Eugene register-guard., March 21, 1954, Image 8

Remember You Have Another Appointment
Marquis Childs
AN INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER '
PUBLISHER Alton F. Baker
EDITOR William M. Tugman MANAGING EDITOR Alton F. Baker Jr.
SERVICES Full Associated Press, United Press, Audit Bureau of Circulations.
The Register-Guard's policy Is the complete and impartial publication in its news
pages of all news and statements on news. On this page the editors of the Register
Guard offer their opinions on events of the day and matters of importance to the
community, endeavoring to be candid but fair and helpful in the development of con
structive community policy. -A newspaper is A CITIZEN OF ITS COMMUNITY.
Entered at the Post Office at Eugene, Oregon, as second-class matter.
8A
EUGENE, OREGON, SUNDAY, MARCH 21, 1954
Public Power Lobby Fights EWEB Partnership
According to our Washington corre
spondent A. Robert Smith, plenty of
trouble in Congress awaits the "partner
ship" legislation, by which the Eugene
Water and Electric Board and the fed
eral government would share in the
financing and operation of the big
Cougar Dam project on the South Fork
of the McKenzie.
Apparently the public power lobby
the same people who have tried for
years to promote authority legislation
does not like partnership in public
power in any form. Washington's Sen.
Henry M. Jackson is quoted as saying
that the EWEB partnership might set
a precedent for partnerships with private
power companies, and in his view:
"All 'partnership proposals call for the
federal government to underwrite the non
profitable features while the local utility gets
the profits-earning facilities. The consumer,
who is the silent partner, gets hit both ways."
Jackson made a speech in Portland
in which he made it rather clear that
he would be opposed to partnership in
any form, whether the local agency were
a municipal utility, a PUD, or a private
company. At least the Senator has made
the issue very clear he and his cohorts
will accept nothing but complete federal
ownership and control in the develop
ment of hydro-power.
The senator's factual arguments are
not so good in the light of the long
record of thimble-rigging by federal
agencies in allocating the cost of
multiple-purpose projects. Navigation,
flood control and other non-profitable
phases have been made to bear far more
than a realistic share of the costs in
order to make a showing of cheap power;
and the accounting has been juggled fur
ther to make power bear interest costs,
properly chargeable to irrigation. Power
in many cases pays the hidden costs of
reclamation.
Sen. Jackson is guilty of misrepresen
tation when he pictures the agreement,
by which EWEB or any other partner
would pay the costs and take the profits
of power production, as something new
or strange. The only thing new or
strange is the straight-forwardness of
what is proposed, and the relief which
the federal taxpayer would get from
having at least a portion of these proj
costs financed with local money. It is
not surprising that the EWEB partner
ship plan has drawn fire. The very fact
that President , Eisenhower has com
mended it invites Democrat opposition.
There is, however, one important gain
it forces the public power lobby to drop
the mask of hypocrisy which has gov
' erned many of its maneuvers.
Heads We Win, Tails You Lose in Congress
Unless the "peepul" are much more
gullible than we give, them credit for
being, the Democrat gestures for popu
lar tax cuts will not fool anybody. The
big-hearted Democrats would help Joe
Doakes, by increasing the amount of his
personal and family exemptions, know
ing full well that this would hack about
2V2 billions out of federal revenues
which are already not sufficient to bal
ance the budget.
(In the House, (he Democratic amendment
which was defeated 210-204 would have hiked
exemptions from the present $600 to $700.
In the Senate the Democrats are trying to up
the exemptions to $800 this year and $1,000
next year.)
The Democrats are playing a heads-we-win-tails-you-lose
game with the Eis
enhower administration. The defeat of
their amendment in the House can be
converted into political fodder by crying:
"The Republicans done it! The wickud
Republicans were always agin' the peepul!"
If Sen. George and his cohorts in the
Senate should succeed in passing the
amendments, where the Democrats in
the House failed, then the Democrats
can argue:
"Look what we done for you! We saved
you from the wicked Republicans!"
The tax program which the Eisen
hower administration is supporting of
fers many reductions to the taxpayers,
big and small. For instance, there is
substantial improvement in the allow
ances for medical benefits, retirement
income, dividends on which a corporate
income has already been paid, child care
expenses, and contributions. There is a
much more liberal provision defining
dependents, to include children still in
college and persons other than relatives
living in the household who are in fact
dependents.
