davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1952-01-27
By Hugh Humphrey

oil fields and to encourage full-scale
operation Of old ones, the tax law
was written to permit the deprecia-
ton allowance. This took into con-
sideration the eventual loss of the
wells and endeavored to help the
operators build up rainy-day fund
against the time when they'd have
to look for more fertile fields. Need
less to say, once this profitable gim-
mick got on the books, the oil inter-
ests saw to it that it stayed there.
And, since oil is only one of many
mineral resources, coal, gas and other
mining industries liked the idea as
well. .,
Next. there is the family business
partnership ''loophole." Under this
piece of legislation, don't be sur
prised to walk into an Office labeled
Chairman of the board" and find a
six-month-old business tycoon gur-
Cling triumphantly about cornering
the Pablun market.
According to Senator Douglas, this
setup could produce another 500
million revenue annually, II stopped.
It works this way:
"A businessman with a wife and
two children makes $1Oo.00 a year.
If he files his income tax return
under the normal community -prop-
erty provisions that most taxpayers
use. he viii have to pay the Govern
ment $51,912. But by forming q
family business partnership and cut
ting the 100000 pie three ways
half for his wife and himself Jointly
and quarter for each child he re-
duces the total tax to $39.184. This
saving Of $l2.72S makes the extra
effort well worth his while.
Then there's failure to apply with
holding tax to dividends and interest.
This one Is easy. The Democrats
simply want i Withholding levy at
y Z IS e. y
Evening star., 1952-01-27

agenda points could be resolved in 80
days. ~
The negotiating teams then came
to grips with the third item on the
agenda: Enforcement Of the cease
fire.
After two months Of wrangling,
this issue still has not been settled.
AS expected. the Reds proved shy
about opening up their side to
any truce inspections. They finally
agreed on having neutrals police the
armistice, but they succeeded in get
ting the United Nations to back down
on demand for aerial reconnais-
sance behind their lines.
The Reds also gave the u. N. bad
time on the question Of maintaining
current strengths after an armistice
is settled. The Communists first
proposed a ban on rotation Of troops.
but the U. N. plugged consistently for
unlimited rotation so long as net
strengths were not increased. The
closest the Reds have come to agree
ing to this is to suggest that rotation
be limited to 5000 men per month.
Evening star., 1952-01-27
By Don S. Worren

ordinances and legislation. This
would include budgets and taxes.
without any reference at all to Con-
gress. But with Congress reserving
its constitutional rights for "exclu-
Sive legislation in all cases. whatso-
ever" over the seat of the, Federal
Government, any member could in
troduce his own budget or tax bill,
or daylight-saving measure, or one
to change the name Of a street.
Uphill Bottle Aheod !
Though Senate passage last Tues
day cheered advocates, it is clear that
home rule still faces an uphill battle,
even for a chance Of consideration
in the House. The narrow margin
al to $50 by which the Senate
STAYED off a move to send the bill
back to the District Committee GER
tainly did not improve its chances
in the House
The bill, sponsored by IL Demo-
cratic and 10 Republican Senators,
including Presidential aspirants Taft
and Kefauver, now faces a delib-
erately slow treatment in the House
District Committee. Some opponents
in this group talked to death the
original Auchincloss home-rule bill
sent to the House In the 80th Con-
gress by District Committee then
led by Everett M. Dirksen, now SEN
ator from illinois.
In the 81st Congress, the Kefau-
ver-Taft bill, a considerably changed
measure, slid through the Senate
without a roll-call vote, May 81, l949,
after Senator Johnston, South Caro-
lima Democrat, gave UP a one-man
filibuster. Later that year the House
District Committee buried the bill.
This year. again, home-rule advo-
Gates soon will begin a drive for a dis
Evening star., 1952-01-27

