davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1961-01-16
Matter of Credit

I read with interest the
news item, Park Road Span
Cited by Institute for Its
Beauty" which appeared in
your January II edition and
the reference therein that
the District, the designer
represented by the Depart
ment Of Highways and Traf-
fic) and the United States
Steel Corp. had received en-
graved certificates for the
part which they played In
the construction Of the Park
Road Bridge.
There was no mention made
Of the following civic organi.
cations who had to fight so
hard with the District Gov
ernment to get the job done:
Forest Hills Citizens AS
sociation. Chevy Chase Citi-
zens Association. Hawthorn
Citizens Association, Cathe-
dral Heights Citizens Asso-
citation, Columbia Heights
Citizens Association, Connec-
ticut Avenue Citizens Asso-
citation. Mt. Pleasant Citi-
zens Association, Sixteenth
Street Highlands Citizens
Association, Kalorama Citi-
zens Association, Crestwood
Citizens Association, KiwaniS
Of Northwest Washington,
Uptown Lions Club, Rock
Greek Lions Club, Optimists
Club Of Uptown Washington,
Uptown Connecticut Avenue
Businessmen's Association,
Columbia Heights Business
mems Association and Up
town Businessmen's Associa-
ton
Some recognition should
also 60 to the 1857 Senate
and House District Commit
tees and Subcommittees on
Appropriations in joining
with the foregoing civic or
ganizations to see that the
bridge (Which had been per-
manently closed by the Dis
trict Government without
any. plans for reconstruction
or replacement) was replaced
by the present Park Road
bridge for which the Dis
trict, through the Engineer
ing Commissioners office
now receives credit.
ROLAND G. Lamensd0rf,
Chairman. Park Roa d
Bridge Committee.
Evening star., 1961-01-16
:Humility on the Frontier

There was refreshing humility
about Orville Freeman'S testimony be-
fore the Senate Agriculture Committee.
Appearing as President-elect Kennedy's
nominee for the "hot seat" of Secretary
;of Agriculture, the former Governor of
minnesota chose to accentuate the neg
,ative with reference to his qualifica-
.tions. II do not present myself as an
expert on agriculture" he said, almost
lin protest at the suggestion that he
might be Moses who could lead the
way to better things down on the farms.
IT do not claim to have all the answers"
I If this sounds like strange talk from
!one of the "New Frontiersmen," who
were displaying no such diffidence prior
to November 8 about their capacity to
solve all sorts Of national problems, it
has some of the virtues of candor and
realism. In way, there has been no
shortage Of experts" on agriculture,
particularly among congressional Dem
ocrats who have specialized for the past
eight years in criticizing Republican
Secretary Ezra Benson and blocking
every administration effort to apply a
reasonable amount of sane economics
to problem that has been part Of the
American politico- economic scene for
the past quarter Of century. It is, in
fact, ironic that it should have been a
farm veteran" among the lawmakers,
Democratic Chairman Ellender of the
Senate committee, who expressed the
wistful hope that city-bred Mr.. Free
man might turn into Moses with the
wisdom needed to show the way.
It is quite possible, of course, that
II the farm politicians in and out of
Congressional allowed Mr.. Benson to
show the Nay there would be less of a
problem for Mr.. Freeman to inherit.
Basically, the departing Secretary IA
vored more dependence on the non
political laws of supply and demand,
and less dependence upon a mish-mash
OF Government programs that have had
an end result of helping the big corpo-
ration farms more than the smaller
ones. The result, Of course, has been to
pile up SurpluSeS in key crops (notably
wheat) and to add billions to the ex-
penditure side of the Federal budget.
Indeed, with Secretary less purposeful
and courageous than Mr. Benson things
might have become worse than they are
and the farm States themselves paid
him perhaps the finest tribute in their
near-unanimous refusal to vote Demo-
cratic on November 8. AS he leaves
Washington, Mr. Benson has no need to
offer excuses or apologies. AS a chari-
table man, he undoubtedly wishes his
successor good luck" and no doubt Mr..
Freeman will need 1t. ..
Evening star., 1961-01-16
Praises Byrd

