davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1961-12-12

The convention itself APP
plauded yesterday Farm Bureau
President Charles B. Shuman's
denunciation of them and other
Federal welfare programs.
In addition. rank and file
members of the big farm Or
ganization took advantage of an
open hearing of the Resolutions
Committee to back Mr.. Shuman
and his appeal for greater farm
freedom from Federal interven-
ton.
Support Of Programs Sparse
Only one speaker out of about
two dozen spoke favorably of
Federal programs.
Mr.. Shuman promised, how
Evening star., 1961-12-12

would 60 along with present
controls on tobacco and con-
trolls on cotton which existed
in 1858 and 1859. These con-
trolls permitted growers to ex-
ceed planting allotments If they
accepted lower price supports.
The resolutions opposed Ken
nedy administration proposals
for legislations which would
permit controls on production
and sale Of milk.
They called also for a reduc-
tion in price supports Of soy
beans. declaring Mr.. Freeman's
action this year in raising sup
ports from $1.85 to $2.35 a
bushel threatened to put this
Evening star., 1961-12-12

crop in a surplus problem class
along with grains.
Typical of the remarks Farm
Bureau members made at the
hearing were those of Keith
Propst of Merino, Colo.
THE new feed grain program
has corrupted a lot of corn
growers" he said. He explained
that in order to get maximum
subsidies from the Government
under this program, many
farmers had lied" about past
production histories used as a
basis Of determining amounts
Of payments.
when we farmers accept
things like this, we can expect
Evening star., 1961-12-12

They call for a land retire
ment program designed to help
reduce the cropland acreages
to levels which would produce
the quantity markets need. IT
would extend the soil bank
program of the Eisenhower ad-
ministration and give the Sec
retary of Agriculture author
ity to require additional re-
ductions in planting of feed
grains, wheat, flaxseed and
soybeans as a condition for
grower eligibility for price sup
ports on these crops.
Cotton, Tobacco Controls
AS last year, the committee
Evening star., 1961-12-12

ever, that Secretary Freeman
would be given a courteous
hearing.
At the resolutions hearing.
cheers from the estimated 500
members greeted a statement
by Emery Funderburk Of Lam
caster, s. c., that farmers
and industries related to them
would be a lot better off if
"the Federal Government shut
its internal mouth and let us
run our businesses"
The resolutions, scheduled to
go before voting delegates to-
morrow, are closely in line with
those adopted by last years
Farm Bureau convention.
Evening star., 1961-12-12
Farm PorIey Hostile
To U. S. Aid Program

CHICAGO, Dec. IL (APD -
Secretary Of Agriculture Free
man addressed today an Amer
lean Farm Bureau Federation
convention which already was
set to turn down proposals he
might advance for broader use
Evening star., 1961-12-12

of Government to aid agricul-
ture.
A Resolutions Committee has
tentatively approved a platform
denouncing price support and
farm control measures advo-
Gated by the Kennedy admin
iStration.
Evening star., 1961-12-12
Persian Sturts Mail

TEHRAN. - The first re-
corded organized postal serv-
ice was established $500 years
ago by King Cyrus the Great
of Persia. His royal messen-
gers operated on scheduled
routes over post roads. To
impede their progress was pun
ishable by death.
Evening star., 1961-12-12

no mercy from city folks" he
declared, "One of these days
they are going to get tired of
providing money for programs
like this"
Evening star., 1961-03-11
New Ground

