davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
, 1960-06-17

HOUSE
Charlotte Analie, Saint Thomas
Virgin Islands Of the United States
January -. 1860
The Honorable
The President of the Legislature
of the Virgin Islands Aa
Charlotte Amalie
ST. Thomas, Virgin Islands
My dear Mr.. President:
have the honor to hand you herewith draft Of q Bill
Evening star., 1960-02-18
Good Job for Next Year

chairman Mills OF the House Ways
and Means Committee has given the
administration an encouraging word on
its hopes for some debt reduction in the
coming fiscal year. Referring in a re-
cent speech to the estimated S4.2-billion
surplus in 1861, the head of the tax
writing committee has said he does not
believe it will or should" be taken as
Justification for general tax cut. And
while proposals of that nature undoubt-
edly will be made during the current
session Of Congress, the Arkansas Demo-
crat is in strategic position to hold the
line against any major legislative action.
At the same time, Mr.. Mills repeated
his opinion that long-range program
OF tax reform-including broader base,
the taxing of much income which now
escapes and lower rates in several cate
gorieS-iS desirable. Present rates, he
pointed out, are so high as to "blunt
incentives and Stifle economic growth"
In this connection, the chairman re-
ferred not only to individual but also
to business taxes-specif1cally mention
ing more liberal rules on business de-
probation as one possibility concern
ing which his committee has received
strong recommendations from outside
tax experts.
The next Congress could render a
genuine service, and more easily in a
year when there would be no national
elections, by undertaking the long-range
overhaul which the Ways and Means
chief has suggested and on which his
committee already has held preliminary
hearings.
Evening star., 1960-02-18
How Did 1t Happen?

The most amazing OF many amaZ-
ing things about the now-withdrawn
"Air Reserve Center Training Manual"
on security threats" is how such a
ridiculous instruction pamphlet ever re-
ceived official approval as an Air Force
publication.
1t would have been bad enough if
the many silly statements, charges and
innuendoeS, with some of the question
able documentary sources cited, had
been included in secret paper for in
telligence officers. It is fantastic that
such tripe should have been printed and
circulated as student text" for nom
commissioned officers of the Air Reserve.
When the matter came to his atten-
. tion, Air Force Secretary Sharp acted
promptly to repudiate the document
and its doctrines, and to order an inves-
e tigation of its origin. It is we'll that he
has done so. For the individual respon-
. sible for this monumental piece of nom
. sense should be identified and disci-
plined. He and his kind pose a greater
. threat to the Air Force than do fancied
r.. subversiveS.
Evening star., 1960-02-18

came Of this extraordinary proposal, for
obvious reasons.
Chief among these reasons is the
fact the Subcontractor, If he uses union
labor, looks to Local 26 to furnish him
with electricians. If he tried to put
nonunion electricians to work he almost
certainly would be struck by his union
workers, and this in turn might expose
him to a suit for failure to fulfill his
contract.
Thus, 1t seems to us that the con-
tractor very definitely is the man in the
middle. He is the victim of the economic
power which the union or unions, with
full sanction of law, can bring to bear
upon him.
The real culprit is the diScrimina-
tory policy of Local g. One would think
that Mr.. Meany and the AFL-CIO Exec
utive Council would crack down on Local
26 and force it to accept Negro mem
bers, which would automatically solve
the whole problem. If the AFL-CIO
cannot, or will not, do this, we do not
see how Mr.. Meany can reasonably ex-
pect the contractors or the Presidents
committee to do it.
Evening star., 1960-02-18
Gromp at Pea Ridqe

Ralph McGill's sparkling
column, "The Story of Pea
Ridge Battle of '62," car
ried an unexpected and much
appreciated tribute to my
grandfather, Sgt. Henderson
Virden who was. as Mr.. Nc
Gill states, shot down in his
own pea patch during that
bloody haSsle in the Ozarks.
Mr.. McGill has given
grandpappy more publicity
than he ever got in his life
time. And in spite of that
mimic ball he picked up at
the Battle Of Pea Ridge he
lived to the respectable age
Of SO and told some real
whoppers about The War
until the end of his days. He
once told me sonny, I've lied
so much about The War,
damme if I amt almost for
got what really happened"
But the wound was real; he
had a bullet under his hide
that felt like it was about the
size Of a sand plum.
I hate to admit being be-
holden to any Yankee, but I
am indebted to the one who
plugged grandpappy in his
pea patch. While he was
home recovering from his
wound he sired my father,
though the Confederate SER
geant never saw his young
est son until he came home
In the early summer of 1865,
after Appomattox.
John M. Virden,
Colonel USAF (Ret.)
Evening star., 1960-02-18
odd Numbers Racket

