davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-11-13
Safety Is Paramount

Health, Education and Welfare Sec
rotary Flemming made the right decision
although a very hard one-in warn
ing the public that cranberrieS contami-
mated with a cancer producing spray
may be on sale in some localities. The
easy course would have been to say
nothing, while trying to track down the
dangerous berries and ban them from
the market But Secretary Flemmings
first duty is to safeguard the public
health, even if to do so might adversely
affect an important food industry.
DR.. Flemming was fully aware Of
the serious implications Of such warn
ing to the producers and distributors OF
the product that has become stand
ard part of Thanksgiving turkey feasts.
This years crop of cranberries is the
largest in history-expected to run over
IL million barrels. the cranberry mar
ket generally is bound to be depressed
by the HEW danger warning, even
though the new crop may be completely
free from contamination.
The danger arises from the fact
that berries sprayed with a certain
weed killing chemical have caused can
Ger of the thyroid in rats, according to
the Federal Food and Drug Administra-
ton. Apparently only few crops thus
contaminated have reached the market,
but FDA inspectors have not yet been
able to trace them all.
DR.. Flemming correctly contends
that he does not "have any right to sit
on information of this kind" At the
same time, the Government ought to
speed up its investigation with view
to clearing the way, if possible, for
return to normally in the cranberry
market before Thanksgiving.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-11-13
Times Have Chonqed

To state the above is not exactly
to come forward with a brand-new
thought. Even so, 1t is an observation
which has a particular validity in this
day and age.
Take the case of Governor Rookie
fellers address to the National Confer
ence of Christians and Jews. Noting
that Senator Kennedy of Massachusetts,,
a Catholic, is a serious contender for the
Democratic nomination, Mr.. Rockefeller
recalled the Inflated campaign in 1928
by AL Smith, also Catholic and DEM
ocrat. Governor Smith won his party's
nomination but was badly beaten at the
polls, and religious intolerance had lot
to do with it.
Governor Rockefeller, of course, did
not come right out and say that he
thought Senator Kennedy could be nomi-
mated and elected in 1860, but he made
clear his belief that the religious issue
would not figure as prominently again.
We think that this is true, and If so, it
is evidence that times have changed.
The New York Governor, who is
supposed to have his eye on the Repub-
lican presidential nomination, made
some further observations which Sug-
gest changing times-at least tempo
rarily. He said that if Senator Kennedy
wins the Democratic nomination 1t will
be because "he is an attractive, popular
and useful public servant" If this is
something less than an nnrestrained
Endorsement, it is also in notable con-
trast to the conventional political tactics
of taking the dimmest possible view OF
a political rival. Furthermore, Governor
Rockefeller, while plugging Republican
efforts in the same fields. gave credit to-
New York's former Governor Lehman a
Democrat, for fighting racial and reli-
gious intolerance in the State, and said
a good word for former President Tru-
mans initiation of the successful effort
to eliminate segregation In the armed
services.
Now all of this may raise question
In some minds as to which side OF the
political street is being worked by Mr..
Rockefeller. One must also face the
possibility that this even-handedneSs
may not survive when the going gets
rough, plus the fact that most OF our
politicians, in both parties, have not yet
detected the slightest virtue in the
opposition. Still, while it lasts, the ROCK.
efeller gambit is a mark Of changing
times. And we like to think that 1t
really is a change for the better.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-11-13
LETTERS TO THE STAR

and we met quite a few un-
scrupulous real estate people
in Virginia and Maryland.
We came in contact with such
through newspaper advertis-
ing. and one agent wanted us
to sign a blank contract. We
are settled now and certainly
learned. a great deal about
real estate.
Mrs. T. E. Pace.
4 4 4 \
The articles on the So
called used car racket do not
seem to have raised too much
indignation am ong your
readers, if the letters to the
editor are any measure Of
such indignation. Maybe the
people who buy from used
car dealers cannot read or
write.
The ones who can read and
write 60 to franchised dealers
to be rocked, as I did.
Frank Bryars.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-11-13
Questions and Answer:
By THE HASKIN SERVIC
reader ansyer BY mall to question q fact
postage f-addressed stamped envep

