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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 28, 2015)
OPINION 6A Founded in 1873 STEPHEN A. FORRESTER, Editor & Publisher LAURA SELLERS, Managing Editor BETTY SMITH, Advertising Manager CARL EARL, Systems Manager JOHN D. BRUIJN, Production Manager DEBRA BLOOM, Business Manager HEATHER RAMSDELL, Circulation Manager Water under the bridge Compiled by Bob Duke From the pages of Astoria’s daily newspapers 10 years ago this week — 2005 Despite overcast skies, Stuart Hyde had a big grin on his face as he walked down the gangplank from the Norwegian Spirit. “Who wouldn’t be smiling to be back here after 61 years?” Or, as he calculated later, 61 years and 42 days. In September 1944, Hyde spend two weeks in Astoria as an ensign in the U.S. Navy, assigned to the new attack transport ship USS Lowndes, in WRZQWREHRXW¿WWHGDQGWDNHRQSURYLVLRQV The Californian hadn’t been back to the North Coast since then, but when he saw the Spirit’s ports of call, he and his wife, Allie, signed right up. “I saw it was going to Astoria, I said ‘Whoa, we gotta be on this cruise,’” Hyde said. He remembered the friendliness and warmth that As- toria showed the visiting sailors in the 1940s, even though the city could have been resentful of the onslaught of young men. If any Lewis and Clark artifacts still lie buried under the ground where the Fort Clatsop replica stood for so many years, archaeologists hope to unearth them over the next few weeks. The opportunity is the upside of the loss of the replica, which EXUQHGWRWKHJURXQGLQDQDFFLGHQWDO¿UHHDUOLHUWKLVPRQWK just 40 days before the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial commem- oration’s signature event. The crack of a soda pop can signals the start of Astoria High School’s lunch hour. Students rustle open bags of greasy chips and choose from pizza, pastry pockets, corn dogs and other items on the lunch line. But many of these quick, convenient and often student-preferred items will disappear from selections at all of Astoria’s schools next year — thanks to government efforts to improve students health and overall wellness. 50 years ago — 1965 :DUQH1XQQH[HFXWLYHDVVLVWDQWWR*RY0DUN+DW¿HOG)UL- day cut the ribbon at grand opening of the Knappa shopping FHQWHUKDLOLQJWKHHYHQWDVUHÀHFWLQJWKHJURZWKRIWKHHQWLUH lower Columbia region which he said has “a tremendous po- tential ahead.” THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015 It’s ‘Our Town’ at Clatsop Plains Cemetery F $0,/,(6 '(),1( communities. That was es- pecially so around here in the 19th century. The ties within and outside extended fami- lies and their links to the big names of the Oregon Territory were on display at Talking Tombstones last Sunday at the &ODWVRS3ODLQV&HPHWHU\ Like many, I’ve driven by that cemetery — next to Camp Rilea — hundreds of times and never explored it. Situated between two dunes, this graveyard is a trove of fascinating stories. )RU LQVWDQFH -DFRE .DPP is a big name in the history of the Columbia River. Except for bringing his steamships downriv- HUIURP3RUWODQG,GLGQRWUHDOL]H his connection with this region. At Sunday afternoon’s Talking Tomb- stones, I was enlightened. Krista Bingham of Warren- ton played a very convincing role as Caroline Kamm, Jacob’s wife and one of the wealthiest women in Oregon. Caroline is not buried DW &ODWVRS 3ODLQV EXW KHU IDWKHU William H. Gray, is. It seems that in about 1926 Caroline gave the DGMRLQLQJ 3LRQHHU 3UHVE\WHULDQ Church $10,000 to erase the mem- ory of a legal dispute between Gray and the church. The present value of Mrs. Kamm’s gift would be about $134,000. That is where the church’s Gray Memorial Chap- el came from. The stories one hears at Talking Tombstones are like that — the ri- valries between men, their pecca- dilloes and the vicissitudes of life. ‘The time has come,’ the Walrus said, ‘To talk of many things; Of shoes — and ships — and sealing wax — Of cabbages —and kings —’ Through the Looking-glass of Cabbages and Kings Caroline Kamm was one of Oregon’s wealthiest women Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian Krista Bingham, played the role of Caroline Kamm, one of Ore- gon’s wealthiest women. ularized Thomas’ poetry. I must look for it. Russ Warr, owner of Oregon Granite Works, has sponsored Talking Tombstones from the be- ginning. Bravo, Russ. and edited in the news columns than the WSJ. It might be a bit of an apples versus oranges compari- son in that the Journal is much less of a general readership paper than the Times. ³%XW,¿QGWKHWSJ news cov- erage, writing and editing in many instances seems skimpier and less thorough than the Times.” 