davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1949-03-08
PrejudicioI Statements

II President Truman's denunciation of
two Communist leaders as traitors was not
prejudicial statement in the legal sense,
1t was at least an unfortunate thing for
him to have said.
The two Communists, Eugene Dennis
and William z. Foster, are among the
twelve indicted on conspiracy charges.
Fosters trial has been postponed because
OF illness. The others, including Dennis,
are now on trial in New York.
The real issue in that trial is whether
these men are traitors in the sense of
conspiring against their country and since
that Is the issue at the trial it was i'm
proper for the President to make state
ment which in effect is prejudgment
OF the issue and finding of guilt against
one OF the alleged conspirators.
Counsel for the accused asked Judge
Medina, who is presiding at the trial, to
dismiss the indictment, the theory being
that the Presidents statement had made
1t impossible to select an unprejudiced
jury. The judge refused, believing that
an impartial jury can be chosen. Prob
ably he Is correct. In any event this
point will be considered in the higher
courts If the defendants are convicted,
and If their right to fair trial has been
prejudiced they will have full benefit of
a review in the calmer atmosphere which
prevails in the appellate courts
1t seems clear, however, that the Presi-
dent and other high officials should be
extremely wary of any statement which
might influence this trial. OF course, these
defendants have done just about every
thing possible to prejudice their own case
But the fact remains that their trial has
certain political Implications It will be
watched by many people as a measure OF
the quality Of American justice, and every
precaution should be taken to see that it
is conducted with all possible fairness.
Evening star., 1949-03-08

The Citizens Rights Emphasized
TO the Editor Of The Star:
So now we shall have free compulsory
health insurance.
AS neither a Democrat, Republican or
Wallaceite. but just as an ordinary Ameri-
can citizen, I honestly believe that I still
am the person to be considered. AS under
stand it, the Government of these United
States was designed to serve me as citizen.
1t was designed to serve me as a citizen in
the way that l wish it to serve me. 1t is not
.one OF the Governments duties to make any
decision as to what might be best for me; it
it only its duty to perform mine and other
citizens bidding.
Although I might need a doctors care,
hospital care. possibly the care of minister
or priest, still maintain that the final
decision should be left to me.
After listening to Oscar Ewing and others
on the radio outlining all the carefully
worked out plans for my benefit tried to
remember when I. as citizen and taxpayer,
had given these men the privilege of making
my decisions for me. I, the citizen, am pay
ing Harry Truman to serve me as I direct.
!, the citizen, am paying Mr.. Ewing to do
other work. But they must not forget that
], the citizen, still am master and will make
my own decision. and it is their duty as
servants to carry out these decisions-not to
question whether or not my decisions are
wise for me. l. THE CITIZEN.
Evening star., 1949-03-08
Ex-Enemy Shipping

The controversy aroused both in this
country and among the Western powers by
a proposal of General Lucius D. Clay to
let the Western Germans build and oper-
ate ocean-going ships emphasizes an issue
of far-reaching significance.
One of the most stringent clauses in the
Potsdam agreement negotiated in the
spring of 1945 by the victors over Hitler's
defunct Third Reich was an absolute pro-
hibition on German construction OF AL
types" of sea-going vessels. And year
later this clause was implemented by Four
Power rulings that new ships built by Ger
mans must not exceed $500 tons In size,
with a speed not exceeding twelve knots
and an operating radius of only 1000 miles
In other words, there was to be no German
merchant marine worthy OF the name
Nothing beyond small slow-going coastal
or fishing craft were to be permitted the
conquered. 1t should of course be under
stood that all surviving ocean-golng shlps
under German registry had been divided
among the victors as war reparations.
This drastic prohibition was in sharp
contrast to the First World War. Then, TO
be sure, the surviving German merchant
marine was similarly sequestered by the
victors for reparations, but no restraints
were laid on new construction by the peace
settlement. And the Germans took full
advantage of this opportunity. Starting
from nothing, Germany built up mer-
chant marine which, for size and efficiency,
ranked high in the shipping world at the
start of World War II.
The reasons behind the Potsdam pro-
hibition are not hard to fathom. In part
they stemmed from the then dominant
attitude best expressed by the so-called
Morgenthau Plan, which aimed at destroy
ing German heavy industry. But it like
wise reflects powerful American and Brit
ish maritime interests, bent on preventing
q recurrence of German competition in the
shipping world. And those interests are
the most vigorous opponents of General
Clay's proposal. Representatives of Amer
ican ship operators and maritime labor
unions have alike filed sharp protests with
Evening star., 1949-03-08
World Gold Problem

