davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1944-02-03
The Political Mill

idea Of the relative vote-getting ability
of these candidates.
* ~
In point Of years Con1dr. Stassen is
the baby of the lot. He will be 81 years
old April ia year younger than Gov
Dewey was when he made his race for
the presidential nomination in 1910.
Comdr. Stassen, however, is not either a
newcomer in national politics or in
demonstrated administrative ability. He
has been three times elected Governor
of Minnesota, resigning that Office less
than year ago to join the Navy. He
was the keynote speaker and temporary
chairman of the Republican National
Convention in 1940 He stepped down
from the chair in that convention to
become the Willkie floor manager.
The Stassen andidacy--fostered by
his friends in this country, for Comdr.
Stassen has said nothing whatever
about being a candidates. not a stalk
ing-horse affair for some other man,
nor is it stop Dewey" or a stop
Willkie" candidacy. Nor is it even Just
bid for vice presidential nomination.
1t is bona fide candidacy.
Nevertheless, the supporters of Mr..
Willkie are hopeful that Stassen dele
gates-if at any time in the convention
they leave Comdr. Stassen-will switch
to Mr.. Wlllkie. They believe that the
KIND OF Republican who likes former
Gov. Stassen would also like Mr.. Willkie.
on the theory that both have similar
ideas on foreign policy. Comdr. Stassen
has been as outspoken as Mr.. Willkie in
his demands for international co-opera-
ton by the United States to maintain
peace. Indeed, the former Minnesota
Governor has gone further than Mr..
Willkie. He has drafted a specific plan
Evening star., 1944-02-03
Constantine Br01Vu

between 1881 and 1888 never returned
to reveal what they had seen. Amer
ican and neutral yachts which had en-
gine troubles and were allowed to put
into the ports Of the larger islands were
kept under strict supervision by the
Japanese; the crews were held on board
until the Japs either repaired their
yachts or gave them the courtesy of a
tugboat to take them to more hospitable
ports.
One or two white men did manage to
visit some of the islands in the middle
30s under conditions which cannot be
divulged even now. They saw some
heavy concrete buildings, which the
japanese described as sugar factories,
and narrow-gauge railways But aside
from the positive realization that mill
tary preparations for the defense of the
islands were being made, little could
be learned.
The American forces will have to
nnd out what the Japanese have been
able to conceal so carefully for 50 many
years. Much blood will have to be
spilled to discover and destroy the care
fully guarded secrets of Emperor Hi
rohito's men.
The American land, naval and air
forces have before them task incom-
parably more difficult than any Of the
military operations we have undertaken
so far in the Pacific or in Europe. There
Is every indication from the brief re-
ports received in Washington that the
Japs are fighting with even more ia
naticism than at Guadalcanal, Tulagi
or Tarawa But our forces are much
stronger and more complete than they
have been in any other previous as
sault against the enemy in the Pacific.
Evening star., 1944-02-03
Maj. George Fielding Eliot

difficulties in selecting either of these
lines as the backbone of the new German
defensive front.
II the Germans elect to use the first
of these suggested lines of defense it
will mean that for the present at any
rate they are going to try to hold their
old central front In that case they will
certainly have to find means of i'm
proving their situation in the vicinity of
Vitebsk, they will have to reopen COM
municationS between Vitebsk and
Polotsk and they will have to do some
thing about their open flank south and
southwest of zhlobin, where the deep
Russian penetration to the old Polish
border has taken place and where the
capture of Mozyr has opened the way
Tor two-direction attack on Zhlobin
itself. All OF this Is so uncertain and
dangerous that it is very difficult to
escape the suggestion that the Germans
gradually are withdrawing men from the
central front fortresses and presently
may abandon them altogether.
In that case, the second line of de-
fense above mentioned would have to be
considered. It has this merit-that its
center, where its communications are
poorest, is covered by the Pripet Marshes,
making Russian attack in force diff
cult. But its connection with the south
ern front, though better than from
zhlobin, still is interrupted by the fact
that the Russians hold Sarny and good
many kilometers of railway north and
south of that town. This condition
would become still worse if the Russians
were to take Rovno and Shepetovka, to-
ward which towns (judging from the
latest German reports) the Russians
appear to be resuming their advance.
However, there are some indications
that the Germans gradually are getting
their troops out of the Dnieper Bend
area and are using these forces to in
crease their pressure east and northeast
OF Vinnitsa. The purpose of this move
seems to be not only to defend the vital
Odessa Railway, but to
compel a Russian withdrawal from the
weSternmost area of Russian penetra-
tion-the area Sarny-Rovno. If this
could be achieved, the whole German
situation on their central and southern
Evening star., 1944-02-03