In accord with his campaign prom
1SeS on housing, President Kennedy has
proposed both drastic expansion of ex-
listing programs and the DEVELOPMENT of
a great variety of new forms of Federal
assistance. Some of the latter proposals.
which are intended to break new ground,
are frankly experimental They will
nave to be weighed carefully by Con-
greSs. They come to grips for the first
time, however, with problems which
desperately need to be solved, parti-
cularly in the area of private housing
Tor families of low and moderate income.
Most cities will welcome the pro-
poSalS to extend the scope of urban
renewal, beyond Slum clearance and
Slum prevention, to "reshape our cities
into effective nerve centerS for expand
ing metropolitan areas" If this is to
be achieved, cities must have a wider
discretion in determining areas for re-
newal. MIR. Kennedy also has wisely
insisted that these powers be based on
more realistic and comprehensive COM
mun1ty plans. No doubt his request for
an additional $2.5 billion in urban re-
neWal grant authorizations will become
heated issue. AS a practical matter,
however, the present $2-billion authori-
zation is virtually exhausted, and it must
be repleniShed in some amount. This
money, moreover, will be allocated over
a period of several years, for it can be
drawn down no faster than the slow
paced renewal programs can advance.
An adequate supply of public hous-
Ing Is likewise vital, especially to re-
house urban renewal diSplaceeS. But the
great vacuum thus far, in urban renewal
as in the housing field generally, is the
plight OF those, families with incomes
too high to qualify for public housing
and too low to meet the private market
The idea of low-interest, long-term
loans to stimulate the construction of
low-rental and cooperative housing
seems to hold promise, as do the new
proposals of the President for rehabili-
tating old structures More question
able, however, is the hope that no-down-
payment, 4O-year mortgages would
materially assist families who can
afford to pay in the neighborhood of
from $4,000 to $4,000 for house. For
the problem here is whether such
housing actually would be built.
Indeed, many of the new forms of
housing credits, loans and grants recon-
mended by Mr.. Kennedy in effect are
helping to SubSidize an industry which,
through its high costs, has priced itself
out of market. A major goal of his
new program is to help pull the con-
Struction industry out of this depressed"
state. In the past, however, the Presi-
dent also has warned against the
danger of subsidies which perpetuate
higher and higher costa warning
that seems particularly apt in this case.
For If a great upsurge in construction
activity should continue to raise the cost
Of housing, there would be little gain
for those who really need to be helped.
Evening star., 1961-03-11

tically, incidentally, Secretary Of Treas
ury Dillon told the committee later that
he believes genuine recovery will set in
during the April-June quarter and will
continue through the year.
Actually, the field of economic
prophecy is an intricate and complex
one at best. The President himself,
during his campaign and since taking
office, has expressed basic concern about
the full utilization of the Nations pro-
ductive capacity. DR.. Heller and his
colleagues feel the same concern, and
no doubt their studies will be funda-
mental in the shaping of administration
policies. The councils appearance, en-
masse, for open discussion before the
congressional committee should be help
full to public understanding Of the
objectiveS and the ways eventually
chosen to reach them.
Evening star., 1961-03-11
Another Challenging Gap

President KennedyS three-man
Council of Economic Advisers broke
through some old frontiers in appearing
before the Joint Economic Committee of
Congress this week. For example, it
was the first time since the days of the
Truman administration that the White
House counSelors in this particular
field have testified before the House
Senate committee in open session.
introduced for discussion, too, was the
subject of new "gap"-this one not
in missiles but in the margin between
the economy'S actual output and it's
potential one in terms of gross national
product
Calculating the potential on the
assumptions of an annual growth rate
Of 3.5 per cent and unemployment of
per cent, council chairman Walter w.
Heller told the committee that the gap
has existed since the end of 1855 despite
the irregularly higher peaks reached in
GIMP. Currently, he described it as an
annual slack" of approximately $50
billion in economic activity, or an
average annual "losS" of about $500 per
American family. He described the
long-range correction of this short
coming as "the real challenge of eco
nomic policy in the months ahead"
On the short-term prospects that
the current recession is nearing an end,
DR.. Heller was cautiously optimistic.
Pending administration programs, he
said, may encourage rise in consumer
spending, while increased government
purchasing at Federal, State and local
levels provides an added stimulus.
Within several months he also saw the
possibility Of an assist from new inven-
tory buying. Somewhat more optimiS-
Evening star., 1961-03-11
For Sales Tax

The prejudice against the
sales tax would in large
measure disappear if con-
sumerS knew how much un-
der-cover tax is in the prod
ucts they buy. Take the
withheld income taxes on
salaries and wages, for eX-
ample. Who pays this in
come tax in the end? Sal
aried executives who one
time received $4,000 a year
now receive much more be-
cause the income tax takes so
large a proportion Of the
salary. The remnant has to
be enough to attract talent.
The wage worker uses the
power of the strike to ne
gotiate for "take-ho pay"
that he thinks satisfactory.
This means that he is able
to shift the tax to the en-
ployer, as does the salaried
executive. In turn the tax
becomes a part of costs of
production and is added 10
the wholesale price. Since
the retailer takes a markup
of a given percent, not only
the income tax but an addi-
tional retail margin will be
added to the price the con-
sumner has to pay. He would
be better off if the Govern
ment were taking a sales
tax.
Henry C. Taylor
Evening star., 1961-03-11
Timely Warning

