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Side Glances
EDITORIAL PAGE
La Grande Evening Observer
Frank Schiro, Publisher '
THURSDAY EVENING, JULY 5, 19(3
Page Four-
Still in the Driver's Seat, but
i
EVENING OBSERVER'S
PROGRESS PROGRAM
IRRIGATION Complete Hie Grande
' Ronde Valley irrigation project.
LA GRANDE A city of 10,000
Extend the city limits.
How Long Will
the War Last? . , ....
The most inipoi'tnnl quest ion before
the American public today is "How
lonjr will the war last?"
It has been our privilege and trond
fortune to hear a number of highly
competent speakers discuss the ques
tion at the recent convention of the
Orciroii newspaper publishers associa
tion held in Eugene
The answer to the question is one
year to two years!
Each speaker stressed the point that
this is the best estimate, assuming that
the American public puts everything
it lias into the battle with Japan and
does not. let down in any one of the
myriad ways in which the total war
effort can lie affected.
Commander Paul Smith who handles
public relations for the United States
navy, ami who, as a line officer, parti
cipated in the invasion and occupation
of Okinawa, tuld the assembled pub
lishers that the prospect that Japan
will quit, as many persons including
those who can be assumed to know, are
predicting', can have i.o basis in factors
active at this tiin.'.
Japan cannot afford to quit, he said,
and probably will not until she is beaten
to her knees. To quit Japan will have
to withdraw from all occupied territory
including China. .Manchuria, the areas
by-passed by the advancing' American
units, the islands still held in the south
seas. She will have to disarm ami de
militarize millions of men in all the oc
cupied areas and withdraw them to the
Japanese mainland. She will have to
chaniie overnight her entire internal
economy and her people und leaders
their entire concept of Japan's place in
the international picture. '
Japan will not quit until she is forced
to do so by complete defeat, lie said.
It will take years for this nation to
put itself in a position to defeat Japan
because of the military problems in
volved. To mount a full offensive on Japan
from - Okinawa with big bombers will
require six or seven airfields on that is
land. The last field cannot be completed
for many months, probably five or six.
The problem of transportation still
involves a haul of eight thousand miles
before the men. and munitions can be
used to hit their objective.
The Japs are good fighters and bat
tling desperately, he said. The Ameri
can forces paid dearly for Okinawa and
the Japanese defense of ' that IsIhihI
from a military point o'f view was stra
tegically and tactically brilliant.
The American people and their mili
tary forces face a terrible, ordeal before
Japan is defeated. The severity of this
ordeal can be lessened only if all of the
population realizes the true picture, ap
preciates the enormity of the job which
still faces us and puts everything the
nation has to offer in production and
manpower to thorough prosecution of
the war.
The chief Cost the cost in Ameri
can lives will be tremendous, lie be
lieves, if anything less than full effort
is put forth.
Hefore the defeat of Ornmuv we
were fighting her with one fist and
holding off Japan with the other.
Since Germany's defeat has released
our right hand, shall we start waving
it in the air and continue to fight Japan
itb our left, or shall we bring around
our right for a full scale two-fisted at
tack ?
The answer which the American peo
ple .give to that question contains the
answer to "how long will the war last?"
So believes Commander Paul Smith.
Funny liusiness
"7 ( 1' '" car '':H$
.r-i?'?rV , manup. ;turing se-.v
fp
u.Bxf? .saga
o SO THEY SAY
'I'lic Detroit area does not need
workers from other places.
Kdwaid I.. Cushman, Michigan
state WMC director.
Discussions and questions are
naturally squelched. Our teach
ing is a deliberate process of dis
couraging independent thinking
as much as possible.
Teacher at Marburg, Germany.
The American merchant mar
ine which look more than 70 per
cent of our troops (overseas),
will brine them back in the man
ner and style to which they nre
entitled.
Frank J. Taylor, president
American Merchant Marine
"institute. "
"Now If I can combine the two gracefully we'll have iwell lines
for a new carl"
There are many pitfalls ahead
of us, but if we fail we are not
likely to get another chance to
fulfill the purpose for which we
have fought, the assurance of a
secure peace and a decent life for
all Americans.
Secretary of Slate Edward R.
Slettinius, jr.
