davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1954-04-19

T.B. s. of @ street has been watching
q robin build nest. and has become
quite excited about 1t. as one properly
should.
About ten days ago." he writes. "I
noticed q young robin looking at
handful Of twine which the wind had
blown into q small crotch in the limbs
Of q maple tree not more than ten feet
from the sill of my office window and
about two feet below it.
"She finally lighted on the string and
commenced to play with 1t and had
feeling that she would build nest.
"Sure enough, she brought small
twigs and dead grasses and made a
foundation. put on the sill few vads
of cotton, and, when I came back later.
/ was amazed to find that she had ap-
propriated the cotton in the foundation.
+
"She was very suspicious Of any
movements from my office window, but
I took few kodak snaps. nevertheless.
and to my surprise and pleasure she
paid no attention and continued to
build.
IF carpenter or an architect was
ever more particular or ever worked
harder it would be beyond my imagina-
tion.4 This little bird kept weaving the
twigs and dead grass into q pattern
and then she brought in her claws q
lump Of black earth which suppose
was partly clay. and tamped it all
around the bottom, after weaving the
strands Of the twigs and grass into it..
ITO my amazement, saw how she
was building up the nest around the
sides by bringing more twigs and
grasses, and more black earth, and
tamping them into PLACE.
Evening star., 1954-04-19
Letters to- The Star.

keep our local taxes down. Today's
widespread tax increases are a hard
jolt to those quarters which preached
thiS warning. a
The difficulty in fixing proper tax
rates here does not reflect on the we'll
meaning persons trying to handle the
problem. It reflects rather on our pres
ent system Of government. When we
vince at these tax increases we had
no voice in, we must blame the system.
When members Of Congress who pass
our laws respond first to the interests
Of the other communities which elected
them, we must blame the system. When
we deplore the log-jam on District leg
islation, we must blame the system.
But local self-government. or home
rule, will merely give us the tools. The
rest is up to us. With the tools Of
Self-rule we may set Our own tax rates:
fight crime and juvenile delinquency;
encourage participation in civilian de-
fense; work to stem the deterioration
OF downtown areas; and take necessary
steps to attract and maintain new
business enterprises in our city.
The founding fathers Of this coun-
try favored home rule here and helped
set it up. The local tax picture Is only
one Of many reasons why we need to
restore it now. Interested persons wish
ing to study the bipartisan home rule
legislation may contact the Washing
ton Home Rule Committee for copies
of the bill or for digest Of it,
Frank r. Jelleff,
Co-Chairman, Washington Home
Rule Committee, Inc.
Evening star., 1954-04-19
To Modernize Our Atomic Law


The proposed revisions of the Atomic Energy
Act OF 1946 are in line with, what President
Eisenhower has called "the nuclear realities of
1854" As it stands today, the law contains
numerous restrictions that have long since
become obSolete-So much so that they run
counter to the Nations best interests at home
and abroad
Accordingly, to correct this potentially seri-
Gus situation, Representative Cole and Senator
Hickenlooper and vice chairman of
the Joint Congressional Atomic Committee
have introduced identical bills in the House and
Senate to remove or modernize the outmoded
provisions The need for such modernization
extends even to certain phrases. For example,
because it was adopted long before the advent
of the hydrogen bomb and it's fashionable"
materials the 1916 act refers only to the "fsson-
able" materials of A-weapons, and hence
language change is necessary, the proposal
being to use the word special" to cover both
types Of materials.
Three major objectives are involved in the
amending legislation. One is to promote the
domestic development of a great new nuclear
power industry for civilian purposes de-
velopment that would be pushed by making the
Held much more open to private enterprise and
by creating profit incentives as to investment,
OF reactors, etc. A second goal is to pave the
way for possible international action on the
Presidents atoms -for-peace" plan-a plan that
cannot be put to work without easing some of
the present restrictions against giving informa-
tion and shipping atomic materials to CO.
operating lands abroad. And the third big
objective is to permit our country to transmit
to Its military allies certain classified data
bearing on A-weapons and the H-bomb-an
exchange OF information vital to the defense
planning Of the North Atlantic Treaty Organ
ization and to the proper training of NATO's
armed forces.
All three of these objectives are obviously
sound and necessary. AS far as our domestic
economy is concerned, we are at point where
nuclear power for industrial and other nom
military uses is clearly attainable, and we shall
be strengthening ourselves by speeding up it's
attainment through encouraging private enter
prise to participate as fully as possible in the
project. AS for easing restrictions to promote
the Presidents atomic-pool plan and to keep
NATO abreast of the defensive and offensive
problems created by A and weapons, there
can be no doubt that the proposed changes
promise to be internationally helpful to our
country, both in a political and military sense.
It is true enough, as the President himself
has said, that any liberalization of the Atomic
Energy Act may involve some risks of sort.
However, the Cole -Hickenlooper amendments
have many built-in safeguards that minimize
the significance Of such risks while at the same
time eliminating the handicaps that the out
dated restrictions now impose on the Nation.
Everything considered, therefore, the legislation
just introduced deserves prompt and strong
congressional approval.
Evening star., 1954-04-19
To the Editor Of The stor:

