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About The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 15, 1945)
.Weather Max. :."."" Kin., n Sab rraBctaee , Vases '. "" talem . PrtUm4 tutu ;,.,;,., vv U trc M rac -44 POUNDDD WllUmetU rlru 14 M ft. I mssm , vamm&si ' i Hi lira, m 151 - L i.i 1 1, Seventeen states have passed the memorial to congress pro posed by the committee on consti tutional government calling for 'submission of an amendment, to the constitution which would limit income and estate taxes to 25 per cent, save that in time of war con gress ; may by three-fourths vote .suspend the limitation for periods of one year at a time. A hearing on this proposal is scheduled by a legislative committee this after rioon. I want to express my unquali fied opposition to this amendment It imposes a restriction which has no place in the fundamental law of the land. It represents an at tempt on the part of its sponsors to freeze an idea into the constitu tion that might seriously hamper the congress in the financing of our government An amendment to the federal constitution is a far different thing than amending the state con stitution. Here we can change our constitution with ease, either Iby - submission of an amendment by the legislature or its initiation by we people - ana men a majority vote at an election. The machin ery for amending the federal con stitution is more cumbrous. 'So if ithis 25 per cent limitation i9 writ ten into the constitution it could be removed .only with difficulty, ! The basis of the idea for, the 25 per cent limitation is that taxes in excess of that amount discour age initiative and may destroy private enterprise. It is also 'urg ed that during the 1920's the pol icy of reducing taxes really pro duced more revenues. ; - Granted that' the idea be sound, max aoes noi jusuiy ireezing (Continued on Editorial page) House Croup Doesn't Bottle Up George Bill WASHINGTON, Feb. 14. HF The house rules committee late today cleared the way for the house to consider-legislation en abling Henry A. Wallace to be come secretary of a trimmed-down commerce department ' ' Though many of its members were openly hostile to1 Wallace, the committee ' refused by 6 to 4 vote to bottle up the -senate-approved George bill divorcing the reconstruction finance corporation from the commerce department Some critics of Wallace had hoped to shelve this bill until after the senate votes on Wallace's nom ination to be secretary of com merce. Their idea was that the sepate fould reject the nomina tion rather than give Wallace com mand of the RFC and its subsid iary agencies, wielding vast lend Ing powers. ; The rules committee vote today Was considered a victory for the democratic leadership in that it apparently improves -Wallace's chances to enter the cabinet though without the powers inherent in the RFC. Weber's Term Now 5 Years WASHINGTON, Feb. 14. -(P)- J"he death sentence once imposed on Pvt Henry Weber of Vancou ver, Wash., for refusing to drill has now been cut down to five sears at hard labor. ',". 'ihis was -disclosed - today by Mai. Gen. Myron C. Cramer, army judge advocate. general, in a letter to cnairman Thomas (D-Utah) of , the1 senate military committee Thomas became interested in the ease after (the daath sentence was. f pronounced at Camp Roberts Calit ' cnator Wheeler (D-Mont) demand ed an investigation; telling the senate: "Whoever sentenced that boy to hanging ought to be dis . charged from the army." Donald M. Nelson, 26- Jfear Old Woman Marry WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 i Donald M. Nelson, 56, former war production board chairman, was j married tonight to Marguerite s. 1 Coulbourn, 28-year old former - campus beauty queen, by. justice Thurman Arnold. The1nly attendants at the cer emony in Justice Arnold's cham bers in the court of appeals were Lieut Jg) and Mrs. Marvin I Farris. ... .Coebbels' Newspaper To End Publication LONDON, Feb. 14 -(P)-Der Angriff, Nazi propaganada minis ter Paul Joseph Goebbels' own newspaper, will : publish its last edition next Saturday, the Berlin radio announced today, leaving the Berliner - Nachtausgabe the only afternoon, paper In the Nazi , ' capital. There are pulchritudinous