
father, also physician, with his strong,
quiet. kindly face, as published in The
Star on the occasion, I think. Of DR..
Parran's induction into ONCE.
P. F. SINNERS statement on the birth
place Of Capt. Raphael semmes of the
Alabama is another item OF first hand
information from local folks now resid-
ing in the Washington area. wish,
though, that he had given the name of
the town or post ONCE. The nearest
have found Dictionary of American
Biography is that the captains uncle
OF the same name. who brought him up
with his own sons, probably in George
town, D. c., was from Nanjemoy,
small place in Southwestern Charles
County near the Potomac River. 1t is
quite possible that the whole family had
been resident there-Capt Raphaels
father, Richard, and another uncle,
Benedict Semmes, who in 1926 obtained
from President John Quincy Adams the
appointment OF young Raphael to the
Navy. 1t also is stated that the captains
grandfather, Benedict Joseph Semmes,
was born in Charles County in 1888.
He and the maternal grandfather were
officers in the Colonial Maryland Militia,
and, during the Revolutionary War. in
the Maryland Line" which rated high
in efficiency in the Continental Army.
The Protestant and Catholic sections
of Southern Maryland date back to the
earliest years Of the colony when there
were long and sometimes bloody politico-
religious struggles there Anne Arundel
and Charles Counties were created in
1850 and soon after especially for the
non-co- operative Puritan intruders upon
the territory granted by King Charles I
OF England to Lord Baltimore "a CAL
vert and his heirs, whose Catholic COL
ony had settled st. Marys City and
County in 1884.
But Capt. Semmes' family was Cath
olic and Of Catholic ancestry, although
resident In . Protestant county.
p 4. J.
Evening star., 1944-06-28

The capture Of Cherbourg gives the
Allied Armies in France the tirst
major requisite for 4 great invasion
from the sea: A first-class deepwater
port.
We are not yet informed OF the extent
Of the German demolitions, save for
the fact that Adolf Hitler is reported
as awarding the Knights Cross to Rear
Admiral Hannecke, German naval COM
mander in Cherbourg, for his work in
wrecking the port
Admiral Hannecke Is now a prisoner
OF war in our hands: probably he will
not be allowed to remain in Cherbourg
and watch the Seabees and Army
engineers 60 to work to restore what
he imagines he has destroyed. II he
were permitted to do so, this writer
will venture the prediction that he
would be the most astonished German
admiral who ever wore q medal.
Another German report is also
interesting-to the effect that a fresh
American Army corps, the 9Th. has
been landed on the Cherbourg Penin-
sula and has taken over the southern
part OF the front: Presumably that
facing La Haye du Puts, Periers and
st. Lo. 1t is to be hoped that this is
true; it probably Is true in part, for
this would be the direction in which
any freshly arrived troops would nor
mally be sent, once the Cherbourg
situation was such as to need no further
reinforcement
1t is difficult not to continue to be
anxious about the very shallow Allied
holding on the coastal sector around
Carentan and Isigny. The deepening
OF the Allied positions toward st. Lo
and Coutance will cause many observ-
ers Of military events to breathe much
more easily.
Over on the eastern flank. Of the
Allied bridgehead. the British and
Canadians-whose stout fighting has
made possible the capture OF Cher
bourg-appear to be gradually gaining
the upper hand in their battle with a
German force which Is stronger in
armor and mobile guns than 1t appears
to be infantry. The British are be-
ginning to advance slowly but steadily
southeast from -Sur-Seulles and at
last accounts have cut the railway lead
ing southeast from Caen.
This is a return to the old threat of
cutting all the German supply routes
south and southwest Of Caen, which was
offered by the British capture of Villers
BocaSe some days ago. The Germans
were compelled to react with al avail
Evening star., 1944-06-28
Glamour Is Gone
By David laurence j
From the Topeka Capitol.