HAVE YOU ever wondered what
L goes on in the municipal hospital
of our Nations Capital? Perhaps you
are content with your experiences in
some private hospital and assume that
all hospitals are alike. Or perhaps you
don't care. You should. You help pay
the bills. INDECENT patients have very
little to say about their medical care.
Their more highly productive contem-
poraries largely decide their welfare.
Nevertheless, this group of economi-
cally poor producers do require care
under our prevailing social standards.
Since we accept the responsibility Of
good care for these people who are
unable to buy it themselves, we must
necessarily provide it. At this point
we are clever We provide certain
basic tools and hire people on whom
We can depend to make the best use
OF the facilities we provide, by virtue
Of their training and their loyalty to
the oath they have taken. One of the
key figures in this setup is the intern,
the physician in training. Let us fol-
low him as he goes about his various
duties in the District of Columbia Gen.
eral Hospital, formerly known as Gal
linger. The owner is still the same.
You!
We arrive at am. at, the entrance
to the hospitals admitting office. An
old gray Health Department ambulance
pulls up and discharges the intern who
has been on duty during the previous
"a hours. The fresh intern enters the
ambulance and slams the door, It does
not shut tight. He pushes the inside
Evening star., 1954-04-19
Mokinq the Rounds With oD. c. Intern

something goes wrong. the accusing
finger can unerringly be pointed at the
low man on the totem pole, the intern.
So he does the things that have to be
done. We realize both quality and
quantity for our tax dollar. II we
return to the admitting office and
emergency room. we find that our
young doctor works here only II hours
a day, six days week.
To return to the patient. perhaps
intravenouS fluids may have to be
started by the intern. In selecting
needle, he may discard several before
finding one he wishes to use. The dis
carded needles may have been improp-
erly sharpened, buried on the end, or
not sharpened at all. OF course it
saves money to use old needles. but our
patient feels pain in much the
same way as a private patient. The
intern checks the selected needle with
a syringe, pulling and pushing the
plunger to make sure the needle isn't
clogged by previous use. A clogged
needle means worthless venapuncture
and, more important, unnecessary pain
to the patient. Next, the intern selects
a bottle Of fluid and set of tubing
from the sterile solutions closet. The
bottle is globular shaped and unlike the
container used in any other hospital
In Washington. Why? Because it can
be ref1lled and is cheaper to use. It
has been superseded by better equip
ment in most modern hospitals. The
tubing is heavy and requires special
supports and restraints. and is therefore
awkward for the patient. This immo-
bilizes his arm and adds to his discom-
fort. However. it's cheap. After the
patient is made as comfortable as
possible. the intern decides to 60 to
the midnight meal, for the night may
be much longer.
He proceeds to the dining hall. After
a meal rich in starch and fat, and
poorer in protein, he decides to go to
bed and await the next CALL He Specu-
lates that perhaps proteins are more
expensive than starch and grease, and
maybe that is why the diet falls some
what short of ideal.
The interns' beds are in the doctors
quarters located on hill about 70 yards
from the hospital in building of Civil
War vintage. It is entered through an
alley into a hare hallway. An adjoining
recreation room" contains old furni-
ture recently upholstered, an elderly
piano and television donated for the
use Of the doctors. Upstairs is a bath
room with shower stall. Parts Of the
plumbing defy description. The shower.
installed within the memory of the
present generation, is the only modern
fixture.
Our intern's room contains a chair
and dresser Of recent manufacture.
The most valuable and least used piece
OF furniture is the bed. It's age can only
be guessed at by its many layers of paint
and cast-iron construction. The cot
springs sag in the middle, giving the
casual sleeper the sensation Of q ham
mock. Our intern is not a casual sleeper
and is too tired to assay this swayback
bed.
We pay our intern 5000 year and
deduct $500 for room, board and laun-
dry. The Federal Government taxes
this $500 maintenance fee and further
Evening star., 1954-04-19
This and That

