Side Glances
Washington Merry-Go-Round
Br DREW PEARSON
: EDITORIAL' PAGE
La Grande Evening Observer
Frank Schiro, Publisher
MONDAY. KVHMMJ. JULY .'10, 11)15
Over-Developed
EVENING OBSERVER'S
PROGRESS PROGRAM
IRRIGATION Complete the Grande
Runde Valley irrigation project.
LA GRANDE A city of 10,000
Extend the city limits.
THOUGHT FOR TODAY
Unlimited power corrupts the pos
sessor. Pitt.
Expendable Aircraft
The United Slates government and
its tax-pnyinii citizens have spent bil
lions to build t.liu mighty force of mili
tary air power so indispensable to tlio
defeat of Germany and the impending
defeat of Japan. And since the road
to victory is not measured in dollars,
the people of this country have never
iHiestioned or lxwinlKod the vast sums
that have made this air force possible.
Jlut perhaps all of us do not realize
fully how little of that expenditure can
ever be recovered, in spile of the thou
sands of aircraft already declared sur
plus and the thousands more that will
be left when the war is won. Military
aircraft are basically self-propelled art
illery. And in the final analysis, they
are as expendable as the bullets and
bombs that they carry.
The surplus property board has
reached that conclusion after a com
mendably tlioionuli study and some un
derstandable hesitancy. Some weeks
ago it ordered the salvaging and scrap
pinjr of all unusable surplus aircraft,
which includes u vast majority of sur
plus combat planes.
Funny H unities
I "This is what ..
'1 Pyr
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jp it
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mmiMf ..... -vi:
WW
J "Sort of a combination tool comoi in handy whon
' end of a row of cornl"
I'uga Two
in the Wrong Place
The SPB hopes that aluminum alloy
-' and a chemically-produced pure alum
inum can be recovered from aircraft
scrap. But as yet the SPB has an
nounced no policy in regard to surplus ,
airplane engines and propellers.
Many war-used and replacement en
gines mid propellers are already surplus.
There seems little that can be done
with most propellers. For example, one
four-blade propeller of a bomber weighs
more than the average two-passenger
personal plane.
There has been some discussion of
converting the engines, with their high
'horsepower and high consumption of
highly refined fuel, to commercial pur
poses. But no satisfactory solution has
been reached, if indeed it is possible.
All safe and practical salvage of war
material should be undertaken. It rep
resents competition to civilian indus
try, but that is unavoidable. However,
it should be done as quickly as possible.
For delay in deciding whether or not to
salvage, which carries the threat of a
sudden dumping of salvaged goods on
the future market, is a hazard to indus
trial planning and the creation of jobs.
The hazard is particularly great in
aircraft manufacturing. The war has
boomed it into the precarious position
of being the country's biggest industry,
and at best it is due for a terrific peace
time contraction. So it ought to prove
an eventual boon to reconversion and
re-employment if the SPB would fully
accept the unhappy fact that war is
wasteful and unbusinesslike, and that
some of war's most expensive tools be
come useless at the war's end.'
9 SO THEY SAY
Thi defeat of Germany did not
automatically wipe mil the care
fully cultivated anti-Semitism in
t'nth (iermany and Axis-occupied
rlurope.
- Sen. Owen Brewster of Maine
and I! e p. Kmanuel Cellar of
New York in joint letter to
President llarrv S. Truman.
Advances in science mean mare
jol
's. higher wanes, shorter hours,
moie abundant crops, more leis
ure for recreation, for study, for
le. lining how to live without the
ileadenini! drugory which has
n the burden of the common
man
or ages past.
Vannevar Bush, director of
' Office of Scientific He
t t! I
seal
ll and Development.
The need tor qualified uork
eis in all categories (of child
caim:: agencies! is now critical
and the welfare of the young
sters is at stake.
William M. Griffin, welfare
cuuncil official.
I
ho gol to the
WASHINGTON Real facts in the resigna
tion of Henry Morgenthau as longest con
secutive secretary of the treasury in history
are as follows:
Morgenthau had a tip Judge Fred Vinson
might be appointed as his successor a few
months later, certainly before the end of
the year. So he ,wcnl over to the White
House to get the thing straightened out. Mor
genthau told Truman he would be glad to
"stick around untli V-J day, but it was vary
difficult for him to work effectively with
rumors constantly circulating that lie was
going to be replaced. .
