davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
, 1948-04-16
NOTICE

NO Huntaas
Or otherwise On Estate Cotton
VallsY and Tates Bay.
Any otas found On said Es-
4atsa viii ~ dealt With q.
cCrdino to law.
James Peter SDay
, 1948-04-16
A Setback For These Islands

WHEN the Honorable Ludwig E. Harrigan, Chairman
OF the Legislative Assembly wired the Chairman of the House
Ways and Means Committee that the people Of the Virgin
Islands were shocked at the tabing of the bill for the return
Of the Internal Revenue Taxes he expressed the Sentiment Of
each and every Virgin Islander and everyone interested in
these islands. That was one Of the times when the legislature
Of the entire group felt the heartbeat of these Islands. The
Chairman was acting on orders from the Assembly.
SUCH an act by the Ways and Means Committee is in
deed a shock. There is no more serious and pertinent prob
lem facing these Islands than its unbalanced budget, which
comes up year in and year out. These Islands have been on
the borderline Of a fair, and American standard of living ever
since Old Glory first rose on the fagstafs. Every Governor,
every assistant, committees, and even individual members Of
Congress have seen and felt the problem and its pressing inn
portance, YET, for some unexplained reason nothing very def
mite, or even permanent has been done about it. Each and
every year as budget time comes around, the legislators have
developed wrinkles trying to pare down expences, until there
is nothing left to be cut. As a result we read, with great con-
Germ, and even some embarrassment that there are grown
men and women working for the local government whose
salaries mn II The vicinity Of $500 a year. Things are at the
point where essential services would be seriously curtailed if
one more dollar is cut from the budget. Needless to say that
the Virgin Islands are the one, single group under the Ameri-
can flag which lives below the lowest American standard.
1T rs for these reasons that the return Of the internal
Revenue Taxes to the Virgin Islands is 50 important. We have
produced rum and other products which have produced tar
es, and these taxes would go a very long way in solving our
problem. Yet, despite testimony a7plenty, many hearings, sur
yeys and reports, nothing definite is forthcoming And, now,
the gdthkneu-tha the Ways and Means Committee Of the
House has tabled the bill for return Of these taxes. This means
that we run. to Congress again and pray for a deficiency APP
preparation, which viii do no more than keep body and soul
together in the most naked manner possible. Pointing to
, 1948-04-16

the Importance of the return
of these taxes, Governor Has
tie, and others fought siren
uously before the Committee.
Senator Butler, on page So of
the report Of the Hearings
says: For many years, Puerto
Rico has received the benefit
of all Federal . taxes O.
rum, but the Virgin Islands
have been denied equal treat
ment.N These are the words
of a national lawmaker.
But there are other consid-
erations. In this day and time
when there is so much talk
about democratic equality,
and big, sweeping moves for
a better world, the Virgin Is
lander seems to receive a we'll
directed blow between the
eyes when he reads that the
Congress has Just passed a
bill Of sir and one half billions
Of dollars for European recOO-
cry, yet nothing is done to re-
init to the Virgin Islands the
taxes which have accrued
from their export Of goods.
Seems q paradox, doesn't Rp
, 1948-04-16
Prof. Geihorn Warns OF
Thought Control

Declaring that the domin-
ant pressures in the country
today are toward an uncritical
conformity and toward a re-
1uctance to preserve the civil
rights of unpopular groups"
Prof. Walter Gellhorn of Co
lumbia Law School warned of
a trend toward thought con-
troll" at Thursday nights SEES
sion of the American Jewish
Congress national convention
at the Hotel New Yorker.
Because of the emotions
aroused blythe House Commit
tee on Un-American Activi-
ties and the loyalty tests
said Prof. Gellhorn ut has to-
day become easy to confuse
with subversion, to ascribe
Americanism only to those
who are vocally identified with
majority opinions. If we fa-
cilely label as Communist
whatever may be merely I'M
conventional, we will be taxi
ing a long and perhaps disas.
trous step towards thought
control"
Under the general topic, the
Challenge to American De-
mocracy, Prof. Gellhorn spoke
ON the Challange to Civil
Liberties,
DR.. Charming Tobias, a mem
Der of the Presidents Commit
tee on Civil Liberties, speak
ing on Segregation in AIneri-
can Life, CONDEMNED segrega-
ton because Of race, creed or
color because it is "un7Ameri-
can in spirit and practice and
because it is an insult to the
Greater"
" 14dIO1u 1Hy1or, preSl-
dent Of Sarah Lawrence Col
lege, spoke on Bias in Educa.-
ton. &
Shad Polier, vice president
the American Jewish Con-
gress for the New York region
summarized the session. Dav.
i'd Stonernan, vice president
for the Boston region, presia>
ed.
NOTICE
, 1948-04-16

