The news-review. (Roseburg, Or.) 1948-1994, November 20, 1961, Page 4, Image 4

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    Thtuianit Strike By Air, St
SmM . S.iltW
In
The
Day's
News
By
tfraitk Jenkins
Ait note in the newt:
The Metropolitan Aluseum in
New York (it atands at the edge of
Central Park, and ita stately build
ing is one of the (how places of
Hie city) payt $2 3 million for Rem
brandt's "Aristotle Contcmplat-
ine the Bust of Homer.
The painting (4x4 feet in size)
was done by Rembrandt in 1653 for
a Sicilian nobleman, who paid him
the then equivalent of 7,800 for it.
Pretty cheap then?
Pretty high now?
Suppose, when the Sicilian no
bleman paid him the money, Rem
brandt had put the $7,800 out at
kt rnn nn !
for these 300 years. I haven't time! And, while extending congratulations to the Roseburg' drink. Do you think 1 am mak
thia morning to do the job. but team, it is in order, I believe, to congratulate Roseburg'a j'n mistake by encouraging lum
the $7,800 would haye grown to
quite sum by this time
Money, carefully invested, gi ows
into a lot more money.
Who was Rembrandt?
He wai horn Rembrandt llarm
ensz van Rijn. the son of a rich
Dutch miller. He attended the Uni
versity of Leiden, and after his
graduation he turned his attention
to art probably much to his fa
ther's disgust.
But he did all right. He set him
self up in his home town of Leiden,
where he soon attracted attention
and when he began to get famous
he moved to Amsterdam, the Hig
Town, where he married a wealthy
woman and became a fashionable
portrait painter of the wealthy
(lasses. He became VERY rich,
and built up a magnificent art col
lection. But
Some ten years later
Ilia luck changed. His wealthy
wife died. He lost his popularity,
and his money began to run out.
Thinits went from bad to worse.
In 1056, only three years after the
sale of the Aristotle portrait to the
rich Sicilian noMeman for $7,800
(which wasJhcn quite a sum) be
went bankrupt.
He was dirt poor the rest of his
life. Only the help of his house
keeper, his second wife (who prob
ably took in washing) and his son
Titus saved him from starvation.
They set up an art dealers' shop
and gave the old geniieman em
ployment. But they all died soon
afterward, and Kembrandt was
left alone to die in poverty.
Note to our Uncle Sam:
You see, sir, what can happen
when money is handled reckless
ly. You're the richest man in the
world. You're riding high, wide
and handsome.1 You're tossing it
around in the grand manner bil
lion here, I billion there and may
he two or three billions some
where else. You're playing Lady
Bountiful for all the world.
It's wonderful, of course, while
it lasts.
But look what happened to Rem
brandt. The same thing could happen to
vou, sir, if you don't pull in your
horns and handle your substance a
little more carefully .Already
you're THKr.K Hi Mnr: mi.-
isn't hay.
You'd better begin to look I lit
tle out, sir.
State Employes
Cet Citations
SALEM (At) Nineteen State
agencies and seven Individual
state employes were awarded
citations Friday for work in sign
ins Oregon state employes to buy
U.S. Defense Savings Ronds.
An inter agency drive headed by
State Treasurer Howard Belton
signed up 150O new employes
among some 15.000 to buy tne
bonds. Many of the others already
are signed up from previous!
drives.
Timmii s Prlrteiiii. state
savings bonds chairman, present-land the car ahead of you on an I
ed awards also to the driva steer-1 open road, you are following tool
inn committee which included, closely.
-i...: i i i- i- n.ii. i...j.iii i.... u. An vnn
nr.il n, si,,,,, u'.vn. AnH.r.
' i i..,l. .j i...
i mH .i . l.mrhmn
The seven employes cited for
exceptional work in the drive were
Paul M. inester, uregon correc
ec
Id-
tional Institution; Elmer G. Da
win, execuuve department; lister
W. Krause. Fab-view Home: Mr.,
Helen CospVr, finance and admin-1
titration department: Michael S.
