davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-09-09
Only an Expedient

The case-Screening procedure which
Juvenile Court Judge Ketcham has
adopted as a., means of easing the
damned docket is only an expedient-
albeit worthwhile one. The work of
the court will continue to be impaired
by congestion of cases, however, until
permanent relief step has been taken
that is, the appointment of second
judge to the tribunal.
After a series of conferences with
members of his staff, and with city
officials concerned with the juvenile
crime problem, Judge Ketcham decided
to set up special unit to study all
cases with view to wedding out those
not urgently requiring attention of the
judge. 1t is expected that substantial
number of minor cases can be disposed
of by this unit, consisting of probation
officers, without necessity of going to
trial. Complaining witnesses in dis
missed cases will have the right of
appeal to the Corporation CounseTs
Office. Such complaints deserve careful
consideration.
The screening program is variant
of plan which Judge Ketcham has
proposed, involving hearing officers
authorized to aid the judge by dispos-
ing of cases without trial. This plan
would require added appropriations for
the court, however-and hence must
await action by the next Congress. But
Congress ought to give priority to leg
islation to create a second Judge for
the court. For it has become obvious
that the courts workload is too much
for one judge to handle.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-09-09
Khrushchey Threat

Mr.. KhruShchev'S 4,000-word letter
to the President adds nothing to the
threats which have been freely broad
cast by the Soviet press during the past
several days. IN this aspect, the letter
boilS down to warning against an
American attack" on Red China, and
an assertion that such an aggression"
would be regarded by Russia as an at
tack on Russia itself.
This puts the cart before the horse.
The only aggression in the Far East
today is that involved in Communist
China'S bombardment of the Nation
alist-held coastal islands. The only
threat of new aggression lies in Red
China's repeatedly proclaimed intention
to "liberate" Formosa by armed assault.
1t is necessary, however. to look
beyond these propositions, which, while
manifeStly true, do not tell the whole
story. If the Communists attack For
mosa or the Pescadores the United
States will use its armed forces to
oppose such an assault. And it is to be
expected that the American reaction
would not be strictly defensive in char
acter, but would include attacks on the
mainland bases from which the Commu-
nistS were mounting their assault. This,
we suppose, would be the aggression"
of which Mr.. KhruShchev speaks.
There is greater immediate danger,
however, of direct American involve
ment in the defense of Quemoy and the
MatSuS should the Communists attempt
to reduce and occupy those outpostS.
Mr.. Eisenhower has never said Speci-
fcally that we would fight for these
relatively unimportant islands. AS dis
tinguiShed from FormoSa, the coastal
Islands clearly are Chinese territory
territory for which two Chinese factions
are contending We do not believe they
really are essential to the defense of
Formosa, and only by the widest stretch
of the imagination can they be con-
Sidered as essential to the defense of
the United States.
So there should be room on this
question for the negotiations which the
Russians and Chinese Communists seem
to want, and which the United States
has said it would welcome. What is at
stake, really, is point of prestige rather
than military security. If Red China
wants to negotiate the future status of
the coastal islands, and coincidentally
will call off its propaganda campaign
against Formosa, the way may open up
for constructive settlement of this and
other questions The "if,'' to be sure,
is big one. 1t is better to explore the
possibility, however, than to drift into
war over possession of few small
islands which, from the sensible point of
view of both sides, are not worth fight
ing for.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-09-09
Beware of Bear

How can we at this time
even consider the withdrawal
of British and American
troops from Jordan and
Lebanon? History should have
taught us that we can't go
too far with Nasser or
Khrushchev and their con-
stituentS.
1t would be only q matter
Of time before they would
find, or create, some fiimsy
excuse to break any agree
ment that was made. Then
we would in all probability
be much worse OF than we
are today.
After Stains death, Bull
ganin and Khrushchev were
very chummy-they worked
real close together. Kagano-
vich was another of Khru-
shchev's early sponsors and
good friends.
Now these two Soviet big
shots, former members Of the
Politbureau, and many others
who have contributed to the
success Of Khrushchev have
been disposed Of.
What reason do we have to
believe that our treatment
will be any different?
I would prefer to see our
country and allies hold their
ground, at least until such
time when we could get some
thing more concrete.
Herbert SOmmers.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-09-09
W-Week in Detroit