As the Senate's long debate on
District home rule" neared its end
last week, supporter Of the con-
troversial suffrage measure urged
things on with the comment that the
upper chamber had spent much more
time ON this years home-rule debate
than it spent last autumn on the
multibillion- dollar national defense
bill.
That remark does not lack for
ironic point. For big factor in the
, argument for home rule is that it
would relieve Congress Of the mass Of
District legislation with which it now
must contend each year. Yet the un-
doubted fact is that no District prob-,
lem has taken up so much congress
sional time, in the past five years, as
this perennial push to transfer to
some kind of municipal government
the chore Of running Washington.
At Best-o Hope
After all this effort, even though
it has once again cleared the Senate
hurdle, the home-rule proposal, drawn
with advice from various experts and
frequently modified or even drastical-
ly changed to meet continuing OPP
position, remains only hope at best.
Its opponents consider it false hope.
The argument also has been made.
and no doubt will be renewed on the
House side. that the home-rule plan
would not relieve Congress Of Its
District legislative job, since Con-
gress must retain its power to modify,
repeal or superSede any or all acts
of the proposed city council. Some
congressional objectors voice fears
that local demands on the legislators
time might even increase under home
rule, as groups displeased with de-
cisions of the council rush to Capitol
Hill to get Congress to undo council
programs.
Evening star., 1952-01-27

The annual battle Of taxes Is on
again, and once more President Tru-
man and his congressional leaders
are eying so-called loopholes in
existing tax laws.
In his budget message last Monday,
Mr.. Truman called for $5 billion in
crease in taxes in the face Of BIZ
partisan opposition. The q. O. p.
stand is simple: Republicans just
don't want taxes to go any higher.
Democrats, on the other hand, are a
little cautious. But most of them
seem to think that the Government
is losing too much money by tax
loopholes. They want these plugged
first: then they'll talk about another
increase. Estimates of additional rev.
enue If loopholes are plugged run
from $1.2 billion up.
According to some Capitol Hill
sources, the word "loophole" is
slightly misused when applied to the
legal provisions for escaping heavy
taxation. In familiar parlance, the
word usually implies an opening in
law which permits taxpayer to vio-
late the spirit while complying strictly
with the extreme letter OF the statute.
In the case Of tax loopholes, they say,
big businessmen and investors actu-
ally are merely gaining financially by
taking advantage Of what Congress
has provided.
In recent speech, Senator Doug
las. Democrat. Of Illinois listed sew
eral major chinks in the taxation
wall. President Truman has spoken
Of them repeatedly. and has added
others. What are they and how do
they work?
First. we have the prime target Of
Mr.. Truman, the depletion allowance
TO producers Of oil, coal, gas and
other minerals. Incorporated in the
tax laws in 1925. this clause permits
an oil company or individual well
owner TO deduct annually 27.5 per
Evening star., 1952-01-27

The time-saving argument is, Of
course, more important to Congress
than 1t is to that portion of the local
citizenry. pro or con, to which home
rule Is a vital issue. For devotees
OF home rule, this issue boils down
to the proposition that having a
voting say in ones local government
Is simple matter Of right for Amer.
leans. right which should not be
withheld from people in the District.
For opponents. it boilS down to the
proposition that there is nothing at
all simple about this right as it ap-
plies in the very special circum-
stance Of the dedication of this area
as the seat Of the National Gov
ernment.
6oin and Loss
Opponents say Washingtonians
would be getting a half-baked tnti-
tation Of local suffrage and losing
all assurance that the rest Of the
United States will continue to recog-
nize itS obligation to help maintain
this as the Federal City. Proponents
say Washingtonians do not have to
lose anything, and that anything
they get toward the right to govern
themselves will be clear gain.
AS now framed, the compromise
bill would provide for the creation
of a city council Of Is members, nom
mated from the five wards but elected
by city wide voting. There would be an
elected school board of five members
and an elected District delegate to
the House, who could offer bills and
debate issues but could not vote.
And instead of once proposed
city manager to be top executive,
there would be a mayor, appointed
by the President and confirmed by
the Senate.
The theory of the bill is that the
council could enact all purely local
Evening star., 1952-01-27

