davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1945-04-10
Echo of War With Spain

To the Eotor Of The Star:
Your recent editorial, mo Color Line"
in which you mention the preparation
to send some $500 Negro rifemen into
combat with white troops as an 'ex-
pertinent which will be watched with
greatest interest" shows how short is
the memory of some in this country.
In every ma ior war in which this
Nation has been engaged Negroes have
fought shoulder to shoulder with white
tinguished themselves. The undersigned
fought as member of the 10Th Cavalry
in Cuba in 1898 when it vas brigaded
with the lst Regular Cavalry and the
the name this Negro regiment won for
itself undoubtedly still is remembered
by some, at least. The regiment, 1t is
true, was commanded by white officers;
but since the Spanish-American War
has the name of being an enlisted
mans war" I trust the success of the
regiment may not be ascribed wholly
to the old theory that Negroes make
good soldiers only If led by white off,
GERS"
1t was not until World War I that
the notion that Negroes could not be
allowed to fight alongside whites in the
American Army became prevalent.
PRESLY HOLIDAY.
Evening star., 1945-04-10
The Political Mill
Br Gould Lincoln

agreement with Japan has tended to
ease materially the tension In this
country over the San Francisco Confer
ence and relations with the Russians.
While officials of the Government have
continued to insist that all would be we'll
at San Francisco and that Russia would
do her full part in the creation Of the
proposed international organization for
the maintenance of peace in the future,
there was certain measure of unrest
Public opinion in this country had been
aroused by frequent criticisms that this
Government had yielded again and
again to Russian demands. The pros
poets now are for better atmosphere
when the conference convenes.
x*
One thing is clear. however. The en-
phasis in the new international organ
ization has shifted from the use OF force
to maintain peace to the adjustment of
international difficulties through peace
full means When the Big Three agreed
to the voting formula for the proposed
Security Council whereby any one Of
the permanent members will have the
power to veto the use of force, in cases
in which that power is itself involved,
the shift already had occurred. This is
a disappointment to Americans who had
come to the conclusion that force must
he used against any possible aggressor.
At the same time. it was a solace to
those in this country who looked with
suspicion on any setup which might
vote to use force against the United
States Obviously no powerful nation
will vote the use of force against itself
and it is only the powerful nations that
are in a position to become aggressors
in big way.
No one knows for certain what fur
ther agreements may have been reached
There is a suspicion. however. that ulti-
matelv it may turn out Russia is to
have Manchuria. This is not matter
with which the San Francisco Confer
ence will deal-since its job is only to
set up machinery whereby peace may be
maintained in the future. The problems
of peace settlements, however keep in
truding themselves more and more and
may have their influence on what is
done at the coming conference. 1t is
clear, at the present time, however, that
this country and the other United Ma
tions are intent upon bringing forth a
treaty at San Francisco to which they
may all subscribe.
Evening star., 1945-04-10

agriculturally not self-sufficient in
certain food items. especially meat
and fats. On the average, Germany's
soil is not especially fertile. while
summers tend to be cold and rainy.
German agriculture is dependent
on fertilizers on a lavish scale. Nj
trates have been obtained from the
air under the Haber process, but
phosphates have to be entirely i'm
ported, while native potash deposits
are insufficient. All fertilizers have
been diverted to the war effort. so
the soil has been mined" during
the war years and has therefore de-
clined in productivity. German live
stock normally depends in part on
important feeds such as oil cake and
soya beans. 1t, too, has been depict
ed during the war. When the war
ends, the liberated countries, robbed
and starved by the German con-
querorS. will have first call on ship
ping insufficient even for their needs.
Thus. at best, the German peo-
pie will have hard enough time Of
it keeping the wolf from the door.
If they deliberately neglect their
farms and herds, they will have
only themselves to blame if a gen.
eral famine ensues They can Ger
tainly expect neither sympathy nor
assistance from a world outraged
and half ruined by German aggres-
sion and ruthleSSneSS.
Evening star., 1945-04-10
Letters to The Star
Senator Guffey's Gratuity Plan
Is Criticized by Veteran