This is widely labeled W-week In
Detroit 1t could be that as far as the
1858 record for the national economy
is concerned. For the desultory nego-
tiations that have been going on since
last April between the United Auto
Workers and the Big Three of the auto
mobile industry finally are reaching a
showdown stage.
Insofar as there has been public dis
closure on the negotiating sessions, not
much Of anything has happened during
the past Ave months. When a three
year contract expired last spring, the
union decided to work on without con-
tract protection. Meanwhile, it asked a
new agreement based upon profit shar-
ing, wage increases related to higher
productivity and improved fringe bene-
fits. The industry offered a straight
two-year extension of the contract
signed in 1855. When negotiations
began in April the recession was at its
depth and the die was cast, in effect,
for quiet" year as far as the market
ing of 1958-model automobiles was con-
cerned. AS of the end of August, for
example, total calendar-year production
of passenger cars was approximately 28
million compared with Ambition year
ago.
There have, however, been some
changes in recent weeks. The economy
in general has picked up. And the
backlog of unSold cars has dropped
partly because of the general economic
improvement and partly because of a
scattering of brief strikes which con-
tributed to the reduced automobile pro-
duction. In sense, these developments
merely cleared the decks for the show
down now anticipated. The industry is
now ready to swing into 1959-model pro-
dRction; the union is now ready to make
its real fight for new contract terms.
Walter Reuther, JAW president, en-
tered the contract talks last week for
the first time since May. The unions
executive board simultaneously served
notice that it would set strike deadline
this week unless some negotiating prog
reSS is made, and the board meets again
tomorrow. If there is to be a. strike,
it is not yet clear which company
General Motors, Ford or Chrysler--is to
be the target, or exactly when.
1t is clear enough, however, that
major strike at this time not only could
be costly to the target company and the
union alike, but to the industry as a
whole and to the national economy in
general. Hope that this may not happen
has been greatly encouraged by the joint
statement of Mr.. Reuther and GIN Vice
President Louis G. Seaton that better
understanding" currently prevails. It
would be display of economic states
manShip on all sides If this understand
ing should lead to industry wide agree
ment.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-09-09
ECONOMIST ASKS:
Can't u. S. Afford Superiority?

The decision to do far less
than almost all of the mill
tary experts and scientists
deem essential is based upon
application of the viewpoint
that to do more would weak
en- our economic structure
and thus weaken our military
potential. The most recent
evidence Of this is to be found
in some Of the statements Of
the Secretary of Defense at
the American Legion conven-
ton a few days ago. There is
also the advice conveyed to
that convention by an octo-
genarian pundit in exchange
for a medal, whose last sub
stantial experience with the
Nationwide problems Of mo-
bilization was during World
War !, to the effect that "in-
flation is still as great a dan
ger to us as aggression"
I had a good deal of prac-
teal experience with this
kind of advice before and
during the Korean War,
when at meetings Of the cab
met or of the National Secu-
rity Council I sat opposite
generals in military and civil
ian posts. More than once
some Of these generals lee
tured me on what "our econ
omy could not afford" be-
cause they were listening to
some bankers in New York.
when they might have re-
ceived better advice on ma
tional economics from those
whose official duty it was to
let them have it. 1t was small
comfort to me. several years
later, to read some articles in
the Saturday Evening Post by
one Of these generals, in
which he confessed ruefully
that he wished that he had
stuck to his knitting instead
Of trying to be an economist.
I have long thought that
the new agency we need most
in Washington is a Depart
ment of Experience. 1t might
help us to appraise the cost
of refraining from certain re-
search and experimentation
on the ground that, in the
words of the Secretary of De-
Tense, the cost of moving for
ward might "endanger the
economic security of the
country and erode the foun-
dations of prosperity" This
when we now have the waste
of more than S million I'M
employed, and when some
people are jubilant because
the steel industry may rise to
So per cent of capacity oper-
ations this fall.
Leon H. keysehing
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-09-09
Speaking of Skeptics

