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About La Grande evening observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1904-1959 | View Entire Issue (May 19, 1945)
3 J? at b h g i ci it M 3 Ci it ct b. 3 3 3 it H ? EDITORIAL PAGE La Grande Evening Observer Frank Sehlro, Publisher SATURDAY EVENING, MAY 19, 1945 Page Two He Makes a Solitude and EVENING OBSERVER'S PROGRESS PROGRAM IRRIGATION Complete the Grande Ronde Valley irrigation project, LA GRANDE A city of 10,000 Extend the city limit Rising Nationalism Why cnn't the allies stick together in peace as they have in war? That question, in various forms, has been asked frequently in the last couple of years, and usually in a rhetorical rather than an interrogatory sense. Hut now it's being asked by people who really want to know. Throughput the world today the un ity that has made the United Nations united is beginning to show signs of strain. And nowhere is that strain more evident than at San Francisco, particularly among the three countries who were the major contributors to victory in Kurope. Why can't they stick together in peace as they have in war? They can, but probably not without hard work, hard words, disappointment, compro mise, and most of all, a change of heart. One great obstacle is that while the major allies in Kurope were all fight ing against the same thing, they were not all fighting for the same thing. Kussia was fighting for the political role in eastern Kurope that was contin gent upon Germany's defeat. In secur ing that role, she now delays or ignores certain commitments previously mado among the big three powers. Great Britain and the United States have united to oppose Russia's course. And their opposition is not without political considerations, l'ritain has a political role in western Kurope, as we Funny Business "I know wo haven't ny but it won't tak long - ' Calls It Peace Byron have in the western hemisphere. Bri tain's actions in Greece and our attitude toward Argentina havo been no less arbitrary than Ityssia's. Among the smaller nations there is internal and external disunity. Italy is split over the old question of possess ing Trieste. Certain Polish, Yugoslavian and Hungarian groups are turning out reams of venomous writings against Russia, at a moment when the nasi death grip on their countries has scarcely been loosened. Everywhere, it seems, a violent, pent up nationalism is emerging, even at a time when progress is undeniably be ing made toward an international secur ity system. It is all confusing and con tradictory. One reason for the confusion is prob ably that diplomats just can't get over the tradition of old-fashioned diplom acy. It has always been the habit of allied victors to shake hands after vic tory and say to one another, in effect, "Thanks, pal, you were n great help, We couldn't have won without you. But now we'll just take ours. And if you don't liko it, nuts to you." In this country we have rightly de cried those who have preached isola tionism and urged that not one jot of American sovereignty be sacrificed to a world league for peace. And we have silenced most of them. Now we aro running into the same sort of thinking from our allies who condemned Ameri can isolationism so bitterly, and so rightly, when the battle was hard. Isolationism and militant national ism aren't going to prevent war in the post-war world any more than they did before 1!)!!!). That goes for Russian and British isolationism and national ism, too. Certainly the world's states men know that. Let us pray that they soon crane to their senses and proceed with whole hearts and good faith to finish the job begun at San Kranciscd. o SO THEY SAY Croat fighters, our boys. Comrlr. Jack Demrv.ey, after return from Okinawa. He (Sen. Kenneth D. McKcl lar) is com Icons and polite to ev ery man and woman who visits Washington from Tennessee. Therefore, no one can heal him. K. H. Crump, Mtmphis politi cian. Merely because a man Is a basob:iU player and a 4-F doesn't mean his draft board should re classify him and put him into . service. Haschnll's new commtaioner. Sen. A. B. (Happy) Chandler. Naiiwj has lieen tried, Bol shevism s too much like nar.ism to have h much better chance. There is no place for it, either, among our disillusioned people. AH the old idealisms have ailed us. Pastor Martin Nicmocller f"r,i Ouium I'lolcilant min- lor somobody Washington Merry-Go-Round Br DREW FEABSON WASHINGTON After Churchill and Truman sent their simultaneous notes to Stalin reviewing all of Russia's broken Yalta