sTREHsTH
-
| Unity
Evening star., 1948-12-15
Cunudu's FIuo

When the Parliament of Canada meets
again, one Of the problems with which 1t
probably will deal is that of providing for
a nag distinctively national A majority
Of the members of the three principal
parties-Liberals, Progressive Conserva-
tives and .Co-operative Commonwealth
Federation-allegedly favor such a pro-
ceeding. But agreeing upon design may
not be an achievement easily brought out.
Several failures already have been re-
corded. A resolution, passed by the House
of Commons on November IA, 1945, set up
a joint committee of the Senate and the
House to discuss the matter, consider rep
resentations made by citizens and report
This committee held fourteen public ses-
sions up to May 20, 1916, and brought in
two reports, the second of which was
tabled on July IL, 1S46. BY that date
49, 1873 communications had been received
and 2,605 designs had been reviewed. The
committees own recommendation was that
the national flag of Canada should be the
present Red Ensign with a maple leaf
in autumn gold colors in q bordered
background of white replacing the coat
of arms"
This proposal was rejected because It
retained the Union Jack In the first quar-
ter, next to the staff-an inclusion re-
Evening star., 1948-12-15

the advancement of partisan political
movements. To do otherwise is the surest
of all ways to bring the judiciary into
disrepute.
The great strength of the Federal courts,
their unique quality, consists of the conf
dence Of the people in their impartiality.
1t is easy to scott at this, to say that
judges are human beings and that they
should not be expected to act differently
than other human beings. But this is
contention which overlooks the fact
that a Judge, in public estimation, is
indistinguishable from the court. If
Judge conducts himself in manner to
invite doubt as to his impartiality, the
inevitable effect is to impair confidence
in the integrity of his court. This is some
thing that all judges should be quick to
recognize and first to resist.
Evening star., 1948-12-15
Advice to Judoes

When former Supreme Court Justice
Owen J. Roberts says that judges of the
Federal courts should stick to their judicial
knitting, he speaks with some authority.
Justice Roberts left the court twice
during his active tenure to take on other
jobs-once in connection with prelimi-
nary investigation of the attack on Pearl
Harbor and again for service with the
German Mixed Claims Commission. Now
he regrets having undertaken these
assignments.
Federal judges are appointed for life,
and there are good reasons for this.
Primarily, the lifetime appointment is
intended to maintain the complete inde-
pendence of the courts, to remove the
judges from areas of contention which
might color their judicial outlook or which
might lead to the suspicion that their
impartiality has been compromised.
In recent years there has been mount
ing tendency to draft judges for non1udicial
work. This cannot fail, in many instances.
to be embarrassing to the court and to
the individual judges. 1t is tendency
which should be firmly resisted. Likewise,
judges should scrupulously refrain from
lending themselves, openly or covertly. to
Evening star., 1948-12-15