Crosby Noyes' correspond
ence from abroad has always
been and still is Of the very
highest quality in accurate.
comprehensive perception and
concise, scholarly presenta-
ton. 1t is all the more inter-
esting, therefore, when, in his
dispatch of September 4 ana
lying the attitude of the
French toward de Gaulle's
new constitution, he postu-
lateS the fact" that the
French are "the most sophis-
ticated and the most skeptical
electorate in the world"
That, Of course, takes in a
lot of territory. And it may
be true. But how does one go
about determining such a
fact? With no intent to take
issue with Mr.. Noyes, it is
apropos to ask, not so much
what he means, but whether
he has arrived at the conclu-
sion on his own or merely
taken for gospel the tradi-
tional expansive boasts Of in
durable francophiles.
We may be willing to adj
NIT that the French are
among the tops in the mat
ter of sophistication and
skepticism, whatever they
may mean, and assume that
both are admirable qualities,
especially the former. We
may admit, too, that they
outshine the shallow brag-
gadocio of the decadent Brit
ish with their high percent
age of parlor pinks and
crackpots. We may even go
so far as to admit that our
own relatively infantile and
naive electorate is not over
stocked with sophistication
and skepticism. But how
about West Germany? The
world is in practically unani-
nous agreement thu it has
made . most miraeu:pus re-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-09-09

airlines. there are tremendous problems
of financing-balanced, they hope, by
prospects for increased profits accruing
from faster and better service. For
municipalities wanting and needing the
new services, there are problems of pro-
viding the bigger and better airports
required--such as nearby Chantilly on
which construction work began last
week. And for the transportation indus
try as a whole, there looms history
making new chapter in the conquest OF
time and distance.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-09-09
THE POLITICAL MILL
Nixon Takes a Bold Stand
BY GOULD LINCOLN

sion, by the use Of force If
necessary.
The Vice President spoke
specifically Of our problem In
the Formosa Strait, asserting
that we are not playing the
role Of a paper tiger" and
that by warning the Chinese
Reds they can expect war il
they persist in their drive to
take Formosa - via Quemoy
and Matsu islands - the
United States is in reality
taking a strong stand for
peace, as it did when it sent
troops to Lebanon in the
Middle East crisis. At the
very time Mr.. Nixon was
stating this view, former
Secretary of State Dean Ache
son in Washington was
harshly attacking President
Eisenhower. declaring this
country was drifting toward
a war with Red China-not
justified. But 1t was Mr..
Acheson who while serving
as Secretary Of State under
President Truman declared
that Formosa was not within
the perimeter of our defenses
in the Pacific--a declaration
which was followed by the
Communist attack on the Re-
public Of Korea, and the en-
suing war in which this coun-
try was involved. Mr.. Ache
son apparently is again in
sisting that Formosa is not
necessary to our defenses.
What would happen if Mr..
Acheson were Secretary of
State is easy to imagine.
Proposes Economic Steps
On the domestic side, Mr..
Nixon proposed a number of
steps to strengthen our econ
omy. Unemployment insur-
ance. he said, should be
spread to cover IL million
workers not now covered, and
benefits and benefit periods
should both be increased.
A second step should be a
curtailment of deficit spend
ing by the Government, with
a determination not to add
new programs unless we are
prepared to levy the taxes to
pay for them" And finally
he proposed tax reform-im-
mediate reform, particularly
to stimulate business and SO
to create more jobs. Along
this line he included more
liberal treatment of deprecia-
ton, an overhauling of the
excise taxes, a reduction of
"conhscatory rates" in the
highest brackets of personal
income, and q reduction in
the corporate tax rate of So
per cent.
AS Mr.. Nixon admitted.
such tax reform proposals are
usually thought to contain
political dynamite-for those
who propose them. Neverthe-
less, on the theory that Amer
lean business is owned by the
American people, and that
the people live and make
progress through business,
Mr.. Nixon has dared to ste ,
his views. Apparently he is
inviting his own party a..1
the Democrats to take notice.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-09-09
Using U. S. Methods

