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About La Grande observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1959-1968 | View Entire Issue (July 29, 1959)
Holding the Bag .?g7-y-r; . . . : . ..... v .-,r --' : v. -. t EDITORIAL PAGE IXGRANDE OBSERVER Wednesday, July 29, 1959 t "A Modern Newspaper With The Pioneer Spirit" . RILEY D. ALLEN Publisher PUBLIBHED BT THE LA grands FLBU8HINO compant GEORGE S. CHALLIS Adv. Director TOM HUMES Circulation Mgr. Eugene Editor Finds Nixon In A New Light Bob Frazier, editorial writer for the Eugene Register-Guard, has not been noted as one of Oregon's leading admirers of Richard Milhous Nixon, vice-president of the United States. Mr. Frazier, with whom we find our selves in agreement on matters political more often than not, isn't just sure why he didn't like Nixon. In this we find ourselves in agreement again. Let's ju,st say that Nixon, until fairly recently, was one of those persons who aroused in us a faint feeling of mistrust. "Now," Frazier notes in a recent edi torial, "having read 'Richard Nixon, A Personal and Political Portrait' we're more mystified than ever at our preju dice." Our own prejudice apparently Logan during the Nixon campaign against Helen Gahagan Douglas, when Nixon first ran for the U. S. Senate. Suffice it to say that Nixon's insinuations that Mrs. Douglas was a Communist were some what removed from the truth. But, let Frazier tell his own findings in his own words: "It's the sort of book that may be called "journalism between hard covers." Nixon's public career is traced against the background of the man himself, the paradozical man who is both gentle Quaker and political climber, both public speaker and shy human being, both good family man and axe-wielding politician. The book covers well the hight points of his career, his early congressional and senatorial campaigns, his role in the 19."rt convention, his determination in the Hiss affair, the mutual coolness between him and Chief Justice Warren, the famous "fund," and his tour of South America. The story of his South America trip is as thrilling as any novel. "The author bears down hardest on the areas where Nixon looks best Alger Hiss and South America. He treads more lightly when he looks less good his 19"0 senatorial campaign against Helen Ga hagan Douglas and his attempts to act as peacemaker between Sen. Joe McCarthy and the rest of the Republicans. The author also insists, to Nixon's great credit, that he is a leading force in keei ing the administration oversoas-niindod. The inference is drawn that the vice president has, indeed, "grown" tremen dously since the day in 1918 that he rather casually agreed to take a flier at running for Congress. "No man, of course, can be judged save in the climate of his time. Nixon has been vice president in an administra tion where the president has been regard ed as immune from attack. Thus he has become the whipping boy, the adminis tration figure who could be attacked. And he's been eager, even pushy in his climb to a seat next to the throne. Eager ness is not always admired as opponents of Oregon's governor and Oregon's fourth district congressman demonstrate. Yet, we ask, what is wrong with eager ness? Must we always choose between men who play the reluctant dragon, men like Adlai Stevenson and President Eisenhower? Why not turn to the man who really wants the job? "Much of the opxsitiin to Nixon must stem from his early conduct, his cam paign against Mrs. Douglas and his early relations with Senator McCarthy. Mr. Mazo, however, points out that much of the abuse heaped upon Mrs. Douglas was the work of Manchester Doddy and Sheridan Downey, her Democratic oppo nents in the primary. Her voting record, moreover, did leave much to be desired. Nor can her partisans find pride in her own tactics by which she sought to paint Nixon as a fascist. "It was probably the McCarthy busi ness which showed Nixon in his poorest light. Although he eventualy broke with McCarthy, there was a time when he was stringing along, sometimes reluctantly, U'cause McCarthy was doing an effective job on the opposition and because Nixon seemed to regard party unity as a worth whikj goal in itself. "It's too early to say that Nixon is the American people's best choice for presi dent next year. His record and his po tential must be assessed against those of other candidates, Republican and Demo cratic. Our task, as voters, is to look carefully at each candidate and to try to see In-hind our own prejudices. Books such as MoMazo's book on Nixon will be of great help as we go into an election year and face the proble mof separating the smear from the fact." They'll Still Get What They Want Up till now Ike has insisted that the government should take a hands off atti tude toward the Bteel strike. Now he assigns Sec, of Labor Mitchell as a "fact finder." This means he is yielding to pressure from several sources, including the Democratic leadership in Congress. Mitchell doesn't need to do any fact finding. As Ike pointed out previously, there. are few if any facts about this long foreseen dispute that are not know n. Cut the assignment docs serve notice to lxth management and the union that the White House is now in on