davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-20

the plan, United Presbyterian
Church in the United States will
be created, with nearly 3 million
members, in 1858. Since both bod
les Endorsed the previous move for
union, leaders are optimistic about
this merger.
Contest for Moderator
The contest for moderator of the
General Assembly. to succeed DR..
Paul S. Wright of the First Pres
byterian Church. Portland, Greg,
has particular interest for Wash
ington Presbyterians this year.
Dr.. Edward l.. r. ElSon, minister
OF National Presbyterian Church,
has been nominated for the de-
nominations top Office by several
presbyteries, including the Wash
ington City Presbyterian. His OPP
ponent is David Proffitt, a ruling
elder in New Providence Presby-
terrain Church, Maryville, Tenn.
Wilbur LaRoe, prominent Wash
ington attorney, was chosen mod
orator in l947 and DR.. Wallace
Radcliffe, minister of New York
Avenue Presbyterian Church, in
1898.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-20
$50 YEARS OLD
History Is Among Items
On Presbyterian Agendo

and Action Department report
urges equal housing opportunities"
for minority families.
Christians expecting to sell their
property should recognize las of
first importance the need of minor
ity families for equal housing
opportunities and adequate housing,
and to notify their realtor that
their house is available to all quail
fled purchasers of good character
without regard to race, creed, or
national origin" the report states.
Another issue is the ordination
of women to the Presbyterian min
istry. This long fought iSsue-twice
defeated, in 1880 and in 1947-to-
day appears all but won. Initiated
in 1858 and finally sent down to the
presbyteries for their vote by last
years General Assembly, the pro-
posal has 156 presbyteries favoring
the move and only q against. This
gives the overture (resolutionl more
than the necessary two-thirds vote
for passage. Only action by the
present meeting is needed to make
the overture part of the churchs
constitution.
Last year the Presbyterian
Church, U. S. (Southern) turned
down three-way plan to form one
national body with the Presbyterian
Church, U. S. A., and the United
Presbyterian Church. With that de-
feat the entire proposal was lost.
But the members of the latter two
churches decided their desire for
union should not be stymied.
So next week the church'S Per-
manent Commission on Interchurch
Relations will submit a plan of
union between the two bodies. The
same plan will be presented to the
General United Presbyterian Church
General Assembly June 1919, at
Knoxville, Tenn.
If both groups eventually adopt
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-20
VIRGINIA
Warm Reception Given
Plea for Party Loyalty

other organization Stalwarts refused
to indorSe the candidacy of Adlai
Stevenson in 1852, Mr.. Miller and
Mr. Whitehead were at the fore
front in supporting the Democratic
nominee. So were, of course, other
prominent leaders closely aligned
with the Byrd organization.
Among the latter were Mr.. Smith
and John S. Battle of Charlottes-
vile, who was Governor at the time.
Mr.. Smith, in his acceptance
speech at Fredericksburg, recalled
with bitterness Virginias landing
in the Republican column in both
1923 and 1852.
I'D like to express" he said,
mot only the hope but the advice
that in the coming campaign we
all return to the honored house of
our fathers.
Communications for Loyalty
The more than 200 delegates who
heard him seemed to agree. They
adopted a resolution commencing
Mr. Smith and Mr.. Battle for their
loyal and stalWart support of the
nominees OF the Democratic Party
over the years"
II is possible that this resolution
may be carried on to Richmond and
tossed in the laps of the State
Convention. 1t would. to say the
least, cause embarrassment to a
number of those there.
There would likely be more una
nimity over the resolutions, coming
from the 9th and 9th district con-
ventions, crlticizing the Supreme
Courts school deSegregation de-
cision.
One other development at the
Fredericksburg meeting is expected
to be heard from again at Rich
mond. Eighth District Democrats
formally started the ball rolling for
Mr.. Battle as vice-presidential
running mate with Mr.. Stevenson.
The move started in Stafford
County.
Even Mr.. Battles own Charlottes-
vile delegation abandoned" him
after the former Governor pleaded
that his name not be offered
Mr.. Battle said he appreciated
the honor Of his name being offered.
But. he added. it would be just an
idle gesture: he had no future
political ambitions.
But the convention OVERRIDE his
protests. There were many there
who felt that the name of Virginia'S
former Governor on the presidential
ticket would 90 far toward bringing
the South back into the party with
more liberal segments from the
North and West.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-20
Reds Go A-Wooinu