The Democrats will scream that the
Eisenhower administration favors "the
rich" at the expense of "the pore." Actu
ally, the Eisenhower administration has
not concurred in the substantial reduc
tions of excise taxes demanded by party
leaders and it has tried to limit tax re
ductions for business to such areas as
will stimulate business development, ex
pansion and employment.
There is room for debate on whether
budgets should be balanced before ma
terial lax cuts are made, or whether
well-directed tax cuts will in the long
run produce more revenue and speed
up a budget balancing. There can be no
argument that sooner or later Uncle
Sam, like everybody else, will have to
learn to pay his bills and live within his
income. The Democrats play horse with
this fact.
Lots of New Faces in 1955 Legislature
Time and reapportionment have
done things to the Oregon Legislature.
There will be a lot of new faces when
the lawmakers convene in 1955. Some
of the men who have been leaders for
years will not be on the list when the
roll is called.
In the Scnale, eight of 30 will not
return including such old reliables as
Junction City's Angus Gibson, McMinn
ville's Eugene E. Marsh, Salem's Fred
Lamport and possibly Portland's Rich
ard Ncubcrgcr who is now campaigning
for the U. S. Senate. The death of Sena
tor Dean Walker last winter took the
man who has been considered for more
than 20 years "the most influential man
in the state, next to the governor."
The House loses 11 out of 60 old
timers, with a strong chance that many
of the 49 who arc running for re-election
will not survive that test. In the House,
Lane County's Earl Hill, with 10 sessions
under his belt, ranks next to Portland's
Harvey Wells (13 sessions in seniority).
But any member of the House, who has
had more than two sessions, will be al
most a graybcard.
"How will all of this change affect the
courso of legislation?"
We doubt if it will have any marked
effect. We have seen these changes be
fore. We are constantly reminded of the
fact:
"There is no indispensable man."
For a time there may be some waver
ing uncertainty and delay until new and
positive leadership develops, but it al
ways develops under the stresses of
necessity. The real work of the legisla
ture is not done by the ballyhoo artists,
the orators who spend most of their
time sparring for headlines. It is done
in the committees, where weary men
wrestle with mountainous budgets and
try to make available revenues stretch
equitably, or in the hearing rooms where
they listen days on end to the arguments
on all kinds of legislation, trying to find
answers which are just and practical.
Not long ago, we heard a young member
of the Scnale, Gene Brown of Grants
Pass, say:
"I learned a lot In my first session at
Sajcm. I went down there with the idea that
the legislature was mostly a bunch of fuddv
duddies who wasted a lot of time in needless
arguments. I soon learned how difficult it is
to know enough to make the decisions which
have to ho mado and I came home with a
great deal of respect for the job and for the
men who are doing it in Oregon."
It will probably be another Republi
can legislature. In many areas the Demo
crats arc not even contesting, but the
political complexion is not nearly so im
portant as the character of the men
forming it.
Chicken dinners were given to every
body who entered a southern golf tour
ament. The easy way to get a birdie.
Speaking of tips and downs, a' vag
rant in an Ohio town gave his vocations
as miner and steeplejack.
' IWBAI
Monnet to Seek U.S Ul
To Rrtkt, U,i r '
LUXEMBOURG Jean Mon
net, president of the high author
ity of the European Coal and
Steel Community with headquar
ters here in Luxembourg, will
leave shortly for
Washington in
the hope of com
pleting negotia
tions for a loan
with which to be
gin expansion of
Western Europe s
steel industry.1
This is in line;
with the effort to
create a greatly
enlarged market, Chlldi
Ml
have eilh.r; e
cow.
ERA ENDED
Today, in lhe
8,'ving has ed "
cesMtyforaseri,,
loans is urgent it E
have a chance JS
uine frce-ent.!?1'"!
m. . ruse
Twice
In The Editor's Mail Bag
STRIKES BACK
EUGENE (To the Editor)
What supreme audacity! Just
how important can some people
get? Yes, Mr. Editor, I fully
realize the meaning of what I
have said. I said and I repeat it
here that in my opinion it would
best serve the interest of our
community if a reporter were not
present at certain meetings as he
might "gum up the works." I
shall explain that later but here
let me state that is the entire
issue. I had expressed my own
personal opinion of what I thought
best for our community and
"Boom" guess what happens?
