EDITORIAL PAGE
La Grande Evening Observer
Frank Schlro, Publisher
SATURDAY UVENINO. JULY 14, 1945,
I'age Two
The Omnipresent Suitor
YOU AWAY TOA fSV f
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EVENING OBSERVER'S
PROGRESS PROGRAM
IRRIGATION Complete the Grande
Ronde Valley Irrigation project.
LA GRANDE t- A city of 10,000
Extend the city limits.
Cross-Country GI Travel
Undersecretary of War Robert P. Pat
terson invited the accusation of resort
ing to the sort of buckpassing' the pub
lic mind associates with official Wash
ington, in his recent comments about
charges that shameful traveling accom
modations are being provided for sol
diers transported from the Atlantic o'
the Pacific. ,
Most readers recall tho circumstances.
Charges were that servicemen wore be
ing packed like sardines into vcrmin:iii
fested day coaches for the long trip
across the continent.
Mr. Patt'jrson had nothing to say at
the time about vermin. He did ack
nowledge that day coaches had boon
used for such travel, adding that the
war department was attempting to car
reel that condition, lie then .mentioned
that tho provision of travel accommoda
tions is up to the office of defenso
transportation and to tho railroads, to
which, he said, the armed services had
protested the lack of sleepers for all
troops on long hauls.
It is entirely possible, as the under
secretary implied, Hint the army was
not at fault if soldiers were required to
ride three per seat on a five-aiul-one-lialf
day ride toward the Pacific where,
inevitably, some of them must die. Per
haps the war department cannot be
blamed, even though some may wonder
why the army did not make sure, in
advance, that men bound from one
theater of war to another would, at
least, ride in comfort.
Put, without attempting to say who
il might be, certainly someone was to
blame. And it is proper that the re
sponsibility should be fixed. It is not
enough to do everything possible to in
sure that such things do not happen
again.
True enough, the shortage of rail
road equipment is serious. But no
American will bo easily persuaded that
the shortage is so acute that any soldier
should be required to share a seat with
two others, and to sleep in the aisle,
during a trip across the United States.
That sort of business cannot be justi
fied so long as there is one Pullman
car being used for civilian travel, or for
any purpose except, perhaps, the move
ment of sick or wounded veterans. If
this means discomfort for civilians, or
that many of them are to be crowded
off trains entirely, what of it? How
many civilians would be willing'to trade
places with Pacific-bound fighters, even
if they could travel like royally?
Doubtless it is tho official job of ODT
and the railroads to provide the equip
ment on which soldiers are transported,
lint, unofficially, it is the job of every
American, including everyone connec
ted the war department and the armed
forces, to make sure that the accom
modations are the very best available.
And it will be difficult to persuade any
American citizen that the best available
should be anything worse than equip
ment in which the nation's fighting
men can travel and sleep in comfort.
Funny Business
Z7--
fmm K&'s&l
o SO THEY SAY
Despite its infirmities, the San
Francisco charter is a sound basis
for seeking organized pence.
Senator Arthur Vandcnbcrg,
Michigan.
The Russians aro great guys,
happy and have ir Int of full.
They never worry about getting
hurt or killed. They live for tho
minute, but they're good soldiers,
Sgt. Harry Middlcton, Detroit.
Wiule we plan and produce for
the destruction of Japan, we must
work toward tho kind of woll
tmieci transition that will prevent
depression from coming- to us 03
the Sliest of peace.
War Molnliivr Fred M. Vinson
"He couldn't get home to spend his leave at a seushorcl"
If Christ ciime to oarth today
h wouldn't give the parable of
the tares and wheat, hut a par
able of a man who threw a span
ner (monkey wrench) into the
works,
Dr, Christopher, bishop of
Rochester of Hie Church of
Kngland.
Washington Merry-GoRou
Side Qlmcea
Br DREW PEARSON
WASHINGTON -One complaint President
Truman constantly makes to old friends in
. the senate is:- "You don't know how lonely
I am."
But the president was not lonely on his
lart night in Independence. It was one of
his most enjoyable evenings since he en
tered the White House. Truman spent it
playing poker with old friends, all mem
bers of the "Harpy club," an organization of
Independence business men, founded in 1925.
