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About The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980 | View Entire Issue (June 21, 1945)
S . I The OHZG02I STATESMAN, Salem, Oregon, Thursday Morning, Tun 21. 1843 PAGE FOUR - Member of the Associated Presa j J j, S i'he Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for publication of all news dispatches credited to it or not otherwise credited in this newspaper. , i " - . U i . - 't- : Upland and Lowland AP Loses Case J j j- A contributor to the Safety Valve today The supreme court split in variety of ways expresses the desire that Bush's Pasture be on the important question of f whether the by left "as is," and in particular does not like laws of the Associated Press operate td restrain the thought of holding university athletic games trade as prohibited by the Sherman anti-trust in that area ""act. A majority (5) upheld the lower court's tu r,i. w n..rrh.M is to be voted decision against the AP. They were Justices on, and which fronts the contributor's home, is not to be used for athletic park purposes. That is one thought behind .the idea of its purchase, that it be kept as native woodland and meadow for the most part. The lowland, which is to become the city's in any event, is almost certainly destined to be used for active 'recreation whether the university has anything to do with it or not. V- Consider this: Salem has 400 boys organized C in a league for baseball. They have been playing ' at Waters field. Due to differences with the owner they , have . quit using the field. Half of them are being accommodated at Leslie high playfield, the other half are being trans ferred to the West Salem ball park. Were the lowland available they most certainly would go there. We may be sure that the lowland of the Bush pasture will be used for'playfields principally, because of its level character, its good drainage and its fine location. The pasture is spacious enough to accommodate these play fields and the university's stadium as well. A negative vote Friday, therefore, would not stop the cheering and noise of men and boys and girls in competitive sport. An affirmative 1 vote, on the other hand, preserves the upland : for what is termed "passive recreation" and for its natural beauty. 'Boys and noise are inevitable companions. ! There are many who believe, however, that outdoor sports events which provoke the noise are a valuable aid in juvenile training and an ' excellent preventive against juvenile delin , jjuency. These people welcome playfields, in spite of their noise, because of their value for good citizenship and physical well-being. Let I them have the lowland of the pasture; and , save the upland for those with different tastes. Shrinking Arm? i The army is to be reduced by about two million men. Discharge will be welcomed by most of the eligible privates who have borne the heavy end of the fighting- It will be wel comed also- by many officers who left civilian 'life to do a, job, and, now that half the big task is done, are getting anxious to return home. Other officers, of whom there will be many, will not be so eager to step out of service. They have been drawing pay often much higher than their peacetime earning pow er. Their living scale has gone up accordingly; and the old job and the old pay are not at all attractive. Career men in the army who have been appointment over the ruljng tfiey perforce will in the teeth of the war in Europe re coming accept it. It would be a: major catastrophe if to realize that in many cases they are surplus s far as the Jap war is concerned. The best many of the . brigadiers and colonels see is garrison duty in Europe or post duty in the USA or in outposts where army units are left stranded by the war. The high command must realize what it is up against in placing higher ranking generals. By happy inspiration the president found a spot for General Bradley. General George Patton, though, who was ready to run his tanks through the Jap rice paddies, is sent back to his army group in Europe to sit the rest of the war , out, perhaps, as an occupation officer. Other generals will get the call for the Japanese war, and younger men, on the make, who have fought their way up from New Guinea to the Philippines, will be given the opportunity they have earned. And when V-J day comes so many generals' stars will' fall people will think they are seeing a shower of meteors. In spite of their loyalty to Speaker Sam Ray burn, democrats in congress may hesitate be fore putting the speaker in line for the presi dency. They recall how close republicans were to a majority