La Grande evening observer., August 30, 1945, Image 4

T
Side Glances
Washington Merry-Go-Round
EDITORIAL PAGE
By DREW PEARSON
j
La Grande Evening Observer
Frank Schiro, Publisher
THURSDAY EVENING, AUGUST 30, 1945
Page Four
ONCE ONE GETS
STARTED t-
ON A business )TTWil)
ojeisapTtc?
TOR6ET1HAT it
Alu MusT Comb
TO iAN ENP
5OUET7V10,
THOUGHT FOK TODAY
In every house the Christ is born.
It. W. Gilder.
Lend-Lease and Gratitude
Recent events must have proved ex
tremely disillusioni'iitr to those Ameri
cans who have imagined that nations
which have benefited from the gener
osity of Uncle Sam would be so etern
ally grateful that they never would
think of saying harsh things about the
old gentleman.
Hut, as realistic people expected,
gratitude has been proved once more to
be a fleeting emotion. It now appears
that many nations maintained the ap
pearance of gratitude only for so long
a time as the United States kept the
gravy train running. When that stop
ped, the expressions of gratitude not
only ceased, but gave way to violent
criticisms.
The gravy train, in this instance,
was, of course, the lend-lease assistance
which President Truman terminated at
the end of the war just as it wa
intended to be terminated from the
beginning. And it may or may not
have been significant that the first
and most violent criticisms came from
Great Hritain, which received nearly
three times as much lend-lease aid as
all other nations combined. And seem
ingly there was none in l.ritain to
speak up for Uncle Sam. Rival poli
tical leaders who rarely agree on any
thing were as one in assailing the ter
mination of lend-lease.
However, the reactions that have oc
curred shouldn't surprise anyone. The
fame thing happened after, the other
war. It was inevitable that it should
happen after the one now ended. It
happened it had to happen be- '
cause it was the natural reaction of
human nature. .."
When the idea of lend-lease first was
conceived and put into operation, the
beneficiaries of it unquestionably were
grateful frantically grateful. Their
position was one of desperation and
despair. Lend-lease wns new hope.
Without it their situation was hopeless.
With it, despairing peoples got their
first faint glimmering of the victory
eventually achieved.
No one can doubt the sincerity of the
gratitude at the outset. But as the tor
rential flow of lend-lease aid continued
iii full flood, the recipients became ac
customed to it. And, human nature
being what it is, these nations may have
reached the psychological point of feel
ing that lend-lease was something to
which they were entitled. Some obvi
ously reached the point where they
felt, when it was discontinued, that
something which belonged to them was
being snatched away. Resentment was
natural, though without justification.
However, everyone should recognize
that lend-lease had to be ended at some
time. H was inevitable that, when the
time came, recipients of help wouldn't
like it. They aren't any more resentful
now than they would have been if the
president had waited one, or five or 10
years to call the halt.
So perhaps it is just as well that Mr.
Truman acted when he did and it
saves V. S. taxpayers many millions.
r until Husmess
, a-JI
SO THEY SAY
Passenger car transportation in
the United States is in such a
state of decrepitude that fast or
careless driving will turn mil
lions of units into scrap iron and
scrap rubber.
H. J. Brunnit-r, president, Amer
ican Automobile Association.
One element of a healthful city
is n comfortable city. A comfort
able city means all the trees that
can be nurtured.
Wilkes-Burre, Pa., Times-Leader.
Only the grace of God can give
real peace by washing from the
souls uf men the leprosy of greed
and hate and lust and pride from
which fu'.ure wais can come.
The Rev. Thomaj P. Mahcr. St.
Patrick's Cathedral. New York
City.
"I'm expecting my furloujh any minutel" .
Many of us think we have in
fluence until we try to use it.
Worlund, Wyo., News.
That's the Trouble With Leaning Too Heavily
By HAROLD L. ICKES
Secretary of the Interior
WASHINGTON When I was asked to
contribute a column In order that Drew
Pearson might have a vacation, I accepted
in my most obliging manner.
It was one of those invitations that either
ought to be declined vigorously or accepted
with ostensible good grace. I did not want
to find myself in the situntion of the man
who was invited by an eager hostess to come
to dinner on a Monday.
