I : EDITORIAL PAGE'
La Grande Evening Observer
Frank Schlrq, Publisher
SATURDAY EVENING, MARCH 24, 1945
He Laughs at Locksmiths
EVENING OBSERVER'S
.PROGRESS PROGRAM
IRRIGATION Complete the Grande
Ronde Valley irrigation project.
LA GRANDE A city of 10,000
Extend the city limits. ,
: THOUGHTS FOR TODAY
The divine power moves with diffi-r-
citlty, but lit the same time surely.
Euripides. '
' News From Home
r We h ft v e just (finished reudintr
; throutrh a largo sheaf of letters written
to the L Grande junior chamber of
commerce. The letters were written by
;- former men and women members of
?, our county and area now serving
T.. their country in the armed services.
They are full of enthusiasm andKrati
.Z tude, expressing their pkmsure at being
uble to hear from home through the
mnlimvi rtF ih, imiiMV nil ti i, Iwn.'a u.tr.
"1 vleemmi's letter.
The letter, a four page, tabloid size
!T newspaper, created, mailed and direc-
ted by the members of the junior clmm
T. ber, sponsored by local businessmen
and published by the Ia Grande lOve
1' ning Observer, is issued semi-monthly.
Z, This editorial is for the purpose of
commending the junior chamber on a
it highly worthwhile job which is being
thoroughly handled, but also to point
Z out how avid our men and women in
' the service arc for news of home, of
'Z which they think constantly and to
which they plan to return. o
Here are a few excerpts from the
o letters:
"1 am writing in regard to your
paper, as I feel that my appreciation
should be shown for your efforts in
giving us fellows the enjoyment of re
ceiving news and humor from home.
This news and humor is especially help
ful now as I am in combat on Iwo Jima
island, which by now you have no doubt
heard of, and as usual the marines 'have
the situation well in hand'." "
Another in France says:
"It really helps one's morale to get
a paper from home. I have been away
for three years, Keep the news com
ing and we will keep the Germans and
Japs running." .
Another, In this country, wrote;
"This is a very good, means of keep
ing track of the other follows in the
service from the home town. It also
gives us an idea of what is going on at
homo in the field of businessand pres
ent and post-war planning."
These letters are typical. They have
been received from all pttrts of the
world in which our armed forces are
stationed and fighting and 'many of
them carry graphic descriptions of the
numerous actions in which the authors
have jiarticipated.
They want news from home primar
ily because, wherever they may be,
home is where their thoughts are;
secondarily because most of them hope
to get back and they are genuinely in
terested in what's going on at home
not only from point of view of news o
their friends and neighbors, but of what
they will return to as a place to live
and work and enjoy the compensations
of the peace they are fighting for.
These facts open great field of
thinking toward our obligations to
them, but they also indicate that we
should do everything possible to keep
them informed. Contact the junior
chamber or this newspaper if you know
of n serviceman or woman who is not
receiving the servicemen's tabloid and
it will be sent, but do more than that.
Write often. Nearly every letter re
ceived stressed the fact that news from
home and contact with familiar people
and places at home is a great morale
builder. If so, then let's keep their
morale at the highest possible pitch. It
is little enough to do.
Funny Husiness
Q
77
o SO THEY SAY
Eight to 10 years after V-J day
it is quite possible Hint 400,000
workers wit be supported direct
ly or indirectly .bv civil aviation.
Commerce Secretary Henry A.
Wallrct. 0
We know that wo have lost the
war, hut we want tn show you
we are the finest fighting soldiers
in the world.
German officer captured on
western front.
The right of the peoples who
suffered from nai occupation to
receive from Germany material
compensation for the losses in
flicted by her is indisputable.
Besides the agressor should know
that tn future he will not remain
unpunished. '
Soviet Ambassador Audrel I.
Gromyko.
"Pivf? w l ifitiltilylcl.
"It fjlvM him ihot tired Iccllna ho can drop ilnhl olt to slccpl"
We still face the danger of
secret na.i-fascist infiltration in
to the political and economic life
of this hemisphere.
Secretary of State Edward R.
Stcttinius. Jr.