"It required a week to build the nest
up to the proper height and she worked
from sunrise to sunset every day.
mo one can ever tell me that God
is more interested In me than in this
little bird, or that man knows any more
about God than this little bird does.
when the nest was brought up to
the desired height. to my surprise
found that Rosemary, the robin, knew
how to make q special twining of
grasses around the rim, and saw her
turn in the nest like the hands of q
clock. stopping about every half minute
to look around for enemies and possibly
to rest up, after the most unusual
movements had ever imagined bird
or any other animal could make.
Every feather in her breast and
wings vibrated rapidly. beating the
strands Of grass into place in the mud.
She would turn gradually to the right,
repeating this movement every half
It was the most thrilling illustration of
animal intelligence imaginable.
I'm order to polish the rim Of the
nest and make 1t perfect circle, she
used her tail and her throat just under
the beak. She would vibrate each
rapidly and turn slowly. When she was
through there was a solid rim around
the perfect circle Of the nest all shining
in the sun.
Really. I have never known any
thing like it. I feel that it is q lesson
as regards the God Of nature.
"Genevieve came up to see this unique
Evening star., 1954-04-19

and plans to raise the rate. This would
further decrease his stipend.
Considering the services rendered, it
would seem only fair to raise the
intern's salary to at least what is paid
IN other Government hospitals, rather
than lower it further.
Also. the Government assumes mini
mum responsibility to interns injured
in line of duty. That is, two-thirds of
the present salary will be paid during
the period Of disability. Even if q
permanent disability is incurred while
riding the Health Department am
bulance. there is nothing more than
this. Ordinary liability insurance is
not carried by the Government for its
passengers. The intern is q passive
instrument in accidents and cannot
help himself in any way. In fact he
must expose himself to unrecognized
dangers. not knowing the mechanical
condition Of the ambulance in which he
rides. Yearly instead Of monthly in
spections are carried out by the De-
partment Of Motor Vehicles inspection
station. What can happen to the
ambulance in the interim? Our in
terms have been injured in these am
balances. Doors have flown open while
the machine was in transit Emergency
devices have failed. Tires have been
used without tread. All Of these things
save money, but at what price? AS
long as nothing serious happens, money
may continue to be saved. The law
Of averages will eventually catch
up with this situation and cause
needless serious injury or death. It is
difficult for the intern to believe that
the money saved is rs valuable as this.
The appropriation to run the hospital
for this coming year goes before Con-
gress next month.
Forest K. HoFris II, M. D.,
Intern, D. C.. GeneraI HospitoI.
Evening star., 1954-04-19

reduces his 5000 by $45.60 II he is
single. On an hourly basis. his wages
figure out to about II cents an hour.
He is a trainee and can be paid less
than prevailing minimum wages. Other
Government hospitals, like st. Eliza
beths, pay $4,000 year to their
interns. Certainly our intern knew
what his salary would be before signing
his contract. Some one must work at
this job If the hospital is to function.
Imagine the effect If the intern were
a member Of labor union striking for
better wages and working conditions.
The Government now feels that the
intern pays too little for his subsistence
Evening star., 1954-04-19
Taxes and Demoqoques

