davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-04-10
Toward Inner Peace

Bishop Fulton j. Sheen's
remarkable success in bring
ing religion to the secular,
faith to the worldly, may be
attributed In part to the fact
that he understands the prob
lens Of the average person
and can talk about them In q
practical way. He is inspira-
tional without being platitu-
dinous, devout without being
pietistic. In a new series of
brief essays called sway to
Inner Peace" Garden City;
$2) he adds measurably to his
contribution toward a philoso-
Ihy for our times.
eAlmost all the great i'm
pacts on the character of
others he writes, shave been
made indirectly, not directly.
ne who starts out to 'edify'
others almost always makes q
fool Of himself. That is why
poses Of piety. going out of
ones way to appear religious
or the citation of texts Of
Scripture to impress have q
ring Of insincerity about
4
The Dark View
In another chapter Bishop
Sheen comments: Because Of
cold wars. high taxes. threats
q communism and general In
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-04-10
Columbia Students

Twelve Of ~ graduate and
undergraduate students of
Columbia University's School
Of Painting and Sculpture won
high-ranking national art
awards last year. and a New
York City dealers gallery gave
them an exhibition last month.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-04-10

/ o c c upation
h O usewives
were hav-
ing it. A
p e ace low
ing matron.
W no had
c ON e to
Germany to
nish Q
novel. Mrs.
Wann new
q h eleSS
b e g 6 ed to
differ. rDe-
p & n d e n {
B q g 6 . 8 e:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-04-10

and freedom
as there Is
at the pres
ent hour. /"
Then he
adds that:
"w h / lie
there is-jus-
tific a ito n
for looking
on the dark
side Of evil.
tn ere is.
however, no
justification
for the pres
Mt tend.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-04-10

security. we have become ac-
customed to take a dark view
of the world. There is some
justification for this, for never
before in the history Of Chris
tian civilization was there ever
such a mass attack on de-
cency. honor. personal rights
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-04-10
Reading and Writing
A Report on American Housewives
Who Lived in Occupied Germany
BY MARY McGRORY

When Marie Di Mario Wann
was in Germany with her hus-
band Harry in 1947 she read q
magazine account of how good
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-04-10
Books in Review
Veteran White House Correspondent
& Gives Good Closeup of Eisenhower
By CARTER BROOKE JONES

There's lot about the President that most Of didn't know
Eisenhower Merriman Smith Harper; $500.
Most Of the incidents and descriptions which the author
relates the vantage Of veteran White House
respondent give you better understanding Mr..
Eisenhower and perhaps feeling toward him. The
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-04-10
Landscape Annual.

The best exhibition I have
SEEM by the Landscape Club Of
Washington, is on view at the
Arts Club through next FRI
day. Fifty oils and water
colors represent more than 20
members. some Of whom have
two or three works each. AL
though the exhibition is pre-
dominantly naturalistic, as
heretofore, there is more vari-
ETY. In handling. and more
modern paintings.
Awards were based on q vote
Of the members present at the
opening tea. The silver medal
went to Vaughn L. jackson,
president Of the Landscape
Club, for his large water color.
Low Tide" nostalgia natural-
ism. competently handled. Two
bronze medals were given, re-
spectively, to NJ. d. Mangus'
oil. "Freighting on the Kaya.
kuk," q colorful capture, and
to Carver Miller's "Shenan-
doah Street." houses natural
istically varied in shape, uni
fed by the color scheme. Rob-
ert Willis Temple Forms"
fetched honorable mention; its
architectural details are dis
cerned in an abstract arrange
ment of nicely integrated
colors and white.
In earlier years, the Land
scape Club members got to-
gether and roamed the Mary
land and Virginia countryside,
or other nearby areas on week
ends, for their painting themes.
They may still be doing this:
but the evidence Of the annual
indicates that each member
went his own way. and a con.
siderable distance from WASH
ington. There are glimpses Of
Hong Kong by Eliot lO'Hara,
Hawaii by Sidney Shapiro, old
churches In Italy by Gustav
Trois. Avignon rooftops by
Kenneth Stubs, Alaska by
William F. Walter, the Far
West by Lee Atkyns and c. j.
Poiesz and other distant
places.
Some Of the members have
drawn their inspiration from
the Washington area. Par
ticularly appealing are Walter
Bachrach's Georgetown" on
q wet day. Garnet Jex's "Thaw-
ing Snow" In Loudoun County
and Minor Jameson's poetic
up the Lane" New members,
James Cupoh and John organs
are represented with charac-
teristic landscapes.
Charles Dunn shows two
distractions. one an arrange
ment Of swirling colored thread
lines on a black ground.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-04-10

