davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-14
By Herbert Brotter

When Warren G. Harding led the
Nation back to normally" in the
1920s he touched upon a perfectly
natural longing. The country had
been through hard times, war and
a postwar price collapse. Folks
wanted to get off the roller coaster
and step on solid ground again.
To an even greater extent today.
we live in an era of change. in which
new inventions and new political
PHILOSOPHERS play important roles.
There are always among us large
numbers who are disturbed by those
changes and prefer a more normal"
way of life. But just what is
normal?
We Americans are the greatest
users of statistics in the world. We
measure our progress. our booms
and recessions. our ups and downs.
Many of these statistics are in the
form of Index" numbers-figures
in which such things as employ
ment, living costs, wholesale prices.
production and the like are given
in percentages of some base pc
Rod"
Last December. for example. the
cost of living in large cities was
about Is percent greater than it
averaged in 1947-1949. And it was
80 percent greater than in 1889.
The way the Government puts it is
that the cost-of living index in
December was lis, taking 1947-1949
as the base" period when the index
was 100. Taking 1899 as the base.
last years index was 1872. Can we
conclude that 1947-1949 was normal.
or 1899? To do either would be
misleading, for what is normal one
year may have ceased to be so the
next year. ...
A Definition
About the best way to describe
normal" when we are talking
about living or business conditions
in our ever-changing world is to
say that normal is the average of
the recent past. Something new
comes along, you get used to it and
that becomes normal. That is one
reason why statisticians who COM
pile index numbers change the base
period from time to time. It doesn't
really mean very much to the work.
err, the farmer or the teacher to re-
port that, according to official sta
tistics, his or her standard of living
is 218 per cent better than that of
Grandfather. back in the days of
normalcy. The worker and the vot-
er wants to know: How am do
ing?"
When we say thing is normal"
We mean it is something that w'
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-14
Economic Committee
Business Downturn Puts the Spotlight
On Obscure but VituI Hill Unit
By WiIIiom J. Mover

that might we'll reach into an our
lives come from?
When World War II ended. it was
obvious that the country's economy
was to undergo a drastic change.
shifting from a war to a peace
basis with millions Of service per-
sonnet returning to civilian pursuits.
Employment Act
Congress passed the Employment
Act of 1916 which declared that it Is
the responsibility of the Federal
Government to use all practicable
means to promote maximum
employment. production and pur-
chasing power."n
The act provided the President
with Council Of Economic Advisers
"a board Of three $15,000-a-year
specialists. Previously, the President
had depended On the cabinet and
executive staff members for eco
uomic facts and forecasts.
The act also provided for joint
committee to represent the legisla-
tive branch of the Government. It
is made up of seven Senators and
seven Representatives. Jesse P. VOL
colt. Republican Representative from
Michigan, is chairman of the present
committee.
The committee, with its staff of
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-14

a certain price for a stock. Then.
when it moves to another level and
stays there for some time. he gets
used to that. But which one is
normal? Neither one, probably.
What will be normal tomorrow.
next year. 10 years from now? Will
atomic energy relegate present
sources of light and power to the
limbo of the gaslight era? Will
formed in place" plastics and fibre
glass replace metal airplane and
automobile bodies? Will printed cir
cults for untitled" electronic COM
ponents become normal and make
present wiring outmoded?
Watch Patent Office =
The key to tomorrow's normal lies
in the Patent Office. There every
day the mailman delivers the secrets
of the future It is there we must
look for the future normal uses of
the atom in medicine, in food pro-
ceSslng, in controls, in chemical
syntheSiS. From the inventions filed
in that Office will spring whole new
industries yet undreamed of, to talks
their place in our normal lives or
those of our children.
That the TV set of today will be-
fore long find it's way to the scrap
heap is not difficult to forsee. What
is harder to grasp is that the auto
mobile OF the future will make even
the most modern car of 1854 as
old-fashioned as the hand signals
by which the cops directed Fifth
avenue traffic in New York in 1920.
1t is only in recent times that
the flve-day week became normal in
the United States. This trend may
continue as production machinery
improves. Some day. perhaps, Gov
eminent workers will knock of
every afternoon at 3, as was once
normal in washington many years
ago.
With life extension, social security
and retirement funds, the increasing
proportion of the population con-
sisting of retired people will affect
our economy and our way of life.
There will be more shifting of popu-
lation into parts Of the country with
favorable climates. where there will
be more demand for single-story
houses. Whereas once only the WE'LL
to-do could retire. some day practi-
cally every one who lives to the right
age will do so. 1t will be the normal
thing to do.
Some may regret it, but there is
no such thing as going back to nor
malcy. All our experience and all .
the signs point the other way. Nor
malcy, we know. lies in the future.
And. we know equally we'll, 1t won't
be normal long. 4
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-14

