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B3 1 TM'f jVgj ftxjegy Oregon, Thursx-aT, TqatmBT 27
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Wo Tavor Stray Us, No' Fear Shall AweT
From First SUtesmaa. March Zt, U51
THE STATESMAN PUBLISHINC COMPANY
CHARLES A. SFRAGUE, Editor and Publisher
Inter ed at the poitoroee at Sales. Orefoo, m second class matter under act of eongreoa March S. 1W. Published
vary morning except Monday. Duilrwie office lli S. Commercial. Salem. Oregon, Telephone MHi.
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HTMBP AUDIT BUREAU OP CIRCULATION
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Obo year
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Six month.
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JABS
What Peace for China?
In the story of the surrender of Peiping one
can find a grain of comfort for China's future.
As Spencer Moose, AP correspondent, reports it,
Peiping did not "fall." It merely slumped into
communist hands.
There was no bombardment a few shells
were lobbed into the place, in a sort of token
bombardment. (The reds may want it for their
capital).
In the siege the communists got control of the
power plants but kept them going to supply
the city with electricity and energy for pumping
water. '
General Fu Tso-yi, the nationalist command
er, gave passes to communist delegates to enter
Peiping, and his deputy commander made trips
to communist headquarters. In the deal for
peace, "surrender" was never mentioned. Not
only was General Fu's name ,not kept on the''
list of war criminals it was arranged so that he
would not lose face, and he is -a member of the
committee to rule Peiping in the transition pe
riod. That similar friendly compromise will prevail
In the winding up of China's long civil war may
be a hope too optimistic. That is not in character
with Russian communism which tightens its grip
through purges and compulsion. But China is
till China. Long parley and conversation and
saving of face are part of the Chinese way of
living. If old habits prevail the shift in power
will not be accompanied by full-scale red re
volution. It might even" give a better break for
the masses of underprivileged in China.
Meantime, the beaten nationalist government
s shifted headquarters to Canton; Nanking
waits for the communists to take over the City;
Chiang Kai-shek has gone into retirement in
Fenghwa; and nothing is heard about proposals
for a general peace.
China will still be China, but how red will a
Red China be? That is the unanswered question.
it proper care. To grant increases asked by the
hospitals would result in exhausting funds of
the' commission. Probably the next appropria
tions will be more liberal.
However, the hospital accounting may be
questioned. This "load" from public welfare has
enabled them to operate at capacity (or better)
and that is about the only way hospitals can
break even. Also, they get their money from the
commission. Previously, the hospitals had heavy
losses from charity cases. They still have losses
but without the check from the commission they
might all be bankrupt.
Dr. David Bennett Hill
Surprise and shock attend news of the death
ef Dr. David Bennett Hill, of a sudden heart at
tack. Prominent as a citizen and in his profes
sion, it seemed he had years ahead for life and
service. His passing emphasizes anew the un
certainties of life.
Particularly in his profession was Dr. Hill re
garded as progressive. An earfy missionary of
good dental health he used his great talent in
photography to prepare and to show motion pic
tures teaching the proper care of teeth. He was
supporter of worthy civic causes, and one
whom a multitude could hail as friend. Our
sympathies go to the bereaved relatives.
Please, Mr. Weatherman
We hate to come to it, but as this is written
th6 frigid circumstances just won't brook further
delay. We here and now must demand, unquali
fiedly, that the weatherman get the temperature
above the freezing mark at least long enough to
get our faucets unplumbed.
We have appreciated the sunshine, the invigor
ating air, the chance for the kiddies to get a rare
go at the snow and ice. We have not complained
thus far, other than politely, that our fuel bill
resembles tha war debt. We have taken the icy
roads in stride, kept the lanterns going in the
pump house, carried pails of water by the hun
dreds fbr the chickens, kicked in frozen-shut
doors and wrapped the outdoor pipes until there
isn't an old shirt or pair of pants left. "
Our dog got arthritis, the hens won't lay, the
cat won't hunt gophers. It is too cold to chop
wood. The only way to dig in the yard is to
blast. ; The car won't start short of a tow rope
and we're getting tired of hot soup for lunch.
There's too much moisture in the high lands and
if things keep up we'll be forced to build an
arfc against' the forthcoming flood.
Please, Mr. Weatheman, we've had enough of
this and we don't see any sense in saving up
further the rain which you'll probably soon
douse' us with anyway. We hate to complain to
your boss, the Great White Father in Washing
ton, particularly since we realize that good
weather thus far has not been made a part of
his platform. But, honestly, we've got to do
something. Have you got a spare muffler?
