Capital AJournal
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4 Capital Journal, Salem, Oregon, Saturday, Dec. 31, 1949
A Weather Vane of Policy
Chaos is the word to describe the situation in the Orient.
Chiang Kai-Shek takes last-stand position on Formosa
off the Chinese mainland. Chinese communist attempts
to land on two islands off the mainland have been smashed.
General strike threatens Hong Kong. India recognizes the
Chinese communist regime.
Into this turmoil, the United States sends an aircraft
carrier and two destroyers to bolster Asiatic naval forces.
And at the same time, Washington announces that a new
vigorous policy to block the spread of communism in the
Far East is coming up.
The carrier and destroyers are mere indicators of what
is happening and what is likely to be American policy in
the Far East. For years the people of the Pacific coast
have called for a definite policy on the Orient. A do-nothing
policy during the 'thirties which led to war is still too
fresh in the minds of the people of the Far West. And
it looked as if that onlooker-attitude was to continue
despite the obvious lesson of the recent war in the Pacific
that what happened in Asia affected this country.
This outward indication of a Far Eastern policy has
all the suggestion of filling one of the gaps in a global
policy for tne United States. Several weeks ago one of
the gaps in the Balkans policy was filled by the rather
casual announcement that this country was opposed to
aggression against any nation with that announcement
being offered for the sake of Yugoslavia, threatened by
Moscow.
Following along this same line of reasoning, how can
the United States avoid direct complicatnr.s in Ch:na?
How can the United States offer to help Tito repulse ag
gression and not do the same for Chiang? Aggression
against Tito could be made to look as much like a revo
lution, an "inside" job, as did General Mao's revolt in
China.
The time is far past when President Truman should
make a forma! statement on what this nation's commit
ments are and what he intends they should be for a global
policy. Letting casual remarks at a press conference tend
to reveal points of foreign policy is not fair to the people
themselves.
As for the naval vessels going to the Far East, that is
the most ironic part of the whole affair. The adminis
tration, which has belittled the position of the navy, finds
that it must call on that navy to act as weather-vane of
policy.
Pension Plan Revision
Barnard M. Baruch, 79-year-old elder statesman and
adviser of presidents, who seldom follow his wise coun
sel, in a copyrighted interview with Walker Stone, editor
of the Scripps-Howard newspapers, says that the retire
ment age of 65 should be made later so the nation can
use the skills and knowledge of its older citizens. He also
suggested a revision of social security laws to permit an
accumulation of larger pensions and prevent the aged
from being "short changed" by increased living costs.
Baruch calbd the increase in life expectancy due to the
advance in medical science and hygiene, the nation's "big
opportunity of the next half century," but he said the
growing older population could become a "tragic liability
if abused." Pointing out that the average person can ex
pect to live 65 to 67 years compared to only 44 at the turn
of the century, Baruch said:
"With the advance of longevity we should push back
the retirement age, not hurry it up. We must get away
from employment policies based on cold, arithmetical
averages and take advantage of the skills and judgment
of older people. It would be a hideous mockery if science
made it possible for people to live and work longer and
then society deprived them of something useful to do."
Baruch termed inflation "the worst enemy of the
aged" for it devalues the pensions, insurance and savings
on which older persons plan to retire. Ho points out that
living costs have increased 65 percent since 1939 when
the present social security pension scale was adopted and
each social security check now buys that much less than
before the war, which "short changes" workers who re
tire. Congress should and probably will make a thorough
study of the pension issue for instead of a multitude of
pension plans, as demanded at present, they should be
consolidated into one pension system, presumably under
the federal government. Now we have pensions from in
dustries, and businesses, from states, comities, and cities,
from labor unions, crafts and guilds, from insurance com
panies, from secret societies, etc., each affecting particu
lar groups. And the pensions should be cooperative with
each beneficiary contributing proportionately as well as
government and industry. Worthwhile stabilized pensions
then might result, a result impossible under the "some
thing for nothing" craze.
Higher Social Security Taxes
With the New Year the social security tax on the pay
checks of nearly 40 million workers will jump from 1
percent to '- percent, the first rise in the history of the
federal old age and survivors' insurance in its 13-year
existance.
The increase tax will bo $45 a year on each worker who
gets $3000 or more in annual pay. Some 2,700,000 employ
ers will increase their contributions to match. The 50
percent rise will take about $700 million more each year
from the income of wage earners and employers. For the
present, old age pensions won't be any bigger. They start
at $10 a month minimum. The average is $26. The maxi
mum now is $45.20.