"That's all right," replieS the president.
"I'll deny them."
"I'll believe you, returned Morgenthau,
"but unfortunately the public wont."
He had in mind the freqent Truman de
nials Sletlinius' resignation would not be
accepted.
"In order to quiet these rumors," Mor
genthau persisted, I'd like to have something
from you in writing."
"Well, I'll have to thnk that over,' spar
red Truman.
"Theres nulling to think over," countered
the treasury chief. '-'A f t e r all I've been
arourid here long enough for people to know
me. 'So if you have to think it over, I'd
better write out my resignation right now."
Truman demurred at this, but Morgen
thau insisted. ,
"After all,'! he said, "it's only right you
should have your own man."
So the letter of resignation was handed
in immediately; and later in the day, Tru
man called a special press conference to an
nounce it. In the interim Judge Sam Rosen
man was asked to draft an appropriate let
ter to Morgenthau for Truman's signature,
thanking him for his long services. But
Roseman wasn't familiar with all of Mor
genlhuu's record, had to send over to the
treasury for certain facts, and in the end,
the latter almost wasn't ready for the Tru
man press conference.
All this happened July 5. At that time it
was announced Morgenthau would stay on
until after Truman got back from Potsdam.
How this didn't happen is the most impor
tant part of the story.
Byrnes Undermined Morgenthau
After President Truman got on the Cruis
WE, THE WOMEN
By RUTH MILLETT
When the wife of a sailor, credited with
having the largest family of any service man
in this war, set the number of their children
at I I, her husband contradicted her. Said he:
"Fourteen ain't right. I've only got 13." But
on a later recount the sailor admitted: "By
golly, 14 is right! Must have just lost count."
Any father ought to know better than to
argue with the little woman on any point
that concerns the childien even on such a
minor statistical matter as which one had
whooping cough. Because in all such mat
ters the wife has better reason to remember
and remember correctly.
Never a day goes by that a woman isn't
aware of exactly how many children she
has to feed, clothe, check up on, and get off
to school. A man might go off to war and
Behind Scenes in Washington
By PETER EDSON, La Grande Erenlng Observer Washington Correspondent
WASHINGTON, July 110 The unusual
spectacle of a senator outlining all the ob
jections to one of his own pet projects is
presented in the two days of opening hear
ings on Montana Senator James E. Murray's
highly controversial full employment bill.
Murray is leaving others the ob of telling
what a great thing his national job budget
is. He himself is going to review every crit
icism that has been raised against the idea
of trying to maintan a balanced national
economy which will provide ever-normal
employment.
Conservative business men are still pretty
well unconvinced of the practicality of what
they consider Murray's radical ideas. They
look on booms and depressions as natural
business cycles which nobody can do any
thing about. They don't think it possible to
shape all related government policies tax
ation ,public works, wages, working condi
tions, foreign trade, agriculture, industry,
development of natural resources and the
control of investments competition, monop
lies and trade practices so they will all make
a contribution to maintaining prosperity.
The other side of the argument in these
preliminary hearings is being given by Mur
ray's three co-sponsors in Ihe house.
Senator Joseph C. O'Mahoney of Wyoming
presents the needs for such legislation. O'Ma
honey was chairman of the pre-war tem
porary national economic committee and his
presentation is a summary of the economic
facts of American life as determined by
T. N. K. C.
Senatr Elbert D. Thomas of Utah, chair
man of the senate committee on military af
fairs presents the need for full employment
as a factor m maintaining world peace.
Senator Hubert V. Wagner, the fourth co
sponsor and chairman of the senate commit
tee on banking and currency in whose hands
the full employment bill will be studied has
another approach to tins question. It is a
report on the employment stabilization act
of l!i:U. It tells how this act failed to do what
it was supposed to do because of defects
which are supposedly corrected in Senator
Murray's draft of lb full employment act
of HM5 now before congress.
a There is a common belief that this full
employment bill presents a new idea in gov
er Augusta, he changed his mind about hav
ing Morgenthau remain until he got home.
