davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1951-03-15

about veto Mr.. Truman argued that this was
too long to wait in a time of national emergency,
There was merit to his contention There was
no merit, however, to the argument heard on
the floor to the effect that the proposed legisla-
ton would have given the President unlimited
powers to institute social reforms including his
controversial FEPC plan. The bill specifically
prohibited creation of new departments or
assignment to agencies of activities not provided
by law. 1t is true that under somewhat
similar grant of authority in 1941 the late Presi-
dent Roosevelt created the wartime FEPC but
the new grant would have been a conditional
one, with either house able to kill any plan by
an adverse vote.
It is to be hoped that failure of the emer-
gency reorganization bill is not portent of
similar resistance to long-range reforms under
the Hoover program. The reorganization job
outlined by the Hoover Commission has been
only half completed This is not an emergency
task, but the sooner it is done the stronger the
Nation will be economically and militarily
Evening star., 1951-03-15
By Charles E. TroceWeH

manufacturing plants. Some of these
corrosive agents will eat steel.
Water publication is science, but
some of the older residents will look
askance at too much chlorine in water,
especially after a heavy rain or snow,
but probably these are the times it is
needed most, even though it makes even
coffee unpalatable for time.
Oldsters will wonder, too, at these
modern ideas of making every one en-
dure something just to give certain por-
tions of the populace benefits. Take this
thing of putting a chemical in every
body's drinking water in order that chill
dren's teeth will benefit. Isn't this a
sort of communism in disguise?
Why make the old people endure it,
just to get at the young people?
Why make countless persons get up
early, just to give theoretical extra
hour" to those who want to play tennis?
The old folks have lessened abilities
in many lines, among them inability to
respond as quickly to sudden changes in
temperature.
Do they find Florida the heaven they
thought?
We know one Washingtonian who ran
from Washington right down into sub
freezing temperature in Florida, and an
other who set himself up in fancy new
home at Coral Gables, only to give it up
in year and come back to Washington.
Evening star., 1951-03-15
Setback for the President

House rejection of the Presidents request
for emergency reorganization powers is more of
a setback to presidential prestige than to the
defense program. The President still has wide
reorganization authority under the 1949 govern
mental reform law, but the procedure is con-
sderably slower than it would have been under
the emergency legislation.
The Senate-approved bill which the House
defeated by a surprising 227-to-167 vote would
have enabled Mr.. Truman to effect emergency
consultations or revsions of Federal activities 18
days after submission of a plan to Congress-
provided neither house vetoed it. The 1949 law
gives Congress 60 days to make up its mind
Evening star., 1951-03-15

vorce the common cold from the effects
of drafts and wetness leave many non
pluSSed.
If there is anything in the world they
think they know, it is the danger of
getting cold and wet. especially the feet.
Now comes an English experimenter
who declares he subjected many young
persons to standing in drafty places with
wet feet for hours without i'll effects.
Well, maybe so. But the individual
knows, through long years of personal
investigation, the close relationship be-
tween wet and cold and his own respira-
tional diseases. Here, if ever, the indi-
vidual can be his own physician, at least
until he begins to run fever.
It would seem to the layman that
old age is partly, at least, a matter of
drying up.
Hence drinking more water. but not
to excess, should be on the personal
agenda. Not that this dryness is alto
gether to be prevented by such means,
but surely it could be helped.
Water supply now makes the news
Gigantic reports, beautifully printed (at
your expense) are put out every now and
then. showing the situation for all the
major water basins of the country.
There has always been the problem of
all sorts of inimical agents in water.
These include not only waste from the
large cities. but even poisons from
Evening star., 1951-03-15
The Tax That Makes the BRIDES Sinq
By Arthur Edison

