davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-04-24
Dangerous Arrogance

No better example of arrogance by
dictator-type labor bosses could be had
than that which Harry Bridges has given
to the House Committee on Un-Ameri-
can Activities. This was arrogance of
very dangerous sort, too, as far as
national security is concerned. For, in
effect, the LongShoremens Union radi-
cal leader set himself up as maker
and breaker of foreign policy-a man
with enough power at his disposal to
Illustrate American aid to Formosa in
the event of an about war between Red
China and Chang Kai-shek's forces.
In his testimony, during which he
took refuge in the Fifth Amendment
when questioned about present or past
Communist connections, Mr.. Bridges
made no bones about which side he and
his union would be on if American-Sup-
ported Nationalist Chinese forces we're
at war with the Reds. Asked what
he and his longShoremen would do if
United States arms and other aid were
shipped to FormoSa in such a crisis, Mr..
Bridges bluntly replied: II would siren
uously object and do what I could to
prevent the United States from engaging
in such suicidal war" He reaff1rmed
to the committee his statement in a
televiSion interview that his union would
strike and thus prevent shipments from
reaching FormoSa. He qualified this by
saying that he would "go along" with
the Government if Congress declared
war-but only if there was a formal
declaration.
Here, then, is another example of
the alarming power held by men of the
Hoffa and Bridges ilk as a result of their
autocratic control of key unions 1t
should be obvious that no man and no
group should be permitted to WELD such
power in this country. They will con-
tinue to do so-and to boast about it
just as long as weak labor laws leave
them free to do so.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-04-24
Defeat of Justice

The latest of number of eccentric
decisions by Prince Georges County
Judge Mia S. Hinman Crane gives
urgency to the hope that few additional
traffic cases will come to her court
before her term ends next month.
Fortunately for the cause of justice in
Prince Georges County, her appoint
ment was not renewed by Governor
TaweS.
In the recent example of Judge
Cranes administration of justice in
some serious traffic cases, a 22-year -old
youth with long record of fragrant
traffic offenSes was freed by the Judge
under a suspended three-year sentence
for manSlaughter and drunken driving
The driver had pleaded guilty to the
charges, which, grew out of the killing
of Clinton, Maryland, man when the
defendants car veered from a curve
and crashed into the mans home. A
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-04-24

policeman testified that the driver told
him at the scene that he had been
travelling at 10 miles an hour.
But Judge Crane. in suspending
sentence and putting the driver on I'VE
years probation, commented that "im-
prisoning the defendant at so young an
age would only embitter him and make
him UNIT to live in his. society" II
anyone has a right to be bitter over
the judges action, however, 1t is the
widow and children of the dead man.
And the drivers record Of convictions
for drunken driving and speeding over
a four-year span indicates that he is
UNIT to share society's privilege of
operating automobiles on public high
ways. Leniency in such tragic cases of
highway reckleSsness tends only to
encourage more recklessneSs.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-04-24
Too Cautious

1t seems to us that the State Depart
ment has carried caution to a rather
silly extreme in rejecting Soviet pro-
poSal to have the Red army'S chorus
and dancing ensemble perform in this
country next summer. AS officially ex-
planned, the decision has been based on
the assumption that the troupe, since
it would appear in the military uniform
of the USSR, might stir up groups like
Hungarian refugees and thus precipi-
tate unpleasant incidents harmful to
American Russian relations.
This assumption, of course, is not
entirely implauSible, but it does appear
to be more than little bit exaggerated.
After all, the choriSterS, dancers and
musicians involved would be in uniform
only on stage. not on the street. and
the chances are that they would be as
politely and as enthusiastically received
in New York and elsewhere as they were
last year at the Worlds Fair in Brussels.
In any event, every American critic who
has seen them in action regards them
as a superb group of performers and
they are not really people who have
been trained for military service. On
the contrary, they are simply artists
and good ones-attached to the Soviet
armed forces.
In such circumstances, and particu-
larly since the Kremlin is ready to have
our uniformed United States Marine
Band perform in the USSR, the State
Departments vetoing action against the
Red army troupe is not easy to justify.
In fact, the department itself seems to
have been slightly embarrassed by its
own deciSion-enough so to indicate
that the debarred performers will be
invited to visit our country at some
future time.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-04-24
Let's Have All the Facts