The District Of Columbia is indebted
to Representative Jonas Of North Caro-
lima for his timely warning on the House
floor the other day that members of
Congress "are going to have to revise
our thinking about the way the District
finances it's operations"
Mr.. Jonas said he has learned as a
member of the Appropriations Com
mittee that lover the last few years
$3.50 million worth of property has been
taken off the District of Columbia tax
rolls" loss of revenue which has not
been accompanied by any decrease In
the costly public services the city must
provide. In addition, he placed in
the Congressional Record comparisons
between local taxes paid in the District
and those paid in the Washington sub
urbS, comparisons which "speak for
themselves"
These, of course, are valid con-
siderationS. We hope that Mr.. Jonas
remarks will lead his colleagues to think
about them. 1t is too bad, however, that
the members of the House also were
not told more about the Sc million for
the District which was stricken from the
bill under consideration at the time-a
$773 million appropriation measure, the
bulk of which was to finance all Govern
ment pay raises granted last year. Re
gardleSs of whether it gets the Sc million
ian amount which still would leave the
annual Federal payment to the District
below the $32 million authorized for
this year,, the District must finance it's
own substantial share of the pay raises.
But it will be able to do so this year, if
the House action stands, only at the
expense of critically-needed public works
improvements. And the main effect of
these cutbacks would be to further
compound the fiscal mess which already
is evident in the city'S 1862 budget.
Ultimately, and the time is not too
far away, the severity of the crisis is
going to force Congress to come to grips
realistically with "the way the District
finances it's operations" The danger,
in the meantime, is the very real threat
of deterioration in values of the Nations
Capital which surely the Congress would
not like to see occur.
Evening star., 1961-03-11
Stotisticion

AS I read The Star of Sun
day, March S, I was fasci-
mated by the appearance Of
President Kennedy'S name in
so many ways and so many
times that I got a kick out Of
checking the number Of
times his name appeared
throughout the issue. Here is
the breakdown-"President
Kennedy" 46 times; "Mr.
Kennedy" 38 times; "The
President" 7 times; just
plain Kennedy" or Ken
nedy's," 80 times; Jack
Kennedy" time; President
John F. Kennedy" 2 times;
John Fitzgerald Kennedy"
2 times; total 135 times. This
was in The Star itself, how
ever, in This Week and Sun
day Magazine he was ne
elected. His name appeared
only one time and that in the
joke column "All in Fun"
just what I am doing here.
Incidentally, Mrs. Ken
nedy'S name appeared 8
times, Vice President John
sons / time and Mrs. John
sons 3 times.
A. III. Tucker.
Evening star., 1961-03-11
Military RoodbIock

Some sort of medal should
go to those at the Pentagon
responsible for further slow
ing up traffic the morning of
March 9. AS if the fog weren't
enough, a turbine driven tank
and boat we're left parked on
the main entrance road from
14th Street Bridge to the
/Pentagon north parking area,
after being displayed at the
Pentagon the day before.
With acres of paved roadwayS
and entrance-ways that are
seldom used in the Pentagon
complex, they succeeded in
backing up traffic the entire
length Of 14th Street Bridge
into town. Repercussions
were undoubtedly felt all the
way to Suitland Parkway and
South Capitol street.
Page williams.
Evening star., 1961-03-11
Double Problem

