davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-08-07
FederoI-Stote Conflict

There Is rich held Tor research IN
the area Of Federal-State relationships,
particularly during recent years in which
the Federal Government has assumed
powers and responsibilities which
historically had been left to States or
even local communities. Social Secu-
rity, public health, welfare. education,
housing and highway construction are
examples Of the steadily spreading "um-
brella" of services which the Federal
Government has extended to individual
citizens. In turn, all levels Of govern
ment have encroached on the same
sources of revenue, to a point where
overlapping taxation has become an
obviously serious problem.
President Eisenhower has been con-
cerned about this question for long
time. Early in his first administration
he conferred with State Governors,
various Federal offlcials and members
of Congress on ways to eliminate the
hodge podge duplication and waste" in
the overlapping Of functions and Of tax
alton. More recently, he appealed to
the Governors Conference at Williams
burg last month to cooperate in seeking
a correction of the situation. The Gov
ernors' response then was to name 10
man committee to study the problem,
and the President now has named a
seven-member group to work with the
i State representatives.
In simplest terms, 1t is easy to say
that the States merely have let "Uncle
Sam" take over their responsibilities.
Up to point, this is correct and State
delegations in Congress have worked
diligently to see that their individual
States got their flair share" of the Fed
eral largesse. This is not the whole
story, however, and 1t is obvious that
some States consistently will be paying
proportionately more for what they re-
ceive than will others.
The study now authorized is not the
first to deal with this matter of CEN
tralization of Government powers. It is
timely, however, and the problem is a
real one. In the first instance, the
designated Federal-State committee will
have to make realistic analysis. Then
1t will be up to the Federal and State
officials to translate the findings into
action-which may be lot easier to say
than to do.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-08-07
Fairfax Officials

Many cheers for Fairfax
Supervisor General Oven
shines public disclosures Of
the improper use Of a Fair
fax police car.
This reader was amazed at
a public board meeting early
this year when Supervisor
Freehill enabled Captain
Durrer to create an illusion
Of the desperate need for
additional police.
Every head over heels"
tax-burdened taxpayer in this
county should denounce poll
tics Of this kind and push
officials like Supervisor Free
hill and Captain Durrer of
the Police Chauffeur Squad
into the mire where they be-
long. Kenneth s. Jones.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-08-07
THIS AND THAT
By CHARLES {. TRACEWELL

A correspondent wants to
know "how to keep a neigh
boris cat with an appetite
for baby birds out Of our
garden"
1t is a perennial problem.
and one which gives the
whole cat tribe a black eye.
The truth is that it is only
a cat, here and there, which
really is a problem along this
line.
While is it natural for all
cats to catch birds, now and
then. most of them will not
take two a year.
The real catcher. however.
will snag more. and does it
for sport. not for food.
In this he emulates, after
his fashion, a human sports
man.
Recognizing the natural
ness of the whole process. and
holding well in mind the
plain fact that a cat doesn't
know any better. in a human
sense, the friend Of animals
will think twice before visit
ing any cruelty on a maraud-
ing cat.
No one interested in birds
likes to see a cat catch one
Of their young.
1t should be understood
that, in many cases, this
catching is one Of natures
ways of getting rid of the
unfit.
This seems cruel enough.
and it really is, because ma
ture, in some Of her mani
festations, is less than kind.
It is fitness, not kindness.
that counts with mother ma
ture.
N,h
Many cats are such poor
stalkers and sellers that they
are able. to come UP with
only the injured or sick baby
bird.
In other words, what they
have caught would die. any,
way.
We hope that this apology
for the cat tribe is accepted
at its face value. In some
cases 1t is strue, in others
1t is not.
Out of a nest Of four baby
birds, for instance, some
times there will be one bird
sickly and weak from birth.
Nothing could save It. not
even its own mother and
father.
Such birds often topple out
Of the nest before the right
time, and they are easy prey
to wandering animals. both
dogs and cats. Many dogs arc
avid bird catchers, too. and
owing to their speed and
stamina. are good at 1t.
n n
What to do with the real
marauding catp
The best and most humane
thing is to brighten 1t away.
This may be done by
vigilance. The householder
should keep q watch out for
him, and run out at the flrst
ni0ht ~ him.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-08-07
Public HOUSING Costs