fronts would become much more toler.
able.
However, it is doubtful whether the
Germans can find sufficient reserves for
the sustained effort necessary to achieve
such far-reaching results. Rather. the
likelihood appears to exist of continued
German Withdrawals in the north and
center so that the positions described
in this article may be merely successive
stages of a general retirement which
may, in the end, find the German left
flank clear back on the Gulf of Riga
and the right resting on the Dniester,
The troops saved on the left would be
used to bolster up the center and right.
Weighing all the difficulties and dangers
of trying to maintain a line anywhere
east of this, 1t does not seem possible
that the Germans for any extended
period of time can continue to take such
chances with possible disaster.
(copyright. 1914. N. Y. Tribune. Inc)
Evening star., 1944-02-03
Krieq Nicht Gut

Prom the London Sunday Chronicle.
We have news Of the German people.
Our men returning from prison camps
report that their camp guards and COM
mandants are muttering among them.
selves "Krieg NIGHT gut" "War not
good. For Germany the war is certainly
not good. The weekly propaganda blast
Of DR.. Goebbels is now becoming q
weekly dirge. -. Twenty-Five years ago
the German people were beaten in a
war. But they were not cured Of blood
thirst. 1t occurred to them that tho
way out of their defeat was another
war, and perhaps a victory. That must
not happen twice. Germany must
learn-and the lesson must be rammed
home relentlessly and for all time-that
what they have discovered about two
wars Is true of every war. Let each
one Of us make solemn resolution,
here and now, not to slacken in our
purpose by one iota till the German
pepole are convinced Of the irrevocable
truth Of their discovery. "Krieg NIGHT
gut"
Evening star., 1944-02-03
Success in the MurshuIIs

The news from the Marshalls con-
tinues very bright. Roi, site of the
biggest airfield in the islands, is now
ours. In addition, our Marine and
Army forces hold at least twelve
beachheads elsewhere on KWajalein
Atoll, all of which may be wrested
from the enemy in a matter of
hours. American casualties up to
the moment have been hearteningly
moderate and not single naval loss
has yet been reported.
After the experience at Tarawa,
where the japanese had been en-
trenched only since the start of the
war, it was expected that the Mar
shalls, which they had been fortify-
ing for years, would be an especially
hard nut to crack. But with our
success on KWajalein Atoll, it now
appears that we may clean up in
this strategically important area
much sooner than had been antici-
pated, originally, unless the enemy
storms out of Truk to engage us in
major sea and air battle. f. 1t is
doubtful that he will do so, however,
since the naval strength we have
invested in this undertaking is de-
scribed as the most powerful of it's
kind ever assembled.
In fact, according to Admiral
Nimitz, there are evidences that the
Japanese were taken completely by
surprise, not because they did not
expect us to strike but because they
did not expect us to strike just where
we did-at Kwajalein Atoll, in the
heart of the Marshalls. In doing
this, our forces boldly by-passed
such strong points as Wolfe, Malice
cap and Jaluit to the east and south
east. If we had not done that, If we
had smashed at them first instead
Of at Kwajalein, the story today
might have been different, but as it
is, with Kwajalein falling to us, these
other atolls are being cut of and
Evening star., 1944-02-03

pires, by its own promise, when we
reach Rome; l. e., there will be no
Italian government just when we will
need one most.
The De Gaulle movement has longer
lease on power, but we do not recog-
nize it as a government. So, after
years of explaining that we do some
of the strange things we do because
we simply must have governments with
which to deal, we find ourselves with
out such governments for either France
or Italy.
X
We have apologized for our deals with
some Of the dried sausages of European
politics by pointing out that we can
Evening star., 1944-02-03
A Soviet Federation?