"No," was the reply, "I have an engage
ment for Monday evening."
"Let's make it Tuesday."
"I am sorry, but I must be out of town
on Tuesday.'
"How about Wednesday?"
"Wednesday is out, too; I have to attend
a meeting of a board of directors."
"That is too bad; can you come on Thurs
day." The answer was (with apologies to Will
Hays, Presbyterian elder of Sullivan, Ind.,
and movie czar) "Oh, hell; I'll come on Mon
day." I thought that I could run off a column
for Drew Pearson with both hands tied be
hind my back. I did not flatter myself that
I could Improve upon Pearson but, after
all, since it Is no trouble to read him, it was
fair to conclude it would be no effort to
reproduce him. It might have been differ
ent with certain other columnists whose
names are distasteful to me. I am not olten
wrong or at least I won't admit it but I
was this lime.
Cabinet Musiled
There are some subjects upon which I
could be spontaneously fluent but which
would reqire asbestos paper for their safe
rendering. I simply forgot once again that to
a member of the cabinet, a discussion of
almost any current topic is "verboten."
1 am supposed to live in an intellectual
vacuum. A n d so the thrusting facts and
opinions that teem within my mind on such
subjects as Hirohito, Franco and certain
members of congress and colleagues of mine
in J:he government must be kept in their
place.
For years I have wanted to have my say
about Generalissimo Franco of Spain. But
it wasn't until my surprised eyes ranged the
columns of the Portland, Me., Sunday Tele
gram of Aug. 5, that at least I became
aware that I could speak a piece about
Franco.
Ben Franklin
In order to write something even the most
sensitive contemporary cannot even imagine
to be "controversial," I will thumb back
through the pages of American history until
I come to the engaging subject of Benjamin
Franklin. He ought to be safe enough and, so
far as I know, he has no direct descendents.
Or has he?
B. Franklin of Pennsylvania was at least
a three dimensional man or even four
could be claimed for him if one cares to
give any credit to his alleged amorous ac
complishments. Here was a man who was a
living refutation of the bright aphorism,
which had not even been coined in his day,
that "the female of the species is more dead
ly than the male."
Franklin, as a statesman, has stood head
and shoulders above most Americans In that
category. I am confident that, as such, he
will continue down the long stretch of time
to be a colossus. In addition, he was a sci
entist of originality and power. He was a
writer of parts and, as a publisher and edi
tor, I venture to say that if he were a con
temporary instead of an ancient he would
be able to hold his own today.
I will not be regarded as indulging in
what anyone might properly regard os a
"controversy" in dipping briefly into the life
of a man who was a great American during
his lifetime and an increasingly great Amer
ican since his death. According to James
Parton, one of Franklin's . biographers, "it
was his boast that his own newspaper, the
Pennsylvania Gazette, during an existence
of nearly 60 years under his own manage
ment and that of his successors, had never
assailed the character of a private individ
ual, nor indecently criticized the conduct of
a public man."
WE, THE WOMEN
By RUTH MILLETT
' In Kansas City a family who had been
waiting for a telephone for three years, fi
nally got one and on a private line, too, or
so they thought. '
Imagine their consternation when they
discovered. that the lineman had connected
their phone to an airway's line and all the
family's telephone conversations went on the
air over the airline's radio transmitter, to
planes and stations everywhere.
"How perfectly awful," murmurs the wom
an with telephonitis, who spends her morn
ings gossiping with first one friend and then
another. Yet, like the unsuspecting Kansas
City family, her calls are probably being
broadcast, too, even though not quite so ex
tensively. For the woman she telephones to tell a
bit of gossip because "I know you won't re
peat it, my dear," in all likelihood passes it
on by telephone to three others, who in turn
pass it on to just those they are sure they
can trust, and so on.
In a way that round-about method of
broadcasting telephone conversations is like
ly to prove even more embarrassing than if
they had gone but over a radio transmitter.
For stories ge't changed and enlarged with
the telling. And the feminine mind often
reads meanings into words that weren't ac
tually there. "She didn't actually say so, but
I'm sure that is what she meant."