The game was at the home of Louis L.
Compton, owner and manager of an Inde
pendence bottling works.
Truman, as the home-town boy who made
good, was given the honor of dealing the
first hand. It was dealer's choice and he
chose seven-card stud.
All players, nine of them, dropped out ex
cept the president and John Hutchinson, an
Independence coal dealer. Six cards were
dealt. Hutchinson had two jacks showing
and another jack down.
The president, who had bluffed Hutchin
son into itwo raises, had two queens show
ing and nothin gdown except a nine-spot
and a seven-spot.
Came the last card. Hutchinson drew a
tray, Truman a queen. That gave the presi
dent three queen's to Hutchinson's three
jacks, and he raked in the pot.
It amounted to $1.05. ' '
Note Missouri friends are hoping Tru
man will be just as good a poker player
when he sits down with the best of all dip
lomatic card sharks Joe Stalin.
Army Discharge Snafu
When the War department announced Its
demobilization plan on May 12, it set up
the 85 point requirement for discharge and
also announced that a revised figure would
be given within 45 days, or by June 27. It is
now July 14, and millions of men are still
waiting for that announcement.
Meunwhile more headaches, heartaches
and resentment have developed over dis
chargs than almost anything in the army.
Some of this is unavoidable. Some, on the
other hand, seems due to army inefficiency,
including the amount of discretion allowed
individual officers and units.
For instance, the air forces set up a sep
arate demobilization program in some areas,
and at Las Vegas, Nev., began releasing
young officers by the hundreds. There was
such a surplus of second lieutenants that
those with only 42 points were let out. First
lieutenants with only 58 points were dis
charged, and captains with only 70 points
were permitted to leave the service.
Meanwhile enlisted men who still need 85
points to get out are burning up.
Part of the irregularity in administering
the point system resulst from the fact each
commanding officer has the right to reject
a man's application for discharge no mat
ter how many points he has by declaring
him "essential." Obviously certain key tech
nical men fall into the category and cannot
be spared. Also it Is much more practical
to use trained veterans than to break in new
men. However, there is increasing resent
ment from battle-scarred veterans with
points galore, some of whom feel they are
kept in the service because of some gripe
or prejudice on the part of commanding offi
cers. Too Many Generals
An unfortunate attitude also is growing
among enlisted men that the generals don't
want the army scaled down. There are 1,600
generals in the army today, many of them
lieutenant colonels or even captains before
the war. And enlisted men are wondering
whether "essential" and "military necessity"
amn't sometimes convenient excuses for
keeping army manpower padded. For, if
the army is cut too sharply, a large number
of general officers will be retired. This view
does not make lor morale, butu nforlunate
it exists among enlisted men.
One thing which GIs can't understand is
why the army, when fighting a two-front
war, was willing to release a man over 38
if he had a war job; whereas today, with
only a one-front war, the army has upped
the aga limit to 40.
Another thing the army can't adequately
explain is why they've established so few
separation centers to handle discharges, and
why one of them, Camp Dix, N. ., is-so poor
ly run it was recently subjected to a com
plete investigation by the inspector gen
eral's office.
One group especially restless are the lim
ited service men men with physical in
firmities, who were drafted for non-combat
service and hence can never go abroad to
roll up discharge points.
WE, THE WOMEN
Br RUTH MTLLETT
There ore those who predict that follow
ing the war the divorce rate will rise so fast
that between a third and a half of all mar
riages will end in the courts. There aro
those who predict that divorce will become
the vogue just as hasty war marriages have
been the vogue for the past few years.
This expected acceleration in the number
of divorces might be slowed down consider
ably if a paper-bound volume, published by
the School of Law at Duke university, were
to become a best seller especially among
men overseas and their wives back home.
The technical-looking volume is "Children
of Divorced Parents" and is a collection of
articles written by experts. Its concern is
with what is being done about the children
of divorce "orphans of living parents" by
the law and by interested professions and
groups.
But its discussion of the problems that
face children of divorce and its acceptance
of the fact that it is worse for a child to lose
a parent through divorce than through death
is deep enough and reasonable enough to
knock the idea that divorce can be a quick
cure (where there are children involved) out
of the heads of parents with any sense at all
Even in cases where divorce may come to
seem the only way out, parents would know
better how to hurt their children as little
as possible in the provisions made for their
care after reading this symposium on "Chil
dren of Divorced Parents."