Thank God this Nation has
men Of Senator Harry Flood
Byrd's caliber to serve it.
Senator Byrd withstood the
severest pressure. For not
supporting the Democratic
presidential candidate and
many of the platform planks
which he found Objectionable,
Senator Byrd was threatened
with loss of the chairman
ship of the Senate Finance
Committee. But love of coun-
try and loyalty to constitu-
ents gave him the fortitude
to bear up under all of this.
Senator Byrd is a rare per-
son and a rare Senator - q
man with intestinal fortitude,
a quality lacking in many
Congressman and Senators
today.
II all the elected represen-
tatives possessed such char
acter. citizens fears that
forces Of Government may
lessen our freedoms and work
against our desires and wish
es woll1d vanish An atmoS. .
phere that all is well would
prevail.
Congressman with strength
Of character will be the ones
who will keep the. United
States forever free and
strong.
I hail Senator Byrd Of Vir-
ginia-a truly great man.
Mary Curtis
Evening star., 1961-01-16
Capital Idea

IL mas Deen estimated by
some that there is q need
for several billion dollars
annually for capital invest
ment in underdeveloped
countries to allow these
countries to develop yiable
economies resistant to COM
munism. Much of this money
could be obtained from the
average small investor in this
country. II the latter had
some chance to intelligently
and fairly safely invest. Also,
the money could be placed
under the control Of private
entrepreneurs, with the re-
sultant advantage Of tapping
individual initiative and en-
ergy.
One method of reaching
this private money would be
to set up q Government
agency to make surveys, in
consultation with affected
countries, Of commercially
feasible capital needs of
countries willing to partici-
pate. The agency and the
affected country would select
and contract with the entre-
preneurs who would construct
and operate the project who
should be allowed to proceed
freely, subject to minimum
controls for fraud. At q
fixed time. or at the option
OF the interested parties, the
project would be sold (possi-
bly, allowing some advantage
in the bidding to Americans,
nationals Of the host country
or others). An agreed-upon
percent Of the profit, less ao-
ministrative costs, would 60
to the enterpreneurs, the re-
mainder to the investors.
(Thus after a short period
there would be as much re-
turn to this country as out
flow. Actually, outflow of
capital to soft currency"
countries does not too dras-
tically affect our gold re-
serves.) In return for loss
Of control Of bis money, the
American investor could be
guaranteed the return. of all
or a part Of the principal
sum invested.
In addition to establishing
the division of profits, the
contract would have to pro-
vide for a number of matters,
depending on the country
and upon conditions. Tax and
other concessions might be
appropriate. To make certain
the project is sold for its
reasonable value, the host
country should agree not to
nationalize Cor regulate to
death) the industry after 1t
is sold, for a. st a speci-
fled period. .ie agency
should avoid overreaching a
foreign government in ne
gotiating a contract, to lessen
the danger Of later repudia-
ton.
There are other, possibly
undesirable. conditions that
could be established, such as
requiring the entrepreneurs
to pay set wages (but a legal,
general minimum wage could
hardly be avoided) or requir-
ing that all equipment be
purchased in the U. s. One
condition that would seem
to be desirable would "be to
require the training and en-
ployment Of as many Of the
Evening star., 1961-01-16
Soviet Farm Woe,

