davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1946-05-25

mass picketing and violence It is pos
slble to legislate the compelling of
unions to be federally Incorporated
which would be a long step toward
placing responsibility upon them
furthermore, there is responsibility
to the public which it is high time was
forced upon irresponsible labor leaders
and their followers. Strikes, or work
stoppageS Of any kind. which endanger
public health are different from strikes
or work stoppages in ordinary indus
trial concerns.
II was thought for long time that
the country was safe from strikes on
the railroads. due to the Railway Labor
Act. But a couple of railroad labor
leaders have disproved that. Something
more is necessary if the country is to
be safe from that kind of work stoppage
1t is up to Congress and the President
to provide it. 1t was suggested-indeed
provlded-in bill which was introduced
last year by Senators Ball of Minnesota
Burton of Ohio now member of the
Supreme Court and Hatch of New
Mexico. Their remedy was compulsory
arbitration in strikes which affected
vitally the public interests.
y
For years the administration in
Washington, and the Senate of the
United States, have blocked labor leg
lslation of any kind, except that which
gave greater privilege to organized la
Dor. The House of Representatives,
on number of occasions, passed labor
bills which were frowned on by the
administration and pigeonholed in Sen
ate committees. The sole exception was
the Smith-Connally Act. passed during
the war to legalize the seizure of plants
during the war.
The labor VOTE" needed to keep the
Roosevelt administration in Office and
more recently to perpetuate the Tru-
man administration when l948 rolls
around, was the great deterrent. There
was no lack of legislation to coerce in
dustry and management-bu their
votes are few. Some of the coercion
was needed and justified in the man.
agement field. But that is no reason
Why there should not be legislation de-
lining unfair labor practices by labor
unions as we'll as by management.
Congress and the President are both
on notice now. 1t remains to be seen
what, If anything, they will do.
Evening star., 1946-05-25

whether they had not been deceived by
her reports from America and Britain.
While it is matter of indifference
what other peoples believe about the
economic and social developments in
this country, there is no doubt that the
strikes now paralyzing the Nation will
have a telling effect on Moscows politi-
cal and diplomatic strategists.
Some American officials know from
close investigation of the activities of
Soviet informers in this country that
Moscow is being told that we are putting
up a big bluff which must be disre-
garded since we could no longer back
our words with action.
The disintegration of the armed forces
is being reported in detail to the Krem-
lin. But what is even more important
than the drastic cutting down of our
national defense mechanism is the So
cial strife which the Soviet agents have
been predicting since VI day
The political strategists in Russia
know that in free country economic
strife resulting in strikes is inevitable
In the U. S. S. r. and the other coun-
tries in her orbit the working men are
merely cogs in the great state machinery
and any attempt to fight for improved
conditions is punishable either by death
or long stay in distant concentration
camps.
Hence. the Soviet agents cautioned
their superiors not to exaggerate the
Importance of the American strikes un-
less they threatened to paralyze the
economic life of the country.
This is happening now. The railroad
and the coal mine strikes are dramatic
but not fatal. They are bound to be
settled without leaving too deep wound
on our economic potential and no scar
on the social structure of this country.
But in the meantime its effect on
world peace is bound to be serious. The
men in the Kremlin who have little
knowledge Of the real psychology of
free men will interpret these strikes and
others which are in the offing as a
definite sign of degeneracy of the Amer
ican democracy. 1t is probable that
what is happening today in this country
will have material effect on the So
Wet way of thinking regarding the set
tlement of the war by just peace treaties
within the next four months.
Evening star., 1946-05-25
The Political Mill
By Gould Lincoln