Washington Merry-Go-Round
By DREW PEARSON
WASHINGTON Harry Hopkins won't go
to Berlin for the Big Three meeting. Chief
reason: health. Whenever Harry goes away
on trips, he forgets to take his pills and has,
a setback . . . another reason may be that
Hopkins and Byrnes don't get along. It was
Hopkins who last December persuaded FDR
to appoint Slettinius rather than Byrnes as
secretary of state . . . Truman, incidentally
is strong for Hopkins, urged him to be U. S.
ambassador to Moscow. Again health inter
vened . . . It's interesting to sec how pub
lic opinion has changed regarding Hopkins,
now that he is advising Truman instead of
FDR. Everybody cussed him before; now
they praise him for straightening out Po
land. Part of the old enmity against Hop
kins was the natural jealousy toward any
one close to the throne. With Truman, peo
ple know he is welcome but not close
The old hullabaloo of artillery .sticns no!
reaching the western front is now- being
sotted once and for all by the Mead com
mittee. Careful Senator Kilgorc of West
Virginia intcrvrcwed high-ranking generals
at the front who swore there was no shell
shortage . . . General Somervell and Under
Secretary of War Patterson had screamed
that the home front had fallen down. Even
Jimmy Byrnes fell for this one . . . Though
Truman has brought a lot of westerners into
the cabinet, actually three New Yorkers re
main. They arc: Stimson (war), Forrestal
(navy), Morgenlhau (treasury). The fourth
New Yorker, Miss Perkins, stepped down
. . . Here is the geographical layout of the
rest of the cabinet: Texas (Clark attorney
general); Illinois (Ickes interior); Iowa
(Wallace commerce); New Mexico (An
derson agriculture; Washington (Schwel
lcnbach labor); South Carolina (Byrnes
state); Missouri (Hannegan post office)
. . .Then, of course, Harry Truman himself,
also from Missouri. So it looks as if the
west was pretty well represented.
Chalk up a belated victory to the little
group of senators who opposed the Stettin
ius state department team. President Tru
man has now pretty much recognized the
validity of their opposition. The senators
who rebelled against the Stettinius team
wore: Florida's Pepper, Pennsylvania's Guf
fey, Montana's Murray, Kentucky's Chand
ler, Wisconsin's LaFollelte, North Dakota's
Langcr and Vermont's Aiken . . . Langer
was the only senator who had the courage
to get up and make a speech against Stet
tinius. He pointed out he had nothing per
sonal against him, but that Stettinius just
hadn't the proper background for secretary
of state. Truman has now agreed with
Langer . . . Leo Pasvolsky, gnome-like for
mer White Russian master-mind of the San
Francisco charter, probably will accompany
Ed Stettinius as adviser to the United Na
tions . . . William Paley, former head of Co
lumbia Broadcasting, now deputy head of
army's psychological warfare, has submit
ted a secret memo to OWI urging a German
radio network. Funny thing is, that Paley
wants it operated by Germans.
Inside reason why the London Poles die
such a slow death: There's a stake of $60,
000,000 in gold in London which the London
Poles control as long as they have a govern
ment . . . International Harvester, Standard
Oil, General Motors and International Tel.
and Tel. have been trying to find out what
happened to their investments in Hungary
and Rumania. So far, the Russians won't
let 'em send a single man inside those two
countries ... A group of Belgian political
leaders visited King Leopold in Austria to
get his ideas on the future of their country.
His answers were so out of step with new
Europe that even the Catholic leaders, hith
erto favoring the king's return, seriously
considered revising their position.
Truman has offered Ickes' job to three old
friends, but all three turned it down with
the advice that the best man for the job was
already holding it . . . Governor Mon Wall
gren of Washington with whom Truman
talked several weeks ago, replied: "What's
the matter with the man you've got as sec
retary of the interior? You can't improve
on him" . . . Before Congressman Clinton
Anderson was offered the department of
agriculture, Truman talked to him about be
ing secretary of the interior. Anderson
praised Ickes and declined . . . Third po
tantial candidate was Judge Sherman Min
ion, former senator from Indiana. He also
replied the best man is already in the job
. . . When Bob Hannegan was sworn in as
postmaster general, he paid sincere tribute
to retiring Postmaster Frank Walker . . .
"Frank was the first man to suggest that I
become chairman of the national commit
tee," Hannegan said, "and he was the first
man to suggest that I should fill his shoes
as postmaster general" . . . Hannegan voiced
what many feel about Frank Walker one
of the most unselfish, lovable persons ever
to hold high office . . . When Senator Tom
Connally spoke at the swearing-in ceremony
of Attorney General Tom Clark, he began:
"General Biddle, General Clark, and any
other generals who may be here" . . .Homey
Tom Clark didn't lose his sense of humor
when he took the oath. After making an
appropriate speech, he said: "Now I want
you to meet the folks." First he introduced
his 78-ycar-old mother, then his wife.
WE, THE WOMEN
By . RUTH MILLETT
The girl making conversation with a navy
officer just returned from the southwest Pa
cific started to complain about the weather.
