Capital A Journal
An Independent Newspaper Established 18S8
GEORGE PUTNAM, Editor and Publisher
ROBERT LETTS JONES, Assistant Publisher
Published every afternoon except Sunday at 444 Che
meketa St, Salem. Phones: Business, 8037 and 3571;
Want Ads. 3571; News Room, 3572; Society Editor, 3573.
Full Leased Wire Service of the Associated Press and
Tht United Press. The Associated Press is exclusively
entitled to the use for publication of all news dispatches
credited to it or otherwise credited in this paper and also
news published therein.
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1 Salem, Oregon, Saturday, February 21, 1948
School Issues Join
After weeks of feinting and sparing in an attempt to rec
oncile their differences over the need for wisdom of float
ing a $3,500,000 bond issue with which to improve the phys
ical facilities of consolidated Marion county school district
No. 24, proponents and opponents have at last joined issues
along the lines on which their battle will be fought out at the
polls next Tuesday, February 24.
Superintendent Frank B. Bennett, who has led a battery of
speakers who have been appearing before service clubs and
civic organizations as well as community groups of parents
which have met in various parts of the district to listen to
the school board's case, accepted the challenge of critics of
the financing plan at one of these community gatherings in
the Highland school Thursday evening..
Proponents of the project had been accused by the opposi
tion of failing to provide the voters (property owners) with
all the facts necessary to competently judge the financial
feasibility and timeliness of the proposal.
Bennett replied with the assertion that not only had the
newspapers been furnished full statistical data and other
arguments favorable to the bond issue, but that this material
has been distributed to persons attending the neighbodhood
meetings and to those present at Chamber of Commerce and
other luncheon meetings of businessmen.
Superintendent Bennett laid particular stress upon the thorough
ness with which the board's case establishing the need tor added
physical facilities had been documented in the mimeographed
bulletins distributed at these gatherings.
The Capital Journal has and we know of no other outsooken
opponents of the bond plan who does not subscribe to the same
thought conceded from the first that the data supplied by the
board relating to the growth of the district from a standpoint of
population and the disproportionate tendency with which school
age children are increasing in number, is notably thorough and
complete so much so that this newspaper has accepted these
estimates of need without question.
- But the Capital Journal still contends that the board has been
remiss in supplying data on the financial aspects of the proposal.
Had the school board been as alert in presenting the financial
picture, as has been Superintendent Bennett in presenting the
problem of the district's needs, the present bond issue would never
have been submitted to the voters for their approval at this time.
We challenge Superintendent Bennett to show us one state
ment in the mimeographed material issued as information
on the proposal that even attempts to back up or justify such
an added obligation being asumed by the district at this time.
Neither do these informational bulletins point out that
sale of the bonds of a serial variety maturing in 10 years
and bearing 2.5 percent interest will increase the taxes on
Salem property by 15 mills, or 23 percent, bringing the total
levy for 'schools alone up to approximately 46 mills next year;
that with contemplated increases in city and county taxes for
other purposes such as sewer and war memorial bonds by
the city and road and courthouse bonds by the county, will
boost the possible property levy in Salem and surrounding
parts of Marion county up to 95 mills or better within the
next two or three years.
That the board has no assurance that the proceeds from
the bond sale will be adequate to finance the program as
outlined, or even a fourth or a half of it ; that for the first
two or three years after the bonds were sold the district
would be without a margin of credit even in a case of emerg
ency, because the bond issue would completely wipe out the
legal limit to which the district may obligate itself.
Nor even is there a hint given that the assessed values
placed on the estimated cost of the various units to be added
to the system are nothing more than the "best guesses" of
the architects, nor that it is very doubtful whether the board
could spend more than a million and a half for new buildings
within the next two years if they had it to spend.
A Distinguished Visitor
Harold Edward Stassen, republican candidate for presiden
tial nomination has made a very favorable impression in his
brief campaign in Oregon. He is the only republican presi
dential aspirant to campaign in this state, the only one to
personally file his candidacy for the primaries.
