davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-12-28

were new faces. John Russell
Young stepped down as Com
missioner, to be succeeded by
Renah F. Camalier. And, late
in the year, Brig. Gen. Bernard
L. Robinson was relieved as
Engineer Commissioner to be
succeeded by WaShington-born
Brig. Gen. Lewis Prentiss.
Under a reorganization plan a
protege of Gen. Robinson,
Schuyler Lowe of Atlanta, was
brought in as chief admins
traitor for the District govern
ment.
The Police Department was
shaken by a searching inquiry
conducted by a Senate commit
tee. Payoffs. strange financial
doings, even an alleged link be-
tween police higher-ups and
dope peddlers were the grist of
the committees mill.
Public Works Report
A Citizens Advisory Com
mittee on Public Works took a
close look at the outmoded
public facilities of the burgeon-
ing District and reported that
1919 million would be needed
in the next six years to bring
Washington up to date. This
total includes a 5000 million
backlog of things that should
have been done in the past,
but weren't. The committee
recommended that this 5000
million deficit should be met
as follows:
The people of the District
should pay about $62 million of
it in increased water and sewer
taxes. Half the remainder-$69
million should be borrowed
from the Federal Government
in a 50-year, interest-free loan.
The other $50 million should be
an outright Federal grant.
At the end of the year, the
matter awaited congressional
attention. But District citizens,
alarmed at the state of their
public works, were banding to-
gether to make the strongest
case possible for approval of the
committees plan.
The year would not have been
complete without a fight be-
tween riders and operators Of
the hapless Capital Transit Co.
And. as usual, the operators won.
They got 17-cent fare.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-12-28

subjects as economic controls,
increased social security bene-
fits and pay for the armed
forces, and passed a defense
housing plan and an extension
of the farm parity" formula.
But the list of laws Congress
did not pass was at least as i'm
pressive as that of laws it did
pass. Dead at adjournment
time were measures to build
the st. Lawrence seaway, grant
statehood to Hawaii and Alaska,
and apply the merit system, to
postmastershipS, customs jobs
and United States marshalships.
The Senate. which makes its
own rules, also beat down again
an attempt to curb f1libusters
In that forum.
Two measures were passed
over the Presidents veto. They
were the McCarran Immigra-
ton Act, which codif1ed all i'm
migration and naturalization
laws, but offended a minority of
liberal legislators and Mr.. Tru-
man because of what they
thought was undue discrimina-
ton against certain races, and
the off shore oil lands bill.
Most of the important action
taken by Congress was in the
international field. The Senate
ratified the Japanese peace
treaty, the West German peace
contract, the Pacific defense
treaties, Greek-Turk member
ship in NATO and provisions
for German participation in a
European army.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-12-28

Truman like one of those years
his mother told him about. The
Supreme Court decision on steel
was only one of a series of
events that plagued the Presi-
dent in the last year of his
tenure.
There was. for instance.
the mess in Washington and
the attempt to clean it up before
it got entirely out of hand.
Granted that there was a mess
and the President never ad-
mltted there vast was a
Democratic one. The Republi-
cans had been too long out of
power to have created and
nurtured it.
His Own Broom
Early in the year, Mr.. Tru-
man set about bringing probity
TO official Washington. His At
torney General, j. Howard Nc
Grath, named NeWbold Morris
OF New York to head a govern
mental cleanup. Mr.. Morris,
taking his job seriously, began
to get nosy. He also got into
trouble. on Capitol Hill, where a
congressional inquiry linked his
name with handsomely profit
able deal involving a fleet of
surplus tankerS.
Finally. in April, the lid blew
off. Relations between Morris
and McGrath went from bad
to worse to intolerable. The At
torney General sacked his
cleanup man in the curtest of
letters. Mr.. Morris left for
home, but not before observing
tartly that the Attorney General
was bum.
AS it turned out, Mr.. Morris
was right, in a strictly political
sense. Only a matter of minutes
after the prober was fired. Pres
ident Truman bounced the At
torney General with an absolute
minimum of ceremony.
The Coal Affair
Things like this kept CROP
ping up all year long. When the
coal miners negotiated a $780,
a-day raise for themselves
only to have it chopped down to
$3.50 by the Wage Sterilization
Board-the President had to
make an interim agreement
with John L. Lewis to avoid a
disastrous strike. The WSB
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-12-28
% Excuses for Celebration in 1853

