davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1951-09-19
Thut Pork BurreI

The cartoon mo Stopping 1t Now"
in your August 16 issue has just come
to my attention. The old cliche pork
barrel" with respect to appropriations for
river and harbor work dies hard. It is
a strange situation with multi-billionS
being provided to help and strengthen
countries all over the world while a rel
atively few millions to improve and
strengthen our own country is ridiculed
as pork barreling" and "log rolling"
There probably is no legislation en-
acted in Washington that is less under
stood by the public than that for water
way Improvements and flood control.
1t is astounding that so many people,
many of them we'll informed, still be-
lieve that old cliche pork barrel" with
respect to waterway legislation. Such
legislation is entirely free from so-called
pork" by reason Of the method of its
adoption and enactment, and has been
for q generation. Moreover, almost all
projects are initiated by local interests,
not by politicians or Army engineers.
Congress does not appropriate for par
ticular projects. 1t appropriates lump
sums to be spent by the Secretary Of
the Army at his selection (and that
means at the selection of the Chief Of
Engineers, US. A. from a list Of ap-
proved projects. Approved projects are
those that have been certified economi-
cally sound after public hearings and
long study by the Corps of Engineers.
U.S.A. made first by the district Off
Ger, reviewing by his superior, the divi-
sion engineer. then by the Board Of En-
gineers for Rivers and Harbors, and f.
nally by the Chief of Engineers. No part
Of the study is perfunctory. Having
passed that test, they go to the Public
Works Committee of the House. If ap-
proved there. and later by the Senate
Public Works Committee, they are In
corporated in river and harbor author
ization bill which carries no money.
When the bill becomes law they become
approved projects to which the Secre-
tary Of the Army may allot funds when
made available by Congress.
With over one-hah of the projects
investigated down through the years.
the decisions by Army engineers have
been "the principal grounds upon which
the adverse conclusions are based are
that the benefits to be anticipated
are insufficient to warrant the expendi-
ture of Federal funds for the purpose.
There is no other Federal expendi-
Evening star., 1951-09-19
PIuY Up the Wur
/. M. Mad.

am under the impression that the
United States is at war. It is with re-
grettable distaste that find that the
people of our country are so disinterested
in this war that a newspaper of your
high repute can afford to publish the
most recent battle bulletins on page IA
of your last edition. Surely, the only
hope of ending this or any other war is
to make it, as nearly as possible, the in
innate, the horrible and the vital factor
that it is to the thousands of American
men who are fighting.
One recognizes the limitations Of CEN
sorship. One also recognizes the
enormous influence of the press, not only
in its columnists' opinions and the edi-
torials, but in the placement Of straight
news. Can't you-wont you-assume
your portion Of the responsibility, and
attempt to make our people truly con-
scious and aware Of this war?
Lucy Livingston.
Evening star., 1951-09-19
Fight Fon Punches N

So far as my household is concerned,
the sponsors of TV broadcasts that
cater to theater audiences can spiel their
long -winded commercials to, and get
their product income from, the boys
who go to the movies to see sports
events. We're through.
The TV industry couldn't sell sponsor
time until millions of sets were sold.
What programs could be put on except
for the money that poured In from the
owners of sets?
And don't think we're going to appre-
ciate a canned view Of the Sugar Ray
Turpin fight. We won't watch it. except
to note the sponsors.
/. M. Mad.
Evening star., 1951-09-19
Questions and Answers

The Stars readers can get the answer 70
sns question sts Sf fact BY either EritnE
NV %ssbinftnno tnIorEmfb5ion sIrsiu; @ 100 street
return postage or BY telephoning sf 1853.
Evening star., 1951-09-19
BY THE HAsKIN SERVICE.

Q. Where was Paul Hindemith born
and how long has he been in the United
States?-R. H. L.
A. The composer was born in Ger
many in 1895. but left his native coun-
try during the Nazi regime. At the in
vitation of Mustapha Kemal Pash, Hin
demith devoted some time to organiz-
ing the musical life of Turkey. In 1910
he began permanent residence in the
United States and became a citizen six
years later.
Evening star., 1951-09-19