There is a bill pending in the senate, already approved
In the house to increase the pension and insurance bene
fits by an average of 70 percent. It will boost the mini
mum pension to $25. The maximum benefit for an aged
couple would jump from $85 to $126 a month. It would
cover 11 million more workers, including domestic serv
ants, the self employed, employes of local governments
and others not now protected, and apply to tho first $3600
of income instead of the present $3000.
The pending bill would boost the tax to 2 percent each
on employer and employe in 1951; to 2'a percent in 1960,
to 3 percent in 1965, and to 8'i percent in 1970.
FSA reports that 2,673,888 Americans were receiving
social security benefits in October. They were receiving
monthly payments totaling $54,451,000.
The beneficiaries include not only about 1,250.000 re
tired workers and their wives over 65, but widows, chil
dren, and parents receiving; survivors' benefits. ........
BY BECK
Recollections
r-k THERE GOES THE POWER- EgC I JUST HAD MINE Eg
S3VH0US6 WHISTLE, CHILDREN,)! REGULATED. VOU'RE RISHXli
:'iCitmat means the newmine says eleven fifty- B
'tJSYEAR 15 HERE. ISN'Tp NINE TOO. THAT NEW $
W-ky. S'T ECITIN6 tjK$ EN6INEER IS YOUNS AND
'7 I fe?iSBiaSS'1i EXCITABLE. HE'LL STEADY K
ii&tt"H& y.Wf' ACCORDINS llDOWN AFTER A FEW YEARS E
yl K. VAW WATCHftT -M2V?N THE J
nbw year's eve in Lv ifi
THE GOOD OLD DAYS. grrTr.Yr """V , JS,.
WASHINGTON MERRY-GO-ROUND
Lewis Closes Small Mines That
Refuse to Submit to Pressure
By DREW PEARSON
Washington John L. Lewis has announced with considerable
fanfare the new contracts signed by independent coal mines and
his union. But he has not announced in iact, doesn't want known
the tactics used to get these small companies to sign new
contracts.
In at least two cases, .Lewis barrel" funds for flood control
closed down mines completely, and river-and-harbor develop-
not even permitting them a 3- ment, but has been extremely
day week, because they refused tight-fisted in providing money
BY CLARE BARNES, JR.
White Collar Zoo
THE FIRESIDE PULPIT
New Year's Resolution Should
Be Temperance in All Things
BY REV. GEORGE H. SWIFT
Hector, St. Paul'l Episcopal Church
As the last few grains of sand fall from the upper half of the
hour glass on New Year's eve, we might well take at least a
bird's-eye view of our past year's successes and failures in the
realm of personal achievement.
We should do this not to groan over failures or to gloat over
successes. We should do this to
provide ourselves with a mark fanatics who have ignored the
to shoot at or to avoid in 1950. mind and body as though they
We should strive to make of were in themselves evil. Bal
ourselves sobething nobler, fin- ance and temperance in all
er and happier than we were in things are essential to the devel-
his terms. The
mines in ques
t i o n are the
Cove Fork Coal
company and the
famous Elkhorn
Coal company,
both in Pike
county, Kentuc
ky. A sworn af
fidavit by Jack
Picklesimer andsf.l
Fon M. Johnson,
operators of the
mines, states:
"We were called to attend a
meeting at the United Mine
Workers headquarters of the
1 2k I A
Drew Pearson
to purify the water that goes
into our homes from these same
rivers.
The problem is not so great
in the Great Lakes area, where
the lake water requires rela
tively little treatment for con
tamination. However, most of
the U.S.A. depends upon river
water for drinking, and there is
a glaring lack of adequate fac
ilities for cleansing it of hu
man sewage and industrial
waste.
This is true not only of such
big cities as Cincinnati and Phil
adelphia, which are constantly
grappling with water pollution,
truck mine operators on Dec- h, , ;,;,,
ember 2 1949 at six o'clock. We from ,he factories and sewers of
attended, and Sam Caddy, presi
dent of United Mine Workers,
district 30, proposed that we
sign a contract with the mine
workers which was to extend to
September 1, 1951.
"A part of the terms were dis
4 i v
1
big industrial centers.