Despite all Premier Khrushchev's
boastful predictions about soon equal
ling and even exceeding Americas farm
production, major agricultural deficien-
cies continue to plague the Soviet
Union. Thus, although the country's
population is growing at rate of well
over million year, Russian output of
grain and meat has fallen far short of
the official goals for both 1859 and 1860.
Indeed, it apparently has done worse
than just stand still, having decreased
rather than increased since 1864 fact
that means continuing bleak diet for
the masses.
The seriousness of this situation has
been limited at by what the Moscow
press has been allowed to report on last
weeks proceedings Of the Central Com
mittee OF the Soviet Communist Party.
At several of the committees sessions
Mr.. Khrushchev, according to news
papers like Pravda and Izvestia, gave a
tongue-lashing to the party's political
leaders and agricultural bosses in such
farming areas as the Ukraine and
kazakhstan. More than a few of these
bureaucratS, he indicated, would be
punished severely for having "juggled"
production figures and resorted to de-
ceit, trickery, prevarication or con-
nivance with "Sneaks" and thieves" in
trying to cover up the mismanagement
involved in the poor crops of the past
two years and in the grossly deficient
raising OF livestock "a truly shocking
deficiency by Western standards).
In taking this angry position, Mr..
Khrushchev seems intent on making the
most of whipping boys to help account
for the failure of his own forecasts,
Yet, although there probably is con-
siderable truth In what he has said
about the misconduct of these officials,
two other factors must also be reckoned
with In connection with the troubles
beSetting agriculture in the USSR. The
first is that nature itSelf-nature in the
form OF killing frost and bad weather
In general-haS been less than kind to
Soviet farming in 1859 and 1860. And
the second factor, which is at least
equally important, is the persistent re-
sistance OF great numbers of Russia's
farmers to the party-line restraints of
Red regimentation and collectivization-
a resistance that explains, for example,
why the Ukraine's peasants have
stolen" half their latest corn crop to
use 1t as fodder rather than deliver it
to the all-powerful state.
This Ukrainian action plainly sug-
gests that Soviet agriculture will keep
on experiencing serious difficulties
regardless Of weather or the behavior
OF. oureaucratS-as long as the Kremlin
denies the average Russian farmer real
profit-motive incentives to do an eff
cient job. Occasionally Mr.. Khrushchev
has shown signs of realizing that fact,
but he has not done much about it so
far, and farming in the USSR continues
to limp along accordingly, as it is likely
to do until he or one of his successors
finally hberates it from the outmoded
dogmas and dictates Of Marxism-
Leninism-Stalinism.
Evening star., 1961-01-16
WATCHING THE WORLD
Rv HpNcPv NOVEc
Algerian Outlook Not Without Hope
BY CROSBY S. NOYE.
FOREIGN Correspondent of The Stor

agreement even in secret on
the desired results of an
eventual vote, most of the
difficulties which now seem
insuperable would autonlat-
ically disappear.
The possibility Of reaching
such an agreement is per-
haps less farfetched than 1t
sounds. Gen. de Gaulle's de-
clared objective in Algeria
creation of an independent
republic linked by close ties
to Francois not necessarily
one which the leaders of the
Nationalist rebellion would
be unable to accept. The ina
jor question of course. is
the part that these leaders
themselves would play in
new Algeria. And the answer
now seems to be that their
active participation is now
considered inevitable ny the
great majority of Frenchmen.
Compromise Possible
Apart from this. other
major points Of any negotia-
ton would include guarantees
for the European. community
of Algeria and the quite con-
siderable number of Moslems
who have remained loyal to
France throughout the six
year war. This raises some
problems. particularly in case
of the Moslems who want to
retain their status as French
citizens. But, as the example
of Tunisia and Morocco has
shown, such problems can be
solved without too much dit.
ficulty, given reasonable good
will on both sides.
Finally there is the harder
question of independent AL
geria's continuing ties with
France. In the economic
field, Gen. de Gaulle has
some powerful cards to play.
notably the presence in
France of some half a million
Moslems whose wages go to
support many times that
number of native Algerians.
In addition, continuation Of
the Constantine plan which
has poured millions into Al
geria's economic develop
ment will depend entirely on
continuing cooperation with
the mother country.
When it comes to the
chances OF a compromise
agreement with the Algerian
Nationalist on the general
form of the new Algerian re-
public, it appears in fact that
the outlook is by no means
hopeless. If the passion and
propaganda could be laid
aside, something which ap-
proaches the common goal
might be defined. If So the
end would be in sight. And If
the political purists object
that this would prejudice
self-determination of the AL
gerian people, they them
selves after six years of bitter
bloodshed ask nothing better.
Evening star., 1961-01-16
Federal Insurance

Although still maintaining
the feeling Of youth, I am
aging. I was retired from q
Federal Government job last
summer. I succeeded, how
ever, in obtaining insurance
for hospital. surgical and
medical benefits under one
Of the plans covered by the
Federal Employees Health
Benefits Act of 1919. The
rate charged me is for
Female and Nondependent
Husband" The high option
premium / pay reduces my
small monthly annuity check
by 8 per cent; the Govern
ment contributes about 81
per cent toward my insur-
ance.
Where husband and wife
Evening star., 1961-01-16
Sir John and the Atom