M.iirh nubile emnloves retire-
ment ivslem AUaT H Howells,
... n.,..,nn. mit ,.hrt B
Woody, Veterans Affairs Depart-
ment. 1
-
The News -Review
Paktiihttt kf Nawi-Rttitw fuUiihint C.
S4S S. I. Mai St., ftaiekarf, OrefM
CHARLES V. STANTON
Editor
GECRGE CASTILLO
Managing Editor
Member of the Associated Press, Oregon Nepiper Publishers
Association. U11 Audit Bureau of Circulation
Entered is second class matter May t. I9?0. at the post offict at
Roseburg. Oregon, under act of March I. 1S7J
Subscription Ratri on Classified Advertising Tagt
EDITORIAL PAGE
4 Tht Newi-Kevtam, Roteburg
HOW WE
By Charles
News, we are told, in something unusual, out-of-the-ordinary,
rare, exceptional, etc. The trita man-foites-doK
illustration is the type of thine the budding; journalist frets
in hid first lessons. It isn't news, the reporter is taught,
when something beccmes commonplace.
...
fto, wnen we conprraiutaie me noseuurg iuk" .-cnuui
Indians on another victory, that may not be news. Victory 1
has become the normal, expected thing-. But how we love i
it t
However, there's another definition of news, and that
is that news is the thin? that interests readers. Certainly
.1. . k ..II u. I .
1MB juuiuhii nenisuil mis uecn vi yni amuuiii, nucicnir i
sports fans in the area.
Our Roseburir football players are deserving of con
gratulations for their latest victory. This week they may
be expected to become the
without the championship, they have gone further than
any team in Roseburg s history in reaching the semi
finals.
They have a determination that may be expected to
carry them through to the title. I believe I m speaking for
all fans in the area when I express thanks, appreciation,
and esteem for our football
tkdiM unnnliwliiiir numA
Beating The Best
Roseburg victories to this
tories hard-earned victories, it might be added
,ate8t opp0nenti the Jesuit
f(jr t)e visito,,,
KOKPiinrfr Tuna, lm riii.
, ...
While, of course, they were rooting for a Roseburg vie-
forv. thev felt tino-p nf rpcret that the victorv must be
won over such a game squad. I k,eer.i!!irEDiXG LmT'
Spectators were liberal in praise of the Jesuit te.mL?"? dru au your d?t.J
which exhibited great skill and courage. 'how vou can accomoli.h th.
It was a case, however,
"enough horses." In boxing
described as a "good little
The visiting team was playing in a tough league. That
this Southern Oregon area is
evident from the number of
been won, the number of teams that have advanced to the
semi-finals. Southern Oregon, it seems, has been repre
sented in the play-offs nearly every year.
I he iMedford Black Tornado, in fact, predominated, in
championship play for years, as did the Grants Pass Cave
men, while Marshfield and North Bend have been into
championship play time and again.
And this season was no different than those of the past.
The Roseburg Indians have won the district, quarter-final,
and semi-final titles, it is true, but they haven't won easily.
They've won by playing great football hard, clean football.
Reasons For Pride
Fans of the Roseburg area
ceedingly proud of their team.
h fir firm Ihino tnpri is
throughout the whole season. The team has no prima
donnas. Though some of the boyg have been picked out
as stars, the selection could, most of us believe, have in
cluded almost any boy on the team. ,
While honors usually go
the teams going into championship play quite clearly has
been with the defense and that's not intended to take
any credit away from the offensive squads.
Hut Roseburg also has a
coaching its boys are receiving
have a top team this year,
it is clean.
In spite of the fact we have a championship team, we
have seen virtually no penalties
al fouls, "dirty" playing.
Before the season ends. I
in my opinion was one of the
I have seen for a long time.
When Roseburg played
could have piled up a high lead. At one point Roseburg,
on a "break," was given the ball on the Cottage Grove
goal line. A touchdown was assured.
- But Roy Thompson, senior coach, declining to take ad
vantage of the "break," at the same time giving some ex
cellence to upcoming players, sent in an entirely new team
from 0f the bench a team
...:. u .. r r,... .
situation
Athletic activities re provided in school as one means I ble- ?ut hl V15u,n broader alive the idea that Fast and West
of teaching sportsmanrhip. That incident.. I believe. showsthH"e ',' country ,,. J& him' lit
that our boys are getting exceptional tutoring and example.