From the Topeka Capitol.
Whatever happened to the old-fasl.
ioned candidate for sheriff who in.
variably was pictured wearing 4 biz
hat-and, If possible, q fierce handle-
bar mustache? In olden days . sheriff
candidate was scarcely legal unless he
had the big hat for advertising pur-
poses. Even II he intended to ride
nothing more dangerous than . swivel
chair. he was expected to look the part
OF q two-gun, outdoor man.
There will be 4 few such political
posters in Kansas this year-there al
ways are-but much Of the glamour Of
yesterday Is gone. The trouble Il, the
sheriff business has degenerated into
. genteel profession. Folks are not -
much interested in what kind Of . hat
a man wears rs what he has under his
headRear
Evening star., 1944-06-28
Mountain Return

HoDeuer autumn falls. my Mdytins
years
Were nodded petdI-ptss Of nsosntStH
things,
OF Jern-cool pdtsr snA blue srIes
ridges,
And the blossoms Of ttpenty Dfnd.
f0tDer springs.
No peoplsd ioays. no brtck-papsd canyon
tDalIs
That shape my days xpon q totDn hall
clock
Can yet erode, NTH slotoly turning
hours.
The footprints set IN rugged noun.
tain rock.
The road leads back and though 1t may
be lost
A little iDdy, kno,p ,sdrro,D track
Lies Dhers the Dind has left d pattern
That Ueary heart may fnd and
toilosD back. Hf
ALMA ROBSON U0BXE.
Evening star., 1944-06-28
This andThat
Bu Charles r Trnro,re11

~ CndrLeS E. Tr1ceUeu.
An official Of the Water Gate concerts
was looking over the deserted scene
after the audience had left.
What Is that down tilere?" he asked
He moved forward and picked up a
small cardboard box.
Faint sounds came from within.
He opened the box and found two
kittens, beauties, with their eyes still
unopened.
Some one had brought them to the
concert, evidently with the idea of
either leaving them there, or drowning
them.
If the latter. he had grown faint.
hearted, and simply left the box behind
him.
These were fortunate kittens The
omcial happened to be fond OF cats. He
took them home and Is now hrinsins
them up on medicine dropper.
Abandoned animals have always
made a great appeal to persons who
somehow find in their hearts q soft SPOT
for kittens.
This Is an odd thing, the liking for
cats. 1t goes down through the ages
and has included some very famous
people. along with host Of just ordi-
nary folks
Often downtown you will see some
man or woman stop and lean over to pet
some alley cat OF the dirty variety
mostly found in such places
Cats in the downtown section never
have chance to get clean.
Not only the dust, but lack Of grass
helps keep them in filthy state.
No friend OF cats will expect more of
them under such conditions. But out
In the suburbs they find clean cats.
with sparkling fur
Perhaps the favorite cat of Washing
ton is the al-tiger.
Some lnquisitive person once pro-
claimed that there were more tiger cats
in the National Capital than in any
other city In he world.
Since there are no taxes on cats. and
no way of ascertaining their numbers.
all such estimates are guesses, pure and
simple.
Certainly the tiger cat either all
tiger or tiger mixed with white, Is a
favorite of most persons.
Next, In general popularity, is the
yellow cat either pure or striped with
darker yellow. This one, too, may and
often has some white on It,
OF the two cats found at the concert.
one was all-tiger and the other tiger
with white. One is named Beethoven.
the other Mozart.
The black-and-white cat always man.
ages to make his way with those who
are partial to his breed We speak. of
course, OF just ordinary alley cats, the
common household cats, whose friends
are legion.
The black-andwhite cat is a colora-
ton which grows upon the cat fancier
He finds in time that though they are
not a distinct breed, these cats have a
disposition all their own. and a pleas
ing personality, along with their crisp
colorS.
Usually they are very clean. and often
have white paws; it is the white which
sets of the black, and vice versa.
Usually there Is blaze of white
across the nose. and some white at the
breast. often in the shape of 4 neat
shirt front.
While by no means a rare coloration
the black and white is not as frequently
seen as the tiger. The coat Is shorter
and gives the impression, in many cases,
OF some sort Of closely woven cloth. These
cats are not 80 likely to harbor feas
as other colors.
Evening star., 1944-06-28