Appeasenent does not pay-any more
than the payment of blackmail. The
Truman dministration-which is today
the Government of the United States
has for weeks been engaged in the ap-
peasement of labor unions and their
leaders. more particularly in the cases
of the United Mine Workers and of two
Of the railroad brotherhoods. The
policy has not paid.
President Truman inherited an i'm
possible situation from his predecessor,
the late President Franklin D. Roose-
welt, due in large part to the lopsided
labor laws, which coerce management
and exempt labor unions from any re-
straint. Mr.. Truman, instead of calling
on Congress for remedial legislation,
made promises to the unions.
The climax came when, despite the
fact that the Federal Government had
taken over the railroads to operate un-
til the disputes between the unions and
the arrangements could be ironed out.
the trainmen and locomotive engineer
brotherhoods went out on strike. This
strike was against the welfare of the
whole country-140,000,0 900 people-con-
Quoted by 250,0oO members of the two
brotherhoods. This strike was against
the Government. Under the Smith
Connally Act, leaders in such a strike
can be imprisoned and fined.
Mr.. Trumans abandonment OF ap-
peasement tactics, which was finally
forced upon him, came too late to save
millions of Americans from inconven-
ience and hardship.
Failure to make use of the punitive
provisions Of the Smith Connally Act
!. Immediately. or to announce they would
be invoked against recalcitrant labor
leaders. left the country wondering
whether there was in reality a Govern
ment of the United States, or whether
power had passed to the labor unions.
That the country should have had to
wonder about such thing for at least
"a hours was not encouraging.
1t is trite saying that you cannot
legislate strikes out of existence.
No one in his senses believes 1t can
be done in free country It is per-
fectly possible, however. to legislate re-
sponsibility onto labor unions: to make
them responsible for the maintenance
of contracts into which they have en-
tered, to make them responsible for
Evening star., 1946-05-25
This Changing World
By Constantine Bro,vn

The wave of strikes in the United
States is expected to have far-reaching
effects on the international stage, where
for the first time since the war Ameri-
can leadership has attempted to assert
itself.
The world today is in a latent state
of war caused by the struggle between
political, economic and social totali-
tarianism, as advocated by Russia, and
individual freedom, represented by
western democracies headed by the
United States.
working in the open and have no con-
spiratorial tinges, our representatives do
not need to use propaganda to prove
their point of view.
Communism, another form of totali-
tarianism, is attempting to undermine
the western system by proving it in
effective, antiquated and unworkable
All this is being done by open and un-
derground propaganda. The western
liberalism tends to avoid class warfare
and prides itself in giving an equal
chance to all nations.
This fundamental struggle comes out
in somewhat blurred form at interna-
tional conferences, such as recently
failed in Paris, or in behind the scenes
political moves, in which the advocates
of neototalitarianism have large armies
and air forces as paramount argument.
y X
The Paris conference has been con-
sidered success by the American dele
gates because, for the first time since
the war, the determined attitude of the
western democracies to play fair and
bring about peace in accordance with
principles of justice has given the Mos
cow leaders serious food for thought. :.
The Russians adamant stand on all
matters presented to the Council of the
Big Four was based on the fact that they
were convinced that the western ma
tions were weakened by the war and by
mixed ideologies which seeped into some
sections of their countries. They felt
the westerners could make no real eff
fort to prevent the onward march of the
U. S. S. R. and all she stands for. The
determination shown by Secretary of
State Byrnes and his colleagues is said
to have made the Russians wonder
Evening star., 1946-05-25

The first of these is that the pre-
dominantly Communist character of
that government has made many
Poles wary of returning home, and
the second is that large elements
among them feel that they will fare
better economically if they can settle
in Britain or some other western
country. Meanwhile, those who have
made up their minds not to go back
have no country that they can really
call their own. It is a situation po-
tentially as tragic as it is difficult,
and although the British are taking
concrete steps to cope with it the
responsibility to act is not theirs
alone. The United States, too, has
an obligation to do whatever it can
to help.
Evening star., 1946-05-25
No Cause for Panic