Washington Merry-Go-Round
Side Glances
By DREW PEARSON
Page Two
o
Between British operations in Greece, and
Russian operations in Poland, patient, ide
alistic ex-Governor Lehman, head of UNR
RA, is having serious difficulties. Though
Poland probably has suffered more than any
other country, UNRRA has only just been
able to start workers and relief toward that
war-torn country. I
It was last summer that the Lublin gpv
ernment asked that UNRRA send a mission
to help Poland. Governor Lehman's office
immediately drafted a reply. But the U. S.
office of censorship stepped in and said that
the reply could not be sent to the Lublin
government by uncoded radio because it
Involved information regarding the move
ment of supply ships and personnel.
Whereupon Governor oLehmafPs office
asked the state department to send the mes
sage In code to the American embassy in
Moscow, which in turn was to ask the Rus
sian foreign office to deliver the message to
the Lublin Poles.
The stale department and the embassy in
Moscow were glad to comply and the mes
sage was passed on ?o the Soviet foreign
Office. Several weeks passed and Governor
Lehman assumed that the message had been
delivered.
Then, suddenly, the Soviet foreign office,
in rather an Aggrieved manner, returned the
message saying that it could not deliver it to
the Lubin government. The Lublin Poles,
it was explained, were a separate govern
the Soviets said, Governor Lehman should
ment and no part of Moscow. Therefore,
communicate with them direct.
This, of course, was exactly what Gov
ernor Lehman had tried to do, but had been
barred by the U. S. censor.
In the interim, Lehman had troubles with
Moscow regarding the question of sending
UNRRA workers into Poland to distribute
supplies. To try to iron out these difficuties,
Lehman proposed going personally to Mos
cow to confer with Stalin. For a time he
thought this was all set.
Then, suddenly, at the Montreal UNRRA
conference last fall, Soviet Delegate Vasili
Sergeev got up and announced bluntly and
publicly that Lehman couldn't go to Mos
cow. Under UNRRA rules, its own interna
tional workers must distribute relief in each
country and nationals of that country are
not to be in charge. However the Russians
have been suspicious that UNRRA workers
were disguised intelligence agents and their
suspicions were heightened by the way Col.
L. F. R. Shepherd operated for British intel
ligence in Greece under the guise of an UN
RRA worker.
Despite rebuffs, Governor Lehman kept
on patiently pushing aid for Poland and now
his efforts have succeeded. Since the Yalta
conference ironed out the status of the Lub
lin Poles, Russia has consented to have UN
RRA workers go to Poland, and supply ships
have already departed. .
Who's a Liar?
Senator Bushfield, South Dakota repub
lican, recently rose on the senate foor and
called this columnist various brands of liar
because he reported that the Duponts, the
Mellons and the Pews of Pennsylvania had
contributed heavily to the senator's 1940
election campaign.
If the senator wanted to indulge in name
calling (incidentally he wasn't very original v
in his epithets) he migiit also have included
G. O. P. Treasurer W. H. Burke of Pierr
S. D., who filed a sworn statement on cam
paign contributions with the secretary of
stale of South Dakota.
They included: Lammot Dupont, $4000;
Irenee Dupont, $2500; Alfred Sloan, $2500;
Donald Brown (Dupont), $2000; Ailsa Mel
lon, $5000; Sarah Mellon Scaife, $4000; Col.
McCormiek of the Chicago Tribune, $5000
Mary Ethel Pew, $1000; Earle Halliburton c
(Pew), $5000; Joseph Pew, $1000; Mabel Pew
Myrin, $1000.
Commenting on these generous gifts from
folks who lived a long way from South
Dakota, Senator Bushfield gratefully said
(Congressional Record, page 5849, June 12,
1943):
"We are tremendously inspired that we
have a government in this country which
permits individual Americans to accumulate
and make enough money so that they can
give this sort of contribution to their friends
throughout the country."
Wonder what is Senator Bushfield's def
inition of a liar?
il? o 4 If J'
3-i.d
COPR. 1P4S BY WE SERVICE, INC. T. M llffi. aft) PAT 0F.
"Twelve years old and I cai'i go to a boy-girl parlyl I'm glad they
are fighting this war to free the world of tyrants!"
The definition of a Japanese island: a
body of land entirely surrounded or oc
cupiedby Americans.
It won't be long till we'll be wanting our
garden to turn green with envy over the
garden next door.
Saving up for a long vacation drive which
you won't be able to take is a good way to
accumulate money for war bonds.