That freedom Of action will be impor-
tant, for no candidate excepting Lincoln
ever faced such responsibilities % . can
didAte and, II elected, As President. And
20 suspect that II the nomination Is
made tomorrow there will be no
empty rejoicing In the executive cham
bers or In the executive mansion. There
viii be work to be done ana Gov. Dewey
Hno man to make light Of that. 2
With tho memory Of this quiet Albany
visit - background the hustle OF polit-
icAl Chicago In the throes Of convention
comes - something Of q shock. Deles
gates are running around Asking why, II
his nomination Is 30 sure, cannot Gov.
Dewey Say something or do something
to break the suspense. Much OF this
perturbation ID due to inevitable urge on
the part Of some delegates to talk thines
over" With the people they are going to
support This does not necessarily mean
"dsals, !, but It provides means Of gently
suggesting that there are priorities In
pohtics. But there will be no word from
Albany until the nomination is made.
News IL not plentiful in Chicago despite
the importance Of things to come. There
are scores Of reporters for every story.
There has been plenty OF argument
IN the Resolutions Committee over the
foreign-trade plank. Gov. LAndon, who
favors q generally lower tariff policy, Is
chairman Of the subcommittee In
charge. Also on the committee, how
ever, are two stalwart hieh-tariff peo-
pie, Senator Hawkes. Of New Jersey and
former Senator Grlndy Of Pennsyl-
vania. Whoever was responsible for
the appointment Of Senator Grlndy
must have been strangely foryetful Of
the fact that in half Mr.. Roosevelt's
speeches OF 1882 he made "Grundyism"
the very embodiment OF Old Guard Re.
Evening star., 1944-06-28
Intent of Conqress

One OF the last acts OF the House
before the current recess was to ad-
minister an emphatic rebuke to the
Supreme Court for its four -to-three
decision holding that the fire in
surance business is subject to Fed
eral control under the commerce
clause of the Constitution.
This rebuke took the form of
passage by vote of 283 to 81 of a
bill specifically exempting the in
surance business from the Sherman
Antitrust Act of 1890 and the Clay
ton Act of 1914. Possibly the par
ticular legislation upon which the
House acted is not the best that
might be had, and If that is the
case it can be improved in the SEN
ate and in conference. The impor-
tant thing is, however, that one
branch of the National Legislature
has acted promptly and decisively to
record its intent in a fashion which
offers no opportunity for misinter-
probation.
The four justices who joined in
the controlling decision were ac-
tually a minority of the court, two
members having disqualified them
selves. Nevertheless, this minority
Of four did not hesitate to overturn
precedents which had stood for
seventy-five years. and they did so
on the assertion that they were
carrying out the intent of Congress
despite the fact that Congress had
repeatedly indicated that 1t did not
desire to bring the insurance busi-
ness within the reach OF Federal
regulation. Actually, the justices
were reading into the law meaning
which Congress had not given to it.
That is . practice known as judicial
lawmaking, and was one of the
grounds on which the "old court"
was most severely criticized by the
liberals Of the New Deal. But it is
becoming quite evident that those
New Deal critics Of the court as it
stood In 1887 do not object to Judi
cial lawmaking II 1t happens to
conform to their own philosophy OF
the law. y. -. -.
The House has objected, however,
and by . vote Of more than fise to
one. II the Senate concurs, as one
may hope will be the case, the court
will have been served with unmis-
taxable notice to refrain from read
ing into the law purpose Of its
own which was manifestly not the
intent Of Congress-
Evening star., 1944-06-28
EIbu