@. How is it that birds can sit upon
electric power wires without being elec-
trocuted?-G. G.
A. Each bird sits only on one wire
and practically no current passes
through its body. If bird were to
straddle two wires or to make a short
circuit between the single wire and the
ground, 1t would be electrocuted.
@. Who introduced Christianity into
Japan?-R. K.
A. Portuguese traders first brought
the Christian faith to Japan in 1542,
and by 1894, there were ~ million
Christians. In the next century. how
ever, there was great persecution and
Christian missionary work in Japan
was not revived until 1859.
Evening star., 1951-02-07
Henry WcLen1ore:
Can't Fix an Aching 7 Doth
Without Upsetting Budget

and still keep the budget book
straight can't have an ach-
ing tooth fixed. That's why. in
an earlier paragraph. I told
you ! would cry If it were not
unmanly. Am I to go through
the rest Of my life with an
aching tooth or not be accepted
in polite society where holes in
trousers are frowned ON?
Which is more important
good, sound teeth or immaculate
trousers with no holes In them?
Frankly. that's why I don't like
budgets. They put too many
difficult questions to a fellow.
I wrote something about
this several years ago and I
wouldn't mention it now unless I
knew that it still held true.
A budget serves chiefly to re-
mind those in straitened cir
cumstances just how poor they
are. BY itemizing how little
you've got you're shown in black
and white just how little you
have got.
Ford never kept q budget.
You can't find an old Astor
budget book. I'll pay $4,000
If you'll deliver to me the Aga
Khan's budget book listing his
kitchen expenses. Those of us
who are poor should never keep
q budget.
Rich people. as / said, don't
work on a budget but they
should. Rich people could look
at a budget and say I have
100000 more to spend this
month. With two hundred
grand to work on they could
buy themselves q chinchilla
poker for the fireplace, dine on
plover's eggs every morning, and
polish their furniture with be-
luga cavier.
I am going to tear up my bud
get book and work on the theory
that you can't take it with you.
distributed By McNaught Syndicate. Inc
Evening star., 1951-02-07
Picked os Toft Chief Aide, Rally Here Show
With Foreign Policy to Be G. O. P. Issue

of this would be possible with
out the sanction, direct or
tacit, of Mister Republican.
It is the real significance Of
a series of incidents involving
Senator Mccarthy. including his
juicy Appropriations appoint
ment: his humping Senator
Margaret Chase Smith of Maine
OF the Expenditures investi-
eating subcommittee and a plan,
which proved abortive. to cover
up the snub to Mrs. Smith by
having Senator Mccarthy in
troduce her at the box supper.
Seniority governs committee
assignments in the Senate and
of course gives an advantage
to Senators long in service over
their juniors. But its opera
tions cannot be wholly rigid:
within the various groupings
there is still room for manip-
ulation as Senator Tobey
proved when he jockeyed an
isolationist out of Foreign Rela-
tions by taking it himself.
Senator Mccarthy had asked
for Armed Services, Appropria-
tions and Judiciary; he is said
to have lost interest in Judi
ciary when Senator Butler.
chairman of the COP Commit
tee on Committees, assured him
that investigations would be
Evening star., 1951-02-07
DoNid Lawrence:
Voice Should Be Independent
Benton Right in His Attempt to Separate
Agency From State Department Rule

had charge of the "Voice of
America" program and spent
many a weary hour before con-
gressional committees trying to
get appropriations for it, so he
has definite ideas about what
ought to be done with the whole
operation. In his reply to Sec
retary Acheson, the Connecticut
Senator says in part:
Your aetter of January Gath
still leaves a chasm between us.
I earnestly hope that you
do not mean that we are now
meeting fully the challenge and
the opportunity in this field.
The tragic fact is that our in
formation program hasn't even
begun to be the vital part of
our national strategy it should
be. Evidence for this abounds
everywhere"
The evidence, to be sure,
comes from many persons who
are experts in the field and who
shake their heads in discour-
agement as they think what a
whale of a job could be done
by a really inspired organiza-
ton that has as its main task
a daily appeal to the peoples
behind the Iron Curtain"
The hope of preventing war
lies not merely in a cautious
diplomacy backed by armament.
but in bringing persuasively to
the attention of peoples every
where that peace is really at
tainable if truth is utilized to
the maximum in applying moral
force.
Secretary Acheson's letter ap-
pears to be that of a technician
who has examined a blueprint
and finds that the functions
are properly classified in
Government department. If
there were no crisis, 1t wouldn't
matter in what department the
Voice of America" was placed.
But there is a crisis, and it
Evening star., 1951-02-07
Doris Fleeson:
Mccarthy Cracks Whip