Korean arrnistice. This implies that
IL the y. N. were to get its way on
the airfields. it might be willing to
compromise on other issues Ia the
enforcement Of the truce. such as
the problems Of armiStice inspection
and troop rotation.
It also. suggests that the fourth
point on the agenda, exchange OF
prisoners, might be unscrambled IN
short order. Be that as it may.
subcommittee has been working ON
this prisoner issue since the second
week Of last December.
AS q starter the Reds agreed TO ex-
change figures on the number q pfls-
oners held. Then they okayed an ex-
chahge of names, making what prop
aganda capital they could Of the
move. to counteract the bad press
they had been getting about atrocity
killings Of u. N. men. The q. n. had
considerable doubt that the Red list
was anywhere near complete. how
ever.
The Communists have insisted
continually on a mass exchange OF
prisoners, which would mean q trade
Of some 1880 U. N. men for ap-
proximately $4,000 Chinese and
North Koreans. Wholly aside from
the uneven exchange. the q. N. has
refused to consign large NUMBERS OF
these to probable grisly fate similar
tn that which greeted prisoners re-
turned to the Communists a1ter
world War II. The Allies now pro-
bose that prisoners be given the right
to refuse to go home.
Definitions Mixed?
There are some who say that the
United NationS-mo Speclncaily
the United States has erred In its
definition Of prisoners OF war, that
anti Communists should never have
been listed as POWs. and that their
names should not have been given
to the Communists. The argument
is that had these people been put
in q separate category, the prisoner
exchange issue could be solved easily
without threat to the United Nations
moral position.
But the prisoner exchange ana ar
field reconstruction problems are not
the only points remaining on the
agenda before cease-fire agreement
can be concluded. The fifth agenda
point, recommendations to the gov
ernments Of the countries concerned
on both Sides" could open up again
the whole thorny problem OF with
drawal Of troops from Korea. Inls
last point had not even been touched
upon when the Red armistice team
went into it's deep-freeze January T.
passing the ball to Vishinsky IN the
U. N. General Assembly in Paris.
vishinsky proposed that the Sc
curity Council, subject to Soviet veto,
be given the job Of completing the
Korean armistice. 1t took the pro-
posal two weeks to die and be buried
in the U. N. but the Red freeze at
Panmunjom has not yet thawed. Each
passing day makes it seem more
unlikely that it ever will.
Evening star., 1952-01-27

charge petition to force the new COM
promise bill out of the District COM
mittee and onto the House floor for
action. Members sold on the idea OF
giving Washingtonians voice in
their city affairs promptly will sign.
as will some who don't really care but
who feel the heat from pressure
groups.
If history repeats itself. opponents
also will lobby against the petition,
and members who have signed under
pressure will go quietly to the Speak
er's. desk and Withdraw their names
as the number OF signers approaches
the point Of success. A majority OF
the House, or 218, is required to or
der the bill to the floor.
With the drive set to start so early
this year, proponents are hoping for
success in advance Of the necessary
recess or adjournment for the July
national political conventions.
Constitutional Issue
In this years Senate debate, as in
earlier contests, opponents pounded
away on the theme that without a
constitutional amendment. Congress
cannot discard to an agent council
its constitutional responsibility for
exclusive legislation" over the Capt.
tai. This argument will be renewed
in the House.
Eminent lawyers have expressed
views on the various ways in which
limited form of District "self-goyern-
ment" might be achieved. One early
proposal was for the council to sub
NIT legislative proposals to Congress,
with affirmative approval needed.
Later, it was suggested that council
acts become law if not vetoed by the
House or Senate. The present plan is
to allow the council to enact all its
own purely local laws which would
Evening star., 1952-01-27

withdrawal Of troops from Korea. q
point the Reds conceded with ex-
treme reluctance. The agenda as
approved July as and as 1t still stands
has five items: (D Adoption OF the
agenda; (2) fixing o cease-fire line;
CD enforcement of the cease-fire;
"a exchange of prisoners of war.
and go Recommendations to the
governments Of the countries con-
cerned on both Sides" The last
point was generally believed to keep
the door open for the Reds to re-
turn to a discussion Of getting all
foreign troops out of Korea.
Geese Fire Line
The adoption Of the agenda was
matter Of course and the truce talks
moved Immediately to the next sub
ject. the cease-fire line. It took
four months to work this line out.
When it was finally drawn along
the current battle line. on No
vember 27, both sides decided they
would honor it only If the other
Evening star., 1952-01-27
By Eorl Il. Yoss