The island of Elba, brilliantly
taken by the French for the COM
mon benefit OF the United Nations,
is celebrated as the first prison" of
Napoleon Bonaparte. 1t was to its
hills that Alexander I, Car of Rus
sia, ordered him to retire in April,
1914. There, by agreement with the
victorious allies of that era, he could
retain his imperial title and receive
an annual pension of 100000. His
son, the King of Rome, was to rule
Parma, Placentia and Guastalla.
The terms thus summarized were
not ungenerous. From Fontaine-
bleau, where he had said farewell to
the Old Guard and it's eagle, the
Captive" journeyed by carriage to
Frejus, where the British frigate
Undaunted, commanded by Captain
Usher, was waiting.
May 4 was the date Of Napoleon's
landing. He came ashore at Porto
ferraio, was kindly received by the
inhabitants and, having made a tour
of his immediate domain, remarked
that it was small but not uncon-
genial. Soon his mother and his
sister Pauline appeared to keep him
company. The former Emperor
busted himself making his residence
miniature Tuileries. In the hope
that he could render the island pros
porous, he sponsored a program Of
public works, some OF which still are
visible. Perhaps the exile" might
have remained in the relative
obscurity of his Palazzina del Molini
or his Villa San Martino, measurably
content with his lot. But Talleyrand
Evening star., 1944-06-28
This Changing World
By Coasfssfise Brown

So far We have occupied I large sec
ton Of italy and less than halt OF
per cent Of continental France. Recent
Information indicates that the physical
hArdships Of the European population
which has been cut OF from the out
side world since 1910 are not as great
As they had been described In previous
reports.
The Italian area where the main
battles have occurred Is. of course,
devastated. But in the regions where
the enemy has withdrawn without
lighting the people are no worse Of
than they were few years ago. AS
q matter Of fact, they are in 4 better
shape, considering the. difference in the
standards of living. than the people Of
Great Britain.
So far rs our men who have occupied
portions Of Normandy can see, the situa-
tion In France is even better. The
capitulation Of the French armies in
1910 spared the towns and villages from
destruction. In the first year or two
OF German occupation the French peo-
pie were forced to surrender to the
NAxis good deal Of their stocks of
food. cattle and other essentials. But
after the second year the situation
greatly improved. The Germans appear
to have assisted the French peasants
~ giving them seed for their crops
ana food for the cattle, horses, pigs
and sheep. Reports that France had
been completely cleaned out of ill her
wealth have been found to be greatly
exaggerated. The pedigreed stock OF
which the French peasants were 20
proud has been depleted, but there
seems to b enough left to provide the
french people with q good deal Of
essential food without much outside
help.
The factories were working full speed
until the pre-invAsion bombardments
started. Many Of the important French
industries have been producing war
material for the NAzis, but there also
have been many others, such as the
textile factories In Northern France
and the silk industry at Lyons, where
foods for civilian consumption have
been manufactured until quite recently.
Underground men who have managed
to come to this country in the last few
weeks say life In Paris ana other lead.
Ing cities is almost normal The luxury
trade Il In full swing ana the great
dressmAktns establishments are making
money. Food Is plentiful for those who
can Afford to pay black market prices,
and It Il adequate in the county.
The factory workers who At one time
ware suffering from mAlnutrition are
better fed now. While their standards
of eating are not what they were before
tho war, they now have enough for
themselves and their families. The Ger.
man and retainist authorities have
Evening star., 1944-06-28