If Air Force Lieutenant Colonel
Charles Plat, jr, was personally re-
sponsible for the pumping" from a
military plane of seven enlisted men
who were on emergency leave, he well
deserved the punishment melted out to
him by his commanding officer His
willingness to accept this punishment
rather than go before a court-martial
would seem to indicate that Lieutenant
Colonel Platt conceded his responsibility.
He has been fined, reprimanded and
transferred to other duties
But the statements of an Air Force
investigating board have tended to cloud
the matter and raise a question as to
whether, in handling the widely publ
cized case, the Air Force was more con-
cerned with public and CT reaction
than with administering even-handed
justice. The board said it had cleared
the officer of direct blame for the bump
ang of the GIS, who were en- route to
sick or dying relatives Yet, somewhat
ambiguouSly, the board added that Lieu
tenant Colonel Platt'S factions contrib
uted to the confusion which caused the
administrative error" Thus, although
cleared of direct responsibility, the off,
Ger was accused of certain undiScloSed
factions" which led others to commit
an error.
For an officer of such rank to be
fined $40, deprived of his command and
given reprimand which will always
haunt him in his service record is
a serious blow to his military career.
There would be no question about the
business of such punishment if the off,
Ger had personally, or through subor-
dinates, ordered the enlisted men off
the airplane, for their emergency leave
orders gave them absolute priority over
the officer and his family. The public
will have doubts about this caSe how
ever, until the Air Force releases all the
facts on which the penalty was based.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-04-24
Motorists Pompered?

Commissioner yelling an
nounces a breakdown" on
pedestrians who violate traf-
fic laws. Fine, but what
about motorists?
Despite announced cam
paigns by the Police Depart
ment to crack down on
drivers who violate pedes-
TRANS rights, I haven't
noticed any changes. Driv-
erS still roar over croSSwalks
before stopping and cut off
pedestrians in the middle of
the street. Few pedestrians
have courage to exercise their
rights" because they have
been so inundated by
motorists. Frequently, when
I have stopped my car at
an intersection, I have had
to motion to pedestrians to
cross in front of me.
When are Commissioner
yelling and the police real
ly going to get tough with
motorists?
Harry r. Wallace.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-04-24
IFS and the KremIin

There is nothing essentially new in
the Kremlin's latest notes to the United
States and West Germany regarding the
establishment of launching sites ca
pable of firing UNDETERMINED missiles
against the Soviet Union. There have
been numerous similar protests over the
past two years, and some of them-par-
ticularly the ones addressed to Bonn
have been exceptionally ugly and threat
full in tone.
The newest of these, however, make
a somewhat novel point. They charge
that our country-by showing its readi-
ness to set up merchandising bases in
all nations allied in the North Atlantic
Treaty OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES to be in
tent on scuttling in advance every hope
of negotiating an EaSt-WeSt agreement
at next months foreign ministers meet
ing in Geneva or at possible summit
conference later on. In short, the Krem-
lin is trying to argue that the United
States has injected, all of a sudden, a
new tenSion-b breeding element into the
international situation
But the fact Island the Khrushchev
government is well aware of it, though
it pretends otherwise-that the deci-
sion on establishing launching sites was
reached firmly and publicly as long ago
as NATO'S meeting in December of 1857.
And 1t was decision reached for one
reason only-namely, as an altogether
justified answer to what has come to be
KnnuT0 ha Iira,c
dishing "Sputnik diplomacy" That is
to say, it was worked out as a purely
defensive response to menacing Soviet
talk and action, and Moscow engages
in kind of absurdity now when it
sends notes trying to put a different
light on it. In that sense, as the State
Department has declared, the notes add
up to completely hypocritical" propa-
ganda designed to persuade the gullible
that NATO ought not to take proper and
imperative defensive measures against
Red RuSsia'S armed might, which is in
no way being diminished or redeployed
in a manner calculated to reaSsure
the West.
Still, with that said, the United
states and the free world as a whole
must reckon with the possibility that
the Soviet Union is genuinely fearful of
Germany equipped with arms of all
types. AS former British Prime Minister
Winston Churchill has observed, such a
fear, though unjuStified in the present
context of events, is not unreasonable
in view of Russia's experience with Hit
ler's legionS. Accordingly, we ought not
to underestimate it when we consider
MoScow's new notes of protest or when
we prepare, as we are now preparing,
to negotiate with Mr.. KhruShchev'S rep
resentativeS in Geneva, or with Mr..
KhruShchev himself at later summit
meeting.
Actually, all this boilS down to a
relatively simple proposition: If the
Kremlin is ready to enter upon serious
negotiations for a truly trustworthy
agreement guaranteeing the security of
free Germany and free Europe, the
impending Geneva talks should be fruit
full. The doubts involved, of course, are
very big, and hope for the worlds future
rests on whether or not they can be
resolved satisfactorily.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-04-24
Market Site Protested