Washington and it's suburbs were
treated yesterday to forceful OBJ
ject lesson in how not to behave
during the current strike crisis. AS
a result of rumorS, of undetermined
origin, that the Government was
about to freeze" gasoline stocks in
the District thousands of motorists
began f1ocking to gas stations during
the late afternoon, intent on filling
tanks before arrival of the dead
line"-variouSly reported as three or
four o'clock that afternoon. The
rumors spread, as all rumors do, and
1t was hours before service station
attendants were able to convince
the public that there was no truth
to the reports and thus end the
run"
The truth of the matter is that
there was and is plenty of gasoline
in Washington for all normal pur-
poses and that this supply is ex-
pected to continue indefinitely
because nearly all of our gasoline
and oil is delivered here, not by rail-
road tank cars, but by water trans
portation pipeline and truck. What
is true with respect to the supply of
gasoline is true, by and large. with
the city'S stocks of essential foods,
from milk to staples in general. AS
the Commissioners stressed in their
proclamation of yesterday, there is
an ample supply of food on hand
in Washington's food warehouses
for some weeks to come, even if there
should be no further deliveries by
train. And these supplies will be
augmented by truck and water con-
signments. Much of our milk, poul-
try and eggs are trucked into the
District as a normal practice, any
way.
The only real peril in the imme-
diate situation is that panicky
housewives and others, thought
lessly responding to such baseless
and dangerous rumors as those
which swept the city yesterday, may
engage in wave of senseless, selfish
buying and boarding, to the detri-
ment of their neighbors and the
community as a whole. Think twice
before giving heed to sensational
renorts and whiSnered runorS This
Is no time for hySteria.
Evening star., 1946-05-25
Polish Repatriation

The Poles who fought against Hit
ler under Anglo-American command
are still showing a marked disincli-
nation to return to Poland. Two
months ago British Foreign Secre-
tary Ernest Bevin urged them to
take advantage of the Warsaw gov
ernment's repatriation plan. but
though the plan offers them special
cash inducements and political guar
antees only relatively small per-
centage of them have elected to go
back-fewer than 1000 out of an
estimated total of 100000.
Accordingly, in another effort to
speed up solution to this peculiarly
difficult problem, the British have
just announced that all Polish armed
forces under their command in the
United Kingdom. Germany and
Italy will be demobilized as speedily
as possible and reorganized into a
ReSettlement Corps. As explained by
Mr.. Bevin, the first phase of this
program will involve the return of
General Anders' troops from Italy to
Britain-a step designed in part to
allay Russian suspicious that these
Poles, who are frankly anti-Soviet,
have been kept under arms for some
ulterior British motives.
The basic purpose of the Resettle-
ment Corps, according to Mr.. Bevin,
will be to train the demobilized
Polish soldiers for all kinds of civil
ian work. He still hopes that large
numbers of them will return to
Poland once they are trained. As
for letting them become naturalized
British citizens-a step once sug-
gested by Winston Churchill-his
view is that Britain cannot make
commitment on the matter until it
has some idea of how many of them
would have to be taken in under
such a plan. On this point his state
ment to the House of Commons
makes clear that he feels other coun-
tries as well as the United Kingdom
should be willing to open their doors.
Two factors probably account for
the failure of the Polish govern
ment's repatriation plan up to now.
Evening star., 1946-05-25
Letters to The Star
Recalls Pledge To Franco
Given in 1912
Given in 1874.

To the Editor of The Star:
What has happened to the leaders of
these United States? Can any small
nation trust the pledged word of the
United States? Today millions of
people all over the world are asking
themselves that simple question. Par
ticularly the people of Spain. In their
minds still fingers the letter of assur-
ance sent by President Roosevelt to
Generalissimo Franco in November,
1912, in which our President said: 1T
is because your nation and mine are
friends in the best sense of the word,
and because you and I are sincerely
desirous of the continuation of that
friendship for our mutual good, that
want to tell you of the compelling
reasons that have forced me to send a
powerful military force to North Africa.
I hope you will accept my full assurance
that these moves are in no shape, man
ner or form directed against the gov
ernment or people of Spain I believe
the Spanish government and the Span
ish people wish to maintain neutrality
and to remain outside the war Spain
has nothing to fear from the United
Nations
Now, the Truman administration
bows to the Reds and breaks the Amer
lean pledge by blandly agreeing to the
suggestion of the Communist dominated
government of France and their fellow
puppets from Poland that the present
Christian government of Spain must go.
Worse than that, the Truman admins
tration permits publication of white
Paper on Spain" in which all mention
of the many ways in which the present
Spanish government aided our war
effort carefully is omitted
JOHN j. SAUBER.
Evening star., 1946-05-25