The President has blended caution
with note of hopefulnesS in his COM
ment on the latest Soviet nuclear test
ban proposal, and this, it seems to us,
Is the proper reaction.
This new Russian proposal was put
forward after the Soviet delegate to the
Geneva discussions had again rejected
our suggestion for treaty which would
ban all testing except small underground
tests which cause no fallout and which,
in the judgment of our scientists, might
be very difficult to detect.
1t was not fiat rejection, however,
since the Russians came up with coun-
terproposal-that the treaty ban all
. tests but permit limited number Of
inspections on Russian territory under
standards originally proposed by the
: West. The critical question is how
!, many-or how few-inspectionS would
: be permitted.
. 1t was this question which prompted
Mr.. Eisenhower to caution against get
, ting into situation in which we would
be faced with interminable argument
over "the old numbers racket"-that is,
how many inspections. But Mr.. Eisen-
hover also said the counterproposal
seems to be move away from the for
merly rigid Russian position, and that
1t certainly is going to be studied"
This is as it should be. 1t seems
strange to us, however, assuming this
to be a serious rather than a propa-
ganda proposal, that the Russians would
be willing to permit inspection in only
a few cases in which scientific evidence
suggests an explosion. Why not inspect
them all? Unless and until there is a
plausible answer to this question, we
should maintain a sharp lookout for
BOBBY traps.
Evening star., 1960-02-18
The Real CuIprit'

1t may very well be that some high
a.. level politicking is involved in the latest
controversy over discrimination against
Negro workers on Government construc-
tion jobs in Washington. The best way
to get at the heart of the matter, how
ever, is to examine the facts and forget
the politics.
AFL-CIO President George Meany
touched off the current row with
statement issued in Florida. He charged
the Presidents Committee on Govern
ment Contracts, headed by Vice Presi-
dent Nixon, with failure to cooperate
with him, and said that the real
culpritt in job discrimination is the
contractor.
. In our Judgment the real culprit,
as far as this particular controversy is
, concerned, is not the contractor, but
Local 26, International Brotherhood of
. Electrical Workers, an affiliate of the
AFL-CIO.
The intricacies of the situation were
explored In an article in yesterdays
. Star What it all boilS down to, how
ever, is the fact that Local 26 adamantly
refuses to accept Negro electricians as
members. And neither the Presidents
committee nor the contractor has any
control over Local 26.
Mr.. Meany'S contention is that the
contractor, in compliance with a provi-
sion In these contracts, should be forced
to hire Negro workers. In one instance,
he offered to bring in nonunion Negro
electricians from other cities If the
electrical subcontractor would put them
to work on Washington job. Nothing
Evening star., 1960-02-18
Toxpoyer Pays

Under the heading dc.
Compromise" a letter by
William H. ChesSman pro-
poses a compromise on the
home rule" problem, 1t sug-
gestS that one of the three
District Commissioners be
elected. I hope this sugges-
ton gets a fair hearing.
Anything that will give us
more voice in District mat
ters than we have now would
be welcome.
My quarrel with Mr..
ChesSman comes with his
statement that the Capital
City Is run ION funds largely
appropriated by the National
Congress" 1t may be that
Mr.. Chessman does not
know that approximately 80
per cent of these funds come
from District taxpayers
pockets. He is technically
correct in saying that Con-
gress appropriates the funds
but when he leaves out the
other important fact, the
statement becomes unfair.
There are already too many
people throughout the so
States" who believe, and
through ignorance, that we
pay no taxes in the District.
H. I. Preston.
Evening star., 1960-02-18
Thank You Note