done by Expenditures Of which
he is ranking, not Judiciary.
BY satisfying others with more
seniority 1t was possible for the
Taft leadership then to give
him the Appropriations spot
where he can best practice his
peculiar speciality.
The seniority which Repub-
licans piously insist made this
inevitable vanished from the
scene within the Expenditures
Committee when Senator Nc
Carthy was given the power to
determine subcommittee assign
ments there for the minority.
Senator Smith. who attacked
Mccarthy methods in her cele-
brated Declaration of Con-
science, served last session on
the investigating subcommittee
with him and Senator Mundt.
This year when Expenditures
Chairman Mcclellan brought In
the same list for ratification.
Senator Mundt demanded q
postponement because Senator
Mccarthy was not present.
That evening as Mrs. Smith
prepared to leave her Office for
a speaking engagement, Sena-
tor McCarthy's assistant handed
her a letter notifying her she
would serve this term on a new
reorganization subcommittee"
Evening star., 1951-02-07
Doris Fleeson:

The big Republican box sup
per here was a Taft-McC Carthy
rally in practice although the
volume Of applause indicated
rather plainly that admirers Of
Fred Waring and his Pennsy-
1vanians were an actual majority
Of those present.
The staggering. Self-con-
fident Senator from Wisconsin
succeeded thus publicly in un-
derlining what has been steadily
more apparent. It is that the
Taft leadership In Congress has
accepted Senator Mccarthy as a
principal lieutenant in their
campaign to control the party
and win the Presidency for the
Senator from Ohio.
Their issue. the rally made
plain, will be foreign policy. To
1t. Senator Mccarthy, from the
strategic vantage Of the Ap-
preparations subcommittee which
handles State Department
funds, will make his unique con-
tribution.
In return. the Senator not
only enjoys important public
recognition and the priced APP
preparations post but he is being
permitted to crack the whip
over such Republicans as have
ventured to criticize him. None
Evening star., 1951-02-07
Constantine Brown:
Chang Forces Needed Nov
Use Of Chinese Notionolists on Formosu
UP to Militory, State Department Hints

The Indian ambassador re-
portedly made tempting pro-
posals to Mao TZe-tung and
Chou En-lai, the Communist
leaders. about possible rewards
to Communist China If it kept
out of the way Of the U. N.
police force. These proposals in
cluded, according to reliable
informants. the promise of a
seat in the U. N. and a hands.
off policy on Formosa.
The end of the war in Korea
would have brought about, "by
necessity" the withdrawal of
the 7th Fleet from Formosan
waters about the time when
weather conditions would have
permitted the Communists to
start operations against the Ma
tionalists' last stronghold. Peip-
ing knew that while Chang had
a real force in Formosa, he was
so short of ammunition that he
could resist only a few weeks.
Following this positive dip
lomatic information" that the
Chinese were not likely to in
tervene, Gen. Macarthur or
dered a general advance early
in November. The positive
diplomatic information turned
out to be wrong. The Chinese
Communists Joined the battle
and last week the United Ma
tions decided to brand them as
aggressors, which, in plain Eng
lish, means outlaws"
From the, diplomatic point of
view a new situation was created
in Korea. The mission as
signed to Gen. Macarthur by
Evening star., 1951-02-07
Thonos l. Stokes:
Congress Knows Answer
Why Will Oil Keep Depletion Allowance
While Beer Faces New Tax for Defense?

general agreement in Congress,
in the interest of speed on the
present bill, to defer the oil tax
and other controversial issues.
Secretary Snyder knows what
he's up against in the oil tax
proposal. He recommended it
to Congress last year and got
snubbed. When you go around
the Capitol asking members of
Congress about the prospects,
they shake their heads and tell
you privately that oil is too
powerful. They explain, too.
that this is not a simple issue.
And 1t isn't.
Oil has a case for some allow
ance. Other venture enterprises
get allowances. There are neces-
sary risks in prospecting for oil,
finding new wells, for often you
go to the Aexpense of drilling
and get no oil. Likewise, when
the oil in a field is exhausted,
that's all there is. That winds
UP that particular business.
The allowance to cover the
risks and the depletion of wells
is also in the nature of an in
centive to discover new wells.
Some allowance is justified. But
members of Congress who have
spent years in study of taxation
tell you the present allowance
is excessive, which is what the
Treasury Department also holds
on the basis of its investigations.
1t certainly is excessive for big
established companies. multi
million-dollar enterprises, which
do not need so much of SUBJ
sidy as they now get. The small
operator, the little "wild-catter"
who is valuable in the industry,
might justifiably be entitled to
Evening star., 1951-02-07