mid-193Os. Today it takes half again
as much.
Butter Down, OIeo Up
Those are things we can see in
the cost-of- living statistics. In the
data on industrial production we
catch other glimpses of f1eeting nor
NAL. Last year this Washington
statistical series was given a postwar
instead of preWar base" Natural
silk. once an important item in nor
NAL factory production here, has
become so unimportant that it has
been dropped from the index. Be-
tween 1889 and 1947 the production
of creamery butter dropped IS per
cent, while that of oleomargarine in
creased 1873 per cent.
While total production of all items
rose 70 per cent in the same years,
fur felt hats declined 16 per cent.
Lumber shingles dropped Al per
cent. Buttons went off Is per cent
thanks to zippers. But radios and
parts increased $50 per cent in the
same period; electrical appliances
$50 per cent; and monograph rec
ords 453 per cent. TV of course
started after the base period.
The ever-changing normal is re-
hected in the stock market. For a
long time SPECTATORS used to look
back on 1929 with longing eyes.
This was humanity understandable
But there was nothing any more
normal about the level Of securities
prices in the 1920s than in 1882.
when stock prices thumped along
the bottom. It's easy for a specula-
tor or investor to get accustomed to
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-14

and vegetables, fish and meat,
breads and cakes are sped from
urban centers to the rural con-
sumner. And everywhere you go as
a summer tourist you'll get the SAME
kind of ice cream. definitely not
homemade.
In the mid-1930s it was normal
to see II percent of the family
income go for apparel, food and
housing expenses exclusive of the
cost of buying home). Today only
81 per cent goes for these purposes.
This means that the difference of
IA per cent is going for other things
that have become normal. This is
one reason why the base of the
coSt-of- Living index numbers has
been changed from 1899 to 1947-1949.
When items have become unimpor-
tant in our daily spending there is
no point. to keeping close tabs on
their prices from month to month.
Conversely. when a new item regu-
larly appears in the market bag,
it must be counted in the coSt-of-
living figures. AS an example of a
new item" take canned fruit Juice.
In 1894 the per capita consumption
was half a pound a year. In 1852
it was nearly IA pounds. This is
sufficiently typical item to include
when figuring the buying power of
the consumers dollar. Our eating
habits demand much wider variety
of foods than was normal 20
years ago.
Transportation of all sorts used
to take per cent of the city wage
and clerical workers dollar in the
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-14