WE, THE WOMEN
By RUTH MILLETT c
Under the newspaper picture of the young
and beautiful wife of an engineer-gunner
on a Flying Fortress was the announcement
that she had been voted most beautiful wife
in her husband's unit, a heavy bombardment
group In Italy.
Their dangerous jobs must have made
those men completely reckless. Else why
would they everjoluntarily have taken on a
job as full of dynamite as voting on which
one of them had the best looking wife at
home.
Surely, being married men, they must
know that while a woman may not expect
even her best fyends to go around describ
ing her as beautiful, she believes it is her
husband's duty to regard her as thg most
beautiful woman in the world.
So each wife naturally would expect to
get her husband's vote if not the vote of
any of the other husbands who might be
prejudiced, naturally, in favor of their own
wives.
And that would make the contest some
thing of a farce unless unmarried members
of the unit were allowed to cast their honest
ballots.
It looks as though men whose lives are
just one bombing mission after another,
have enough troubles without getting '.hgm
solves into a jam where they, have to .'igure
out what to say in a letter o pacify '.!iwife
who was an also-ran in a "most I r; .ttiful
wife" contest.
But then maybe living dangerously has
"Become a habit with them. n
Behind Scenes in Washington
By PETER EOSON, La Grande Evening Observer Washington Correspondent
WASHINGTON The accepted rule in
this grabby and power-hungry capital is that
every indijrjdual or group seeking to exert
its will on congress has some selfish motive
behind its efforts. There is a notable excep
tion to (his rule, however, in the background
of thPcurrent movement for congressional
reform now (lying studied by a non-partisan,
joint committee headed lv Sen. Bob LaFol
lette of Wisconsin and Congressman Mike
Monroney of Oklahoma.
This example of clisintere?ted public serv
ice is wort knowing about because it show:;
that enlighlgned public opinion, intelligently
directed, can exert a wholesome influence
to right the wrongs of government in a de
mocracy, even in time of war. And it is a
good case history to show what it takes to
(Tjiake the wheels go round in Washington.
The study of congressional organization
now begun in open hearings before the La-Follette-Monroney
committee is really the
result of fou years of behind-lhe-sconos
preparation by a number of indivkYuals. con
gressmen as well as private citizens. Spear
heading many of thesv efforts has been the
American Political Science association,
which in 1941 set up a committee on con
gress to see what might be done about cor
recting the growing disivspect into which
the legislative branch of the federal govern
ment was rapidly falling.
Committee Tries New Tack
Instead of doing the usual job of research,
and writing another book which would soon
be forgotten, the Political Science associa
tion committee on congress decided orj an
unique experiment. It would seek to stimu
late congressional interest in self-government
and to arouse public interest in legis
lative reform nt the same time.
Dr. George B. Galloway was named chair
man of the committee of 10 well-known
political scientists. Galloway, after a short
business career with American Telephone
and Telegraph' company, had been connected
with the bureau of municipal ivicarch, the
O
6
Twentieth Century Fund, National Planning
association, and Brookings Institution. For
two years he had been in the national recov
ery administration, so he knew his way
around Washington. Hc9)cgan his congres
sional reform activities with a series of small
informal dinner meetings wi congressmen
from both political parties, at which the
problems and practices of congress were
sympathetically Oexplored and discussed.
These dinner meetings were held on the av
erage of once a month over the past four
yeaQ. and covered perhaps 20 per cent of
the congress.
caiisiea fudiic Support
The Galloway committee also stimulated
forum discussions and radio round-table de
bates, magazine articles and books. Lale in
1944 they organized a national commission
on the organization of congress to enlist
public support for modernizing congression
al machinery and methods. National Plan
ning association had an indipendent study
of congress made by the Cleveland engineer
ing firm of Robert Heller and associates.
League of women voters put congressional
reorganization on its "must" list. Gallo
way's committee made a report of its own.
Newspapers supportecQtho idea from the
very beginning. Gradually, the ball began
to rl. It was the congressmen themselves,
however, who carried the ball for the big
gains.
Nearly 100 congressmen have been asked
to give the joint committee their ideas on
how congressional procedure might be im
proved. Then other government officials
will be heard and representatives of civic
groups and private individuals interested in
government reform. The hearings will run
over several months.
A mass of suggestions for strengthening
congress is piling up. The committee will
make its tirst report April 1. Dr. Galloway,
uho inspired much of this activity, is the
joint committee'., chief of s-laff.
