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About La Grande evening observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1904-1959 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 22, 1945)
III 'ft i ill,1' Yi, III! 1 1 fOlSj '"t'll ihu 1 cur; col ' nil' tro 1 1 hen'; 1 i lor,, f fin',; clio ' :i 5u:t , j 1 r AD NU Grt , , Min I : Calf EDITORIAL PAGE La Grande Evening Observer Frank Schiro, Publisher .SATURDAY EVENING, SEI'TEMHER 22, Our Changing World , " Thanx Sam.Thi Message That Wasn't Sent So it turns out now that Lieut-Col. (then Major) James Devereux and the marine garrison on Wake island didn't send that radio rwiticst for "more Japs." There is yet no indication of the message's source. It's most unlikely that it was circulated as it joke, for Heaven knows tho American people and their armed forces weren't feeling jovial in December of 1911. More like ly it was an instantaneous and inspired bit of propaganda designed to bolster morale and typify the American spirit in the face of difficulties. It was a courageous, audacious mess age but it wasn't as complimentary as intended. The marine on Wake show ed a bravery that, equaled and surpassed the sentiment of tho message they didn't send. Hut it was a desperate and doomed bravery. Overwhelmed by superior force and superior equipment, they weren't fool hardy enough to radio for more Japs. Uut it is evident from Colonel leve reux's story that they considerably re duced the number of Japs confronting them in spite of frightful odds, and would have kept on doing so as long as there was a man left to fire a gun if their commanding officer had per. milted it. As it was, Colonel Oeverenx had to give the cease firing order three times before it was heeded. Perhaps "Send us more .laps" served its purpose in 1911. It showed the quality of our comparative handful of Funny liusiness -4EUbtC 'w, con i n ni ui'Ki. ihc "Ho can't stand the rattlo ol diihot he Nd o i.i tho ermyl" i - J II J I 'J 1945 Page Two Mn MO AM 4 f Jm not That KcPAlr My Pacific defenders. It gave to us at home a moment of pride and cheer. It ex emplified, for all the fictional, melo dramatic bravado so out of key with the true situation, the spirit which was so evident all along the bitter road to victory. , There came n time when our men could perhaps call for more Japs. But before it came there must have been many times when the real cry was "Send us more men and guns and planes and ships." That request surely was in the minds and on the lips of Wake's defenders. And because it could not be granted, there were Americans who died need lessly and tragically there and at other Pacific outposts,' or died a slower and more painful death in Jap prison camps, or survived the enemy's torture and starvation for nearly four years. So "Send us more Japs" will not go into the history books with other mili tary epigrams. l!ut history will record the true American situation in the Paci fic in December, 1911. And that situa tion will be, or should be, remembered by all of us when the inevitable agita tion for a small army and navy and a small military budget begins again. it will be, or should be, remembered by our military leaders when opposi tion to a unified command increases, i nd pleas are heard for continuing the separate services whose confusion, con flict and lax operation led to the hor rible awakening at Pearl Harbor and the urgent necessity of uniting as a team to save the country. SO THEY SAY Thf fori'isuhUul owner will I'Miint upon his oltl car lasting at least anothiM two years and will Kuiiie his driving speed and plan his trips accordingly. San Antonio, Tex., News. Schools of all countries have in nlilid itinn t.', hull- hiiiW n hot ter world by nurturing good will and co-operauon m me ncans, s and actions of the voiinu. mind John K. Wade, suncrintendent of schools. Now York City. As head of the government (of Htail) I have promised free, honest elections. 1 shall presido over them with absolute loyalty, --lletulio Vargas, president of Brazil. Having hud prolonged tnste in wartime of what it would bo like to he managed and misman aged by bureaucrats, Americans lire bettor conditioned than over to call tho bluff that government should bo given responsibility for munnging everything. Canton, O., Repository. i m us? 