Andrei ViShinSky told the United
Nations the other day that he is
ready to give up the attempt to work
out truce In Korea. Thus, after
seven months Of tedious negotiations,
the Soviet Foreign Minister turned
his back on this drama for which
his right-hand man, Jacob Maiik.
spoke the opening line last June.
The United Nations side, ofacially
at least, has not yet lost all hope Of
peace in Korea. Gen. Omar Bradley.
chairman Of the Joint Chiefs Of
STAFF, told Senate committee jan
uary IL that he still was hopeful Of
conclusive military armistice." He
added that there is price we win
not pay-appeasement."
But the U. N. negotiators on the
spot are admittedly less hopeful.
Vice Admiral c. Turner Joy, chief OF
the q. N. truce team. said January
Z: with each passing day there is
less and less reason to think the
Communists really want Q stable
armistice." Last week he told Us.
News and World Report that only
military pressure could force stable
armistice at Panmunjom. unless the
Reds had o Sudden" change Of
heart.
Another o. N. negotiator. Rear ADJ
miral r. E. Libby, said Thursday that
the talks were drifting toward 20
complete stalemate."
The Chinese Nationalists, who have
had the most previous experience In
fighting ASiatic communism, are
sticking to the estimate they made
right after the truce talks started at
Kaesong last July 10. They say the
Chinese Reds military strategy Is to
fight and talk, talk and fight" To
them the last seven months have been
a talking stage. or to put it another
way. q breathing spell.
Theory Coins PlousibiIity
This theory looked less plausible
last November ~ than it does today.
The opposing sides had just produced
the first notable result Of all their
talking: Agreement on q cease-fire
line which would become operative II
other outstanding differences could
be settled within 80 days. This
seemed at the time to be the wet
concrete foundation on which an
actual cease-fire and an end to the
war might be built.
But the concrete has not hardened.
From the United Nations point of
view, the Chinese Reds have not
really had their heart in their work,
especially since Vishinsky's attempt
to transfer the truce talks to the
U. N. Security Council.
What has been the progress in
these truce talks since they began
in Kaesong last July 10?
To begin with. it took II days to
get agreement on an agenda. This
was accomplished only after re-
peated insistence by Allied negotia-
tors that they would not discuss
Evening star., 1952-01-27
ZAP Photo.

Part Of this problem Of preventing
huildups Is the issue Of rebuilding
airfields. The Reds have insisted
there should be no ban on recon-
struction Of military airfields. The
United Nations is aware that Com
mrnist manpower supremacy would
be much harder to Offset If it were
augmented by an air arm based
close enough to support the Red
hordes. For that reason Admiral
Joy and his associates have stood
firm against any such rehabilitation
Of airfields. The United Nations air
force, meanwhile, has punished con-
tinuous attempts of the Reds to rem
oyate landing fields while the truce
talks have been going on.
Prisoner Exchange
Gen. Bradley gave an indication
Of the Importance of this issue when
he was testifying before the Senate
Armed Services Committee recently.
He said the Red insistence on build
ing airfields is the only major OBJ
stacle standing in the way OF q
Evening star., 1952-01-27

SlacKenS.
The President suggested several
ways for the Government to pick up
some small change. He wants $500
million increase In postal rates. He
wants to eliminate hidden subsi-
dies" which he said the shipping in.
duStry receives through tax conces.
sions. He also wants commercial air-
lines to pay for navigational and
landing aids that the Government
has been furnishing free.
But these can have no important
percentage effect on the total budget
for fiscal 1853. Spending will be at
the highest rate In peacetime history.
Taxes will be as high, as Congress will
let them go in an election year.
And the United States, in one Of
the most prosperous years ever, viii
60 into debt another $14.4 billion, II
the administration has its way. At
the end Of the 1853 fiscal year the
public debt Is expected to be $275
billion-the legal limit.
There are various views on how
serious for the country it would be
TO exceed this limit. Government
economists contend Americas eco
nomic health has improved so much
that there Is little to worry about.
They base this on such statistics
as the S. per cent increase In the
country's gross national product since
1916, when the debt limit was set by
Congress. The gross national product
reflects the total expenditure by in
dividuals. business and Government
for goods and services produced by
the Nations economy. When Con.
gress set the limit the Nation was
producing only SILL billion worth
Of goods and services year: In the
year Just ended the figure was $3.50
billion.
Evening star., 1952-12-01
Dozens Of Styles