Welfare and Hospitals
The Oregon Hospital association is critical of
tha allowance made by the public welfare com
mission in its payment for hospitalization. It
gays that the commission pays $3.30 per day less
than private patients. Because the commission
doesn't pay the actual cost of care, the charge
to other patients must be increased.
The commission, however, has limited funds
and tries to spread them to give all who need
Gieseking Gets Bum's Rush
Sunday The Statesman discussed the cases of
musical artists under fire for alleged nazi affi
liations One of them was Walter Gieseking,
German pianist. He had a concert booked for
Carnegie hall,' New York, Monday night; but im
migration official picked him up and the hall
was picketed, so the concert was called off. Gie
seking left the country in a huff Tuesday, saying
he had been treated "too roughly."
Hard 'to, see why immigration officials were
after him, once he had been admitted. It would
seem fair to let people decide for themselves
whether to attend his concerts or not.
When the justice of the peace takes away a
man's fish or ducks or deer meat because he has
violated! the game laws he adds injury to insult.
A demand Is growing up for a 7 cent piece;
also a demand for something one can buy with
7 hit cents.
Italy Ready to Support Atlantic Pact
I z '- . "t
By Joseph Alsop
ROME, Jan. 26 When one
sees an old friend after a long
separation, the plumper or mora
haggard 'cheek, the receding or
more auburn hair, fly to the eye.
In the same way: when one re
turns to this enchanting city af
ter 14 months of absence, the
change in atmosphere seems
downright astonishing.
In November, 1947, before this
country could be sure of Ameri
can aid, the members of the Ital
ian government . .j,
were talking -Tm
about as cheer- i". if.-, i
fully (and with t :J 1
vgood reason) as '' ' f
?the Roman sen- ;1 (fTT.
.ate must have - Z" '
'talked when m ' V, i
. j w .
the gates. But
jstw, the
t a r e a tcned
- communist tri
umph In Italy Mtrpli A1m
is no longer
'possible and problems of foreign
relations are the main preoccu
pation. The problem of Italy's adher
ence to tha projected Atlantic
pact is of course pre-eminent.
And although this problem is be
ing discussed in an entirely new
atmosphere, the effect on the
American observer is none tha
less to emphasize again the vast
rt ess of the new world respon
sibility of the United States. Last
year only American aid could
forestall internal catastrophe
here. And this year admission of
Italy into the Atlantic pact will
add another element to a new
Mediterranean pattern in which
the United States now has tha
role of major power.
e
Until recently a policy of neu
trality, was strongly advocated
by two highly diverse Italian
factions the Vatican, with its
powerful influence c-n the Ital
ian. Right, and tha Socialist of
thv Left. In the last weeks, it
can now be discleaed, the views
of tha Vatican have changed.
Nothing, of course, wills change
the puppet socialist party of
Nenni which is totally controlled
by the communists. But even the
Indepehdent Socialists of tha
Saragat faction still have' doubts
about the Atlantic pact which
must be resolved at their forth
coming party conference
The conference's outcome is
important becase Premier da
Gas peri is exceedingly ianxious
to retain the Saragat socialists
in his government If their vote
is adverse, Italian adherence to
the Atlantic pact may be some
what delayed. It can also, be dis
closed, however, that the Ital
ian government has already in
formed the state department,
voluntarily and on its own ini
tiative, of its disposition to join
the pact if invited to do so.
e e e
At the conference of the West
ern Union powers in Paris, the
British opposed such an: invita
tion to Italy, on the ground that
Italy's best contribution to a
western defense would be to re
main neutral. French and Amer
ican strategists argue, on the
contrary, that the concept of
Italian neutrality Is imaginary.
Western Union's planned defense
of the line of the Rhine will be
useless if the back door to France
in the south is not; secure. And
if Italy is left undefended, any
aggressor can simply advance
down the Po valley corridor and
batter in the French back door.
If this view prevails : in the
present Washington talks about
the Atlantic pact, it may. be ex
pected that the 15 divisions al
lowed Italy under' the, peace
treaty will receive American
arms and that in case j of war,
the great air base at Foggia will
become available for use by our
B-29's. This will be only one
element, however, in the' larger
Mediterranean pattern already
mentioned. Issues of strategy in
volved in this new pattern were
the real cause of the foolish re
cent bedevilment over the Ital
ian colonies.
e
Very briefly,, the desire for a
powerful British base in the
Eastern Mediterranean caused
the British to obstruct the return
of Cyrenaica and Tripolitania to
Italy, while sheer anti-Italian
prejudice seems to have been
the source of the project for giv
ing Eritrea to Abyssinia. A far
more sensible plan is now in the
wind. Britain will retain Cyre
naica and the British will build
up their main base there, with
ports at Benghazi and Tobruk,
supply depots, air fields, etc. The
Italians will at least be restored
to a major share in control of
Tripolitania and Eritrea, but
Joint basing arrangement may
also be made in these colonies
under the Atlantic pact. And
this scheme will be somewhat
reluctantly accepted by the Ital
ian government.
