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; EDITORIAL PAGE
La Grande Evening Observer ;
Frank Sehlro, Publisher
. .. : ..-..Page Two
SATURDAY EVENING, JUNE 16, 1945
"Thanks for t he Lift, Joe!"
EVENING OBSERVER'S
PROGRESS PROGRAM
IRRIGATION Complete the Grande
Ronde Valley Irrigation project.
LA GRANDE A city of 10,000
Extend the city limita.
TODAY'S TEXT
But rather seek ye the kingdom of
God ; and all these things shall be added
unto you. Luke 12:81.
What Government
For Germany?
The Germans are unsuited and op
posed to democracy, says Pastor Martin
Niemoeller. "The greatest shortcom
ing of the Weimar Republic," he cx
. plains, "was that it never could impose
authority on the German people, which
longed for such authority."
Pastor Niemoeller knows what he is
talking about. And history bears him
but. Germany's brief and restless in
terlude of democracy found most of the
people backing one or another faction
seeking absolute power. Few wanted
the sickly republic, or defended it.
They'd probably do as badly again. So
what will be Germany's future govern
ment? There isn't much choice. Perhaps a
communist dictatorship or, as former
Ambassador James Girard suggests, a
British-type monarchy,
The latter would impose on the Ger
mans the onerous responsibility of par
liamentary self-government. It might
work, though, by giving them a figure
head of authority and a certain amount
of pomp which, as Mr. Girard points
out, might counteract their former
adulation of the military.
l!ut such an arrangement would
scarcely please Kussia any more than
a communistic Germany would please
Britain. Whatever the solution, it will
inevitably be preceded by more head
aches for the conquering allies .who,
without any desire to coddle or please
the Germans, must seek for them a
government that will provide a mini
mum of unrest and potential trouble
which would upset further the peace of
Europe and the world.
Footnote on the
Battle of the Bulge
First newspaper accounts of the Ger
man breakthrough in Belgium last De
cember were serious and concerned.
But soon we civilians were given to unr
derstand that the whole operation had
been a "calculated risk," that the attack
had been expected, and that the trap
which the allies eventually sprang on
the nazis had been deliberately set. ,
Now we learn that the attack really
was a stunning surprise. General
Hodges and his staff narrowly escaped
both capture in Spa and death on the
bomb-blasted road to Liege. The Ger
mans came within 500 yards of a 3,000,-.
000-gallon gasoline dump which, if
taken, might have made the counter--attack's
eventual outcome a different
story.
The discrepancy between the two ac
counts is past history, of course, and
perhaps not worth worrying about. But
it does seem that the army might have
believed that the civilian public, told the
real story within bounds of security,
would not have thought the less of our
generals because on one occasion they
didn't behave like omniscient heroes of
fiction.
However, it docs seem proper, before
dismissing the subject, to pay belated
tribute to the soldier cooks and bakers
and the military censors who dropped
their skillets and blue pencils to take up
rifles and stein the German tank attack.
Their now-it-can-be-told exploits make
belter reading, it seems to us, than the
earlier version of the same storv.
Funny Business
.... f"
con iwtn nUuivici ihc t m tti u m or) ..C-v.-kifAA- J 1 '
O SO THEY SAY
The democratic form of gov
ernment suitable to govern the
German people has not been dis
covered. Martin Niemoeller, recently
freed Berlin Lutheran pastor.
We have come, at last, into an
international age. The present
generation of youth is the first
generation of an international
character in history.
Dr. John R. Molt, president,
world alliance of YMCAs.
Japan does not want to enslave
the American people or extermi
nate them.
Isuir.u Inoaye, Jap spokesman,
in dcclariuK Japan would soon
be in n position to demand un
conditional surrender of thcr
United States.
Washington Merry-Go-Round
Side Glances
"No nalivo'i going to outdo me. ilrt"
Why, the amateur diplomats
who represented the United States
at the confeivnee last summer
were babes lost in the Hretton
Woods,
ltep. Jessie Sumner, Illinois.
Br DREW PEARSON
' WASHINGTON Harry Truman is facing
the same kind of mess which, as a senator,
he used to investigate so efficiently.