THIS is the day millions of Aneri-
Il cans swear: Never again! Never
again. that is will they put off making
out their income tax returns until the
last day.
But they-or other putter-offers-
will. Every year, the income tax people
say, millions don't get the dismal chore
done until the last minute.
It would be worse if it weren't for
the fact that SO many are entitled to
tax refunds "I don't know why" said
the income tax man coyly, "but people
who have money coming to them usually
get their returns in early"
Although the income tax has grown
into it's present size only fairly recently,
its roots 60 far back
In 1892, England had tax on farm
land income. But not until 1899 did
William Pitt put through an outright
income tax.
When the proposal came up for
graduated income tax in England, Sucn
as we have here now it met with con-
siderable criticism. Under graduated
tax, of course. those with higher in
comes not only pay more taxes, but
they also pay at higher rate.
lie OIllIeQ oIdIeS IdQ lCS IlTSG Ia"
tional income tax during the Civil War.
Its biggest year was 1866, when 460,170
persons paid $73 million.
Compare that with the 1850 collec-
tions. Some SO million made out re-
turns and paid nearly $18 billion. Cor
porations Clipped in close to another
$40 billion. We have advanced Cor re-
ceded-take your pick) long way.
States have had income tax levies
since 1889. Massachusetts,, South Caro-
lima. Pennsylvania and Virginia had in
come taxes before the Civil War. But
it remained for Prohibition to put most
States into the income tax business.
They made up in income taxes what
they lost in liquor revenue.
The national income tax died after
the Civil War, but it had revival in
1894.
When it was passed, as part of a
tariff bill. Rep. David Albaugh De
Almond, Democrat, of Missouri. purred
The passage of the bill will mark
the dawn of brighter day, with more
Evening star., 1951-03-15
A Fair and Honest Gambler

1t is not because of the police that things
are getting tough all over for Washingtons
reputed gambling kingpinS. First Sam Beard
finds himself indicted for income tax evasion
and now Emmitt Warning, who has operated in
the western part of the city for many years, has
100000 income tax lien slapped on him. All
of the recent commotion in local gaming circles
was stirred up without benefit of the Police De-
partment, which is supposed to suppress gam
bling in the District. Warning, incidentally is
the man whose friendly relations with certain
police higher-ups aroused the deep concern" of
the Davis Crime Committee. He is the man de-
scribed to the committee by his attorney as a
person with a reputation of being flair and
honest gambler"
There is no doubt that Warning has such
reputation in Foggy Bottom and across the creek
in Georgetown. But being fair and honest in
gambling enterprise does not make the enter
prise legal, or less subject to police interference.
gamblers reputation for always paying off
his clients in full does not qualify him to be
pal of precinct commanders or higher officers.
1t is pertinent to recall portion of the Davis
Committees comments with respect to Warnings
remarkable ability to avoid trouble with the po-
lice: Granting the difficulty of securing evil
dence necessary for successful prosecution it
would appear that little, If anything, has been
zone TO scratch Cue surface. his PROBABLY eX-
plains in large part why it is that as notorious
a character as the alleged fair and honest gam
bier, who, by his own admission, for 20 years had
followed no business about which he could testify
without discriminating himself, can circulate
freely, not alone without fear of the police but
also mentally disposed to friendship toward i'm
portant police officials"
The committee pointed out in its report
that Tn recent years few, if any, leaders of these
(gambling} enterprises have been molested by
District law enforcement authorities" Beard
who once testified that he was a "racetrack
gambler" has been as free from serious police
interference in late years as has Warning. It was
not until United States Attorney Fay launched
an independent drive on gambling two years ago
that gambling circles began to become disturbed
Mr.. Fay and the Internal Revenue Bureau CO.
operated in digging into the financial affairs of
both Beard and Warning. The results indicate
that little digging by energetic law enforcement
officers can be profitable. The Police Department
should take note. As the Davis group suggested
some real digging is needed-not just half
hearted, sporadic attempts that scratch the
surface"
Evening star., 1951-03-15
To Avoid War