promises on Poland, Roumania, Yugo slavia and Austria Stalin replied on May 10 with a smashing note to Churchill and a milder note to Truman. In neither did he back down on anything. ' Apparently Churchill has an unWTlng faculty for getting under Stalin's skin. Twice before they were almost at each ether's throats when the late President Roosevelt stepped in between. This latest Stalin reply to Churchill was in similar yein. The milder note to Truman was about eight pages long and reaffirmed Russia's desire to carry out the Yalta pact, but dif fered diametrically regarding its interpre tation. Stalin fell back also on the explana tion that he and Roosevelt had a personal understanding as to how the Yalta pact was to be carried put. Admittedly the Yalta pact is vague. One pf the late president's advisers reminded him of this, at Yalta, and got the reply: "I know it, but it's the best I can get the Rus sians to agree to without staying here six weeks and 1 can't stay "here six weeks." : "Sworn Soviet Enemies" For Instance, the Yalta agreement does not state specifically that members of the London Polish govemment-in-exile shall be taen into the Lublin-Warsaw government, but only that the latter should be reorgan iied "on a broader democratic basis with the inclusion of democratic leaders from Poland Itself and from the Poles abroad." , Stalin therefore replied to Truman that Russia intended to live up to the Yalta pact on Poland, but interprets It differently. He pointed out that the Lublin government was being broadened daily and now cotains four archbishops. He also said that at the ext meeting of the big three he would give con vincing proof that the Lublin government was being broadened- in accordance with Yalta', even if it did hot lnciud? the London Poles, whom he described as the "sworn enemies of the Soviet Union." However, he apparently Ignored the fact that the Yalta pact does provide that the Lublin government shall be broadened in consultation with U. S. Ambasador Harri man and British Ambassador Sir Archibald Clark Kerr. This definitely has not been done. Both Harriman and Kerr have been largely ignored regarding revision of the Polish government. Kept Out of Austria Stalin's lengthy note also answered the Truman-Churchill inquiry as to why the western allies were not consulted regarding the new Renner government ' In Austria, created by the Russians overnight. Stalin's explanation was that the Austrian people have proved their worth, that the situation WE, THE WOMEN Br RUTH MILLETT A prominent New York club wpman who, in a newspaper Interview,' grew eloquent over woman's place being in the home, hastened to add, "But please don't refer to us as housewives. Women don't like the word housewife." Well, if housewife is a word entirely with out glamor, one in which women can take no pride, it's tho fault of housewives them selves. They go around saying apologetically to any woman with any kind of outside job, however dull it may be, "I'm just a house wife." It is "just" that has ruined the word and made women a little ashamed of it. It is "just" that has forced so many wom en to run around In circles, pretending to be interested in any convenient project that Behind Scenes in Washington Br PETER EDSON, La Grande Evening Obsuvtr Washington Correspondent SHASTA DAM, Calif. Delegates to the united nations conference, with the future reconstruction of their war-torn countries in mind, could do themselves no greater good than to take a two or three day trip through California's central valley. This central valley is about the size of England or some of the other smaller na tions. Tucked between the coastal and Si erra Nevada ranges, it is less than 100 miles wide and it runs 500 miles from Shasta dam south to Bakcrsfield. It all lies within this great state of California yet the whole cen tral valley reclamation project is so vast an undertaking that many Californians don't appreciate it. Seventy-five years ago this central valley wasn't just war-torn as large parts of Europe and Asia arc today it w as practically a des ert of little good to anyone except the In dians and the prospectors who didn't realize what real gold was there even when they looked right at it. When central valley win ter snows melted and roared down the mountains through the Sacramento river from the north and the San Joaquin from the south, pouring into the swamps and del tas at the head of San Francisco's bays. Fifty years ago much of this great cen tral valley was still semi-arid. There were scattered