Hal Boyle
Quotable Note: Wrong No
Man And Write No Woman
NEW YORK (AP)-Things a
columnist might never know if he
dKln't open his mall:
Greta Garbo wa once a lather
girl in a Swedish barber shop.
And Benito Mussolini at one time
ran i five-chair shoe shine parlor.
Tip to motorists: If you can t
n.r.mani h,iwern vnnr nr
kisrn r r Ix'-fiir Irsdinii it in on !
..,.. Th. ...r.u. f.p mn.i
owners is four years and four
mourns,
Note to sodium bicarb fans:
Thanksgiving day also marks the
beginning "national indigestion
week . Ancient tianyionians nan a
couple of interesting remesl.es for
upset tumm.es: "Crushed cypress
cones mixed with a fermented
drink" or "pounded rind of a
green plant 1ed with
lil."
Seeing Is believing: The owl Is
the only bird that can look at an '
rPar orr
ADDYE WRIGHT
Business Manager
DON HAGEDORN
Display Adv. Mgr.
Or.. Mon.. Nov. 20, 1961
LOVE IT!
V. Stanton
1 II-. u o.l
.. , .nnMn..H Inlaiuu. . II
state champions. But, even
squad, and wish them well in
point have been earned vic-
team. . . .
trumpa int imrnpst resneci
- - - -
that Jesuit simply didn't have
the contest would have been
man versus a good big man.
really rugged in football is
state championships that have
have good reason to be ex-
I
thp team unit-it. rimnlnvpil i
to the offense, the strength of
right to be proud of the
in our school system. We
it is big. It is rough. But
on the Indians for person
would like to mention what
finest bits of sportsmanship
CotUige Grove, the Indians
light and inexperienced. The
. i ,.f r . i,j
The result may be a Western waste much tune talking unifica
obirct with both eyes at onct. Europe so powerful and united tion.
EveryUiing is getting more com-1 that it will be truly a third worklj Adenauer will almost certainly
plicated even the doughnut. I force no longer looking to this not see a united Germany. It re-
There used to be just two kinds of i
doughnuts, plain or sugared. Now
there are M varieties. Americans
eat 10 million doughnuts a day.
Our quotable notables: "wrong
n man and write no woman."
Elbert Hubbard,
Information most of us poor
' lrrn f"1!' bT "'""ay: The
portrait of President William lie-
Kinley is on a SSOO bill, that of
iGrover Cleveland on Sl.OiiO bill.l
J,m" Madison on a Si.otio bill,
and Woodrow Wilson on a S100.0UO
bill.
"""
"y " u$
larrless housewives: 40 fires a,
because wives for-1
- , ... ... "j, '
nu' . A 1' m! ",anmnTr !
Ldl"r in TI!
i "'" l r hii ri,l.
hrP- ot the okiest o( musical
TZTl.l
B.uisi cai s i.ions can attack at (Hi
,ti,n lor the' word "happiness"
m thmcsc.
In Cleopatra's day
iuui.rurii iH-ari were iiscu w
imake love potions, in the far
I East, tn cure evervthini from
niu.tdy complexion to heart dis-
I1STH .US-
epilepsy. (An old superstition
. ...
I holds that pearls worn by unfaith
ful wives will change coktr I
nisrerark of the week: "Behind
every siiccesstul man there stanils
a woman and the Internal Reven-
ue Service one tn tjVe the credit,
I the other the cah " '
i It was Krrnait! Shaw who oh-
'serves!, "The secret of being mis-
'erablc n to have leisure to bother i
; about whether vw are happy oi
not." ,
DEAR ABBY
Abigail Van Buren
Does He Want To
DEAR ABBY: I have been going i
with this man for four years, and !
I"""
,e won't marry me. lie is 28 and
1 am 24. He doein't tee anyone
besides me. His excuse is that he
doesn't have enough money saved.