@. Please give some infor-
nation about an Indian scout
called yellowstone" Kelly
T. A.
A. Yellowstone" was the
nickname of Capt. Luther
Sage Kelly, famed as a scout
in the Sioux Indian War. AS
a boy of IA or Is in New York
State, he saw some service
in the final months Of the
Civil War. He remained in
Army service for three years,
then bought a pony and
started West. He arrived in
Montana when 19-to begin
the career of soldier, miner,
hunter, trapper. guide and
scout" for which he became
famous in the Yellowstone
country. He died in Califor-
MIA in 1923. His burial place
is on the top of Kelly Noun
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-11-13
VISTAS IN SCIENCE
Russia May Have Psyche Gases
BY THOMAS R. HENRI

difference In the structure Of
a molecule, intentional or hit
on by accident. may very well
mean a potent psycho-gas
for war purposes.
Anything said about psy-
cho-gases. Chemical Corps Of
ficers warn, must be said with
extreme caution. It is a new
field of research and, at
present, 1t is wide open. The
chemical structures of the gas
molecules are subject to wide
variation and very slight
variations may make pro-
found changes in effects.
Chemists and pharmacolo-
gists are hardly beyond the
thresholds.
Varying Effects Found
Very specific differences in
effects may be found. One
agent may hit precisely the
nerve and brain mechanisms
of seeing and make victims
temporarily blind; the same
with hearing and any Of the
other senses with brain CEN
tiers. Conceivably 1t might be
possible to paralyze a mans
right side without affecting
his left side.
This wide area Of uncer-
tainty, rather than fear Of
revealing military secrets, is
responsible for the present
restrictions on information
which will be relaxed as soon
as more is learned. 1t is quite
possible, Chemical Corps Of
ficers say, that medical i'm
plications of some of the
agents may be greater than
military. Probably the full
story will not be known for
five to ten years.
This much is certain. The
agents act quickly. Some Of
the more potent of them are
odorless and invisible. The
persons affected don't know
anything about it.
1t is not contemplated now
to use them to make armies
or divisions temporarily
nuts" This probably would
require enormous amounts Of
any of the agents and far
better means of spreading
them. But it may be quite
possible to hit specifically, for
example, a division head
quarters and put all the staff
officers temporarily out OF
action.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-11-13
Correction

Last october 20 your news
paper published a letter to
the editor which contained
allegations detrimental to the
United Nations Children's
Fund.
Contrary to the letter,
neither Albania nor Bulgaria
nor Communist China nor
Czechoslovakia nor Hungary
received any ALLEGATIONS what
soever from UNICEF in 1856.
In fact, during the last eight
years the only two countries
with Communist governments
to request and receive
UNICEF assistance we're Po-
land and. Yugoslavia which
also received direct bilateral
aid from the United States
Government. And they both
received a total Of slightly
more than three per cent Of
total ALLEGATIONS during the
same period.
The misstatement con-
tanned in the letter you pub
lished is refuted in our
Memorandum of Information.
which will be sent free of
charge to your readers who
request it.
C.. Lloyd Bailey,
Executive Director, UNICEF.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-11-13

MED the generalissmo by us
for a year from July /, 1916,
the Communists triumphed.
Exactly the same technique
was planned for Laos after
Geneva. But Laos threw the
Communists out in Deem
Der, 1858. Immediately there
after Ho Chi Mini left for
Moscow and Peiping. On his
return the captured Pathet
Lao troops escaped and pro-
ceeded to the North Wet
Mimi border, where they re-
ceived equipment, arms.
ammunition, supplies and
political cadres" from North
Wet Nam.
Do you imagine for one
moment that the help would
have been supplied without
collision from Peiping and
Moscow? If this is none of
our business" than the ulti-
mate triumph of communism
is none Of our business
either.
F. r.. Eldridge,
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-11-13
On Laos and Mr.. K.