To the Editor of The Star:
In recent Overseas Edition Of The
Star was attracted by Senator Guf-
fey's proposal to award each member
of the armed forces a years base pay
on his discharge.
While this gesture is one I am sure
every returning veteran will accept III
it becomes a law, I seriously doubt
whether a majority would like to see
such legislation enacted. The fellows
I have spoken to in this battalion have
been in the service over 3 years with
q months overseas and, when con-
fronted with the issue in question, they
felt that the present benefits now avail
able are sufficient to meet their wants
on their return to civilian life. Surely,
this is not to be taken too lightly, for
the primary interest OF every service
man is, first, to return to his home and,
second, to be able TO obtain employ
ment.
Legislation such as has been proposed
does not assure the returning service
man the prewar job he had before
entering the service, and there is no
guarantee that postwar employment will
continue on the present wartime basis.
Many of these men gave up respon-
sible positions to answer the call and
are expecting to find similar conditions
when they return. These men are not
Interested in charity nor Government
coles but desire assurance from their
Government that postwar planning has
the availabilities and places for them
Also there must be opportunities to
enter into business of their own choos-
ing reserved with rights to compete
and right to earn to live. Although
Senator Guffey's proposal is in an
early state it should never be permitted
to 60 beyond this period. 1t does not
offer what the veterans are expecting,
but rather an increase of the present
deficit of our Government which Is
bound to be followed by an inf1ationary
period. creating an unnecessary bur-
den for the returning veterans, pro-
viding no adequate social needs but
tends 70 give to those who need it less;
anu tne grave injustice ol IL SH Is tndC
it. would not be in conformity within
the need but fixed on the serviceman's
rate of pay upon his discharge, which
is wholly unsound.
MY status is that Of a nonvoter but
believe that my views should be heard
and, when the time comes would like
to do my snare to help America play
role in planning and organizing a
better world to live in.
FRANK LOUIS CORRADO.
Evening star., 1945-04-10
German Resistance
BY Maj. George Fielding Eliot

BStuIbx LI"f
terms of the Allied advance. is that our
advanced supply depots can be pushed
forward about 100 miles east of the
Rhine possibly to Bielefeld and Osna-
bruck. Immediately. Both these points
are served by double-lraCk railways
from Wesel. A further advance to Mn
den may be possible in the immediate
future, putting our advance bases on
the Weser From these depots Berlin
Hamburg and Kiel are within operating
radius.
1t should. OF course, be kept in mind
that both the 21st and 18th Army
groups now have double missions. Each
has a trapped German army in its
rear which has to be cleaned up while
the advance to the east is maintained.
This is a diversion of Allied strength,
but 1t is a diversion that loses its
significance in view of the dlsintegration
of German resistance to the eastward
drive.
Farther south. however. German re-
sistance appears TO be stronger. On the
Sd Army front. the Germans are fight
ing-and even counterattacking--i the
approaches to the Harz Mountains,
where it may be that the German high
command hopes to establish rocket
of resistance that will flank both Hodges
and Simpsons road to Brunswick and
Magdeburg. and Patton's road to Leip-
zig. But it is hard to see how the
Germans can hope to prevent this
position being itself outflanked by the
powerful American drive to the r.orth.
and once Magdeburg is reached, our
armor can swing south through oren
country to Leipzig to encircle any Ger
mans who still remain IN The iiarz
Mountain area.
On the whole. the prospects are bright
for a fairly rapid occupation of all
Northern Germany except for the
pockets of resistance which may hold
out here and there for a little while.
The statement made in this column
on February l6, that the prolonged
defense of the North German plain had
become military impossibility. is being
fully borne out by the events of this
first week of April. Whether or not
the Germans choose to make house
toulouse defense of Berlin is no longer
Of any military Importance. Their other
local defense measures will be little
UlOIG lIldIl IulSdIleS, W bC 0Cdil NltIl
as opportunity offers.
But all this does not mean TIE end
of the German war More and more
important, as the defense of the north
collapses. becomes the so-called Opera
ton Goetterdammerung" the last des-
perate, fanatical stand in the mountains
and forests of the south. How strong
will this army of final defense be?
How large an area can it hold' How
much does it have stored up in the
way of weapons and supplies? And
can its prepara tions be broken up to
any considerable degree by the Allied
thrusts?
On these questions, and not on the
fate of Berlin. hangs now the answer
to the greatest question of all: When
will the German war be at an end?
tCopyrRht, 1a45)
Evening star., 1945-04-10
Urges Three Local Gains