And it was Jimmy Byrnes who helped him
change it. Byrnes has long disliked Morgen
thau. The two a r e scarcely on speaking
terms.
With the secretary of state and the pres
ident on the same ship, Henry Morgenthau
would have been president of the United
Stales if anything had happened to that ship.
Byrnes rammed this home to Truman, and
from mid-Atlantic, Truman radioed Judge
Rosenman to explain the situation to Mor
genthau and ask him to step out of office
imemdiately rather than wait for Truman's
return from Potsdam. The official announce
ment Morgenthau had some important de
cisions which he thought Vinson should
make was all poppycock. Actually Truman
wanted Vinson to be president of the United
States in cuse anything happened to him and
Byrnes. ,
Bretton Woods Delegate?
But in order to make the step-down more
palatable for Morgenthau, Judge Roseman
told him Truman wanted to make Morgen
thau American representative on the new
Bretton Woods board. Just as Stettinius be
came U. S. delegate to the United Nations,
Morgenthau would, be U. S. delegate to the
Bretton Woods project which he fathered.
Morgenthau naturally was pleased. He had
been quite willing to step out anyway, but
he was delighted "Truman wanted to rec
ognize his tireless pioneering for interna
tional economic stability.
Accordingly, Judge Rosenman prepared a
statement for Truman's ok, making Morgen
thau the permanent U. S. delegate to Bretton
Woods. It was radioed to Truman immedi
ately. But nothing happened. Truman never
answered the radio. Perhaps Jimmy Byrnes
sat on this idea, too. At any rate, Henry
Morgenthau, who had been taken up on the
heights and given a big promise, stepped
out of office a sad and disappointed man.
Morgenlhau's War Record
When the final history of the Roosevelt
administration is written, the place of Henry
Morgenthau will be very near the center of
the stage.
By that time, historians will not remem
ber the perennially doleful face which caus
See WASHINGTON . . . Page 4
grow hazy about all the little darlings he
left at home, but Mama is still on the job.
There is never a moment in the day when
she can be vague about how many small
fry there are around the house.
If the sailor had stopped to think about
that, he never would have argued with
Mama about tlve number of children the two
of them had brought into the world.
He wouldn't even have considered she
might be wrong if he had remembered one
thing. Any woman today is perfectly certain
about the number of ration books she has.
But then men are so in the habit of cor
recting their wives' statistics it was probably
just automatic with the sailor. You know
how it is, "Women just never get things
straight.
ernment. According to Senator Wagner it is
not new. In his report, Wagner states that
Senator George Wharton Pepper of Pennsyl
vania in 1927 proposed a study of stabilizing
employment. A year later Senator Wesley L.
Jones of Washington sponsored a bill to cre
ate a prosperity reserve and Senator Wagner
himself first intioduced a bill for employ
ment stabilization. But 1928 was an election
year and nobody wanted to touch a political
ly dangerous idea then. Also, this was before
the peak of the Coolidgc boom. Nobody ever
thought about possible unemployment in
those lush days.
In llKil. however, the unemployed were
in everybody's hair and then congress was
ready to do something. The result was pass
age of the employment stabilization act of
1931, based on Wagner's original idea. It was
approved by President Herbert Hoover who
himself has a record of action to relieve
business depressions and unemployment be
ginning in 1920.
Shortly after President Roosevelt took of
fice in 1933 he practically abolished the Wag
ner Employment Stabilization act by execu
tive order. Roosevelt then did not believe the
act broad enough to deal with the crises in
which the country found itself and today
yagner cites a number of reasons why his
original plan had to be abandoned.
The 1931 act tried to stabilize employment
only through federal spending on public
works programs. There was no concerted
effort to boost employment in private in
dustry and agriculture. The act came too
late after the depression had set in not
before when a little advance planning might
have relieved the crash of the 1930 s.
Senator Wagner today believes that 1928
is comparable to 1945. Both show jobs open
for all who are able and willing to work.
Both show prspects of sudden declines in un
employment ahead.