are constantly issuing pronouncements about
Is that IN which they supposedly have the
greatest and exclusive competence, and which
Is the neediest in the world, affecting as it
does every person on EARTH and that is how
lost men are to become saved men.
Perhaps If theseh churchmen, supposedly
skilled in the science Of salvation would spend
their time on that problem, the one problem
which should engage their full attention, and
carry out the only commission they ever re-
ceived from their Divine Master, to preach the
gospel" they would find themselves so fully
occupied that these lesser problems of human
relationships and welfare could be left in the
hands of men who are skilled in handling
them and who might be able to handle them
with greater efficiency and success If they were
not interfered with by novices wholly without
qualification to assist in their solution.
The great apostle Paul predicted by inspira-
tion that "the time will come when they will
not endure sound doctrine: but having itching
ears will heap to themselves teachers after
their own lusts; and will turn away their ears
from the truth, and turn aside unto fables. :"
II Timothy VISA. That time seems to have
fully come.
God commissioned preachers to preach.
They are supposedly trained to preach. They
lators, scientists, statesmen, industrialists or
labor specialists. They have gospel to preach.
If they would preach it and stop their en-
croachments on the field Of others, both the
world and the church would be the gamers
Let us get our preachers back into their pulpits.
CARLYLE B. HAYNES.
Evening star., 1948-12-15
Threat of Communism

To the Editor Of The Star:
The threat of communism Is considered a
major issue by American citizens, 'the great
issue OF our times" So potent are its i'm
plications that it has split the world into two
groups. In one group are those who believe in
Bill Of Rights, with its human relation in
the other, contrary belief Is promulgated.
One Government official warns, Let there
be no misunderstanding of the fundamental
nature Of the two concepts" We have learned
that wherever there is Dictatorship whether it
is under the guise of communism or fascism,
there is threat to the security and progress
of free men. The House american Actvi-
ties Committee reports that an estimated 800
Moscow trained American Communists are
high officers Of . secret army now being
drilled to overthrow our Government
The committee also reports that the highest
college of Communist training is in Moscow,
where carefully selected Communists get free
course in factory sabotage, bombmaking, kid
naping, mutiny and other methods of wrecking
civilization.
If Communists dominated our land, they
would smash the existing school system. They
would oppose our way of life in every respect,
cause strife between racial, religious and class
groups; in other words, stir up trouble gener-
ally. WALTER I. PRIEST.
Bluemont, Va.
Evening star., 1948-12-15
Letters to The Star
Christmas a Time for Peace
he of Tha

Christmas a Time for Peace
To the Editor OF The Star:
Our daily papers give accounts Of continued
strife between Jews and Arabs 1t has been a
long drawn out battle for boundaries of the
Holy Land of Palestine, the very country our
Lord walked when on EARTH This would be a
most propitious time for q settlement when
we are approaching the sacred anniversary OF
the birth Of Christ who came to give peace
and joy.
Two thousand years have passed since that
great drama of the Nativity took place at
Bethlehem. Nations and sovereigns have
risen and fallen, but the tiding of Joy am
nounced on that first Christmas will live on
forever
How clear is the picture of that memorable
night, the crib, the dumb animals, the lowly
shepherds, the Wise Men from the East bring
ing their gifts to lay at the feet of Him who
was to be the Light of the World!
The whole wonderful story is deep within
us from childhood. No other celebration stirs
us with such awe and reverence. Without
Christ there would be no Christmas, but a
world filled with doubt. despair and uncer-
tainty.
Mans greatest trouble is in ignoring Christ
and His teachings. Never has there been q
time when individuals and nations needed
Christ more than today. AS the Christmas
season draws nigh, may all people turn earn
estly to the Manger In Bethlehem and hear
the angels sing:
GLORY to God In the Highest
And on earth Peace,
Goodwill toward men,"
MRS M. L. WALDE.
Evening star., 1948-12-15

garded as symbolizing Canada's associa-
ton with the other members of the British
commonwealth Of nations. Some Cana
dians desire the Jack eliminated as a sign
of Canada's independence. They argue
also that the Irish cross of st. Patrick
diagonal red on whites out of date in
the Jack since Fires withdrawal from the
commonwealth The new Prime Minister,
Louis s. st. Laurent, gave tacit consent to
dropping the word British" from the
official designation Of the association of
British nations. He, therefore, has been
thought to favor the movement for
Canadian flag which shall be all Canadian.
But the Minister himself has not said
where he stands.
Meanwhile, the Red Ensign still is flown
on Canadian ships, government buildings
and thousands of private business estab-
lishments and homes, wherever place or
occasion may make it desirable to fly
distinctive Canadian flag" The Province
of Nova Scotia has flag of its own and
on January 81 last the Province of Quebec
adopted a fieur- -de-lis flag as its emblem.
Evening star., 1948-12-15
Cleaning Up the Comic Books