Urges Three Local Gains
To the Editor Of The Star:
In your editorial in The Sunday Star
regarding the proposals to relieve Con-
gress of burdens of local legislation
for the District. you state: will Con-
gress assign to some agency other than
Congress the levying Of local taxes and
their expenditure? Nobody is seri-
ously proposing it,
Whatever may be ones opinion as
to what Congress will do in the i'm
mediate future or later, 1t is cer-
tainly erroneous to say that nobody
is seriously proposing local control over
local finances. While I do not know
of any bill so far introduced in the
present Congress that would provide
for it, there have been such bills in
the past, and I feel sure there are
some present members of Congress who
have previously been on record as favor
ing local fiscal autonomy in a very
substantial form.
Certainly the local citizens who have
been working for local suffrage have
quite generally contemplated that a
locally elected council or assembly
should have power to pass local tax
ordinances and appropriations, as part
of the original District charter if pos
sible, or as something to be worked
for later in case something less must
be accepted as a starter. This power
is such virtually universal part of
American municipal practice elsewhere
that I should assume that most of
the 82,977 local residents who voted in
favor of local suffrage in the referen-
dunn held seven years ago this month
thought of it as a natural part of what
they were voting "yes" upon. History
shows that Congress thought that was
the natural arrangement to have In
the District for over 70 years, and
changed its mind only when the local
governmental spending was dominated
by federally appointed District officers
who had become overzealous in de-
veloping the Capital.
District representation in Congress Is
important to give Washingtonians the
same sort of a share in controlling ma
IlOIldl GdhCo diAu dPPA AoCAoAAo HAAoo
other Americans have, and also SIM
liar share in that overall authority in
the Nations Capital which Congress
must constitutionally retain. There is
no need, however, for Congress to re-
tain its present detailed control over
what Washingtonians pay to their local
government and how that money is
spent. Taxation without representation
would not really be cured if distinctively
local taxes were voted by body in
which the people primarily concerned
were represented by less than per cent
of the voting power. doubt If the resi-
dents of Richmond or Annapolis would
be satisfied to have their local finances
fully dictated by the State Legislature
which meets In their midst merely be-
cause they are represented In 1t pro-
Evening star., 1945-04-10
Vicious Chatter

Some of the radio commentators
are waging sort of campaign
against what they call the "pamper-
ing of German prisoners of war
in this country. The stories from
Germany, with photographs, of the
neglect of our own captured soldiers
furnish contrast which lends color
full emphasis to such charges.
There are many allegations but
little evidence of pampering German
prisoners. The War Department is
making point of living up to the
letter of the Geneva Conventions,
which cover such matters. They do
so, first, as matter of national
honor. They do so. in the second
place. because of the very obvious
possibility that the Nazis are capab BILE
OF some act of alleged retaliation
against our men, based on the finn
siest OF pretexts-such, for instance.
as the radio broadcasts themselves,
which could be twisted to mean any
thing.
Most level headed Americans would
be willing to pamper German pris-
oners and feed them on the fat of
the land, to the temporary incon-
venience of our own civilians, If it
meant even a slim chance that our
soldiers who are prisoners Of war
would come to no harm. The foolish
chatter about pampering German
prisoners of war is vicious and it
ought to be stopped.
Evening star., 1945-04-10
PIow or Sturve