south of France on his way to
Waterloo, 1915. able Was
Ere I Saw Elba." old palm
drome.
30. Seward Day, a territorial
holiday in Alaska. 1t comment
crates the purchase of that
huge hunk of Arctic real estate
by the United States from Rus
STA for $7.2 million in 1867. Now
Russia would like to have it
back-if possible without re-
funding the purchase price.
April
10. Treaty of London signed,
1889. This pact contained a
clause protecting Belgium as
independent and perpetually
neutral" Citizens of such towns
as Antwerp, Louvain and Bas-
togne are entitled to wonder
how binding treaties are-and
for how long.
%. Quite a day in English lit
erature. This is the date tradi-
tionally given for Shakespeare's
birth in 1864, and definitely the
day of his death in 1916.
Wordsworth died and Tenney-
son became poet laureate of
England, 1850.
Moy
Is. Death of John of May
ence, 1410. His career marked
him as man who would not be
particularly out of place today.
He left the memory of a noble
character, but also of complete
failure to restore peace and Or
der to Germany."-Cambridge
Medieval History.
%. Stephen Decatur commits
stoned a naval captain at age
Is, 1904. Young rank like this
is common enough in today's
Air Force. but it was truly re-
markable in those days. Another
distinction accruing to Decatur:
He has a Washington telephone
exchange named after him.
June
/. Battle between the Chesa-
peake and the Shannon, 1913.
Lawrence, the American COM
mander. gasped as he lay NOR
tally wounded on the deck Of
the Chesapeake, Don't give up
the ship" Fifteen minutes later
the crew surrendered, proving
that you can't trust anybody to
carry out instructions.
%. Carnes' balloon ascension,
1874. Peter Carnes sent up a
balloon at Baltimore with a 13-
year-old boy in the basket. If
he tried this today with a child,
the authorities would get after
him; II be used an animal. the
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-12-28

SPCA would prosecute. indicat-
ing that the climate for scien-
tif1c experiment was better in
the 18th century than it is
today.
July
Date indefinite. Battle of
Tours. 1872. Possibly the most
fouled-up large-scale military
operation in history. Each side
thought the other had won, and
tried to pull out under cover of
darkness. The Moors got away
first. so the Franks got credit
for a heroic victory-and for
saving Christendom from the
Moslem tide.
Is. Nathan Bedford Forrest,
born 1921. Best known for his
tactics of getting thar fustest
with the mostest men," Forests
greatest contribution to military
lore was his note rejecting
subordinate's leave request for
the third time: II tole you
twicet --------- gno!"
August
6. First electrocution for
murder. 1890. Assisting at this
triumph of science over bar
barism was one William Kemm-
Ter, who had the distinction Of
occupying the place of honor
during the proceedings at Au-
burn, N. Y.
II. Battle of Blenheim, 1704.
But what good came of it
at last?' quoth little Peterkin.
'Ah, that cannot tell said he,
but twas a famous victory -
Southey.
September
2. Gregorian calendar adopt
ed in Britain and America, 1852.
The following day was Septem-
Der IA, and a lot of people were
pretty bitter about it, consider
ing the calendar reform to be a
Popish plot to rob good Prot
estants of II days of life.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-12-28

81. Birth of modern journal
ism in America. 1884. The
Pennsylvania Packet and Gen.
eral Advertiser, a triweekly,
went over to daily publication,
thus affording a livelihood to
the first of a great host of adj
vertising statesmen, printers and
libel lawyers.
October
2. Maj. John Andre executed
as a spy, 1880. His co-conspira-
tor, Benedict Arnold, got away,
but died in obscurity, unwept.
unhonored and unhung. Andre.
hanged in disgrace, later was
buried at Westminster Abbey.
The more deserving of the two,
Andre is considered to have got
the better of it in the long run.
26. Erie Canal opened. 1925.
Like today's airplanes, the
canal was obsolete almost be-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-12-28
The District

A S ALWAYS IN AN election
"a year, citizens of the Dis
trict stood by and watched their
more fortunate brethren troop
to the polls. They had had
their purely informal say in a
primary election which gave the
liberal Democratic candidate,
w. Averell Hartman, the nod
in his party's race, and the
conservative Republican, Robert
A. Taft, the nod in his. On No
vember 4 residents of the near
by suburbs went heavily for Ike.
At the District Building there
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-12-28
Domestic Woes