sec retaries at the 43rd legislature. NINETY-rOUHTH YEAH U. S; RAF Bombers Aid Reds Russ Liquidate Schneidemuehl, Holdout Fortress By W. W. Hercber LONDON, Thursday, Feb. 15 yf)- The Russian First Ukraine army, lunging across Silesia 13 miles in a day, seized seven Ger man city strongholds yesterday and killed more than 400? Ger mans in a two-pronged drive to wards Berlin and Dresden mith the aid for RAF and American bombers that smashed Dresden, Chemnitz and other centers in the path of the advance. Some 45 miles behind the sov iet spearheads, in an irregular arc of by-passed territory, the Sile sion capital city of Breslau was surrounded, the German radio said, in a battle that wal ap proaching a climax. 7000 Nazis Killed ,In Pomerania the First White Russian army liquidated the hold out fortress" of Schneidemuehl, 15 miles behind the lines, killing more than 7000 Germans and capturing 5000 after a two weeks siege.' The tremendous booty tak en at that strategic Berlin-Danzig rail junction included 203 German airplanes. The Schneidemuehl garrison, despairing of rescue, wrecked it self in vain efforts to break out, supplement to the Moscow com munique said early today. . In Budapest which fell Tues day, the Russians picked up an other 12,700 prisoners, mostly abandoned wounded, raising the list of captured in that one city to nearly 123,000. The final toll will be higher, as Moscow said a fragment of the garrison escaped only to be surrounded again west of the Hungarian capital. 200 Towns Taken The day's successes, announced in two orders of the day by Pre mier Stalin and the regular night ly Moscow communique, also credited the First Ukraine army of Marshal Ivan S. Konev with bagging 2100 prisoners and tak ing more than 200 population cen ters in Silesia. Dresden lays 68 miles or less ahead of the southern arm of Konev's drive, by Russian account while the Germans said the north ern arm had reached within 71 miles of Berlin. John Mitchell Dies iii Texas LEBANON, Feb. 14. John Milo Mitchell, 29 yeardd son of Pat rick Mitchell, route two, died of a gun shot wound at Ft Crockett, Tex. His father was notified Tues day. Funeral services will be held Saturday from the Howe funeral chapel here and burial will be in the IOOF cemetery.' John Milo Mitchell was born in Nebraska in 1916 and enlisted in the army in 1940. He had served overseas for 57 months. Survivors besides the father are two broth ers, in the army, James overseas and Joseph in Kansas; Richard in Montana and Robert in Washing ton; three sisters, Velma Teschai and Patsy Anderson. Montana: Helen Smith, Redmond. Party, Economic Interests Will Divide Senate Political party and- economic in terests will ; divide the votes In the senate on at least two meas ures on today's well-filled calen dar, sideline prognosticators pre- Under terms of. senate joint resolution 7, the Oregon state leg islature would ask congress to place before the people a constitu tional amendment limiting to two successive terms the time a presi dent of the United States may serve. ; f The workmen's compensation fund would be increased from $4,500,000 to $7,500,000 by senate bill 41 which comes to the. floor of the senate today. Two years ago' the fund was increased from a half million to Its current sta tus. After the fund ceiling has 12 PAGES Doughboys Duck Sniper Fire I, V ( 4 i ' f A I I 5 ' v S " f v f if: i i yvf : Two American Infantrymen, under low as they dash through the Manila where the Nipponese pat they retreated. (AP wirepheto) ; Roosevelt Expectedm Visit ) Italy, Call on Include France in Journey By Edward Kennedy and Joseph Dynan PARIS, Feb. l4-(i93)-President Roosevelt is expected to visit Italy and call ton Pope Pius, and perhaps pome to France during his; current visit abroad, it was1 reported reliably today. I Judge Samuel I; Rosenman, a special adviser to the president left by a special plane today for fer with his chief there, i The president is expected to in- spect war ruins in Italy and re turn to various spots he visited in that country as a young man. ; It is quite conceivable that after: a stay in Italy the president will come to France, where arrange ments to receive him have been made both by the French govern ment