I read with interest Grace
Bassett's report in The Star
on August /, on the Home
Builders Associations pro-
posal to keep some profit in
the housing of low-income
families in the District. If
the proposal embraces ra-
tionality. flexibility and the
good sense to help low
income families to effectively
participate in their own de-
liverance. it will be q large
stride in the direction of
peoples capitalism, for it
would evidence a much
needed capacity on our part
to change and to grow. Pub
lie housing costs everywhere
are exorbitant and there is
little aesthetic incentive in
same, but the pattern in this
country Of selling of slums
at extortionate prices-in
the form Of rent or amorti-
zation-does nothing to inn
prove the aesthetic dimen-
sions Of low-income families.
The crux Of the problem is
to be found in the basic eco
nomic requisite In our Amer
lean way Of life that worm
out houses must sell for twice
as much as they cost to build
new. Dabbing a little paint
on and sanding and refinish-
ing floors does little to re-
claim outmoded and worn
out communities. fixtures,
plumbing, heating. etc. Be
, cause a house is old does not
mean 1t is bad" but it does
mean that its earning should
be attuned to its physical,
economical and cultural
obsolescence. Adequate adj
justment to this fact would
permit reasonable profit in
the housing Of low-income
families. A peoples capital
istic society must be profit
able, free and competitive
but 1t cannot be greedy and
extortionate. It would be a
great mistake to try to thrust
worn-out neighborhoods and
houses down the threats Of
low-income families on any
other basis.
John p. MurchlsOn.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-08-07

motives. it appears that they
are willing to see a private
company do half the job at
Hells Canyon and yet, when
the question of Bruces Eddy
comes UP. they are quite COM
placent about letting the Ar
my Engineers hack away at
this highly valuable country.
1t is hoped that the men,
bers of the House on the con-
ference committee will stick
to their guns and protect the
Clearwater.
= James Monroe,
Associate Professor, Uni
versity Of Oregon.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-08-07
Dean Acheson on Jury Trial

under proper guidance from
the court juries will not con-
Wet the guilty.
But, even If I am wrong,
the real enforcement powers
are in the civil contempt pro-
ceedings where no Jury is re-
quired. In the second place
it assumes that in a section
Of the country so opposed to
the law that no jury could
be found to impose punish
ments, the same punishments
would be meekly accepted If
imposed by a Judge alone.
This is not only fantastic,
but the Federal courts would
be destroyed in such an eff
fort.
Finally, it Is said that the
amendment is so broad that
it will impede the enforce
ment of DEGREES in other
f1elds-the antitrust field is
mentioned. I can't recall any
proceeding for criminal con-
tempt in an antitrust case
though there may have
been some. But / venture to
say that in Q proceeding Of
this sort a jury would be
more Of a terror to the de-
PENDANT than to the Govern
ment. However. if any diff
cultieS do develop not now
anticipated. they can easily
be dealt with by legislation.
At the present time, fears
expressed about the amend
ment are unfounded, usually
based on misunderstanding,
and sometimes insincere. 1t
would. as I said, be a great
pity should they prevent
an accomplishment of ines
timable Importance.
Dean AchesOn.
August 6, 1857.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-08-07
THE POLITICAL MILL
By GOULD LINCOLN
Riqhts Bill Enactment Held Advisable