'Til ot much K. P. Washington Merry-Go-Round Br DREW PEAHEON WASHINGTON Of all the millions who contributed lo the defeat of Japan, none perhaps is more entitled to credit than the venerable statesman who yesterday cele brated his 78th birthday arid his last week as secretary of war. He had begun fighting Japan as secretary of state under Hoover, 14 years ago this week. And he never stopped. Even after he had stepped out of the state department following Roosevelt's inaugura tion In 1933, Stimson came down to see the new president of the United States about Japan. He and Roosevelt did not particularly like each other. They had been political enemies since 1910. That was the year which swept Roosevelt into the New York senate and Stimson into defeat as candidate for governor of New York. Stimson, older than Roosevelt both in. age and in manner, regarded him as an ostentatious young whippersnapper, didn't like the way he wore riding boots in the Albany legislature, considered him a poor imitation of his cousin Teddy. "Charming, but without stamina," was the way Stimson described Roosevelt. Nevertheless, Stimson urged Roosevelt not to recognize Japan's conquest of Manchuria, which he, Stimson, had fought so bitterly. Leaving the White House after the inter view, Stimson's face glowed. A friend, who knew what his mission was, asked what the new president had said about recog nizing Japan's puppet government. "He said," replied Stimson, "I won't even discuss it with the , . .1' " Stimson's Long Fight The story of Stimson's long battle to stop Japanese aggression In China has never been adequately told. But this columnist, who traveled w i th Stimson on some of his trips abroad remem bers vividly how Stimson was one of the few who realized the minor skirmish on the tracks of the south Manchurian railroad of WE, THE WOMEN By HUTH MILLETT Perhaps I ought to share this letter with the women who are trying to decide whether to try to hang onto their jobs or go back to making the job of being a wife and mother a full time career. It is from a man and concerns only one marriage. But it may throw a revealing light on one side of the "work to got ahead" am bition of a great many women. "My wife and I have been married for nearly 30 years and have one child. From a financial viewpoint we are 'well-fixed' due to hard work and saving on both our parts. For a long time we both worked in a factory, then 1 took the plunge and went into business for myself. She continued to work. My business grew and I made money, but we had little time for each other. She continued with her factory friends and I made business acquaintances who became my friends. "A few years ago she quit work and 'set tled down' to housekeeping. I had looked forward lo it for years. For the first time in her life she had time to do the things the wives of my business friends did en tertain, belong to good clubs, read good Behind Scenes in Washington By PETER EDSON, Le Grande Erening Observer Waehlnglor. Correspondent WASHINGTON While there is nothing final or official about it, government think ing on the proposal to break up the great aluminum company of America has been in the direction of creating half a dozen competing companies, each built around a cluster of existing plants. For instance, the plants around Mobile, Ala., and the Ten nesse group might be made into one com pany. The Arkansas group in another, the Oregon and Washington ulants into a third. The Massena, N. Y., group into a fourth, and the various mid-wostorn sheet-ube, bar and shape plants in Pittsburgh, Chicago and Detroit might be grouped into several man ufacturing competitors with comparably equal resources. In forming these companies, the idea would be to supplement Alcoa's existing privately owned plants with government-owned facilities. These are the pawns which the government must use in playing this dissolution game. What the gov ernment is primarily interested in is dis posing of its 870 million dollars worth of surplus plants. Attorney General Tom Clark's recommen dation to congress that Alcoa be dissolved to create girutvr competition within the industry has an interesting parallel in what happened to the Standard Oil company when the courts ordered it dissolved in 1911. Many people argue today that this was the kind est 'punishment' the Rockefellers over go:. For after tho dissolution, the Standard Oil company grew and grew and grew. In 1911, the parent Rockefeller company. Standard Oil of New Jersey, was a 90 million dollar corporation. This company owned tho capital stock of -12 subsidiaries. Capitaliza tion of all 43 was 164 million dollars in round numbers. By 1930, the capital stock of the "dissolv ed" standard companies was 569 million throe