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EDITORIAL PAGE
La Grande Evening Observer
Frank Schiro, Publisher
TUESDAY EVENING, AUGUST 21, 1945
Sitting
TODAY'S TEXT
Though he were a Son, yet lenmcd
He obedience by the tilings which He
suffered. Hebrews 5:8. '
Realism and the Japs
Thinking people are likely to bo vir
tually unanimous in their agreement
that, if the end of the war in the-.Pacific
is to mark t li e beginning of an
enduring era of peace, the allies and
Americans most of all must be com
pletely realistic in their attitude toward
Japan.
They must face the fact that not
once through all the surrender negotia
tions was there any expression or any
action of any kind fro many responsible
Japanese source from the emperor on
down which suggests that the Japs
might be experiencing anything akin
to repentance for their crimes against
humanity and civilization.
If they are sorry at all and doubt
less they are it is not because of what
they were attempting when they struck
sat Pearl Harbor nearly four years ago.
Their regrets are not because of what
they tried to do, but solely because they
failed in their attempts.
The Japanese war leadership is just
as treacherous today as it ever was at
any previous time. It is fully as arro
gant, as demonstrated in the various
grandiloquent, pompous expresisons
that have come from llirohito. It is
just as ambitious, just as fanatical as
it ever was.
The most elementary logic compels
the belief that, given the opportunity
mid their own conviction of a reason
able chance of success, they would em
bark once more tomorrow on another
Funny Business
"He mod to cilih out the mail is the
.
Page Two
on Top
. war of aggression and enslavement. (
A realistic view of t h e enemy de
mands full recognition of the fact that,
even in defeat, Japan still is potential
ly a very powerful nation. Manpower
losses have been negligible. Indeed, it
is probable that the population of the
( home islands left to Japan is larger to
f day1 than it was four years ;ago. That
; means something like 70,000,000 people
' intelligent and ingenious people who
are wholly without principle in their
dealings with other nations.
True, it may be supposed that Jap
anese industry has been .heavily dam
aged and that the enemy has been, or
will be, stripped of tools of war. But
industry and all the machines of war
can be rebuilt and it would be the
height of foolishness to believe that
the Japs won't rebuild them if given,
or if they can contrive, the opportunity.
America and civilization1 will be safe
from Japan only so long as the Japa
nese are held in restraint. The only
way to be sure that the Japs won't do
harm is to deprive them of the ma
terials they might use to the hram of
other people.
Kven in surrender, there is no trust
ing t h e Japanese. Presumably the
American and Allied leadership is aware
of thin fact. Presumably their actions
and policies will be appropriate to that
fact. Otherwise, the Japanese peril will
l.e as great, if not greater, than it
ever was.
Ix-t us hope that the peace treaty will
not become a second Versailles doctl
iiinent that will give excuse for a fu
ture Jap Hitler to inflame his people
lor another war.
SO THEY SAY
A living God-Emperor (Hiro
liito of Japan) certainly has no
place in this era of freedom and
enlightenment.
Dr. Maximo M. Kalaw, minis
ter of public Instruction, Phil
ippine commonwealth.
Yon can't even get a man to
talk in millions any more. It la
bels him as a small-time critter,
dealing in peanut money.
Heading, Pa., Times.
These kids (on Okinawa) are
anxious in learn American ways
and pester me with questions all
the time.
John W. Fowler, navy shipfit
tor, stationed on Okinawa.
There arc many thinga a pros
pective farm buyer ought to know
about the business he proposes
to enter. The first one is how to
value the land which will bt his
capital Investment.
Fort Smitk, Ark., Southwest
army!"
American.
Washington Merry-Go-Round
Br DKEW PXAB80N
(Ed. Note In Drew Pearson's absence,
Fred M. Vinson, secretary of the treasury,
contributes a guest column on one of the
most important problems of the treasury
tax evasion.
By FRED M. VINSON
Secretary of the Treasury
WASHINGTON Drew Pearson has of
fered me his Washington Mcrry-Go-Round
column to present any subject of interest
to the treasury department and to the Amer
ican people. I know of no subject of more
immediate concern than the treasury's cam
paign against tax evasion.
