davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1953-06-15
Wruth Of Delayed Motorist

If the efforts Of the District traffic
planners" to relieve traffic congestion
ever equal their ingenuity in causing
1t. then, indeed. we will have attained
q civic millennium.
The ridiculous and costly perform
ance Of the "planners"-who seem to
make career of permanently incom-
pleted planning-in tying up all traffic
across the Potomac on recent morn
ing should not be viewed with COM
placency. Such complicated and in
accurate surveys of today's traffic pat
terms are not especially pertinent to
tomorrow's traffic problems. Any child
with c average in arithmetic could
inform the planners" on today's traf-
fic messes- which. incidentally. were
not provided for by the planners who
conducted "origin and destination"
surveys some years ago.
It would be both interesting and i'm
portant to know how many thousands
of man-hours, gallons Of gasoline.
Evening star., 1953-06-15
This and That

Birds are beginning to come back
now, after the feast of locusts.
The poor cicadaS furnished millions
of meals for untold thousands of birds.
Now the singing is over, and the
strange insects gone, the birds remein-
ber the feeding stations in local gardens.
Catbirds, thrushes and mockers recall
spots where raisins were put out for
them regularly.
After all, the cicadas. though among
the oldest of insects. are very much up
to date.
Their wings are cellophane. and their
bodies plastic.
Animals and birds, eating them, al
most invariably tore of the wings.
The wings glittered in the sun as the
creatures folded them over their backs.
4
The up-and- coming locust could al
ways be told when seen on street or
sidewalk by the neat triangular shape.
When picked up. many of them made
buzzing noise, clearly an alarm note,
but If one persisted in picking them up.
he found to his surprise that these
notes were not always the same.
Some made clicking sound, others
buzzed, and still other made sound
impossible to describe. more singing
than anything else.
The sound was sweet. and low, and
would not have been heard six feet
away.
Evening star., 1953-06-15
France Drifts in FutiIity

The fact that Georges Bidault failed by one
vote to win confirmation as Premier of France
IS not really as important as some of the facts
of life which Mr.. Bidault laid before the French
National Assembly in making his bid.
Mr.. Bidault is a career politician of long
experience and, like many of the others who
have moved across the front of the stage in
postwar France, he has become we'll aware of
the deadening and demeaning effect which has
been imposed upon his country by it's inability
to create and maintain stable government It
was this theme that he was emphasizing when
he reminded the Deputies that If there is talk
of leaving France out of the major councils of
the world 'it is because there is uncertainty not
only on who will speak for France but even on
what France wants" In brief, he warned,
France is frittering away whatever claim she
has to place of prestige in world affairs.
One of the unfortunate workings of the
French constitution Is that it permits the
making and breaking of cabinets without any
requirement for general election. The result
is that the Assembly, secure in its tenure of
office and split into half-dozen parties, trades
its support back and forth on any number of
Issues and any number of cabinet heads, without
regard to any sense of responsibility.
1t is true that during these interim periods
the present crisis has lasted for almost a
month-there is governmental administrative
machine in operation. It is equally true, how
ever, and much more serious in its effect, that
this type of lame-duck government is either
powerleSS or afraid to make any major policy
decisions. Little things are done but the big
things merely stand STILL or drift from bad to
worse.
In the present emergency, the Assembly
has rejected Premier candidate from the
right, Paul Reynaud; one from the left, Pierre
Mendes-France, and now one from the center,
Mr. Bidault In varying degrees, the stalemate
has appeased factions that are blocking the
European Defense Community treaty, others that
are blocking constitutional reform, others that
are opposed to fiscal and economic reforms, and
perhaps others with even less consequential
causes. Meanwhile, the proposal for an Anglo
French American conference in Bermuda is
stalled and may finally take place without any
French representation the politica-military
conflict in Indo-China goes on at high cost and
without policy direction, and the nations
economic crisis is gradually worsening
Some competent observers of the French
scene feel that the abSurdity of the situation is
finally arousing French public opinion. If so,
1t is about time.
Evening star., 1953-06-15
Douglas S. Freeman