irrigation projects ,Mc(i pumped water out of the uncontrolled rivers when there was any iW did dryTlirming ori 'big cattle and grain ranches the rest of the lime. . What the delegates from fee war-ravished countries would see if they left their wrest ling with semi-colons for a few days and came up to these great opsn spaces is there fore the work of less than a generation. The central valley projret as planned by the slate ef C.ilifnrnia ind thr V. S. bureau of demanded great speed, and so Stalin saw no objection to their establishing their own (government. Of course, under Yalta, it was stipulated that new governments In the liberated areas were not to be set up without consultation between the big three. Probably also' a cable from Moscow to London and, Wash ington would have secured immediate ap proval of Karl Renner as the new chancellor of Austria. But this advance notice was not given. Stalin also explained, in reply to the Truman-Churchill inquiry, that the situa tion in Roumania was desperate, that there were serious disorders, that the Radesqu government had deceived the Roumanian people and they themselves wanted an in: mediate change. He also explained that Transylvania had been given to Roumanja (without consulting Britain and the USA) in order to consolidate the new Roumanian government . and give it support with all political factions. ... In regard to Yugoslavia and the Yalta pledge to reorganize the, Yugoslav parlia ment, Stalin explained that no time, limit had been set in the Yalta agreement (which is correct) and that these reforms would ba carried out at the proper time. U. S. Prisoners Held Meanwhile, another sore point arose to plague allied-Russian j-elations wheji the Soviet delayed the return of American and British prisoners liberated by the Red army, At first the Russians gave the excuse that transportation was difficult, which wastrue. But when we proposed sending transport planes to Poland to carry our men out, it was Indicated that this would be up to the Lublin-Polish government, since most of the prisoners are in Poland. , The conclusion seems to be that US British prisoners are being held in Poland as a sort of hostage to force recognition of the Lublin government, which so far we have refused to recognize and declined to admit to San Francisco. Last complication in our distressing and tangled Russian relations has been delay in the entry of U. S. troops into Berlin. Under the Yalta pact, a "central control commission consisting of the three powers with headquarters in Berlin" was to rule Germany. Sometime ago the U. S. second armored division prepared to enter Berlin as a token force but was kept cooling its tanks at the river Elbe. Do You Know That? A total of 22.5ttU.000 pounds of albacpre . tuna were landed in Oregon ports last year. The oil required "to fill the tanks of a sin gle battleship would heat the average home for 20 years, Deputy Petroleum Administra tor Ralph K. Davies said. will permit them to say to themselves: "See how much I'm doing outside my home. I'm not 'just a housewife, like so many women." And the outside prqjects often aren't half as important as the job at home that is neg lected so that a woman won't, have to think of herself as "just a housewife." For all the career women there nrc in the world today, the majority of women are housewives. ; So it is pretty dhmb of them to be apolo getic about the career they have chosen for themselves, and make it sound totally un important by sticking "just" in front of the title. You don't hear any group of career women going around saying "I'm just a secretary" or "I'm just a designer" or "I'm just a movie star." reclamation is still far from completed. But if the moral of this thing would sink in on the consciousness of the statesmen who are in San Francisco to draft a United Nations charter and so bring into being a bright hew world, the fact should register that this is what men can do in a generation if they stop playing the stupid old European and Asiatic games of power politics, intrigue and war. There is no future in that, but most of the thick-headed statesmen entrusted with gov erning the nations of the world have not realized it. Even at San Francisco the cry Is heard on all sides that the United States armed forces will have to be kept in the old world to restore order, keep the peace and impose democracy in many countries no big ger than the state of California and even in countries as big as the whole United States. It is doubtful if the American people will long remain