Now that the weekend
snowstorm is behind us, I
am writing the Washington
newspapers by way of thank
ing them for their splendid
service in keeping the public
warned and cautioned con-
cerning the storm and the
condition Of the highways
and streets. Your paper and
your staff performed admira-
bly, in that service.
The fact that during the
storm we had no significant
traffic congestion and that
we had no traffic fatalities
in the District Of Columbia
can be attributed to the
splendid program of news
support, a program in which
The Star had a prominent
part.
Especially on my mind
during this winters first
snow storm was the business
of traffic safety. In that busi-
ness there is a point beyond
which trafilc engineering, the
courts. the police and gov
ernment in general cannot
progress and where traffic
safety education depends
upon the high-clasS perform
ance of the various new s
media. I thank you for rem
dering such performance.
A. C. yelling,
Brigadier General, USA, En-
gineer Commissioner.
Evening star., 1960-02-18
Still Menocinq

almost $4.2 billion for the Mutual Sc
curity Program in fiscal 1861, President
Eisenhower has placed proper emphasis
on the fact that the United States and
the rest of the free world must still
reckon with communism as real and
present danger throughout the globe.
True enough, this danger some
times wears smiling face whose mouth
speaks soft and honeyed words, but we
and all like-minded nations-for sur
vivalS Sake-muSt nonetheleSS be con-
Stantly on guard against it, politically,
economically and militarily. The PreSi-
dents warning on that score has been
we'll stated in his message to Congress.
AS he has put 1t:
While over the past year the Soviet
Union has expressed an interest in meas
ures to reduce the common peril of war;
and while its recent department and pro-
nouncementS suggest the possible OPEN
ing Of a somewhat less strained period
in our relationships. the menace of Com
munist imperialism nevertheless still re-
mains. The military power of the Soviet
Union continues to grow. Increasingly
important to free world interests is the
rate OF growth of both military and eco
nomic power in Communist China
Evidence that this enormous power bloc
remains dedicated to the extension of
Communist control over all peoples every
where is found In Tibet the Taiwan
Straits, in Laos and along the Indian
border.
Accordingly, the Mutual Security
Program is project whose vigorous
continuation is Of vital Importance
just as vital now as it has been in years
paSt-both to our own national safety
and the safety of our friends and allies
overseas, on every continent. Hence,
out of the $4.2 billion that the Presi-
dent has requested of Congress, So bill
lion would be for weapons and other
forms Of military aid to our partners
In the North Atlantic Treaty Organi-
zation and other allied groupings en-
gagged in a common effort to maintain
their freedom against the threat of
Red subverSion and aggression. AS for
the remainder Of the total asked for by
Mr.. Eisenhower, it would be expended
on various types of economic assistance
including long-term loans-to help
numerous independent countries, some
OF them very young and underdeveloped,
make the sort of progress they must
have to remain their own masters and
become Self-supporting.
More than a few members of the
Senate and House have indicated that
they will fight again, perhaps even more
militantly than they have fought be-
fore, against the whole concept of the
Mutual Security Program. 1t must be
hoped, however, that they will once
more fail in their efforts and that Con-
gress as whole will keep the project
going, in both its military and economic
aspects, substantially as the President
has urged.
In any event, given the nature
OF Communist armed power and the
Kremlin's trade-and-aid maneuvers in
Asia, Africa and even Latin America,
Mr.. Eisenhower is certainly right in
warning that it would be most foolish"
to abandon or weaken the common de-
terrent strength of our mutual defenses.
To do that would be to invite the Red
totalitarians to nibble away at the free
world and swallow it bit by bit.
Evening star., 1960-02-18
ForS. z. 81

Senate Resolution No. "a
should be supported. This
resolution would remove the
Self-judging clause from the
United States acceptance of
the jurisdiction of the In
ternational Court of Justice.
There are several reasons
for supporting the resolution:
Cd Law is most effective if
parties to a dispute are not
judges in their own case; (2)
80 nations have accepted
compulsory jurisdiction of the
court without any self-judg-
ing reservation: 60 the prin-
cipal civilizations and legal
systems of the world are rep
resented in the court; a. no
two judges of the Is judges
of the court may be of the
same nationality; and (5O
the court has heard only 13
cases in its 13-year history.
Robert J. Weber.
Evening star., 1960-02-18
Rough Shedding