and half time greater than in 1911. The number of companies had been reduced from 3 to 29. Some had gone out of business. Others were absorbed by competing Shell, Sinclair and Citios Service groups. By 1943 which was the last time anybody in tho department of justice took the , trouble to Japan's well-laid plans for the conquest of Asia. Many, others at that time thought Stimson was wrong. Baron Shidehara, the Japanese foreign minister, emphatically told him so; and Judging by the way the war lords kept Jap diplomats in the dark, Shidehara prob ably thought he was telling the truth. Some of Stimson's own state department advisers also told him so. So-did the British foreign office;, and so also did the French,-with the exception of Aristide Briand, Finally, even in'his own cabinet, Herbert Hoover felt Stimson was unduly alarmed about the Japs, while mid-western members of the republicon national committee nearly had conniption fits when Stimson ordered Prentiss Gilbert, U. S. consul in Geneva, to sit as an observer with the league of nations. In fact, it was pressure from mid-west republicans which forced Stimson to with draw Gilbert from league sessions and re place him with that clowning diplomat, Charlie Dawes. Era of Peace Dies An age was dying, an age of international optimism, goodwill pilgrimages, and Harding normalcy, the aftermath of the war to end war. An age was dying, and Henry L. Stim son struggled almost alone. Leaving a sick-bed in the spring of 1932, he sailed for Paris, determined to warn the statesmen of Europe of impending disaster. Renting a villa at Geneva, he called in Ramsay MacDonald, Chancellor Bruening, Dino Grandi, Andre Tardieu and pointed out that aggression in faraway China could be a greater threat to peace than the menace of big guns in Europe. There came a time several years later when France was pushed out of Indo-China, when Britain called for American help at Hongkong. Singapore and India. But at Ge neva in 1932, Stimson was branded as naive ' and idealistic. The leaders of Europe were "practical men." books, keep up on current happenings in other words to be a good companion. Then I got the shock of my life. "I discovered that she wasn't the least bit interested in the things I had learned to en joy. I tried taking her places where she met interesting, intelligent women and she was bored to death and showed it. She had not one thing to contribute to the evening and sat awkward and silent. "I encouraged her to take good magazines, go out more, but she simply , said , she was satisfied and made no effort to improve her self. She took not one good magazine, read nothing but trashy fiction, and had no con versation but gossip and liked it. "I stood it as long as I could and then in desperation asked for a divorce . . ." Isn't what happened to that womans mar riage a threat to all women who stifle the duty to be real companions to their husbands in order to add to the family bank account? At least it is an angle women should con sider when they are deciding just how im portant their pay checks are in the family set-up. odd up the figures the number of com panies had been reduced to 24. Their com bined capital stock was 4,600 million dol lars. This was about eight times greater than the 1930 figure, and 25 times greater than in 1911. Total today would be even greater. Some of the dissolved Standard companies are bigger than the original Standard Oil of New Jersey which the courts "dissolved" in 1911. As the capitalization of the entire U. S. oil industry is estimated at 18 billion dollars, the Standard companies with a to tal capitalization of less than five billion represents about a third of the industry. 1939 report of the congressional temporary national economic committee estimated the Rockefeller holdings in the bigger Stand ard companies ran from 24 to 36 percent. This included stock held by members of the Rockefeller family, their trusts and foundations. It is not considered a monopoly. The Aluminum company's setup is, of course, different from Standard's and in that difference Alcoa does have some valid ob jections to dissolution. Any unfair division of plants might de stroy propei ty property values worth mil lions of dollars. Dividing up Aloca's stock might also de velop losses. Stock ow nership is not as wide as in some other big corporations. Forty percent of this stock owned by 17 stock holder a of 1941. Division of key "know-how" personnel among competing companies is said to be a problem so acute the company having first choice of management of brains would beat its rivals. The problem in dissolution Is so involved that only a few people can begin to under stand it, and would probably take years of court action to straighten it out. That applies to the whole question, but it has been argued even within Alcoa's manage ment' that if the crtmp.my could find an equitable formula for dissolution, its long series of court battles with the government might come to an end. Side Glances COPft. 