We are so accustomed to visualize inter-
national exchange in terms of the Amer1-
can dollar that it may surprise the average
layman to learn that gold is still the basic
yardstick of monetary values. To be sure,
gold and the dollar are tied together in
a sort of parity This is due to the readi-
ness of our Treasury to accept unlimited
quantities of gold at the standard price OF
$35 an ounce. And that parity is, in turn,
the basis of the international Monetary
Fund agreement, under which gold-pro-
ducing countries have pledged themselves
not to sell mined gold at more than that
price. This obligation enables the Fund
to exercise one of it's chief objectives,
which is "to promote exchange stability
maintain orderly exchange arrangements
with other members, and avoid competitive
exchange alterations"
However, this fixed price structure Is
under increasing pressure, due to the vastly
enhanced price of gold on the free
market" which has now reached approx
mately $85 per ounce. The reasons for
this pressure are numerous and complex.
They include acute dollar Exchange short
ages in many countries, shift in conf
dence on the part of world public opinion
from all kinds of paper money including
even the dollar, and rising costs in gold
production itself. This latter factor is
strong enough to have compelled the INF
to accept applications from Canada and
France to subsidize the gold-mining in
dustries in those countries in order to
maintain existing production and open
new mines at fair profit. A similar move
is pending from Australia.
Technically, this is not q breach Of the
INF agreement, although its indirect
Evening star., 1949-03-08
Loyalty Test Suit

The suit which has been filed to test the
constitutionality of the Federal loyalty
program may be a good thing in itself.
Unfortunately, however, the constitutional
issue it seeks to raise has been all but
smothered under barrage OF nonSenslcal
propaganda.
This propaganda appears in press re-
lease from o. John Rogge, former Assistant
Attorney General, who is representing
26 postal employees accused under the 10y
atty program. :,
Mr.. Rogge's press release fire is centered
on the Presidents order setting up the
program. Mr.. Rogge terms the order, as
applied, San outrage and disgrace to
American concepts of fairness, decency
and Justice" After dissertation on the
use of police spies, informers, dossiers, etc.,
he goes on to say: "By its efforts to achieve
conformity of thought, by its denial OF the
rights to freedom of speech, freedom to
read, freedom to think aloud, freedom to
associate with people without asking for
q certificate of political purity the
order makes a mockery of the American
way of life. Genuine democracy is threat
sned not by any of these plaintiffs or other
accused workers, not single one OF whom
has been charged with any act or action
against the Government, but by the use
of these foreign and un-American methods
to ferret from Federal service all non
eonformists and all who seek to make
democracy work.
That Is essentially stump speech. 1t
has no place in association with suit
presumably filed in all seriousness to test
q serious question of constitutional law.
Furthermore 1t is a piece of propaganda
which hardly squares with the facts.
Despite the inferences which one might
draw from Mr.. Rogges statement, the
Government has not been engaged in
gigantic witch hunt aimed primarily at
Negroes and Jews. The latest available
figures show that the FBI has processed
2,387,253 loyalty checks. OF this total
2,37s, 1853, or 99.6 per cent, were cleared.
OF the Others 494 were found to be cases
Of mistaken identity-no such person en-
ployed by the Government. The remainder,
1895 cases, were sent through the process
of full FBI investigation. OF this total,
2,916 people have been cleared. Only 175
have been rated ineligible. In SO OF these
ITS cases, the accused we're dismissed be-
cause they did not appeal from the initial
finding. Ten have been dismissed after
appeal to the Loyalty Review Board, and
two more have been recommended for
dismissal. In the other cases the lndl-
viduals involved either resigned under in
vestigation, or their cases are awaiting
hearing, or are in various stages of appeal.
These figures pretty well dispose of the
wilder aspects of Mr.. Rogge's press state
ment. They do not dispose, of course, OF
the cases of the 26 people he represents.
Perhaps these, or some of them, have been
done an injustice, as he alleges. If so,
and If there is any bona fide constitutional
issue involved, then everyone should vel
come an adjudication of their claims. But
this should be left to the courts, not the
headlines.
Evening star., 1949-03-08
Murder Not Funny
To the Editor of The Star:
Is murder funny?