With these arrangements, and
peace in Israel, the post-war
balance of power in the Mediter
ranean will be at last estab
lished. In this balance the United
States, never before a Mediter
ranean power in any sense, will
play the following part.
We shall be allies, though the
Atlantic pact, with the other ma
jor Mediterranean powers, Bri
tain, France and Italy. We shall
be responsible for the Indepen
dence of Greece and Turkey. We
shall have our own air base at
Wheelless Field in Tripoli, where
the runway has already been
lengthened for B-29's. We shall
have peacetime use of the Brit
ish base in Cyrenaica. And we
shall have the use. in case of
war, of Italian and French bases.
In short, the Mediterranean in
fluence once exerted by the
British alone will now be the
influence of an Anglo-American
partnership.
Our policy, in short, may be
altering the course of history in
other nations, as it has done here
in Italy. But in the process, we
are also being changed ourselves.
(Copyright. IMS. Mew York Herald
Tribune. Inc.)
OMAHA BLUES
e
I
With Watson at the Legislature
Alternative Plan of Registration
Would Aid Demo Vote Round-Up
By Ralph Watson
Four members of the senate, all democrats, and four members of
the house, all democrats, are going to take all the physical exertion
out of the duty of people registering and getting themselves qualified
to vote.
They have introduced an "alternative method of registration or re
registration." They are not going to junk the present system which
requires that he who has an urge
to perform his
V - l t - - VJI
1
duty as a citizen
and cast his bal
lot on election
day must evi
dence his interest
by the exertion
of visiting the
county clerk's of
fice once in his
natural life, as
long as he stays
put at the same
address, and fur
nishing the reg
istrar with the
KaJpk Watsoa necessary infor
mation to qualify him. They are
going to let that stand as is, but
they are going to fix it so by vir
tue of senate bill 81 that all the
voter has to do is to have the
clerk send him a blank which he
can fill out and return, and the
job is all done with a flip of the
pen and a 3 -cent stamp and no
bother or trouble at alL
To Help Democrats
The bill, would seem to be a
plan by which the fluidity of the
democratic vote in Multnomah
county could be jelled just before
election times. Down in the metro
polis the followers of Jackson and
Truman don't seem to stick in the
same spots from one election to
another. The county central com
mittee, the Willamette Society and
other partisan agencies round them
up and get them set on the line
before the primary and by the time
the general election comes around
they are all scattered like tha
leaves of the autumn and it has to
be done all over again.
"Jimmy" Gleason, the republican
registrar of elections, has labored
diligently to help the democratic
headman herd the wandering bre
thren back into camp. During tha
war he set up registration booths in
the shipyards and warwork plants
right at the elbows of the work
men. Since the war he has main
tained travelling booths before
both the primary and the general
elections bringing the registration
as close as possible to the voters,
though they still had to step across
the street to get listed on the roll.
This was a step in the right di
rection, but it did not step far
enough to meet the advancing tem
po of the new way of getting out
the vote. Senate bill 81 is geared
to do just what registrar Gleason
refused to allow to be done, that
is to give democratic or republican
precinct workers registration cards
in blank, and in bulk, to be filled
out by unregistered residents of
Portland and returned to his of
fice for filing. Gleason insisted that
no one was qualified to accept a
registration except a qualified dep
uty of his office.
Simply Mail Form
Senate bill 81 will take care of
that objection. It provides merely
that "any person qualified to make
application to be registered or re
registered" can do so "by mailing
or delivering an application to the
county clerk of the county in which
he may be a resident." That way
the precinct workers could load
up with a batch of blanks, hunt
the reluctant and recalcitrant vot
ed to his latest and more or less
transient lair and get him signed
up and in the mail to the county
clerk's office. Or the applications
could be delivered in bulk by the
earnest worker.
But, there is just one thing which
sounds a little bit, shall we say,
funny about this "alternate" busi
ness. Senate bill 81 says, all the
way through, that the alternate
way of registering is to be done
by and with the county clerk of
the county. Now down in Multno
mah the county clerk doesn't have
a thing to do with the registration
of voters. That is what the regis
trar of voters, Mr. James Gleason
appointed by the county board
is for. That was what all the row
was raised about in 1947 when the
law was passed moving the regis
tration out of tha county clerk's
office.
So, just who is to fall heir to
these alternative registrations once
they are collected? Will it be Al
Brown, the democratic county
clerk of Multnomah, or will It be
Jimmy Gleason, the registrar of
elections?