I am amazed at the gull
libility of otherwise knowl-
edgeable people when con-
fronted with the political
warfare techniques of the
Kremlin. In your editorial
'Khrushchev Cleared " 1
simply cannot decide whether
you have tongue in cheek or
are simply naive.
The fact that two months
after it happened, and with
the approach of the fact
finders. blazoned from the
housetops, no trace of North
Vietnamese forces could be
found in Laos, is certainly
no basis for absolving Khru-
shchev of all blame or in
Movement.
The Geneva agreement put
Laos into an intolerable posi-
ton Of neutralism which led
to a coalition government
including Communists and
fellow travellers. This coali-
ton did not work in Laos.
1t hadn't worked in China
in 1949 when Gen. Marshall
practically delivered the
country to the Reds by or
dering Chaing Kai-shek to
cease fire just as the Red
campaigns against the gov
eminent were collapsing.
After this had been repeated
q number of times and arms
and ammunition were de-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-11-13

not least of all Red China-are likely
to advance along the same line, and
this makes more urgent than ever the
effort to establish genuinely effective
and trustworthy controls. President de
Gaulle is not unaware of the danger,
and he has Just pledged that III the
United Nations is able to put an end to
this menace, France will agree immedi-
ately." Meanwhile, though, as far as
the atomic club is concerned, he and
his country are resolved not to be on the
outside looking In.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-11-13
THIS AND THAT
By CHARLES {. TRACEWELL

in falling, will not stain any
thing.
Certainly there is some
thing very pleasing to most
birds in the stately poke. At
times it may need a little
stalking. A cord looped loosely
around the brittle stalks will
help keep it in bounds ard
make it present a more tidy
appearance.
Nature. in thinking up this
one, did not take into con.
sideration the habits Of sub
urbanites
The poke does. indeed.
present an entirely differ
ent appearance growing
along a country road. There
it seems to belong. 1t is this
sense of belonging that the
country and small town child
manages to find in life for
himself.
He grows to understand
that a weed is a flower, too,
a flower out of place. it may
be. but a splendid grower,
strong and capable.
Any right thinking child
naturally appreciates this in
plants as well as in animals,
since he has a sure, though
it may be unconscious real
ization, that he is manifest
ing the same thing himself.
4 y
1t was the necessity for
using the legs in walking that
gave the children of yester-
year their close touch with
nature.
Only a very few families
in a town had a horse and
carriage.
The automobile was just
coming in. The railroads were
in their heyday, and people
used them for long Journeys.
The canal boats had gone.
If you wanted to go into
the woods. or fields, there was
always the country road,
covered with dust 5 inches
thick in summer, to take you
where you wanted to go.
The long brown road, lead
ing wherever you chose.
That was the way Walt
Whitman put it.
You could leave the road
at any point, without fear, let
or hindrance, except that you
had to watch out for snakes
and at times yellowjackets.
The violence and sex that
have imperiled modern life
were relatively unknown.
Certainly a child had no
knowledge or fear of either
as he walked the woods, adj
miring the pokeberries, and
collecting a handful to make
ink"
Those we're the days, liter
ally. Even the mention Of
them brings happiness. tinged
with q little sadness.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-11-13
Marking Ignorance
Armaments and war mark

ArmamentS and war mark
ignorant societies.
In international relation
ships all governments will
offend at times. If the Of
Tended nation preserves good
will and cooperation, the
equal morality of the second
national people soon will
amend the exceptional inter-
national offense of its govern
inent. But. If malicious re-
taliation is practiced. a trend
of continuous international
deterioration is initiated.
Every individual who re-
jects the preceding truths
bases his rejection upon one
of two false assumptions.
Either he assumes that a
government is not finally
controlled by the people un-
der such government, and
this assumption is false. Or,
he assumes that one national
people is less moral than an
other, and this assumption is
false.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-11-13