takes the imaginative counsel
of men who cannot allow them
selves to think as bureaucrats
if they are really to do an ef-
fective piece of psychological
warfare.
Senator Benton has this
rather significant point in his
latest letter to Secretary Ache
son. given to the press on Feb
ruary 8:
II hope you will not disap-
prove of a speech that am
now planning. and may deliver
in the next week or two In
which am going to -. follow
a counsel of moderation and
ask for a special investigation
by the Senate into this prob
lem"
This can only mean more
trouble for Secretary Acheson.
One wonders why he stubbornly
refuses to take advice on the
proper scope Of a public rela-
tions program and opens the
door wide to irrelevant inquir-
les by the Senate into the func-
tioning of the entire State De-
partment.
The problems of the Voice Of
America" are not ones to be
determined. by a single cabinet
officer. They affect the whole
Government. Only by a legal
istic twist of thought can it be
assumed that the program is
merely the voice of the State
Department designed to defend
or argue the merits Of its poll
cies. The real mission Of the
Voice of America" is to reflect
the spirit and the will Of the
American people-and such a
task should be entrusted to an
Office that can function inde-
pendently and report only to
the President and, through him.
to the Congress Of the United
States.
Reproduction Rights Reserved)
Evening star., 1951-02-07

more than the big operator, but
there is no scale Of differences
under the law. He might be q
case for special treatment. But
the big companies certainly
could. and should. pay more If
taxation is to be fair and equi-
table to finance a defense pro-
gram in which all are supposed
to sacrifice.
Why is oil so powerful here?
First, there is its lobby. That
includes not only the industry
itself and affiliated interests.
but ramifies out to filling station
owners and operators, automo-
bile clubs. and the like. It thus
reaches every part of the coun-
try, so that pressures can be
exerted generally on members
beyond those from oil produc-
ing areas. It is highly organ
ized.
In the second place, when the
lobby goes into action it finds
friends in very influential posts
in Congress. For example,
Texas. one Of the big oil States,
has the Speaker Of the House,
Representative Sam Rayburn.
and the assistant leader Of the
Senate, Lyndon johnson. Texas
is represented on the powerful
Senate Finance Committee
which handles tax legislation In
that body by Senator Tom Con-
nally. Oklahoma, another big
oil State, is represented on that
committee by Senator Robert s.
KERN himself a big oil man,
who. though a comparative new
conner. has become a powerful
behind the-scenes figure in
Democratic Party affairs here
in Congress. He was very effect
i've, 1t may be recalled, along
with Senator johnson of Texas
and Speaker Rayburn in the
House in putting through Con-
gress the Kerr bill to relax regu-
latory authority of the Federal
Power Commission over natural
gas which President Truman
killed with a veto.
There are others friendly to
oil who are highly placed.
These are facts of life about
your "public" servants.
Evening star., 1951-02-07

the U. N. was to re-establish
law and order and, through
proper democratic means, to
reunify Korea.
Identification of Korea is inn
possible so long as the Chinese
Communists continue to fight
on Korean ground. Moreover.
neither the United States nor
the nations which have con-
tributed token contingents have
enough troops available under
present world conditions to
send the necessary numbers to
the Asiatic theater of operations.
The best that can be hoped for
is that the present fighting will
continue, thus reducing Macs
forces by attrition. That tsmay
take a very long time-longer
than the democratic nations can
afford.
The political considerations
which made the use Of the Ma
tionalists undesirable to West
ern diplomats are no longer
valid. Branding the Commu-
nists as aggressors should, in It
self. permit the supreme COM
mander to make use of any
force available to him. without
drawing further on the meager
reserves of the nations which
have contributed ground and
naval contingentS.
The State Department re-
Gently has intimated that the
whole matter of the Chinese Ma
tionaliSts has been placed in
the hands of the military. Gen.
MacArthur's recent pressing re-
quest will have to be decided in
Washington at the highest level.
Evening star., 1951-02-07
Henry McLen1ore:

II 1t weren't unmanly for a
man to cry, I'd break out in
tears right away. I'd plumb,
plain boo-hoo, and all because
Of my early teaching anent the
Importance Of keeping q budget.
A week or so ago I went to a
stationery store and bought q
budget book. On the surface a
budget book is just about as
lovely a thing as a man wants
to put his eyes on. Clean,
sweet pages marked RENT"
CLOTHES" INSURANCE"
ENTERTAINMENT" "SAV-
INGS."
The last page is the loveliest
page of all. 1t is the one marked
SAVINGS"
For longer than the Morris
Plan likes to remember I have
been making my living. sup
porting people. and trying to
put aside q nest egg for rainy
day. Most of the newspaper
men ! started out with have ac-
cumulated quite a bit of nfe's
goods. They weren't bothered
when the phone call went from
a nickel to a dime. They didn't
fret when round steak began
to cost more than square steak.
When I asked them why they
could be happy in the face Of
tremendously rising costs they
told me that they lived on a
budget.
I might as well confess right
now that can't. Things hap
pen to me that are not listed
in that budget book. For ex-
ample, there isn't a place in
that budget book to take care
of the holes that I burn in my
trousers and coats with cigar
cites.
AS I write this I can see, II
I lower my eyes q trifie. a Gig
arctic burned hole that will
cost me $500 at least to have
repaired by the reviewers.
To get that hole rewoven--
Evening star., 1951-02-07
Constantine Brown.

Gen. Macarthur Is reported
reliably to have asked Washing
tons permission to employ, at
an early date, Nationalist divi-
sions which are in Formosa and
which are ready and anxious to
join in the struggle against
Communist aggression in Asia.
AS supreme commander of
United Nations forces in Korea.
Gen. Macarthur has the mill
tarily- inherent right to use any
kind Of troops, so long as they
belong to a member Of the
United Nations. But for rea-
sons Of high politics Chang
Kai-shek's offer last July to
send $4,000 men to Korea was
rejected.
Two reasons were advanced by
the State Department at that
time:
(l) Use of the Nationalists
would bring intervention by
nearly million Chinese Com
munists in Korea; and
CD The Nationalist govern
ment in Formosa, which had
been placed in protective Gus
tody" by President Truman's or
der to the 7th Fleet. had barely
enough forces to repel a Chinese
Communist invasion.
Conditions have changed rad
ically since last November, when
the Chinese Communist "volun-
teers" attacked the United Ma
tions forces. Up to that time the
State Department and the Unit
ed Nations had very strong
hopes that the Peiping govern
ment would keep out Of the war.
Evening star., 1951-02-07
Dovid Lowrence:

Senator Benton. Democrat. of
Connecticut is absolutely right
in his attempt to bring about
the separation of the Voice of
America" from the State De-
partment. thus making 1t an in
dependent agency responsible
directly to the President.
That was the way the infor-
nation branch of the Govern
mert functioned during World
War I and World War II. re-
spectively, and the crisis today
on the psychological warfare
side is no less important than it
was during both war periods.
The significance of the sep
aration which Senator Benton
and many others in Congress
are advocating is that the "Voice
of America" tends to become a
subordinate bureau which can
not function in a large sense on
policy questions. It has efficient
personnel in its management
but their freedom to do a good
jon is impaired.
The conception which Secre-
tary of State Acheson has of the
"Voice of America" is rather
narrow. He thinks of it as
merely the mouthpiece of the
State Department and as an
instrument of support to cur
rent foreign policy decisions.
Any information agency which
has that mission is doomed from
the start because Of the inhibi-
tions on its. freedom of express
sion.
In a recent exchange Of letters
between Secretary Acheson and
Senator Benton, the former in
sisted that "the expanded in
formation program has in fact
become the vital part of our
national strategy you and others
have always believed it should
be-" Senator Benton. when he
was assistant Secretary of State,
Evening star., 1951-02-07
This seems a fair question:

This seems fair question:
II Congress is going to tax
the poor mans beer to help pay
for our common defense pro-
gram why doesn't 1t tax the
rich mans oil?
It answers itself-if you
know Congress. Oil occupies a
privileged position here. It
speaks louder to many of your
representatives than you do. 1t
has influence in key posts of
power. 1t has the single most
effective lobby operating here.
That often cows more Con-
gressmen. Oil doesn't bother
about party lines. 1t gets al
legiance on both sides of the
aisle.
The oil tax issue is embodied
in a provision of our tax laws
permitting oil companies to
write off 271a% of their gross
income before they begin to
figure their taxes-a depletion
allowance" In your language.
it is a deduction. 1t is, in its
effect, a subsidy. too.
When Secretary of Treasury
Snyder was explaining to the
House Ways and Means Com
mittee the Administrators pro-
posed ten billion dollar defense
tax bill which cuts so deeply
into low incomes, he suggested
also that several hundred mil
lions dollars" could be raised
by reducing the oil depletion
allowance from 81 to IS per
cent.
This was q recommendation,
not for the current bill, but
for a Second bite" tax meas
ure planned later. There is