There are points in the administrations
pending tax reform legislation on which econo-
mstS and experts in the tax field have sincere
disagreement. There are good reasons to
justify some of the opposition that has been
directed against the measure. But it does not
contribute to constructive consideration of this
tax bill to use it merely as an excuse for direct
ing epithets at the administration and at those
who are primarily responsible for the present
form Of the legislation.
CIO President Reuther, appearing before
the Senate Finance Committee, has concen-
trated on this approach in his criticism Of the
pending bill. Describing it as "give-away
program for those groups in our economy who
need no tax relief" the union leader directed
his principal name-calling at Secretary Of the
Treasury Humphrey "the modern-day REIN
carnation of Alexander Hamilton and Andrew
Mellon" Secretary Humphrey, Mr.. Reuther
continued, has exhumed the "trickle-down
theory" as smoke screen to secure tax con-
ceSSionS for corporations and wealthy stock
holders" The major target, as has most often
been the case, is the proposal for partial relief
of double taxation on dividends. AS usual, it is
implied by Mr.. Reuther as by other critics that
all stockholders are wealthy" and that there
is no reason for this tax relief other than to
favor these already favored few.
All KlIlQS OF SCdGSClCS nave DGeu pEOOuCeu
to support this broad charge Of concentration
of wealth" but none quite contradict the in
teresting study made recently by the United
States Steel Corporation Of its ownership. The
company found for example, that Sc per cent
of its stockholders have incomes of less than
$1,000 year and that the average annual
income for this group is $4,000. In turn, this
bloc Of 56 per cent Of the stockholders owns 81
per cent Of Big Steel's stock. Furthermore, 3
per cent of these stockholders had annual In
comes SO low that they were not liable for any
Federal income tax in 1882 Only 10 per cent
Of the shareholders had incomes above $4,000
yearly and their ownership totaled about so
per cent of the company.
Actually, Mr.. Reuther's type of attack upon
the revenue measure and those sponsoring it
recalls the comment Of another CIO spokesman
President Louis Hollander Of the New York
State CIO Council-several weeks ago when he
warned that the pending tax program provides
fuel for the demagogues of the right and left
Il
Evening star., 1954-04-19
For McCurthy and Lawrence

On April S, The Star allowed E. e.
Scoll considerable space in which to
expound nebulously in an attack on
David Lawrence and Joe Mccarthy.
am sure The Star will permit brief
answer. I have followed David Law
renee since early in World War II. He
attracted my attention because, con-
corning things that happened to know
the facts about, he was one of the few
writer's who expressed rational opin-
ions in times of stress and he stuck
with the truth. His deductions and
representations in the past have
proven to be very sound.
Where Mccarthy is concerned, be-
lieve he Is realistic in his view of a
cold war. A cold war-unless we lose
it-muSt be waged with firm decision.
While the cold war battle is on we
cannot allow the Communists any quar-
ter-when we compromise with them,
we lose. They are out to. get us one
way or another and Mccarthy is for
not letting them enjoy any more Of our
liberties for protective armor than he
can help. The fact that the left-wing
element is hot after Mccarthy and the
fact that his attackers use underhanded
methods Is very significant. This in
cludes using unbecoming cartoons and
distorted pictures. figure Mccarthy
is on our side (the American side)
and I'm for him.
Evening star., 1954-04-19

who seek to destroy the faith and confidence
Of Americans in their Government" Mr. Hol-
lander, who incidentally expressed the con-
viction that Premier Malenkov of Russia must
be happy about the administrations tax bill.
didn't identify further the demagogues he had
in mind. Perhaps there was no need for him to-
do so.
Evening star., 1954-04-19
The u. MS Role