10 AVOID war
A visitor from California, have en-
joyed reading The Star while in Wash
ington. But I do have to take vigorous
opposition to your editorial in praise OF
DR.. Vannevar Bush's thinking on ma
tional preparedness. On the surface,
Dr. Bush might seem to be right. This
is about the best the world has been
able to do to date-but it is not good
enough. We have come to that point
in history where at last we have to
admit, unless we are completely naive
and unrealistic, that armed force is out
moded and utterly ineffective in settling
international problems.
How can you possibly imagine that
in the face of our arming, "the Kremlin
will not attempt to attack =. that in
due course the danger will fade away
and make possible the organization Of
a decent peace" What kind of wishful
thinking is that?
Being more realistic than DR.. Bush, I
take quite an opposite viewpoint. Since
the dawn of history, there has been no
exception to the fact that arms races
always lead to war We fatuously tell
ourselves that this time it is different
because we are arming for defense, not
aggression-or, as one Congressman told
me. we have never before faced situ-
alton like this with a country like
Russia. This arms race. like every
other one, will end in war. No other
conclusion is possible.
So-we will have a war no one wants.
In such a war, according to every re-
sponsible person, there can be no vic
tory-not even for the victor. All that
will result will be millions of young men
and civilians killed-property damage
beyond imagination. All we could expect
would be new problems of staggering
magnitude, and conditions of misery
under which communism would be accel-
Grated 100-fold. So we end with an
increase in the evil we set out to combat.
Let's not destroy America with the mill
tary system that ruined Europe.
You speak of a defeatist point Of
view. To espouse military program
in this day and age is to give up COM
pletely. Well I'm not willing to accept
that. I want new approach to world
problems, something so dynamic and
creative that it will rally all the nations
around us and stop communism in its
tracks. We have to eliminate the causes
of communism: Hunger, insecurity, Serf-
dom, ignorance. disease. fear. Let Ameria
rise in a mighty moral crusade against
war, and these evils that breed war. Let
us do this creative thing. and watch the
nations of the world come over to our
side with a great shout of relief. Let
us use our billions to build the world,
and give all men new hope.
Against tremendous force Of this
kind, communism would lose its hold
on mems minds-and without their
minds you cannot have their bodies to
fight In this great moral upsurge.
democracy would be victorious. If we
place our faith in the sword we will die
by it-either physically, or spiritually,
or both.
Elinor Ely Ashkenazy.
Glendale, Calf.
Evening star., 1951-03-15
Give Them q Chance

Written for the chiIdren's HospitoI eompoiqn)
Annie Laurie stood poised, and Ueru still.
With a puzzled look on her eager young
face;
Dancing for her ,Das al1UayS a thrill,
But she neUer had danced in such q
place!
Then out of the silence the music came
And caught her up in its rhythm and
suing;
She moued through the air like leaning
fame,
With the ease of soaring bird on
10ing.
Children in toheeI chairs matched en-
tr1nced-
Little 1Uhite faces lit up tUith aaOe >.
Stiff little feet that had neuer danced :.
Eyes filed 1Oith 1Oonder at Dhat they
SaU!
Give them chance, these children of
ours,
To some day 1Ualk, and grow, and
To roam, the fields and gather the foUers.
They are future America! Give them
a chance!
Mottie Richards Tyler
Evening star., 1951-03-15
Letters to The Star

force Of police had been provided
by Maj. Sylvester to restrain the too
eager spectators.
had two cameras set up and focused,
to include the path which I estimated
the chimney would take in it's fall.
When the explosive was detonated at
the base of the chimney, most OF
the photographers Immediately operated
their camera shutters. I delayed oper-
ating the shutter of my 8x10 plate
camera for about seven seconds, and as
result obtained a creditable and in
formative showing of the structure well
on its way down, with characteristic
fractures and segmentations plainly
evident.
The files of The Star can verify the
occurrence and its illustration.
Horace Woodward.
Editors Note: Quite so. Herewith,
Mr.. Woodward's picture:
Evening star., 1951-03-15