American Communists recently
have begun to talk like regular fell
lows for the first time since the days
of the Russian-Western alliance of
World War II. Gone from the
columns of the Daily Worker are
the tiresome references to mad dogs,
warmongers and decadent capital
lists. A new feature in the Com
muniSt publication was a letters to
the editor page which permitted,
and even seemed to encourage. COM
ments from comrades critical of the
party's leadership.
AT the same time, the party set
forth its political line for 1856
in document that. lin tones so
soft and mild" called for IAN indie
pendent course which influences the
direction of the Democratic Party"
This years line, as defined in the
report, said the party'S principal OBJ
iective would be defeat of the
&C. o. p. Cadillac cabinet" This
would require defeat of the Dixie
Gratis in the Democratic Party,
new approach to the struggle for
peace and bold. fighting approach
by the liberal wing OF the Demo-
cratic Party Also espoused was
replacement of the cold war by a
policy of competitive co-existence.
Democratic Party headquarters
here declared the Communist state
ment was designed only to hurt
Democrats in an election year.
Democratic spokesman recalled that
in the Congressional campaign of
1854 the Communist Party an
nounced publicly that it had di-
rected its members to infiltrate the
Democratic Party and attempt to
influence its program.
But this year, the directive had
a different and deeper meaning. 1t
appeared to represent the limit to
which the Communist Party in this
country dares to go in approaching
a popular front" policy. In laying
down the line at the goth Commu-
mist Party Congress at Moscow in
February, the party'S boss in Rus
STA. Nikita Khrushchev directed
party officials in other nations to
seek cooperation with existing
parties.
On Tuesday, the day after the
1856 policy was outlined BY Ameri-
can Communists. George Meany,
president Of the AFL-CIo. told la
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-20
BY PHIL YEAGER
and JOHN STARK

Sometime in the next few weeks
the United States Supreme Court
is scheduled to give an opinion
which may affect the pocketbooks
of consumers all over the country.
The case is United States VS.. Nc
Kesson & Robbins. Inc. and the de-
Cision could spell life or death for
fair trade" as we have known it
for the past 20-odd years.
Probably no part of the Nation
has been more aware of fair trade,
its rights and wrongs. merits or
dement's, than the greater Wash
ington area. This is because Vir-
ginia and Maryland long have had
fair trade laws while the District
of Columbia has not. Hence the
Districts busy discount houses.
These laws tend to keep prices
on many brand name commodities
above certain minimum levels.
They permit price-setting agree
mentS between manufacturer,
wholesaler and retailer. Due to
Federal sanction of fair trading,
such agreements are beyond the
restrictions placed on price fixing
by the antitrust laws.
Long Line Of Setbocks
The McKesson case comes at the
tag-end of long line of setbacks
which fair trade has suffered,
mostly in the l950's. Court decisions
in eight States have now either
ended or seriously curtailed the
effectiveness of fair trade within
their borders. Two of these deci-
sions in Virginia and Oregon. have
come in the past several weeks.
Those in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia.
Michigan. Nebraska and Utah have
been pread out over a number of
years. Before that, fair trade had
been operating i'll all States except
Texas. Missouri and Vermont.
Thousands of new cut-rate stores
have sprung up over the country as
a result of the trend away from
fair trade. And since enforcement of
fair-trade contracts can be &C
compliShed only by the injured
merchant going to court. fair
traders are having difficulty in
trying to hold the line. Some big
companies which have fair traded
IN the past are giving it up or
slashing their list prices.
Just how much of the national
consumer market has been subject
TO fair-trade has always been dis
puted. GueSses range from SIS billion
TO $40 billion year. but the best
estimate seem to be around $l4
billion, which is something like
8 or per cent of all retail sales.
Fair-trading has been especially
strong in such fields as electrical
appliances, home equipment. drugs,
cosmetics. toilet preparations, pha-
maceutlcalS, jewelry, some types OF
Office and stationery goods.
McKesson g. Robbins is the
worlds largest drug distributor and
the Nations biggest wholesaler. It
does around $3.50 million worth of
business annually. AS such, it is
one of the strongest fair trade pill
lars still standing.
But the company also manu-
features its own products. and these
1t fair-trades through its own
wholesalers. through competing
wholesalers and directly through
retailers.
Where McKcsSon ran afoul Of
the Justice Departments antitrust
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-20
heForm Bill.
Another Try