Admitting that the Com
munist world has made gains,
the Vice President pointed
out that the Soviets are send
ing their experts to America
to learn our methods, and
that the most recent changes
in Russia, Poland and Yugo-
Slavia have been in the direc-
ton of increased incentives
and decreased state controls.
They have gained" he said,
partly because they are NOV
ing our way. If we lose Gin
our contest with them, it
will be because we move their
way" The Vice Presidents
comments obviously look to
a strong foreign policy, which
includes our help to the ma
lions of the free world, and
a firm stand against any at
tempted Communist agrees
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-09-09
Happy Addition

AS the mother Of teen-agers
on two levels, / have been
reading Marjorie Holmes col
umn "Of Love and Laughter"
with enormous enjoyment.
Therefore. / was disappointed
not to find it in The Star on
Labor Day.
1t seems to me that the
column is the happiest addi-
ton to the newspaper in
many a day. / hope Miss
Holmes viii continue her
sprightly and human anec-
dotes and observations for
many a year to come.
Jane 0. AEsCiary.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-09-09

perverted into the noti0n
that We should be satisfied
with maintaining a level
of total military strength
approximating that of the
Russians. Quite aside from
doubt as to whether we are in
fact doing this. it is a very
poor test for us to apply. The
measurement of total military
strength involves SO many
imponderableS that the goal
Of equivalence with an adj
versary is a very delusory
one. In addition. the Rus
SLAMS by the nature Of their
society and their aggressive
designs can necessarily choose
5 the time and location of their
limited pressures or assaults.
Thus, it does not require
much military wisdom to
know that the defender must
have much greater absolute
forces to enjoy even relative
equivalence in fact. The
whole argument Of equiva-
lence sells America short, and
could wreck US. We should
get tremendously ahead of
the Russians, and stay there.
because we have the resources
to do so.
The argument is made that
a deterrent force may be
SUFFICIENT whether it is equiv
alent or not. This may be
very questionable in a contest
with an adversary which
values human life so much
less than we do that he may
be willing to cross the Rubi-
con unless it is clear that we
can infiict infinitely more
damage than he can. And
if the power of both sides
to infiict damage has become
so great that the big war is
unlikely, except by accident,
then we are increasingly
likely to be confronted with
limited engagements. These
would expose even more
glaringly that our decision to
be weak on some fronts has
not led to our being suffi-
GENTLY strong on any.
While I am not a military
expert, I do believe that these
issues in a democracy must
ultimately be determined by
the degree of information
and the intensity of feeling
possessed by the citizen.
Moreover, I may claim some
specialized competence in this
field, because the basic dis
agreement among the various
extremists" has never been.
and still is not, primarily on
military grounds. 1t is pri-
marily on economic grounds.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-09-09
New Fares Unfair?

The raise in transit fares
was not justified by the COM
pany adding a few air-con-
ditioned buses.
The low-income people of
the District are most affected
and less able to offer re-
sistance and less able to pay
this exorbitant profitm
subsSriber.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-09-09
THIS AND THAT
By CHARLES E. TRAcEWELL

An outdoor activity that
can be enjoyed by wearerS of
hearing aids?
Blackberryingl
From nearby Virginia, o. E
c. writes:
with the tang of the pine
woods in my noStrils, and the
stain of berries on my wrists,
/ am inspired to tell you
about my favorite sport of
gathering blackberries which,
at the time of writing, were
at the height of goodness.
Few people living as near
to the city as I do have &C
cess to such berries, which
developed into such fine spec
linens as a result of the
scattering of seeds from a
planting of cultivated black
berries from a neighboring
estate about 10 years ago
and thrived on a site I re-
fused to have bulldozed.
q =
GAS an ONCE worker on. duty
8 hours a day. the most time
and best time for berrying is
the late afternoon or early
evening, equipped with rain
coat, Stacks and rubber cap,
each of which has been
sprayed with a popular bug
repellent. not forgetting the
insect bite that rendered me
unconscious a few weeks ago,
I am prepared to thread my
way through the bushes so
heavily laden with this fine
fruit that I have but to hold
the bucket beneath the
bushes to gather a quart in
about Is minutes, most of
which have been shared by
such friends and neighbors
as befriended me by afford
ing transportation, assisting
with marketing, not forget
ting those who aided me dur
ing the mid March snowstorm
with II inches of snow when
all in the area were without
electricity for four days.
Editors note-WhewD
This is one. of the garden
activities that can be enjoyed
by the users of hearing aids,
since the wood thrush and
others sing their sweetest
at twilight, and there is
no interference from me-
chanical garden equipment,
only the drone of an oc-
casional plane, which can be
tuned out"
X 4 4
Berried bushes are dearly
loved by most birds.
Squirrels, too, enjoy them.
One of the surest ways to
attract birds to your garden
is to plant blackberry bushes
and others.
Red raSpberries, too.
There are several more, but
all are alike in attracting
birds, If not in taste.
It seems that today people
do not eat as many berries
as formerly.
Just why this is, nobody
seems to know.
With cream, the blackber-
ries are at their zenith.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-09-09

