davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1948-04-01
Letters to The Star
Courtesy Campaign Successful
IA the Editnr nf The star.

Courtesy Campaign Successful
10 the Editor of The Star:
The American Gem Society, an organization
composed OF members from all over the United
States and Canada, met last week In three
day session here in Washington.
AS member of this society, had an oppor-
tunity to meet and talk to almost every one Of
the $500 other members who were present.
With one accord, every man and woman to
whom talked had nothing but the highest
praise for our city and our people. They were
impressed with the beauty and the cleanliness
Of our Capital. They were pleased with the
courtesy and pleasantness Of the residents
Again and again they told stories of how. as
strangers. they found every one-people on the
streets, in the stores, streetcar and bus drivers,
taxi drivers, hotel attendants-kind and courte-
Gus. There wasn't one who had experienced
anything but the most pleasant treatment.
1t would most certainly seem, from their
glowing reports. that our Courtesy Campaign"
is great success, and as q longtime resident
of Washington, feel that the Board OF Trade
and all who are responsible for this campaign
are to be congratulated
THEODORE g. GRAPE.
Evening star., 1948-04-01
Speaking of Fiahts

With just touch of pardonable indig-
nation, the Republicans have fatty rejected
proposal that they run their National
Convention in such a way as to leave the
radio and television channels clear for the
Louis-Walcott heavyweight fight The
fight is scheduled for June %, which means
it will coincide with the conventions third
night session at Philadelphia and thus
compete for attention in the broadcasting
field. But COP leaders take the view
that their own show will be far more
important and at least as exciting, and
that therefore they will not play second
fiddle on the airwaves. Certainly nobody
can blame them for feeling that way. The
return match between Joe Louis and Joe
Walcott promises to be humdinger, but
1t will be pale stuff compared to what is
expected to happen at Philadelphia. As
matters look now, there will be q great
free-for-all there among some mighty
hefty contenders. Conceivably Taft and
Dewey may knock each other out after
several rounds of roll calls, and then the
battle may broaden to embrace such stall
warts as Warren, Stassen, Macarthur and
Vandenberg. The prospect is galvanizing
1t has in 1t the makings of one of the
hottest and most significant contests of
its kind in decades. How silly to suggest
that a mere boxing bout be allowed to
take precedence over 1t on the air. The
Republicans are understandably scornful
of the idea
Evening star., 1948-04-01
Invitation to Disaster

The testimony which A. Philip Randolph
has given to the Senate Armed Services
Committee Is an open invitation to Amer
lean Negroes to betray their country.
That such an irresponsible statement,
to employ a conservative description OF
his testimony, should come from Mr.. Ran
dolph Is surprising. For on the whole his
activities as president of the Brotherhood
of Sleeping Car Porters. have been con-
structive and in the best interests OF his
race.
But now Mr. Randolph urges American
Negroes to refuse to register for military
service and to refuse to fight for the
United States If this country should be
forced into war. That, as Senator Morse
correctly points out, would be treason.
Mr. Randolph apparently agrees with this,
but insists nevertheless that he would
advocate such a course unless I'VE get our
democratic rights" meaning the abolition
of segregation in the military service.
In this connection it might be pointed
out that much progress has been made IN
doing away with segregation In the armed
services. 1t might be stated that In the
United States the Negro, since the Civil
War, has made long strides toward the
equality of opportunity which is his right.
It might even be mentioned that Mr..
Randolph, when he can stand with i'm
punity before the Congress and threaten
his country with treason, has given us a
measure of the freedom which the Negro
actually enjoys in this country.
But these things are relatively unim-
portant The significant point is that Mr..
Randolph is advocating a course which
If reasonable to the United States. Is an
invitation to disaster for the Negro This
country may have to fight major war
with Russia. If that war should be lost
the Negroes will not gain more freedom
under communism than they enjoy today.
And If it should be won despite the refusal
of Negroes to fight, as probably would be
the case, then the claim of the Negro to
equality of opportunity in the United
States would be set back for many general
tions to come.
Mr.. Randolph In single day, has done
more harm to the Negro cause than the
advocates of discrimination could do in
years. If he adheres to his present posi-
ton, his self-defeating counsel should be
emphatically repudiated by every respon-
done by Truman K. Gibson, Negro member
of the Presidents Advisory Committee on
Military Training.
Evening star., 1948-04-01