word by aggreSSors who confidently
expected that they could ignore our
offensive capabilities, and we have
bitterly disappointed them by develop
ing offensive powers which over
whelmed them. In both cases, how
ever, we had to create our offensive
striking force after the war had begun,
and We were in both cases lucky enough
to be protected by distance and the
steadfastness of stout Allies until we
were ready to take decisive offensive
action. We are not likely to be so for
tunate again The time limits of the
future are less favorable: and distance
Is no longer sure shield.
These are the lessons of war. These
are military principles supported by
the whole of human experience. But
actually, these principles are not pure
ly military. They are principles of
human conduct which apply to many
other affairs than the conduct of war.
Success in any great enterprise is
rarely to be attained by sitting still.
Decisive action directed toward any
objective, personal or national, is
usually the only way of getting what
is desired. If there is active opposition,
1t is not usually to be overcome merely
by trying to block it here and there,
leaving all initiative in the hands of
the opposing side.
Today Americas great objective is
the establishment of just and lasting
peace. The American people realize
that their nation. and the world of
which 1t is a part, cannot afford an
other war They do not realize, at least
not to the same extent, the enormous
preponderance of power which they
possess for the accomplishment of this
purpose; and above all they have not
yet reached full realization of how to
use this power. If they are to use it, it
must be offensively-that is, actively
and continuously-em Just sit
ting still will not do the job. Other
wise people who do have positive policies
and are constantly pressing toward
their attainment will make gains at
our expense, at the expense of the
principles which we desire to uphold.
Where we have had a positive policy
where we have made up our minds
what We want to do. and set actively
about doing tive have had a con-
siderable measure of success, as in the
Far East. But in Europe we have been
drifting.
That is why 1t is heartening, indeed,
to have our Secretary of State proclaim
that hereafter we shall follow the active.
offensive principle in seeking our great
goal for peace.
Evening star., 1946-05-25
A Lady on the Bread Line

"A Addy VII Tic DTcdQ A1ne
To the Editor of The Star:
Before the Righteous Rogers and Dis
susted Doras start sending in letters
criticizing the women in bread lines,
let me say a few words in defense of
lines.
did without many things during the
war, rather than fight for them. I re-
mained lady and stayed out of the
stocking lines all winter, even though
my legs were freezing under their beau
tiful makeup job. Finally, I ran afoul
OF a couple of pairs of baggy rayon
stockings, but am delighted to wear
them, even though the appearance of
my legs suffers by comparison with
those of my less ladylike friends who
gathered in their nylons and now have
six or eight pairs of them. They look
like ladies whereas I do not with my
rumpled seams.
My family has not eaten q banana
for three years, and few slices of bacon.
But, by goly, We are going to have our
share of bread, be it only one slice a
day. I have gone without bread for
four days now, because it is bought
practically off the delivery truck before
it can be stacked on the store shelves,
mostly by the very ladies who are so
busy bowling about the poor starving
peoples of other countries.
All during the war. and even now,
scarce goods seemed to be gobbled up
by certain percentage of people while
others did completely without. Since
there is no way of forcing people to
share equally, why should 1 continue
to be dope? Tomorrow l will be
there when the bread truck comes in.
N. L. D.
Evening star., 1946-05-25
Gurden Purty

President Truman has been sub
jected to some criticism because he
attended a White House garden
party for wounded veterans at a
time which coincided with the shut
ting down of the Nations railroads
Thursday afternoon. 1t may be said
that this criticism was inevitable.
Nevertheless, it seems wholly un-
warranted.
In the circumstances, the PreSi-
dent had done all that he could
reasonably be expected to do to
avert the strike. He had intervened
personally in the dispute, had sub
mitted to the workers and the oper-
ators carefully considered proposal
of his own for a settlement, and had
been curtly, almost insolently, re-
buffed by Alvanley Johnston and
A. F. Whitney, representing the en-
gineers and the trainmen. After
their rejection of the proposal had
been received at the White House,
John R. Steelman, the Presidents
labor expert. made some further ef-
forts to bring the disputants to-
gether. But it is extremely doubtful
that. at the time. there was any
thing more the President could have
done or should have tried to do.
So he went out on the White
House lawn to the garden party,
presumably desiring not to disap-
point the veterans, whose visit had
been arranged some time in advance.
If there is any valid reason why this
was not a reasonable and proper
thing for him to do, the critics have
yet to cite it.
Evening star., 1946-05-25
Offensive For Peace
By George FieIdinp Eliot