of sunshine. more of the songs of birds,
more of that sweetest music, the laugh
ter of children, well fed, well clothed,
well housed.
Can we doubt that in the brighter,
happier days to come, good, even
handed. wholesome democracy shall be
trimphant?"
The birds didn't sing for everybody.
though. According to Mark Sullivan
in Our Times"-from which I'm getting
most of this information-it was Sen
ator John Sherman, Republican, of Ohio,
who said: This attempt to array the
rich against the poor :. is Socialism,
Communism, Devilism."
Joseph H. Choate, prominent law
yer, shifted that it was nothing but
"communistic march"
The Supreme Court finally ruled the
graduated income tax unconstitutional
five votes to four. The New York World
called this "the triumph of selfishness
over patriotism" But the New York
Tribune happily cried: Thanks to
the Court. our Government is not to
Evening star., 1951-03-15
NonessentioI Park Encrouchment

Edward ]. Kelly, superintendent of National
Capital Parks has good cause to protest military
encroachment on park areas under the guiSe of
defense urgency Washington has had some sad
experiences with these periodic invasions in the
past We have learned that military necessity
can be stretched to cover strangely nonessential
projects Take the polo field in West Potomac
Park, for example The Navy took it early in
World War II for parking lot, on the ground
of military necessity. But after covering it with
concrete and marking off parking places nothing
happened. The hundreds of cars which were
supposed to park there failed to show up The
polo parking lot was a complete flop. But the
field never was returned to park use.
During World War II part of Anacostia Park
was taken over out of military necessity for a
coal dump. After the war the area, badly needed
for recreational purposes in the Southeast, was
to be restored to the park authorities. Recently,
according to Mr.. Kelly thousands of tons of
coal were dumped there once more. Is this park
land to become permanent coal pile?
Most disturbing of all is a report, as yet
unconfirmed of threatened seizure by military
authorities of the Washington areas most i'm
portant camp site for underprivileged children.
This is in the beautiful Prince William Forest
Park, in Virginia, where last year more than 1000
needy or otherwise deserving boys and girls
4lOIl1 ClCy WCle gwen 1led1GI11ul
OF this total TIC children, from to IL years
old, were selected from low-income families by
the Summer Outings Committee of the Family
and Child Services Of Washington The Star for
several years has sponsored Embarrassing cam
paigns for these camps More than 100 physically
handicapped children were sent to camps in
the forest by the Washington Heart Association.
If the rumors concerning plans to convert
Prince William Forest Park into a restricted
military reservation are true, one of nearby
Virginia's few public parks will be closed to the
public and serious blow will be dealt the city's
underprivileged children. Of course, if the
security of the Nation is at stake, the closing
of Prince William Forest Park would be justified.
But defense officials ought to make sure that
no more polo-feld mistakes are made at the
expense of public parks. With all the money
they have available and all the non-park land
to choose from in the Washington area, it should
be easy to find plenty of suitable sites for
defense activities without destroying Prince
William Forest Park as a children's summer
haven.
Evening star., 1951-03-15
Pioneer

I noticed in The Star few days ago
a very laudatory account of the develop
ment of the business of Mr. Harris Of
Harris & Ewing, in which the statement
was made that he was the first news
photographer in Washington
This deprives The Star and the writer
Of credit for pioneer activity in news
illustration which we carried on few
years earlier than the time of Mr.. Harris
initial work in the Capital.
Some time in 1902, was making pho
tographS for the paper, and while was
an assistant in the Washington bureau
of the Philadelphia Public Ledger, also
operated an Illustration service supply
ing pictures of events and subjects in
Washington to newspapers through their
Washington bureaus. Sam Blythe of the
World, Richard Oulihan of the Balti-
more American, and other famous cor
respondents were my patrons. I COW
cred the trial Of Admiral w. S. Schley
at the Washington Navy Yard, although
I was not admitted within the yard.
There was considerable inertia in
many newspapers of that day to the use
OF half-tone illustrations of news sub
jectS, and this was true of The Star
until 1903, when was induced to return
to the paper at an advance in salary
which was adequate for the moment.
The Stars offer was occasioned by my
supplying the paper with a photograph
of the fall Of the enormous chimney of
the Capital Traction Co.'s powerhouse
at Fourteenth and streets, which had
burned down some time earlier.
The whole city was alerted when ar
rangements were made to dynamite the
old chimney, and large group of pho
tographers was present to photograph
the event. Crowds lined the north side
of the avenue. and stood in streets
about the block, which had been wholly
occupied by the powerhouse. A large
Evening star., 1951-03-15
Example, Not Codes, Is Needed