The plain old garden variety
of criminal-domestic as distin-
guished from international
seemed to be coming back onto
the front pages in increasing
numbers as interest in the cold
war Stalemate subsidized. New
York dock rackets were in the
news as the year ended. Frank
Costello, the slick gambling syn
dictate cZar, finally was put out
of commission in August when
he was locked up for contempt
of the Kefauver Crime Investi-
eating Committee. More of his
connections with New York City
officials came out as the year
unfolded.
A rash of prison riots-with
underpaid. inexperienced guards
as the principal victims in host
age roles-broke out in peniten-
tiaries across the country.
Air travel was getting par
ticularly bad press in 1852. At
tention was focused on the perils
of flying in the first two months
of the year. In eight weeks three
major crashes occurred at New
ark Airport just outside New
York. The death toll was lis,
including II residents of nearby
Elizabeth, N. j. All the planes
involved were either landing or
taking off from Newark'S large
airport.
AS the year ended another rash
of accidents broke out, this time
in the Alaska area. In three
weeks the Alaska death toll from
three crashes was 1888. And at
Moses Lake, Wash, a huge Air
Force plane loaded with soldiers
bound home on leave crashed,
killing Sc.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-12-28
Steel ImbrogIio

The steel industry pot already
was boiling as the year opened.
The United Steel Workers had
postponed a Strike-set for last
New Years Day-to give the
union time to meet and, subse-
quently, to let the Wage Stabili-
cation Board study the case.
When, on March 20, the WSB
suggested a package deal in
volving 17l2 cents an hour cash
and certain fringe benefits, the
Mortified steel industry said no
at least. not without a substan-
tial rise in the controlled price
of steel. The union called a
Walkout.
Hours before the walkout be-
gan, President Truman went on
the air and announced he was
Selling the industry. He lay all
the blame at the doorstep of the
steel industrialiSts, precipitating
a radio fight with Clarence RAN
dali of Inland Steel.
Nor was this the only fight.
Steel lawyers went to court
about the seizure. In a historic
decision, Judge David Pine of
U. S. District Court here ruled
in favor of the industry.
Supreme Court Ruling
Before a walkout could occur.
the Government took its appeal
to the Supreme Court. There,
III almost record time, Judge
Pines decision was upheld.
The strike began in earnest
that same day. June 2. It was
not until eight weeks later that
the Walkout ended. The ulti-
mate result was that the union
got only a little less than it
wanted for its workers, the steel
companies got only slightly
under the price rise they de-
manded. The real losers were:
l. The American economy,
which lost 20 to 80 per cent of
its scheduled defense produc-
ton for the year and a total of
II million tons of steel.
2. President Truman, who was
set back rudely by the high court
when he tried to do something
other Presidents had attempted
and had got away with.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-12-28
Unrest

East-West equilibrium gave
some of the smaller nations
chance to air their own troubles.
The independence demands of
Tunisia and Morocco were taken
to the United Nations. When 1t
became clear the U. N. did not
want to act. bloody riots were set
off in the two French protec-
toratcS. In South Africa. new
policies of strict racial segreea-
ton started a chain of civil dis
turbanceS. And members Of a
native tribe in the British COL
ony of Kenya tried to terrorize
the white men into leaving the
country.
Egypt started the year with
riots in Cairo that came close
to wal with Britain. But strong
and apparently sensible group
of army officers ousted the weak
King Farouk. jailed irresponsible
political leaders and took over
the government. At years end,
the army officers, under Maj.
Gen. Naguib, seemed to have
achieved the stability postwar
Egypt has needed.
Soviet Satellites
There would also have been
outbreaks in some Russian sat-
elites if the Soviet heel had not
been ground down upon them
more firmly. The West saw only
the results of the oppressive &C
ton, but it was clear that all
was not well behind the Iron
Curtain. Some of the biggest
men in Red circles were con-
victed of treason in the Slansky
trials in CcechoSlovakia. Earlier.
Communist boss-lady Anna PAU
ker was deposed and accused of
reasonable activities in Ro-
mania.
No, 1852 was not the most
pleasant year in goth century
foreign relations. But even in
these postwar years there have
been worse things than stale
mate.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-12-28