9 McKENNEY ON BRIDGE
By WM. E. McKENNEY, America's Card Authority
"WRONG" DEFENSE
STYMIES SIX CLUBS
Have you ever met Sylvia nt
the bridge table? Sylvia is the
girl who does the wrong thing
but it always works out right.
You might say that you can
make six clubs on this hand if
you know where all the cards
are. Therefore I want you to
play the hand knowing that the
kinc of clubs is doubleton.
Where do you win the first
A 10 8 3
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None
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AKQ95 I N I A, J 6
53 W f Q 10 9 7
KQ109 c 87543
2 Dealer 65
K3 I uealer I
A A 7 4 2
V K
AJ0
AQJ 108
Rubber Neither vul
South West North
1 A 2 IV
3 A Pass 3
4 Pass . 8
C ' Puss Pass
Opening K.
East
Pass
Pass
diamond trick? Well, if you
frump it, you cannot make the
hand. You must win it with the
ace. Your next play is the k;ng
of hearts and now you must lead
the queen of clubi. West wins
this with the king and supposing
he returns a club. You win iP
witlt1 the? nine spot in dummy,
lead a small heart and ruff it,
ruff a diamond in dummy, lead
another small heart and trump
it.
Now you can still get into the
dummy by rufRng another dia-
Questions & Answers
Q Are t)iP- nazis still using
Norway as a naval base?
A Some 300 U-boats as wcl
as surface vessels are reported
based in the fjords, mostly at
Bergen, Trondheim, Narvik and
Oslo.
monc? and all the hearts are good.
Looks simple, but Sylvia did
not take the king of clubs when
the queen was led. She played
q! small club. Now try and make
it. Sure, you can pick up Syl
via's king of clubs with, your ace
but you have not enough entries
into dummy to establish that
heart suit.
IN FORMER"
YEARS o
30 Years Ago
Mac Wood, manager of the
Golden Rule, went to Flora to
day on ibusiness.
Pat Foley, L. M. Hoyt, Fred
o Henning and S. D. Crowe went
to Baker on business.
Winfield Eckley, son of Mr.
and Mrs. Ed Eckley of this ciy,
ranks high in academic work' at
O. A. C. Recently he was elect
ed to an honorary engineering so
ciety on his merits as a student.
Gaining his objective, through
competitive examinations, Fred
Kiddle-, La Grande high school
graduate and a junior at the
University of Oregon, was elect
ed one of four university guides
in the Oregon building in the
exposition in San Francisco.
1
15 Years Ago
The La Grande municipal band
which ranked high among or
ganizations of its kind in the
northwest, was invited to enter
the northwest amateur band con.
test in Portland in July. The
band was directed by Andrew
Loney. O
Mr. and Mrs. W. B. Evans and
daughter, Norma, returned home
from a three-week visit in Colo
rado. Frank Cullen, Leslie Keffer
and Gene Anderson spent the
weekend in Portland.
QHavo any governments-in-exile
left London for t heir lioer
atcd nStive lands? O
A The Greek, Belgian, Yugo
slav, Czech and Luxembourg
governments have gone home.
Police seized .$10,000 from own
ers (6X an Illinois gambling spot.
Customers likely laughed up
their sleeves ifcthev hvA, agjiirt
left.
10 Years Ago
With Eastern Oregon Normal
school auditorium siage packed
to capacity with young vocalists
from nearly a dozen high schools)
in this section of the state, the
fifth annual .music festival came
to a close, with two massed chor
us numbers directed by Paul
PiQ.-i, guest critic from Oregon
StaiiOcollegc.
Ed Pratt, farmer east of Im
bler, started a new business. He q
received a shipment of 12 bull
frogs from the south. He plan
ned to sell the bullfrogs raised
to a cannery.
This Curious World
DIAMETER
WESE I4D AMLES
LESS THAN 17 IS. A
TOTAL. eCLPSE
Or THE
SUN
COULD NOT OCCUR.
COPfi 195 BY NE StRVKE. INC
t ut ore. u s pt off
ACE AVsr c
GECRGE GUESS,
C-'tKEE -NOlAS CHtETAiN,
gETT? KNOWN 15 SfGUOTAH,
AN iWENTca Cc thE
ALPKASST
"when a b:ro coe sets, ir
L. DALE THSASH,
Asev'e. A Cfc
NfXT: The hijh iutrrMivj fpon.