: The judges have made an excellent
choice in naming Sir John Cockcroft
to receive the 1861 Atoms for Peace
Award. For this distinguished Briton,
who won the Nobel Prize in physics a
decade ago, is an authentic genius in the
field of nuclear science, and he has
been a prime mover in efforts to ex-
plot that science-which is full of i'm
menSe promise as we'll as immense
threat for the benefit not only of his
own countrymen, but of peoples every
where.
1t was in 1882 that Sir John, to-
gether with DR.. E. T. S. Walton at Cam
bridge University, succeeded in disinte-
grating atomic nuclei by bombarding
them with subatomic particles. This had
never been done before in any of the
worlds laboratories, and 1t had the
erect OF opening up a great new
frontier, fateful new age, in nuclear
research. Thereafter, with the advent
Of the Second World War, Sir John,
besides contributing significantly to
Britain's development Of radar, played
an important role in the successful and
revolutionary Anglo-Canadian- -Anieri-
can undertaking to produce mankind's
first A-bomb.
Because Of the tremendous, almost
unimaginable destructiveness of atomic
hydrogen weapons, Sir. John is on record
as having declared, not long after
Hiroshima, that he would have been
much happier If the. development of
such weapons had proved to be impos-
sible. In the postwar years, however, he
has concentrated mainly on work, both
In Britain and abroad, designed to speed
up the peaceful applications of nuclear
energy on global scale in such fields as
Industry, agriculture and health.
So this years, Atoms for Peace
Award has been fittingly bestowed.
Established in 1866 by the Ford Motor
Company Fund as a memorial to Henry
and Edsel Ford, the prize-a gold medal
and $75,000-is financially the largest
Evening star., 1961-01-16

things off the earth) make
analogous use of proteins,
comprised of the same amino
acids. in hopes Of under
standing what seem to be
random choices in the sculp-
ture Of our own living forms.
Common to terrestrial life
are a number of smaller
molecules involved in the
working metabolism diving
processes of the cells. Ex-
amples are most of the B vi
tamins which have a perfectly
general distribution. They
are vitamins for us only be-
cause we have learned in our
evolutionary history to rely
on their production by green
plants rather than to syn
thesize them within our own
cells. But once formed these
vitamins play entirely analo-
gous roles in the metabolism
of all cells. P.
"A few substances, such as
the steroid hormones, do play
special roles in the metabo-
lism of higher organisms and
testify to some progress in
biochemical evolution. Most
objective evidence. however,
points to a loss of specific
functions. Micr o organisms
are certainly more versatile
and less dependent than man
on specific nutrient millieu.
The main burden of evolu-
tion from the prototypes Of
one to the other has not been
to develop new bio-chemical
unit processes but to co-ordi-
nate them in time and space.
Role of Nucleic Acids
Perhaps the most signifi-
cant elements of sameness in
all terrestrial life, the Ma
tional Academy report points
out, are the universally dis
tributed nucleic acids. These
make up the basic structure
of the nuclei of all living cells
from those of a slime mold
on the surface of a stagnant
puddle to those of a royal
eagle. Within them is stored
the racial memory" They are
the basic elements concerned
with cell division, which is
the basis of reproduction.
They assure, for example,
that the dividing reproduce
tive cells of human beings
will result in humans-within
limits quite specific kinds of
humans.
All varieties, even minute
variations, of life on earth
can be referred to subtle diff
ferenceS between them. They
are chain-like structures Of
sugar phosphate molecules.
Their complexity from spe-
cies to species is almost be-
yond comprehension. The
bacteria, simplest of living
organisms. have chains about
five million units long. Those
of human beings have about
5,000,0O0.000 units. Each unit
carries its own orders" to
the next generation. The
nucleic acid mechanism as
sures that brain cells will
split into other brain cells,
skin cells into other skin
cells.
Evening star., 1961-01-16
VISTAS IN SCIENCE
Same BiochemicoI Base in All Life
By THOMAS R. HENRY