Is murder funny?
This question isn't as stupid as it seems
when reference is made to the pictures ap-
pearing in Washington papers recently IN
connection with the stories of the Fairfax
Virginia. tragedy and the capture of a triple
murder convict suspect in California.
On the front page of The Star picture
showed grinning confessed killer between
two detectives. One detective was laugh,
ing and the other had a half smiling,
amused expression. On another page of
The Star of the same date, two detectives
were holding the implements used in bury
ing the bodies; one was laughing and the
other had an expression of urbane jollity.
But the climax was the picture on the
first page of the second section showing
four Boy Scouts, members of the searching
party, kneeling at the spot where one of
the Scouts observation OF soft ground
brought discovery of the two bodies Three
of these teen-age boys were laughing and
grinning as If participants in a highly
jovial episode.
What the boys could have found so anus
ing Is difficult to conceive. Could it be that
the photographers could have told them,
Smile, boys, SMILE?
The other instance in another paper
showed blandly smiling convict-murderer
suspect. surrounded by three ofhcers-all
facially rejecting gay frame of mind and
one of them laughing as heartily as the de-
tective on the front page of The Star.
Pictures depicting aspects of law and mur-
der as a laughing or grinning matter are
not alone offensive and in bad taste. They
can have dangerous effect on young and
impressionable minds. Murder is brutal
fact to be grim about and not to grin about.
Shouldn't there be an editorial policy
against such pictures similar to the policy
some publications have against carrying
liquor advertising?
CHESTER H. MCCALL.
Evening star., 1949-03-08
SEGREGATION In Chicago

To the Editor of The Star:
Referring to the letter in The Star Of Feb
ruary 10, signed Ralph K. Merker in which
he states that Negroes eat in the hotel din
ing rooms and cafeterias in the Loop Of
Chicago:
I am from Chicago and have many times
eaten in hotel dining rooms and cafeterias
in the Loop in Chicago. and never have
seen q Negro being served meals in any of
these places. In fact, an occasional letter
crops up in the voice of the people" column
Of various newspapers there, the same as
here. in which Negro complains of not
being able to eat in white restaurants, etc.
There must be many colored eating places
in Chicago
In the section of Chicago where lived,
the sight of Negro on the streets would
have been so unusual as to cause surprise
We really have segregation in Chicago.
There is a huge Negro district on Chicago's
south side-a city in itself-and some very
wealthy negroes live there, just like Harlem
in New York.
Evening star., 1949-03-08

Prestige and Its Value Abroad
To the Editor OF The Star:
Who is George w. Hale?
I am referring, of course, to the chap
who in your February % issue made a few
remarks about our State Department.
Having been overseas myself for the
State Department, can tell you that for
the job of representing the United States
of America abroad, our employees are just
about the poorest paid people in the world.
And as for that government paid hous-
ing when living abroad" he should see
where some of our key State Department
people have to live.
People at home here, like Mr.. Hale just
don't realize how much face or prestige
means in the rest of the world. If you
don't know what I mean, take good look
at Mr.. Acheson. He is fine looking and
smart Secretary of State. He has prestige
and commands respect from every nation in
the world. That in itself is worth three
times what he is paid! Remember, we're
talking about the United States of America,
the richest country in the world. We should
be proud of her and want her and the men
who represent her to have nothing but the
best so that the rest of the worlds states
men will look up and say, Gee, look, here
comes Mr. Smith. He's an American. See
the fine car he has and the excellent Office
quarters. He is from their State Depart
ment"
Prestige, face, front-call it what you will,
ask any movie star how much it counts in
Hollywood. Multiply that by fifty and you
will have rough idea of how much it
counts for our State Department in the
world today.
No, they can't live just like you and me
and then walk into some foreign equivalent
of our Department. of State and expect
to impress them with the fact that they
are Americans. Those foreigners know
that we are the leaders of the world today
and they expect us to act the part.
JOHN r. MUELLER.
Evening star., 1949-03-08
Winter Star