The civil rights bill, as it
is now expected to pass the
Senate, should be accepted
by the House and signed by
President Eisenhower - and
so become law.
It is the first civil rights
legislation. designed to give
the Negro voter his full rights
in some of the Southern
States where they have been
denied, to reach a stage
where it may pass the SEN
ate as well as the House
since Reconstruction Days.
And while 1t is not all the
Eisenhower administration
has demanded. it represents
a big step in the direction of
voting freedom for all Ameri-
can citizens despite race and
color. Further, and most i'm
portant, If the law is proved
in the future to have serious
shortcomings, 1t can and will
be amended. The push for
the enforcement Of the Fiji
tenth Amendment to the
Constitution, so long ignored.
has become too strong for
any community to defy it
indefinitely.
The fire of the President
and other high officials Of the
Government has been di-
rected particularly at the jury
trial amendment to the bill,
adopted by the Senate in
what turned out to be q sur
prise victory for Senator Lyn-
don johnson of Texas, major
ity leader, and the other
Southern Senators-not to
mention Senator O'Mahoney
Of Wyoming and some
other liberal Democrats. The
amendment does not inter-
fere in any way with the
right of the court to punish
a violation of a court order IN
a civil suit-where the right
to vote has been infringed.
1t calls for a jury trial only
where a criminal charge has
been brought. The argument
has been made by those OPP
posed to the jury trial
amendment that no jury in
some Southern communities
would ever convict a white
person charged with crimi-
nal action in obstructing
a Negroes voting or regiStra-
ton. II such q charge were
fully proven and a jury
brought in a verdict 81
not guilty. public opinion
would be so aroused that
a repetition would be ex-
tremely unlikely. And If a
second jury so acted. it would
undoubtedly bring a demand
for strengthening the Federal
civil rights law. and it would
be strengthened.
Clinton Conviction Cited
The recent trial by jury. on
criminal charges that the
order of a Federal court in
a school indignation case in
Clinton. Tenn, had been vio-
lated. showed the jury bring
ing in a verdict Of guilty"
The trial took place in Knox
vile, in a section Of Tonnes
see which stayed with the
Union in the Civil War and
which has been Republican
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-08-07

ing about? Recently the press
has carried stories Of a reg
iStrar Of voters who was pre-
venting the registration of
Negro voters by opening his
Office only for short periods
when voters could not readily
attend and by dilatory pro-
ceedings.
In such q case the United
States Attorney could. Under
the amendment, bring suit
and the court could issue
its decree ordering proper
and effective registration. If
his order should not be
obeyed. the judge could put
those defying' him in jail or
under continuing fines until
they should obey. If neces-
sary he could order that no
list Of voters not made in
accordance with his decree
be certified or used. No jury
would be required for these
enforcement proceedings.
Now let us assume that the
registrar has attempted to
deceive the judge into be-
lieving that he has complied,
when he has not. Here is
a situation where punish
ment is called for-not CO.
ercion to enforce compliance.
but retribution for a wrong.
Before this punishment can
be inflicted. the defendant
must be found guilty by a
jury. To say that this re-
Quirement nullif1es the law
is nonsense.
In the first place, it as
sumeS that in some sections
juries will not convict, hence
retributive punishment will
not be possible. hence the law
cannot be enforced. do not
believe the ASSUMPTION that
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-08-07
Conservation Plea

The Senate-House confer
ference committee is now de-
batting differences between
the Rivers and Habors bills
passed by each house. One
focal point is the BruceS Eddy
dam on the Clearwater River
in Idaho. The House refused
to place it in the authorize
ton bill; the Senate put it in,
but only over the protest Of
most of the Senators from
this region.
The reasons for the OPPOSE
ton to this project are we'll
known: The invasion Of a
great region noted for its his
tory, its wildlife. its scenery.
1t must be recognized, Of
course. that in our desire to
develop resources for mans
use, some values must go.
The colorful Cello Falls of
the Columbia are now hun
dreds Of feet below the sur
face Of the tremendous Army
Engineers dam at The Dalles,
Ores. That great gorge Of the
Snake known as Hells Cam
yon will be transformed into
a lake.
But I think we are not so
poor in resources, not so des-
perate for new hydro-electric
facilities, that we cannot save
a few Of the great rivers in
this region. tits not q ques-
ton Of public versus private
power, though that question
is involved. For some reason
and ] am unable to discern
the thinking behind it-some
advocates for the small, pri-
vate power development at
Hells Canyon are most vocif-
erous in their insistence on q
project such as Bruces Eddy.
Are these persons interested
in sound resource develop
ment or are they interested
only in advancing the BAN
ners Of certain private power
companieS7 Whatever their
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-08-07

thought that only an expert
ment Of such horrible di-
mansions as the Russian
Communists have accom-
plished could heal the world
Of the delusion of Marxism.
Milovan Djilas' book DEM
onstrates where idealism
leads when it operates with
out sense for reality and for
biological facts. In this sense
Nietzsche's words. "Kampf
den Herrn Idealistenl"-
combat the idealists!-were a
prophetic warning.
Brigitta EriksOn.
Kirkland, Wash.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-08-07