Stassen is of imposing physique, has a friendly manner,
has considerable magnetism, is an indefatigable hand
shaker and in his brief talks has none of the politician's
fear of "sticking his neck out." He is a good speaker. Hp
calls for and answers off-hand all queries. He is well in
formed on all current issues, and has a truly liberal viewpoint.
He is not allied with any group or faction and is opposed by
party leaders. So was Wendell Willkie.
Moreover Stassen's record is one of constructive accomp
lishment. He was the youngest governor ever elected by
any state when at the age of 31 he was chosen governor of
Minnesota and twice re-elected. He resigned during his last
. term to serve in the navy in the Pacific and made good in the
war against Japan.
The fearlessness of the man is shown when he announced
his single-handed campaign for the presidency when all the
other aspirants were, and some still are, pussyfooting. For
one not in public office he has surprised every one by keeping
himself in the limelight.
Whether Stassen will be the nominee remains to be seen
for politicians and party stooges and not the public will decide.
But if a young man and a war veteran, from the grass-roots
and a real libcrnl is wanted, he may be the choice. He is 18
years younger than Taft, 23 years younger than Vandenberg
and five years younger than Dewey and has more vitality
than any of them. Who's Who gives the following data on
Stassen:
Born in West St. Paul, April 13, 1007. Student at Minnesota
university college and law school. Admitted to bar 1929; county
attorney Dakota county, 1930-38; elected governor of Minnesota,
1938, for term 1939-40; twice re-elected for 1941-43, and 1943-45;
Resigned to enter U. S. navy, 1943. Served on staff of Adm. W.
F. Halsey in South Pacific, 1943-44. Appointed assistant chief of
staff In 1044. Cited for outstanding performance of duty in second
battle of Philippines October 24-27. 1944. Appointed one of
V. S. delegates to San Francisco conference of United Nations.
Temporary chairman and keynoter of Republican National con
vention, 1940. National chairman of governor's conference,
1940-41. Selected as outstanding young man by National Junior
Chamber of Commerce, 1938. Elected for International district
citation by the International Society of Christian Endeavor and
World's C. E. Union, 1941. Awarded Legion of Merit (West Pa
cific campaign), February, 1943.
Warmed Up His Engine, All Right
teidvllle, Cola. (Pi Unable to start his 12-year-old sedan,
Lucas Lucero built a fire under the engine.
Before he eoutd control -U, the blase destroyed both auto
mobile and traie. Firemen saved two adjacent houses.
BY BECK
Recollections
THE FIRESIDE PULPIT
K"T I UNDERSTAND VOU FOLKS ARE 5
W CONSIDERING BUYING A NEW CAB 7 NO. THANK VOU
1 I'D LIKE Tp TAKE YOU OUT fOB A M I'M VERY BUSY AND
pV DEMONSTRATION IN OUR LATEST V YOUD BE WASTING
yl MODEL. JUST A SPIN OF AN HOUR J jf MOUR TIME.. MY
V OR TWO 50 .YOU CAN SEE MOVJTl HUSBAND DECIDES 1
Washington's Prayer Cited
To Attention of Americans
BY REV. GEORGE H. SWIFT
Rector, 8t. Pftul'i Episcopal Churcb
The Gettysburg address of Abraham Lincoln is well known to
the American people. It is a great document. George Washing
ton, on the occasion of the disbanding of the Continental army
wrote a prayer
which should wt
never have
been forgotten
by the people
of America.. It
too is a great
document. It is
fitting that atfc
least a portion
of that prayer
should be
brought to our
attention aur- r. g. n. swill
ing the season of our first presi
dent's anniversary.
Washington wrote, "I now
make my earnest prayer that
God will keep the United States
under His holy protection . . .
And finally that He will most
graciously be pleased to dis
pose us all to do justice, to love
mercy, and to demean ourselves
with that charity, humility, and
pacific temper of mind, which
were' the characteristics of the
Divine Author of our blessed
religion, and without a humble
imitation of whose example in
these things we can never hope
to be a happy nation."