Two separate and distinct proposals
are involved in the new School-fare
transit bill, introduced by Senator
Morse. In essence this bill would require
the District to Subsidize reduced-rate
bus fares for school children to what
ever extent is necessary to guarantee
the D. c. Transit System a profit of 61a
per cent, based on its gross operating
revenues.
AS to the first of these proposals.
that District taxpayers as whole, rather
than transit riders as a class, should
bear the burden of Supplementing the
10-cent school fareS-we are in complete
accord.
Congress authorized reduced school
fares many years ago, in day when
tranSit-riding, relatively speaking, was
more popular, when the transit COM
pany was more prosperous and when
all fares were low. But with the con-
slant rise in adult cash fares (they now
stand at Is cents), the gap has widened,
and the consequent load which the
transit company has had to pass on to
tranSit-riderS has grown in proportion
Certainly this is discriminatory, and if
school children are to be subsidized at
all the burden properly should be
shifted to District taxpayers at large.
But the weakness of the Morse bill
(Which was introduced, incidentally, at
the request Of D. c. Transit) is that it
does not stop at this point. For its
second provision would arbitrarily grant
D. C. Transit the legal right to a return
of 612 per Cent-a guarantee to which
the Public Utilities Commission properly
has objected.
The question of whether the inten-
ton of its congressional franchise was
to assure D. c. Transit of this fixed
rate of return is an old and bitter
dispute, the outcome of which is still
to be decided by the courts. Unless and
until the company position is finally
upheld, however, the PUG. is right, we
think, in contending that it should have
the power to determine a fair and
reasonable profit in the light Of all
the complexities Of transit financing
Actually, in its last two rate cases, the
PUG. has found that 612' per cent
return would be excessive, and that lower
rates Tin the most recent case, 492 per
cent? were entirely equitable.
What Congress should do in view of
these dual provisions, therefore, is not
to pass the Morse bill as it stands, but
to grant the District standby authority
to provide as much Of school-fare
subsidy as may be required to assure
fair return as established by the transit
regulatory officials. This would fulfill
the need to lift the onerous subsidy
burden from transit riders when (as
surely it will be in the not-too-distant
future) the need for additional transit
revenues is established. At the same
time, the power to determine this need
would remain where it belongs-in the
PUG. for the present, and soon in the
new metropolitan area regulatory transit
apeOcV
Evening star., 1961-03-11
Peace Corps Views

I have watched with great
interest the waxing enthusi-
aSm for the Peace Corps. I
am unable to make any as
sessment in my own mind
of the ultimate benefits to
us as a Nation Of the efforts
Of the persons who may go
abroad on this mission, even
supposing their utmost ded-
ication to all that we stand
for as a free country.
However, I can readily
foresee the possibility of in
filtration in the Corps by
persons who do not possess
this dedication; namely Com
muniStS and their ilk. I can
think of no better vehicle
for them than such a Gov
ernment-sponsored organiza-
ton, in which I would sup
pose that the security inves-
legations of the individuals
may be somewhat less than
complete.
And when we come to
spreading the Peace Corps
through our distressed and
slum areas, this would seem
to be the real open-door pol
icy for our Communists and
their sympathizers.
J. c. Pratt.
Il \ Il
1t is my feeling that the
Peace Corps will be a huge
missionary service, working
without a Bible, but spread
ing the essential beliefs of our
country through example and
practical application.
Have not valiant and dedi-
Gated people, for years, been
doing the very things which
President Kennedy now sug-
gests as a new approach to
better understandings with
the people of the world? Did
not the man named Jesus
practice the same ideals and
later direct His followers to
go into the far palaces of the
world and teach?
The struggle to appeal to
and attract young people into
service as missionaries, as
well as support the costs this
work entails, has been the
enduring problem of many
faiths throughout the years.
How inspiring now, that the
Government has realized the
benefits wrought by these
brave and unselfish pioneers
and has Endorsed their valu-
able work by setting up its
own missionary service. I
daresay that most mission
aries will be thankful for
such assistance. Was not
one Of DR.. Tom Dooley'S
greatest dreams that more
help in the way of workers
and supplies be forthcoming
to carry on and enlarge his
efforts in aiding the little
people" and fostering . bet
Evening star., 1961-03-11
Federal Role

David Lawrence, discuss
Ing Federal aid to education,
noted that administration
spokesmen are making the
point that the Federal Gov
ernment will have to central
iZe such programs, because
States no longer have the
necessary financial means
or political Jurisdiction" Mr..
Lawrence wonders whether
we're entering a new epoch
in the American system of
government-"the beginning
Of the end of the States in
their traditional and conSti-
tutional role" And whether
States may hereafter be re-
duced to political party We
hicleS" to help win preSiden-
tial elections.
That's a good question.
And it brings up several
more, including what's hap
pening that we seem in dan
ger Of being conditioned to
throw up our hands and on
the basis of 'inevitability"
accept PHILOSOPHERS which in
the past we have rejected as
untenable. Surely, if we are
to retreat from our tradi-
tional and constitutional role
Of leaving the greatest pos
Sible amount of educational
freedom Of choice in the
hands of individual parents
and communities, we should
at least have a more in
Spirational reason than the
defeatist one of State "pov-
erty," which even if true is
correctible.
After all. every red cent
the Federal Government has
to spend on any program
must first be collected from
individual States. Instead of
compounding State problems
by siphoning off even more
tax money to bring more and
more local programs under
wasteful and thought-con-
trolled Federal domination,
why can't the Federal Gov
ernment simply restore to in
dividual communities or par
ents enough of our own
money to do the jobs for our
selves?
Lila ID. Sonnemann.
Evening star., 1961-03-11
QuizzicoI