Probably 1t will be for his def1nitive biogra-
ply of General Robert E. Lee that DR.. Douglas
Southall Freeman will be remembered longest.
He was master at organizing material of the
sort required for such work From 1907 until
1884 he Systematically accumulated docu-
mentary data for what he was determined
should be a memoir of real distinction. During
much of that period also he was writing and
rewriting his text. Nothing was hurried. DR..
Freeman developed a pattern of procedure
based on the calendar, predicated on the
cautious use of each waking hour of his career
First for the Richmond Times Dispatch and
subsequently for the Richmond News-Leader
he produced feature articles and editorials to
which he devoted his mornings The after
moons were pledged to labor on less immediate
themes. When radio broadcaSting enlisted
him, he rearranged his schedule to accommo-
date it. Each week for a long while he travelled
to New York to lecture at Columbia University
Other interests were dealt with as and
when they could be added to DR.. Freeman's
agenda. He was rector of the board of the
University of Richmond, president of the
Southern Historical Society, the Confederate
Memorial Institute the Society of American
Historians and the Poe Foundation. His en-
vironment gave him important opportunities
For example he was an obvious choice to
write "Virginia-A Gentle Dominion" SINH
larly it was natural for him to follow his
study of Lee with Lees Lieutenants" His
projected eight-volume biography Of George
Evening star., 1953-06-15
The Book-Burners

It is not likely that President Eisenhower's
castigation OF the book burners will have any
great restraining effect on Senator Mccarthy
and the others to whom the Chief Executives
Dartmouth College remarks presumably were
addressed. And it is not likely that General
Eisenhower expected any such result
What the President did was to throw his
great prestige and influence into the scales
against the disciples of ignorance and the
closed mind. And what he has reason to ex-
pect is that the people, having full confidence
IN his loyalty and devotion to his country,
will be guided by his counsel rather than that
of the book burners
The McCarthys were able to drown out the
protesting voices of the Dean AcheSons because
the latter, deservedly or otherwise had fallen
In public esteem. But they cannot drown out
the voice of the Nations most popular figure
regardless of political persuasion. And that is
why 1t is so gratifying to have General Eisen-
hover enter the lists in this battle for the
public mind. He can do more than anyone else
to combat those who would deprive man of
what should be his most cherished privilege
the right to know and to think for himself
Evening star., 1953-06-15

Each locust made such small noise,
that 1t seemed impossible that the noise
high In the trees should have been SO
great.
The only explanation was that there
were millions upon millions of insects
making it.
Careful listening to shrubs in ones
own garden revealed that there were
many more than the officially recog-
nized five sounds.
Perhaps there are from a dozen to 20
different sounds made by the cicadas,
and when they all got to going together,
the total sound became something other
than the sound Of any one.
The ancient Greeks, who had a name
for many things, did not miss the spec
tacle Of the locust.
The oxford Book of Greek Verse in
Translation" published by oxford in
1888. contains among the anonymous
poems, one headed:
The Cicada
Why, ruthless shepherds. from my
dewey spray
In my lone haunt, why tear me thus
away?
Me. the Nymphs' wayside minstrel,
whose sweet note
Ger sultry hill is heard and shady grove
to float.
Evening star., 1953-06-15
By Charles E. TroceweH

Lo! when the blackbird, thrush and
greedy host
OF starlings fatten at the farmers cost,
With just revenge these ravengers
pursue:
But grudge not my poor leaf and sip Of
grassy dew.
X ~
What wonderful people those old
Greeks were!
Another anonymous poem, from the
same source:
Sparta. the proud inviolate city, sees
Corinthian smoke across her river
sweep;
Birds nest on earth and mourn for their
lost trees;
And wolves can hear no bleat of any
sheep.
A two-line poem:
Now I am dead, be earth devoured
of hell;
reck it not: with me the world is well" :"
1t was probably the annual cicada
which the poet of old felt pity for: the
seventeen-year locust eats no leaves.
On the two perfect days near the end
of May the annual cicadas could be
heard joining in the greater chorus Of
their numerous relatives.
The annual cicadas have a sharper,
higher and louder sound, but 1t blended
very well with the great chorus in the
trees.
Evening star., 1953-06-15