For while the authors of "Children of Di
vorced Parents" are quick to point out that
there are no good divorces so far as children
are concerned, it makes clear the kind of ar
rangements that hurt children most, and
points out why.
Behind Scenes in Washington
By PETER EDSON, La Grande Evening Observer Washington Correspondent
WASHINGTON, July 14 Whenever any
one has a question which no one else can
answer about the new united nations organ
ization, the call goes out for Leo.
That happened the very first day of the
senate foreign relations committee hearings,
prior to ratification of the UNO charter. The
show opened with ex-secretary of state, Ed
ward R. Stettinius, jr., reading a 20-pago
statement which took an hour and told no
one present anything he shouldn't have
known two weeks ago. That was the kick
off, but then it was Leo's turn. Leo had to
carry the ball and do a lot of open-field run
ning through all those senate tackles, but
Leo is an old hand at this. He has, in fact,
been state department quarterback for four
long years, all through this international
football game to win the peace.
Leo. in ease you don't know, is Dr. Leo
Pasvolsky, net.
His title is only "special assistant," though
he ranks as an assistant secretary of state.
The reason he doesn't hold that title is prob
ably because he was born in Russia. 'Even
though he has lived in the United States for
40 of his 52 years, and been an American
citizen for 34 years, there was some doubt
about getting the senate to ratify the ap
pointment of a Russian-born gent to the
little cabinet.
No one doubts Leo's loyalty to the United
States, and everyone recognizes his ability.
Respect for Lee's technical knowledge as
historian and economist is tremendous and
growing all the time. He will probably go
with Stettinius to wherever the united na
tions organization sets up shop. He has a
great future ahead of him in international
relations. He knows the answers.
He will never win any prires in a hand
some man contest, but once you see him, you
never forget him. He stands about five and
a haif feet high and he weighs around 150
pounds. He used to wcigii nearly 20. He
is still round. His head :s made to seem
rounder by his lack of h.ur. and by the two
Inc.. round lenses of Ins thick, horn-rim
glasses. About his mouth is a narr.jw mous
tache. He smokes a pipe, a lot of pipes, al
most incessantly. About the corners of his
mouth and in his eyes there is a merry
twinkle that makes him look as though he
had just put a thumb-tack upsde-down on
the seat of the secretary of state's char, then
walked off and left it. He is that puckish in
appearance, but really the soul of dignity
and oh so very, very shy.
Pasvolsky has been in on every play of
the world peace organization game since
early in 1941, when Cordell Hull set him up
"Chief of Division of Special Research to
Begin Planning How to Prevent Another
World War." This was months before Pearl
Harbor. But already it was apparent the
United States would be drawn in eventually
and at considerable cost. So, while every
one else in the country was planning for
war. Dr. Pasvolsky and the staff of some 50
scholars and experts he assembled began
planning for peace.
By July of 1944, an American plan for
world security organization had been drawn
up. With similar British, Chinese and hus
sian plans. It became the basis for Dum
barton Oaks discussions last fall. They, in
turn, became the basis for the San Francisco
charter.
Pasvolsky was at Dumbarton Oaks as the
U. S. technical expert. Speaking Russian
fluently, knowing the Russian ways of think
ing, he was able to reconcile many differ
ences. At San Francisco, he was chairman
of the coordinating committee, made up of
the top technical expert from each of tho
50-nation delegations. This coordinating
cmmiltee had to review the work of all the
drafting committees and commissioos, take
out i he inconsistencies and then put the
whole business into a workable document.
No wonder he knows the answers and no
wnder the senators turn to Leo for the de
tailed explanation of how this things is go
ins to work.
In addition to this expert's knowledge of
the UNO charter, Dr. Pasvolsky is generally
credited with having played a leading part
in the cieation of the economic and social
council. At any rate, that is one of his pets.
If the world is really to maintain peace and
security, he believes it must bo done through
the establishment of friendly and profitable
trade relationships between all nations.
com. 1KB SY mv muvkx WC. T.' H ESQ. o. s. w. m.