I enjoyed the letter on
windowless choolS. The
teacher made some good
points.
One can only imagine the
distress of the children with
chin-level window sills. I'm
sure the stair steps helped
them to better their educa-
tion. One can almost see the
little brains swell as they
watched the fire engines
scream, the rains come, and
the sleet and hail pelt down.
The teacher is so right in
her praise of low window
sills. Our small intellectuals
can watch not only the
above phenomena. but cloud
formations, birds. planes.
and even such educational
sights as clothes flapping in
the wind, "and yes. even
children playing on the
playground"
One can only imagine the
mental stimulation when
I'VE often rise en- masse in
the middle of a lesson to .
watch a crow or a pair
of sea gulls."
Only one bereft Of logic
would consider the above
actions distracting from
school lessons. Teacher says:
Our windows have provided
us with richer learning eX-
periences." Richer than
what? But such experiences
would in any case be richer
than the lesson they often
rise en- maSSe in the middle
of.
I have only a small ques-
ton. probably captious: How
does stopping their lessons
to watch the above bring on
an "awareness" that the
class can use in science, So
Evening star., 1961-03-11
McLeon-'7 Threatened With Extinction sforHeIp

Mclean citizens to improve
their community, particularly
it's center. McLean'S heart
would be punctured by two
super-highways-built not for
the need of the community or
its individual citizens, but for
persons driving through Nc
Lean. The homes of about
300 families are threatened
with destruction by the plan.
Prospects of a park-like COM
munity center at the new
intersection of Old Dominion
drive and relocated Chain
Bridge road would be doomed;
instead the intersection of
two Super-highways would
stand as a tribute to the
planners.
Mclean is not averSe to
improved roads. 1t already is
receiving benefits-and some
headaches-and will be af-
fected in the near future to
even a greater extent by such
roads as the George Wash
ing Memorial parkway (four
lanes), Capital beltway (four
lanes), widened and relocated
Route 1913 (four lanes-in a
right-of-way of from so to
110 feet depending on density
of population), Route 1913 Ito
be four lanes), Dulles Airport
access road (eight lanes), and
Route 7 Ito be four lanes).
Interstate Route Sc (eight
lanes and a proposed Pim-
mitt parkway (four lanes)
could also have a major
impact on Mclean.
Portions of Chain Bridge
road and Old Dominion drive
need widening, and more
urgently, re-surfacing. But
to destroy the heart of the
community for the sake Of
the roads is a fantastic and
costly scheme. Mclean again
needs President Kennedy to
come to its rescue.
Robert A. Alden.
Evening star., 1961-03-11

President John F. Kennedy
made a monumental contri-
button to the community of
Mclean. Va, when, as a Nc
Lean resident in 1856, he
participated in a meeting
with Virginia and District
highway officials. Out of that
meeting came the decision to
discard plans of widening
Route 1913 at Langley Forks,
one of the community'S most
beautiful sections. Instead,
State officials agreed to re-
locate Route 1913 through
open meadows to the heart
of Mclean, thus preserving
the character of a portion of
the old country road that
once connected the sleepy
villages of Langley and Lew
insville, and doing a mini
mum of injury to residential
properties.
At the same meeting it
was decided to paint three
lanes into then 2-laned
Chain Bridge and widen Ca
nal road to three lanes from
its intersection with Arizona
avenue to Chain Bridge, thus
relieving a tremendous traf-
fic congestion.
Another President, James
Madison, and his wife, Dol
ley, first brought prominence
to what is now Mclean. In
August, 1914, when the Brit
ish invaded Washington and
burned the White House, Mrs.
Madison fled to Salona, home
of Parson Maffitt. She
brought with her the Stuart
portrait of George Washing
ton that now hangs in the
East Room of the White
= House and the original copy
of the Declaration of Inde-
pendence. President Madison
eventually joined his wife at
Salona; and, according to
Mrs. Madison's diary, the two
watched the devastation Of
Washington from a nearby
(McLean) hill.