Our Editor blows up in smoke
he doesn't happen to agree with
me!! and I "ought to resign at
once," to use his exact words.
Could McCarthy have beat that
one? -
Folks, I am the councilman cul
prit in the Register-Guard March
10 editorial. I committed the
crime of having a difference of
opinion with Ye Editor, that is
all. I never in all my life was as
positive that lam 100 right and
that our Editor is 100 wrong in
this particular issue but even that
is a secondary matter. Suppose
I am wrong for the moment and
he is right, what have I done? I
am guilty of having disagreed
with the Editor. But when he
asks for my resignation for that
I know it is he and not I who does
not "realize the full meaning of
what he has said." Regardless of
who is right or who is wrong I
strongly feel he owes me an
apology for implying I had done
something wrong, when if he can
read English, he knows better.
Oh, yes, I know his rebuttal
it is a matter of great "principle"
and all the rest of that high
sounding stuff about keeping all
public matters before the public
at all times. But no one has
convinced me yet that it is sound
"principle" to defeat the best in
terests of our community by spill
ing the beans at the wrong time
in the wrong place and upset the
apple cart people being what
they are.
All good reporters are looking
for a "dog bites man" story and
arguments are juicy material. A
councilman has a thousand city
problems with which he is not
too familiar. He calls in experts
and seeks the advice of sound
people more familiar with these
problems and the advice of all
affected. Then all get together
and compare notes and almost
always part with much less dif
ferences of opinion than when the
discussion started. But he too is
human and like almost every
other human being when he
makes a public statement while
trying to make up his mind will
seldom reverse his position even
though that statement is hasty
and unsound.
Our -iiffcrenccs of opinion really
hnils down to two things, first,
does the public have a right to
know our own minds before we
do?; second, do they have a right
to know about things when condi
tions are such it may lead to
complications, misunderstandings
and community detriment? I say
the public does not; you apparent
ly think otherwise but I still con
tend I have as much right to my
opinion as you have to yours.
But Mr. Editor you make your
self ridiculous by branding as an
"astounding statement" a state
ment -f fact. I said, "We shall
never freely discuss many things
beforo the public," so what? I
personally don't think we should,
you think of wise, which is fine,
but the fact remains people WILL
NOT. I merely stated the fact.
But I didn't make these people
so don't try to hold me personally
responsible for their actions, nor
try to build something from noth
ing. Th Irony of our difference her
seems to me to be that you wish
to make such an issue out of
what cannot possibly be con
strued as only a difference of
opinion when we are so com
pletely in agreement on all funda
mental issues. I agree with you
95 of the time. I hate McCar
thy's - tactics more than you do
and loved your last night's edi
torial exposing them. On foreign
policy and most issues you show
sound judgment and then here
you pop off like a school kid.
But please don't make any apolo
gies for me about going off half
cocked for I did not, but you did.
But I shall forgive you this time
for basically I know you are
sound.
But your suggestion that I re
sign has backfired. That was the
final straw that caused me to
throw my hat in the race for the
legislature.
GEO. E. OWEN
ED'S NOTE: We did not
name Mr. Owen as the council
man to whom we referred in
the March 10 editorial, but
since he wants it this Way, it's
okay by us I
Your days of sloth are over
And you must work again.
I'd love to see the old nest
With four mouths open wide,
And see them keep you busy
From morn till eventide.
And I long to hear your voice
Just at early dawn, '
When fast on your home-ward
' way
With a big worm from the lawn.
I've guarded the nest in the oak
tree,
For, I'm sure by now you see,
How - your rusty breast in clover
Is a symbol of spring to me.
MYRTLE C. FELT
765 River Road
HAIL ROBIN!
EUGENE (To The Editor)
Could you conceive of spring
without a robin or a robin with
out spring? I couldn't so here
are a few verses acknowledging
his presence and calling him back
to his duties.
A Symbol
Robin, pert robin
In the greening clover,
Hopping, peering, peeking,
Looking prospects over.
Does your rusty bosom
Held so proudly, stout,
Hide a bursting heart
Such a grand day out?
Scan you well that toadstool,
Elves are known to play, there
Fragrant grass pipes
So the swallows say.
Must not harm them, robin.
They elso have their rights,
Faith would languish hope would
perish,
Without these airy sprites.