held in the public interest. For it would
be a great mistake If an attempt we're
made to dam the release of the great
volume Of legitimate news originating
within the armed services in order to
prevent the trickle Of few facts where
secrecy Is vital.
Mr.. Forrestal has not asked for censor
ship, save that which is self-imposed by
knowledge of the problem and editorial
judgment He agrees with advisers from
the communications media that any form
OF peacetime censorship machinery is
undesirable in principle and probably
unworkable in practice. In accepting a
recommendation from these advisers to
establish Security Advisory Council, to
confer with him at intervals on matters
involving public information policies and
security, he is depending on something
more effective than any formal machinery
the willing cooperation of patriotic
American citizens.
Evening star., 1948-04-01

rate of sitting north Of the first cataract The
4,0o0-year allowance was simply to assure a
conservative estimate. II Mr.. Haynes viii look
on page 1913 Of the General Anthropology" con-
tanning articles by the late DR.. Boas and others
ID. G. Heath 81 Co., 1881 he will find N. c..
Nelson's section on prehistoric archaeology
quoting DR.. Breasted on the so-foot covering
of brick and pottery fragments, and the same
conservative estimate of 10000 years.
Regarding Mr.. Haynes Characterization of
the rise of mankind from savagery to civili-
zation as 'oft-exploded can't" should like to
ask him: Who exploded it and when? All the
great museums Of the world still surviving are
filled with tangible evidence of that rise. The
scientific world has accepted Stone Age man
since the middle Of the 10th century.
In conclusion may I reassure Mr.. Haynes
by saying that DIR. Breasted delivered lec-
lures at Union Theological Seminary and
taught Hebrew to many present Jewish rabbis?
He viii not find DR.. Breasted sighting the
Bible. A. A. WILLIAMSON.
Evening star., 1948-04-01
Shadow in Spring

Once In a wfie, on such false decepttus
day of spring. !
Through open ioindoDs an echo OF sons
radio, thtn-stratned, remote. }
Eookes, IT feettnoIy, an image ont OF faf
lost yesterday:
The organ grinder and the monkey With
the shabby Delvet coat. {
where Is he now who sang his songs
beneath another sun
While brauely the spangled ti'ny notes
OF Rtgoletto teil?
And phere the monkey NTH the prtniaed
walnut face and pleading eyes;
Where, indeed, the neac green-gotden
poplar trees i. but tcho can teu1
He has not come this way these m1AG.
many years,
The streets are empty of hts street planes
0lttterfnp chimes; -
But II he and hts small companion ars ldzB
lost II Is as toeH.: ~s~
Thep pould not nnderstdHd the Bst1w
songs, the troubled tenor OF the tt1a(o.
FREDERICK EBRIoHT.
Evening star., 1948-04-01
Nile Deposit Record

To the Editor Of The Star:
Your issue of March 13 carried letter from
Donald F. Haynes In which he asked for more
specific information on the establishment of
the date 1926 BIC; questions the validity of
the Nile silt-deposit record and refers to the
"oft-exploded cant" about the rise of man.
that those who believe the Bible know that
these things cannot be true, for the Genesis
story says that: God created man In His own
image"
It is difficult to know how best to answer
such a letter. In mine, published March 5,
I referred to DR.. James Henry Breasted, the
late American Egyptologist and Orientalist. who
was director of the Oriental Institute Of the
University of Chicago but Of whose magnfh-
cent work too few Americans seem to know
anything. II Mr. Haynes really is interested
in facts, suggest that he consult DR.. Breast
eds works. His neighboring public library
staff will be glad to help him. Especially
would recommend the very readable volume,
THE Dawn of Conscience" On page 58f Of
Breasteds Ancient Times second edition,
CHM & Co. 1914, Mr.. Haynes viii nnd the
date 1886 Be-, given as q correction Of the
formerly accepted one, 424l BIC.
As for the Nile. few recurrent terrestrial
phenomena operate with greater regularity
than its inundations On E1ephantine Island
at Assuan there is NiIometer dating back TO
ancient Egyptian times, 1t being but one OF
several. The Encyclopedias Britannica article
on the Nile. page 4lf. Vol. 10. 1913 edition.
cves The - inch century average f0 the
Evening star., 1948-04-01
A Terrible Dead End