an Associated Press wirephoto
in the Los Angeles Times
headed, "Sleds Race Among
Ghosts of the Past" The
picture showed a hillside of
Arlington National Cemetery
with people with sleds en-
joying themselves among the
tombstones.
What better illustrates the
decay of our generation?
Where are the D. A. R. and
the American Legion? Have
their lips been sealed to such
an onslaught of depravity?
What is the matter with
Congress? Are they so cal
lous they care not for our
heritage?
Are there no honored
dead?
DcSSic H. SLOlCs
Riverside, Calf.
\
After reading excuses by
officials of Fort Myer for
Clipped headstoneS in Ar
lington Cemetery, I wonder
what excuses they will offer
for the latest desecration of
that cemetery by allowing
children to sleighride and
ski down the hill in front of
Lee Mansion. 1t is evidently
allowed, for the guard TAX
ing the flag down did not
send them away. There are
hills in the wooded area of
Fort Myer where these chill
dren could sleighride, but
even if there were not, there
is no excuse for the absolute
disreSpect of the last resting
place of our honored dead.
1t is true there are no graves
in front of the mansion. but
that is not the point. The
point is, it is a cemetery, not
a playground for children.
How can children be taught
respect for the dead when
their elders see no need for
1t? We have been in the
cemetery many times and
seen children riding bicycles
on the grass, or the graves,
just wherever they wanted
to ride. Is it not time to put
a stop to such things?
Parents of One Buried There.
X 4
Like most parents, I was
appalled, at the number and
seriousness of shedding acci-
dents during our recent snow
fall. This must be prevented,
but how? Snow has become
a rarity in Washington. Shall
we, for safety purposes, deny
our children the thrill of
coasting down an icy hill?
Must we sand all our road
ways to facilitate car traf-
flc, refuse our children al
together the infrequent fun
OF shedding, or worse, stand
by while the more bold dodge
sand strips and parked cars
OH their way down a slope?
Suburbs have become much
like the city; open fields and
inviting hills have sprouted
more houses and more roads.
Where are the children to
go with their sleds? Because
almost all of the accidents
have been collisions with cars,
Evening star., 1960-02-18
Federotion's Stand

In view Of conflicting re-
ports. I should like to clarity
the position of the Fedora
ton of Citizens Associations
with regard to the RESPONSE
bility of the Federal Govern
ment towards the District,
and the stands taken by the
federation on proposals by
the D. c. Commissioners for
new and increased taxes to
meet rising costs of local
governmental services.
The Federation does not
expect local taxes to COM
pare too favorably with those
in adjacent States. On the
other hand, however, it is
important that they be no
higher than those in adja-
cent areas, so as not to en-
courage an increased exodus
of the stable element of the
population to the suburbs.
The District government
performs many functions
which are supported for other
municipalities by their States.
The Federal Government is
the recipient of many services
paid for by District tax re-
ceipts. but its property is
tax exempt; were that prop
erty occupied by private in
dustry, it would be subject
to a high rate of taxation,
and taxes on profits of in
dustry would likewise increase
District revenues.
The Federation, therefore,
believes that the Federal
Government should pay about
40 per cent of the District
budget, an obligation it as
sumed many years ago but
later rejected. The Fedora
ton recently urged that the
Federal contribution be raised
to $50 million, at least, for
the next fiscal year. and that
every effort be made to
secure a 40 per cent payment
in the future.
l. The Federation is un-
alterably opposed to any in
crease in the real estate tax
rate.
2. The Federation voted to
go along with the proposed
franchise tax on incorporated
businesses.
3. The Federation con-
CURED In proposed tax in
creases on liquors, beer and
cigarettes, believing that tax
increases on luxuries are
more justif1able than those
on necessities. 1t did not sup
port elimination of the sales
tax exemption on telephone
service, already subject to a
10 per cent Federal excise
tax.
4. The Federation opposed
the Commissioners scale for
increases in the local income
tax, believing it too drastic.
Mrs. Edward B. Morris,
Secretary. Federation of Citi-
ZenS Associations Of the
District of Columbia.
Evening star., 1960-02-18
THIS AND THAT
By CHARLES E. TRACEWELL