and by allied headquarters." H i g h-ranking administration officials and army officers have been summoned to be prepared to meet the president Judging from this the president may intend to make inquiry into the problem of the relief of French civilian population. It is reported that white house directives for more of this relief have not been ful-; filled. ; t ! s,; ' i One of the war's greatest scan- dais may come! out in this con nection if Mr.t Roosevelt visits France. Chinese Break ! ..... j - i ' - ;;. anese Hold On Vital Rail i CHUNGKING, Feb. 14-55)-The Japanese hold on the vital Can ton-Hankow railroad . has been broken I with the recapture by Chinese forces i of the town . of Pingshek, 165 miles north of Can ton, the Chinese high command announced today.- i V . The Chinese troops now are in possession of a 16-mile section of the rail line extending north from Pingshek, the announcement said. , The Japanese recently claimed their forces occupied-the entire length of the railroad. Repairs of sections of the tracks torn up by the Chinese would have, given the enemy rail communication from Korea and Manchuria to Canton and Hongkong, i on1 2 Measures 1 been reached, the law provides thai the surplus collected in pay roll taxes shall; be allocated back to the employers who contributed. Also up for action today is sen ate; joint l resolution 10 which would provide for appointment of a legislative committee to study state employe salaries in the lower brackets and bring recommenda tions as to needed adjustments and means to be employed. The budget; brought; to the legislature this year includes i increases- of from" 12 to 18 per cent for all employes In the so-called lower brackets, the senate was told re cently. There Is a question among legislators as to whether some of ine increases recommended are Jap sufficient, it is said. ; Salem, Orecon, Thursdcrj Meaning.' Fcbtuary IS, 1945 fire of Japanese snipers, crouch ruins of buildings in downtown the torch to many structures as P(he;May Italy and was expected to con li ' J" ' Army Repeats Demand For Nurses' Draft WASHINGTON, Feb. 14. -(P)- The army turned on its heaviest persuasive powers today in a drive for prompt enactment of legisla tion to draft women nurses for military service; : Secretary of War Stimson,' by letter, ancl Undersecretary Robert Pattecson, in' fighting person, hammered before the house mili tary committee the urgency ot a draft law! at once. Patterson, a surprise witness as the committee neared the end of public hearings tossed at the group new casualty fieiiresshowing 400.- 000 soldiers wounded and needing nursing cjare. ? ItalVtoGet Allied Report ROMEJ Feb. li-)-Britain and the United States were reliably re ported today to be preparing to is sue another joint declaration re garding Italy a! statement which, informants said, will promise greater economic aid and lift some of the control of administrative af fairs . without granting Italy full allied status. ; j I ' - ,; The declaration, expected to be announced 'soon, in j Washington and London, waai reported to have been agreed upon after the British steadfastly refused the suggestion of some! American officials that the present armistice be scrapped for a new accord in which the Al lies would retain military rights necessary! for prosecution of. the war in Italy. ? . 1946 Oregon license Plates ko Be Metal Oregon automobile owners will be issuesT metal motor' vehicle license plates next year for' the first . tinle sine 1942, j the state board of I control! decided Wednes day. The board outhbrized the Irwin Hodson company of Port land to furnish .approximately 410,00 pairs of the plates to the secretary of sate at a cost of $85,729.25. v Practice Paris , Alert Creates Excitement . ; . PARIS, Thursday, Feb. 15 An air raid siren sounded in Paris shortly before midnight last night creating considerable excitements until the all-clear sounded a few jninutes later. , Boomed NipsjEiglit Furiously Japanese Killing Civilians, Blast i Manila Buildings MANILA, Thursday, Feb. 15 JP Fighting for each street intersec tion, American; infantrymen push ed for inexorably 'with caution Wednesday toward the South Ma nila bay front while enraged Jap anese killed civilians in cold blood and dyhamited and fired sections of the city so well known to tourists. 