Washington is one of the
most beautiful cities in the
world. Stun areas around the
Mall. Constitution avenue
and the surrounding area
were cleaned out not many
years ago. But now a new
potential slum area is being
projected a few blocks away.
Within sight of Capitol Hill,
the very heart of Southwest
Washington is about to be
disf1gured by a projected
market. with space for 100
trucks and cars.
Where is the protest of the
Fine Arts Commission? The
market will be right down
the avenue from the Mellon
Gallery, and not far from the
Smithsonian Institution, a
neighbor to many other
b beautiful attractions of
Washington. Citizens are up
in arms md Congress is
stirred because members real
ize that an unsightly area is
about to be approved by one
of their agents, the Redevel-
opment Land Agency. Rats
will be running in front of
cars of members of Congress,
If final approval is given for
the market near Capitol Hill.
If land were scarce. it
would be a different story.
But there is plenty of land
for the market, according to
real estate men, on the out
skirts of the city. And they
point out that will help the
traffic situation in Washing
ton if the market is located
on the edge Of the city.
Why then does the market
have to occupy choice land in
the heart of Washington?
Where are our plans for a
new Southwest Washington?
If we had vision and vigil
lance, even the railroad via
duct would be made as
attractive as the old Roman
aqueducts.
Citizens of the Southwest
section sold their homes and
places of business, often
reluctantly, with the hope
that a renewal of the section
would take place. Now they
are discovering that good
solid homes were taken down
to make way for another
Dixon'S Court, so long noto-
rious in the Southwest area.
It's about time we all made
some noise so that our chill
dren will not have to move
into a ready-made slum area.
The architects of our Federal
City devised a beautiful plan
for the Capitol Hill area. Let
us realize their dream in our
day.
Charles r. Roberts,
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-04-24

James and Metropolitan
Hotels, but Galt's clock near
The Star Office survived an
other half century. In 1900
the renaissance had already
possessed the "overgrown viii
lage" on the Potomac prepar-
ing the way for the slambang
presence Of Teddy Roosevelt.
John p. COwan.
~ \ X
Thanks to The Star and
DR.. Cannon for the nostalgia
letter about Washington as
it was in 1900. 1t brought
back many happy memories.
as l was born on Capitol Hill
in 1878. My father was a
Metropolitan policeman for
35 years. A few small things
DIR. Cannon omitted were
that drugstores then carried
rock candy and the herdic
stables were at Tenth and c
streets Sc.
Mary M. Patton.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-04-24
Washington in 1900

eS' W. wv
The interests of truth as
well as antiquity demand that
you set your readers straight
on the date with respect to
DR.. Gannon's letter about
Washington life in 1900. He
describes Washington in the
early 1905, but is away of
the beam with respect to the
thoroughly awakened city in
1900. Uncle Sam had fought
an exciting little war with
Spain and extended his boun-
daries to the Caribbean and
westward to the Philippines.
He was digging gold in the
Klondike and building a
grand new Navy. Your Ma
tional Capital was recklessly
tipping its speed limit and at
night glittered under brilliant
electric arc lights. Your copy
readers on The Star wore
green eyeshades to protect
their eyes from the glare of
incandescent 50-candlepower
bulbs. The trolleys were here
in 1900, and Washington, on
account of its wide streets,
was exceedingly motor
minded. Look up the AAA
records.
There were many theaterS
beside the National. What
about Niblo's? If I'm not mis-
taken, Jimmy Lake was in
the show business then or
soon afterward, and patrons
of burleSque and "melodram-
mer" found entertainment to
their liking. Two-reel movies
we're just around the corner
and vaudeville houses showed
interesting news pictures.
Washington was noted for its
good markets, which were
supplied with fruits and veg
etables from the far South
like other large cities of that
period. Virginia country
cured hams and seafood from
Maryland's Eastern Shore
were our great traditional
specialties.
If Washington drawing
rooms had any horsehair
furniture in 1900 it must have
been pieces cherished as
heirlooms, because in that
year monstrously carved
golden oak was a national
craze-and fortunately short
lived. In fine old homes
people still chung to walnut,
rosewood. mahogany and
cherry upholstered in silk or
tapestry. In 1900 the damp,
dark parlorS of the previous
generation were being opened
up to the sunlight and good
cheer.
And so it goes. Shoomaker's
(not "Shoemaker's") barrel
house on E street near
Thirteenth street was still
collecting cobWebs but soon
would disappear from down.
town along with Harvey's
Restaurant. the National, st.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-04-24