Ever since the smashing of Ger
many's western border defenses and
the crossing of the Rhine into the
heart of the Reich, General Eisen-
hover, in his capacity as supreme
commander of the Allied forces, has
been issuing a series of warnings
to the German people advising them
to stop hopeless resistance and
pointing out the terrible conse-
quences which persistence in this
suicidal stubbornness will entail.
The latest of these grim but salu-
tary admonitions is broadcast ad-
dressed especially to German farm
ers, telling them to get on with their
spring plowing and planting, besides
outstanding their existing food re-
serves. If they want to avert whole
sale famine, because Germany must
rely on her own food resources to
forestall starvation after the hos
tilities. =. If you disobey these in
structions, nothing which either you
or the Allies can do will prevent
catastrophe in Germany this year"
General Eisenhower then follows
this general warning with an item
lied list of "musts" First and fore
most. German farmers are told to
get busy with their usual duties,
using the labor of evacuated compa-
triots to replace the "slave labor" of
impressed foreigners who are in proc
ess of being liberated by Allied arms.
Farmers are then told to avoid
Volkssturm service, deserting If need
be to return to their lands. They
are likewise hidden to resist, even by
force. removal of local food stocks
by Nazi authorities. together with
the slaughter of livestock under a
"scorched earth" policy decreed from
Berlin. Eisenhower's proclamation
ends with this explanatory warning:
Remember For years Germany
has relied on plundered food from
the occupied territories. Relying
on this plundered food, she has
modified her land workers for the
army and failed to feed herself. This
year, Germany must depend on her
own food resources"
The urgency Of Germany's food
problem becomes clear when 1t Is
realized that, even under normal
peacetime conditions, the Reich Is
Evening star., 1945-04-10
The Finest
From the London Daily Telegraph and Mornin

From the London Daily Telegraph and Morning
Post.
If success is the test, there can be no
disputing Sir James Griggs claim that
our Army is equipped today 'as no
British Army has ever been equipped
before" He quoted some observations
of Field Marshal Montgomery about
the superiority of our tanks over those
of the enemy, which will convince every
body except, perhaps. one or two critics
who are impervious to persuasion how
ever authoritative the evidence against
them When the field marshal says
that if Rundstedt had been equipped
with British tanks on December 16 he
would have reached the Meuse in So
hours. and that if the 21st Army Group
had been equipped with German tanks
they could not have crossed the Seine
when they did, that must close the
argument for all reasonable people.
Whether it be in equipment or in train
ing, or in spirit no finer army ever
battled in better cause than the
British Army today.
Evening star., 1945-04-10
Not Ununticiputed'

There is no reason to doubt the
official japanese news agency when
it says that Russia's denunciatio OF
the Moscow-Tokyo neutrality pact
was not unanticipated" There had
been numerous forewarning signs,
the first of them being Marshal
Stalins blunt declaration last No
vember that Japan was an "aggres
sive" nation-a declaration that sent
a nervous spasm through the now
departed Koiso government.
Before then the Soviet Union had
carefully refrained from any gesture
likely to associate it openly with
Allied activity bearing upon the Far
Eastern theater of war, but from the
moment Marshal Stain made his
celebrated remark, the Russians be-
gan to indicate quite clearly that
their aloofness in this respect had
become thing of the past The
japanese certainly were not blind to
this, and they grew particularly con-
scious of it when Russia, after the
Crimea Conference. joined China as
a coSponSor of the forthcoming San
Francisco Conference.
Nor could the japanese have over
looked the fact that at the State
Department, just few days before
the treaty denunciation, Soviet Am
baSsador Gromyko and Chinese
Ambassador Wei had their pictures
taken side by side during a special
meeting with Secretary Stettinius
and British Ambassador Halifax.
This was the first open Russian
association with China in the war,
and apart from its possible implica-
tions as an indication of improving
relations between Chungking and
the Yenan Communists, it must have
have struck Tokyo as another bad
omen for the future.
And now that the Russians have
made clear that the days of neu-
trality are numbered, the japanese
unquestionably are expecting that
much more is going to happen. A
complete break in diplomatic rela-
Evening star., 1945-04-10

tions, for instance. is not "unantici-
pated" in Tokyo; nor is 1t "unantici-
pated" that the Moscow Tokyo pact
may not live out the year of life
technically remaining to it; nor is
war with the Soviet Union "unantic-
ipated," nor are any number of other
unpleasant possibilities "unantici-
pated." The only thing not antici-
pated in Japan these days is good
news, Never has a nation had a
bleaker outlook.
Evening star., 1945-04-10

