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About La Grande evening observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1904-1959 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 14, 1945)
Side Glances EDITORIAL PAGE . La Grande Evening Observer Frank Schiro, Publisher TUKSDAY KVfoVING, AUGUST. M, 1915 Page Two 'Okay, You Win, in a Blast' EVENING OBSERVER'S PROGRESS PROGRAM IRRIGATION Complete the Grande Ronde Valley irrigation project. -A GRANDE A city of 10,000 ' ' Extend the city limit. No Earlhly Paradise On Aupr. (, 1915, there occurred, for the first time in history, an instan taneous revolution of human thought. One ho nib dropped on one Japanese city, and the whole future changed. The minds of thoughtful men were con fronted by both a blank wall and a new, limitless horizon suddenly disclosed. There followed an epidemic of spec ulation. It, ,wus not the leisurely con templation of a future based on estab lished fuel but tin urgent, bewildered rroping. What was probably the pre ponderant juuestion was staled thus by the science' writer, Dr. Frank Thone: "Will atomic power bring on an earth ly paradise-afler it has swiftly finish ed its present job of raising concen trated liell?" Even a beginning of the authentic answer will bo a lung time coming. The first clue will come from the mere hand ful of men on earth who have under stood and harni'ssed for human use a Utile of that .ageless, limitless, univer sal force which baffles t li e ordinary mind even more than il disturbs it. The next will cno from those non-scientific men into whose control the uso of this new force will pass. Dr. Thone, being better informed than most of us, has a few pertinent questions on which the answer must rest : How much potential danger lies even in the wise and peaceable use of atomic power? What will atomic power do to present world economics? Will an abun dant source of such power be found which will render coal, oil and water power obsolete? Or will the new pow er's development be prohibitively ex pensive? What of the political consequences? Will there be an International struggle for uranium (or a Inter and more plen tiful source of atomic power) that will surpass all other fights for t natural resources? Keing more, brash and loss wise-than Dr. Thone, we are going to hazard an answer to his first and general ques tion, for it is the only one to which past history offers any key. And the answer is: No! No scientific discovery has ever pro duced anything resembling an earthly paradise. Such men as Copernicus, Galileo, Co lumbus, Newton and Darwin helped to define for us the world we live in. To day, in spite of their legacy of scien tific wisdom, much of the world lies brokn under the greatest war that ever raged upon this planet. If the world works with enough wis dom and prays with enough zeal, per haps the future will be different. But as of today, the progress is definitely not for any earthly paradise. Funny Business V' I APO V-jV :-flr-'V mail vv AW : '. P5 ') : o SO THEY SAY Any realistic description of our civilization would exhaust our vocabulary of such words as pain, hardship, hunger, fear and de spair. But while we live in a suffering world, it is one that is hopefully looking for some cure lo help restore it to health and peace. Kev. A. Dale Fiors, Newark, O. Whatever others may do, let's keep the United Status of Amer ica democratic and muke it work. Lynchburg, Va., News. So long as the enemy asks for' Japan's unconditional surrender, she will have to shed blood pro portionate to the time and inten siiy of each baltlu. Jap Adml. Kichisuburo Nomura. "Mf giti'i mother cwiorod the lettotl" Homo Sap said that of course C!od could not bless America while Amvtiraivl wei Wit lt"t all lhv could wtiite the getting was gooii - Slilhvaftjr, Cl&la,, Hewa -fens. , Washington Merry-Go-Round Br DREW PEARSON WASHINGTON The Japanese weren't the only ones hit by atomic bombs. When President Truman stepped off the cruiser Augusta at Newport News last week, he was hit by a veritable domestic atom bomb. Waiting for him at the doekside was his old friend and new war mobilizer, John W, Snyder. - Snyder had rushed down from Washington to give Truman an earful. Snyder in three short weeks as war mo bilizer has found the entire reconversion pic ture is paralyzed by exorbitant army-navy refusal to reconvert. He told the president how congress has been screaming because the army won't re lease the few thousand men needed to run the railroads and mins. He also revealed how all his efforts to get the brass hats to cut back on manpower and procurement had met with failure. Snyder told Truman flat ly that unless something is done immediate ly, the nation might have as many as 20,000, 000 unemployed within 12 months. Perhaps realizing Japanese surrender is imminent, Snyder reported the situation is so bad sudden peace with Japan might para lyze the entire civilian economy. The war mobilizer complained that he had been called a man of inaction, but said it was impossible to act unless he had suffi cient backing to overrule army-navy brass hats. Next morning Truman hastily summoned Senator Harley Kilgore of West Virginia, asked him how bad the situation was. Kil gore reportod it was terrible and likely to break wide open any moment. He also told the president army-navy manpower hoard ing was the crux of the matter. Trumun asked Kilgore to get to work at once on passage of the legislative program which Kilgore long has advocated. Meanwhile, piled up in the White Housa is a stack of indignant reports from busi nessmen telling Truman how the entire re- conversion picture was being wrecked. Meanwhile, also, some of Truman's best friends in the Democrat party say private ly his chances of re-election are sure to re ceive a severe jolt as a result of reconver sion delays. They point out as chairman of his old