There are approximately 150,
000,000 people in the United
States. Yet the pollution of our
waterways is equivalent to the
sewage of 200,000,000 peopl
mm
An Elderly Clerk
1949.
One of the main points in a
New Year's resolution should
be to strive for
balance and
temperance 1 n
all things. A s
balance and
-.emperance have
been found to
be very import
ant in matters
of diet, of exer
cise, and of
study,
opment of a normal, sane, and
abundant life!
If we are making New Year's
resolutions, we should make this
resolution as number one:
"I shall strive at all times to
maintain a balance in the devel
opment of my body, mind, and
soul, and to practice temperance
In all things."
This may be hard for many
people who have left religion
out of their planning and think
ing for many years. Neverthe
less, the comfort, the satisfac
tion derived from a well-ordered
they are
just as import-Ber.GeoneH. Swift
ant in the devel
opment of things which make life will pay priceless dividends.
up one's personality. If you desire a Happy New
The perfect physical speci- Year, start with yourself. Your
men without mind or soul can own manner of living. Get your-
become a monster. A mental s0" in balance and you will be
wizard without soul can turn his surprised how less lopsided other
mind to devise was and means People seem to you and, in spite
of destroying peoples and civlli- of the world's turmoil around
zations. vou how comfortable you can
We have examples of queer, fPeI Inside,
eccentric, unbalanced religous Happy New Year!
Has Baby by Telegraph
Fairbanks, Alaska, Dec. 31 VP) Mrs. Fred Fete had a baby
by telegraph this week.
Mrs. Pete, wife of an Alaska railroad section worker at
Berg, was critically ill with measles and a throat infection
when birth of a pre-mature five-month infant neared.
Nurse Dorothy Vinson of the St. Marks mission at Nenana,
bundled up against the 40-degree below zero weather and
traveled 50 miles down the railroad in a flange-wheeled
"gasmobile" Thursday.
Jack Swift, Nenana railroad agent, kept telegraphic com
munications open from Berg to Fairbanks while doctors Owen
Cranmcr and William Smith of Fairbanks passed along in
structions to the nurse.
Today doctors said Mrs. Fete probably would have died
had It not been for Nurse Vinson's work. Mrs. Pete was in
"much improved" condition.
In the excitement, Swift apparently forgot to telegraph
the sex of the new-born child and Its condition.
SIPS FOR SUPPER
Is Love Drooping?
By DON UPJOHN
Hopes for the bumper population talked about for the county
when the census is taken next year may be a little dashed by
report from County Clerk Harlan Judd's office showing that there
were only 883 marriage licenses issued over the counter there
this year as compared with 1129 in 1948 and 1229 in 1946, a drop
or nearly 4uu 11-
tion well over the 52,000 mark
which may bolster up a little
the idea that some of the bloom
is being brushed off the love
factor.
censes from the
Dig year and
nnnrlv 3(ln frnm
last year, or
fact a let down
of about 25 pert
cent. Now the?
question is, is
this decrease in
dicative of a
falling popula
tion or docs it
mean that love
closed to us. Included in the "" ' Pu""" 1
terms about which we were told "useJd industrial waste. This
was a 95-cents per day increase has doubled in postwar years,
in wages, a 15-cents per ton in- T prevent a repetition of the
crease in the welfare fund pay- New York water crisis in other
ments, and a broadending and Parts of 'he country, congress
alteration of the "willing and and the state legislatures are
able clause which we were told 8oing to be required to face the
was to enable the mine workers water-pollution problem instead
to control the production of the of ducking it. This means that
various mines in the country to 10.500 new waterworks plants
prevent an overproduction of may be needed to chemically
coal." treat river waters for sewage
Sam Caddy, Lewis's represen- .and industrial waste, according
tative, said In substance, ac- to the u s- public health service,
cording to the affidavit, "That A total of between $7,000,000,-
we would be able to operate 000 and $10,000,000,000 of joint
five days a week and get our federal and state funds will be
own price for the coal, as the needed to safeguard the nation's
other mines would not produce drinking water,
sufficient coal to meet the de-
mand." DEVALUATION FLOPS
The most amazing part of the Secretary of the treasury Sny-
negotiations, however, was that der has sent the white house a
the mine operators were not report on British devaluation
shown a copy of the proposed which paints anything but a
contract but were expected to rosy picture for the future. It
go to Washington and sign any indicates that Britian will need
contract presented to them there, a $2,000,000,000 loan from the
"We were not to have a copy U. S. A. if she is to keep her
(of the contract) and were to economy above water,
agree to the terms presented to Snyder, who originally sold
us without changes," the affidi- the British on devaluation, had
vit states. "However, it was held in mind that the cheaper pound
out to us that we would be would give them a chance to in
granted the privilege of a 5-day VBae the American market. But
operation and special conces- it has not worked out that way.