. Sheath Skirts! Swirl Skirts!
. Doll waists! Color contrasts!
0 Coot Dresses! Classic Dresses!
. Two-pieee Dresses! Glamour
Dresses
Evening star., 1952-10-05
By Betty Beole

by BETTY beoIe
what are you going to do tc
him" one friend asked with a grin
make him sit in the corner with
his face to the wall?" mo
chuckled the Presidents boss; but
she made it clear that he was
going to get a real scolding
There's just no need for that
said the little lady firmly, and one
couldn't help wondering why al
this campaign fuss over the two
men running for President. It's
the women who'll boss things
anyhow.
Evening star., 1952-10-05
Exclusively Yours
Banker and Protocol Chief Began Life With Famous Hike
Capitalize and Inventor of ScrewboL Ideas Has New One

Before making a presentation OF
any kind, Dutch Ambassador Her.
man van Rotten likes to quote an
old saying which he is, by virtue
of the presentation, in the process
of disproving. The saying is, "The
trouble with the Dutch is they give
too little apd ask too much" It
originated years ago, points out
the Ambassador his eyes twinkling
with the British whose noses were
out Of joint because Dutch
traders were outsmarting British
traders.
The Ambassador recalled this
saying and another story before
conferring the rank of Commander
of the Order Of Orange-Nassau
upon William John Logan the
other day. Mr.. Logan'S director
ship of the Joint Export Import
Agency in Germany from 1947 to
'5U saw the restoration of Dutch
trade and improvement of Dutch
economy in general. Now Banker
Logan does his financial thinking
on a farm in Middleburg and let's
his investments work for him
while he rides to the hounds with
the Middleburg Hunt. If you ask
me that's just another definition
Of genius.
The other story Herman van
Roijen told illustrated the stick
to-it-tivenesS of Messrs. Logan and
Jack Simmons. Chief of Protocol,
who was also present. It seems that
the two gentlemen were juniors
at Princeton back in the year
1912 and both were subs on the
football team, but so sub-sub. said
Jack. that they hadn't a chance
of playing in the Yale-Princeton
game. Hence when some one dared
them to walk to New Haven they
accepted the challenge. Five
students started out to do it in
three days-54 miles the first day,
43 the second and IS the last and
it was the last 35 that almost
killed them. Only two out of the
five made it-Simmons and Logan.
Besides indicating their future
success in the world-Logan, by
the way, became Princeton's
varsity tackle the following year
and was even named All-American
the incident enriched Jack Sim
mons by the large sum of Sill
The classmate who bet him that
he couldn't make it was none
other than Allan Dulles, now
Deputy Director of the Central
Intelligence Agency.
Presidential Spanking
PIonned by Wife
when the President calls me
tonight" said Mrs. Truman in the
White House Thursday afternoon,
I'm going to give him a spank
ing" "Why?" asked her listeners
wondering gleefully how you gave
the Nations boss a spanking. "He |.
swore in his speech at Spokane"
stated the first lady referring to
his 'it's a damn lie" statement,
land he shouldn't do that" The
President of the United States may
have the biggest job in the world
today but there are times when he
is just small boy to his wife.
Evening star., 1952-10-05

with it only to be arrested. Hauled
into court, he produced a bill OF
sale much to the evaporation of
the cops. He repeated this routine
with inward glee over and over
again until the distraught police
men were called off.
Last year his best brainchild
was written up in the New Yorker
and drew a whole editorial in the
London Times. He ran an ad in
a Washington paper which read
Ghosts Artists-we paint it, you
sign it," The response was ter
rifle, says Hugh, though, Of course.
nothing was ever really painted.
The charm of his own idea, how
ever, delighted the depths of his
whimsical soul. The London Times
wondered what America was COM
ing to.
But all those pale into oblivion
compared to his newest notion
that has yet to be launched, thinks
Hugh. 1t calls for an organization
entitled Outrage, Inc" which
anybody can join for a quarter.
AS soon as 4 million people join.
it will have a million dollars to
spend which means it can afford
to purchase all kinds of TV and
radio time. Members, who have
listened to nauseating CONNER
cials for years, can send in their
requests to Outrage, Inc. and it
will buy time to pan their pet
peeve product. Imagine the sheer
pleasure, says the incorrigible Mr..
Troy. after a cigarettes been
praised for the Is thouSandth
time, to hear someone come on
the air anG tell you that it's awful
and it's irritating everybody's
throat in the family. Outrage, Inc.
will sweep the country, he pre-
linfc