interested in trying to establish its liberties in odd corners of the world. Five years from now the United States may be so thoroughly fed up with assorted faction al wars in Asia, Africa and Europe that the prevailing sentiment will be to pull out and leave people who have not learned how to govern themselves to cut each other's throats to extinction. But what the Uni'.cd States can do con structively is Miow the old world politicians things like this central valley proje.S in Cnlifrrnia, with its big dams, its hydro-electric power, its irrgatlon of arid unproduc tive lands, its multi-million dollars worth of ' diversified crops and resources. Then these statesmen could go home with the United Nations charter adopted at San Francisco and build on their o.vn now-dcse'rt-likc ruin's ami desolation otlirr praecful central va!lcv. IW Vf WCA BTBV1C1, fWC. f.U. MO. 0. S. AT. OFT. You can really save me from disaster I lost my ralion booksl "Isn't it lucky we live only 30 miles apart?" O McKENNEY ON BRIDGE Br WM. E. McKENNEY, America's Card Authority LET THE PENALTIES FATTEN YOUR SCORE (This is one of a series of hands from the recent world's championship master's individ ual tournament.) In winning the world's cham pionship m a s t e r's individual tournament recently, Charles H. Goren is the first player in the history of bridge to have won Dealer West Goren A K Q J 9 72 V 9 3 K A Q 18 8 Duplicate N.-S. vul. West North East South Pass Pass 1 A Pass IN. T. Pass 2 A Pass Pass Double Pass Pass 3 Double Pass Pass Opening 2. 21 every one of the major cham pionships. In giving me today's hand, Goren sail, "Sometimes you do not have to do anything to win a top score. Just sit there and accept it from the opponents." Goren said that when he pick ed up the South hand he natur- Questions & Answers QHow widely does the army air. forces use photography? A Ma. -Gen. Bennett E. Mey ers, director, air technical serv ice command, Wright field, re ports that more than 20,000,000 photographs a. month are made for military purposes. Q-rWhat new use has been found for sunflower seed? A As a meal, it is rich in B vitamin content, and probably will appes;- in cakes, breads and rolls shortly. Prof, and Mrs. Har ry G. Day of Indiana university discovered this quality. Q-rWhat. was the combined mileage of the Russians and Yanks in their push from Stalin grad and Normandy to their meeting at Torgau? . A Russians traveled 1396 air miles; Yanks, 615. Total: 2011. This Curious World None . , TK 10 764 AJ102 9832 8 I N A1&83 Q87S4 W E VAQ9 3 S 8 K54 I IJ7 I BATS HER MATE yfl o . WHEN IT RAINS IN, ITS RA1NIN6 OUT," Ss , DORS WEYMAN," LIS OH A MOONLIGHT KIKdkJT THE AVERAGE PERSON CAN see. LESS THAN ZOO STARS , S-21 HLXT: Whsn haticthocs brought good luck. ally thought he would be the de clarer. It never dawned on him that he would never enter the bidding. When East bid two 'spades, Goren decided not to double, feeling quite confident that West would not stand for two spades. West did pass and Peter, Leven tritt, his partner in the North, doubled. Of course Leventritt was asking Goren to bid but Goren was well satisfied and passed. Now, when West bid three diamonds, this was to Lev entritt's liking. The plus-300 score was a top. Most players got into trouble with Goren's hand, as they felt that when East opened with the spade, he was putting in a psy chic, and at several tables North and South tried to play the hand at as much as three spades. e IN FORMER YEARS ' f ' 30 Years Ago ' Lowell Williamson was in from his homestead transacting busi ness at the land office and visit ing his parents. Mt. Fannie grange started a fund toward the building of a grange hall. Attorney J. D. Slater went to The Dalles to attend the annual diocesan conclave of the Episco pal church. 15 Years Ago The Cen'ral grade school team, duplicating its feat of previous years, romped away with first honors in the annual grade school track and field d&y at the high school. 'A scrapbooti containing rec ords of the activity of the Riveria parent-teacher association was chosen as an Oregon entry at the convention of the national congress of parents and teachers in Denver. 10 Years Ago The Lions club decided to spon sor summer operation of the La Grande swimming pool in con nection with the playground rec reational association program this summer. ...... Mrs. Winchester H. Heicher, the former Lois Nelson, who is now living in New York City, ar rived in La Grande for a six week visit with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. A. W, Nellon.