in the house in congress. Shift of a few votes Joe Martin, . stalwart republican of Massa chusetts, in the -speaker's chair, and an aging president in the White House. Memories of democrats are long, like their ears- They'll think of this as they ponder over the presi dent's recommendation for a change in the succession. Editorial Comment IN $5 HOURS ' ' The big story at Washington yesterday was the welcome to General Eisenhower home from the great victory in Europe and entitled to acclaim but the flight to Washington of MajorGeneral Curtis E. LeMay is also a thriller. LeMay flew from Guam to Washington in SS hours and with but one stop, at Hawaii. From Honolulu to Washington, a distance of 4600 miles, he made a non stop flight in a Superfortress. People did not do that way in 1898 when the American forces, including men of . the Second Oregon, "captured" Guam during the Spanish American war. The Spanish commander at Guam did not know that there was a war going on, though it - had been - underway : for months. He thought the cruiser Charleston had fired a salute and was embarrassed because he had -no ammuni tion so could not return the courtesy, , , The fact the B-29s can fly half world with -but one refuelling air power and air traffic have will the airmen do in the years What will "constitute effective Tmited States? If we retain all of have taken from the Japs ; will value : to us or will they be as th Matrinot line to France? In the event of future wars it , is - logical to believe that air strength, including the carrier planes, will be the decisive - factor- Why should time be wasted fighting over remote outposts wheh great fleets will be capable of striking right at the heart of a foe and with Incredible speed? Pendleton East Oregooian. . j . JV Faror Suays 17; Wo Fear Sha;i Au" From First Statesman, March 28, 1831 THE STATESMAN PUBLISHING COMPANY CHARLES A- SPRAGUE, Editor and Publisher ' f Black, who wrote Douglas and Frankfurter. Douglas and Frank furter wrote separate - concurring opinions. A minority (3) composed 61 Chjief Justice Stone, Justices Roberts and Murphy, dissented, the latter two writing separate opinions. j The majority held that th by-laws which restrict membership in jthe Associated -'Press, which is a cooperative news-gathering agency, are in violation of law and must be amended. The ruling is specifically, directed against any veto of application for Associated Press mem bership with a view to preventing competition with a present member. A the Associated Press developed, the members whose efforts and money contributed to its development held veto rights against competing papers. This has been modified through the years, but the court now bans mlmbers from! considering the com petitive factor In voting on 'new members. ; Members of the Associated Press frankly feel that the high court is depriving them of genuine property rights, some of which have been ac quired at high cost They know of no other line of business where a concern is forced to admit a competitor to enjoy a! valuable service. mere was no eviaence introduced ana no iina ing made that the AP held at monopoly. Other news services are in active competition with AP. The court thus would offer to competitors the fruits of the efforts of San individual or a company. That is what seems a rank injustice to most members of the Associated Press. The practical effect of the 'ruling cannot be foreseen. Mr. Justice Roberts in his dissent said the ruling "threaten! to be but a first step in the shackling of the press." Whether it is or not depends on what ensues. Goodness knows there have been enough efforts by gov ernment agencies to; put halters and blinders on the press. As far as making newl any more free or papers any; more numerous, that result is very dubious, f A very few papers like the Chicago Sun which aspire to Ap mem bership may become member's, but the cause for limitation of numberj of newspapers is not lack of news service, bull economic. Publishing a daily paper is so costly aty enterprise that few are able to survive. Radio offers- new" competition for advertising Revenue, further restricting -the field of newspaper operation. It is not without significance that the only two large city newspapers to start" in late ir ears, New York's PMTahd the Chicago Surf, are both Marshall Field newspapers, backed by his great .fortune. ! I 'I . j! . I the great news-gathering agency of i the AP were to dissolve. It will have jjto adjust its by laws to meet the court's, verdict. Somef may feel that the new dealers" (all; the five justices in the majority were Roosevelt