Comic book publishers have taken a
sensible step toward self-censorship in
their appointment of an advisory commit
tee to study means of improving the popu-
lar paper-back picture magazines. The
committee is composed of representatives
of groups which have voiced loud and long
protests against the too-lurid contents of
many of the publications, 50 there is real
hope of salutary results.
Members Of the committee are John E.
Wade, retired superintendent of schools of
New York City; DR.. Ordway Tead, chair
man of the Board of Higher Education of
New York City, and DR.. Charles F. Gosnell,
New York State Librarian. Most of the
outcries against the booklets have come
from parents, educators and others who
feared the. effects on children of the
comics overemphasis on sex, crime and
sadistic violence. Police have conflscated
some of the more offensive publications in
several. cities. The district attorney of
Albany County, New York, has threatened
sixty-two comic books which he considers
to be in violation of the States laws against
iewd and indecent publications.
But the most effective censorship would
be self-imposed one of the type proposed
by the Association of Comics Magazine
Publishers. This organization, represent
ing publishers of about 40 per cent of all
comic books, recognized the need for clean
ing house when 1t adopted code of mini
mum editorial Standards" designed to
eliminate criticized features from their
own publications. The appointment of the
advisory committee is follow-up step that
will give the publishers the benefit of sound
counsel from competent critics. The prob
lem that remains is how to bring into line
the publishers of the so per cent of books
not covered by the new code or by the COM
mittee. The parents can help to put the
pressure on recalcitrants by cracking down
on the purchase by their children of books
obviously in need of some kind of censor
ship The publishers who are making an
earnest effort to purge their books of OBJ
1ectionable pictures and text deserve the
support of those who have done the criti-
cizing
Evening star., 1948-12-15
Token of Good Faith

The denial that the Department of
Justice Is seeking to discredit Whitaker
Chambers as witness, while not at
tributed directly to Attorney General
Clark, should serve nevertheless to put at
rest the apprehehsions expressed by the
House Committee on Un-American Activ-
tiles.
1t is hard to see how the Attorney Gen.
eral could do more than has been done
to this end. In the frst place there has
been no formal official accusation. Hence,
a direct, formal denial would have been
inappropriate. Secondly, grand jury Is
an independent body. No doubt the Attor-
ney Generals representatives can do much
to influence the course of the New York
special grand jury which Is now consider
ing the Chambers-Hiss affair. But they
cannot dictate to the grand Jury and they
cannot guarantee that the grand jury will
do one thing or another.
In view of this the indication of MIR.
Clark's desire to defer any action against
Chambers until after the more important
matter of the traitorous disclosure of
secret State Department documents has
oeSA oASPooeo VI SAoulu NC 1oAeA oS Aoee
value. It is token of good faith. If the
grand jury takes matters in its own hands
and indicts Chambers for perjury, as has
been suggested may be the case, the infer
ence is that Mr.. Clark will delay trial of
that indictment until after any other
charge bearing on the more important
offense has been adjudicated. In the cir
cumstances. this Is all the assurance that
can be given.
Evening star., 1948-12-15