the lar gaining and can be expected to bring its powerful influence to bear in forcing a settlement soonfr or later. This will discourage any further aU tempts by tho disputing parties to work out their own salvation. They will wait and see what the White. House does. We are still lwtting that the union, be cause of its' tuition of power, will get pretty much what y, want in the end. Khrushchev Wants A State Visit To U.S. To Increase His Prestige Bf LEON OENNEN NEA SimcuI CTwpidnt BERLIN It u no longer mre!y a summit meeting that Nikita Khrushchev' ant$. He also anti a Mate visit to the I' S . a eason- ed Communist d.plomat told NEA Service duri-g a private discussion al the West Berlin crisis. The diplomat also suggested: 1. Tht in hit view an in. vrtarion to Khrvshchev to visit rh U.S. probably would bo tx tandod by Vie. President Rich ard Nixon at tho end of his Russian trip or by Prosidont Eisenhower himself at a forth coming summit meeting. i. That Soviet Foreign Min ister Andrei Cromyko would turn a deaf r to Western pleas for som. commitment on West Berlin until it it reason ably sure that President Eisen hower will receive the Soviet Premier in tho White House. Like all Communist officials. this diplomat engaged in typical Red doubletaUc. But the meanrg of his words was unmistakable. Later, a leading West German polmcal leader, who recently taw the Soviet Premier in Moscow, gave me a similar opinion. He said he believed the summit meet ing and the possibility of a trip to the I'.S. lay behind Khrushchev's reecnt decision to cancel hit trip to Scandinavia. Hit Sca'dinavian tour would have taken up the month of August. Why is Khrushchev eager to tit don face-to-face with President Eisenhower? In the view of Soviet experts In Germany there are several urgent reasons for this. Said the West German leader mentioned earlier in this dispatch: "In Europe mere it a tend ency t overtook Rod China. But Mao it still there. Like a caoed animal he warts, grind ing hit tooth and watching Letter Writer Thinks Ike Smiles Too Much By MERRIMAN SMITH UPI Staff Writer WASHINGTON LPI) Backstairs at the White House president bisenhower receives thousands of letters each week from his fellow Americans, ex pressing their sentiments on pub lic affairs and asking endless questions. Frequently their ques tions are reflected in letters to reporters assigned to the White House. Following is a sampling of re cent mail to this reporter, and an aUempt at answers. A reader in Coshocton, Ohio, writes to object that the Presi dent grins too much, and seems to think that the newspapers, by printing pictures of the chief ex ecutive smiling, are doing some sort of disservice. This reader, incidentally, is avowedly anti Eisenhower. "You apparently are an ad mirer of the grinny type of poli tician.'' says Thomas Williams of Coshocton. Answer: Reporters rarely judge presidents or any other politicians primarily on their fa cial expressions, but Eisenhow er's face is such a map of his emotions that photographers and reporters alike watch him close ly when he's on public view for a clue to the feeling behind what ever I may be saying. From Elizabeth City. N.C.. a person who signs "a tired tax payer" "Is it true that President Eisenhower still takes his orders on money policy from George Humphrey (former secretary of treasury )7" Answer: Eisenhower and Humphrey are old friends and see each other occasionally, not often. Divorcing the question from the personalities involved, it is most improbable that any knowledgeable person would ever give "orders" to any President. Life in the White House just isn't that way. regardless of who sits in the big chair. A President listens to advice, even to urging. It seems true. however, that most of Eisenhow er's personal friends are inclined to wait until asked before offer ing suggestions. The influence on any President usually is a com posite, cumulative thing. From the University of Georgia at Athens: "Will the White House send me copies of the President s press conference transcripts?" Answer: No. Your best bet would be to clip the transcript from one of the metropolitan newspapers that regularly car ries the blow-by-blow account of the President's sessions with re porters. From Des Moines, Iowa, I. J. Black writes: "Literally what does 'off-the-record' mean at the White House?" Answw: It means very little these days as far as Eisenhower is concerned. This is a term used widely to describe the re marks of a high official who wants them kept secret. The late President Franklin D. Roosevelt used to make use of this device on rare occasions at his news conferences. He'd answer a ques tion off -record when be thought it was inadvisable for his senti ments to be made public, even on a non-attributable basis. Eisenhower has never gone off-the-record at a regular press con ference since entering the White House. Actually, the term Is now used rather loosely in Washington to denote any form of activity, as which an official prefers to keep secret, but makes them cautious ly known as a matter of guidance or accommodation. twspkiousry ovary internation al move mod. by tho Rus sians" The West Berlin crisis, deliber ately provoked by Moscow, might have obscured