The great leaders of our
country have always emphasiz
ed the place of religion in the
development and progress of our
people. The framers of the Con
stitution of the United States
were determined that religion
should be unhampered in Am
erica, and took special care that
a clause guaranteeing such free
dom was incorporated in that
document. More recently, the
warld leaders have recognized
the place of religion among all
peoples everywhere when among
the Four Freedoms put forth
in the Atlantic Charter they in
cluded freedom of religion.
Freedom of religion was not
put Into the Constitution of the
United States nor into the At
lantic Charter to assure people
that they may be free from re
ligion, but it was put in to
MacKENZIE'S COLUMN
3 LV
Commies Tread Lightly
In France and Italy
BY DeWITT MocKENZII
IAP Foreign Affelrs Analret)
Moscow seems to have soft-pedaled temporarily the violent red
tactics aimed at establishment of communist governments in Italy
and France.
The general
strategy of
course remains
the same. This
is to sovietize
these two strat
egically Impor
tant count rl e s
whose control
would b r 1 n g
Russia immeas
urably nearer
her goal of
dom I n a t i n g
DeRIII Hiektntlo
western as well as eastern Eur
ope. For some weeks things have
been relatively quiet In France
after a long period of violence
and disorganization due to bol-
shevist strong-arm methods.
Now we have the unusual de
velopment of a peace truce in
Italy among the warring politi
cal parties, pending the elec
tion for the republic's first par
liament on April 18. This pact
provides for a campaign "with
out hate" and for abstention
from the use of force, which
caused more than a score of
deaths and much property de
struction during the latter part
of 1947.
The most unusual and con
sequently significant aspect of
the situation is that the truce
(for what it Is worth) was pro
posed by Umerto Terracinl,
communist president of the re
cently adjourned constituent
assembly. The fact that It is
a communist move emphasizes
the likelihood that it represents
a Moscow order to tread light
ly for the moment.
The meaning of this, In my
view, is that the communists
r going to pursue the course
Pi
make the worship of God ac
cording to the dictates of one's
conscience easy and without any
interference from any organiza
tion or person. '
There was once a time when
people assembled to worship
God in peril of their lives. Hun
dreds of thousands have died a
martyr's death to achieve this
blessing for those who came af
ter them. These God-fearing
and self-sacrificing people, as
far as we are concerned, have
died in vain, when we neglect
to exercise the privilige of wor
shiping God.
SIPS FOR SUPPER
Watch Your Step, Joe
BY DON UPJOHN
Joe Louis, he of the powerful punch with a long string of vic
tories behind him, says when he's through with the prize ring
or it is through with him he intends to enter politics. Joe has
had plenty of
rough and tum
ble times from
h i s babyhood
up, in the ring
and out, but
we're prone to
feel that with
all the rough
and tumble
stuff he ain't
seen nothing
yet. In the po
litical ring the
Don TJpJeha
boys never heard of a Marquiss
of Queensberry, there's no such
thing as winning a round if you
get hit below the belt and if
sportsmanship is at a low ebb
in the prize ring, it was forgot
ten long ago in politics. We're a
little fearful that after Joe takes
on a few political battles he'll
be a bewildered old man, shak
ing his head and wondering
what hit him. He's been up
against some tough babies in his
life but nothing like the chal
lengers he'll meet in the political
of least resistance pending po
litical developments in Italy
and France, They are gam
bling that a swing of fortune
in elections may give them the
control they want without their
having to employ force. That
would endow them with a bene
ficence which would be calcu
lated to win friends in other
western European countries.
There's another point to
which I called attention in yes
terday's column. Bolshevist
tactics which were possible In
countries of eastern Europe,
under Russian military occupa
tion, can't be used in western
Europe where the reds have no
armed forces. ,
So the communists must
move more circumspectly In
their campaigns in Italy and
France, and It wouldn't be
.surprising If there is a peri
od of comparative calm In
those countries for a bit.
