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About La Grande observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1959-1968 | View Entire Issue (June 30, 1959)
v We Have Almost Nothing to Worry About DREW PEARSON SAYS; mm- MBdmm EDITORIAL PAGE LA GRANDE OBSERVER Tuesday, June 30,. 1959 "A Modern Newspaper With The Pioneer Spirit" KII.EV P. MM.ti Publisher ri'rtMRHKD RT TI1K tA GRANUU fuuutiHlNU com pan Y CF.oltGE S. CHAJ.I.IS Adv. Director TOM IIUMKS Circulation Mr. it Will Find Little Support Judging from a pair of recent editorials in The Oregonian, that newspaper agrees with the plea of the trucking industry that Oregon's presenf weiglit-inile tax is had for business and that something must be done about it. Actually the plea of the big truckers, for lower taxes, is not unexpected. There have been hints of a campaign at least one of them from the typewriter, of The Oreginian's editorial writer before this latest pair of pronouncements from the Portland daily. The pitch now is that Oregon's weight mile tax is so high that it is more profita ble for truckers to ship their big rigs piggy-back than to haul them over the highway to San Francisco. This brings a couple of things to mind: j First, if all the trucks were taken off llie highways and hauleld on flatcars, we Imagine the average motorist who greatly outnumbers the truckers will give a rising shout of praise. It would be wonderful to be able to advertise Ore gon highways as being trucklcss. Second, the Oregon tax structure was designed to require the trucking industry to pujt its share of construction and main tenance costs. To be sure; if the truckers disappear from the highway the state's highway revenues will drop. lint, so will the need for the funds drop, in the same proportion if the tax has been computed correctly in the past. We don't expect the battle to end here. There were some indications that truck ers intended to go before the last legisla ture with a request for a tax reduction. It was apparent by the time the session started, however, that this wasn't the year to ask for a cut. I'erhaps the latest move is- something intended for the eyes of the newly-appointed members of the legislative interim committee on highways. Whatever its purpose, and regardless of Ihe fact that it is welcomed if not inspired-- by the big-money truckers, it will find little support in the state outside of the truck industry and The Orcgonian's editorial piige. :When The Tactics Are Unfair Oregonians who have been wondering about all the fuss over "secondary boy cotts" raiseil by the McClellan committee have a good example at home. It is the picketing of several Oregon grocery stores by members of the Team sters union, because the stores sell Tilla mook cheese. The Teamsters are picketing to adver tise their troubles with the cheese coop erative. Coop employes in the cheese making department get along fine with the teamos, but the fluid milk department, involving 17 employes, has not been able to agree with the union. So we have a situation where one small department of a farmer cooperative is disputing with one small group of mem bers of the giant Teamster organization. As a result entire grocery stores many miles -away are being picketed because they sell products made by another depart ment of the same coop, and delivered by knottier group of members of the same union. The danger is in the precedent. SuppVse, as the F.ugene Register-Guard pointed nut the other day, a firm "manu facturing shoelaces or matchfolders is in a labor dispute somewhere in tlie East. Under the Tilllamook cheese ethic, pickets then should appear at stores selling those brands of "hot ' products even though they may have been manufactured at a lime when no labor dispute was in force. My lUi'ji' presence they will intimidate merchants who attempt only to handle the goods their customers want. "The assertion of the pickets (and the individual pickets cannot be absolved from muddy thinking in this matter) is that Tillamook cheese is "unfair." It is time for the public to decide for itself what tactics, what lines of argument, are fair and unfair. Otherwise, government must step in with more restrictive laws. This will happen, as sure as the sunhall rise, unless labor itself takes' a hand and gets the Teamsters into line. This labor can do, and easily, by the simple expedi ent of ignoring teamster picket lines." Sen. Neuberger's Foe are Some interesting political pyrotechnics in nrntnnrf in I iret'iiii Ulth Xi'll Wavne Morse's announcement that