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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
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AK74
A J3
VQ932
104 2
4 Q 10 9 8
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W E
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Dealer
A 7 6 $
V J87
KQJ8
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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?
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