This doesn't mean that the
disruptive tactics of the reds
will cease, but rather that
they will work quietly and
by indirection as they are
doing in the United States
and in many other countries
of the western hemisphere.
However, strikes and politi
cal strife and politico-economic
sabotage will continue as a pre
lude to the ultimate all-out ef
fort to establish soviet regimes.
Of this we may be sure: The
communists will go all-out to
prevent the Marshall plan from
working. If they can't do this
through control of the French
and Italian governments, then
most assuredly strong-arm me
thods will be employed.
WASHINGTON MERRY
Backstage Pressure Seeks
To Call Off Thomas Probe
BY DREW PEARSON
Washington Behind the move to shift the grain speculation
probe from the Senate Appropriations Committee to the Senate
Expenditures Committee is a strong backstage attempt to hush
up the facts regarding the amazing grain and cotton deals of Sena
tor Elmer Thomas of Oklahoma.
The drive to
let Senator
Thomas off the
hook is spear
headed by Sen
ator Millard
T y d 1 n g s of
Maryland, with
the support of
most other
Democ rats in
the Appropria
tions Commit'
tee.
Drew Fuihi
They don't like to see a fel
low Democrat in trouble, and
Thomas himself happens to be
a member of this committee.
During a recent closed-door
Appropriations Committee
meeting, Tydings bluntly de
manded of Senator Ferguson of
Michigan, Republican, that the
Thomas probe be called off.
He's written you a letter
telling of his market transac
tions," declared Tydings. "What
more do you want? There's no
use continuing this persecu
tion."
"Nevertheless," replied Fer
guson, who is chairman of the
Sub-Appropriations Committee
probing grain speculations, "I'm
going to continue the investiga
tion of Senator Thomas and all
others until I get the facts."
However, Tydings and col
leagues have managed to block
an expenditure of $20,000 which
Ferguson needs to pay investi
gators before he can proceed
further.
Appropriations Comml 1 1 e e
Democrats are expected to vote
against this $20,000 unless their
colleague, Thomas, Is exempt
from further inquiry. Also it
looks as if enough Republicans
would join them to save the
:
game. Those boys still carry
brass knuckles.
Mr. Stassen came, he also saw,
but he's going to have to wait
until next November to find out
whether he's going to conquer.
We were somewhat surprised
today to see that the current is
sue of "Your Town," local pic
torial, sorta turned its columns
over to some of our choicest
avengers, and even carried a
picture on its front page of a
guy sitting in a barber chair, his
face screwed up like. profes
sional football player carrying
the ball over for the last three
inches to a touchdown and in
dulging, in all things so it is ex
plained, of expressing his opin
ion of us and our column. If
we'd ever thought in our balm
iest days we could be writin'
enough to cause any guy to go
into such apparently internal
torments, doggone it would have
made the way seem easy and the
burden light. All the time we've
been doing this sort of thing
we'd hoped we could stir some
body up to such a hatin' misery
for us and at last we turn into,
the little local kid who has made
good.
Incidentally, the pictorial
went further and let Col. Bill
Crawford turn his column over
to letters from our enemies and
they did us a right smart raking
over what with such guys as
Ethan Grant and Evert Gibbens
taking a poke at us with their
typewriters.
Yea, it's bAn quite a day for
us getting stuck with hatpins by
our friendly enemies.
Puddle Beats Engines
Tacoma UP) Five fire-engines
and two battalion chiefs answer
ed a fire call to a downtown
garage yesterday, , but Moiher
Nature was credited with the
put-out.
The fire was extinguished by
jerking out the burning back
seat of an automobile and drop
ping it into a puddle of water in
the alley.