ency to look upon the dark side
of good. 1t is one thing to be
gloomy about starvation, but 1t
is quite another matter to be
gloomy about good health;
disease has its shadows, but
why see shadows in health?
In a word, why is it that so
many see the dark side Of
virtue, goodness, honesty, pur-
ity and honor"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-04-10

for q
PUBLISHER?

0 send for free. illustrated
booklet titled To The Authef
In Seanch Of . Publisher.
IL tells how we can publish,
promote and distribute your
hook. All subjects consid.
cred New authors welcomed,
Write today for our helpful
booklet. VS.. It's free.
VANTAGE PRESS, INC.
1910 Vermont Ave NV, Wash. s. d. 9.
ST. 3-223s Main Once: New York
Evening star., 1955-07-03
Transit Sickness Now in Acute Staqe

What with the long week end and most offices closed
until Tuesday was easy to forget for moment this week
end that there real mess in Washington" And this
that could not be cleaned up by any such
simple practical means national election This
transit strike that started att1240 Friday and might
conceivably drag on, no one knew how long
Directly involved p the stoppage of service by the Capital
Transit Co only about 5000 persons Some 1000
stockholders, the rest drivers and other transit employees
In their way these 5000 being hurt by the strike
But it often happens in fight that the innocent bystander
the who takes the shelackng And In this fight there
hundreds of thousands Of innocent bysander waiting
fo1 the street car that won't be along for while
Evening star., 1955-07-03
Dixon-Yotes

For more than year Republican
proponents of private power and
Democratic advocates of public
power have argued over the merits
Of an Administration plan to in
troduce private power into the pub
lic-power domain Of the Tennessee
Valley Authority.
The argument focused on an
Atomic Energy Commission con-
tract with a private group, known
as Dixon-Yates after the two prin-
cipal stock owners, to build a steam
power plant at West Memphis, Ark,
to handle the Aces and Memphis
expanding needs. Democrats
claimed IVA could furnish the
power cheaper If 1t were allowed
to expand.
Last week the Dixon Yates power
plant seemed doomed. The city
of Memphis. it was reported, was
taking things into its own hands
and building a power plant of its
own.
President Eisenhower issued O
statement Thursday night an1;ounc
ing . review Of the whole Dixon
Yates case.
Evening star., 1955-07-03
The Union

The union story is not nearly
SO fascinating as, that of the COM
pany. The AFL Amalgamated AS
sociation Of Street Electrical Rail-
way and Motor Coach Employees
Of America, Inc, Division $50, is a
rather unmilitant group which
would only like to keep Washing
ton wages up to the level in other
large cities and up to the cost of
living. The group traditionally
would rather settle an argument
through arbitration than a strike.
In fact, the international union has
a standing rule that no strike can
be approved unless arbitration has
been rejected by the company.
Evening star., 1955-07-03
The Public