BY soaring him away from
a yard, he will be more in
clined to stay away. that is
all.
II he catches a bird, 1t will
be In some other persons
yard, and we have found that
the most resentment against
the cat in this respect is
caused by the sight of the
cat with the bird In his
mouth.
What we do not see, in
this teeming world, does not
worry us too much, at least
not as much as the things we
see.
Shaping a folded news
paper at q cat will scare It
away.
Also dousing it with q cup
OF cold water. the traditional
weapon Of the bird-minded,
is always good.
Popping a BB-gun, with
out ammunition. is guaran-
teed to frighten away the
hardest cat.
A good honest yell, sudden
like, will work wonders, too.
But the main ingredient
in this campaign must be
the willingness of the human
concerned to really work at
1t.
Too many people today, in
all walks of life. want a magic
remedy out Of q hat. They
want somebody else to do for
them what they must do
themselves.
And the point is, we believe,
that often this doing means
persistence.
A cat is a stubborn crea-
ture. really more so than the
famous Missouri mule. though
in different ways.
The cat wants to roam, and
1t will roam. and In so doing
1t may hunt a bit. as 1t goes
along. but If it is rebuned, it
will in time give over certain
yards.
OF course. it would be won
derful If all cat owners could
keep their pets hemmed in,
especially at dawn and dusk.
the two dangerous times for
young birds.
Lacking this state Of per-
lection, the person who re-
sents a neighbours cat in his
yard can try one Of the meth
DDS suggested. They have the
advantage Of working, in a
pragmatic age. and Of not
being cruel. What more can
you ask?
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-08-07

in politics and not typical Of
the deep South. If that jury
had decided, however, in fa.
vor Of the defendants in this
civil rights case-the present
jury trial amendment to the
administration bill might
easily have lost in the Senate
vote.
The jury trial amendment,
1t is true, has been extended
to cases Of contempt of court
outside of and In addition
to civil rights cases. The De-
partment Of Justice and the
President have urged that
this would seriously impair
the right Of the court to
punish for contempt but
that has not been proven,
and it seems unlikely it would
do any such thing when the
records Of the past are taken
into consideration.
Much to Be Gained
From a political point Of
view, the Republicans have
much to gain If the Senate
bill becomes a law-and now.
1t was a Republican move
that put the civil rights bill
on the calendar, when it
came to the Senate from the
House. instead Of permitting
it to be buried in the Senate
Judiciary Committee. The
Republicans supplied the big
vote in the House which
passed the bill originally, and
it was the Republicans who
provided the great number Of
votes which put it on the
Senate calendar. The resist
ance to the bill has come
from the Democrats, and the
skillful maneuvering and
leadership Of Senator Lyndon
johnson, the Democratic
leader. was responsible for
the amendments to the meas
ure in the Senate. That's the
way the matter stands polit-
ically. and it will not change
unless the @. o. p. NUTS the
ball, seeking to produce q
stronger bill in a fight which
probably cannot be won. It
has been urged that the Re-
publicans can gain politically
that Is, they will win over
Negro votes in the close
States Of the North and West
If they hold up the Senate
bill and force the issue into
next years congressional
campaign. 1t neither adds up
nor makes sense.
Democratic Leader john
son has done q remarkable
job Of holding party lines to-
gether in the Senate fight
over the civil rights bill. If
the bill passes and becomes
law-aS the Senate has
amended 1.-THE Democrats
will still be under criticism
for having weakened It, and
the Republicans can still
claim the major credit for its
passage. Yet the Republi.
cans, and the White House.
are talking Of forcing the bill
into conference and even Of
a presidential veto. Either
course could be stupid. What
could more delight the Dem
ocratS than q presidential
veto Of this measure?
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-08-07