3HRSOH RQ WKH OHIW HQG RI WKH political spectrum focus on the right-wing drumbeat of the WSJ’s editorial page. But the larger phe- nomenon is the extent to which Rupert Murdoch debased the qual- ity of the Journal’s news product. Having said that, I do enjoy reading the WSJ. — S.A.F. źźź READING THE NEW YORK Times alongside The Wall Street źźź Journal LV LOOXPLQDWLQJ 3DUWLVDQV on either side of the political ,) <28 +$9( 6((1 divide would tell you that the Thornton Wilder’s play Our Town, Times is hopelessly liberal and the Talking Tombstones is a bit like Journal predictably skews to the that. right. But a larger distinction is On Sunday, Terry Arnall took more important. the role of Diana Owens Hobson. While I’ve been reading both The nugget she offered was that for about a year, I had not given her sister was Dr. Bethenia Owens much thought to their divergent $GDLURQHRI2UHJRQ¶V¿UVWIHPDOH styles until a Seattle friend offered physicians. DQ REVHUYDWLRQ 'RQ 3RUWHU LV D Dressed in a Navy pea coat, UHWLUHG 6HDWWOH DQG 3RUWODQG WHOH- with a bandana around his neck, vision news anchor and Washing- Matt Hensley played John Thom- ton correspondent. Don said: “My as, whose moniker was “the Bard impression is that the Times is, in of Clatsop.” This newspaper pop- general, consistently better written A sensible version of Donald Trump Gap closing in cross-channel span for the Astoria bridge. The two wings of the 1,232-foot steel span of the Astoria bridge across the main ship channel crept steadily closer together this week. American Bridge Division had closed the gap by Thursday to four 44- foot “panels” or a total 176 feet. Highway Department engineers said Thursday that counterweights will have to be hung outside the two supporting piers of the span, Nos. 169 and 170, before the last gap can be closed. Counterweights will probably be blocks of concrete. They will prevent the bridge dropping inward like two teeter-totters. Beatles fans stormed the gates of Buckingham Palace today in a hysterical effort to see Queen Elizabeth honor their idols. It ZDVWKH¿UVWWLPHZLWKLQPHPRU\WKDWDPREKDVWULHGWRLQYDGH the home of the royal family. 75 years ago — 1940 Northwest wooden boat builders, marine supply men and engine deal- ers, including T.B. Cook of Astoria and Joe Dyer of the Astoria Marine &RQVWUXFWLRQ FRPSDQ\ PHW ZLWK 86 1DY\ RI¿FHUV RI WKH WK QDYDO district Monday in Seattle to discuss the small wooden yards’ activity in supplying the Navy with the looming need for many small wooden craft in the war preparedness. Most talked-about boat was a proposed 86-foot purse seine type which could be used for mine sweeping operations in the event of war. Anoth- er was a proposed 80-foot, 20-knot patrol boat, strong enough to carry a small gun for defense purposes. The Navy is known to be considering construction of a number of 90- to 100- and 80- to 90-foot wooden craft – patrol boats, minesweepers and subchasers. The northwest builders, between 50 and 75 of them, formed a permanent organization to work with the Navy in speeding the program EHIRUHWKHODUJH\DUGVWRRNDZD\WKHVPDOOHU¿UPVERDWULJKWV 7ZRIRRWZKDOHVRIWKHEODFN¿VKVSHFLHVZHUHVRPHZKHUH in the Columbia River Wednesday, causing worry for gillnet ¿VKHUPHQZKRIHDUHGZKDWWKHPRQVWHUVPLJKWGRWRWKHLUQHWV 7KHZKDOHVZHUH¿UVWVLJKWHG0RQGD\DIWHUQRRQRIIWKH&R- lumbia River Packers Association’s Uppertown cold storage plant, where the entire crew saw them moving up-stream. Cap- tain Charles Soderberg of the CRPA launch reportedly got a close view of the whales from his vessel. %-*UHHUPDQDJHURIWKHZHVWHUQJHQHUDORI¿FHLQ3RUWODQGRIWKH 3LOOVEXU\)ORXU0LOOVFRPSDQ\VDLGLQDOHWWHUWKLVZHHNWKDWWKHFRPSDQ\ is afraid that withdrawal of the government’s expert subsidy to China “will materially affect our (Astoria) operation.” Early this month the federal government abandoned its subsidy to pro- GXFHUVRIZKHDWDQGZKHDWÀRXUEHLQJVKLSSHGWRFHUWDLQ2ULHQWDOSRUWVXQ- der Japan’s control — the move following the scrap iron ban in economic pressure on Japan. ways that may appeal to I know the profession- both Democrats and Re- al politicians are going to want to continue their publicans. wars, but I see an oppor- The studies I’m talking he voters, especially on the tunity: We launch a series Republican side, seem to be about were done at Har- of initiatives to create en- vard by Raj Chetty, Na- despising experience this year thaniel Hendren and Law- vironments of opportunity and are looking for outsiders. in middle-, working- and rence Katz. They looked