"hlh,nUr'd'culT- He nd IT'
"Za vtZo
.... "
He lives at home, and saves like
a miser. The last time he showed
me his bankbook he had $5200
saved isn't this plenty of money
to get married on? '
TIRED OF WAITING
DEAR TIRED: Yes. Your friand
Is stilling. "Pump him for t h
"real" rtaion.
DEAR ABBY: I am married to a
man who is very cold and silent
to me unless he has a few drinks
in him. Then he gets warm and
sweet and says the nicest things I
to me. He is not an alcoholic. In
fact, he doesn't really like the taste
of liquor, but I know if I want anv
affection or kindness from him I
have a better chance if I pour huu
-rf . S "
u : i .. . j
iit bmiu u wuii i nun mm. i aon i
want to make a drinker out of
him. but he is so much nicer
drunk.
effect without putting your hu-
band's brain to sleep.
James Mario w
What Adenauer Has In Mind
Isn't Clear At This Time
WASHINGTON' (AP) An old ship which will be a balance be
man, who for 12 years nursed an j tween the United States and Rus
idea which now seems as forlorn sia.
as the la it leaf the wind has for- These are tremendous achieve
gotten, today began another round 'ments and prospects, so much so
in a career which is coming tojihat the growing strength of West
a coe. Germany gave Premier Khrush
At 85, West Germany's Chancel- chev added incentive fur wishing
lor Adenauer is the oldest head!
of a major government. He came
here to talk with President Ken
nedv about Berlin, the Russians.
and East Germany. What he has
in mind isn't clear at all at this
He is still vigorous hut he Is
on his way out. An Associated
Press report from Bonn this
month talked of German "resent
ment that has built up over the
years to his authoritarian ways."
It was demonstrated last Sep
tember when in West Germany's
elections his Christian Democratic
party failed to win a majority in
Parliament. He had to seek the
support of the Free Democrats in
order to get re-elected chancellor
once more.
After seven weeks of haggling.
the rree Democrats exacted
price. They were willing to put i mind and even sounds confused,
up with him but not indefinitely.! For example, he said the wall
On Nov. 8 he gave them a written i which the Kast German I'ommu
guarantre he would retire before I msts erected between West and
his term's end in 19G3. It may be Last Berlin must come down as
in 1963. I a condition for settlement. But his
It is against this background , new foreign minister. Gerhard
that he is herea leader whose j Schroeder, thought it necessary to
days are numbered to discuss i tone this down,
with Kennedy solutions which will He said the wall must come
aflect the future of Kurupe and down but added: "We must be
therefore the Western alliance ; careful not to set up pre-condi-againt
communism. tions that are actually ultima-
Under his leadership, but with turns " He said West Germany
large American help, his country I would not insit the wall must
has risen from devastation to a ! come down betore the start of
soaring prospcrit:' which 12 years ; East-West talks.
ago might have seemed unbeliev-j
Western Alliance. Through his re-1
lations with French President Khrushchev would not permit a
Charles de Gaulle he has sought new. unified Germany, particular
to dry up the ancient German- ly if it allied itself with the West
French enmity. I So, while this country may still
He look his country into the! help Adenauer keep his dream
European common market, which I alive by saying i will not recog
may do more for the prosperity mze the Fast German Commu
of that area than any single act 'nuts as the real government of
in history. I East Germany, it is not likely to
country for protection or leader-
Unitarian Group Criticizes
Catholic Bishop's Statement
WASHINGTON' (AP) - A Uni i
tanan group has criticized the;
Roman latholic bishops' stale
ment on federal aid to education. 1
saying the bishops "have now
IflaUy disagreed with the first
Roman Catholic president of the
United States "
- ! V. c J . " -'" ....
.F''I,T'!1P '"' "l' ,Ju,''"Ce ' o'al statements against a,d
bad reason to beheve ha of any kind grants or loans to
American bishops "are no of church related schools ''
one mln1 , UKin this position, Criticism of the Catholic bish
:0 ,7 'op,' atand came also from Dr
llc, throughout the country are Clde W. Taykir. secretary- of
opposed to the bishops stand "
The Unitarian Fellowship, an
affiliate of the Unitarian I niver
salist Association, referred to a
. . , .......j Tk..i..