Everyone at home agreed it had been a
dismal spring and so she was totally unpre
pared for the officer's reaction.
He said, "Listen, this weather is wonder
ful. If you were ever in the southwest Pa
cific for even a month, you would be dream
ing about this kind of weather."
So complaining about the weather a
favorite American pastime may be a lux
ury we will have to give up, now that men
arc beginning to come back from places that
make even the worst weather America car,
produce seem pleasant.
And maybe it will be a good thing for us.
at that. We look forward to summer so
that we can complain to everyone we. meet,
"This hot weather has me whipped."
And then we look forward to the end of
the heat so that we can begin to complain
about te cold and the slush and the depress
ing gray days,
There aren't but a few days in each year
when we aren't fussing about the weather.
Just getting bored with the subject has nev
er made us drop it. But maybe we'll stop if
enough of us are told by the servicemen,
who froze in Europe or sweltered in the
tropics, that we don't know what bad
weather is.
And won't that be a real blessing? Espe
cially if it stops the person who is fond of
asking, "Well is it hot enough for you today?"
Behind Scenes in Washington
By PETER EDSON. La Grande Eyening Observer Washington Correspondent
WASHINGTON, July 5 Just like a re
freshing breeze off snow-capped Ml. Rai
nier, Judge Lewis I!. Sehwellcnliach swept
into torrid Washington. Things began to
hum. For the first time in years, the U. S.
had a secretary of labor one who looked
as though he could cany and throw his
wight around with tough-skinned labor
leaders or industrialists.
Judge Schwcllenbaeh stands six feel two
or better, and he weighs in now at 1!'0 which
is 20 pounds lighter than hen he left Wash
ington as senator in October liMO to take
what he calls the best job in the world, a
federal judgeship. Today, lie looks fit, he
looks you in the eye, and when he doesn't
know an answer, instead of showing off a
lot of fancy footwork, he says "1 don't
know." If you think thai isn't refreshingly
different, you don't know Washington.
He says he has no preconceived ideas and
no pivudiees:
He doesn't know what he will recommend
on post-war wages and hours. For the per
iod of war contract cutbacks and rcconvcr
sion, he says everything points toward more
labor troubles. He has no illusions about le
ing able to stop strikes. But, he does con
sider it his job to minimic labor controversy
and labor disputes. Dr. John B. Steclman.
former head of the U. S. conciliation service,
has been brought back to Washington tem
porarily. Schwcllenbaeh has talked lo Eric John
ston, U. S. chamber of commerce president,
who also comes from Spokane, jbout th
labor charter which Johnston, CIO's Phil
Murray and AF of L's Bill Green sponsored
last March for voluntary scctletnont of labor
disputes without government particioation.
"Schwcllenbaeh thinks this idea may be ef
fected, if it can be implemented.
Asked about the Bui ton-Ball-Hatch labo.
arbitration bill jma introduced in the sen
ate. Schwcllenbaeh says he hasn't rcadcit.
and doesn't intend to read It until he gets
through with the rc-organi;ation of the ,k
partment of labor, which he considers his
first job. In addition to Steehnan, Schwcl
lenbaeh has brought five other old friends
into the department to serve as his eyes and
ears, and act as his advisors on re-organizing
the department and the score or more
of independent labor agencies scattered
around the town.
Schwcllenbaeh has notified the heads of
the railroad brotherhoods, the United Mine
Workers, the AF of L, and the CIO, that he
wants to consult them, and wants thorn fo
designate men from their headquarters to
come into the department of labor and work
witli him tin its re-organization. Labor
leaders have thus far been rather backward
about expressing themselves on Schwcllen
baeh's appoinlinnt, largely because they
wito put out by President Truman's failure
to consult them tin the appointment. When
Schwcllenbaeh was asked if he would meet
with these labor leaders jointly, he turned
quickly and with a big smile said. "Sep
arately." On the subject of greater unifica
tion of the American labor movement to
end jurisdictional war fare. Judge Schwcl
lenbaeh tells a story about the first divorce
ca.-e he handled when he was a young law
yer A professor at law school had im
piossed upon him 'he duty of an attorney lo
bring together the parties to any suit, so
when an intelligent looking young woman
retained him to get her a divorce, ho did
! y to effect a reconciliation. He thought
he hail succeeded, but art as man and wiie
ere about to kiss and make up. they found
some new cause for argument nad both
timed against him. "I lost tl.e case,"
Schwellcnhach confesses, "I lost the fee and
1 lost the client." He'll never make that
mistake again
He has set himself a goal of finding out
within 30 days what goes on in the depart
ment of labor and the 20-odd independent la
uoi agencies. In the next 30 days, or by
Sept. 1, he hopes to Work out a plan for re
organizing the whole kit and kaboodle. He'll
go on from there.
nw.-; : a f -m
COPB. IWi 8V HtA 8EBV1CC. IWO. T. M. RCO. U. 8. PAT. OFf .