So the woman with telephonitis needn't
feel too sorry for the family whose private
conversations were accidentally broadcast.
Pretty much the same thing is happening
every day to her own confidences. For no
telephone line can be regarded as private so
long as there is someone on the other end
of the connection.
Behind Scenes in Washington
By DOUGLAS LARSEN
WASHINGTON Now you take this issue
of pleats, tucks and shirrings. It just goes
to show you that there are still going to be
plenty of things to get all het up about,
even If the mean old war is all over but the
reconversion.
You'd never dream how much peace-time
economic significance there was in a pleat,
a tuck, a shirring, a dolman sleeve, whatever
that is, a swirl, a drape, a bustle, a train, the
length of a skirt or suit coat. Or would you?
Male reporters shouldn't have to write
pieces about these things. But for the past
week or so, great gatherings of the hairy
chested sex have been holding two industry
advisory committee meetings per day and
far into the night out at the War Production
board, trying to decide what should be done
about pleats, tucks and shirrings.
These I. A. C. meetings have developed
into near fights. Fighting is a sporting event.
Ladies should not write sports, though
heaven knows the gal reporters for the fash
ion magazines have been bothering the
WPB boys half to death, trying to find out
If the rules were going to be changed on
pleats, tucks and shill ings. You'd think this
was the most important story of the war.
Coming to think of it, maybe it is, so here
goes off the deep end and way over head
and hands into what seems to be one of
the things the war was fought for what to
do about pleats, tucks and shirrings.
It seems that the Marquis of Queensbury
rule governing pleats, tucks and shirrings
is WPB order L-85. L stands for limitation.
Back when the war was new and there was
a shortage of everything, it seemed there
wouldn't be enough cloth to make enough
garments to half-cover the backs and gams
of the country's women and near or do
they say, junior misses?
So. to conserve textiles, the garment in
dustry leaders were called together and sub
mitted to L-85 after 84 other things had
been taken care of. Among other things, L-85
took all the pleats, tucks and shirrings out
of the female attlro for the duration. It was
a patriotic sacrifice. It saved millions of
woman-hours of labor which would have
been required to put all the pleats, tucks
.and shirrings into wherever it was they
NEA Washington Correspondent
would have gone.
But comes VE day. Comes VJ day. Comes
cut-backs of textile requirements for uni
forms, tenls, parachutes, bandages and
blankets. Lo and behold, first thing you
know there's a coming surplus of cloth.
Comes quickly to Washington the garment
industry advisory committees to get back
their pleats, tucks and shirrings, and the
war is on again.
Three points of view, and the industry
split down the middle on each question. The
children's sportswear industry A. C. not
athletic club, advisory committee says take
off the controls and put back pleats, tucks
and shirrings now. The woman's dress in
dustry A. C. says keep 'em out till after Dec.
1. The women's cloak and suit industry A. C.
says keep 'em out till March 1, 1946. What
to do? Peace is supposed to be reigning here
in Washington, but actually it's confusion as
usual.
The trouble is that a lot of the garment
makers have their fall and winter models
already made up and without pleats, tucks
or shirrings. If WPB now knocks out L-85,
the high price line manufacturers will im
mediately put all these extra trimmings in
new models and the women silly dears
that they are after four long weary dull
years without pleats, tucks and shirrings will
flock to buy them. 'And all the garment
makers who have their season's merchandise
made up without P T and S; will be stuck
with a show case full of out-of-style gar
ments which won't sell worth a darn.
But Paris comes into the picture. The
Paris coutou how do you spell that word?
tlve Paris dressmnkeri haven't any L-85
to cramp their style, and they're draping
yards and bolts of stuff on every conceiv
able curve. How can American designers
compete as long as L-35 is kept on the books?
Who's in charge around here, anyway?
Did De Gaulle bring his minister in charge
of pleats, tucks and shirrings along to work
this out with Lee Crowley? Won't the French
settle for a few million tons of coal and keep
pleats, tucks and shirrings out for six months
more? Was Stettinius instructed on this be- -fore
he went to London to organize UNO?