In the middle was the riding
public and the area merchants who
depend on public transportation to
get customers to their stores. The
public has a voice only through the
Pubic Utilities Commission, the
gloup charged by District Commis-
sioners with protecting civic inter-
ests in the transit franchise.
The P. U. c. has the power to
raise-or lower, fantastic thought
transit fares, limit the company's
net operating income. name the
rate base, fix trolley and bus
schedules and audit all CTC f1nan-
cial transactions.
The company appealed to the
P. U. C. to raise fares to 80 cents for
five. tokens instead of the present
80 cents, eliminate the pass and
keep the cash fare at the 20-cent
level. Informal negotiations started
last January but, according to re-
liable third parties. P. U. c. officials
advised the company to hold Of
for a while as other relief was IN
sight The company did hold Of
until early in June, when formal
application was filed. BY then the
expiration of the labor contract
was imminent, so there was no
time to act on the fare increase
before the strike.
Such delay is not unusual IN
the history of the PUG. The group
probably moves no slower than
other Government regulatory bod
les, but in the fast moving transit
crisis any delay is exasperating.
Other Relief
The "other relief" p. U. c. want
ed worked out before a fare hike
was considered was in the hands OF
Congress. Congress speaks for the
citizens Of the Federal City even
though it may not represent them.
So the fate of Capital Transit rests
partially in the vastly uninterested
bosom Of Congress.
Congress was asked by Capital
Transit to permit abandonment OF
a gross earnings tax and increase
of the three-cent fare for school
children. The tax cut would raise
net operating income by about
$500, 900 a year. To boost the school
fare to half the cash fare, where
It originally was, would bring in
about 100000 provided only a
handful of children balked at the
increase.
Action on the two proposals has
been slow.
There is no indication either
Congress or the p. U. G. is rushing
to the rescue. Neither on the Hill
nor in the District Building is the
Wolfson group viewed with favor.
Rather than help him. Government
officials would prefer to get him out
of town. It was only the crying
need for public transportation in
Evening star., 1955-07-03
The Past

A labor-management dispute
which tied up the mass public
transportation system of the Dis
trict was disaster of no small pro-
portions. but still the transit strike
was only one tree in a forest of
troubles.
Capital Transit has been heading
for a serious crisis ever since the
lush war years ended. Partly it's
the same squeeze every other major
city has run into of higher costs,
higher fares and lower patronage.
In the District the transit situa-
ton has been complicated by a
bitter quarrel over business philoso-
ply:
. The Wolfson group regards Capt.
tai Transit as any other private
business: It should make money for
the stockholders or it has no reason
to remain in operation. The group
intends to keep earnings and profits
up or get out of town.
. The riding public, merchants
and government regulators believe
Capital Transit is primarily pub
lie service, that the stockholders of
utilities should defer to the public
interest in a crisis. The public
would be happy to see the Wolfson
group get out of town.
In neither point of view lies the
solution to the transit problem.
For the problem is much too
complicated. It involves the inter-
ests Of the company, the union and
the public, and is compounded by
the facts of modern transit life.
Evening star., 1955-07-03
REVIEW OF THE WEEK:
One-Doy Steel Strike
Ends in l5-Cent. Rise
For6OO, ,O0oWorkers
REVIEW OF THE WEEK:

While Washington wrestled with
its sick-industry transit strike last
week. the robustly healthy Ameri-
can steel industry narrowly escaped
q work stoppage which would have
had much graver consequences
countrywide.
After less than "A hours of idle
ness. 100000 steel workers won
15-cent hourly increase which
boosted their total wage to an aver
age 500 for 40-hour week. The
interruption of the steel industry's
record production pace was not long
enough to have any serious effect
on the booming American economy.
United States Steel Corp. set the
pace by settling Friday noon. Five
other companies quickly followed
suit. The CLOS United Steelwork-
ers Of America looked upon the
award as a major victory for their
president. David j. Mcdonald.
The Issues
For the steel workers, the idea
was to keep UP with the Joneses.
and. IL possible, do a little better.
They did better. The Joneses, in
this case, were the United Auto
Workers who recently got q package
raise OF 20 cents an hour, Including
fringe benefits.
The steel union asked for close
to 20 cents an hour WITHOUT fringe
benefits. The two-year contract
they signed last year could not be
opened at this time on any issue
except wages.
Auto workers have estimated that
when the fringe benefits are re-
moved from their 20-cent package
raise. only 9.3 cents could be
counted in the hourly wage. The
steel workers got roughly 6 cents
more.
Immediate Price Boost
On the very heels Of the strike
settlement, United States Steel an
nounced 1t would raise its prices
an average $3.50 ton. $1.50 more
than expected. The company esti-
mated this would be an average So
per cent rise In steel prices, COM
pared to the wage rise Of 6.5 to rs
per cent.
Thus prospects were that Amer
leans cost Of living. which has re-
manned relatively stationary since
1852. would rise before long. Steel
prices have perhaps as much infiu-
ence on the cost Of living as any one
item. Imitation conscious Republi-
cans looked anxiously around to
find that other labor unions intend
to follow the lead which steel and
auto workers now have given.
Three Of the Nations top four
copper producers were already in
the throes of a strike. And the
President had to intervene to get
a 30-day postponement of q rail-
way express union walkout.
Labor was determined to deal it.
self In on the new economic boom
which the easing of the cold war
seemed to promise.
Evening star., 1955-07-03
GOVERNMENT
Congress Speeds Up,
Passes $31.9 Billion
MiIitury Supply Bill