Truman committee, he was perhaps more familiar than anyone else with the in efficiency of the army and navy in planning for supplies, and that since he kept the same brass hats in office, he cannot dodge respon sibility. Note Republican leaders have been put ting their heads' together to make the most of post-war economic dislocation when it comes to the 1040 and 10-18 election cam paigns. Keeping Hirohilo Inside fact is, thut the vital question of whether we should permit Emperor Hiro- hito to stay on the throne was attended by weeks of backstage discussion, dating back to before President Truman went to Pots dam. Spearhead of the Hirohito clique inside the slate department is Under Secretary Joe Grew, for many years U. S. ambassador to Japan, and the man who convinced Roose velt we should continue sending scrap iron and oil to Japan. Chief opposition to Grew inside the state department was. led by Assistant Secretary Dean Acheson. Acheson, however, fought a losing battle. Grew convinced Secretary of War Stimson and Secretary of Navy Forres tal he was right. He drew up a formula, lat er used as the basis for the Potsdam declar ation in which Hirohito was not mentioned. Grew's argument was that Hirohito could be used as a puppet by the allies, just as the Jap fascists had used him. It was also ar gued there would be chaos in Japan without the emperor. But the most effective argu ment was that Hirohito could order Jap troops in Manchuria, China, Singapore and the Dutch East Indies to surrender. Other wise they might be fighting guerrilla war fare for months. This, it was argued, would save many American lives. This latter argument especially appealed to President Truman. j Anil-Emperor' Group Dean Acheson, on the other hand, argued that the emperor had stood for a system of conquest which had enslaved a large part of Asia, that he was permanently identified with this system and we could not be identified with him or it. Acheson felt that the move ments inside Japan, the labor and farm, groups, should be given a chance to work out a new type of government, that they could not do this with the emperor on the throne and that unless Japan had a new gov ernmental system we might have to fight an other war in future years. Finally, in order to convince Truman, Acheson asked him to discuss the matter with Owen Lattimore, one of the foremost American authorities on China and former adviser to Chiang Kai-shek. Lattimore talked to Truman for 30 min utes just two days before he departed for Potsdam. The president listened most care fully but mude no comment. It appeared, however, thut he leaned toward the Grew theory of using the emperor as an American puppet. Note Lattimore is chiefly famous for having been an adviser to Chiang Kai-shek. He lived in China and all his work has been closely identified with China. But while he and Grew were in the White House ante room waiting to see Truman, Grew remark ed: "How long since you were in Japan, Mr. Lattimore?" WE, THE WOMEN By RUTH MILLETT When Congresswoman Clare Boothe Luce decided to make her debut as an actress dur ing the congressional recess, her constituents began to worry over whether or not it was fitting and proper for a representative to turn actress in her spare time. Why there should have been any raised eyebrows is hard to understond. Surely, the voters who elected one of the country's most glamorous women to represent them didn't expect her to relinguish the title of "glamor girl" just because they set her up as a lawmaker in Washington. And with all the competition from pin-up girls, no fortyish woman is going to retain her glamor title and keep her picture smil ing out of newspapers and magazines with out working hard at the job. So the folks who sent Mrs. Luce to Wash ington to represent them shouldn't hnve been at all surprised to see their congress- woman making her stage debut during a congressional recess. Nor should they be surprised at the next stunt the versatile Mrs. Luce pulls, when she thinks it is time to start people talking again. They elected a glamor girl, and a glamor girl is what they are going to have, no mat ter how many years she stays in office. For the voters who elected her to expect anything else, is as foolish as for a man to marry the town's most popular girl and ex pect her to settle down and be the shy, self effacing little woman. There are women who are born loving the spotlight and knowing how to keep it turned brightly on themselves. And if you marry one or elect one to congress you can't ex pect to have her undivided attention. But you can expect to be entertained and diverted. Behind Scenes in Washington Br PETER EDSON. La Grand Evening Observer Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON, Aug. 14 The end of war finds the government less prepared for the problems of peace than it was for war in 1041. As the country faces one of the most crucial periods in its history, here's a quick look at the situation: OPA and war produc tion board,' the biggest war agencies, most closely affecting each citizen, are in the middle of a big scrap over reconversion and what controls to keep. Other than mean ingless vague statements, no decision has been made'as to how much price control to keep. Treasury, labor, agriculture and com merce departments are in the midst of ma jor reorganizations with new top men. Most of the officials at the second level are in experienced men or about to losv their jobs. No machinery exists to do anything for the millions who will immediately be out of work except the various state social secur ity agencies. On top of being out of work, a large percentage of the unemployed find themselves far from home. War manpower commission isn't equipped to do anything about it. Quick reconversion of industry could solve many of the problems but the government hasn't given businessmen a chance to do