Assessment Issue

With reference to Charles
l.. Hoffman's report, Assess
ment Value Ratio Varies in
Spite of Law" in The Star
November ! S, Mr.. Hoffman
failed to note, perhaps be-
cause he was unaware. that
in at least one Maryland
county, namely Montgomery,
the tax assessor asserts that
he regularly makes assess
ments at substantially 80 per
cent of market value. when
ever it is desirable for him to
do so.
Since I had the dubious
honor of receiving one such
assessment on my residential
property several years ago
(which assessment is still in
force, in view of what was
to me an obvious unfairness,
the matter was carried to
the high courts of the State,
and they eventually gave af-
flrmation to the tax assessors
policy.
In any discussion of tax
assessment ratios in the
State of Maryland, the facts
as they actually exist ought
not be passed over without
at least some brief comment.
John G. eager.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-11-13
France and the A-Bomb

It is noteworthy that the Soviet
Union has used relatively mild language
in the United Nations in supporting an
Asian-African resolution urging France
to call off it's projected test OF an atomic
bomb in the Sahara. The mildneSS pre-
sumably reflects an awarenesS on the
Kremlins part that the De Gaulle gov
ernment-which will be playing host TO
Premier KhruShchev few months from
now-is much too determined to carry
out the experiment to be dissuaded from
it by any amount of oratory, harsh or
otherwise.
The viewpoint of the French Is
altogether understandable. They have
neen striving for long time now to
make their own nuclear weapons ana
thus become part of the exclusive club
whose only members at present are
Britain, the Soviet Union and the United
States. Involved in this are highly SEN
sitlve considerations of their national
prestige and pride as world power with
an ancient and glorious history, and 1t
is therefore only natural for them to be
as intent as they are upon demonStrat-
ing their atomic capability. Certainly
it would be unrealistic to expect them
to be self -abnegating in this matter.
1t may be argued, of course, that
the De Gaulle governments plan for
an atomic test casts shadow on the
Anglo American Russian negotiations in
Geneva for ban on all such expert
mentation. But it must be remembered
that France is not party to those nego-
tiationS and is in no way obligated by
them. On the contrary, it has a SOW
ereign right to do what it wishes to do
in this field at this time. Accordingly,
If it feels that it should go ahead with
its testing perations-operations aimed
at arming itself with nuclear weapons
it is wholly entitled to do so in terms Of
international law and what it deems to
be essential to its own security.
AS for the long-range future, the
prospect of French development of nu-
clear arms reminds us that other powers
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-11-13
Fare Rise Opposed

1t Is noted that .. Roy
Chalk. president Of D. C.
Transit, has negotiated a
new contract with the transit
union, and everybody is
happy. Everybody but the
general public, that is. For
there is a joker concealed
here, and that is a petition
is being filed by Mr.. Chalk in
which he asks for an increase
in transit fares to the amount
Of Is cents.
I protest most vigorously
against this high-handed
action. The fares are already
too high at 20 cents. It is
about time that Mr.. Chalk
came down to earth and
faced the facts of life. He
states that he expected the
increase in fares would result
in a reduction in patronage
by a certain percentage. And
he is so right. 1t is just a
question of how much further
the transit company can go
on increasing the fares until
they reach the point Of cor
respondingly diminishing re-
turns, so that in the final
analysis the transit company
loses. The only answer the
company has seems to be
that no matter what Is
granted the transit union,
the public will have to pay.
That philosophy is all wrong.
1t would be better If Mr..
Chalk would take a second
look and come. up with a
better plan than soaking his
patrons. He should be careful
that he does not price his
company out of existence.
Mr.. Chalk states that 1.-The
public does not have to worry
about a strike" However, 1t
might be a good thing If Mr..
Chalk had to worry about a
riders strike. That is a pos
sibility and would create an
interesting situation.
C. F. HaughawOut.
AS the PUG. considers Roy
Chalk's request for an in
crease in DC. Transit fares,
I hope they will take into
account the effect it is bound
to have on the program to
bring suburban residents to
the downtown area to shop.
Making parks of some of
the downtown streets and
other attractive inducements
will still not bring distant
suburban jewellers downtown
regularly if the cost of COM
ing and returning is going
to be high. They may come
two or three times a year,
but our suburban shopping
areas are too convenient to
spend the extra in bus fares.
! consider that I live close-in
for a suburban community
(Kensington). yet it now
costs me nearly 81 to shop
downtown. Every 10 cents in
crease makes the downtown
area less and less attractive.
These luxurious new buses
are wonderful-but can't MIR.
Chalk pay for them out of
the profits?
Suburban Shopper.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-11-13