Hamlet: What's the ne1DS?
Rosencrants: None. mn lord. but that the
iUorldS grot0n honest.
Hamlet: Then is doomSday near.
Judging from the day o-day headlines on
the first page of The Star there is still time to
spare before doomsday. The world, around these
parts, shows no signs of growing honest But
we do have the unusual proposal of distin-
guished Senator, fresh from his delvings in the
political underworld of influence peddling, for
a commission of eminent men charged with the
task of investigating the moral and ethical
lever of Government and perhaps of trying to
lift it.
One infers from what Senator Fulbrght says
in this connection that in the course of its inves
tigation the commission might draw up a code
of ethics for men in public life spelling out for
them the difference between what is right and
what is wrong in fields not covered by the
statutes. This might be a good idea. Had
General Vaughan, for example, had access to
such a code his activities in behalf of John
Maragon might have been inhibited by what
he read in the book. Judging from his unspoken
declination to appear voluntarily before the Full
bright committee and clarity the references to
his name in RFC matters, Donald Dawson the
White House aide, could discover helpful hints
in such code And, of course, there would be
canon, in bold-face type, relating to mink coats
and White House stenographers.
Senator Douglas of Illinois, responding per-
haps to the suggestions implicit in Senator
Fulbright'S commission proposal, is already
working some amendments to the Admins
trative Procedures Code The purpose of such
amendments is to furnish a guide for Govern
ment officials on what to do when invited by
the next percenter to come up and look at
his etchingS. Senator Douglas, bold man,
would even apply the code to members of Con-
gress-but allow that it is proper for them to
write letters in behalf of constituents, if such
and are not taken too seriously by the bureau
cratic recipients.
These efforts at reform are laudable. But
somehow they leave sinking feeling with those
who ponder their significance. For up until
recent years, at least, it has been generally
accepted that if man serving his Government
lacks an instructive appreciation of ethical con-
ceptS, which are much older than our own
Government or even of our own country, then
he has no business being in public service and
is not going to be helped by any written code
of ethics
Perhaps we need an example, in Washington,
much more than we need commission to inves-
tigate moral and ethical levels and much more
than we need a written code of ethical behavior.
That, of course is no new idea. It was Cicero
VINO wrote that What is shown by example, men
think they may justly do" And in much the
same vein, another Roman reminds us that 1.-The
people are fashioned by the examples of their
kings, and edicts are of less power than the
life of the ruler"
Evening star., 1951-03-15

be dragged into communistic warfare
against rights of property"
The Republicans. as the party of the
outs, naturally blame the ins for every
thing. Listening to the arguments, one
might get the idea the Democrats in
vented taxes.
But it was a Republican President,
William Howard Taft, who asked for a
constitutional amendment so that we
could have graduated income tax. He
got it, too. 1t became official when
Wyoming ratified the amendment on
February 3. 1913
At that time it was considered soak
the-rich measure, of academic interest
to the laborer The feeling was summed
up by humorist, George Fitch, who
said: "It will be an exclusive circle, this
income tax class-one which the ordi-
nary wage-earning class cannot hope to
enter"
Humorist Fitch probably never guessed
it. but in view of developments it turns
out he never wrote funnier line.
associated Press.)