Washington Is left little better than half
finished. How vital he himself was to it Is
shown by the circumstance that he has no
designated successor equal to the task of
finishing the manuscript In DR.. Freemans
own style or manner.
The Nations Capital knew him we'll He
came here frequently, was here on April 81
to receive gold medal from the Civil War
Round Table Other awards that DR.. Freeman
earned were the Pulitzer Prize and dozen
honorary degrees His death seems parti-
cularly untimely. He had planned to live
longer, and it is pity that he has been called
away so soon. There still was work for him to
do not only for George Washington but for
us all.
Evening star., 1953-06-15
An ADA Democrat

AS member of the Democratic Party
who first voted in 1923, and also a mem
Der OF Americans for Democratic Action,
am deeply distressed to learn that the
American blood of Annie L. Smith
boils when she hears mention of the
latter organization. My own blood is
Irish and probably has much higher
polling point.
Surely she knows that Mr.. Lehman,
whom she criticizes, was elected by the
people of New York State to be their
Governor, and later their Senator. If
she is right, then millions of New
Workers, including myself, are incapable
Of voting intelligently. It is within the
realm of reason that she may be wrong.
Furthermore, the program of ADA hap
pens to be approximately the same pro-
gram that helped the Democratic Party
and Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry
Truman to victory in five presidential
elections.
RureaucFaf's Wife
Evening star., 1953-06-15

against Russia's jungle ruthlessness.
And with destiny relentlessly liquidat-
ing her majeSty'S empire, England
hopefully serves two masters.
To preserve that coalition three real
tiles must be reconciled with honor:
Cd The big-power veto has made the
IN. ineffective in halting aggression;
(2) The Republic of China no longer
is de facto government: CD Russia,
England and India insist de facto gov
ernments have right to U. N. member
ship.
Can these realities be reconciled
within the avowed purpose of our U. N.
Charter to achieve and preserve peace?
When the Big Three meet they could
preserve our U. N. coalition with a
middle-of-the-road compromise: Agree
to work to abolish the big-power veto.
When the veto is abolished drop the
Republic of China as a permanent
member of the Security Council. This
would require the General Assembly to
elect seven, instead of six, non-per-
manent members to the Security Coun-
Gil for two-year terms. Admit de facto
governments to the U.N. when the
General Assembly agrees they have
qualified for membership.
Thomas E. MattingIy, MD.
Evening star., 1953-06-15

mored convoy into that city, rather
than resort to the cowardly subter-
fuge of an airlift. And that would
have ended the many insults which
only an administration, afraid and
unmindful of a great nations self
respect, would tolerate from an arro-
CANT, bullying aggressor.
Theodore Roosevelt had what we
commonly call "guts" Would that. his
more recent successors measured up
to that standard. But times have, in
deed, changed. Principles be damned: !:
speace at any price, even If it means
kow-towing to gangsters. How much
lower can we stoop?
John T. ParkersOn.
would rather die fighting than sur
render to the slavery Of communism.
We either will not come out alive or
will never forget the horror. I agree
with Rhee to keep on fighting. For
to accept such a cheap armistice as
to let the Reds stay in North Korea
while the U. N troops desert, means
that our boys have fought and died
for nothing. It will never work out
for the country. For united we stand.
divided we fall" is still true for Korea.
1t is true, one nation has no business
to divide the other. How would we
feel II the U. N. were letting Russia
divide the United States into four Sec
tions-East. West, North and South?
Angry Citizen.
Evening star., 1953-06-15
No Substitute for Victory

Times have changed since Theodore
Roosevelt was President AS one who,
as correspondent in 1915, was mem
ber of the colonel's So-called Kitchen
Cabinet" am persuaded, first Of all,
that:
Had he been President at this time
he would not have surrendered prin-
ciple because of pressure from trade
mad and ungrateful "allies" to accept
a shameful truce in Korea which COR
rects nothing.
There is no substitute for victory" !"
and Theodore Roosevelt was too good
an American to have accepted anything
less than victory.
Furthermore, had he been President
when the Russians began their high
handed blockade of Berlin after the
last war, he would have sent an ar
Evening star., 1953-06-15
Substitute