Neither heat NOR humidity nor
transit strike deferred the legisla-
tive branch OF the United States
last week.
Spurred. perhaps. by President
Eisenhower's good-natured rib of
the Democratic-controlled Congress
at his press conference and urged
no doubt more effectively by the
end Of the fiscal year at midnight
Thursday, the lawmakers took these
actions last week:
o Military appropriation. After
House and Senate compromised,
Congress sent to the President a
$31.9 billion appropriation bill, in
Guiding 1856 million more to speed
up B-52 long-range bomber pro-
duction and $46.4 million to keep
the Marine Corps at present
strength instead Of cutting it 22,-
900 as Mr.. Eisenhower recon-
mended. The Air Force got STAT
billion, the Navy $9.1 billion, the
Army $7.3 billion.
D Military reserves. Last Friday
the House passed by voice vote
bill to increase the country's ready
reserves from 100000 to 80 mil
lion by 1860. The Senate will start
work on the bill this week. Presi-
dent Eisenhower considers the
House move a victory for him,
because earlier the House had been
inclined to shelve the reserve
. Foreign aid. The House passed a
foreign-aid authorization bill cal
ling for 1923 billion, $l23 million
less than the President wanted.
The Senate has already passed the
authorization bill, and it now goes
to conference to iron out differ
ences. The actual appropriation
bill is expected to follow soon after
the authorization is approved. No
bitches are expected then.
o Debt limit. Just before the July
/ deadline, Congress passed and the
President signed q bill continuing
the debt ceiling at $281' billion for
another year. The debt now stands
at about $278.6 billion and will push
the ceiling later this year. In the
fiscal year which ended last Thurs
day at midnight, the Treasury esti-
mates Uncle Sam went another 81
billion to $4.5 billion into the red.
Q Draft. Within about is minutes
Tuesday, both houses Of Congress
voted to extend the military draft
for four years. They also voted
to induct doctors for another two
years. The President signed the
bill Thursday night.
The President had mentioned IS
areas he wanted Congress to deal
with: Foreign aid, military reserves,
highways, housing, minimum wage,
customs law simplication, school
construction, health, refugee relief.
military survivors benefits, water
resources. Hawaiian statehood and
the peace ship.
The last two are considered def
nitely beyond congressional ap-
proval this session. Prospects looked
good for the first six. But school
construction, health. refugee relief,
military survivors benefits and
Evening star., 1955-07-03
The Company

This strike would be just another
transit walkout were it not for the
past operation of the company by
the Wolfson management. For Mr..
Wolfson has made almost every one
in town mad at him-so mad that
the striking workers find shem-
selves In the novel position of look
ing like heroes to the rideless pub
lie.
It all started when MFR. Wolfscn,
a rising young Florida financier,
decided in 1949 that Capital Iran
sit looked like a good deal. He Of
fered the former owner. the North
American Co. Of New York. 81 mil
lion. It was the only genuine offer
North American had received after
the Securities and Exchange Com
mission ordered Capital Transit
sold, SO the Wolfson offer was ac-
cepted.
Washingtonians were indignant.
It was well known that the COM
pany was headed for a financial
squeeze, so it was hoped that some
local, public-spirited group would
buy the company. It was feared
that Mr.. Wolfson was only out for
the $5-odd million cash surplus in
the company.
Wolfson's Record
Since 1949 the Wolfson group has
done little to dispel that fear. He
has distributed all but 50 million of
the company's cash to stockholders
and is rapidly splitting up the rest.
He has talked repeatedly about
protecting the stockholders inter-
ests" or hquidating the company.
He has been unnecessarily clumsy
in his public relations, leading
Washingtonians to wonder If he is
not throwback to the public be
damned" era.
The consensus in town is that
Mr.. Wolfson wants to finish milk
ing the company and then leave
a dry cow for the taxpayers to
care for.
MFR. Wolfson paints an entirely
different picture Of his goals and
activities. Capital Transit, he says,
is owned by private citizens who
want and, under the American
system, must have a fair return on
their investment. The cash at
CTC, he points out, was there only
because past stockholders did not
get the dividends rightfully theirs.
His management has distributed
those past profits and has raised
the value of the stock.
Capital Transit is strictly regu-
lated by the Public Utilities Com
Evening star., 1955-07-03
Farm Vote