Americans for Democratic Action, the anti
Communist liberal group, whose national
board has Just been meeting in New York
to determine what next" for this group very
likely will become the core of the liberal bloc
in the new Congress, especially In the House.
The House will have II ADA-indorsed men,
bers, 81 Of them new, 40 returning. Many
of these would have won, of course, without
ADA Endorsement, but around 20 of the new
ones are ADA members and another 20 worked
closely with ADA during the campaign.
Before the election the ADA put out con-
gressional voting check list, based on 13 House
votes it considered real tests of whether
Congressman was liberal A score of 10 or
more would definitely mark Representative
as liberal supporter of the New Deal
philosophy in general and the Truman program
in particular.
On checking the record of the 73 Republican
House members defeated by Democrats, it
turns out that 64 scored only or less points
in ADA's test-14 scored zero. Since two of the
13 tests were on foreign affairs issues where
the bipartisan foreign policy generally pre-
vailed, the % who scored zero or only l point
rank as isolationists while the "a others who
scored two were mostly voting for this foreign
policy and against all domestic measures con-
sidered liberal.
Candidates Who Passed Test.
Looking at it from the other end, there will
be in the new House 66 holdover members who
are tested liberals, by ADA's standards Of
scoring 10 or more. They include 10 Demo-
Gratis from the South and border States, As
from the North, Midwest and West, and one
Republican, Representative Javits from New
York City. The 66th member of this group
is Representative Marcantonio, the Amer
ican Laborite from New York who Is =
bitter enemy Of ADA, which tried unsuccess-
fully to defeat him. His score was zero on
the two foreign affairs tests, perfect on do
mestic matters-a reflection of the differences
between the Wallace Progressives and the New
Deal groups.
In addition to these holdover liberals, the
new House will include at least four men who
have been up to election full-time trade union
officers and about IS others strongly backed
by ADA. OF the 81 ADA-indorsed new House
members, none came from farther South than
Baltimore since ADA is 100 per cent for the
Truman civil rights program.
If this total of new liberals seems rather
small in relation to the entire House member
ship of 435, it is worth noting what happened
when the House voted on the 13 issues ADA
considers tests Of liberalism.
Two carried overwhelmingly, both foreign
aid measures. The II others lost. OF these
H. however, switch of 81 votes or less would
have turned defeat into victory in eight cases,
ninth needed switch of ST votes. The
Evening star., 1948-12-15
Liberals a Power
Congressman Endorsed by Americans for Democratic
Action Expected to Constitute New Deal Bloc
By Chalmers M. Roberts


other two needed switches Of 12o and 1s1
votes. Thus the new liberal group should pro-
vide the actual votes to turn defeats into
victories on many domestic matters from the
liberal viewpoint, and to furnish the leader
ship for the fight to win enough other votes
to put over many another measure which
was hopelessly lost in the Eightieth Congress.
1t was a national vice chairman of ADA
who led the fight with the help of three
others, all ADA members) which put the
civil rights Endorsement in the Democratic
platform at Philadelphia and prompted the
Dixiecrat walk-out. The leader, of course, was
the new Senator from Minnesota, Hubert
Humphrey. One of his three aides was Repre-
sentative-elect Biemiller of Wisconsin.
The other leading ADA member elected to
the Senate was Paul Douglas of Illinois It Is
interesting to note that of the five House
members elected to the Senate, the three
Democrats scored Z, and in the ADA voting
test while the two Republicans scored and 8.
Votes As = Basis of Judgment
This ADA estimate of voting records plus
its policy on indorsing only candidates it feels
sure are liberals makes 1t rather clear that all
those Republicans swept out were antiiberal,
in ADAs terms, while practically all the
Democrats who replaced them are liberals or
lean in that direction. For many, there are
previous voting records OF other House terms
to prove them liberals For some only the
voting record of the Eighty-f1rst Congress will
tell for certain, however.
ADA can be expected to work hard to keep
this liberal bloc on its toes. 1t always is much
easier for liberals to join together against q
conservative than to agree on liberal pro-
gram. Yet the ADA feels that those whom
1t helped elect were elected on specific planks
in the Democratic platform reiterated in Pres
1dent Truman'S speeches. ADA may be ex-
pected along with the labor groups which
backed many Of the same candidates, to do
everything it can to insure liberal votes in
1949-50 In the House.
. In many ways ADA is Washington Or
ganization yet the election proved 1t has strong
roots In many States. The national chairman,
until April at least, is Leon Henderson, the
former OPA administrator, now an economic
consultant here. The national executive
committee chairman is Washington attorney,
Joseph L. Rauh jr, who was District dele
gate to the Democratic convention and one of
the ADA group which last summer won a
large measure Of control in the District Demo-
cratic Central Committee. One of the vice
chairmen Is Paul Porter, another ex-OPA head
now practicing law here. Franklin D. Roose-
velt, jr., Is among the other vice chairmen
ADA's national membership is only some
10000, perhaps bit more, but its influence as
core of revived New Deal Roosevelt leader
ship in the new Congress is likely to be very
great