FetD and far bettDeen are dollars,
And it is that tpdy tDtth cents
But 1Oe'Ue nine quail feeding
By an old stone fence.
We hare tdnagers for tenants
fThey hare leased another year,
For the only fee that's charged them
Is a singing. high and clear,
There's "a rabbit makes this habit.
Bringing family for food
He, his Uife and ped-pod young ones
Dine IN peace, as tUtld things should.
All OF this, and country moonlight
Blessing all our pale green fields
Brings the joy OF holding heGpen
In the cup our tarmstend yields.
MOrtho Sherwood Johnson
Evening star., 1953-06-15
Mr.. Nehru's Message

On more than one occasion in the past,
Prime Minister Nehru of India has given voice
to views reflecting mind full of doubt and
misgiving as to the vision, if not the good faith
of our Governments position in the Korean
truce talks. But now, as if to put the record
straight he has made special point of sending
personal message congratulating President
Eisenhower "for his leadership at this critical
moment" and for the 'wise and generous part'
played by the United States in bringing about
the prisoner-of-war agreement at Panmunjom.
This is a gratifying and timely statement.
Coming as it does from leader whose words
carry great weight in Asia and the Middle East,
it serves to clear the air of unfortunate i'm
pressions created by some of his earlier remarks.
In that respect, it can hardly fail to do good
in countering Communist propaganda poison
ouSly depicting our country as a black-hearted
power intent upon blocking an armiStice and
unleashing terribly enlarged war far beyond
Korea. Speaking for India-which is to have
the important responsibility of heading the
neutral prisoner repatriation commission
Mr.. Nehru, in his message to the President has
effectively undercut that colossal lie by warmly
praising Americas role at Panmunjom and by
expressing the earnest hope that the resulting
POW agreement will lead to peace not only
in the Far East but elsewhere"
In his reply, President Eisenhower has
voiced the same kind of hope-the earnest
hope that this agreement will speedily lead to
an armistice and just peace in Korea and
to a relaxing of world tension" Such hope,
as many fear, may be proved by future events
to have been worse than forlorn. Yet if that
turns out to be the case, if good and enduring
settlement is rendered impossible by bad faith,
the criminal responsibility will rest with the
Communists. Mr.. Nehru's testimony regarding
the wise and generous" course of the United
States can be an important part of history's
Recommendation on that score.
Evening star., 1953-06-15
The President Reports

Being neither soldier nor economist.
I risk no opinion on the soundness of
the editorial, 1.-THE President Reports" Z"
in which The Star questions whether
the President and Secretary Hum
phrey can fulfill their promises on TV
to lower taxes without harining the
Nations security. In such complex
matters, lay opinion counts for little.
While listening to the President and
trying to fathom the strategic factors
that might have been in his mind,
these possibilities suggested themselves:
Atomic physics and guided-missile
mechanics appear our main reliance
for a peaceful passage Of the next few
years. Our diplomacy and our propa-
ganda are also mobilized to deter ag-
greSSion. The decision between peace
and holocaust rests with the Russians.
To suggest, then, as you did, that
the money we spend on conventional
weapons, alone, will govern their choice
is to oversimplify and to underestimate
their intelligence.
The President. talking in q realm
where discretion is required, pledged
an unimpaired defense. If he spoke as
1Ild11 cAPcCIIA1S W ne GdkeI1 On ld1CIl,
believe that this was his right in the
circumstances.
Another topic treated on the telecast
the control of communism allowed
for franker discussion, but, though
Attorney General Brownell was on
hand, no sound information was forth
coming, much as the American people
need it.
Are the Communists in politics or are
they revolutionists; and if they play
both fields. as quite evidently they do,
how are we to deal with them?
Insofar as they are in politics, they
must be left free to act, for, in hinder
ing them, we should be stYaying from
freedoms path and might, ourselves,
become lost in totalitarian practices.
To the extent that they are impelled
by MARKHAM dogma to serve the Soviet
state, the Communists should, in the
interest of the common defense, have
restraints put upon them.
This constitutional problem Congress
skillfully solved in law which brings
the Communist conspiracy into the
open and puts it under control, yet
does not hamper the partyS political
Evening star., 1953-06-15
Foreign Aid and the EDC