appointees) have gotten the last, sardonic laugh at the news papers, particularly at Col. McCormick of the Chicago Tribune. One need not impute malice in the findings of the majority; their new deal ish trend of though gave them that slant origin ally. AP members will have to make the best of the situation that has arisen and try to maintain high standards for fairness of news reports. I Mamas and papas and dogs and cats again can face the Fourth of July without flinching. The law reiterates t'no" on fireworks. Interpreting Tho War JNbwo By the preceding pivotal strategic would have put reaches within a way around the- coast of Hainan stop snows how the route for advanced. What to come? defense for the the islands we they be of any useless as was x Kwangtung coastal rail system crossing the base $tttau the opiniorL Reed, Rutledge, While AP members will voice their own; dis- ompleteness and ? KIRKE L. SIMPSON Surprising earlier advices from China that Jap- anese iorces were evacuating Hainan island, a position atithe fnouth of the gulf of Tongkm, appear at least premature if not wholly unfounded. Yet there tare evidences of growing enemy uneasiness in that sector. 1 , Chungking reports of Nipponese offensive ac tivities on Hoihong peninsula inf southern KWang- tun indicate Japanese fear that Hainan might be isrftedIf that were don. ij could fall into allied hands as an advance base for the merging east-west air attac kon nemy mainland; and sea communications. I I - In Chinese hands Hainan would offer glittering possibilities. It lies due west of northern Luzon some 700 miles and within close air striking dis tance of the China I and Indc4China coast , line along which run highly vulnerable Japanese 'land communications with forces to the south. For that reason if ho ether a desperate enemy stand on Hainan would eeem indicated. Chinese -military spokesmen how report that- while an enemy detachment was withdrawn from the island, presumably for the action in progress on Hoihong peninsula, the main garrison on Hainan still Js intact - i i -i It is a vital safeguard fro what is left of enemy life line contacts with Indo-China, Thailand and the Malay peninsula; even wth Sumatra; and Ja vaults surrender would represent final abandon ment by Tokyo of all forces deployed south of -'China; i -:'f? Hoihong peninsula juts ; duel southward I from the Kwangtung coast west of Hong Kong. It virtual stone's throw of the north island like a draw bridge and is maintaining contact between the Hainan garrison and Japanese forces on the main land. . j J Chungking has disclosed that two Japanese columns were in operation north" and northeast of Limkong, an Important ''junction point of the oi ine peninsula. - i -. ;. The motive of Japanese offensive on Hoihong peninsula has stirred speculation in Chungking, turning largely on the assumption that it is a move to protect; communications with Hainan. There can be no question about its strategic values. or that its loss would be a blow to Japanese hopes of rescuing any part of the armies to the south- i 1 " Their Superfortress The Safety LETTERS FROM STATESMAN Attention Salem Yeters 1 PGE, under the signature of the officers of the so-called Sa lem Citizens committee, has been spreading much I propaganda a- . bout the Salem Electric Coop, and mostly about Harry Reed, our manager. Harry Reed put Salem on the map as an up-to-date city when he succeeded in establishing KSLM, though the same bunch who are opposing 'Salem Electric, opposed KSLM. When Bonneville electricity be came available, he applied for electricity and found they didn retail electricity. He immediate- a ly ; started to promote an Elec tric Cooperative. I Some of the down town busi ness men of Salem, most of the West Salem business ' men . and , industries and some farmers ad vanced money to help put it over. This was accomplished in spite .of every conceivable ob stacle put in our way by those now opposing " Salem Electric. The war came on and we had no 'priority, transformers and elec trical appliances were frozen; re gardless we went ahead and have over 240 members, and many others waiting until more mater ial is available. About 60 of the members are Salem business men. The large industries such ai Max Gehlhar's Food Prod ucts Co. and Blue Lake Cannery, have long since thad their ad vance money returned. We smaller users, though we get 20 ' pier cent off each month's bilL , still have some coming. Soon we will all have our money back and still own Salem Electric. : Harry Reed is hired by the board of directors as manager and has done a good job of it Present board of directors