at lower-class neighbor- Hence we have the rise of Donald the results of a Clinton-era hoods. program called Moving to Trump and Ben Carson. This will mean doing Opportunity, which took David 3HRSOH OLNH PH NHHS SUHGLFWLQJ poor families and moved some things Republicans Brooks like. We’ve got to devolve that these implausibles will collapse, them to middle-class but so far, as someone tweeted, they QHLJKERUKRRGV $W ¿UVW WKH UHVXOWV a lot of power from Washington back keep collapsing upward. were disappointing. The families to local communities. These neigh- But imagine if we had a sensible who moved didn’t see their earnings borhoods can’t thrive if they are not Trump in the race. Suppose there rise. Their kids didn’t do much better responsible for themselves. Then we’ve got to expand charter schools. was some former general or business in school. leader with impeccable outsider sta- But as years went by and new- The best charter schools radiate di- tus but also a steady temperament, er data accumulated, different and verse but strong cultures of achieve- deep knowledge and more promising results ment. Locally administered social good sense. came in. Children who entrepreneurship funds could help We What would that per- were raised in better en- churches and other groups expand son sound like? Maybe have to vironments had remark- WKHLULQÀXHQFH This will mean doing some things something like this: able earnings gains. The Ladies and gentlemen, put the girls raised in the bet- Democrats like. We’ve got to reform I’m no politician. I’m just neighborhoods were and expand early childhood educa- quality ter a boring guy who knows more likely to marry and tion programs, complete with wrap- how to run things. But raise their own children around programs for parents. They of the would turn into community hubs. In- I’ve been paying close in two-parent homes. frastructure programs could increase attention and it seems to 7KH ¿UVW LPSOLFDWLRQ social me that of all the prob- of this research is that employment. fabric Basically we’ve got to get social- lems that face the nation, neighborhood matters a WZRVWDQGRXW7KH¿UVWLV lot. When we think about ist. No, I don’t mean the way Bernie at the that we have a polarized, ways to improve the lot Sanders is a socialist. He’s a statist, dysfunctional, semi-cor- of the working class, it’s not a socialist. I mean we have to put center rupt political culture that LQVXI¿FLHQW WR MXVW KHOS the quality of the social fabric at the prevents us from getting individuals and families. center of our politics. And we’ve got of our anything done. To reverse We have to improve en- to get personalist: to treat people as full human beings, not just economic that gridlock we’ve got politics. tire neighborhoods. WR ¿QG VRPH SROLF\ DUHD Second, the research XQLWV\RX¿[E\ZULWLQJFKHFNV Then we’ve got to get integra- where there’s a basis for bipartisan reminds us that to improve condi- action. tions for the working class it’s neces- tionist, to integrate different races The second big problem is that sary to both create jobs and improve and classes through national service things are going badly for those in culture. Every time conservatives and school and relocation vouch- the lower half of the income distri- say culture plays a large role in lim- HUV $QG ¿QDOO\ ZH KDYH WR JHW D EXWLRQ 3HRSOH ZLWK OHVV HGXFDWLRQ iting mobility, progressives accuse little moralistic. There are certain patterns of behavior, like marrying are seeing their wages fall, their men them of blaming the victim. drop out of the labor force, their mar- But this research shows the before you have kids and sticking riage rates plummet and their social importance of environment. The around to parent the kids you con- networks dissolve. younger the children were when they ceive, that contribute to better com- 7KH ¿UVW SLHFH RI JRRG QHZV LV moved to these middle-class envi- munities. Look, I don’t know if I’m red that conservative and progressive ronments, the more their outcomes writers see this reality similarly, LPSURYHG ,W¶V OLNHO\ WKH\ EHQH¿WHG or blue. If you want a true outsider, which is a rare thing these days. The from being in environments with dif- don’t just pick someone outside the second piece of good news is that ferent norms, with more information SROLWLFDOV\VWHP3LFNVRPHRQHRXW- we have new research that suggests about how to thrive, with few trau- side the rigid partisan mentalities that are the real problem here. fresh ways to address this problem, matic events down the block. By DAVID BROOKS New York Times News Service T