realized that an unhappy and underfed
workman cannot produce a. well % the
one who has enough to eat for himself
and his family. Consequently, they have
greatly improved his diet and the nay
with which TO purchase the essentials
OF life. Only the white collar workers
are In bad shape compared to prewAr
standards. The child mortality rate
Is said to have diminished.
HA4
In 1910 the French armies were de.
feated and France as We knew IL since
the last war collapsed. But neither
the cities, the factories nor the rich
lands have suffered much. Some fac
tories have been destroyed; some cities
In the east have suffered damage, but
the destruction on the whole b said
to have been negligible and the French
people, while paying heavily for their
defeat, have been able to get back on
their feet As far As the productivity Of
their country Is concerned.
This explains to = great extent Why
many Of the French people who own
sosnethink-A farm. house, m Indus
trial establishment or . herd-have
Ill feeling toward the Allies who have to
break the German resistance at any
cost and in the night are compelled
to destroy French property which had
been left untouched in 1910.
The French want the Germans ex-
PEELED from their country; Of that there
Il no doubt. But they would prefer
to see the expulsion done in such 4
way that their property Is left un-
touched. When 1t is explained to them
by the very patient American provost
mar8halS that 1t Is not possible to make
an omelette without breaking eggs they
ask who will pay for the property which
ID being destroyed. This, Of course, IL
very ticklish problem. The provost
mArshAls have to be careful about what
they say.
The French have . good deal Of re-
spect for uniformed authority and any
rash promises might be misinterpreted
and lead the population OF france to
think that the United States Will pay
for every chicken or hog which has
been killed. While generous in many
respects, the French are known to be
very careful regarding everything they
possess; promises to pAcify their indie-
nation 1t the destruction they are SUI
ferins are likely to be taken literally and
there will be endless Ill will afAinst
America II everything that has been de-
stroyed Is not being paid Tor in cash
when the country 4 liberated.
Outside this ticklish problem, Amer
ican authorities are giving I sigh Of
relief. Instead Of our supply ships
having to provide the French with
food. the French themselves may be
able to help feed our forces.
Evening star., 1944-06-28
Republican Peace Plank

The foreign policy plank which has
been adopted by the Republican
National Convention falls short of
satisfying some of the members of
the party. At the same time, it is
not excessively distasteful to any
members. And that, in final analysis,
is the goal toward which the plat
form makers have been working.
Any political party which repre-
sents approximately half the people
of the United States, whether it be
Republican or Democratic, must take
into account the conflicts of view
within its own ranks. American
politics and political platforms would
be simple matters if all Republicans
or all Democrats thought alike on
the major issues before the country.
But that has never been and prob
ably never will be the case. As the
record plainly shows, there is almost
as much dissent on some questions
within the parties as there is between
the parties, and no sensible political
leader will ignore the obligation
which this imposes to compose these
differences, so far as 1t may be pos
sible to do so, in drafting the plat
form on which the candidates will
seek election.
In these circumstances, the Re-
publican foreign policy plank is a
reasonably satisfactory statement of
the party's position. It varies
slightly, and is perhaps a little less
definite, than the foreign policy
stand taken at Mackinac Island last
summer. But it places the party on
record as recognizing that there can
be no assurance of peace after this
war unless the United States plays
a responsible and effective part with
other sovereign nations in curbing
those who might provoke new wars.
To be sure, it proposes to restrain
aggressors through the use ofn.peace
forces" and the platform writers
would not agree to substitute the
words adequate forces" But II the
Republicans should be restored to.
power, this cannot be an important
distinction If the people Of this
country want to assume their proper
role in the postwar world. The i'm
portant thing is that the party has
broken loose from it's old isolationist
or nationalist moorings. II there
are indications of drifting, If it seems
not quite to know where this coun-
try is going or how it is to get there,
this is an uncertainty which is
shared by the opposition party and
by the great majority of the people.
1t is too early, and the future shape
of the world is too obscure, for any
one to say with assurance Just how
or by whom the peace is to be
maintained.
1t is also a fact of our political
system that party's policies are
shaped more by its candidate than
Its platform. The Republican for
eign policy plank is broad enough
and vague enough so that, to a very
large extent, it will come to mean
whatever Governor Dewey wants it
to mean. That being the case, it
would be we'll to await the foreign
policy declarations of the Repub-
lican presidential nominee before
coming to any final judgment as to
where the party stands on this most
important issue of the campaign
which soon will be under way.