OPEN FORUM
Must Not Happen Here
(Editor's Note: Contributions to this column must
be confined to 300 words and signed by writer)
To the Editor: The taxpaying public must keep in mind that if
the school bond issue carries, they will pay approximately $15
per thousand of the assessed valuation above what they are now
paying on their property, which
will bring the total tax up to
approximately $90 per thousand.
This is certainly getting up to
the breaking point. Only a few
years ago some of our cities and
school districts, which had as
sessed valuation that high, could
not pay the interest on their
bonds. We do not want this to
happen in Salem.
The excessive costs should be
taken into consideration in
building at this time. No pri
vate individual would make ex
penditures under existing con
- GO - ROUND
gentleman from Oklahoma.
In fact, when the question' of
publicizing grain speculators
arose last December, Senator
Chan Gurney of South Dakota
ar.d Senator Leverett Saltonstall
of Massachusetts joined the De
mocrats in voting no.
That is why hard-hitting Sen
ator Styles Bridges of New
Hampshire, Chairman of the
Appropriations Committee and
who favors a full and fearless
investigation, has worked out a
plan with Ferguson to trans
fer the speculation probe over
to the Senate Expenditures
Committee. Ferguson is also a
member of this committee, and
would have the support not
only of its courageous chair
man, Aiken of Vermont, but of
a more liberal committee mem
bership, including Thye
(Minn.), Ives (N.Y.), and Tay
lor (Idaho).
NOTE Aside from Bridges
and Ferguson, the Senate Ap
propriation Committee includes
some of the most reactionary
members in the Senate McKel
lar (Tenn.), Brooks (111.),
Wherry (Neb.), Dworshak
(Idaho), McCarran (Nev.), Ov
erton (La.), and Thomas him
self. LOYAL U.S. SERVANTS
People who have been worried
about the Red Scare and the
specter of spies working inside
the U.S. Government should be
reassured from J. Edgar Hoov
er's investigation of so-called
"disloyalty."
Actually, Hoover hasn't found
very much of it.
Hoover's efficient G-Men
. have now been able to investi
gate 418,104 U.S. employes.
Of this number, only 399
were found to have records
which warranted even the re
motest suspicion.
Of these 399, in only 8 cases
did any disloyal data develop.
Twenty-five Government em
ployes resigned during the in
vestigation, and some of the oth
er remaining cases have not yet
been finished. However, it looks'
as if so-called disloyalty is go
ing to run far less than 110 of
1 percent.
ARMY VIOLATES LAW
Congressman Forrest Harness,
Indiana Republican, is preparing
(Conclude don Page 12. Column 3)
STORIES IN LIFE
Gob Claims He's Been Two Years
. AWOL Under Assumed Name
San Francisco u.R) The navy put James Leroy Telfer in dry
dock today, while it investigated his story of being AWOL two
years without leaving the Treasure Island Naval base.
Telfer, 23, of Wichita, Kan.,
was listed as AWOL since Feb.
12, 1946, but he never really
"went over the hill." He just
changed his name and joined
the baseball and fowling teams.
Telfer said he went AWOL
because of dissatisfaction over
a forthcoming assignment on
the aircraft carrier Lexington.
Strip Tease Teaser
Los Angeles (PI The strip
tease gals at a local burlesque
theater were doing some very,
very strange steps, and the stage
director was calling them to
task.
"You aren't in step with the
music," he complained.
"We know it," they answered,
"but something is hitting us, and
it hurts."
Police were called and found
William C. Kiele, 23, sitting in
the eighth row with a rubber
slingshot. They said he was
peppering the dancers with half
inch steel staples.
Kiele was jailed on charges of
suspicion of attack with a dead
ly weapon. The dancers went
on dancing.
Toothy Baby
Memphis, Tenn.- (IP) They
didn't let Billy Hughes, Jr.,
keep his first tooth very long.
Billy was born at 2:54 o'clock
yesterday afternoon. An hour
later doctors extracted the
tooth when they found it was
loose. .
ditions. The bond issue should
be put up for a smaller amount
and this could carry over the
present pressing need of the dis
trict for additional school facili
ties. Homer H. Smith.