"We were born five years too late, Mortimer we are a generation
of civilians too young for the war, doomed to a life without
romance!"
O McKENNEY ON BRIDGE
By WM. E. McKENNEY, America's Card Authority
YOU'VE GOT TO BID
TO BEAT SID FINK
I always said the western re
serve team members were great
card players. They have to be
they love to bid.
Elmer Babin in Cleveland just
sent me this hand with which
Sidney Fink arrived at seven no
A K872
K
KQJ 100
A43
J I NQt043
V J 6 3 2 W E V 9 8 7 4
6 5 4 2 c 483
10 8 2 Dealer J 9 6
Fink
A A 0 6 5
VAQ105
A7
4K75
Rubber N.-S.
vul.
South West North East '
1 A Pass 2 4 Pass
2 V Pass 2 A Pass
4 N T Pass 5 4 Pass
5 N T Pass 6 A Pass I
' N T Pass Pass Doubi.
Pass Pass Puss
Opening 2. J 6
clubs, as East had to protect the
queen of spades and West had to
try to protect the jack of hearts;
thus the 13th trick was made
with the three of clubs.
e in formet:
YEARS
30 Years Ago
After a jaunt through Mon
tana, British Columbia, Washing
ton, all parts of Oregon, Califor
nia and other states, Joe Long,
old-time miner and traveler, and
Mrs. Long are in La Grande, pre
pared to take a long rest. They
liked the cooling breezes that
came down the canyons this
afternoon. 'and without previous
ly expecting to do so, have se
lected La Grande as the place
where they will make a pro
h.nged stay.
La GranriL- socialists Saturday
evening banqueted Thomas Mills,
the leading socialist, who spoke
here last week. The gathering
was held in the Christian church
parlors and about 40 men gath
ered to meet Mills.
trump. The four and five were
both Blackwood bids. The five
diamonds showed one ace and
the six spades shewed three
kings.
F'ni. won the opening diamond
lead with the ace, cashed the
king of spades and the king of
hearts and then returned !o his
hand with the spade ace. The
ace and queen of hearts were
cashed and now the diamonds
were run. Dummy was left with
three clubs, while Fink held two
clubs and the ten of hearts. East
and West both had to let go
Questions & Answers
Q What is the meaning of the
name, Henry?
A Home ruler; a brave, ow
erful lord; ever wealthv.
IS Years Ago
Mrs. M. H. Becson, gold star
mother of this city, left here this
week for New York, where she
will sail on July 8 on the pilgrim
age to France. She will visit
relatives in several eastern cit
ies before her return to La
Grande. She was accompanied
by Mrs. Ann Nolan, also a gold
star mother, of Lostine.
Somewhat like a bit of old
Scotland transplanted in Amer
ica, the Scotch picnic held yes
terday at Emigrant Springs found
everyone from La Grande, Sum
inervillc, Kamcla and Pendleton
there. More than a hundred na;
lives of Harry Lauder's own land
were seated at long tables load
e.! with Scotch delicacies.
Q What is the airline a" stance
from New York to 1 I urn.',
Australia?
A 10,541 miles.
Q -Which nation r;; next to
the United States in highway
mileage?
A Russia, with 1.B82. 01 miles
compared with 3,005,000 in the
U. S.
10 Years Ago
Prof. Elmo Stevenson, Dr. C.
1.. Gilstrap, Cecil Ager, all of Lo
Grande, G. W. Ager and Charles
Niswanger of Bend will spend
the remainder of this week fish
in;! in the Eend district. The La
Glanders will return Sunday. Dr.
Lewa Wilkes Ager and daughter
will accompany the men to Bend
where she will visit relatives
while they are angling.
This Curious World
I , JS 'iM&j3Bs&i& WIL0 ANIMAL SPECIES i
n,-p-AijEN,Ei? CROSSING THE! JV'HJ
urc os the Pirst time is v5?
INITIATED INTO THE CCOWOF
ViXAr KINS P
PEC. U. S, PAT. OFF.
rf
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IM 1944
THE CHICAGO CUSS
DID MOT WIN A BASEBALL 6AAE
FRC.H THE ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
UNTIL SErMSZ 377.
ANSWER: King Neptune.
NEXT: Our liquid assets.