he w ill not support Sen. Richhard 1.. Neubcrger for reelection next year. We have thought Mr. Neubcrger to be one of the most con structive members of the Senate pro gressive, courageous and able to rise above partisanship. But the feud between the two Oregon Democrats has become in creasingly bitter, with most of the pro nouncements coining from Mr. Morse. The sad thing is that Mr. Morse, whoso own abillity no one can doubt, seems in tent on destroying Mr. Neubcrger. He has threatened to point out his collegue's "sorry record, which consists among Other thipg3 of supporting foreign aid and resisting protectionism. Mr. Neuherger is not a liberal in Washington and a coitser- Barbs WASHINGTON While most U. S. diplomats are worrying about Geneva and Berlin, the powder keg in the Caribbean becomes more explosive. Approximately tiOO Spanish mercenaries, suppli ed from General Franco's mili ary jails, are-now in the Domi nican Kepublic, ready for an at- ick on Cuba. With Fidel Castro already having launched an at tack on Trujillo in the Domini on Itepublic, Trujillo now has an xcuse (or a retaliatory invasion. The Spanish mercenaries were paid $250 in Spain before they eft, are getting $1.50 a day regu ar pay, are equipped with 50 Spanish 15-MM mortars, together with ammunition purchased from France, and have been holding ar- ery practice within earshot of Trujillo City, Also churning the cafes and streets of Trujillo City are a ;;reat many Cuban army officers, xilcd by Castro, with more arriv- ng every day. They are deter mined to stage a comeback. Para doxical development is that they have been demanding that ex president Batista , now in exile n the Dominican Republic, lead them, and he has refused. As an uld army commander, he has hown them, in terms of detailed strategy, how an attempt to re take Cuba would only lead to a blood bath. The other day Batista was giv n a veiled tin cat by a Trujillo emissary that he would either have to help lead an expedition to invade Cuba or be surrender- d to Castro to stand trial. Batis- a refused to encourage tne ex pedition. What happens to him at the hands ot his own ex-army officers and Trujillo remains to be seen. There was bitter, close-door de- Mercenaries Are Poised For Invasion Of Cuba bate inside the ways and means committee over the question of whether the treasury shall be al lowed to increase interest rates on the government's long-term bonds to the highest point since World War 1 in order to persu r.de big investment houses to buy them. Speaker Sam Rayburn came in lor attack by Republicans be cause he had held a secret caucus with Democrats regarding Eisen hower's request for increased in terest rates. The attacks on him aren't to be published, but here is what happened. "1 thought it was the province of this commttee to deal with this question," complained Republi can Rep. Dick Simpson of Penn .ylvania. "We've got to do some thing. The country is facing a financial crisis with regard to the national debt. But there seems to be little point in the commmittce discussing it here if you fellows have already decided to reject the president's plan un der orders from Speaker Rayburn and John McCormack, your ma jority leader." "Sure, we met with the speak er and John McCormack," shot back the committee chairman. Democrat Wilbur Mills of Arkan sas. "What's wrong with that? You fellows seem to do a lot of conferring with Charlie Hallcck (the House GOP leader) on leg islative policies, but we don't complain about, it." "Yes, but we thought you would go along with the President's re quest, Wilbur," objected Bruce Alger, the lone Republican from Texas. "Has this meeting with the speaker and McCormack changed your mind? We'd like to have an understanding on whe thcr you Democrats are going to do smething about the national debt, by accepting the President s proposal, or if you art going to stall around and do nothing." Help For Bis Banker "Listen, I am as concerned about the mounting national debt as you are and so, I hope, is every member of congress," snap ped Mills. "Nobody is stalling. 