Soviet-Chinese rela tions but for Khrushchev Red China is an U'solved problem and ever-present danger. "Khruihchevv fears and respects the U.S.. has only contempt for the other N ATO powers and would like to come to t-rms with the strongest power," the West Ger man politician said. He would like, in effect, to re peat the Stalin-Hitler pact with the U S. cast in the role of pre war Nazi Germany. "Does this mean than Khrush chev would seek an understanding with "capitalist" America against his Red Chinese "friend and part ner?" I asked the experts. They said that this is highly1 speculative. However, thero is no doubt that Khrushchev foots that ho holds ail the cards on Berlin and that ho can exploit tho status of tho beleaguered city for important agreements with the VS. RED ALLY ELECTED PALERMO, Sicily i UPI '-Silvio Milazzo. 56. "rebel" Christian Democrat who has allied himself with the Communists. Tuesday was elected president of this au tonomous island's government Some experts on Russia be lieve that Khrushchev, who has achieved power late in life, is status seeker. Although he is now top man in the Kremlin his position is by no means as secure as he has lid some Western visitors to believe In Stalin's time he never achieved high rank amo'g the d.ctator's lieutenants. A self educated miner who did not join the Communist Party until he was 24, Khrushchev was always treat ed with contempt by the so-called "intellectual veterans" of com munism. He has since defeated most of his opponents. He has received the staged accolades from Albania to Po'a'd. He has at his disposal tools of military power that Stalin never had. Yet his political authority, not only internationally but also in the Communist world. is not yet fully established1. For his own self esteem and for the prestige it will bring him, ho wants to tit at an equal with me President of the U.S. symbol of power and authority in tho world at large. Epps Memorial Scholarship Is Established WASHINGTON UPI Estab lishment of a t-WO memorial tchol arship at the Lnivertity of Oregon in honor of the late Oregon Demo cratic Chairman David C. Eppt ! announced today by Sen. and Mrs. Richard L. Neuberger. Neuberger asked University President U. aiereuun niison 10 have the scholarship fund assign ed to the school of physical educa tion. He added the money came from income received by Neu berger for a recent article in Harper's Magazine entitled "When I Learned 1 Had Cancer." Neuberger said Eppi was a close friend during his days on the Oregon campus and also was an outstanding baseball and bas ketball player. Since his election to the Senate Neuberger has provided similar scholarships at 11 other Oregon institutions of higher education from his writing income. Justice Says Threats Made On His Life VANCOUVER. B. C. (UPI) Justice A. M. Mason of the Brit ish Columbia Supreme Court said here Tuesday that he had been threatened with death in connec tion with contempt of court pro ceedings against three top offi cials of the Ironworkers Union Mason said he received the threat in an anonymous letter, which directed him as to what findings he should make in the proceedings before him. Three members of the union were alleged to be in contempt for failing to obey an order issued by the judge last month. The or der, which was ignored, was an injunction directing the union to instruct its members to return to work on the second Narrows Bridge here AMBUSH SUSPECTS HELD BEIRUT (UPI) The govern ment announced Tuesday night that it had arrested 49 persons suspected of complicity in the as sassination of Lebanese Parlia mertary Deputy Maim Mougab gab. Mougabgab, a strong sup porter of former president Ca mille Chamoun, was fatally wounded in an ambush Monday night. QUOTES FROM THE NEWS United Press International WASHINGTON Rep. Silvio Conte (R-Mass.i, on the House of Representatives' rejection of Pres ident Eisenhower's request for 500 million dollars for the develop ment loan fund: "I think it is no exaggeration to say that it 'the request) got just about the same attention as a skunk at a picnic." HOT SPRINGS. Ark Gov Earl K. l.ong of IxHiisiana. on school desegregation: "If you leave it to the Negro children. ' they'd rather be with their kind." KRISTIANSANO, Norway Ste ven Rorkefeller. son of New York Gov. Nelson Kockefeller. on his romance with Anne Marie Ras mussen. a former maid in the Rockefeller's New York apart ment: 'I like Anne Marie for what she is." FALLS CHURCH. Va Mrs Asyukiko Tamashiro. a Japanese American from Hawaii, on being told she cannot teaeh in a public school here because of her race: This will really be a shock for the folks back home." d 7f 7 T7f . r v ft M r J rWr r-r ! V V I li rvjr T-r OK Here's your once-a-year opportunity to save on famous name stockings! AWUAL tSMBUSHED 18 (green ISTAMPS 'JsauT IJAll DATES HEKI It's Stocking-Thrift Wtek! Now, for o limited lime only we bring you the Phoenix Annual Sale of famous stockings... the costume coordinated ,' fashion colors and styles you want most at exceptional savings. t Buy them for yourself, more for gifts later on. - ! $1.69 i prt. 4 95 - Reg. 1.93 pr. Sheer Hose, with scams $1.39 Iprt. 4 05-teg t 65 pr. 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