are L. V. Ben son, proprietor of two bakeries in Salem, president; Glen Hogg, farmer in Polk county and pres- : ident of Willamette- Cherry ; as sociation, one of Salem's large industries, secretary. Other mem bers of the board are Sidney Stevens, jeweler, on State street, Salem, and Mr. Burk, owner of the West side Auto Park, and Mr. Sloper, West Salem business man. U ;- These directors are all success ful businessmen and are capable of managing Salem Electric sue-. cessfully. Are 'you, Mr. Voter, by your vote, going to tell these .Lm,-,-. " . GRIN AND BEAR t - J 3t - TUak ef me as aa Individual, Sllsa Fotnlk net as foreman In . charge ef reeeaversienr j ' Valve READERS I men they can't operate their own business just to let PGE contin ue to monopolize the electric business? What ! about the 60 Salem members scattered over most of the territory the fran chise calls for, are you going to vote to tell them that this no longer is a free country and must come under a monopoly? PGE tells you "they have low ered rates." , This is true; I will recite three times when they did it The first time we had low ered rates was when we spon sored the seven county PUD. The next time was when we spon sored the Polk County PUD, and the last time was when, they lowered their rates to compete with Salem Electric. Every one of PGE patrons have had sav ings on account of Salem Elec tric operation. They are not much, concerned; about what would happen should - Salem wake up and want municipal ownership. As far as Salem is concerned, allj they would have to do is pay (one red cent) just to comply with the law for a membership and start using Sa lem electricity; ; Has Salem i Electric harmed any one in Salem by forcing PGE to lower their rates? We give no special .rates, all are treated alike, including the far mers. I guess Jit was pretty hard for PGE to lower rates; saw in the paper where they asked to borrow $39,000,000 but Utility said, No, $35,000,000 was enough. j' R. W. Hogg Oeeeaes Electric Franchise To the Editor:' ' We are to viote Friday of this week on several j issues ' and I have been reading the ads and editorials, especially those relat ing to the power franchise. ; One that concerns me most is -the question of having two elec tric power companies In Salem. I formerly lived hi Portland and some years back the people there voted to allowj a franchise to a second -telephone company and it turned out to be a sorry mesa indeed, with result that in order to give decent service the two cosapanies were forced to consol idate, j . '; It appears to me that this proposition is: just another scheme by the Reed electric com- IT ; By lichly pany to gouge . the PGE com pany at the expense of the peo ple who are using electricity to cook their meals, - wash their clothes and light their homes. I have a family and a little home and my power bill has decreased to quite an extent; in fact I am able to cook cheaper with elec tricity than with any other fuel. I realize that a second company in Salem is not interested in me or my problems but only schem ing to obtain the cream of the business, then sell out to the larger company and let the peo ple stand the loss. Very truly, Henry Harrison. North Salem, Ward 5. To the Editor: In explanation of the attitude of the people who are more in terested in a quiet and beautiful park than they are in an athletic field, I would like to say that we do not want to oppose the ma- ' jority of the people of Salem. However, there is a general feeling that the question has been presented in such a way that a true expression cannot be obtained. If I vote for the pur chase of the upper portion, which I 'very much want I must also vote for an athletic field .which I do not want With others just the reverse is true. Is. it fair or democratic to have "riders" on the proposition? We should have a chance to vote the two questions separately. Everywhere there is a convic tion that a "fast one" has been "pulled." This Is hot a whole some thing. Not one I have talked to has been, unwilling to . accept a verdict against them if 1 a fail1 opportunity were given both sides. I am an alumnus of Willam ette and I sympathize with her; desire, for the field. I under stand how unpleasant it is for j President Smith's family to have the field under their windows, i Even we are annoyed by the noise from Willamette's present field and we live! way over. on the south side of the pasture. But suppose Willamette needed more classrooms and wished to use a pert of my house for that purpose,: could I be expected to allow her to do it?; Well, the 'pasture is almost as intimately deer to