Inc role OF Lne united NaClOnS IN the
atomic c-hydrogen age has been well defined by
Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold in his
address to the National Press Club. AS he
sees it, the role Is simply this: That the u. N.
should function as "a center of reconciliation
and as an instrument of realistic construction
for that permanently peaceful world which is
now, for the first time, physically and psyche
logically within the bounds of the attainable." !"
Mr.. Hammarskjold has based this view on
the premise that "there is no existing or con-
ceivable alliance of nations" that can enforce
peace or impose political settlements and that
therefore "the western world and the Com
munist world must learn to live with each other
as the only alternative" to an all-out war that
could easily obliterate the whole Of civilization
on both sides Of the Iron Curtain. The hydro
gen bomb-not to mention other actual and
potential weapons of mass destruction-has
made this prospect about as real and as urgent
as anything could be.
But there is considerable measure of hope
in the situation. For it is true, as Mr.. Ham
marskjold has suggested, that the H-bomb
conceivably may lead "the governments and
the peoples to abandon forever the course of
total war we have been following in recent
decades" And it is for that reason, in his
judgment, that it is not beyond the realm of
possibility that a permanently peaceful world"
is physically and psychologically attainable. It
is for that reason, too, that the U. N.-despite
all Its shortcomings justify its existence
and is in fact an international essential.
It is true enough, of course, that the United
Nations lacks the power to impose settlements,
but 1t seems no more deficient in that sense,
assMr. Hammarskjold has emphasized, than the
armed alliances that exist today. On the con-
trary, assuming universal acceptance of the
idea that "the price Of third world war is
the suicide Of civilization" the U. Mas a
body where ideologies are permitted to clash
inside the wider framework Of a fundamental
unity Of purpose for peace"-is in many ways
better equipped than those alliances to save
mankind from self-destruction.
In saying all this, Mr.. Hammarskjold has
not minimized the fact that security arrange
ments like the North Atlantic Treaty Organ
ization are absolutely imperative, and he has
plainly indicated that he is only cautiously
optimistic about the possibility of eventually
doing away with opposing military blocs. Yet,
within the limits Of his qualifications, he has
made out an encouraging case for the idea that
the U. N.-given patience on the part Of all
the member countries-may well be able, better
than any other instrument to avert third
world war and establish decent and enduring
peace.
II you listen carefully in the spring you can
hear the buds pop open, and If your ears are
even sharper you can hear what the politician
describes as the public's irresistible clamor that
he run for Office.
An investigation Of favoritism in the Army
Is Ok. with the old sarge. as long as nobody
tries TO palm it OF as something new
Evening star., 1954-04-19
ImprocticobIe and Unnecessary

senate concern over QaSC 1rreSularlCleS IN
the Federal housing program is reflected in its
apparent determination to surround the pend
ing lease purchase public buildings bill with
adequate safeguards. It is right that this i'm
portant legislation for new Office program
should be drawn so carefully as to insure
reasonable protection against abuses Of the
sort that have come to light in the housing
field. At the same time, it would be most un-
fortunate if in seeking to set up such protec-
tion, Congress we're to go so far as to impair
success of the Governments plan for pay-as-
you-use office building program.
In considering the House approved bill for
permitting Federal agencies to buy rented
buildings on long-term instalment plan, the
Senate has inserted restrictions which Federal
officials fear may involve an unconstitutional
exercise of legislative authority Amendments
voted by the Senate would require prior ap-
proval by the Senate and House Public Works
Committees of all contracts arranged under the
measure. This would seem to project the
committees very far into the area of executive
functions. It is one thing for committee or
for Congress to criticize an administrative &C
ton, or, by legislative enactment to lay down
remedial procedures. It is something else to
make committees of Congress actual partners
in the drawing up and awarding of public works
contracts.
Senator Dirksen sought vainly for a sub
stitute amendment which would have required
mere submission of each major contract for
committee appraiSal-without requiring affirm
ative committee action before lease+purchase.
contract could become effective. A similar
provision was in the bill as it came from the
House. The General Services Administration,
which would supervise the program, did not
object to this arrangement. But GSA and the
Department of Justice do object to any joint
contractual plan. Assistant Attorney General
Lee Rankin has submitted to the Senate an
opinion that such a surrender of executive
authority to the legislative branch would be
subject to challenge under the constitutional
provision for separation of the administrative
and legislative powers of the Government It
has been suggested that the President might
veto the bill if Congress were to insist on the
joint agreement scheme.
Senator Knowland, majority leader while
saying that the lease-purchase idea may in
volve some delegation to the executive branch
of spending safeguards heretofore vested in
Congress, pointed out that Congress still would
have overall control of spending. For the
committees to be required to pass in advance
on every leaSe-purchase contract in the future
would impose on them, he said, great additional
burdens and result in mass of red tape The
Senate ought to consider the legal and practical
aspects of the questionable amendment before
giving 1t a final vote of approval. The Govern
ment's new public building program otherwise
may founder even as it is being launched.