The current dip In business and
industry has thrown quiet, rela-
lively new. but nonetheless vital
congressional committee into sharp
public focus as it digs into perplexing
economic problems that face the
Nation.
It is the war-born Joint Commit
tee on the Economic Report which
this week will conclude hearings on
President EiSenhower's Economic
Report to Congress.
Since 1947, the committee, stated
with economists and statisticianS.
has gone quietly about its business
of keeping it's finger on the Nations
business pulse and recommending
action, If necessary, to maintain
economic stability and control.
But. in those early postwar years,
business was booming and-except
for short period in 1949-more
people were at work than ever before
and pay envelopes were fat. The
more glamorous and exciting COM
mittees that shouted about Commu-
nists and disloyalty. tax frauds,
foreign policy and crime grabbed
the headlines.
Little was heard from the Joint
Committee on the Economic Report,
although in 1947 it held exhaustive
hearings in "a Eastern cities on COM
modify price developments. In 1949,
the committee began a study of
unemployment, but the recession
worked itself out before 1t attracted
much attention. In 1850, as the
Korean affair blossomed into a full
scale war, the committee strongly
recommended to President Truman
that taxes be maintained at high
level because of oncoming military
expenses.
Overlooked by Public
Congressman and Government Of
f1cials, plus handful of economists
and business leaders over the coun-
try, were mindful of the committee
and it's work, but to the man in the
street it was relatively unknown.
When it did come to public atten-
ton, it spoke a dull, academic Ian
guage of statistics. graphs and charts
gathered together under such be-
wildering titles as an Interim Re-
port on the Presidents Program
With the Problems Of Imitation" or
General Credit Control, Debt Man
agement and Economic Mobiliza-
ton"
Then, midway through 1858, the
business curve turned downward.
Late last month, as required by law.
the committee began hearings on
the main recommendations made by
the President in his economic re-
port. Top Government and business
officials were called to give their
ideas Of the reasons for the decline
and to predict where business con-
ditionS were headed. Their testi-
mony-some optimistic, some pes
simistic-got big headlines.
John @. Public thus became aware
Of the joint committee which
Thursday will conclude its hearings
with testimony from CLIO President
Walter Reuther, mine workers head
John L. Lewis, AFL President
George Meany and others. In all.
81 authorities in Government, bust
ness labor and economics were
scheduled to be heard when the
hearings began.
After the hearings end, the law
requires that the committee report
it's findings and recommendations
"as guide. to the several commit
tees Of the Congress dealing with
legislation, not later than March
/. :"
But where did this committee
4 4
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-14

army from the French, although 1t
still co-operates with French Union
forces. He has built a reputation for
fanatical opposition to all forms Of
French control.
There Is popular clamor for full
independence in Wet Nam, too. But
while so much Of the country is oc-
cupied or controlled by Wet Mini
Communists it would be impossible
to hold the free elections which
could give the country full indie
pendence.
Meanwhile. the country Is gov
erned by an appointed officialdom.
whose cabinet is answerable to
"Chief of State" Bao Dali, ex-Em-
peror Of AMMAN, who was brought
to power by the French. Last year,
however, the Wet Namese learned
how uncomfortable incomplete in
dependence can be. The French uni
literally devalued the currency
drastically, from II francs to the
plaster to 10, cutting almost IN half
what little savings the Wet Namese
had been able to amass.
The Peoples Attitude
With Indo-China's independence
in this Observation-Disclosures stage.
then, what is the popular attitude
toward fighting communism?
The answer Games in three parts.
one for each OF. the associated states.
In all three, of course, it must be
remembered. that the level of po-
litical consciousness is extremely
low. Most of the people neither side
with nor oppose the Communist Wet
Mini on theological ground. Their
opposition to the Reds is more
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-14

likely to be on racial, cultural or
religious grounds.
o Cdmbodia: King Norodom Siha-
nouk. who rules with the aid of a
national assembly is we'll thought
of by his people. He is strongly anti
Communist. There are small bands
of Wet Mini operating on Cambo-
dia's borders, and King Norodom
has personally led Cambodian troops
against them. The Wet Mini, looked
upon as invaders, are opposed by
most of the 3 million people of
Cambodia.
. Laos: Among Laos is million
happy-go-lucky people. the Wet
Mini are also considered foreign
invaders. The present Red drive
toward Luang Prabang. the royal
capital. has caused some 10000
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-14