presidential nomination to-
day. His vote. too. may have
some effect on the preslden-
tial nomination and the elec-
ton which is TO follow next
year.
One fact should not be
overlooked by the leaders Of
organized labor-the vital
need for labor reform legis-
lation. II they undertake to
prevent any action by Con-
gress in this field there may
be a strong public reaction
against them, a reaction in
which some Of the rank-and-
file members Of labor unions
may take part.
The revelations during the
last two years Of racketeer-
ing and corruption in some
Of the labor unions-particu-
larry the Transfers Union
have shocked the public. The
investigation of the unions,
conducted by a Senate COM
mittee headed by Senator
Mcclellan of Arkansas. is COM
tinuing.
Tells Of Racketeers
Senator Mcclellan has in
sisted that the Kennedy
Erwin bill is full of empty
gestures and pleasant plati-
tudes: that what is needed is
a bill with teeth in it to pro-
tect the rights of the rank
and-flle members of the
unions. In a dramatic speech
to the Senate, he recited out
rageous acts of some labor
leaders, the stealing of labor
union funds, the use of hood
lums and thugs and. black
mailers by others to enforce
their will. He tainted some
of his colleagues with the
charge that they were sub
Servient to the union leaders
and called on them to stand
up and fight for reform.
The Mcclellan bill of rights
amendment which labor lead
erS claim will hamstring the
operations Of unions in many
ways has been firmly written
into the pending labor bill.
The final vote came on a mo-
ton to reconsider and lay on
the table, the adoption of
which ended further conSid-
Grafton of the amendment in
the Senate.
However, Senator Kennedy
and others, according to
parliamentary rules, may of
fer a substitute section Of
the bill leaving out the So
called bill of rights.
OF course, it might be pos
sible to kill the Mcclellan
amendment by House action.
However, the House might
prove even more strongly pro-
bill of rights than did the
Senate. The Taft-Hartley
Act which labor leaders have
called a slave labor law" has
not proved a hindrance to the
development of labor unions.
The law was enacted to meet
the many uses of excessive
power by labor leaders. The
Mcclellan bill of rights was
the result of outrageous cor
ruption in some unions.
The general public can
take just so much domination
by labor, business or any
other special group, and then
it rebels.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-04-24
Communism Fails

1t is a great diSappoint-
ment that The Star on April
10 editorially approved as "a
good point" Fidel Castro's
statement that communism
will not succeed if there is
any reasonable chance of
feeding and clothing the
people.
Actually, communism has
not succeeded" anywhere. If
you had in mind the ques-
ton of Communist success in
gaining adherents, we have
seen people who are well-fed
and well-clothed embracing
it, whether out of lust for
power, need for outside au-
thority, or for whatever
cause. On the other hand,
we need not cite examples of
poverty stricken people who
have resisted the blandish-
mentS. appeals and threats
of the Communists.
Where, then, is the validity
OF the argument that mate
rial conditions determine
receptivity toward commu-
nism? On an editorial the
next day. you noted that the
Communists have suffered
severe setbacks in Greece
even though the Greek econ
omy has been suffering a
mild recession.)
Let us realize rather that
the greatest safeguard
against the promises of to-
talitarianiSm is an under
standing of the blessings of
freedom; and the corollary
proposition that shortcom-
ings in the workings of our
system call for remedy
(which itself may depend on
greater UNDERSTANDING rath-
er than discard of the system
itself for what at most prom
Uses a well-fed slavery.
Lloyd Buchanan.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-04-24
Stamp Controversy