, K,.h. j i.
wmrn uie msnops ncciarci
again their opposition to "any
, . , , 1 ... , ,
iiolitin that i1iiriminit,- liin.l
children attending non public
schools'
latholic sources said the gen
l,'n,,r of ,h' churchmen's
statement was that it expressed
unanimous opinion, but tho
manner in which it was phrasm
led to some speculation that some
of the bishops may hate taken a
minority view.
"The bishops." saul :he I'm-
tanan Fellowship statement,
O
Marry?
DEAR ABBY: I don't auDrjose
many men write to you. but here's
a letter from a man who would
like to know what to do with an
18-year-old daughter who is strong,
healthy and Lazy with a capital
"L." Her mother can be breaking
her back with housework, but thu
daughter looks right through her.
She has never once offered to help
with anything. She acts like she is
a royal princess who has nothing
to do but entertain herself. It burns
me up to witness this the few hours
I am at home. How can this be
corrected?
BURNED FATHER
DEAR FATHER: Your royal
Princess" was not trained by bar
m'r ,or "i",n" "'' "
m,v ,n ,nd hlp ,,,'n U
"V1 Don'f bl,m Vur
daughter for not responding to or.
d" wi,h whlch th ' unHr un'
familiar.
CONFIDENTIAL TO "GEORGIA
PEACH": The good Lord doesn't
taka us into dmp water to drawn
us. Only to cleans us. Hava faith.
Everybody has a problem.
: Wnat .?ou.7 or I I--
ply, write to Abby. Box 3365, Bev
erly Hills, Calif. Enclose a stamp
ed, sell addressed envelope.
For Abby's booklet, "How To
Have A Lovely Wedding." send 50c
to Abby, Box 3365, Beverly Hills,
I Calif.
the Western Alliance dissolved.
By demanding the Allies get out
of West Berlin, Khrushchev has
challenged West Germany.
Unless some understanding is
reached with him hy the Allies,
West Berlin may slowly be shut
off from the Wcs1: even though its
links are with West Germany.
Adenauer nasn t produced any
solutions to meet or offset
Khrushchev's tactics.
While the United States and
Britain have shown Inclination to
negotiate with the Russians,
Adenauer and Ee Gaulle have
'been reluctant to do anything but
stand stiff.
Thus, out of the Kennedy-Adenauer
talks may come the beRin
ning of an agreed policy. But it
is at this point that Adenauer
seems to have nothing clear in
For 12 years Adenauer has kept
It was never realistic because
mains an old man's dream
"have now flatly disagreed with
the first Roman Catholic presi
ident of the United States who
pledsed himself to maintain the
separation of church and state,
and they have rut themselves off
from the great Protestant. Jewish
and educational organizations of
public affairs fur the National
Association of Evangelicals, an
other Protestant church group,
"This position is in flat opposi
. . .l . .l . .
, ..
amendment to the Constitution as
interpreted bv the courts of our
land. Taykir said in a stair
mant
He contended that Catholic a.l
vocacy of aid for parochial
schools "was the pnmarv it a son
lor the detcat of legislation to
provide federal aid to puhl,c
schools." and added
' The reasscrtion of this posj
tion will tend to diminish the
chances that an aid-to-education
hill will get congressional appros-
al during the forthcoming, sej
sion. . . .'
Roseburg Gets
Legion Bouquet
The Umpqua American Legion
post has tossed a bouquet to the
City of Roseburg for Its work in
remodeling the boist on a flag pole
at F inlay field.
In a letter to llic city. Dudley,
C. Walton, chairman of the Legion,
Americanism Committee, wrote: I
"1 have always been instructed
that the national ensign of the i
U.S. is to be hoisted briskly to the
1 peak of the ataff as befitting a vig-,
jorous and courageous nation. In
! times past, the flan has been hoist-.
led so that it became a gnm ques-.
tion as In whether the flag would
reach the top before the music I
stopped."