1 never have given anyone any assurance that I would go along with the President's proposal to rpeal the ceiling on government bonds. I am inciinea to minx it might help the big bankers more than it would help the national economy, if the treasury depart ment were given blanket power to increase interest rates on bonds." "Well, I am just wondering if the recent caucus with the speak er has reinforced that view among the Democratic members of this committee," needled Al ger. "I am sure the meeting you speak about hasn't altered my views or those of any other Dem ocrat on the committee," bristled Mills. "You are jumping at con clusions. The trouble with the White House and its spokesmen in congress on this and other is sues is that you want all or noth ing. You won't get me to go along on that." "I'd like to make my own po sition clear," declared Missour's GOP Rep. Tom Curtis, amid the quarreling.. In my opinion, our Democratic friends have a right to confer with their leaders any time they want to. We Republicans d0 it." Note The Republicans didn't know it, but the Democratic cau cus with Sam Rayburn came to no definite agreement, except that Rayburn seemed anxious to help his fellow Texan, secretary of the treasury Bob Anderson, increase interest rates. Several Democrats, including Michigan's Thad Machrowicz, said they would oppose any inter est rate increase on government QUOTES FROM THE NEWS United Press International NEW YORK Soviet Deputy Premier Frol R. Kozlov, appeal ing for Increased trade between the United States and i.ussia: We both stand to learn Iron) one another." mpui vnRif President El senhower, on being told by Kozlov that the Russians are using uiuth ic energy for peaceful purposes: I have been preacmng mui six years." COVINGTON. La. Dr. Robert Heath, a psychiatrist; disclosing that Gov. Earl K. Long had suf fered a nervous breakdown broucht on by overwork and ag gravated by a stroke and heart trouble: 'It is not uncommon to see strokes accompanied by accelerat ed emotional symptoms." WASHINGTON Rep. Gerald R. Ford Jr. (R-Mich.i, fruitlessly urging restoration of 25 million dollars for civilian space activii ties: "If we should err, it should be on the side of generosity. Savings Interest To Be Increased By U. S. National The United States National Bank of Portland will increase Its rate of interest on savings ac counts to 3 per cent per annum i,.,r.,nnint Julv 1. 1959. according to E. C Sammons, president. This new savings rate, wnicti ,.,.n i. fitmuuunded semi-annual. iy, is effectve at all of U. S. Na tional s 7U siaiewiuc uaiming of fices. . . In commenting on the higher interest rate. Sammons said the move is designed to encourage thrift and to provide Oregonians with an even greater incentive to save. Sammons declared tne increas--H interest rate will provide ap proximately $700,000 of added savings interest curing ine usi half of this year for the more iluin 200,000 savings account Liistomers at U.S. National offic es throughout the state. The 3 per cent interest rate ' i ho maximum rate banks are permitted to pay under laws of 'he Federal neserve system, Sammons noted. bonds. They argued that thi would trigger an interest boost on. corporation bonds, with inflation ary results. However, Rayburn Insisted on some action to avoid a fiscal "cr sis." He said Secretary Anderswi was worried over the 'unsound market position" of government securities at current interest rates, that foreign investors were Incoming chary of U.S. bonds and might start cashing them in in exchange for "gold." Former President Won't Make Visit SALEM UPD Gov. Mark Hatfield says former President Herbert Hoover has advised him he won't be able to be on hand when the Oregon Centennial wag on train arrives at its final desti nation Independence, Ore. this summer. Hatfield said Hoover told him President Eisenhower has asked the former chief executive to take on a commission assignment in August. - Hoover said it was a disappoint ment to have to turn down the invitation. He asked Hatfield to meet with him July 17 in Cali fornia and Hatfield accepted. mmm TK?W X 1 fwtf5iTK " V5S' ' SESeW " at FIRST NATIONAL BANK will earn interest at . D B vative back home. But Mr. Morse, himself a maverick who changed from Republi can to independent to Democrat, apparen tly cannot ahide anyone who differs with him at the moment. He reserves his choic est vitriol for those who favor the same things he says he favors hut do not con cur with him 100 per cent on method or detail. Well, it is all very poignant, but some how we wonder whether in the process Oregon voters won't learn as much about Mr. Morse's egomania as about Mr. Neu berger's record. (Washington Post). Africans eat close to two billion crackers a year,' which is a crumby thought. -'. -jk&ttt V- -.' . - - f M wtfrwTgm " ' ': I ' ! sifiii SAVINGS DEPOSITS MADE ON OR BEFORE ei si si m rsE 1 :!! 1 WILL EARN THIS NEW INTEREST RATE FROM JULY 1st! !; X, Portland imiii fmiAi tirein imiuianu cearavtnoa