1 The enemy? demolition fires blackened the skies, as the Yanks tightened a circle j on doomed Nipponese weakened but still fighting in an area between the Pasig river mouth and the bay front ' Explosions and flames swept over the bayside stretch from the port area soutli to the Pasay resi dential sector.! Points to End I The devastation, threatening to match that wrought on Manila's ravaged Escolta business dist rict on the north , side of the Pasig, perhaps portends, the be ginning of the end of Japanese. ability to resist in Manila. There was a marked falling off of Japanese artillery fire, due in arge part to the fact that Amer ican guns throughout Tuesday and Wednesday bore down with con centrated deadliness upon a sys- tjemvof connecting fortresses in the old walled city, Intramuros, and adjacent dock area. There a tiring 'enemy has been battling day and night for well over a week. Reach Campos Thirty seventh, infantrymen fought Wednesday through to the University of Philippines campus half mile from the high- com missioner s residence on the bay front I Until Japanese are destroyed in the general hospital, which the have converted into one of .their strongest positions, the Yanks can not safely hold the ; university area. At nightfall yesterday the Japanese in the hospital were still fighting pack ' although the Americans were pouring fire Into the building from three sides. ' China (Factions Negotiating CHUNGKING, Feb. 14. -UPi China's communists and the Chungking government whose long-standing differences h a v e been, declared a hindrance to Chi na's war . effort, have been ne gotiating for. two weeks with the assistance of - U. S. ambassador MaJ. Gen. Patrick J.' Hurley, in formation minister Wang Shin Chieh disclosed today, The communists after the two weeks of discussion rejected a four-point settlement, offered by; the Chungking government where-; upon the government made new proposals which the communist delegate, Gen.' Chou En-lst, has taken back to I Yenan, Wang de clared. ,i ; 8 Navy Men Killed In Bombei? Crash SEATTLE, Feb..i4-(ff)-A twin motored navy bomber crashed In to a hillislde 8 miles northeast of Arlington, killing the pilot and crew of seven,; the 13th naval dis trict announced. The! plane was on a training mission,' the announcement said. : Names of the .men aboard will be announced after the next of kin have been notified. Stettin Under Attack 'i STOCKHOLM, Feb. 14 - (ff) - Stettin " is under : almost constant air attacks as Russian guns boom in ' the distance, - the Free Danish press service said today, quoting eyewitnesses, 'i ; PARTLY CLOUDY today with slightly warmer temperatures in the mid-Willamette valley area, predicts U. S. weather bureau at Mc Nary field,. Salem. - - Big Three May Hold Great General ! Peace Conference When i All Fighting Is Done !i i ' By Flora Lewis WASHINGTON, Feb. 14-(-Indications mounted today that the big three have definitely decided to hold a grandiose general peace conference when all the fighting is done. This represents a change from earlier official views, espe cially among American authorities that World war II would wind up with a series of piecemeal settlements unlike the long, formal peace, of Paris and Ver sailles. ;ii - ' Doubtless, the conference will await the defeat of Japan. Offi cials hope that an international se curity organization will be set up by then. : . j l Many Problems U The peace agency could handle many of the 'problems facing the Allies. It now appears, however, that the new map of the world will be drawn up in a separate, special meeting which will prob ably result in a treaty. Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill referred to, a peace conference in their (communique on Poland. They said the extent of German territory awarded Poland would be reviewed at such a meeting. War Mobilizer James JF. Byrnes, giving a first hand report on the big three meeting, said "It is to be expected that there will be a peace conference." Not Like Versailles The grand 1 parley is bound to be different from Versailles, how ever. The league of nations cove nant was included in the treaty signed there,? which made peace with Germany This time, the Dumbarton Oaks charter is expected to be a sepa rate treaty and probably will come before the senate for ratification before the map-making pact is even written.? '. ., Actual peace with Germany may not be signed for many years. Germans Told To Throw Out Last Scruples LONDON, Feb. I4.i -(P)- Nazi propagandists; exhorted the Ger man people today to "cast over board our last scruples" and to 'kill, murder and poison" their enemies. j f . . ; Charging that the Crimean dec- aration expressed the Allies' aim not only to' cut off Germany's bead and limbs, but to extermin ate us,M German radio commen tator Joseph Saal advocated "our last scruples must be cast oveiv board and all-out fanatical resist ance must be tho laconic reply to the pact of our enemies." :; The exhortation to murder came from Paul Schmidt German for eign office spokesman, as quoted by the Stockholm . j newspaper, Svenska Dagbladetsn in a dispatcn from Its' Berlin correspondent' Track ICills OSC Student ' CORVALUS,. Feb. 14. 'JP)- Phyllis Smyth, 21-year-old Oregon State college senior was killed today when struck by ; a wood truck as she walked to her cam pus classes. , V.. Police officer A. Dealing said the truck driver, Charles Tony, claimed he was forced to swerve to ' avoid colliding with another car. h w:. YH. V'vv'v Born in Baker, she was the daughter of Mrs. Vern Filers, who operates a fountain lunch room at the college. She would have grad uated from 'the school of educa tion this June. ; 5 ' Illinois Doughhoy Kills at Least Stops Counterattack by Himself, By Robert Eonsoa ; WITH .THE 83rd INFANTRY DIVISION, Feb. 14 -JPf The Germans finally killed Bill Miller ; but not until the Illinois dough boy had killed at least 70 of them and stopped an enemy counter attack single-handed. - - Pfc Wilbur C. Miller of I Des Plaines, I1L, didn't have to be in the front lines, but he wanted to make the war a personal affair. In Normandy's hedgerows his, Brawning automatic S cut down many a German until a slug in the hip put him in the hospital. His pals will tell you that while he was convalescing from that wound Bill Miller used to Pile 5c Labor, Industry Groups Agree On Compensation , In perhaps an unprecedented statement representatives of the AFL, CIO and employers Wed nesday night announced they had reached an agreement regarding unemployment compensation on six senate bills, and that while none might be "fully satisfied,"' the accord was in "the best pub lic interest" The statement said the group was agreed on reduction of the waiting period for benefits, the extension of coverage to -more employers, and retention of the floor" of 2.7 per cent contribu tion. The bills agreed on were senate bills 59, 74, 78, 82, 136, 143. No agreement was reached on senate bill 78 regarding weekly benefit rates. The letter, directed to the sen ate committee on labor and in dustries, ' was signed by J. T. Marr, AFL; Stanley EarL CIO; Robert R. McKean, secretary of an employers' group, and James H. Cellars, chairman. - (Additional details page 5 and legislative news page 12.) 8000 Airplanes Unload Bombs Upon Germany LONDON, Feb. lSHA-More than 1300 RAF bombers swarm ed ever Germany last night smashing at the Industrial city of Chemnits in support of the en rushing Red army and deliv erlns secondary blows at Berlin and a synthetic oH plant at Re sits. LONDON, Feb. 14. -JP)-. Ap proximately 8000 Allied planes, more than 3000 of them heavy bombers, spread destruction throughout Germany during the last 24 hours, blasting at least 10 industrial centers and delivering a tremendous blow to Dresden, eastern' gateway to the heart of the reich. " - This around-the-clock bombard ment' one of the greatest of the war, was aimed at the vital fuel and - communication targets .'of Dresden, Chemnitz, Magdeburg and Bohlen all south of Berlin and within 120 miles of the capi taland at Neurnburg, Bonn, Dortmund and Vienna and Mari bor in Yugoslavia. Willamette to Reach 17.5 Feet Crest Here The Willamette river at Salem is expected to reach a crest of 17.5 feejt early today, according to in formation from the weather bu reau at McNary field, late Wed nesday. At Albany, it was