me a my own house. I love it with, all my heart But it isn't mine alone and I will ingly bowto the will of others in thmatter If that will can oe expressed. " . MARY SACKETT," 1510 S. Winter St To the Editor: i j In my opinion the best argu ment against granting a fran chise to Salem Electric company is contained' in the schedule of comparative rates of other cities which is being advertised by Salem Electric. j I J Note that the Seattle munici pal system charges considerably more for power-than the Port land General Electric company charges in Salem, in spite of the fact that Seattle City Light has dual advantages of not paying taxes and of. serving a concen- : trated city market (, v : The reason for j their higher rates Is this: Seattle City Light has to compete, with Puget Sound Power and Light company and this duplication i of service keeps rates higher, J --r . ' It Is mat same, duplication' of service ? that we must avoid in Salem, so the franchise v for : Salem Electric s h oul d be de feated in next Friday's election.' X used to live in Seattle and powv I am more than : satisfied with my electric ; service here. The lower rates make my power bills lower.; X am amazed that a privately owned power company can charge lower rates than the Seattle municipal plant and still contribute substantial taxes and 'also serve isolated rural areas. WALLACE JOHNSON, . East Center St . . ": V '7;;r:f V; ' "-. Ccm Ym Spell XL .; V' . ; Colonel, Or Do You , w - - Just Wear It? , IN OCCUPIED GERMANY-. (jP)Some day during the pleas ant postwar life of the regular . army men, there will be a mili tary dance at Tt Knox or Ft I V Belvotr or some r such- place and 1 a starry eyed vmmv ihinf will look up at i ' t "V colonel an d say: : "Mr. rolonl. Ik ' , v . w , .. urh marvelous d e e o r a - tioos! And what Kenneth Dixon does that pretty red and green striped piece of rope around your shoulder mean?" - "Harrumph, harrumph. Well, my, dear, that is the Belgian fourragere. . The first Belgian fourragere ever give to a for eign military unit as a matter of fact Those of us in the sec ond - armored division got it in the last war old (HelL .on Wheels) division. . Harrumph, yes." , ,.;-. At which information the star ry eyed young, thing not daring to ask what a fourragere is or' what it means or how it was ob tained and probably not caring anyhow--will murmur prettily: 'Ohhhh, how. nice. My, you must have been brave." j Well, since a colonel always falls for that line, it is obvious that she is not going to be in formed about the fourragere jun less somebody does it nowj so here goes. - In the first place, the fourra gere is awarded "as a special honor to units having performed bold strikes during the present war and having been' cited at least twice in an order of the 'day of the Belgian army." j Well, that was a breeze for the Second armored division. They were cited as the first liberating troops to enter Belgium and a gain as the vital outfit in halting and eliminating the stampede of Field Marshal Gerd von Rund stedt's Ardennes offensive just to mention a couple. j - So Prince Charles, the regent of Belgium, signed an imposing document which was stirringly introduced with the words, fto all present and to come, salute." Then the minister of national de-, fense signed it and all that re mains, is to present the fourra- The Literary ; Guidepost By W. G. Bocers "MISSION BEYOND DARKNESS," ky' Lt. Coatir. Joseph Bryaa in, VSNR. and Philip 1h DaeH, loan Pearee; S2); "ACTION TO NIGHT: THE STORY OF TIE DE STROYER O'BANNON IN THE ' PACIFIC," hy Janti D. Hot am (Putum; SSJ). If any books may be called packed with action, it is these two. thrilling stories tWit war in the Pacific. j just one year ago today Ad miral Mitscher's scouts - discov ered a big Jap force running away through the Philippine sea. Bryan - and Reed 'give us the . gripping account . more stirring than fiction, of 64 men from the carrier Lexington's air group 16, sent out to attack in late after noon, returning after dark, their safety depending dramatically on their last few- drops of gaso line. ctlc ' "No word or thought or action has been ascribed to anyone without his authority," the Vau thbrs say. It's obvious that this account was not made up out! of anyone's" head. Here are the facts, and they are anything but matter-of-fact; here's : how men behave as , their chances - get slimmer and slimmer; here's what it takes to win. ) The O'Bannon, a beauty of a destroyer, was . built: in Bath, Me., and, under Capts. Edwin jR. Wilkinson and later Donald j J. MacDonald, licked many times her weight in Jap battleships in and