The winter star holds in its shape
The reluctant leaf OF cola.
Tbe shnttered splinter like SPARK
punctuates the measured dark.
The zero harvest offers no,D its grape
penrled NTH a de,D 1phose inner JoIq
Encloses corridors OF hght W
Leading backward into night
SARA VAN ALSTYNE ALLEN. .
Evening star., 1949-03-08
Bv THE HAsKIN SERVICE.

BY THE HAShlN SERVlCE.
O. At what rate is the coast OF the United
States being washed away?-D. L. D. .
A. The Army Engineers Beach ErosiGn
Board has reported that waves are eating
into the United States shoreline at an aver
age rate of i foot year. In parts OF Ches,
apeake Bay the rate is Is feet a year. To
offset this erosion, currents are depositing,
sand and silt in few places. :.
O. How long has it been the custom to
have photographs retouched?-H. j. T.
A. A portrait of Hans Christian Andersen
(1855) by Franz Hanfstaengl is said to Be.
the first photograph to be retouched. .-,n
@. Please give the correct name Of the
astronomical device that looks like skeles.
ton globe. R. P. K. -
A. 1t is called an armilla or armillary
sphere. -4-
O. When was Newark, N. j., founded?
-W.D.
A. Newark, one of the oldest towns in the
United States, was founded in 1866 by G
band of Puritans from Connecticut. Thes
name of the city was chosen in honor of.
their pastor, the Rev. Abraham Pierson2
d6OS-7S), who came from Newark -on-ps
Trent, England.
c. When the widow of Spanish -Ameri-r
can War veteran remarries she automati-.
cally loses her widows pension. If after e
number of years she is widowed again can
the pension be renewed?-C. Z. T. z
A. The right of widow Of SPANISH
American War veteran to pension terml-
mated upon her re-marriage and may notoo
renewed, except in a case where the WlooW-
had been married during the war and her
income does not exceed $3.50 year.
Evening star., 1949-03-08
Letters to The Star

Letters for publication must bear
the signature and address of the
vriter, although 1t Is permissible for
,Driter k1,oU, to The Star to use
nom de plume. Please be brief.
Evening star., 1949-03-08
Questions and Answers

reader can get the answer to any question OF
fact by writing The Evening Star 1nformstlop
Bureau 3l6 street NE, washington 2, D G.
Evening star., 1949-03-08
WASHINGTON soJoURNER.
Tips for Carrier Boys

Tips tor Carrier Boys
10 the Editor Of The Star:
In re: Letter from Carriers Mother
printed in The Star on March 8, she GER
tainly wouldn't suggest what am about to,
being, no doubt, fair person.
I get all four Washington newspapers
and have four good carrier boys. Each of
them acts as young businessmen should.
Never do have to look for my papers,
never are they thrown just anywhere.
Surely. they're late once in while, but who
isn't?
Now my suggestion: Each time the car
rier collects, give him little extra. I pay
my boys when they come the first time, and
the extra dime for weekly boys and quar-
ter, no less, for the boys who collect month
ly. They are worth it.
know that most people tip the waiter,
barber. porter. hat checker. ETC.; so why
neglect the newsboy? LITTLE RED HEN
Evening star., 1949-03-08
Protests Half. Year Semester Change