any concrete planning. Statistical information which the government furnished business and industry as to markets, population, pro diu'ton, etc.. durng peace tmc was not gath ered during the war. Vital for planning, these figures don't exist now. Office of civilian requirements -admits it doesn't have the renutcst idea of what un controlled demand for civilian goods is. It Only concerned itself with seeing that pro duction didn't full below basic civilian needs. I'lobaMy least prepared for peace is the vet-t erans administration. General Bradley, whose duties in Europe occupied him until a few weeks ago, hasn't even scratched the surface of what has to be done to that agency to prepare it for the job of getting about 8,000,000 men back into ci vilian life. It's admitted now by all parties concern ed that the GI till of rights falls far short. But the changes that would really make it amount to something now lie in an idle con gressional committee. First thing the veteran is going to do when he gets back is try to get a job, his old one, or a new one. But, the government has this all fouled up. The department of justice, selective serv ice, and national war labor board aren't agreed on just what veterans re-employment rights are or his preference for a new job. The way it stands now, it is impossible for a vet to get a job in the automobile industry, for instance. Even OWI is caught flat-footed. For many weeks before VE day, it had dreams of "now it can be told" information for the press and radio. It wasn't until the announcement of the atomic bomb that it dawned on them they'd better be getting to work on the VJ story. Apparently, OWI, as well as the rest of the government agencies, believed the con stant assertions of the war and navy depart ments that it would take months, maybe years to lick the Japs. This was done, of course, to keep up production and without knowing the atomic bomb was coming. It is difficult to assess the blame to their con gress or the administration for the lack of adequate planning, but when the jubilation over peace and victory weus off, somebody is in for a lot of explaining. VLli"'4 COPIt tm MA StUVKt, WC. T. M. BIQ. IT. . PAT. Off. "Bill's a nice boy, (but remember, if you should have a little quarrel, call me up right awayI wish he weren't so used to shooting Japs!" O McKENNEY ON BRIDGE By WILLIAM E. McKENNEY America's Card Authority GOOD OFFENSE IS GOOD DEFENSE The bidding on today's hand was fast and furious. Dr. J. A. A None K9 AK J 10 97432 A9 AKJ64I NT"! 2 VV E VAQH3 JB ' S, 2 J qui 3 LSsiisrJ k j 8 5 4Q 10987 V 10 6 5 8 7 0 4 2 Rubber Neither vul South West North East Puss 1 5 Double Opening A 5. 15 Boyd of Stratford, Ontario, Can qdu, who sent me the hand, said O BARBS It isn't only because of the atomic bomb that the Japs arc seeing Red! Singing columns of Red army men marched through Moscow on their way to war with Japan. As far as the Nips are concerned, that's where the harmony ends. May we suggest that the allies leave at least one spot in Japan where the next Big Three meet ing can be held? it was played at the Stratford club, and while he was dummy and lost on the hand, he never theless admired East's defensive ploy and I agree with him. North ruffed the opening spade lead and then ran off all the dia monds, bearing down to the king nine of hearts and ace-nine of clubs. East was down to the aee queen of hearts and king-jack of clubs. Declarer then cashed the ace of clubs and here East made the nice 'play. Instead of following with the jack, he threw on the king. Thus when North led the nine of clubs, West was able to overtake the trick with the queen and the defenders took the bal ance of the tricks. O IN FORMER YEARS Thirty Years Ago Eight automobile owners were today tugged and required to con tribute $10 apiece to t h e city treasury for violation of the tail light statute. At 3:15 o'clock this-afternoon the fire department responded to a call on Madison avenue, where an old building owned by W. R. Kivette and leased by Stiles and Ollinger, was on fire. The hay in the building was a complete loss. A suggestion for the postwar auto: . one that will stop and count 10 before hitting a pedestrian. Most people can blame being disappointed on being disappoint ing.. Even the oyster gets a four month's vacation. Dancing frocks have done much toward keeping us from being shocked by bathing suits. Fifteen Years Ago The city commission, by a vote of two to one, last 'night at an adjourned meeting, passed a mo tion authorizing City Manager W. C. Crews to draw up a con tract with A. A. Durant for the drilling of a third artesian well for the city system. The annual two-day baby clin ic being conducted at the La Grande high' school building by the Union County Health asso ciation, is neaiing a close this afternoon, with a large number of children examined and the clinic in general very successful. When father gets out with the lawn mower on a sizzling day, watch out for cutting remarks! Reduction of beef point values still leaves pork to beef about. Just because you're noisy does n't mean you've got a sound argument. Ten Years Ago Contributions from the city f Union, the state highway, and others added $60 to the Union county Amos L. Helms first aid car fund today, bring the total in cash and pledges to $1,115.85. The second game of the kitten ball championship play-off be tween Greenwood and P. D. Q. club will be held tonight at the L. H. S. stadium. This Curious World EXPECT THE 200-INCH .dSm MX PALOMAR TELESCOPE .477f WILL PENETRATE SPACE ttSM0& o. oca ooo. ooo. gtSSfrw 000.000. s&(tS&r HEAD MILES Ag&jftS HECK. i OP A GIRAFFE. miK MAKE UP ABOUT" leafffSRWlA OP THE ANIMAL'S ' JwJilJVA TOTAL WE&HT. A MARRIED MAN 45 STILL. A SINGLE PERSON Sift DAVID A. JAnaBSOU. .oxer Is&JttS, Afau'&rik. I COH-1WI 1Y MtA MIIVKC WC. NEXT: They lived a short time, but long ago.