The second 1856 farm bill neared
the end of its legislative gauntlet
Friday night. The Senate, after
spending the better part of four
months on farm legislation, APP
proved plan expected to be signed
by the President. however reluc-
family.
The Senate version tomorrow will
be laid before conference of House
and Senate Agriculture Committee
members who will attempt to rec
oncile il with the post-veto bill
which passed the House on May 3.
Unless the House OF its conferees
decides to be stubborn. the much
battered bill likely will 90 to the
White House this week.
The bill as approved by both
bodies is much like a toothlesS YER
sion of the farm measure Mr.. Eli
Senhower vetoed last month. Miss
ing are the price fixing provisions
which were the main basis for the
Presidents disapproval of the earlier
bill. Overall, it was partial victory
and partial defeat tor the admin
istration. AS the bill now stands, it
includes a soil bank plan under
which farmers will be paid for rest
ing some of the land now growing
surplus crops, but it makes no pro-
vision for partially compromising
farmers in advance for joining the
plan, as Mr. Eisenhower had re-
quested
The House-passed bill had called
for increases in the support prices
Of feed grains, which the President
earlier found Objectionable, but the
Senate knocked out the plan. Farm
State Senators did. however, sue
coed in continuing for one year the
present formula on which parity
prices are figured. The base period
now used in effect holds prices, es-
pecially for wheat. corn and pea
nuts. per cent above the formula
the administration favors. Parity
is a figure designed to guarantee a
fair return TO farmers. The new
bill also includes a pricing GIN
mick and an export-import plan
for cotton and rice TO which the
President had objected.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-20
DISTRICT
BY HECTOR MCLEAN

A week behind the Senate, the
House Thursday passed its plan
for solving the Washington transit
crisis. Now the problem is UP to
conferees from both chambers.
Unless the two bodies can find
some way to reconcile their COM
pletely divergent proposals before
adjournment this summer. public
mass transportation in the Nations
Capital will stop in 81 days.
The differences between the two
approaches are wide, but some So
luton presumably will come out of
what is expected to be a table
pounding conference-or a series
of them-between the strong
minded members of both houses.
The Senate, for example, adopted
a proposal of the Senate District
Committee to set up a publicly
owned Washington Metropolitan
Transit Authority to take over the
transit system when the franchise
of Capital Transit Company dies at
mlunlgnC august IA.
1t would operate under the Dis
trict Commissioners for three years
on an interim" basis. During that
time. the city heads would be under
orders to try to sell the system TO
another private owner.
House Would Keep CTC
The House, on the other hand,
passed bill drafted by its Com
mittee on Interstate and Foreign
Commerce which would restore the
franchise to CTC with reviSions
that would grant tax concessions,
settle several old arguments be-
tween the company and the Dis
trict Public Utilities Commission
and require the commission to speed
up its decisions on requests for fare
increases.
Each side is distinctly hostile to
the others BILL The Senate COM
mittee insists the franchise was
properly Cancelled by Congress last
summer during the city'S 52-day
transit strike because of improper
management of the company I'M
der Louis E. Wolfson, Florida multi
millionaire and controlling stock
holder.
The House committee, though,
feels cancellation of the franchise
was mistake and that the Public
Utilities Commission is more to be
blamed for Capital Transit's trou-
bles than the company.
1t has been suggested that one
way to compromise would be to
settle on the Senate bill, and have
the Commissioners retain the pres
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-20
Continued From Page Ar

status as a candidate: He was as
active as any, only not as loud.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-20
VIRGINIA
BY ALEX r. PRESTON