life of the Russians. He drew no
punches.
For all its advertised glory"
he asserted without equivocation,
Moscow first impressed me, and
still does, as a vast slum." There
were anguished cries from the
Russian Embassy.
His whole attitude is aggressive.
His gravel voice serves to accentuate
that aggressiveness as does his
small stature-he stands about
feet 6.
At Delaware College in Newark
he played football and he still likes
to use that sports terms. Thus. as
one general said. the favorite
ODaniel maneuver in combat is a
line buck"
A fighting general without ques-
ton, O'Daniel also is known for his
spit and polish. AS commander Of
Corps in Korea he insisted on
shoes being polished each morning
at headquarters not far behind the
front lines. Grounds around the
buildings were kept neat.
Gen. O'Daniel few into Washing
ton last week. reported on the situa-
ton in Indo-China to President
Eisenhower and other top officials,
then returned to command of the
Army in the Pacific without public
comment. He was as unapproach-
able as the sacred Dalai Lama of
Tibet.
The whole matter Of his possible
assignment to Saigon was out of
Army hands. The National Security
Council. the Joint Chiefs of Staff
and the psychological warfare ex-
perts had taken over.
1t was ticklish problem. To begin
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-14

Laotians to forsake their homes and
flee before the aggreSsors.
In a country of such basically
well-adjusted people, where politics
is very distant, sometime thing, it
is a legitimate measure of the popu-
larity Of King Sisavang Vong's re-
gime to say that there has been no
particular opposition to his legally
constituted government.
The Communists. sensitive about
their racial diSsimilarity. have
picked UP one of countless unem-
ployed Laotian princelings and made
him the figurehead Of their political
campaign in Laos. But he is looked
upon as q renegade and has little
support,
To fend off the Wet Mini, the
people Of Laos-about equal in num-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-14

Fellow Army generals were some
what puzzled last week about talk
of assigning 1t. Gen. John w. Qron
Mike) O'Daniel to a Job which
would require the utmost tact and
diplomacy. The post he was men
toned for was head of a military
advisory group in Indo-China.
It was not a question of the
squat Irishman's ability to train
troops and lead them to victory. He
demonstrated that during World
War II in North Africa and Italy.
Later he commanded the Fort Ben
ming Ca, Infantry Center. where
intensive training of foot soldiers
takes place. .-...
But the 60-year-old O'Daniel is
no diplomat. He is cut out of the
same cloth as the late Gen. George
Patton, though without the fair Of
that colorful figure.
Served in Moscow
Once he was Military Attache at
the American Embassy in Moscow
Returning home, he wrote a
magazine article describing the hard
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-14
By Earl H. Voss

It Is an open secret now that
United States officialdom, from the
President on down, is not satisfied
with the common peoples fighting
spirit in Indo- China.
Annoyance at the French DISPOSE
ton to discount the Importance of
this factor is not quite such an open
secret, but reporters can get an Off
the-record earful in Washington
and Saigon.
White House correspondents heard
Of this feeling from President Eisen-
hover himself recently. The heart
and soul of the population, he said
at a press conference, will be the
biggest factor Of success or failure
in Indo- China. If the Wet NameSe
want to be free, he went on, if they
believe that through the kind of a
war now being fought they will be
free, then the free world will prob
ably have success in Indo- China.
But. the President added, the sit
uation in Indo-C China is critical be-
cause Gin the words of the para
phrased transcript Of his press
conference) there had been some
evidence that there tDdS lack OF
enthusiasm (among the people,.
Later, Gen. Eisenhower's press
secretary issued "a Qualification"
saying the President had not meant
to reflect on the armies or leader
ship of Wet Nam, Laos or Cambodia.
But what he said about the peoples
attitude was allowed to stand
The root problem is an old one:
The people hate the French more
than they hate the Wet Namese
Communists (Viet Mimi.
The French have long since ac-
cepted this gloomy situation. and
have been making efforts to adj
just it, in their own time. The best
thing they could do would be to pull
out Of Indo-C China completely. But
that Is obviously impossible now,
because the Communists would take
over, either by force or subversion.
The independence Problem
So while the French stay and
fight the Wet Mini. they have been
giving the Wet Namese, Laotians
and CambodianS as much indie
pendence as they think the people
can handle
In the last year, the three coun-
tries have been demanding COM
plete independence, no matter what
France thinks of their ability to use
it wisely. And, under the pressure of
United States and world opinion,
the French are now rapidly re-
linquiShing what political control
they still have.
Laos already is politically indie
pendent. although she retains her
ties with the French Union. Cam
bodia is expected to follow the same
path soon, when King Norodom
Sihanouk goes to Paris to negotiate
a final settlement. King Norodom
already has wrested control of his
Evening star., 1954-10-04
.2U. S. Soldiers Tell of Threats
By Czechs to Learn Secrets