There is every reason to be-
lieve that other powers, es-
pecially the Soviet Union,
possess psycho-gases.
This is one subject. how
ever, upon which their scien-
tific publications-exception-
ally frank on biological war
fare agents-contain almost
no reference. The Army
Chemical Corps has CLEANED
only one brief note:
Mai. Gen. u. v. Drugof Of
the Military Medical Service,
Red Army, stated on the 49th
anniversary Of the october
revolution:
Special interest attaches
to the so-called psychic poi
sons-mescaline, methedrin,
lysergic acid derivatives
which now are used for simu-
lation of mental diseases. Poi
sons of animal origin are the
subject of separate and spe-
cial study. The Academy of
Sciences has collected in a
single extensive work the
scattered data on poisonous
plants Of meadows and pas
lures. In response to state
demands. considerable eff
forts were directed towards
studies Of military poisons.
Many of our scientists re-
gard research on the action
of such poisons as their pa
triotic duty.
1T is evident that a neces-
sary condition for success in
this search-especially for
effective antidotes-is a close
study of the primary bio
chemical reactions in the
organism when entered by
the poison. However, the
significance of functional and
auxiliary groups in the MOLE
cule gave rise to deliberate
searches for active insecti-
cides and unfortunately for
modern military poisons.
No Secret Revealed
Gen. Drugo, of course,
didn't let any great secret out
of the bag. Soviet scientists
must have been about as
familiar as Americans with
the host Of psycho-drugs-
tranquilizers and the like
discovered in the last few
years. They must have ex-
perimented with them in all
sorts of ways. Very slight
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-11-13
BETHESDA. Md.

Dear Sir:
"Someday you might give
us one of your nature-phil-
osophic articles about the
pokeberry. This was a big
grower where ! come from,
and I miss it here. Will it
grow here? I never see 1t.
"In my childhood days I
liked to gather the pokeber-
ries and make red ink out
of them, as we called it. I
am not sure, even to this day,
what my mother called it.
but surely it, was not COM
plimentary.
IT do not recall that we
kids ever tried to eat the
berries. Would they have
been harmful If we had?
'I think country children
Of the old days had more
sheer fun in life than the
spoiled brats Of today. Now
they watch the violence of
television, and the sex of the
movies, and miss the out
doors, and especially the
wonders of the outdoors.
Country children Of yes
terday didn't even have ra-
dio to entertain them. They
had to entertain themselves.
and found inexhaustible
stores of entertainment in
nature.
They knew the milkweed.
and the golden seal. and
some even the ginseng.
"It was amazing the wealth
Of information we picked up.
We had a working acquaint-
ance with many snakes, and
knew where the opossum took
care of her young.
There was something new
and strange outdoors in those
days, but you had to find it
for yourself.
Sincerely, K. G."
u Il 4 =
The pokeweed grows here
about, but is not liked by
many persons. because of its
berries, the very feature so
glowingly described by our
correspondent.
Modern house paints do
not take kindly to the red
stain of these berries.
The berries are not poison
GUS, but should not be eaten.
since they would make one
very sick.
However, poke green's
the new shoots-are much
sought-after by some folks,
Cooked liked spinach, the
leaves are tasty and nutri-
tiouS.
The poke is a hardy weed.
tall and f1ourishing. Once
planted, it takes care of it
self, and the birds help in its
propagation.
If used in a small yard. 1t
should be kept along the
back fence. where the berries,