More than ordinary significance
can be attached to the 9Th district
Democratic convention held re-
Gently at Fredericksburg.
Events there can be said to re-
fleet, to considerable degree, the
cross-currents now playing through
the Democratic Party in Virginia
in this presidential election year.
Called specifically to renominate
Representative Smith for a l4th
term. the convention accomplished
this with the smoothneSs of a we'll
oiled machine. Mr.. Smith, chair
man of the all-powerful House
Rules Committee, ranks with Sem
ator Byrd in State political in
fluence. in the opinion of many.
Significance attaches to two
secondary developments at the con-
vention, which was obviously con-
Quoted under the rules of Virginia's
conservative Democratic organiza-
ton.
First, the assembled delegates
issued an implied chastisement to
those Democrats who abandoned
the party four years ago and placed
Virginia in the Republican column.
In this connection. Mr.. Smith,
who has two years seniority on
Senator Byrd as a member of Con-
"a return to the honored house
of our tDemocratic) fathers in the
presidential election this year.
Deseereeotion Comes Up
Second. both the convention and
Mr.. Smith in accepting the nom
ination. had some blunt things to
say about the Supreme Court
school desegregation decision of
May II, 1854.
Parenthetically, it can be noted
that 9Th District Democrats were
meeting at Roanoke at the same
time and also had something to say
about "this civil rights thing" which
a prominent member of the party
has said might stir up some antago-
nism that could result in bolt from
the National Democratic Party be-
fore the summer is over.
1t is virtually certainty that the
venerable old Byrd organization will
be experiencing the stresses and
strains of party fidelity and civil
rights at the July 81 Democratic
State convention in Richmond.
The INSTRUMENTATION wing of the
party. led by Nelson County Dele
gate Robert Whitehead and Francis
Pickens Miller OF Charlottesville.
will look with glee at the torment
the party loyalty problem is causing
the opposite faction.
While Senator Byrd and some
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-20
DISTRICT
Congress Must Mesh
Divergent I ronsit Bills

ent management of CTC to run the
system for the three-year interim.
The trouble with this is that it
would require the consent of the
company. with which terms of the
new franchise in the House bill
were negotiated. The etc stock
holders, including Mr. Wolfson,
cont have to take the franchise
back: Whether they would consent
to let the company operate under
an authority. without strong legal
fight over the condemnation price,
is doubtful.
Neither Side Strong
Neither the House nor Senate
confereeS will go into session with
too strong position. The Senate
bill passed by only 10-vote mar
gin, with % members not voting.
II all of these should vote in
later showdown, it could well re-
verse the Senate position.
The same thing is true of the
House, which passed its bill with a
margin of only IL votes, with 33
members not voting. Proper
tlonately this margin is even thin
ner than that in the Senate, since
the House has ABS members. And,
once again, if all the non-voterS
should go on record on a later
showdown the position might well
be reversed.
Best hope of compromise at the
moment, then, seems to lie with
some form of the proposal made by
Daniel w. Bell. president of the
American Security & Trust Co. He
suggests that Capital Transit itself
should buy out the Wolfson inter-
ests and retire the stock, paying
the price out of proceeds from a
mortgage bond issue on the COM
pany'S property. At Mr.. WolfSon's
inSlStence. any such arrangement
would have to include an offer to
other stockholders tof whom there
are about $780, with LOO in the
Washington area) to sell out at the
same price
In any event, with almost every
body insisting he favors private
rather than public ownership, this
would appear to solve major point
Of contention by eliminating Mr..
Wolfson from the local transit pic
ture.
Mr.. Bell has said some form of
the House bill will have to be en-
acted into law to keep CTC alive.
Unless it is, he says, his plan will
fall apart.
What the conferees will do no.
body knows. In any event, they
have just 81 days to do it.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-20
High Court May Change
Outlook for Fair 7 rode