The president has told close friends that
he dreads the possibility of some big war
scandal being connected with his adminis
tration, and today a situation pregnant with .
possibilities is brewing right under his nose
in the surplus war property board.. It isn't
Truman's fault; he Inherited It. But it may
boomerang against him just the same.'
Billions of dollars of surplus war prop
erty are to be disposed of war plants, ma
chine tools, airplanes, steel mills, aluminum
works, airplane factories. Not only is there
room for graft, but the companies who get
these plums can influence economic history
for a decade. ; ..
;. Not much graft is known so far. But the
backstage lobbying for pipelines, synthetic
rubber plants, high octaine gas plants can
result in greater scandals through favoritism
than mere graft. .
Eagle-eyed Senator Joe O'Mahoney of
Wyoming, alert defender of the public inter
est, has been scrutinizing some of these
things. , Here are some of the backstage de
velopments Which he is probing:
Best protector of the public on the sur
plus property board Is general counsel Wes
ley Sturges, who last week was excluded
frdni meetings of the board. He objected to
too much big-business favoritism by board
members . . . Sturges is a former Yale pro
fessor, former U. S. foreign economic admin
istrator in north Africa, former czar of the
liquor Industry ... He and ex-Senator Gil
lette of Iowa were the chief protectors of
the public on the board; but now Gillette,
- tired of the battle, is retiring.
Chief opponent of small-business-protector
Sturges is Col. Alfred E. Howse, Wichita,
Kan., banker and furniture magnate. Howse
had a fine, forthright record in the south
Pacific.
.: He helped expose graft and inefficiency
in the air forces, ad his operation of surplus
property is equally honest . . . but he be
longs to the old big business school which
would like to see the Sherman anti-trust act
at the bottom of the Potomac . . . Along with
Howse are numerous colonels he has re
cruited from Gen. B. B. Somervell's army of
economic royalists to help run surplus prop
erty. Their idea is to get rid of war gooos
as fast as they can, no matter who gets them
... To some extent this is necessary . . .On
the other hand, congress set up an excellent
set of principles in the surplus property act
by which small business is not to be left out
in the cold, while veterans, schools, univer
sities and municipalities get first crack at
the vast grab-bag of left-over war goods.
Civil war over the aluminum corporation
is the best illustration of the big business
vs. little business row inside surplus prop
erty . . . The big business group was ready
to let Alcoa buy some of the best machine
tools in the country, now government-owned
and loaned to Alcoa for war prductin ....
This question of Alcoa's monopoly has raged
bitterly ever since Andrew Mellon, father of
the giant company, was secretary of the
treasury, with an anti-trust case against Al
coa hanging fire in the courts for twelve
years . . . Same battle continued between
Jesse Jones and Secretary Ickes regarding
the new aluminum plants built during the
war, which Ickes feared would increase Al
coa's monopoly . . . Despite all this, the big
business group inside surplus property was
quite willing to let Alcoa keep the valuable
government-owned machine tools, thus in
crease its grip on aluminum.
Attorney General Biddle finally stepped
into the Alcoa battle and threw his weight
behind llttle-busincss-defender Sturges . . .
Biddle reminded the board that congress,
in setting up the surplus property board had
ruled against any concern which the attor
ney general considered a monopoly. Alcoa,
said Biddle, was exactly that ... this seem
ed to be conclusive . . . but another back
stage fight followed ... Some board mem
bers objected to naming Alcoa by name in
the order withholding its machine tools?.
They won their point. The final order mere
ly referred to companies making aluminum
and alumina . , . Day after this order was
issued June 7 the board held a secret ses
sion and adopted regulations by which little-business-protector
Sturges was barred from
further meetings ...
Sturges was not present to object ....
Then the board wrote up its minutes mak
ing it appear that he was present . . . Stur
ges, however, has registered a protest, mak
ing it clear that he did not concur in barring
himself from board meetings.
Interesting aftermath is Colonel Howse's
attempt to get a new general counsel replac
ing Sturges. Discouraged, the latter want
ed to go back to Yale but not until October.