The action of the Supreme Soviet
the Russian version of a parliament
conferring upon the sixteen individ-
ual republics within the Soviet Union
their own commissariats of national
defense and foreign affairs is poten-
TALLY a constitutional transforma-
ton of tremendous Importance. BY
this sweeping act. each political unit
is given the right to raise its own
army formations and to deal direct
ly with other countries. Theoreti-
cally, this could be interpreted as the
Russian equivalent of the Statute of
Westminster, which established a
British Commonwealth of Nations,
virtually sovereign entities legally
bound together only by common al
legiance to the Crown.
However, as matter of practical
politics, 1t is almost unthinkable
that the Soviet Union, which in
herited the centralized Empire Of
the Tsars and which has main
tanned Russian bureaucratic tradi-
tlonS in their authoritarian spirit,
should suddenly dissolve itself into
the loosest type of federation. What
seems more likely is that this is a
technical change adopted largely for
reasons of foreign policy.
The first advantage to be drawn
from the move is q further strength
ening of Soviet claims on the ter
ritories acquired on it's western bor-
der since 1889. Five of the sixteen
republics are none other than the
karelo-Finnish, Estonian, Latvian
Lithuanian and Moldavian, together
with former Polish territory incor-
porated into the White Russian Re-
public of prewar times. It is pre-
sumable that these. like the other
republics of the Soviet Union, will
promptly ask diplomatic recognition
by foreign countries. including the
United States, Great Britain and the
British dominions, none of which
has as yet recognized those terri
torial changes. This would put So
Wet Russian Allies in an embarras-
sing diplomatic dilemma and might
hasten the showdown which Mos
COW seems to desire.
IT diplomatic recognition is gen.
orally granted by foreign countries,
that would give the Soviet Union
bloc OF sixteen votes on all wartime
organizations of the United Nations
such as the Advisory Commissions
already functioning for the Euro
peaa area. This would be equally
true OF the peace conference and
postwar machinery. Lastly. it could
serve as a precedent for the entry
OF other countries in both Europe
and Asia into a Federation of Ma
tions wherein the attributes of SOW
ereignty were retained, at least in
theory, by the individual units. In
this connection 1t is to be remem-
bered that the original idea be-
hind the u. S. S. R. was that of a
union of Soviet Socialist Republics,
which, though initially limited to
the territory of the former Russian
Empire, should eventually cover the
globe with the final triumph of the
proletarian World Revolution. The
political evolution of the Soviet
Union during the past two decades
may turn out to be protean rather
than reversive in nature.
Evening star., 1944-02-03
Skaters

This is the picture
Hung tonight
In gilded frame,
For his brief delight:)
Marilyn skates on bounded square
Where frosted pipes do duty;
And many 5aded diner there
VIII enDy her youth and beauty:
The spotlight CLEANS on her Spangled
skirt,
On her hair like halo flying
rhythmic dream in silUer Uorld
Reality detying.
And the skates cut flakes OF siluer sno,u
That jail on the upturned faces
Like the cool, quick touch OF an elfn
hand,
Like the delicate flick of a fairy ,oand
Carrying each from hunldrun, land
To the hearts desired places.
fThis is the picture
He laid dtDdy
In the silDer frame
OF yesterday:)
Emily skates on a country pond
But youth and grace attend her;
The light that falls on the ,pintry scene
Is the moons o10n npatchless splendor.
Gayly the friendly voices call,
Bright is the bonfres faring;
But t,Oo glide on enchdntedly
The silDer pathway sharing.
And the skates cut flakes of silper Snow
To sail Uith the 1Dind's keen blo,ping;
The t1Do haze traced on the FURNISHED ice
Hearts ntert,Dined-age-old depice g.
on, the trost-bound iDorld seemed
Paradise
When the flame of loue ,Das olo,Dino.
B. Y. WILLIAMS.
Evening star., 1944-02-03
Gould Lincoln

for kind Of international world gov
ernment.
Former Gov. Stassen was one of the
first of the new crop of Republican
Governors who have helped enormously
to breathe new life into the Republican
party. He sponsored and put through
the State Legislature labor laws that
helped to turn Minnesota from labor
battlefield of first magnitude into one
OF the most peaceful States. While his
supporters insist he is not a vice presi-
Dental candidate, it is certain he would
add strength to any Republican ticket
that may be named
Minnesota, since Comdr. Stassen be.
came the dominant leader there. has
turned strongly Republican again. A
combination of Farmer-Laborites and
Democrats has been able to swing the
State to Roosevelt in the last three
presidential elections, however.
Plans to effectuate such a conbinat ton
in support of Roosevelt are now under
way, with the blessing Of the President.
This time it Is proposed to amalgamate
the Democrats and the Farmer-Labor-
ties in new party-the Democratic.
Farmer-Labor party.
Elmer Benson, former Farmer Labor
Governor, and Elmer Kelm, the Demo-
cratic State chairman, have been work.
ing on the plan. Vice President Wallace
Is to address mass meeting in Mime.
apolis February Il in the interest Of
such party. One difficulty lies in the
fact that the Farmer-Labor party is at
a low ebb, with right and left wings,
and many Of the rank and file already
are back In the Republican fold.
Evening star., 1944-02-03