Hurry on back here congress, and let's get
some of these important things settled.
ton. KutYimtnyia. ma t. .!. g..wT. Off. r
"I hope you don't think I'm intruding, but will you let me know
when he proposes by mail? I've got a bet with the posimasterl"
0 McKENNEY ON BRIDGE
By WILLIAM E. McKENNEY America's Card Authority
CLASSIC EXAMPLE
OF DOUBLE SQUEEZE
The , busman takes a holiday.
National tournament directors
seldom have 0 chance to play
bridge. However, I played in. a
local duplicate game in New York
recently with A. M. Sobel, head
tournament director of the Amer
ican Contract Bridge League. He
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31
certainly won a top on today's
hand by his clever double squeeze.
At rubber bridge Sobel undoubt
edly would have passed six
spades, but in duplicate one plays
for the maximum.
Sobel covered the opening lead
wtih dummy's jack of clubs and
won with the ace when East play-
O BARBS
All of us now are sitting on the
brink of a new era just needing
plenty of push!
ed the queen. The spade finesse
was taken, then two more roUnds,
clearing that suit. The diamond
suit was started and when the ace
. dropped West's jack, Sobel played
. the seven from dummy, East
played the eight and Sobel fines
sed the nine-spot. Two more
rounds of spades were cashed and
East was squeezed. In order to
protect the diamond suit, he had
to let go his club stopper. Sobel
then played a heart and went up
with the ace, then cashed the
king and queen of diamonds, put- ,
ting the squeeze on West. He i
could not hold the club stopper
and the king of hearts. Thus with
the aid of a Vienna Coup (the
play of the ace of hearts) and a
double- squeeze, Sobel made
seven-odd.
O IN FORMER
YEARS
Thirty Years Ago
OW has issued a statement set
ting forth a summary of expen
ditures made by that company '
from day to day ,in Oregon
Washington, and Idaho. The sum
of $15,573,355.92, the equivalent
of $50,893.30 for each working
day in the year, has been spent.
Fire originating in a woodpile
in the rear of the George Pierce
residence, 2208 Cedar street, this
afternoon threatened destruction m
of a half dozen comfortable homes, Y
and was confined and controlled
only after laying waste the wood
sheds, barns and outhouses of
three dwellings.
Just for a change we'd like to
see a "For Rent" epidemic that
would' make landlords love chil
dren. .
A great silence is in the offing
school days being welcomed by
the kids.
Fifteen Years Ago
All four flouring mills operat
ed in this country by the Pioneer
Flouring Mills of Island City are
working day and night at present
lo fill an order for 7,000 barrels
of flour for the Orient, it was
learned today.
R.ubber now bounces from
treads that helped tanks trip up
Germans and japs to toys that
will trip up dad.
pDT is expected to rid us of
insects but not the new car, new
gadgets or new home bugs.
Mules used in California's
mines are accustomed to having
a cud of tobacco to chew before
gtiing to work. .
Ten Years Ago
The La Grande and the Grande
Ronde valley request for estab
lishing of an army air base or
depot in Union county is now be
fore the board which has the re
sponsibility of making the selec
tion, it was learned today.
Members of the Joseph city
council voted unanimously at. a
special meeting to make applica
tion to WPA for a recreational
center and gymnasium, which it
estimated will cost the city about
$7,000.
This Curious World
L I FiiJLl Airmen studying at Syracuse
g- f 1 W W UNIVERSITY KAN& THEIR COATS )
rSl atf-J ON THE RIBS AND LE& BONES' V
LMjQ Jm OF A PREHISTORICAL SKELETON (
COWL l4i IT NCA StRVKE. INC.
T. M. REG. V. t. PAT. Off.
EVEN WHEN CUNWIN6 DOWN.
A CLOCK CAN Ba FAST," Stpr
MJli. CLYDE WtLCM,
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HOure eeNnpeoes,
IRprTXI&S OF HOW TOU rXEL.
ABOUT TH.VI, BeSEFhCIAL.
yo MAN AND JMOUlD SC SftWWC
SINCE THEY PR BY OH IMJLB0tl
INSECT PESTIlN THE HOUS.
a-
NEXT: Twenty-four-hour bombardment.
Occupational diicaier
1 lions.