1t Is well-recogniZed military prin-
ciple that decisive results in war are to
be obtained only by offensive action.
Like most principles, this one must be
applied with skill and discretion. It
Is not a rule to be followed by an ap-
prentice, but a principle to be applied
by master. 1t would be foolish to say,
you must never defend, you must always
attack. Defensive action forms a part
OF most successful campaigns, and most
offensive battles have included their
defensive phases on some portion of the
battlefield.
But defense does not in itself accom-
plish decisive results. 1t merely con-
tributes to conditions which make pos
sible the attainment of decisive results
by offensive action. The heroic defense
OF Stalingrad checked and weakened
the German power, but the fruits of
that defense were reaped by the Of
fenslve operations of the Russian armies
at the appropriate time. A defense
which has no hope of resuming the of
fensive at some future time is a de-
fense which can lead to no favorable
decision; it can only postpone such
decision, and usually it only makes
matters worse for the defenders Thus
there can be little question that if the
Germans had decided to surrender in
the fall of 1944-when it was apparent
that their military situation was hope
less and that there was no prospect
of resumption of the offensive-the
German nation would today be immeas-
urably better off than it actually is.
X
The same may be said of a defense
which is obviously motivated by de-
fensive ideas alone-a defense which
has no intention of transmitting itself
into an offensive. The nation which
builds a wall on its frontiers is erect
ing monument to proclaim its own
decadence. This was true of Rome,
of China and of France in the period
following 1918. The nation which says
to the world-we shall defend ourselves
II We are attacked, but we shall not
seek to provide ourselves with other
than purely defensive weapons, is in
fact inviting attack. It Is announcing
in advance to any contemplati7e ag-
gressor that he has nothing worse to
fear than that his attempt upon the
defensive nation may fail No vital
interest or possession of his own is
thrown into the balance of risk when
he weighs the chances of war or peace.
The United States has for many years
proclaimed this defensive policy to the
world. Fortunately we have not acted
upon 1t when confronted with actual
war. Twice we have been taken at our
Evening star., 1946-05-25
One Thing Not CHANGED

One lining Not Changed
To the Editor of The Star
I was very much impressed with the
vlvidness of your reflections on the
barber shop of so years ago your
nostalgia memories of 25-cent haircut
including tonic-and don't forget the
lengthy massage that went with it. In
deed, how different from the trimming
one gets today for a dollar!
So, too, did appreciate the contem-
plative transition in your memories of
dressed lumber at $40 per thousand
against $3.50 today, and three pounds
OF butter for dollar. However you
did not mention the common labor rate
of 81 per day nor those two ice cream
cones that many drug stores sold for a
nickel, heaping with cumulus clouds of
delicious soft ice cream instead of those
oversized hailstones that tongues search
for in the depths of 10-cent cones today.
But I suggest that your one-dollar
question be applied to one thing that
has not changed in the face of all these
great economic mprovements-namel
the pay of an Army of11cer-and my one
dollar question is: Under those condi-
tions how do you expect we'll get BARRIERS
in order to improve the present corps
of officers? HAIRAGAIN.
Evening star., 1946-05-25
United States Of Europe
From the Ottawa journal.

from the OTTAWA JOURNAL.
Mr.. Churchills plea for a United
States of Europe"-a doctrine preached
by the late Aristide Brands not
likely to be answered in our time. Man
has come long way from the age Of
tribal chief; he has not yet reached
the stage where races, nationalities,
castles and creeds can be merged into
a political whole. The United States Is
often pointed to as an example of what
is possible in the way of unity. But
union in the United States-it once
had to be preserved at the cost of
frightful civil war was achieved
through the powerful cement of COM
mon language, through people with
basic beliefs in common institutions.
There is no such cement in Europe.
with its multiplicity of languages. its
racial animosities rooted in centuries,
its conflicting political ideas,