In moving to drop all further considera-
ton of the Soviet Unions arguments, the
overwhelming majority of the United
Nations Atomic Energy Commission Is
simply serving notice that 1t Is sick and
tired of beating its head against stone
wall. Two years Of painstaking discussion
have failed to persuade the men Of the
Kremlin to make a single concession of
any consequence, and the only conclusion
to be drawn Is that they are dead set
against genuine international control
There is no other sensible way of
interpreting the situation, Standing alone
with its satellites, the Soviet Union has
deliberately and unwaveringly torpedoed
the effort to get action on the control plan
favored by every one else in the United
Nations. The substance of the plan is
to harness the atom for peace by taking
bold and unprecedented world measures
to prevent it from being used for war. To
that end, backed by all but the Russians
and their obedient puppets, the United
States has tried for two years to bring
about agreement on the creation of an
international authority to own, operate
or otherwise manage dangerous atomic
facilities and activities throughout the
globe-a policing arrangement with
vetoless inspection system and vetoless
powers to enforce measures against the
hazards of violation and evasion. But
again and again, without the slightest
move to cooperate, the Kremlin has said
no; it has said that it will agree to nothing
whatever but its own counterpropoSal,
although that counterproposal is self
evidently fraud
And why is it a fraud? 1t is a fraud
because the Russians themselves must
know that 1t Is not aimed at achieving
effective International control. All that
1t would do would be to require the United
States to destroy It's stockpile of A-bombs
and stop making new ones Not until
that were done would the Kremlin con-
descend to consider the idea of a world
policing system. and even then 1t would
be unlikely to agree to anything but
weak setup. In other words, although the
overwhelming U. N. majority is as one with
us in insisting that the controls must first
be operating before we give up our present
advantages the Soviet counterproposal
Doils down to a demand that we disarm
ourselves unilaterally Of the deadliest and
most revolutionary weapon ever devised
by man. It Is a demand, moreover un-
accompanied by any guarantee of any
sort that the Stain government-after our
disarmament-woul not 60 all out in an
effort 10 attain atomic supremacy
This Ia such an obvious fraud, and the
Evening star., 1948-04-01
Utility of Poll Tax

To the Editor OF The STAR
Many people appear to have completely over
looked the feature of greatest value inherent In
the poll tax.
The amount of money collected by State
through the poll tax Is so small as to be of no
Importance. The poll tax would be useful If it
were only 10 cents year as long as 1t had to
be paid considerable time before election day.
Such tax disarms the demagogue and rabble-
rouser by making it impossible to stampede the
voters with either last-minute promises of easy
money or last-minute false charges against
political rivals.
prominent newspaperman discussing the
ham-and-egg campaign In California before
1t came to a vote said: "Yet the campaign may
now be out of their control-too large, bolster
GUS and needless to be stopped-for in South
ern California and all the counties in which
the immigrant dust-bowl pickers have estab-
lished the right to vote, the 'what-have-I-got-
to-lose?' sentiment is strong, and the grotesque
cry ham -and-eggs rises out Of the camor OF
groups arguing endlessly.
Reason and the love of liberty are SO far
gone that the opposition doesn't dare use
speakers who, in normal times and places, would
be heard In thoughtful debate"
1t is significant that the communstic groups,
determined upon the overthrow of the govern
ment of Washington and Jefferson by force
and violence are at the forefront of the clamor
for the weakening of all safeguards to the
ballot.
One Of these gentry recently demanded the
removal Of a government official because the
latter had stated that the United States is
a republic and not democracy. And this in
the face of Article 4, Section 4 of the Con-
stitution which says: 'The United States shall
guarantee to every State in this Union re-
publican form of government"
1t is understood that the difference between
democracy and republic is that in de-
mocracy laws are made by majority. vote Of the
whole mass, even II the majority is only one,
while in republic laws are made by the elect
ed representatives Of majority Of the people
s-5er such representatives have heard all sides
of a question.
We should not weaken the safeguards of
the ballot to the point where mob hysteria takes
the place Of reasoned judgment
F. G. CAMPBELL. =
Evening star., 1948-04-01
'Slipshod' Modern Art
70 the Editor Of The Star:

70 the Editor OF The Star:
As artist to critic we enjoyed Florence 8.
Berryman's review Of the recent trio show
at the Phillips Memorial Gallery. ~.
We may not agree with Miss Bergman all
the time as to what constitutes good" modern
art or contemporary art II you prefer, but
we feel that living artists ask for justified
criticism when they neglect their craft to
indulge In tricks Of the trade that tend to
lower the standards of contemporary drawing
and painting
In justice to the artists we must admit that
certain galleries and patrons, from Fifty-sev-
enth street in New York City to that esoteric
area north OF Dupont Circle, are largely re-
sponsible for the neglect of draughtsmanship
and general EZRA of bewiderment" that at
taches to so much American art today. For
example: An artist like Picasso, whose unques-
toned ability ranks him with Ingres or David
as consummate draughtsman, finds it unnec-
essary to be a good artist-like Matisse and
Roualt, he can turn out daubs for the tourist
trade and sell his work at fabulous prices.
The average student decides that some wet
paint sprinkled with q layer Of sand consti-
tutes masterpiece although q blindfolded
child with piece of cardboard and Jar Of
mustard could do as well or better. Then the
dealer, having no conception or interest In
good art sells the stuff-the patron buys and
II he buys enough creates demand for a
particular artists work. This enables the artist
to eat and paint, but the critics are bewildered
and the public suffers, while gallery walls
groan under the weight of pictures that are
not art academic or modern, in any sense Of
the word.
A great hue and cry has been raised over
such critical studies Of modern art as the
book, Mona Lisas Mustache," but the sincere
artist and critic must admit such criticism
has been more than justified by the slipshod
methods of certain contemporaries, who have
not only broken with the past but with the
most fundamental concepts Of what constitutes
good art regardless Of the school" or subject.
JOHN c. ROGERS.
Evening star., 1948-04-01

Kremlin appears so determined to try to
perpetrate 1t, that the U. N. Atomic Energy
Commission would be silly to pretend that
the dreary Russian arguments are worth
listening to any longer. That said, how
ever, 1t must be added that the situation
has tragic and onlinous implications for
the world. A terrible dead end has been
reached. From now on, unless the Soviet
position changes, all that can be expected
Is a constant acceleration Of the most
fearsome ornaments race in history. It
is prospect that bodies i'll for the peace
and even the survival of mankind The
fact is too bleakly grim and real to be
Sugar-coated
Evening star., 1948-04-01
Problem in Security

Secretary of Defense Forrestal has every
right to ask that the press, radio and
moving pictures share with him some of
the responsibility for wise solution of
unique problem in security. The problem
is made by the times in which we live.
It is obvious common sense to prevent
certain types of information, especially
in the field of military and scientific
weapon development, from becoming
known to potential enemy who would
benefit by its possession. At the same
time it Is essential to preserve the freedom
of information which is part of a free
society and which in itself is so conducive
to inventiveness and scientific research.
The problem is to protect information
regarding developments which depend so
much for their effective use on the element
of surprise without, at the same time,
placing in jeopardy the public's right to
know what is going on and the advantages
which flow from that knowledge.
There would be no such problem under a
controlled press. 1t does not exist, for
example, in Soviet Russia In this coun-
try the problem does exist, but 1t is
confined to relatively narrow field of
information. And it can be simplified,
for it is not too complicated now. with
public consciousness of its existence.
Protection of secret information prop
erly begins at the source-within the
Military Establishment itself. This Is
recognized by Mr.. Forrestal. But here
arises another dificulty-the choice be-
tween the information that should be
released and that which should b WITH
Evening star., 1948-04-01
Spuin in ERP