"Don't fail to mail your mother and sister this item about civilian
travel being stopped, well before the time they usually pay us
their annual visit!"
O McKENNEY ON BRIDGE
By WM. E. McKENNEY, America's Card Authority
IT'S A SURE BID
WHEN PLAYED SAFE
Detroit players shared in two
of the championship events of
its recent tournament. The mix
ed pair event was won by Mrs.
Baum of Detroit and Harry Fein
berg of Cleveland, while the
women's pairs were won by Mrs.
C. W. Sehaff of Chicago and
. AS
V K2
A K 9 52
A 8 7 5 2
100 8 7 I N I O J32
64 WE 864
73 c J43
1087 Dealer KJ
,4
'UK" Mrs. Baum
' AK
AQJ 109S
6
A 10 9 6 4
Bridge N.-S. vul.
South West North
Pars
Pass
Pass
Pass
I V
3
5
Pass
Opening 10.
2
4
6
East
Pass
Pass
Pass
16
Millie Erskine ' of Detroit. I
thought Mrs. Baum handled the
play of today's hand very well.
Mrs. Baum won the first trick,
and at first glance the hand
seems to depend on an even break
in the adverse clubs. However,
as a matter of safety, Mrs. Baum
took the additional play to make
her contract. She led a low dia-
Questions & Answers
Q What is the Royal Order of
Whale Bangers?
A U. S. navy anti-sub patrol
pilots who, in answlering "sub
sighted" report, have scored a di
rect hit on a whale.
mond to the dummy, and ruf'"d.
the diamond return. A trump
was returned to dummy's king,
and another low diamond was
ruffed by declarer. When both
opponents followed suit, the
trumps were drawn, and dummy
entered with the ace of clubs.
Two clubs were discarded on the
two diamonds in dummy, and
when the club distribution was
later revealed, it was disclosed
that the other plan would have
failed.
O IN FORMER
YEARS
30 Years Ago
Mrs. George Huntington Cur
rey came in from Palmer Junc
tion to attend the Bolton-Stanch-field
wedding yesterday evening.
DeLile Green, P. S. Robinson of
this city, and a company of Sum
merville and Palmer junction
people left yesterday for the
Little Salmon on a fishing expe
dition. Mr. Robinson's two sons,
Frank and John, accompanied the ,
party. i
15 Years Ago '
Miss La Grande, 16-year-old
Florence Houston, winner of the
beauty contest for that- title,
sponsored by the La Grande
Lions club, left for Portland, ac
companied by Mr. and Mrs. Jess
Rosenbaum! There she will par
ticipate in the contest for the
title of Miss Oregon. Miss Hous
ton won over 20 other partici
pants. Dr. and Mrs. F. L. Tribe have
returned from a 10 days vaca
tion trip to Seattle, Victoria and
Vancouver, B. C. Their son
Bobby accompanied them.
Q What English king was put
to death in the Tower of London'.'
A Edward V was murdered in
the tower in 1483, with his bro
ther, the Duke of York, by order
of his uncle, the Duka of Glou
cester (Richard III).
Q One of the most popular
trout flies is named for an Eng
lish fisherman. What is the fly
and who was the fisherman?
A Royal Coachman, named
after Tom Bosworth, who was a
driver for British royalty in the
days of George IV and Queen
Victoria.
10 YearstAgo
Eighty-two babies were born
in Union county during the first
six months of this year accord
ing to reports available from Dr.
W. K. Ross, city-county physi
cian. The births for the corres
ponding period in 1934 were
higher, 102. '
A deer Dacine a car on a
Ronde valley country
a bit unusual, but it hap
pened. Mrs. A. Hug had this ex
perience when she was driving
to her home on Pumpkin Ridge.
A deer darted onto the road and
ran ahead of her car quite a dis
tance before leaving the highway.
Grande
road is
This Curious World
THE ANDEAN CON DO R RANESFROM)
eOCHINBAL.
A COWDS? MADE. FZO.W
WAS ONCE USED TO IVE
THE PRETTY PINK COLOK.
to CAAoy.
TO DO CURTAINS UPj YOU
TAKE THEM DOWN," Sht
ALICE KASLAND,
NEXT: Was the robot bomb a new idea?