Life" up to now, has
meant only life as known on
earth.
1t appears in literally mil
lions of forms-but from
earthworm to the brain of
Einstein it has certain char
acters in common every
where. A cake of yeast can
extract materials from it's
environment and grow, re-
produce itself in units with
some precision, and to vari-
ous extents adapt itself to it's
surroundings. A chunk of
granite can do none of these.
One is living. The other is
dead"
Everywhere and in every
known form life has an ap-
parently identical bio-chem-
ical base. Even q skilled bio
chemist hardly can distin-
guish an extract of yeast
cells and an extract of beef
muscle. Chemical complexity
Of tissues, Of course, in
creases astronomically from
species to species but that,
for the time being, is beside
the point.
Common Makeup
Now. biologists seem just
beginning to realize, there
can be no actual certainty
that the characters which,
terrestrially distinguish liv-
ing from non-living might
not be impaired to conglom-
erationS of matter by quite
different, and as yet unprov-
able chemical mechanisms.
Some of the bio-chemical
constituents of ALI known
living things are described
in a National Academy of
Sciences report.
Found in all living matter,
for example, are the So
called ammo acids, in which
the element nitrogen is at
tached to atoms of various
other elements. Extremely
complex combinations of
these acids make up the
molecules Of proteins which.
in turn, are referred to often
as building blocks" of i'm
portant body structures.
They are one of the essen
tials of food-aS anybody
who listers to radio adver-
tising must have been well
aware for the last few years.
One of the great pniloSoph-
ical shocks of this generation
has been the demonstration
that man himself can make
the aminos out of non-living
materials.
It is still, of course. a long,
long step from combinations
of these 20 mild acids. to a
protein, although there are
some claims that this has
been accomplished. At least
a protein-like material has
been produced. But there re-
mains an incalculable dis
tance between a protein and
a wood fern OF an oyster. to
say nothing of a mosquito or
a mouse.
1--WE would ask" says the
National Academy report,
whether exobiota diving
Evening star., 1961-01-16
Mock McGH

One of the recent argu-
ments of Ralph McGill was
extremely amusing. Here we
go! The position of Attorney
General. an appointment of
the President, now includes
powers never before used.
Therefore the Attorney Cen
eral must be close to the
President. Therefore the
closest man to the President
is his brother. Therefore.
the appointment is one of
necessity and not of family
favoritism.
Logic students should be
able to find unusual relation
ships here. They might wish
to collect it as a companion
piece to Corliss Lamont's
arguments in the "Ameri-
cana" That one, as you re-
member. says that the So
Wet governments policy of
complete equality among all
of its republics is proved by
the rise Of Stain, a Georgian,
to supreme power!
M. III. Raitt.
Ralph McGill's labored
column on our new Attorney
General Is one of the best
examples of specious reason
ing I have ever read.
Nepotism is nepotism as
surely as a spade is a spade,
regardless of who uses it,
and no amount of wealth can
sanctify it. Let's just face it
and not try to cover 1t up
with exalted phrases.
Ruth ID. Boyer.
Evening star., 1961-01-16
Wants Neqro Envoys

Wllcl JuuSeO OH IHe OASIS
Of industrial output, scien-
tific know-how, modern tech
nology. economic growth and
expansion, and modern areas
of high power advertisement,
perhaps there is no nation
today that equals America.
However, in the field Of hu-
man understanding and in
ternational strategy in max
ing true friends among the
masses Of people throughout
the word we are novices.
Within recent months, the
balance of power in the areas
Of population and natural re-
sources has shifted to non-
white people. These people
who have recently acquired
their freedom have expressed
their determination to re-
main free. One of the new
independent leaders recently
said, I'VE are searching for
ideas and institutions that
will assist us in maintaining
our sovereignty while we
forge ourselves into a mod
ern state"
During my recent visit to
18 countries of Asia and AZ
rica. I observed that the Unit
ed States is allowing the po-
tential goodwill of the un-
decided people to become
shifted away from America
because of our racial stupid
ity in filling the various
United States Embassies and
Consulates Of these countries
with mediocre personnel
whereas a few first-class Ne
gro Americans would have a
tremendous influence in max
ing friends with these people.
The power and influence
Of some one Negro, such as
DR.. Mordecai w. johnson,
would be worth that of ten
ordinary representatives such
as we now have on these
staffs.
Time is running out on us
to decide whether traditional
prejudice will keep us blind
to the revolutionary changes
that are taking place
throughout the world, or
whether we will take a new
bold stand and give true
meaning to the idea of de-
mocracy by selecting our rep
resentatives in foreign areas
on the basis Of character, in
telligence and the ability to
interpret the meaning of the
Bill of Rights and the Con-
stitution of the United States
to the millions of Asiatics
and Africans who are
searching for ideas and in
stitutions."
Wendell C. Somerville,
Executive Secretary,
Lott Carey Baptist
Foreign Mission
Convention.