expect ed to reach 19.5 feet Flood stage at both places is 20 feet ' -, The Santiam at Jefferson had reached a crest of' 14 feet one foot above flood stage. All rivers will begin to fall late Thursday. pray for recovery so that he could get back into the line. When he left the hospital. Miller had a limp. Three times he was .offered rear . chelon . assignments, ; but turned them down. ; ' : - His division laid siege to the German town of Birgel, west of Dueren. ' The Germans opened a counterattack the v morning of December 15 and fanned out In a muddy communication trench in front ol Bill Miller's position. Firing - steadily to keep them down, the Illinois soldier- moved across the frozen ground to the very edge of the trench. Then he sprayed the trench from one end to the other, killing every German In it No. 234 jGerman Defense Slackens 8000 Warplanes Help Canadians Beat Back Nazis By' Austin Beahnear !i s PARIS, Feb. 14 -(P)-While al most 8000 allied warplanes bat tered German installations front the Siegfried line to the Russian front today, British and Canadian, forces lunged nearer Hitler's in dustrially vital Ruhr valley against resistance that began to slacken, after a week of steady pressure. The - Canadians advanced all along the front of their powerful wedge which is inflexibly turning the flank of German divisions; holding the northern end of the Siegfried line and the Rhine plain. ; They pushed to points north east of Kleve, four miles south east of Kleve, cleared the Kleve forest three miles north of Gocbj and established a secondbridge head over the Niers river, west of KesseL , Nazi Attacks Fall f i The German I command hurled at least four counterattacks against the Canadian units driving east ward, but they were officially de Scribed as generally lighter than previous counterattacks and all were repulsed, some with the aid of allied planes. : Allied vanguards, muddy and tired from their terrific effort of the past week, stood and cheered as wave upon wave of fighters and; fighter bombers tore into the at tacking Nazis and magnlflclently aimed artillery sent sheets ol steel through the .enemy's ranks. Under this terrible "assault th German infantry and armor brake and tonight apparently was pull ing back into prepared positions under dogged pressure by Mont gomery's men. Weather Favorable " ' . V For onec the weather was against the Germans. Brilliant, springlike sunshine flooded the battle zone as the enemy launched his counterattacks, enabling allied planes to take to the air in the greatest number since the Canadi- ! ians opened their push west ol Kleve last week. , j . One allied column was fighting forward within a mile and a half of the heavily-fortified road cen- ( ter of Goch, eight miles south of Kleve, Goch already was out flanked by the capture of Bed- ' burg and Hasselt, twin towns east of " Kleve. ' Another road center, ' Calcar, was the objective of other British troops who neared Moy land, three miles to the northwest Moy land is 18 miles from the im portant Ruhr valley of Weset V German Spies Will Be Hung 1 NEW YORK, Feb. 14.-;P)-Wil-liam Curtis Colepaugh, an Ameri can whom the prosecution called "a double-crossing traitor," and . Erich Gimpel, his German accom plice, were convicted , today as Nazi spies and sentenced to die ' by hanging, j i : , Without displaying em at ion, Gimpel and then Colepaugh stood before a seven man. military commission and heard Col. Clin ton J. Harrold, its president,' say: ' This commission, by a secret written ballot finds you guilty." upon all three counts, and you are hereby sentenced to be hanged by the neck until dead." i 70 Germans, 'Then Dies 4-Realizing that another wave of Germans , was attacking. Miller dropped In among the enemy dead and waited,, reloading while ha ' stood there squinting out ovec fee top of the trench . 1 ' " 1 4 Then they came for hinw40 to 50 Germans. Miller squeezed his trigger. ; , He wiped, out the whole attack, and forced another SO men to surrender rather than face his : devastating fire.-'r--'-';?- S That was Bill Miller's greatest moment ' . ' ; i But Just then an enemy potato masher gernade whistled into his trench from a hidden position and it killed him., .v , ; v-