reconsidered the matter, re-
affirmed its $3.50 ruling, and
the President had to overrule
the board to keep Mr.. Lewis
happy. Then the WSB chair
man and the industry members
walked out on him.
Senator Joe Mccarthy of
Wisconsin and Senator Pat
McCarran of Nevada kept be-
deviling the Presidents State
Department as a gang of pinkos.
AS the year ended. John Carter
Vincent was under suspension
as person of doubtful loyalty
and a former non-career diplo-
mat. Owen baltimore, had been
indicted for perjury before Nc
Carran's subcommittee on sub
version.
Toxes and Wheat
The Justice Department and
the Bureau of Internal Reve-
nue.. beset by scandals in 1851,
continued to give Mr.. Truman
trouble. Investigators turned
up financial shenanigans in
volving the sale of Government
owned wheat.
Throughout the year, the
ceilings that had been clamped
on prices and wages after the
Korean war buying spree
threatened to give way. AS his
administration entered its lame
duck phase last month, Harry
Truman found it increasingly
hard to get people to handle his
controls program for him. He
ended the year by leaning heav-
lily on a man who had helped
him out before-jovial, equable
Mike Disable of Ohio, who had
tried to become a Senator and
had been caught in the Repub-
lican tidal wave.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-12-28
Compiled by WiIliom Hines

"A calendar of utterly IN
memorable eUents, suitable for
celebrating nert year by persons
1UllO 0Derdo it on December 81
1Oithout learning the bitter les
son OF January IL
January
8. Battle of New Orleans.
1915. Gen. Qater President
Andrew Jackson defeated a
British force after the war was
over. Lack of communication.
not Feasibility on the part OF
Jackson. was the reason for this
unnecessary battle.
q. Lenln dies-appropriately
enough-of apoplexy, 1924. The
father of the Russian Revolu-
ton warned the comrades to
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-12-28

Congress, meanwhile, was
having an unimpressive year.
featured by a spate of time
consuming Investigations. Law
makers, of course, did more
than investigate; they also
legislated, after a fashion.
They passed the Presidents
budget requests. after trimming
them from 1856 billion to
$500 billion, and approved
variety of measures on such
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-12-28

fore it was completed. Rail-
road development in the United
States began five years later. =.
November
10. Historic meeting in Africa,
1871. Good Reporter Henry M.
Stanley carries out his assign
ment for the New York Herald
at Ujiji, Tanganyika, when he
steps up to a white man and
asks. "Dr. Livingstone. I pre-
sume?"
10. Associated Master BARRIERS
and Beauticians of America
founded at Chicago, 1924.
Vanity of vanities, saith the
preacher, all is vanity
Ecclesiastes, xii.8.
December
20. Texas joins Union, 1845.
Famous manners instruction
from q Texas father to his
child: "Son, never ask a man
If he's a Texan. If he is. he'll
tell you; If he isn't you shouldn't
embarraSs him."
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-12-28
Review 1852 Was Eventu in the Nation and District Too

Continued From Page CID
their draft laws. NATO ADAM
doned the goals it had set early
in the year. Even the United
States put off it's full buildup"
target date from 1858 to 1854.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-12-28
Metropolitan Scene
Intelligent Planning Has Enhanced
Prospects for RedeveIopnnent Here
By John w. Thompson, Jr.