The great difference is that today most
people realize the danger of future unem
ployment and would like to see something
' ne about it. .A slight increase in unem
r 'ytiien by next fall, when the senate
-'.inking and cunncy commi'tee comes back
to begin real scrimmage and skull practice
mi Murray's full employment football, will
heighten the interest aroused by the kick
,ctf at this week's two-dav tiV'out.
com law riv sea tumt. inc. t, m mo. u. s. mt. ort.
"You bet it feels good to be carrying the old mail route again
it's a snap after two years in ihe infantry!"
O McKENNEY ON BRIDGE
By WILLIAM E. McKENNEY America's Card Authority
AVOIDING END PLAY
DEFEATS CONTRACT
Eberhard Faber of New York
has long been a close friend of
bridge players. He was president
of the American Whist League at
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2 N. T. Pass 3 N. T. Pass
Opening K. 31
one time, and one of the early
honorary members of the Amer
ican Bridge League.
I recall this hand '. which he
played with the late R. R. (Dick)
Richards of Detroit, founder of
the American Bridge League. Fa
ber had to keep himself from be
ing end-played all the way
P BARBS
Europe faces a fuel shortage in
the coming winter. This could be
alleviated by proper use of the
dairies of Axis gangsters.
Where's Hitler? Well, we hav
en't noticed where they had or
ganized any searching parties in
the Bronx.
The "separation center" may be
well named, but the average G. I.
is willing to let it go as a divorce.
Postwar automobiles with tel
ephonesare forecast. When the lit
tle woman starts telling her cous
in about her operation it's going
to wipe out 25 years of traffic
progress.
Personality consists of having
reason to have a good opinin of
yourself and keeping it well hid
den. Let's hope lhat among the post
war inventions will be a combi
nation bathtub and phone discon
nector. This Curious World
ALTHOUfcH A CKUEL 5AVA&E
IN MANY WAYS AT THE TIME
THE WHITE MAN CAME,
HAD MANY ESTABLISHED
CUSTOMS OF HOSPITALITY
AND GENEROSITY THAT
WERE A SOURCE. OF
INSPIRATION TO THE SO-
CALLED CIVILIZED WHITES'.
IS EXPECTED TO BE USED IN
POST-WAR DAYS FO
TRACING THE FLIGHT OF
sr
WHERE'S LMRP
Z-JI
ANSWER! Tallahassee, Florida.
NEXT: Why is helium named for the sun?
through the hand. His spade king
was allowed to hold, and he shift
ed to the deuce of hearts. Declarer
won with the king in dummy and
led the jack of diamonds. When
the finesse was taken, Faber won
and led back the diamond. Declar
er won in dummy and led a small
club, finessing the nine-spot. Mr.
Faber won with tha jack, and led
the deuce of clubs. Now declarer
was unable to get the end-play
that would produce his ninth
trick.
O IN FORMER
YEARS
30 Years Ago, July 30
Miss Ivy Head, city librarian,
left for Jefferson City, Iowa, and
Chicago where she will visit
friends and relatives for a month.
During her absence the library
here will be in charge of Miss
Florence Happersett.
Dr. Myrtle Long as returned
home after spending three weeks
on the coast.
Miss Delia Rnyburn and Miss
Rachel Turner left last night for
a short vacation at North Beach.
15 Years Ago, July 30
Miss Helen Voelker, University
of Oregon student from near
Portland, is visiting in Elgin
this week with Mr. and Mrs. R.
L. Shoemaker and their son,
Vernal. She is a member of Al
pha Omi cron Pi at the univer
sity, During the month of July,
there were only three slight
showers in La Grande, each bare
ly enough for the weather board
here to measure. The total pre
cipitation for the month amount
ed to three hundredths of an
inch, hardly enough to settle a
dust.
10 Years Ago, July 30
Mrs. Lester Bramwell and
daughter, Leah left for Wallowa
lake for a few days vacation
there.
President, and Mrs. H. E. Inlow
and daughter, Jean, returned
from an automobile trip to the
Olympic peninsula at Victoria,
B. C. They spent about a week
on their trip.
Mr. and Mrs. Carl Snodgrass
and children, Noema, John and
Dannie, who have been living on
Gekeler lane have moved into La
Grande whore they will reside
in the future.
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