The House vote for gesture toward
the inclusion of Spain in the European
Recovery Program has been subjected to
two kinds of criticism-rational and
emotional
The soundest criticism concerns the use
which the European Communists may
make of the House decision. 1t is claimed,
for example, that the bid to Franco to
return to the democratic family, coming
at this time, may swing million doubtful
votes into the Communist column in the
forthcoming Italian election. If there is
any truth to this, then it obviously would
be unwise to 60 through with the invita-
tion to Spain.
Another possibly sound objection is that
the calculations which have been made
for disbursement of the Marshall Plan
money would be upset If Spain should
become eligible for a share of it. 1t may
be doubted, however, that this presents
any immediate problem As adopted by
the House, the proposal is that Spain be
admitted only If accepted by the sixteen
participating nations. and. furthermore
the United States administrator Of the
program must be satisfied that Spain needs
the aid and also that Spain is willing and
able to conform to the sixteen-nation
economic program.
In the light of these reservations, the
House provision emerges for what 1t is
gesture of good will. Perhaps the
Communists will be able to make some
propaganda capital out of 1t, but 1t is
most unlikely that acceptance by the
Senate would upset the timetable for the
first year of the Marshall Plans operation
The emotional criticism runs to the
complaint that Franco is dictator and
that he is hostile to the democracies in
his sympathies Perhaps this Is true But
it is not relevant to the real question.
In the first place, Russia and her satel-
lites were invited, even urged, to come in
on the program, and they would be well
coined today as participants. Are Stain,
Tito, Dimitrov and company any less
dictatorial In their rule than Franco?
Are they not at least equally as hostile
to democracy? If Franco should be
barred on this ground, the others should
never have been invited in.
Beyond this, however, there is the more
important point that Spain would be
useful ally, both economically and stra-
logically, in our struggle with communism.
In the tight spot that we are in we have
to look to the future, not to the past:
If Spain, when all of the considerations
are balanced, can be helpful in the effort
to check the spread of communism that
fact and not emotion or theology, should
covert onfs sdsciSion.
Evening star., 1948-04-01
No Woy to Win Symputhy

The striking employees of the New York
Stock and Curb Exchanges could not have
chosen worse way to win public sympathy
than by inviting the support Of such law
defying demonstrators as engaged In
Tuesdays disgraceful spectacle on Wall
Street. The fact that most of the forty
five men and women arrested by police
were not members of the striking United
Financial Employees, Local 205, AFL, does
not relieve the union from sharing respon-
sibility for the violence.
For the UFE had welcomed the aid of
its friends" from two AFL seagoing
unions the Seafarers' International and
the Sailors Union of the Pacific. Police
records showed that a majority of the
men who rushed police In football style
and then flung themselves bodily onto the
sidewalk in front of the Stock Exchange
were members Of seamen's unions. While
these two groups have resisted COM
munistic infiltration efforts, they played
the game on Wall Street exactly as the
Communists like to see it played. The
pictures showing PROSTATE strikers" on
the street while club-wielding policemen
bent over them will make good propa-
ganda for the Communists BY the time
the pictures are reprinted in Moscow and
the satellite countries-as they no doubt
will be-the captions probably will have
been changed to make it appear that the
men lying on the sidewalk had been
brutally beaten down by police AS a
matter Of fact, impartial news accounts
agree that the police used commendable
restraint in dealing with the rioters.
This was not peaceful picketing" by
any stretch Of the Imagination There is
no law which permits such disorder by
labor union members or any one else. The
so-called friends" Of the financial workers
have done disservice to the strikers that
only prompt and complete reputation of
their actions by the UFE and the parent
AFL can undo
Evening star., 1948-04-01
Questions for Mr.. Merrill

To the Editor of The Star:
In The Star for March 26 E. d. Merrill.
president of the Capital Transit Co.. made a
statement regarding the proposed introduc-
tion OF radio programs on streetcars and
buses which reads very we'll However, I
would like to have frank replies to the follow
ing questions:
ID With whom did the demand for enter
tainment on public conveyances originate, and
why?
t2) Why is the Transit Co. so intrigued with
the idea that it is going to the trouble and
expense OF poll? Is 1t merely q desire to
please the riders?
90 Under what conditions have those polls
been taken that show that from 90 per cent
to SO per cent welcome this innovation?
~ Do the traffic officials indorse an innova-
ton which adds another distraction to motor
men, who need to be alert to fire and ambu-
lance sirens?
60 Even If majority should express a de-
sire for these radio programs has minority
no rights on public conveyances?
90 Is there no body such as the Public
Utilities Commission. which would need to
pass on such matters as affect the safety.
comfort and well-being of passengers on public
conveyances?
ONE WHO IS DEEPLY CONCERNED.