Vice President Richard M.
Nixon is a bold campaigner-
whether he speaks for his
country, for his party or for
himself. In an arresting
speech, delivered over the
week end before the Harvard
Business School Association,
Mr.. Nixon outlined a foreign
and domestic program far
reaching in effect and Of vast
Importance in the issues COW
cred. While some OF it was
necessarily couched in gen.
eral terms, he was specific in
otherS-to a degree that
might easily have been
avoided by politicians who
tread lightly. His address will
be interpreted as his own
personal programs a prob
able candidate for the presi-
dency in 1860. But whether
so intended or not. the Vice
President has tackled the
principal issues which con-
front Americans. His pro-
posals are for definitely pro-
greSsive moves, both abroad
and at home. AS he COM
mented: "Standpat, defensive
thinking is not adequate for
the challenge we face"
Mr.. Nixon's answer to the
Communist revolution is to
revitalize the American Revo-
luton: To stand for-not
against the nationalist
movements in foreign coun-
tries, always bearing in mind
the American dedication to
constitutional freedom-free-
dom for the individual. An
attack, he contends, on the
Communist revolution is not
in itself enough.
ut is ironic in the extreme"
the Vice President told his
audience. shat the United
States should ever be cast
in the role Of opposing legit-
innate nationalist movements.
Many of the ideas which
motivate today's national
lists stem from American hiss
tory and have been taught
in American universities at
home and abroad. We,
rather than the Soviet Union,
should be the natural cham
pion Of legitimate nationalist
movements"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-09-09

Eating ha bits of people
change, slowly, but surely.
The old-fashioned straw
berry shortcake no longer
holds the dinner table spot
light as it once did, probably
because too many people were
satisfied with strawberry
"Sweetcake."
Rightly made, it is straw
berry shortcake.
With a pitcher of real
cream and served in a big
plate. not a dinky saucer, a
real strawberry shortcake is
out of this world, as the
expression has it.
X X
"Out of this world"
1t is a curious expression,
in vogue long before the ad-
vent Of the Sputniks.
1t is a jazz invention, prob
ably dating back to World
War 1 or before.
The real strawberry short
cake came at the end of din
ner; dessert, it was called.
Actually, it was a full meal.
With cream. it added up to
800 to 1000 calories, but it
seemed to make no difference:
1t delighted the palate, too.
y y y
Insects like berried bushes.
OF course, but this must be
accounted a gain in a place
that caters to bird life.
Birds like insects best Of
all. because these creatures.
flying and crawling, make the
best food for their young.
Blackberry and other bushes
are sort of messy, from the
best gardening standpoint.
perhaps, but they have their
uses If planted thickly at the
back Of the yard where no.
body goes much, anyway.
If combined with sunfloN.
ers, whose great blossoms
stand high, a patch of ber-
rieS Of different kinds will at
tract scores of birds during
the season, and even in win
ter offer a place of refuge.
Modern ideas of garden
tidiness often conflict with
the best uses of land. Ger
tainly the birds must always
be considered.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-09-09
Questions and Answers
By THE HASKIN SERVICE

@. Does last" mean the
same as "latest"?-V. S.
A. Correctly, last" refers
to the final item in a series,
and --latest" to the most re-
cent item in a series which
may or may not be con-
tinuing. In ordinary usage the
two words are now used inter-
changeably.
@. Is the number Of old
people in the country increas-
ing at a greater rate than the
population of the country as
a whole?-G. Men.
A. Yes, The number of per-
sons IS years and over has
quadrupled since 1900. while
the total population has only
doubled. 4