division was by fair trading its own
products through both its own
wholesalers and competing whole
SalerS at the same time. This, the
Justice Department says. does not
have the sanction of Federal fair
trade laws and hence amounts to
illegal price-flXing.
1t should be emphasized that the
Federal fair trade laws. which con-
SiSt of the Miller ydings Act of
1887 and the MCGUIRE Act of 1852.
simply approve the State fair-trade
laws and open them up to enforce
ment on an interstate basis. They
exempt vertical" fair agree
ments from the antitrust laws,
but not horizontal agreements.
The former are price-fiXing agree
ments between manufacturer and
wholesaler, or wholesaler and re-
taller, or manufacturer and re-
taller. The latter are agreements
between manufacturers or between
wholesalers, or between retailers.
In addition to the fact that the
fair-trade league is already wob-
bling and aside from the fact that
McKesson g. Robbins is one of the
strongest remaining fair trade BUSH
nesses, the Supreme Courts deci-
sion may be critical for still another
reason.
Wide Application
That is because the sort of agree
ments which are under fire in the
McKesSon case are depended upon
by many other fair-traders. In
other words, lot of them are both
manufacturer and wholesaler. and
they. too. fair trade their products
through independent wholesalers.
Just how many other are in the
same boat with McKesson & Rob-
bins is disputed But. exhibits put
in the court record by McKesson
assert that around SO per cent of
all tair-traders employ distribution
agreements of the same general
type.
Finally. the drug company seems
to base its legal defense upon a
pretty broad argument. 1t claims
that its wholesale contracts come
within the spirit if not the letter
of the Federal fair trade laws. In
effect, this may be inviting a de-
cision with a much wider effect
than if the company had empha-
sized more technical grounds.
For all these easons the Nc
Kesson decision, if it goes against
the drug company. might easily
be interpreted as so limiting the
scope of the Federal fair trade laws
as to make them obsolete for all
practical purposes.
If it is in favor of McKesson in
such way as to support the COM
panys basic arguments. the de-
cision could serve as a shot in the
arm to bolster fair trade and snap
1t out of its present doldrums.
What will it mean to the con-
sumer?
The first alternative would pos
sibly herald a gradual but wide
spread reduction in the price OF
fair-trade goods.
But if McKesson is upheld. cur
rent price lines on many fair-trade
goods seem likely to hold firm.
All this. Of course. is entirely
aside from the relative merits OF
evils Of the fair-trade theory Both
sides Of this issue can argue end
lessly on where the true interest OF
the consumer lies.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-20
Dusseldorf Sets Example
In Readiness for Jet Boom

1t will cost 65 million marks
some Sic million.
The burgeoning comeback of
the famed German airline Luf-
thansa to a point already surpass-
ing It's pre-War power was one of
the reasons for airport haste in
Dusseldorf LufthanSa, with four
Boeing TOT intercontinental jets on
order, probably will be among the
first to use the new runway.
LufthanSa is one of 81 airlines
operating out of this airport and
contributes largely to the fields 80
aircraft movements day. Again
by comparison, National Airport in
Washington has an annual average
of over 600 movements every "a
hours.
Even Sheep Help
Everyone helps Flughafen Dues
seldorf pay its way-even sheep.
In the four years a vast flock of
sheep have saved the cost of now
ing the green expanses between the
runways there has never been a
sheep fatality. Noise of the air.
craft, at least two sheepherders and
two dogs keep the animals away
from the runways.
Sightseers pay 40 pfennigs, less
than IL cents, to get their Car past
the outer gate and 80 pfennigs a
passenger. That revenue alone pro-
duced 10000 marks (about 100000
last year. Concessions bring in
over 100000 marks.
Even at that rate, it would take
several fat years to pay the SIG
million tab for the planned expan-
sion. So the State-North Rhine
Westphalia-picks up the big share
of the cost. which is precisely what
some factions want the Federal
Government to do about Washing
tons airport plight.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-20
BY CHARLES YARBROUGH

DUSSELDORF, Germany. - 1t
requires no act of Congress to gear
this ancient Rhine city to the COM
mercial jet air age. Therefore.
Duesseldorf's expanded flughafen
tairpor0 will be ready by the time
the jets are
On the mb-blasted site of a
wartime military field, occupation
forces gave Dusseldorf a stable air.
port start with an 8,110-foot instru-
ment runway and a cross-wind al
ternate OF over 1000 feet. Now it
is owned and operated by a munic-
ipal airport company. Flughafen
Gesellschaft.
By comparison in size. Washing
tons National Airport has an in
strument runway of only 6,585 feet.
Proposals to build suitable airport
at Burke, Va, are in the tolls of
Congress. Even immediate approval
would not produce a new Washing
ton airport in time to gather in the
first Jets.
PIons for Expansion
Within two years, this city of
over half million population ex-
poets to have another runway over
10000 feet long. Within three it
hopes to see completion of new
terminal building and an express
railway at the threshold connecting
the airport with Dusseldorf eight
miles away and Cologne. less than
Is miles to the south.
From the standpoint of bearing
capacity runway strength as we'll
AS length, Dusseldorf will have a
ready welcome for even the big
intercontinental version of the COM
mercial jets, one of which will have
gross weight of 100000 pounds.
The present runway, longest in
Germany, is built for that weight.