People love to talk. Those
fellows on radio, for in
stance
And those ladies at their
m eetings! They are no
worse. in this respect. than
those gentlemen at their
meetings.
Human beings like to talk.
Therefore (and it seems a
very natural therefore,, the
bird that seems to love to
talk is going to make a big
hit.
To the extent that many
millions of him are now in
American homes.
Everv home he enters, or
she enters, is the better for
the entry. because here is a
boon companion.
We have been interested in
recent weeks to learn of large
numbers of persons who keep
parakeets without training
them to talk.
Just the mere presence.
evidently, is enough.
They are missing a great
deal, however, when they do
not start the bird to talking.
This is because, we believe.
the creature genuinely likes
to talk.
When you think Of all the
dumb animals. as they are
called. that have no words at
all, we must stand in amaze
ment at a tiny creature ac-
tually talking - and in Eng
lish, too!
The animals have no
words, and so cannot reason,
as we people do.
They do show emotions by
sounds. 1t is possible to call
these sounds words" if you
insist, but actually they are
not words.
With the alphabet and
words, or ordered sounds, hu-
manity came down out of the
trees and the jungles and be-
came human.
Can we say then that, be-
cause the parskeet uses
words and speaks SEN
tences that make sense, 1t is
thinking?
1t Is hard TO say.
Evening star., 1960-02-18

Ones own parakeet is the
very best parakeet in the
world. Sure. sure.
From Hyattsville comes a
letter bearing this out. The
second sheet is missing. so
we don't know who wrote it.
AS far as it goes, here it is:
II am one of your many
everyday fans. I read your
wonderful articles with very
much pleasure and satisfac-
tion.
"Sir. I have a little para
keet and our home would
not be the same without him.
He is a real pretty blue
and a real talker.
He can say most anything.
I don't know how many
different words he uses but
he talks continuously.
II have told many people
the things he says and most
of them are skeptical and
just laugh or ask me if you
have to be a parakeet to
understand him.
Some ask me if I have a
current membership in the
Liars Club.
II can call this bird and he
comes to me right away.
When I speak to him he is so
glad he flutters his wings and
kind of purrs or makes little
noises in his throat.
This bird does everything
from riding on my electric
razor to perching on my
hand while I clean my teeth.
He will go to my wife and
let her fondle him, too. but
won't f1utter his wings.
II would like to have any
one"
Here the letter ends. but
it adds up to a nice bird.
These creatures have their
own ways Of making them
selves welcome in human
surroundings.
Years ago 1t was the ca
nary that won the hearts of
all.
Now it is the parakeet.
The world Of Gagged birds
has exchanged a music box
for a talking machine!
Since human beings prefer
talk to music, this probably
is a good thing.
Evening star., 1960-02-18
DISPUTED Incident

William Francis McDon-
nell, in his letter February
IL, described a truly fantas-
tic account Of the Inaugural
ton of President Lincoln on
March 4, 1861.
But Mr.. Mcdonnell did not
check up on his history con-
corning Col" Robert E. Lee.
Lee had arrived in Washing
ton on March /. He was the
senior lieutenant colonel of
the United States Army. He
was not placed in charge of
the security of Mr.. Lincoln
and there were not enough
riflemen available in Wash
ington to protect the new
President as it was described.
Lee as the senior lieuten-
ant colonel of the Army,
reached his number as a full
or en-colonel on
March 16 and accepted the
promotion on March 81. At
this time he. in keeping with
Army regulations, took the
oath of Office required of all
officers, swearing to uphold
the Constitution of the
United States and giving his
allegiance to the country.
He thus became the junior
colonel of the Army.
Charles Coulter.
Editors Note: Mr.. Nc
Donnell's information that
Lee was in charge of Mr..
Lincoln's safety during his
first Inauguration was OBJ
tained from a booklet, Lin
coin and Lee" written by
Col. Smith Dunbar Fry, a
Union veteran and former
Washington respondent.
Mr.. Coulter consulted official
Army records for his ma
terial.)
Evening star., 1960-02-18

would it be such a terrible
inconvenience to prohibit au-
tomobiles on some of the little
used roads in the suburban
areas for the brief period that
the snow is on the roads?
Margaret Gilmore.