Docs the old oak look familiar
To that uplifted eye?
The . old nest waits your pleasure
Under sunny sky.
Please, now, stop your preening,
Call your mate and not the rain,
SIDE GLANCES
By GALBRA'TH
1 t XK I PE
il NNhJrt ! a
"Where your tni of humor? You had a big laugh
When I told you that stair tread vva loo whn Uncle
Will fll on It lat falll"
with the consumer benefiting steel authnri?,Mi to
from higher production and low- fnroard th. "
er prices in me American pat- Europe. Chairm , ,. '
le . . Senate ioTl
ine loan wm ne uwen as a I.. ,A . ?" "mm
vest oi American imenuons wun il. w, , :' mpe
regard to European unification. !"! u"siIorc'S sifiin,
It poses the basic problem of at- 5,' , LE ave , approved fi
tituacs on opposite sides of the im. C , ""Hib;
Atlantic. Most Americans are 1 '"5, ground, iltll
liKeiy 10 wonder wny Europe ; -"'"""H uat
should be enminz back for Amor. soln8 t0 America.
ican dollars when since the end since the Presidm
of the war, the United States has statement in Juns
fi.n,'ct,Al 9-7 killinn0 In reaffirm,,, I-
luimaiiu i uiuiuiis dun,,,,,,,; " ill UeCetllto
aid alone. Roughly VLVx billions na been a coosidenbk'
of this was in Marshall Plan as- of of the concmt i
sistance, which went for the most wi'h a growing doubtuii
nail, iui .iciunaiiutiiun 4II1U JII mupe, and BWU
some instances modernization of France, means to go tin?
Europe's machinery of produc- the various staeM J?L
tion. bring the continent toS
. . . dpi" a pnmmnm a.I.'i!..,
an in Vfcsiiiifcivi - . FU1WC11
. Surely, the average American ST STAGE
reflects, they cannot expect any The coal and steel m
iu ui i i j. uniy me lltitu
uib nmc men planning mill m- sucn B System, With i J,
telling me I.UA1 nnu biccl uuui,
uniting this important segment
of the economies of the six west
ern European countries, this is
not considered economic help.
They see it as a practical invest
ment by the United States in the
future of a Europe so unified as
to avoid the old nationalistic
quarrels that have led in the past
to nationalistic rivalry for a lim
ited market and eventually to
war and disaster. They believe
that a loan at a low-interest rate
would help to open up the Europ
ean capital investment market,
establish confidence, and con
vince European investors that
they must be willing to make
long-term investments at rates
much lower than the nine or 10
percent now expected.
As to the 27 billions they see
this as inevitable for the repair
of the terrible damage of the war
and to stop the spread of commu
nism in Western Europe. Certain
ly, it is true that if this aid had
t0
ist
army the second and lij
important stage. Nm!
American officials U,
Monnet that they belim
possible to obtaian a Iom
hundred million dolliul
amount would come oitt(
foreign iterations A4
miii s iunas. AiontiM tt
hoped to get five hinteS
lion dollars. That would d
ly necessitate a special r
to Congress and It his tal
cated to Monnet thattiuss
avoided.
But what should bet
dcrstood at the present i
despite the lone and i
hesitancy of the French t
European army, is thatne
assist in mastering the i
forces that threaten Hi I
world or we let them tin
course with consequence! i
can be fatal.
(Distributed by United Ftf
Syndicate, Ine.)
NOT INTELLIGENT!
Eugene. (To the Editor) In
your issue of March 9 you printed
an editorial entitled SHOULD
WE ELECT PUBLIC UTILITIES
COMMISSIONER? This editorial
suggested that the public was not
sufficiently intelligent to elect
capable commissioners.
In your issue of March 10 in
your editorial EUGENE COUN
CIL VOTES INDUSTRY INTO
MILLRACE AREA DESPITE
PROTESTS you make an appar
ently courageous stand for the
enlightened public against secret
council meetings.
On March-9 you imply lack of
faith in the democratic process of
public control by public servants,
by means of the vote. On March
10 you imply that a councilman
should resign because he is al
legedly attempting to hide public
business from the free and intel
ligent electorate.
Correct me if I am in error, but
could it be that on March you
were against the public because
a Demo, Monroe Sweetland, sug
gested that public utility commis
sioners should be elected by the
people they serve? Could it be on
10 March your gallant stand for
the public was inspired by the al
most personal quarrel between
your paoer and the Eugene City
Council?