Here, in a nutshell, Is the situation:
In 1940 there were 4,999,999 individual
taxpayers. Today there are more than 50,
000,000. In an effort to handle the vastly
increased task of processing returns and col
lecting taxes thp personnel of the bureau of
internal revenue was Increased from about'
;22,000 to about 50,000. '
With the manpower shortage the bureau
could not expect to increase its forces pro
portionately with the number of taxpayers.
And in many respects bureau employes
found their work increased out of proportion
to the number of returns. Under the with
holding program, a large part of the work
formerly done by the taxpayer is now done
in the bureau. The processing of wartime
tax relief provisions also threw much addi
tional work on the bureau. Under these
conditions 'the normal investigative work
of the bureau inevitably suffered.
The bureau has always proceeded upon
the theory that the average American is
honest, and that a small but efficient force
could deal with the dishonest.
No cily, however small, can afford to be
without a police force. And no city, which
has experienced a population increase of
more than ten-fold in a five-year program,
would think of trying to get along without
enlarging its law enforcement groups.
That is why the treasury is building up
its investigative forces.
Protecting Honest Taxpayers
This will be no gestapo. It will be a tax
payers' law enforcement group protecting
the government's interest in taxes, and at
the same time protecting the honest taxpay
er against the black market operator, the
racketeer and every other kind of tax evad
er. And it will be good business, too. We
expect to collect $20 for every one spent.
. When taxes are evaded the honest taxpay
er loses, since every dollar evaded increases
by that much the burden borne by other tax
payers. In many cases, the honest taxpay
er has especial reason to welcome the tax-
WE, THE WOMEN
By RUTH MItLETT : : ' ; i I I
The pretty young beauty operator talked
as she worked: 'It's going to be hard to get
used to having to stop and consider some
body else before I do anything. Jim's been
overseas two years, and I've been used to
coming and going as I please."
Wives of servicemen who have been away
from home a long time must adjust them
selves to a new way of life. But instead of
anyone's recognizing that fact, or warning
the GI of it all the talk is the other way.
And in addition to doing her own adjusting
the wife is being held responsible for help
ing her husband work out his problems.
Take that beauty operator, for instance.
She has worked ever since her husband has
been overseas. And she likes working. Bul
chances are that when her man conies home
he is going to want her to devote her en
tire time to being a housewife.
From being independent, shc'li have to
go back to being dependent. Jim may not
like her new friends, cither. Husbands of
ten dont. While she has boon lonely in his
Behind Scenes in Washington
B7 PETER EDSON. La Grande Evening Observer Washington Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Aug. 21 President Tru
man's official announcement of VJ day
doesn't mean Mrs. John Doc can start cross
ing out days on the calendar for the next six
months because her husband's commission
or enlistment reads "for the duration and
six months thereafter."
The legal end of the war does not occur
when the presidents announces to the public
that the fighting has stopped. Legal end
of World War I was not until three years
after the armistice and was the subject of
much controversy. Nobody appears to know
much about the official termination of World
War II cither.
It's an important question which vitally
affects each U. S. citizen. Is the war over
officially when treaties with all the bellig
erents arc signed? Is it over with the cessa
tion of hostilities? These arc some of the
undetermined possibilities.
The hastily drafted legislation which put
this country on a wartime footing and gave
the president extraordinary powers is con
troversial and vague on this point, permit
ting different interprcations.
The soldier and sailor civil relief act which
protects servicemen from certain civil court
actions expires when "war is terminated by
act of congress or a treaty of peace." This
could men it could be in effect for years.
Most vague is the espionage act which is
in effect "when the U. S. is at war."
The war labor disputes act terminates it
self with the "termination of hostilities or a
declaration by the president."
The important first war powers act ends
with "an Set of congress or presidential pro
clamation." Thus it can ta seen that if congreaj want
ed to delay in a declaration at otficiul end
evasion campaign. A reputable furrier or
jeweler, for, instance, could not continue in
business if a next-door competitor should
be permitted to sell furs or jewelry without
collecting excise taxes. Any business firm
which cheats the government by failing to
pay for the services which government pro
vides is engaged in dishonest competition.