IIOtSStS I1dlI. ear semester Ohan2e
To the Editor Of The Star:
Recently I read in The Star that the
Board OF Education was considering chang
ing the school term to eliminate the half
year semester. May I, as one parent of two
grade school pupils, register my protest?
The semester system, as used in the Dis
trict of Columbia, has been in successful
operation for many years. Both my hus-
band and I are graduates of Washington
public schools, and know from experience
that had the full years term been required,
IN my husbands case he would have had
to stay in high school for one additional
semester in order to get his diploma
If the proposed change were in operation,
our youngest son, not yet in public school,
would be required to wait out an additional
semester as his birthday is March II. In
the case Of our oldest son, now in GA, he
lost six months from his grade because his
first grade teacher failed to recognize that
he was suffering from a distinct reversal
tendency. After having him examined by
the Child Guidance Clinic, private psychia-
trio physicians, and Mrs. Kingsbury of the
Remedial Education Center, we were forced
to send him to private school for one year
to attempt to correct this situation Upon
his return to Lafayette he was able to con-
tinue with the loss of only half year
effect, he would be a full year behind his
grade. with the possibility that his initiative
and interest would have suffered greatly.
If the proposed change is decided upon
may I suggest that consideration be given
the new idea Of intensive study of one sub
ject at time for two months, as has been
done at Hiram College and the Kiskiminetas
Springs School for Boys? This way, If q
student failed in one subject, such as read
ing, he still could go on with his class in
the rest of his subjects. and not have
full years work to repeat on subjects he
already knows. It seems to me that q
failure in one subject would be far easier
to make up during a summer period than
1t would be to review a full years work.
DO not see why the intensive study plan
could not be applied successfully to grade
school curriculum as well as to senior school
curriculum
fully realize the advantages of the pro-
posed system as far as simplification of
administrative detail is concerned, but 1
feel that these advantages do not outweigh
the disadvantages outlined above.
MRS, A. W. ALEXANDER
Evening star., 1949-03-08
the Cantos now under fire is anybody's

the Cantos now under fire is anybody's
guess)
AS the stalwart Miss Lowell was herself
a disciple Of Pounds imagist movement
she probably knew her onions, although
have read that she did not know her beets
having written verses honoring sugar beets
and addressed them as little crimson balls
OF sweetness" This quotation from memory
may not be exact, but just ask Mr.. Haskin
to describe sugar beets!
At any rate, I believe Amy's Browning
esque essay in rhyme will provide some en-
tertainment for those interested in Pound
and/or Eliot. 1t seems to me that she was
mistaken. however, in her thesis that each
OF these writers " = is victim of ex-
patriation. and. as usual, it's licked him.
1t has happened more times than care
to reflect, and the general toll is two coun-
tries neglect" Indeed, I think that in so
lar as their poetry is concerned, the op-
posite has turned out to be true
ALICE BOORMAN WILLIAMSON.
Evening star., 1949-03-08
Filibuster Axiom

To the Editor Of The Star:
Filibuster is the minoritys last line of
defense.
CHARLES STEVENS PARTRIDGE.
Jackson Heights, N. Y.
Evening star., 1949-03-08
Disapproves Church's Dabblins

In a report from Bucharest, Romania. it
was stated that Is religious organizations
had been dissolved. placed under govern
ment control. It is alleged that these reli
gious organizations had meddled with purely
political affairs. If this charge is correct,
the government had right to deal with
these organizations as it naturally would
deal with any other political unit that inter-
fered with governmental functions. No
religious organization has any business to
dabble in purely political matters so long
as the government does not interfere with
proper religious functions. The Church was
divinely ordained to proclaim the Gospel
and teach religious truth, but it was never
ordained to exercise the prerogatives of the
civil government G. S. LONGACRE.
Evening star., 1949-03-08
More on Ezra Pounds Poetry

To the Editor Of The Star:
In connection with the controversy over
Ezra Pounds poetry award. wonder If any
one remembers Amy Lowells amusing lines
in "a Critical Fable" wherein she calls
Pound and Eliot "the expatriates" and ex-
coriates them both with her mordant wit?
do not have access to the whole poem
in fact have never read it-but I am for
tunate in having run across the extract in
the anthology Poet to Poet edited by
Houston Peterson and William S. Lynch
and published in 1945.
Miss Lowell rests her whip occasionally
and salves it's wounds with certain amount
of praise. She even says of Pound: Few
men have to their credit more excellent
verses than he used to write, and even his
worse is much better than most peoples
good :"
CThis was written in 1922; Amy died in
1925. and what she might have said about