The House Foreign Affairs Committee has
done an unwise and unrealistic thing in recon-
mending that 81 billion of the new Mutual
Security Program be made available only when
and If there is full ratification of the treaty
to organize the projected European Defense
Community. Though well-intentioned, such a
condition-if adopted-would play right into
the hands of the Communist propag gandists by
enabling them to shout louder than ever about
how the United States uses dollars as kind of
whip on it's friends abroad.
AS matters stand the EDO treaty, under
which single supranational European army is
to be formed has been ratified only by West
Germany Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxem-
bourg, Italy and France are not expected to
carry through with ratification until next fall
at the earliest. In fact, the new fiscal year
may come and 60, and the project may still be
the subject of debate in one or another of
these countries. Meanwhile, the build-up of
the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which
embraces the EDO group, must go on, but it
cannot go on effectively if the House commit
tees recommendation wins the support of
Congress.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee
has recommended a much better foreign aid
bill containing no such shortsighted recommen-
dation.f This is the measure that should be
adopted Senator Sparkman has succinctly
summed up what is wrong with the House pro-
vision: First of all, it smacks of discredited
dollar diplomacy pressure, do-it-fast-or- else
sort OF move hardly considerate of the dignity
of our allies; and second at time of uncer-
tainty throughout the world, 1--WE don't know
what will happen, and we will need mutual de-
fense in Europe with or without the EDO pact"
1t is this consideration that should govern the
final vote of Congress.
Evening star., 1953-06-15
MARYLAND and Our Airport

1t is apparent that the Maryland delega-
ton In Congress is opposed to any auxiliary
airport for Washington not located at a par
ticular site. The particular site is near Balti-
more and is known as Friendship international
Airport. The Friendship Airport could use
lot of additional air traffic and income. It is
only natural, therefore, that hackers of the big
but only partly used terminal would be happy
to share it with Washington's surplus CONNER
cial airline traffic.
But the Maryland delegation overlooks
several facts One is that the Doolittle Com
mission long ago considered Friendship as an
alternate Washington airport and ruled it out
because of it's distance from the District.
Another is that the Civil Aeronautics Ad-
ministration also has considered the Friend
ship proposal and turned it down for the
same reason that the Doolittle advisory group
did. Still another reason is that President
Eisenhower has approved a plan whereby the
Air Force will share part of Andrews Field
with commercial aircraft. And the airlines
have indorsed the use of Andrews Field because
of its numerous advantages, not the least Of
which is its ready accessibility to downtown
Washington via the Suitland Parkway
If the Maryland congressional group had
not opposed the Burke project, in nearby Vir-
ginia, its protestations in behalf of critical
residents OF the ANDREWS flelu area Woulu Ue
more convincing. Behind both protest move
ments so far as the Marylanders are concerned,
is the hope that Washington will help Balti-
more to build up tagging business at Friendship.
The hope is q very slim one, however. For
Friendship should not be seriously considered
as an auxiliary Washington air terminal as
long as Andrews Field or other closer sites
remain available.
AS for the suggestion by Acting Mayor Price
Of Baltimore that Maryland block the Andrews
project by such punitive measures as tolls and
police harassment of airport road traffic, one
wonders how silly the opposition can get OF
course Maryland could do nothing of the sort,
since the main approach to Andrews Ms q
Federal highway (Suitland Parkway.
Evening star., 1953-06-15

operations. The Subversive Activities
Control Board is administering the
law conscientiously.
Were the problem understood by the
public, and its solution known, we
should not still be hearing the agitated
demands from the right that commu
nism be outlawed, nor the foolish
alarms from the left that all our free
doms are endangered.
We were glad to hear the Attorney
Generals assurances that he will press
the Communist-frontr registration cases
pending before the SACB, but an
explanation of the workings of the
process, which restrains those who
would undermine our constitutional
freedoms without impairment of their
constitutional rights, would have been
In order. Realist.
Evening star., 1953-06-15
Letters to The Star ).

brake Innings and batteries were wasted
in this inconvenient and expensive
boondoggle. It would also be interest
ing to know which appropriation of
taxpayers money financed it.
If it had been necessary to hand out
individual cards, then it should have
been done "in depth" with six to ten
cars in each line being served stimuli
taneously, instead of only one car in
each row at time. The 80 to IS min
ute delay resulted in justiflable fury
among motorists. large proportion of
whom crumpled up the cards and threw
them on the floor. Son Of '76.