HGving heard that Mr..
Acheson had been among
those iUto helped to perfect
the jury trial amendment In
the Senate civil rights bill.
The Star asked him for a
statement, Which appears be-
lou:
It will be q great pity II a
chance to advance the civil
rights Of our Negro citizens
beyond anything achieved In
three-quarters Of a century
Is lost because liberals do not
realize how much has been
accomplished by the bill now
before the Senate.
1t will be q disaster for the
country If bitter sectional
animosity is aroused by at
tempting to change the jury
trial amendment to gain
something Of little or no
value. In all respects. save
one, opinion Is unanimous
that the bill in its protection
Of the right to vote is first
class. The argument arises
over the requirement that in
certain cases q person. before
being punished for violating Q
judges decree. must be con-
victed by q jury.
This requirement Of a jury
trial in cases of criminal con-
tempt Is said by some to null
lily the act.
Nothing could be more
wrong. Those who make this
charge usually have no idea
what criminal contempt is
or what great powers the
amendment gives to the
Judge to enforce his decree
by civil contempt proceed
ings.
Exactly what are we talk
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-08-07

Senator Lausche's colleagues on both
sides Of the Capitol that it deserves the
technical study which the legislation
would authorize. And in terms Of es-
sentiality, the building of a 11ne sta
dunn in Washington should rank high
on anybody's list. 1t would I'LL a genuine
need, serve highly useful purpose.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-08-07
Facts VS.. Propaganda

In legiSlating on civil rights, Con-
gress should be guided by the facts, not
propaganda. Highly misleading propa-
ganda is being used now to diScredit the
jury trial amendment In the Senate
civil rights bill, and thus the bill itself.
That propaganda takes the form Of
statements to the effect that the amend
ment kills, or weakens, or nullifies, or
makes ghost" Of, or, to borrow a
White House phrase, "makes largely in
effective" the civil rights BILL The other
line is that 1t "weakens our whole judi
cial system"
Is this mere political panic? What
else can it be? Whatever it is, Senators
are gathering the facts to disprove such
absurd generalizations.
For example, in fiscal sc, there were
only 48 cases of criminal contempt in all
the Federal courts. Three were for con-
tempt Of Congress, in which there is
trial by jury. In the same period, the
Federal courts were trying 2S,739 GRIM
inal cases by jury. Would trial by jury
Of the As other cases have weakened
"our whole judicial system?
In fiscal ST, rs of the SO criminal
contempt cases in all the Federal courts
were for contempt of Congress, tried
by jury.
There are 243 Federal judges sitting
In 81 District courts. In only one of the
past 10 years has the number of GRIM
inal contempt cases equalled the number
Of District courts. That was in 1851,
when "a Of 124 criminal contempts were
Tor contempt Of Congress, and tried by
Jury. The House Un-American Activi-
ties Committee was busy that year. How
ridiculous to say that had Jury trial
applied in all criminal contempt cases,
"our whole judicial system" would have
been weakened! We believe the state
, ment will become even more absurd
when Senators complete an analysis Of
( circumstances In each criminal con-
tempt case Of recent years.
No one knows how many criminal
contempt cases actually would result,
and be tried by jury, under the civil
rights bills provisions enforcing the
right to vote. But under the Jury trial
amendment, it is a Federal Judge who
decides whether to exercise his criminal
or civil contempt powers, or both. His
civil contempt powers to send a person
to jail without jury trial are not az
fected. If criminal contempt is involved,
and punishment rather than compliance
Is the issue, there should be a Jury.
AS Dean Acheson points out in his
article on this page today, the real dan
ger to the Federal courts does not lie
I in jury trial. 1t would exist in a situa-
ton in which people would "meekly
accept" punishment by Judge for vio-
lations Of laws SO strongly opposed that
no jury could be found to enforce them.
We agree with Mr.. Achesons statement:
ITO say that this requirement (for Jury
trial. nullifles the law is nonsense"
Furthermore, 1t is insidious non
sense. If believed, after repetition by
men in high places, 1t could undermine
the whole fine tradition of Jury trial as
an essential accompaniment of justice
under law.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-08-07
Questions and Answers
BY the HASKINS SERVICE

@. What is prosciutto?-
I. S.
A. This is an Italian ham.
slightly pungent and smoky
favored. 1t is served In
wafer-thin slices.
@. Where is the church
with 400 stepsp-E. L.
A. The Pilgrimage Church
in Fiulne, q seaport in Yugo-
slavia, has an approach Of
400. steps leading up TO II.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-08-07
LETTERS TO THE STAR

Pen names may be used n
letters carry tDrtters' correct
names and addresses. Au
letters are subject to conden-
sdtion.