Dance Saturday
CRYSTAL GARDENS
1 Floors t Bands 1 Price
Old Time and Modern
Get That Critter
POOR' MAN'S PHILOSOPHER
'Am I My Brother's Keeper?'
Question Could Be Put to Jim
BY HAL BOYLE
New York (fP) Today we have a little short story revolving
around Cain's sullen and timeless query:
'Am I my brother's keeper?"
The story came in a letter"
from a correspondent and he
says it is true. He said he be
lieves it should be titled "Grat
itude." The names of the char
acters have been changed, he
says, but otherwise the facts
are on the line:
Jim was something of a town
character in the community
where he lived
just after the
first world war.
He was palsy
walsy with a
fellow c a LI e d
Red.
They : w e r e
the kind who
spent their days
in the pool
rooms and had
a great grudge
against ine De- HaiBorie
cause they thought they had
been born behind the 8-ball.
Both were small-time offenders
the breed who clutter up po
lice blotters and keep precinct
captains busy getting them out
of their troubles.
Finally they decided to
pool their talents.
Together they planned a
theft in a nearby city. It
wasn't a big job, but it was
too big for them. They bun
gled it, and a citizen who Mir
prised them was shot to death.
When they came to trial,
blinking at their new notoriety,
He changed his name to James
Leroy Johnson, but kept his
rank of Watertender 3-C.
He said he had no trouble at
all living on the island. He
played baseball and bowled
and also managed a Waves'
softball team.
Nobody recognized him be
cause the island was full of
sailors coming and going. The
only places he didn't dare go
were to his regular mess hall
and his old barracks.
He earned money enough for
chits at the ship's store by um
piring baeball games. He slept
in abandoned barracks.
The only time he got "lib
erty" was whem he went on the
road with the baseball and
bowling teams. Otherwise he
couldn't leave the island be
cause he had no pass for James
Leroy Johnson.
His only mistake was con
finding his secret recently to
friends. He told them the
navy was wonderful if you
didn't have to bother with the
rules.
It wasn't long before security
officers heard that James Le
,roy Johnson was the long
sought James Leroy Telfer and
he was put into the brig.
The Navy charged him with
desertion.
WE
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MADE TO ORDER
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Beavercraft Co.
575 No. Lancaster Drive
Salem. Oregon
Phone 1414
Off the Track!
I
Red thought it all over and de
cided his own skin meant more
to him than the traditional
honor among thieves.
Red's reward for squealing
was a short term in the pen.
Jim's relatives chipped in and
hired a good lawyer. But feel
in., it, a VilaV, In IVib ninimiinllv
over the cold-blooded nature of
the murder. The attorney was
lucky to save Jim from the
chair and get him a life sen
tence. '
. Long after Red was free, Jim
was still in the place where
they make little ones out of big
ones. His family stuck by htm,
particularly his brother Frank,
and helped him in every way
they could. .
After a dozen years or
more, Frank began a cam
paign to get his brother a
pardon.
The bitterness still hadn't
died down. The district attor
ney who had sent Jim up fought
the pardon, and it was refused.
Year after year Frank kept
on fighting to win his brother's
freedom. Year after year the
pardon board turned his request
down.
But Frank's selfless effort fi
nally began to win sympathy.
A lawyer who had been a mem
ber of the parole beard when it
first considered the case con
sented to join In the appeal. HeL
volliritpr.rprl tn hnnrilp the lpcral '
aspects without charge.
He and Frank went before
the board together and won the
parole. After nearly twenty
years behind bars, Jim was free.
That was a number of years '
ago. Jim had learned some
thing in prison. When he came
out, he went to work, and today
he is prosperous.
Frank, who stuck faithfully
by him, is now a hopeless crip
ple. And Jim?
"Jim hasn't visited his
brother In two years," said
the man who wrote me this
tale.
"I forgot to tell that the vic
tim of the killing was shot
through the back."
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,