button of religious literature, should
be bad, and State welfare legislation,
accomplishing a like purpose, in
herently good, is not clear, even
granting that it is difficult to estab-
lish the limitations which of neces-
sity bound religious freedom in an
ordered society.
Justice Jackson was joined in this
opinion by Justice Roberts and
Frankfurter.
AS Justice Roberts said in the
admiralty dissent, "the law may
grow to meet changing conditions, -
but If opinions have no flrmer
foundation than whim, then indeed,
"the administration of justice will
fall into disrepute."
Evening star., 1944-02-03

in the Navy; Gen. Douglas Macarthur.
leading the war against the Japanese in
the South Pacific; Gov. Earl Warren of
California and Representative Dirksen
of Illinois are by no means nonentities
in this race Particularly, Comdr. Stas-
sen and Gen. Macarthur are likely to
have delegates in the national conven-
tion from number of States.
Comdr. Stassen, for example, is al
ready entered in the Wisconsin and
Nebraska primaries for presidential
preference and for delegates to the
national convention. He will have a
solid Minnesota delegation. In Wiscon-
sin he will fight it out with Mr.. Willkie,
Gen. Macarthur and Gov Dewey, for
delegates pledged to all three will be
voted for in the primary on April 4, as
we'll as delegates pledged to Comdr.
Stassen This primary will give some
Evening star., 1944-02-03

isolated, and in the words of Admiral
Turner, I'VE can either take them or
let them wither on the vine."
Brilliant planning, overwhelming
concentration of sea and air power,
savage preliminary bombardment,
daring and imaginative tactics and
superbly trained and courageous
troops account for the success so far
achieved in the Marshalls. With a
little good luck added, this important
japanese territory-the first we have
invaded since Pearl Harbor-may be
firmly in our hands much sooner
than any one dared hope a few days
ago.
Evening star., 1944-02-03
Washington to Provide Housing ?


Being native Washingtonian, I
cannot sit back and let the bureaucrats,
who have succeeded in freezing" the
building industry for themselves, use
The Star or any other Washington paper
for their so-called "eulogy"
Referring to the column in your Sat-
urday paper concerning the Defense
Housing Corp. offering its holdings for
sale, I know that at the price they
must liquidate to save the Government
any loss an investor would receive about
l per cent on his investment These
properties are beginning to require up
keep, which somehow in Government
built projects is forgotten but to the
private investor it is very essential.
Within one mile of the Mclean
Gardens a year ago client of mine
completed housing unit with approxi-
mately 300 units at a cost of under 81 900
per unit. This is one-third the cost of
Mclean Gardens Our job was COM
pletely fireproof and Mclean Gardens
OF semif1reproof construction With this
same scale running throughout the
entire Government program you wonder
who is going to take the DHC or any
other such proposition over without
decided discount. predict that if these
properties ever go into private owner
ship the Government will pay some one
to take them.
What Washington needs is rest from
the bureaus. Washington can and will
provide all the necessary housing if the
bureaucrats will get out and let the
people Of Washington get busy. 1t has
not been done because the quota boys"
have prevented it. Remove this vital
war front from the priority experts, let
them remember there is real war on
for lives, not their jobs. Put them to
winning the war and We Of Washington
will provide the housing to care for
those who need housing, until by de-
grees we eliminate all substandard
housing. MATTHEW G. LEAPLEY.
Evening star., 1944-02-03

pr o b a b ility y, will
enter the Republican
National Convention
next une with
S m a Her blocs of
delegates than Will
kie, D e ey and
B ic ker. N e i r
chances lie mainly
in a convention
deadlocked over the
two or three leading
contenders.
Former Gov. Har-
old Stassen of Min
nesota, now a lieu
tenant commander
Evening star., 1944-02-03
Wilson Remembered