and other matters requiring
confidential discussion are in
volved.
Next came the National Cap
ital Regional Planning Council.
This was set up under recent
legislation remaining and reor-
ganizing the National Capital
Park and Planning Commission
into the National Capital Plan
ming Commission. 1t consists Of
representatives of the District
and nearby counties and is de-
signed generally to do at a re-
gional level what the planning
commission does for the Ma
tion's Capital.
A brand new outfit, it had no
tradition of secrecy to maintain.
Then finally the planning
commission itself reluctantly
fell into line. 1t threw open
doors that had been closed to
the press for rs years.
Alexondrio Housing
Alexandria has gotten all
balled up in housing contro-
versy that could cost it Federal
money for a 148-unit low-rent
Negro housing project.
The city Redevelopment and
Housing Authority has been un-
willing to award the bid for the
job to a Washington union shop
contractor-the low bidder-on
the ground that to do so would
violate Virginia's right-to-work
law and secondary boycott pro-
visions of the Taft Hartley Act.
Officially the challenge to
the low bidder was raised by an
Alexandria open-shop steel firm.
The feeling was that open-shop
outfits in Alexandria would be
unable to get subcontracts from
a union-shop operator. The
second highest bidder was an
other Alexandria firm.
On the other hand, the Public
Housing Administration has in
dictated the low bid should be
accepted and quickly If Federal
money allocated for the project
is to be used. The Federal funds
available for immediate housing
construction throughout the
Nation are apparently to be
parceled out on a first-come-
f1rst-served basis. Hence the
chance the city may lose them.
Embarrassing, too, to Chair
man Glenn U. Richards of the
housing authority is the fact
that his law firm represents
both of the open-ship Alex
andria companies involved.
The attorney general of Vir-
ginia has been asked for a legal
ruling on the work law issue.
But officials admit that even if
issued, such opinion would have
no force. Any legal challenge
would have to be determined
by the courts.
The authority has not yet
given any real statement of it's
reasoning in its actions. On
the surface. however, the au-
thority seems to be trying to
help Alexandria open-shop out
fits get subcontracts with Dis
trict union-shop operators doing
business in the State.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-12-28
Trumon's Troubles

All things considered, 1852
must have seemed to Harry
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-12-28

1t takes a terrific wrench to
dislodge a man from his home
or his business. Especially older
folk. And particularly when
they don't entirely understand
what's happening to them or
why.
Some of those affected by
Southwest redevelopment can't
even spell it, let alone explain it.
That's what makes the De-
cember II public hearing on the
first stage Of redevelopment in
that area so remarkable.
Spokesman appeared for nearly
40 agencies or organizations.
There were plenty of ands. ifs
or butts. But not one fatty re-
jected the proposition that the
area must be improved.
Redevelopment planners have
reason to be proud of the
groundwork laid for the project.
even if one court challenge to
the constitutionality of the plan
has now been filed here. 1t
came from bitter experience.
There are probably still some
bruises left from the beating
they took when they tried to re-
develop the Marshall Heights
area in 1949-50. This time they
were ready. They were on hand
to give such answers as they
had, allay fears and generally
prepare the community for what
was needed and what was pro-
posed.
Thanks to this effort, it APP
pears that redevelopment may
actually get started in the Capt.
tai of the Nation.
NA -
Single Maryland City
Across the District line in
Prince Georges County, the
move to incorporate many of
the little separate communities
between Hyattsville and Green
belt into a single Maryland city
has been revived.
1t has enormous possibilities
in consolidating and improving
basic city services such as police
and fire protection. And it
would probably be the second
largest city in the State.
Something may develop on the
proposal from the Prince
Georges delegation to the State
Legislature.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-12-28
Single Maryland City
CopitoI Transit Woes

When Capital Transit Co.
won it's latest fare increase
last August, there were some
who predicted the company had
priced itself out of a lot of Gus
toners. Most recent financial
figures seem to bear this out.
A few days ago the company
reported earnings have fallen
off to the point where all hope
has been abandoned of covering
the $1.40 annual dividend voted
earlier by the Board of Direc-
tors.
The major reason for the re-
duced earnings, company Off
Gals admitted. was a decline in
the number of riders.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-12-28
Right to Know

Right to Know
The closing weeks Of 1852
have seen three notable extern
tions of your right to know"
about public business.
Montgomery County Council
was first. The group had been
meeting behind closed doors
Tuesday mornings to discuss in
secret matters to come up at the
regular open afternoon session.
Now, following continuous pres
sure from the County Press AS
ISOLATION, these morning sessions
have been thrown open. The
council members, of course, re-
serve the right to call special
closed sessions where personnel
Evening star., 1952-08-05
HOUSES TO SHARE

BACHELOR REQUIRED, C. @. officers
desire to share house vic. Chevy
Chase D. C.; sgl. bedrms., lily. rm.,
din. rm. kit, sun porch. TV. etc.
WI. O3I4. 5 to 8 pm -
SHARE a beautiful home in Silver
. Spring area. Beautiful garden; use
of liv. rm.. din; rm:, washing ma
chine. 22-in. TV, l bedrm., well
furn,. pvt. kit. Call after 6, 10.
o'VGiI TWO GIRLS WILL SHARE with 2
other girls charming old Alexandria
house and garden. Call OV. O723
after $50 pm. 10