Denunciation of the Russo Japanese
neutrality agreement by the Soviet gov
ernment has materially enhanced the
chances Of an earlier termination of the
war against Japan and at the same
time has improved the situation for the
United Nations Conference in San Fran
cisco two weeks hence. This action on
the part of Russia was expected. How
ever, it came with certain suddenness
and helped to clear the atmosphere. 1t
may or may not be precursor OF Rus
sia's entry into the war against Japan
but whether that step is ever taken or
not, the denunciation OF the neutrality
agreement has necessarily had the ef-
feet of increasing the pressure on ia
pan.
The upset of the Koiso government
in Japan and the designation OF Admiral
kantaro Suzuki to become Premier,
added to the new development between
Russia and Japan has stirred wide
spread discussion of the possibilities Of
peace in the Pacific-through ultimate
capitulation by Japan. The japanese
are increasingly aware Of the probabili-
ties of ultimate defeat-in fact, with the
collapse of Germany just around the
corner the ability of the Japanese to
make long war has diminished greatly.
Suzuki is regarded here not only as a
moderate, but also as inimical to the
military group which has dominated in
Japan. He escaped with a wound sew
eral years ago when fanatical militarists
made on attack on high officials Of the
japanese government, several Of whom
were aSsaSSinated.
Il
What terms might be sought by Ja-
pan. if she puts out plea for peace can
only be estimated. 1t is certain, how
ever, that this country and Britain, and
the other United Nations, will insist on
the complete demilitariZation of Japan
whenever and however hostilities with
Japan end The rapid defeats which
the japanese naval and military forces
have met in recent months, and the
fact that American naval and air forces
have been able to dominate those ave-
nues OF attack. and that the Army. un-
der Gen. Macarthur, has been able to
capitalize on this advantage, have
changed the situation vastly. Nor are
the Japanese unmindful of this changed
situation.
The denunciation Of the neutrality
Evening star., 1945-04-10
This and That
By Charles E. TrdceueV

Dear Sir:
You have never failed heretofore to
nave tie answer to any archaeological
question l have asked YOU but I think
l nave you Stumped this time.
AS | have remarked before, the bird
chorus out my way is as varied and
gorgeous AS any to be found anywhere,
the leaders being cardinals and mock
lngblros. Last Monday night or rather
Tuesday morning 1 was awakened by
the first reveille call that a cardinal
generally gives. and then subsidies into
silence about an hour before sunrise,
When the real chorus starts
Il jumped out of bed and started
dressing, so I could be on time with
my gardening. AS I stepped out of nv
room. 1 glanced at the clock, and saw
1t was 2:30 am, and incidentally,
cardinal and mockingbird were having
duet, or 1t might have been a choral
duel that would have knocked your
ear off
They kept it up until the sun did
rise, about o'clock or thereabouts.
know because l couldn't get back to
sleep.
The moon was particularly brilliant,
as you will recall. on Monday night.
What l want to know is, did these
birds think it was daylight?
"Querulously yours, J. P. "
No, birds do not think moonlight is
daylight.
They have more sense than that
They simply respond to increased
light, to sing softly.
With quiet otherwise reigning, their
singing may seem loud on such night,
but If some sort of measuring instru-
ment could be used, the volume of song
would be found to be about half that
Of daylight hours.
Many species sing at night including,
OF course, the famous mockingbird
Often smaller species spend most of
the night chirping softly
Most night singing is done under the
light of the moon.
Moonlight sometimes is intense
enough to permit any one with good
eyesight-and plenty of vitamin in
the systemic read by it,
This means that there is a certain
amount of real candlepower, as we call
it, to moonlight.
1t is no wonder that it inspires the
birds to song, when 1t is particularly
brilliant
Moonlight is supposed to be the pecu-
liar light of lovers, and also of madness
Birds were the first great lovers In
many species, two birds mate for life,
and never vary in their love.
They are famous for the care they
take of their babies. 1t is no unusual
thing among the birds for a mother to
give her own life for the nestlings
Often both mother and father are
worn to frazzle, as the old country
saying has it, carrying food to the young.
1t may be realized that birds singing
at night DO not think 1t is daylight
by the fact that they do not fly around.
If they thought it daylight, they would
fly from tree to tree, just as they do in
daytime. They do not. They simply
stay where they are. but instead of
sleeping they sing softly.
Light is one of the great facts in their
lives. They cannot help respond to it.
No human, perhaps except few gifted
souls. can realize what light means to
bird. 1t should mean the same to US,
were we wise.