When Woodrow Wilson died
February 3, 1924, there undoubtedly
were many of his contemporaries
who sincerely believed that he was
destined to disappear from the pic
ture OF American life as other men
important in their own time had
disappeared. Now, however, after
twenty years it is apparent to even
the most casual observer that he
grows rather than diminishes in his
influence upon the thought of the
citizens of his country as the days
pass.
President Charles Seymour of
Yale, writing for the Dictionary of
American Biography, appraises his
enduring and increasing significance
in these words:
His plea for international security
was driven home to the hearts
OF the people by the tragic lessons
OF the World War. 1t was Wilson
= who, by his qualities and not
merely because of his Office, capital
lied the opportunity and wakened
the world to great vision. 50" Just
as it is certain that the nations will
pursue the hope of establishing an
international organization for the
guarantee of peace, so it is certain
that Wilson will remain historically
the eminent prophet of that better
world.
Let it be conceded that different
individuals favor different methods
OF procedure, it still is the common
objective and purpose of civilized
society to want the earth freed from
lawless violence. No other national
leader has better expressed the gen.
eral hope of mankind. Recent
events serve but to give added force
and power to Wilson's appeal. The
endeavor may fail, but the aspira-
ton will survive and with it the
name Of its devoted advocate.
Evening star., 1944-02-03

carefully planned that it is expected
without exaggerated optimism that the
10000 or $4,000 Japs holding the islands
will be liquidated. We have established
some beachheads. But henceforth the
operation by no means will be easy.
Admiral Spruance, who has the over
all command Of the naval, ground and
air forces, knows from his experiences
at Tarawa that the japanese fortifica-
tions must be razed before the ground
attack can be launched, and this time
he is doing thorough job. No longer
is he relying principally on aviation
Land and carrier planes, together with
the terrific pounding power of naval
guns, from the big 16-inch guns to the
smaller and inch cruiser and de-
stroyer guns, have all been brought into
play.
X X
L.. i ,~@.
Evening star., 1944-02-03
Letters to The Star
Wants War.Makers Assured
OF Death Penalty
20 the Editor of The Star:

To the Editor Of The Star:
Twenty-Five years ago we fought a
war ito end all wars" and ITO make
the world safe for democracy" With
out accomplishing either purpose, we
left the gate wide open for this war
by allowing the enemy to re-arm as
never before.
II wars could be won by slogans, this
one is now in the bag. Consider: That
Better World of Tomorrow" Tariff and
Trade Reciprocity" GOOD Neighbor
Policy" Winning the War and the
Peace" '"The Four Freedoms" ms"-which
latter, if and when attained, would bring
the millennium, indeed.
When are the nations chose that
don't make war a business) going to
learn that war is the most practical
and pragmatic of all things?
Study Of the casualty lists of World
Wars Nos. and 2, of the toll taken
Of the youths of every land, of its trail
Of blood, misery, desolation and sorrow,
should teach us something of what war
really is. But, what have we really
learned from the two most devastating
wars of history, and what are we doing
to prevent another?
Well, presumably, we are not again
going to allow Germany to re-arm,
though public opinion as to just what
postwar disposition should be made of
this habitual aggressor still seems di-
vided.
Judged by actions (resolutions adopted
by both the House and the Senate and
the platforms promulgated by the At
lantic Charter and Moscow conference),
1t seems to be the present consensus
Of the Allies that postwar interna-
tional police force will be required to
preserve peace. In this connection, may
I suggest just one more thing that I
think should be done?
While in most jurisdictions of the
civilized world the penalty for murder
ing one man, or conspiring to do so, is
death, the mass murderers of millions
Of their kind-Napoleon, the Kaiser,
Mussolini-so far have lived out their
days in peace.
My proposal is: There should be es-
tablished as soon as may be, an inter-
national criminal code, the first pro-
vision Of which should be mandatory
sentence Of death for any one who
starts war Except, of course, In de-
fense) or who, having power or au-
thority to prevent it, did not do so.
Personal responsibility, with retribution
sure, is wonderful deterrent.
WILBUR H. CLOSE
Evening star., 1944-02-03

Japanese. new anu
old b a t tie ships,
cruis ers, carriers,
destroyers and SUBJ
marines are all
smothering with a
hail of steel the
pi ked Japanese
marines and in
fantrymen who have
been awaiting our
attack for several
weeks.
The oper a tion
against the archi-
pelago has been SO
we'll conceived and
Evening star., 1944-02-03

to Narva, only Is
miles distant. At
Narva the north
south Narva-Pskov-
Polotsk railway has
it's mort h er n ter
minus. 1t is upon
this line that the
Germans must de-
pend If they are to
maintain their de-
fensive position o n S
anywhere east of
Lake Peipus. Should
Narva be lost, the
Germans probably
would have to letire