3 Instructed
In Economic
Mobilization
Three Salem army reservists
have completed a 10-day course
in economic mobilization, con
ducted by army officers at Seat
tle, according to word from Mc
Chord air force base.
Salem officers listed were Col.
Seward P. Reese, Willamette law
school dean; Lt. Col. Robert C.
Irwih, accountant in the state de
partment here, and Lt. Col. Ches
ter Fritz, motor fuels tax division
manager.
The McChord press release said
the purpose of the course is "to
teach these reserve officers the
relation of economic factors to po
litical, military and psychological
factors.'
4
ettimg m
ssnwiS(S stmmidhmirdl
BLUE CROSS has been paying hospital bills
for Oregonians and their families since
October, 1941. In those seven years. Blue Cross
has been serving the human needs of your
community ... providing the best protection
against hospital-medical-surgical expense for
you and your entire family.
Benefits for family m embers
for subscriber.
Free choice ef physician.
-" Nationwide . . . nonprofit.
NORTHWEST HOSPITAL SERVICE
Now Orogonian Building
Portland 1, Ore. CApitol 4261
roecS Office la
Eugene and Vancouver
.....(. j - " .............
I ' - I
OTP
snnooos
i
4
(Continued from page 1)
complaining -over how his taxes
had increased, reaching now to
about $7 an acre, which is
pretty heavy for land given to
general farming in this vallley.
Virtually all the Increase was
going to schools. He wasnt
proposing a sales tax, but he
was hoisting a red flag against
higher property taxes and won
dering how the load could be
lightened. I told him he had
come to the right people, his
representatives in the legisla
ture, and went on.
However, ! legislators are not
miracle-workers. They can't
(in Oregon) smite the rock of
finance so that streams of rev
enue gush forth. What they do
will require approval of the
people, because of the refer
endum gauntlet. So the people
need to do some heavy thinking
about problems of public fi
nance. I can see a way for the state
to get through the next bien
nium by capturing corporate
excise taxes for the general
fund and perhaps using surplus
receipts from income taxes. The
present surplus in income tax
revenues could be used to com
plete building programs for in
stitutions and higher education,
with a chunk for school district
buildings.
Beyond 1951 the outlook is
dark. If receipts from income
taxes would decline, as would
result from a recession in busi
ness, and if expenditures of
government keep on climbing
the state might roll a heavy tax
onto property. Farmers then
might feel they are being chas
tised with scorpions instead of
whips. It will only be the pros
pect (or the reality )of a break
down in public finance that will
induce Oregoniana to vote a
sales tax if then.
We have two years of grace,
so probably we'll do like Mic
awber go to bed trusting that
"something will turn up"
Tho 4j
Safety Volvo ;
Economy the Answer j
To the Editor: i
On ; page one of last Friday's
Statesman. Rep. J. F. Short of
Redmond is quoted as stating
at Thursday evening's tax dis
cussion: "We must have a sales
tax or a strict economy." .
If such Is the case, then there
can be no question as to : the
choice, and our difficulties are
over. By all means, give i the)
State of Oregon a strict econ
omy. The words have a most
refreshing sound when com-
pared with the wild government
spending now in vogue in our
national capitaL I
Rep. David Baum of- Lai
Grande held the answer in his
prediction of a general fund
deficit in 1951 if all requested
appropriations are approved by
the legislature. Obviously, all
requests can not be approved,
and the budget still be balanced!
Undoubtedly, cuts could I be
made in many of the amounts
requested. Such is usually the
case with demands on a' publie,
treasury, and it should be the
legislators' job to find the op-i
portunities for economy !
If the legislators remember
the wishes of the people whom
they are here to represent, they
will talk no more of the sales
tax, which the voters have re
fused time after time and would
probably refuse again. Instead,
let them employ measures I of
strict economy in order to bal4
ance the budget and run the
state efficiently not luxurious-i
ly on the revenues now avail
able, 'j
Eileen Johnson I
5S2 N. 14th St.
Hummingbirds, known to feed
on flower nectar, also have a diet
consisting of tiny flies, bees, beet
les and other insects.
Salem Reserve
i
UnitRatesHicll
Salem's organized naval reserve
division was one of the top five
among the northwest's 28 divi
sions last summer, according ; to
word received Wednesday by Lt.
Comdr. David Morey, unit inspect
tor-instructor. i I
The 13th naval district survey
was concerned principally with
training efficiency. At .that time
the local division was less than
a year old and was the newest
in the state. j f
Now in temporary quarters i al
Salem airport, the reserve expects
to occupy the new armory on
Airport road about March 1. I
sssssosBP-"
174- M COMMERCIAL SALEM
' j
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