Sincerely,
R. B. SMITH
407 Park St.
Springfield, Oregon
ED'S NOTE: Choosing a man
for a highly technical job should
not be "political." Our stand im
plies no lack of faith in the peo
ple. Tn fact we think we have
more real faith in the' people
than any politician.
Peter Ed son
GOP Still Seeks Aspirii
For McCarthy Headache
k3 -ia
WASHINGTON (NEA) The
number one problem of the Re
publican Party today is how to
handle Wisconsin Sen. Joseph R.
McCarthy.
One course
now seems defi
nitely closed.
President Eisen
hower himself is
not going to try
to censor any
elected official. It
is considered
doubtful if the
President will
ever attack Sena
tor McCarthy by Ell!on
name, just as he will not criticize
Democrat Adlai Stevenson by
name.
The President was only one
step removed from this, however,
in asking Vice President Richard
M. Nixon to answer Stevenson's
Miami speech in which the issue
McCarthy vs. the GOP was raised.
The Vice President docs not
make policy, does not announce
policy and does not hold press
conferences to express his own
views. But in this one instance at
least he became the voice of the
administration. What is still more
important, Vice President Nixon's
speech in reply to Stevenson was
promoted as setting the line for
future administration policy, even
before a word of it was written.
It was obvious from the first
announcement that every line of
the Nixon speech would be ap
proved by President Eisenhower
and Republican National Commit
tee Chairman Leonard W. Hall.
Nixon, Hall and other GOP of
ficials have huddled with Mc
Carthy many times. He has in
sisted on playing his own private
game of paddle ball way out be
yond the foul line.
Nixon took him on 'at Miami
Reach during the Christmas holi
days. The senator made no prom
ises. nOPED HE'D BE GOOD
Ever since Congress came back
to Washington in January, how
ever, there have been intimations
among Republican leaders that
Joe was going to be a good boy.
The real attraction in the po
litical big top would be the Presi
dent's program.
Some even predicted McCarthy
would turn from communism to
other issues.
One reason, the senator was
looking out for his own future
and needed more than one string
for his fiddle. A second reason,
if the Eisenhower administration
did dig up more good Communist
cases, like the Harry D'cxter
White affair, they would be given
to Sen. William Jennor's Internal
Security Subcommittee, where
they would get conservative han
dling, After McCarthy had "reformed,"
o it was theorized, tht Republl-
ran lpaHnrshio would BVI
more important tasks on the
ale floor, nauonai otray
foreign policy issues ttt
gested as outlets lor mi
energy.
FIND HIM HARD TO Ti
Of course it didn't wrkW
way. The Wisconsin ,iu
blows on in his om n
Ho has been uni)
the usual political pressiiral
cause he hasn't asKeoin
nther than the nutiK
masterships and one W;
pointment in Wisconsin.
It is the senator's foll
are said to egg him on. i
id ffelin? among some
i: ..J fhat the DTffi
t., iui McCirif '
UldlllB IW 6""' o , ,
lines. This attempt to W
blame onto the newpapw
looks the fact that the pw
not make the nei-
reports it.
n i9itfri are i1
however, that McCarthy
lines detract trora "-
program.
Eisenhower Rcpf
ti i. ksiinr for t
lievo in "-"- :
to have its family toutf
In March than to Novw
this may overioos -
i cn CsnnhllcaO 0
for Congress """ ,,
campaign help from Si
GOP is still a lonl w
satisfactory cure w
one headache.
Reward Tote
UDtO$W
apprehension 01 -killed
a policeman wh
i.,nir last
a aeamu
- . . AAA
grown to 5n,iw- j
Two other poliB"l
. . .1.. rtiin Mut 1
gaged in
wounded ana ' A
Patrolman Fr -
slain as he aPP - t
after an alarm hadt'
Friday. Th. thr
Police and "i
day began a ne
block area on SM
side in an
rnnte Of the If .(
awTy with loot um-
""a group of Seattle
whose Greenwood, J
the one vicUmU 1
offered oj
Council.
kOR
1M
tie
Mi
ile
'OIK
S
tied
Uni
hi
u
kthe:
tk
ilit!
n
tl
tocj
(
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