Not waiting until then, Howse rushed to pick
Col Joe Johnston of Birmingham, Ala., son
of famous Liberty leaguer Fourney John
ston, to whom the big utilities paid large
amounts to fight the Tennessee valley authority.
WE, THE WOMEN
By RUTH MILLETT
Every serviceman who returns to civilian
life is not going to be able to find in his
peacetime job and notch in life the same
amount of satisfaction he found in the Serv
ice. Just being "another civilian" is going to be
hard for some men used to the special
treatment and admiration from civilians
which they rightfully had when they wore
their country's uniform.
Many young men who went into the serv
ice right out of college and attained a fairly
high rank during the course of the war will
have to step down both as to pay and the
comparative importance of their work when
they start as beginners at civilian jobs.
For those who expect to have to make that
kind of adjustment, the going won't be too
hard.
But it will be hard on the man who has
become dependent on the prestige of his uni
form and his rank.
Any wife who finds her husband having
trouble making that kind of adjustment will
want to help him. And she can, too, believes
Dr. Wilbur R. Miller, who is head of Iowa's
state psychopathic hospital and head of the
department of psychiatry in the University
of Iowa colelge of medicine.
He believes the wife who sees that her
husband is not getting to use in his job all
of his army-developed ability as a leader, or
who realizes that her husband is carrying
a chip on his shoulder about the way things
are being run here at home should encourage
him to become active in the affairs of the
community.
"The best thing to do with a person who
isn't satisfied with the way things are being
run is to see that he gets into a position
where he can help run them," says Dr. Mil
ler. And he also points out that communi
ties and states will need the help of the re
turning servicemen as much as the service
men may need to put their energy and ideas
to work.
Behind Scenes in Washington
Br PETER EDSON, La Grand ETenlng ObierTtr Washington Correspondent
WASHINGTON Poor old congress got
combat fatigue. The battle of Washington
is just too much when taken in unrelieved
tours of duty and the C-men are beginning
to show it. Over a fourth of the members
of both houses are absent with or without
leave. On the day somebody threw a lunch
eon for the new secretary of the senate, Les
li L. Biffle, Senator George was the only
Democrat present on his side of the asile,
while five lonely Republicans listened to
Senator Harold make a heavy speech on the
big five veto. Total attendance, seven. Over
in the house the record was better with 300
out of the 400 on hand to pass repeal of the
poll tax. But that was so hot for some of
the southerners they wished they were home
and it was a futile gesture besides, because
the senate will probably kill it.
Adjournment of congress in July is likely,
however, and it's about time because the
distinguished members are all stir crazy and
they need to go home fo a check-up and to
be checked-up on.
The battle neuroses now show on the con
gressmen in the things they do. The house
is always unpredictable but when the senate
goes haywire as it did in passing the price
control amendment which would guarantee
n profit on all produce, then you know it's
time for a change. Even Ed O'Neal of the
farm bureau retched at this proposal, call
ing it unworkable, and when that cagy old
codger calls any piece of legislation benefit
ing the farmers no good, it really must be
bad.
What you an really be thankful for is the
bicarmcral system which permits one house
of congress to check the rash acts of the
other.
The lower house was clear off form and
doubly surprised everyone by (a) passittg
the Bretton Woods agreement and (b) tak
ing a terrible hack at the president's powers
to cut tariffs under the reciprocal trade
agreements program. The first was consid
ered as good as the latter Was disappoint
ing to the administration.
What seems to have happened to both the
reciprocal trade renewal in the house as
well as to the OPA renewal in the senate
is that the solons were unable to look past
their own noses. Both were considered as
purely local issues instead of matters of
which there should be a national policy.
Everybody wants price control, everybody
wants tariffs reduced except on those par
ticular commodities in which he deals. And
when congressmen listen and react to such
pressures, the only thing that will do them
much good is a good long rest mid quiet
surroundings.
The two things which President Truman
has specifically asked of congress unlimit
ed power to reorganize the government and
increased social security payments will
probably have to ride over until congress re
convenes in the fall. The president needs
both these authorizations to deal with im
mediate problems, but both seem headed for
a fight and congress is in no mood to tackle
such large orders at this time.