Taxes are high, but they must be collected
fairly. And so long as:any substantial por
tion of the taxes due remains uncollected,
it operates to defer the reduction of tax rates.
One Billion Evaded
The answers to the two questions go to
gether. The treasury is gathering, from
many sources, information that will give the
entire picture of tax evasion. That same
information will serve as evidence to bring
tax evaders to justice. The treasury is en
larging Its investigating powers, as I have
noted, to handle a tremendous backlog of
fraud cases, accumulated during recent years
and the cases now piling in. My predeces
sor, Secretary Morgenthau, who set the ma
chinery in motion for this -tax-evasion cam
paign, estimated that a minimum of one bil
lion dollars in additional taxes now being
evaded would be collected when treasury
forces could be expanded, and new workers
could be trained and get on the job.
More recently, we have strengthened the
drive by intensifying cooperation with other
government departments and 'agencies inter
ested in stamping out black markets, rackets
and tax evasion. An inter-departmental
committee, with representatives from the
treasury department, the department of jus
tice, the office of price administration and
the department of agriculture, has gone to
work to coordinate information and activi
ties. We intend to be in a position to hit
hard.
Take, for example, the black market oper
ator. He uses currency in an effort to avoid
making a record of his violations of the
price control act, and because he thinks his
profits cannot be traced he does not report
them on his income-tax return or under
states them.
Only a novice boxer telegraphs his blows
We are not going to tell the black market
operators and other tax evaders, in advance,
what we are going to do or how or when or
where we are going to do it. But a moment's
reflection should convince anyone who has
engaged in tax evasion there is no future in
it. What can a man do with illegal profits?
He can buy land or jewels, but he cannot
avoid leaving one or many traces that can
be discovered and followed up whenever
the treasury and other agencies have enough
men to do the job.
absence, she has planned her time primar
ily to suit herself. She doesn't feel in the
mood for cooking dinner. Okay, she has a
sandwich at the corner drugstore. But try
suggesting anything like that to a husband,
and there'll be trouble.
She has spent money without anyone's
okay. So having a husband question the
amount she spends for a dress may come as
a rude shock. She's plenty fed up with stay
ing at home, and the quiet evenings which
may seem like heaven to Jim may not fit in
with her ideas at all.
Women arc being well-prepared for the
adjustments their returning husbands arc
going to have to make. But do the husbands
know that even the most faithful, loving
wives are going to have to do some adjust
ing themselves? That even for them a hus
band's homecoming may not be the whole
answer to life? They ought to be told just
as the wives are being told, what to expect
and what not to expect of their husbands.
of war, and the president failed to make an
official proclamation the U. S. could legally
be in a state of war for many years. All the
emergency powers would continue in the
hands of the executive. '
And official declaration of VJ day by the
president doesn't constitute a presidential
proclamation. The latter is a formal legal
statement made in a special form, not a radio
talk or press release.
In addition to men getting out of the serv
ice on the basis of "the duration and six
months," billions of dollars in the way of
contract termination and continuance of fed
eral authority is all bound up in this one
point.
It is believed, however, that Truman will
officially proclaim the end of the emergency
in a few months. Then everybody can start
counting off their six months. He will prob
ably wait long enough to sec that reconver
sion is progressing satisfactorily.
Legal minds here suggest a possibility for
congressional action if the president is slow
in making such a proclamation. It could
be done by a "concurrent resolution" of con
gress. This action does not need a presiden
tial signature. Some war legislation pro
vides for this.
Following World War 1 congress passed
a "joint resolution" in May, 1920, to declare
a legal end of this war but that device re
quired the signature of the president and
Wilson, for political reasons, vetoed it. It
was not passed over the veto.
Again on March 3. la21. congress passed
a similar joint resolution. tWing hi next
to Inst day in office Wilson signed it for the
purpose of terminating the war laws. .
The final treaty with Germany wasn't
ratified until October, 1IJ21.
Side Glances
WriW ff Hfl men. MS-TTHMttT). . MT. Off.