captain said, chain smoking as
he told neWsmen of the ordeal.
From the beginning 1t was
strongly indicated that if we
did not talk. we would be con-
sidered spies and would be tried
under Czech law" he continued.
Neither Broke Down.
Neither he nor Pfc. Pisk broke
under the nearly constant inter-
rogation, he emphasized.
The men said the Czechs told
them that your government will
do nothing for you." and that
1--WE have been trying to con-
tact the United States Embassy
in Prague"
The United States Embassy
pushed for their release through
out their confinement, but the
Czechs ignored these overtures
and even kept secret where the
men were held.
Pfc. Pisk. a husky Vienna
born naturalized American, said:
They left us up in the air.
They said: You know you are
in our country, and that you
were conducting yourselves as
spies They gave us the impress
sion that they would try us and
put us in prison for no telling
how long"
Evening star., 1954-10-04
Defense Percentage
OF Security Risks
Small, Wilson Says
<Continued from First Page0

<Continued from First Page)
portant things that are bother
ing me-, but refused to specify.
Pressed to give an example
of the things bothering him,
he said: "If I could think of one
that was purely mechanical and
did not involve any personali-
ties I could do it."
Later, he said that one of his
biggest handicaps is "the fact
that so many people worship
the god of things as they are"
and want to just stay where
they are" when a problem comes
up that requires a new look"
London Pact Hailed.
Mr.. Wilson also commented
that he hopes the new agree
ment on West German re-arm-
ament will be IAN improvement"
on the French-rejected European
Defense Community project. He
pointed out that Great Britain
was not a part of the EDO plan,
Mr.. Wilson planned to fly oack
to Washington today.
Earlier. it was disclosed that
the President regards the agree
ment on West Germany as "a
great triumph"
Gen. Eisenhower reaction to
the conference outcome was re-
layed to reporters by Represen-
tative Halleck, Republican. OF
Indiana, after a luncheon con-
ference with the President yes-
terday.
He feels as I do-that there
has been a great triumph" Mr..
Halleck said.
Plan Antidated EDO Death.
Mr.. Halleck, who was House
majority leader in the 83d Con-
gress. disclosed that the alter
native plan for re-arming Ger
many as a member of the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization
had been made ready within
this government before the Eu-
ropean Defense Community prof.
ect was rejected by France
Before the French rejection,
American officials refused to
talk publicly of alternatives. But
Mr.. Halleck said prior con-
sideration" was given to the
problem of re-arming Germany
without EDO. so that when it
was killed by the French a
program was ready.
Mayors to Meet.
Meanwhile, assistant White |
House Press Secretary Murray
Snyder announced that the ad- |
miniStration will cooperate in
the holding of a Washington
conference of mayors and other |.
local government officials, to |.
meet in the State Department |.
auditorium December and 3.
Members of the Presidents !
staff and heads of various Fed |
eral agencies will brief the con-
ference on matters pertaining to
continental defense, finance,
public works. civil defense and |
relations between the Federal,
State and local governments. A |
similar conference was held last
December.
The President, after attending
Corona Presbyterian Church SER
vices with Mrs. Eisenhower,
drove to the Brown Palace Hotel
in downtown Denver yesterday
for a luncheon conference with
Mr.. Halleck and stayed on for an
afternoon and evening playing
bridge and dining with old
friends.
The group was understood to
include Gen. Alfred M. Gruen-
ther, Supreme Allied Commander
in Europe; George E. Allen, in
surance executive, and William
E. Robinson, New York public
relations executive.