A recent mi-humorous
Star item told of a Civil War
controversy flaring up in
Richmond, Va, the former
capital of those Confederate
States of America. Follow
ing the lead of the U. S.
Supreme Court and left-wing
Northern news media, the
National Civil War Centen-
NAL Commission is evidencing
obvious bias-against the
South!
I refer to the Associated
Press report captioned Civil
War Renewed, This Time
It's Stamps" telling of COM
plants voiced against the
commissions four commence
rative stamps that will be
issued for President Abraham
Lincoln of the U. S. A., but
none for his Confederate
counterpart, President Jeffer-
son Davis of the c. S. A.
The chairman of the COM
missions Common orative
Stamp Committee, DR.. Milti-
more w. Brush, says he ia
vorS a stamp for Davis. How
ever, even if such a Davis
stamp is issued and one for
Lincoln is omitted, the score
VIII still be an unequal three
to one in favor of Yankees.
In the interest of absolute
fairness to both sides, it
would seem that the commits
sion should cancel its request
for two of the four Lincoln
stamps by substituting two
meaningful and significant
Con1eoerate stamps.
A real assist could be given
this plan by a bill recently
introduced in the House by
Representative Robert Wood
row Levering of Ohio, the
author of H.R. 6314, to issue
a special postage stamp for
the Tooth anniversary of the
song Dixie" written in 1859
by a native of his district,
Uncle Dan" Emmett. This
would be an excellent COM
panion stamp to accompany
one for Davis. and thereby
put the South on an equal.
basis with the North in rec
ignition by the National Civil
War Centennial Commission.
Otherwise, if the commission
persists in its policy of Yam
kee IaVofltlSm, its name
should be changed to the
Northern Civil War Centen-
NAL Commission and its &C.
Civities kept entirely out of
the Southland.
It is suggested that, if the
so-called National" Commits
sion desires to show fair and
impartial commemorative of
both sides, that body will see
to 1t that only two Lincoln
stamps represent the North
and that a Davis stamp and
a Dixie" stamp represent
the South. With both sides
equally and fairly represent
ed, neither the Damyankees
nor the unreconstructed reb-
els would have any stamp
complaint against the Civil
War Commission.
Franklin T. Miles.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-04-24

Somebody has said that
one of the drawbacks Of the
motor car is that you can't
read in it.
Even in the back seat no.
body wants to read. On a
bus, train or plane reading
not only is possible. but some
times necessary.
In a car, the road goes by
so quickly that it draws the
attention; then, too, one must
always be alert.
A car is a lonesome sort of
thing, at best, a sort of griev-
ance, at the worst.
Those who drive so little
as IL miles one way to work
and IL miles back find it bet
ter to have a companion.
Books about "the lonesome
crowd" were never written
until the motor car swamped
America.
~ X \
AWareness of aloneness, the
direct opposite of together
ness" comes to a head in a
motor car.
There is so much action,
so much hustle, so much hiss
ing Of tires on the road. the
rattle of something loose, the
passenger might think all
this would spell companion
ship.
1t doesn't, at least for the
lone driver.
1t is easy to see why. in
many cases. he is willing to
pick up a stranger. who. in
the modern way, may pull a
gun on him a few miles down
the road.
+ +
Some readers have diff
Guilty in reading in a bus.
Yet this is one of the best
ways to get through a great
many books in a years time
Say one rides 80 minutes.
twice a day. That makes
full hour, and in a month 1t
means reading for about
full day. In a year. a solid
two weeks Of reading.
BY utilization of such spare
time, as it may be called, a
reader can read books he may
have thought were beyond
him.
The exciting novels can be
read any time, and anywhere,
preferably at home. but the
hard-to-get-through books
are a different matter.
Among strangers. then, on
the way down town. the
reader can concentrate on
these. and finally work his
way through to the end.
i +
It will require, Of course
a bit of prior concentration
One must be determined. at
last, to read the thing.
One has been putting
of for a lifetime those six
solid volumes of THE His
tory Of the Decline and Fall
of the Roman Empire" Not