around "the Slot" in the: Solomons. ' ! ! r The author, assistant city edi tor of the New York Journal American,, wrote the book with out even 'getting his feet wet sitting in a hotel room and in terviewing scores of members jof the crew. i i j ' But he gets your feet wet and you ' spend your reading time aboard the plucky O'Bannon un der bombs and shells, in and out of rain squalls, in those now- dis tant days of tough going when the marines were fighting tooth and nail to hold Guadalcanal.! The actions described include a set-to with submarines, sur face' battles in pitch darkness when. If the first salvo didn't r score, there might be no time for a second, and bombardment of enemy installations. - j L . ,. Terms -.! Conveniently - Arranged " , ' rx tmmm I I IP If TO fvftK3n All aizesand ov; mw gere to the Hell on Wheelers; which they aim to do in a couple of days.' " : ;; . It might be well to mention1 that only one-Belgian unit has been awarded the fourragere up to now. Jt is the First Belgian Brigade which was : formed in Great Britain during the- Ger man occupation of Its homeland and fought - from Normandy through Holland and now occu pies a section , of Germany. The Second armored division Is the second unit of any nation to re ceive It this war. ( (Continued From Page 1) strike there. He turned the char ter over to some fellow travelers named Kellogg who brought the charter the rest of the way, car rying it In a small, rawhide-covered, cylinder-shaped trunk, ar riving in Oregon City Sept 11, 1848, two and a half years after the petition" for the charter had been drawn up. The lodge was called Multnomah No. 84, and its jurisdiction extended from Canada to Mexico and from the summit of the Rockies to the Pacific ocean. The second lodge in ' Oregon was Willamette of Portland, the third the Lafayette lodge, and the fourth at Salem. 1 When the California grand lodge was instituted in 1850 Oregon came under that jurisdiction, lat er independent 4 Pacific lodge No. SO, which is now 75 years old, has num bered .many men of prominence among its members. It has had six of its members elevated to the office of Grand Master. First of these was ,T. McFadden Pat ton who officiated at the Ma sonic ceremonies at the laying of the cornerstone of the old capitol in 1872. Others were Judge George H. Burnett, Lot L. Pearce, George G. Brown, former clerk j of the state land office, all 'of whom are deceased; Rex W. Davis of the state treas urer's office and Milton L. Mey ers. On its roll of members were Senator Charles L. McNary, Con gressman W. C. Hawley and Gov ernor Oswald West ! Admiral Thomas M. Gatch, judge advo cate of the navy, retains his mem bership in Pacific No. 4. When first! organized, Pacific lodge met in the old ( Griswold block, later the Murphy block at State and Commercial streets. It later met in Rector's hall, an early day meeting place which stood just south of the Statesman building. In 1900 the lodge began - meeting on the third floor of ; the old Reed Opera house, now 'Miller's store, and in 113 it i moved to the Masonic temple ! which has continued to be its ; home. : 1 Present worthy master is Er nest Wagner. Otto Hoppes, past W.'M., is chairman of the com mittee In charge of Friday night's program, which is open to the public. The Masonic order; as is well known, traces its history back through many centuries. Being a body whose members are bound by oaths of secrecy, it was long subject, to criticism and suspic ion. At one time about a century ago anti-Masonic agitation spilled over into politics, particularly in New York state. That flare-up did not last long, but it is sig nificant that Masonic bodies have been among the first to be dis solved by totalitarian rulers. A ' non-Mason myself, 1 feel free to say that I have observed that the Masonic order has at tracted to Its membership a large share of the men of substance of fKa Mmmtlflitv rka ImmAmm affairs and men of good reputa tion. -. ; ; - Society owes a real debt to the Masonic order because it has con sistently! upheld the principle of intellectual freedom. Some have confused this with; free think ing from the' standpoint of re ligion, but that is incorrect The lodge still clings to the broad principle of freedom ""to think,' and without doubt its secret Character has enabled it to sur vive as a leaven in countries under the heel of foes of civil, " political and religious liberty. This 75th anniversary of Pacifia lodge - gives me an opportunity to express this view of an or ganization which has survived for many centuries and still .thrives. J - : (-:;.;.. rJ-- JS Court mTTJ i LTu i . ?