Investigation revealed the Oag-i
staff was equipped with a porce
lain insulator at the peak where i
the hoisting halyard traveled. This,
made it difficult for the flag to be
raised in a brisk manner, Walton'
pointed out. I
The legionnaire said tha city's
maintenance department provided
a ladder truck and work crew to
secure a pulley at Uie peak of the
staff so the halyard could travel.
freely. Walton said the improve
ment has greatly improved the tra
dition of the flag raising ceremony
at Roseburg football games.
Automation Seen
Economic Threat
PORTLAND (AP) Automation
may become so revolutionary that
it will threaten the economic
system and the whole fabric of
society.
Yale University economics
professor Neil W. Chamberlain
imade this statement Friday, in a
i speech to a Reed College confer
ence on labor-management rela
i tions.
Automation, Chamberlain said,
j will bring such changes to job
requirements that experience will
I no longer be a certain road to
success.
I An entirely new concept of
' education to meet the serious
threat of heavf unemployment due
to automation is needed. Cham
berlain aid. He suggested the
! continuation of a college education
! throughout an individual's produc
j live years.
I In a discussioi. following the
' talk, Walter Calenon, professor
'of economics at tho University of
j California, agreed wholeheartedly.
He called the proposat, "a bold,
new concept of a way a social
blight can be turned into a social
advantage."
But a representative of the In
ternational Longshoremen's Union,
James S. Fantz, said he thought
automation has very little to do
with unemployment. The process
of automation does open horizons
that should be promoted, Fantz
said.
He said the problem goes "far
beyond anything that can he re
solved in labor-management ne
gotiations" Canny Scot
Leaves Hoard
GLASGOW. Scotland (AP)
William Rcid was a canny Scot.
When he died last September he
left explicit instructions in bis
will for his executor,
j He wrote:
I "This may come to you as a
1 great surprise, to be able to count
the miser's hoard. This what I
want you to do:
1 "Get the case out of the cup
board with 'C.R' on it. The key
'can be found in a tin with beans
in it. This case contains all the
things you require policies, title
deeds, i.isurance record cards,
etc. . . .
"Collect the old case from the
sideboard. There is a cash box in
it.
"There is also a cash box at
the bottom of the kitchen cup
board with a few cans on top of
it.
'There is a pocket book be
tween the two mattresses and an
other below the center lump of
coal at the back of the bunker.
"In the old clock box on the
top shelf there are a few pounds.
"Make sure you find every
thing." The executor did. It amounted
to 2.518 pounds ($7,040).
j Salem Judge Candidate
For Supreme Court Job
i
I SAl.E.M (AP) Circuit Judge
l.yle R. Wolff. 42, Baker, filed Sat-
urday for the Supreme Court posi
! Hon held by Justice Harold J. War
; ner.
Wolff Is the first candidate to
file for any office in the 12 pri
mary election.
! Warner, who is 71 years old and
has served 11 years, said he has
not decided whether to seek re
election. If Justice Warner is reelected, he
could serve only about half of the
term, the secielaiy of State's of
fice said.
A constitutional amendment, ap
proved by the voters a year aso,
requires a justice or judge to re
tire at the end of the year in
which he reached the age of TS
Wolff w as appointed circuit judge
in 1957, and was elected to a six
car term in 19iS.
Glendale Carnival Nets
$300 For School Croups
The hii;h school carnival held in
Glendale this month made a net
protit of IXX). reports Mrs. Ger ald
B. Fox. correspondent. Ches
ter Smith Jr . faculty advisor, said
a total of Sl.Uirt was spent by the
public, expenses amounting to
about I70O
Monev will be dunled between
the student body, various classes
and athletic organizations, t h e
student body receded the laigest
share. i
Editorial
RfPEATINO MISTAKES
Natianal Association ( Manufacturers
If a private builder put up I couple of thousand new apartraenia
and rented only a third of them, it's pretty certain that he'd lata
a staggering loss, learn an expenshe lesson, and not make the
same mistake twice.
When the same thing happens in public bousing, tht public lakes
the staggering loss, the government agency learns nothing, and
the mistake is repeated.
This is evident in what has happened to the middle income co-op
housing projects in New York City. Two thuds of the units hav
not been sold. In a city which retains rent control because politi
cians say there's a "housing shortage," 2,000 apartmenU atand
empty.