The Nations wheat farmers voted
for continuation of rigid controls
on their crops next year The Agff-
culture Department win now ap-
portion 56 million acres to be sown
in wheat and agrees to provide
price supports for the 1855 crop Of
76 per cent of parity, or an average
Of $1.S1 a bushe,. If the farmers
had rejected controls they could
have planted as much wheat as
they liked but could have got price
support help only up to SO per cent
Of parity. or about $1.19 a bushel.
The United States wheat surplus
is about / billion bushels, more than
full years supply for this coun-
try. The Agriculture Department
is still working on means of SELL
ing some of the surplus abroad.
Evening star., 1955-07-03

was not unrealistic. No settlement
was In sight or possibly could be
until Tuesday. Then it could take
weeks to straighten out the mess.
Evening star., 1955-07-03

mission, so none Of Mr.. Wolfson,s
financial transactions have been
illegal.
300 Per Cent Return
Mr.. Wolfson's associates have
made about 800 per cent on their
original 50 million investment. so
they are UNDERSTANDABLE satisfied
with Capital Transit--so far.
But day of reckoning is coming,
If it didn't arrive at midnight last
Thursday.
The number Of passengers riding
Capital Transit has fallen steadily
since even before Mr.. Wolfson
bought the company. CTC carried
1854 million persons in 1949, 217.9
million last year. As old passengers
turn to private autos they add to
downtown traffic jams, slow up
street cars and buses, and thus
ALLEVIATE more CTC customers.
To make up for the loss in pas
sengers, cash fares have gone UP
under Mr.. Wolfson from 13 cents
to 20 cents. That has driven more
customers away. Meanwhile the
cost Of operation has gone up.
Wages, which account for about 65
per cent of the cost, have gone up
% per cent.
While costs went UP and income
went down, net operating income
the prof" fit"-started to fall. from
a high under Mr.. Wolfson of
$1,4g 1888 in 1851 to $846, ,727 in the
conipany's 1854 annual report. Ac-
cording to all company estimates.
the trend is still sharply downward.
Dividends From Surplus
Income has gone so low, in fact,
that CTC has taken about half Of
its recent dividends from the sur
plus. At current rates the surplus
will disappear In three or four
years. In common with most busi-
nessmen, Mr.. Wolfson has long
opposed paying dividends out of
surplus. Lately, however, he has
said his rule should apply only to
"nonregulated" companies.
Meanwhile the company is told
by the Public Utilities Commission
that "fair and reasonable" net
operating income is 6A to 2 per
cent Of the original cost Of all
company property and equipment.
minus. depreciation. This so-called
"rate base" was $23 million in the
year ending April, 1866. So the
company fairly and reasonably
should have had q net operating
income of about SIS million. Actu-
ally the company reported earnings
Of $657 600 in the IL months end
ing in April. (The P. u. c. sent
CTC back to refigure. using some
different bookkeeping methods, and
the answer later came up $765 900.
Last years $846,727 income, Incl
dentally, was on a calendar-Jan-
uary-through-D ecember-basis.)
So stockholders were told they
had earned only 2.85 per cent on
the rate. base and would earn only
1.56 per cent in the current year
if conditions did not change.
The Wolfson people say morosely
that that is worse than Government
bonds yield.
(No one believes the boys are
quite that blue in private, however.
For net operating income was about
IL per cent on the price the Wolf
son group paid for CTC stock, and
dividends were about "a per cent?
However bad past revenues have
been, future profits look worse.