"Yes, that's the call Sonny put in from Hawaii $80 does 'seem a
lot, but it took us quite a while to round up all the neighbors who
wanted to say hello to him I"
o McKENNEY ON BRIDGE -
By WILLIAM E. McKENNEY America's Card Authority ,
THIRD TRICK TELLS
OF COMING SQUEEZE
Peter Leventritt of New York,
one of the youngest life masters
of bridge, played today's hand in
masterly style. Usually we con
sider that a slam contract is a
good one if one of two finesses
has to work in order to make the
from the West hand, "Levcnlrieo
realized that if West. also held
the king of hearts, he was going
to be squeezed. He cashed the
four diamond tricks, discarding
a heart from dummy. Then he
ran the spade suit, discarding all
his hearts. He was down to the
king-eight of clubs in' his own
hand and the heart jack and club
nine in dummy. i ,
West found he could hot hold
the queen and jack of clubs and
the king of hearts. When he dis
carded the jack of clubs1 Leven
tritt won the last two tricks with
the king and eight.
O IN FORIER
YEARS
AAQ100G
VJ52
J83
95
8 54 S
K976
62
QJ10
K2
V43
0754
76432
W E
S
Dealer
Leventritt
J7
VAQ108
AKQ 10
AK8
Duplicate Neither vul.
South West North East
30 Years Ago
Fire destroyed th T. H. Stover
saw mill on Little Catherine creek
yesterday afternoon. The loss is
placed at $2,500, about ',$1,000 of
which is represented by the lum
ber consumed.
Charging and free use of the
hands, two tricks thtrtUcBndidatcs
1 V
Pass
1
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
22
3 N. T.
4 N. T.
6N. T.
Pass
Pass
Pass
4
S
Pass
Opening A 3.
slam. However, in today's hand
you- -will - notice- that both the
spadelTrr6r"'Kearr'l7hcsSe'sarefor football are' usually'-sloW' to
wrong. . . acquire, will be taught in a prac-
Leventritt played low from ,icaI way in La Grande'this year.
dummy on the opening lead and
East won with the king. When
the four of hearts was returned,
Leventritt decided that West held
the king and went right up with
the ace. He cashed the ace of
clubs, and when the ten-spot fell
O BARBS
Today's best
happy new era!
wish Happy,
It took the sinking of the Ris
ing Sun to bring the dawn of a
new day.
This is preserving season the
best bet is to start right now pre
serving the fundamental human
rights.
A good bank balance helps you
keep yours.
A had actor is one who is egged
on by ambition and off by the
audience.
For some lime after the war's
end we are certain to have a
standing army on the railroad
trains.
This Curious World
wj rZ&TJ l HI6HEST AtOUNTAIN IN THEV S
UNITED STATES, WOULD NOT.. . M
V I BE THE WORLD'S '1 f
f HIGHEST AWUNTAIN EVEfjK J
X i 7 ,F IT WERE TWCB ttt 1
COPt 1S V NEA SERVICE. INC
'Louisiana farmers raise cane
WSK THEIR CORN CROP FAILS," Sj
CORPORAL A RAIL C. SWtTH
He
AND CANTALOUPES WERE NOT
KNOWN IN THE U.S. UNTIL IB'Si
WHEN INTROOUCEDPCVi7tLI.
Next: Insect suicide flyors.
8-22
15 Years Ago '
Three-block pavement contract
for Eighth street leading up the
hill to the Eastern Oregon nor
mal school was awarded last
night to Hargreaves and Lindsay
of Eugene, who offered to do the
work for $19,925.83.
After two score years of suc
cessful operation in La Grande,
the Sacred Heart academy has
been closed and today , nine, sis
ters of the St. Francis" jrder left
La Grande for Pendleton, later
to go to Klamath Falls.
10 Years Ago
Local wheat prices surged up
to 56 cents bulk today, represent
ing a three and a half cent gain
in the last three days, and put
the price on par with the previ
ous high for this month, estab
lished Aug. 1.
Probably no development dur
ing the last few months has
brought more optimism as to the
immediate business future of this
section than the announcement
by the I. C. C. in Washington of
a new 72 percent freight rate on
lumber from the Pacific north
west to points east of Chicago.