But building goes on, and 4.0OO mora apartments of tha lama
type will be ready by mid-1963.
The housing is subsidized, so the prices are low. Maintenance
costs are low, too. They why don't the bayen show up, eager
to move in?
Officials say there are a number of reasons. Oat is that loca
tions were selected in slummy neighborhoods, and owners unaccount
ably prefer not to move into areas characterized by filth, decay
and crime.
Second, the people who come to view the partments don't lik
the design. Our government officials, when they think of housing,
think much like the Russian officials, and produce bleak, stereo
typed buildings of an institutional character without warmth for
the human beings to be housed. Like Stalinallee in East Berlin.
And the regulations drawn up how many kiddies one may
have, no pets, etc. eon't appeal much to bee Americans the
authorities seek as tenants.
Americans became the best-housed people in tha world long be
fore government got into the bousing business at all. It is unlike
ly that we would all have to go back to caves if government should
get out of housing.
It'i certain, however, that Uie bureaucratic mind in the housing
field will go on making expensive mistakes so long as government
continues to decide what kind of housing Americans ought to have.
ELECTED AC?
Daily Astorian
Attorney General Robert Thornton has got Into the constitutional
revision argument with a letter to the League of Women voters
in which he harpons some of Gov. Mark Hatfield's ideas on the
subject.
For one thing, Thornton wants to see his own job of attorney gen
eral remain elective, rather than be made appointive by the gover
nor. He suggested that an appointed attorney general would be
kicked out every time he gave an opinion the governor wouldn't
like.
If we understand correctly, the main function of the attorney
general is to advise the executive branch on legal matters. An
elected, independent and hostile attorney general therefore becomes
of slight value to the executive branch when he uses his office
not to give honest advice but to needle and harass the executive.
This tends to drive Uie executive to seek legal advice outside tha
attorney general's office, as bas happened at times in Oregon.
Apparently Thornton subscribes to the theory that our executive
branch ought to be composed of several independent, elected of
ficers each of whom keep an eagle eye on the misdeeds and short
comings of the others.
This sort of situation may keep governors and other executive offi
cii Is from stealing the gilt off the Capitol dome, but it also some
what cripples the efficiency of the executive branch.
The constitutional revision committee needs to examine this theory
closely. Slaybe Thornton is wrong and our governor should hava
as legal adviser someone friendly and cooperative, who will giva
legal advice untainted by political hostility.
Presidents of the United States have appointive attorney gen
erals. Despite this, the nation seems not to have suffered unduly
from lack of a hostile watchdog within the executive branch.
MINUTEMEN
Eugene Register-Guard
In commenting on these "patriotic" guerilla bands that are form
ing here and there, ths Register-Guard two weeks ago cautioned
that we must work to protect the citizen's right to defend himself,
but nonetheless keep a close eye on organized groups of armed
and possibly trigger-happy vigilantes.
The San Francisco Chronicle has been kefping just such a sharp
eye on them. In three articles last weekend, the Chronicle uncovered
these tidbits:
The national leader of the Minutemen bas been a member of the
John Birch Society for at least six months. This is interesting in view
of disclaimers from the groups that they are members of the lunatic
fringe on the far right.
The leader of the California chapter has just been arrested for fail
ure to register as a convicted sex offender. He had been using an
rlias. 4
The director of the Southern Illinois unit pleaded guilty in 19.) 3
to a federal charge of stealing 23 rocket launchers (bazookas) from
a government arsenal. In 1956 he had pleaded guilty to possessing
machine guns and machine pistols, contrary to the provisions of the
national firearms act. Just last December he was arrested on charg
es that he possessed two Browning automatic rifles, a 30-caliber light
machine gun and a 45-caliber "Tommygun." The December charge
was dropped.
These revelations are dUturbing to those who hava studied the rise
of the Nazi Party in Germany before 1930. A private army of thugs,
bullies and mis-guided "patriots" made Kitler'i rise easier. We'd
like to think it "'can't happen here." But the nature of these private
militia groups makes us wonder.
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