1W BY WEA SEHVICg. IWO. T. M. BEO. 0. 1. Pf. Offt' .. "Mother won't let me wear makeup lo the parly. Grandmother ' does she expect me to wait till I'm as old as you?" " e McKENNEY ON BRIDGE By WILLIAM E. McKENNEY America's Card Authority HASTE TO PICK UP TRUMP OFTEN LOSES Mrs. Richard H. Adams of New York, who won the President's Cup event this year, was one of Freisinger, will be in it. .They ar rived at six spades on . today's hand without employing an ace showing convention. While the play of the hand looks simple, nevertheless most pairs failed to make the contract. Mrs. Adams won the opening lead with the ace of diamonds, cashed the ace and king of hearts and discarded her losing diamond. At this point, most players made the mistake of picking up the trumps and hoping for a favorable break in clubs. However, Mrs. Adams now cashed the ace and king of clubs and led a small club. She was then able to ruff her fourth club with the ten of spades, cash the spade king, and return to her own hand by ruffing a diamond, with nothing but good spades left in her hand. ( : ; o IN FORMER YEARS Mrs. Adams AQ9842 A3 AK74 A J3 VQ932 104 2 4 Q 10 9 8 N W E S Dealer A 7 6 $ V J87 KQJ8 0 A32 Freislnger A K 10 VAK654 975 A J65 Duplicate Neither vul. South West North East V Pass 2 A 4 5 6 A gass Pass Double Pass 3 V Pass 4 A Pass Pass Pass Opening K. 24 J the most thrilled players in the tournament. It was her first na tional championship. Any time there is the possibil ity of a slam in a hand, Mrs. Ad ams and her partner, Sigmuhd O BARBS Scientists say it's possible to make an atomic bomb which could turn the earth into another sun. We hope they'll be considerate enough to wait until about the middle of winter. Thirty Years Ago The Union county automobile club met last night and ' issued a warning lo all automobile drivers to ibe careful and inspect the .road on Wallowa hill and in the canyon when driving into Wal lowa county.. It is claimed that there are many high centers in the road, and owing to th heavy dust, a driver may not realize his danger until the high center collides with his machine. The forest fire situation on Eagle and Catherine creeks and vicinity is not improving any, in fact the reports indicated last night the most serious fires for several years past confront the forestry employes and fire wardens. A New Jersey man asked a policeman to shoot him. Perhaps he believed what his wife said about him. A great many husbands open milk bottles with their thumbs, according to our dry cleaner. Fifteen Years Ago Actual work on the construc tion of the distribution plant of the Natural Gas corporation of Oregon will be started next week, with 120 men employed on the project. To Yanks returning from Lon don it will look perfectly natu ral to see the way some of our autoists drive on the wrong side of the street. The harvest moon seems to govern not only the tide but also the untied. Ten Years Ago T. B. Lumsden today became manager of the La Grande branch of the United States Na tional bank of Portland. He was formerly affiliated with the Ore gon state banking department. George A. Bean today was the new president of the Union stake, Later Day Saints church, which embraces six wards. DISEASE PERSISTED Although buried to a depth o three feet for 27 months, carcas ses of poultry infected with tub erculosis were found still capable of transmitting the disease to normal birds. This Curious World 0B 0 D.DC CHIMNEY SWIFTS BOOSTED IN A DEPARTMENT STOKE CHIMNEY ATARD-WORE, PA., NEAR PHILADELPHIA. 9.2 COAL WAS LOOKED fegggjggro-1f I NUISANCE AS LATE feSfOKlpfiiv. f AS "ZOO YEARS AGO. )'V "f Jr""-rV fl NO ONE THOUGHT OF uMMJT I It X 4 BURNING. IT, AND SJOOWS II, X S. WHERE THE COAL )T liTy V H SEAMS CAME TO THE f iJKivf jtfi VI i ) 5URFACE, THE HARD ft&rM'l-rS . j I I ( LUMPS INTERFERED JP" 9J Cf 1 I wmCTATIOtvh Jyrjf- I 1 ' ' "'vK. f When you workover a car,m5iA ' -.vfi ..:: SOMETIMES WORK UNDER IT, "Sip ELLEN COBS, I . ..!,'.,"" GrfTrGf Texas: I ' , MT, U-i i ft M3 cF- NEXT: How much it one horse-pftrer? J i !