Even with congress out of town for the
summer, things aren't going to be dull. Sen
ator Robert F. Wagner's banking and cur
rency committee is fixing to hold elaborate
hearings on Senator James E. Murray's con
troversial full employment bill, and there
will be the United Nations charter written
nt San Francisco to argue about. That, too,
will probably have to wait until fall tiefure
the senate will feel like considering it for
ratification.
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6-B.
"We wouldn't think of having a neighborhood picnic without in
viting you and your wife and you will brl.ig some wieners and.
bologna sandwiches, won't you?".
McKENNEY ON BRIDGE
By WM. E. McKENNEY, America's Card Authority
OPTIMISM PAYS
WHEN TOP NEEDED
The last board in the Ohio pair
championship this year proved a
real thriller. We will have to ad
mit that tha four heart contract
was certainly an optimistic one
to get to, but both Elmer Babin
and Sid Fink, the defending
champions, realized they needed
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Fink I I Babin
AKJ N A1o8
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Duplicate N.-S. vul.
South West North East
1 lit Pass 1 N. T. Pass
Pass Double Pass 2 V
Puss 4 V Double Pass
Opening A 5. 18
a top to have a chance to win.
Babin played the jack on the
opening spade lead and it held
the trick. He then cashed the ice
and king of spades, discarding a
club. A small club was played
to the ace and a club returned,'
South winning with the king.
South played the king of dia
monds and led a small diamond,
Questions & Answers
Q What Chinese city, recent
ly recaptured from the Japs, is
known as the "City of Willows"?
A Liuchow, former big Amer
ican bomber base.
which Babin trumped in dummy
with the three of hearts. A small
club was played and when Nortn
played the queen of clubs, Babin
trumped with the nine of hearts.
Tha five of hearts was returned,
dummy winning with the king.
He led the ten of clubs, which
North trumped with the ten of
hearts. This was overtrumped by
Babin with the queen, and over
trumped by South with the ace.
At this point, Babin spread the
hand and claimed the balance.
Even though they won top on this
hand, it was not enough: Clare
H. Smith and Miss . Florence
Stratford won the evenl.
O IN FORMER
YEARS
30 Years Ago. June 16
Heine Meidenrich, track and
glee club man at the University
of Oregon, Jimmie Stoddard,
student body editor, and Russell
Ralston, a prominent figure in
soccer football circles at the same
schol, arrived home for the sum
mer vacations.
Paul Schwaiger, of North
Platte, Nebr., arrived to visit his
uncle E. O. Polack.
Q What percentage of Amer
ican prisoners of war survived
the rigors of German prison
camps?
A An estimated 09 per cent.
15 Years Ago, June 16
Sixty La Grande young men,
members of Company E, com
manded by Captain W. A. Bean
and Lieutenants Jesse Andrews
and Porter Webb, detrained at
Camp Clatsop station for their
six weeks training period.
Miss Eleanor Cleaver is a
graduate of the University of
Oregon this spring in the depart
ment of psychology with a minor
in physical education, in which
department she has been espe
cially active and interested in
interpretative dancing. She is
the daughter of Mr. and MVs. H.
H. Cleaver of this city.
Q-A-
What is a precentor?
-A choir leader.
Q How many members are
there of the British house of com
mons? A Over 600. These are elect
ed to represent county and bor
ough districts based on popula
tion, as are members of the U. S.
house of representatives.
10 Years Ago, June 16 .
With approximately 2,500 in
attendance, the Elks charity circus
came to a close in the high school
stadium.
Announcement was made that
N. K. West and Herman Siegrist
had purchased Falk's men's store.
George Singer, foreman of the
Grande Ronde packing plant,
went to New YYork on a two
week business trip.
This Curious World
c
TMESS AZE
25 SPR-INGRELDS
IN THE UNITED STATES.
iMCST PEOPLE DSIVIN6 UNDER 3S 1
uv 45, says
R. BILL WILLIAttSON,
- fl K 'Iiiiii 4 "
I X I I I I s .
NEXT: Our puzzling animal names.