sions in the operation of our one difficulty is that British
mines if we signed a blank check businessmen have found the
contract." American market too tough, too
Two small operators refused competitive, and too costly. As a
to be bulldozed and, as a result, result, they are concentrating
their mines were closed down their export efforts in the sterl-
completely. They were not even ing area The British dominions,
permitted to work a 3 day week the Middle East and Africa
as were other coal mines where they are already estab-
throughout the country. Iished. However, this gives them
no new dollars, and the source
NATION'S POLLUTED WATER of d o 1 1 a r s which the British
New York's matei shortage had so desperately hoped for
may be a blessing in disguise by from devaluation is rapidly
focusing attention on a long- drying up.
standing menace to the drinking The British government is
water of other parts of the working hard on the problem of
nation. cacking the American market
Every year congress votes but British businessmen are not.
hundreds of millions of "pork icooyrnht ibsoi
Brawl That's All
Boston (U.R) Padlocked by authorities because of a brawl,
a tavern posted this sign: "Closed for altercations."
POOR MAN'S PHILOSOPHER
Rudolph Valentino Landmark
Of Romance in 20th Century
By HAL BOYLE
New York VP) The greatest lover of the 20th century was
Rudolph Valentino.
He stands out in the first 50 years of our time in the politics
of amour as Franklin D. Roosevelt did in the politics of people.
Valentino's dark uncertain charm wasn't based on the choice of
women alone but on the vote . " . ,
of men themselves. Boyer ninth and ole sing Bing
He brought something alive Crosby tenth?
.... r u, .i f v Of course, a poll on great lov-
n, Hlrfn'r nnrleratand. Even to- s such as this taken among
riav. vears afteru-.u...,.-u Pe0Ple . we Just
MacKENZIE'S COLUMN
King Farouk in Difficult Spot
To Live Up to Meaning of Name
By DeWITT MacKENZIE
OPi Forelm Affalra Analyat)
-means "one who
The name of Egypt's young king Farouk-
carefully distinguishes between right and wrong."
And what's in a name? Well, if Farouk lives up to his it could
put him on a difficult spot in dealing with his reported intention
of marrying the lovely 16-year-old fiancee of one of his subjects.
What is right and what is
wrong when a fellow falls in Many of the world's moslems
love with another chap's girl? now look to Cairo as the seat of
In this case the lady is petite Islam,
and lovely Narriman Sadek, Farouk's calibre was demon
daughter of an Egyptian civil stated just after he assumed the
servant. Her fiance is Zaki throne as a boy ruler. A hostile
Hachian, a young Egyptian Har- ministry, which had long been
vard graduate who is attached i power, wanted to make him a
to the Middle East section of figure head. His powerful prime
tht United Nations department minister, Nahas Pasha, figured
of economic affairs. the people wouldn't support the
youngster. But Farouk suddenly
Farouk is reported to have took the initiative, dismissed
had his attention drawn to the Nahas and called on the political
beauty of Nar-i
riman and tos
have fallen in'l
love with her at'
first sight. Then,
says the report,'
the king stopped
the wedding.
which was set ' 1
for December 8,
and the unhap
py finance wasg
ordered back to"
his job at Lake 0,w,u "'
Success.
Jii$ lSrV.!l,vn
opposition to form a new cabinet.
And Farouk got away with It.
The people liked him for as
serting himself. Since then he
has been king in fact as well as
in name. He is a fearless individ
ual and goes about as he wishes,
although he does carry a pistol.
He is, by the way, a crack shot.
Farouk and his beautiful
Queen Farida were divorced in
November, 1948, because she
had presented him with three
daughters and no son, wheareas
There's an old saying that one of his main concerns is to
"the king can do no wrong. privide himself with an heir to
One takes the respectful liberty the throne. Under Moslem law
of doubting the truth of that, the king was entitled to put
but it must be conceded that a asj,je his wife for this reason,
king, especially one as strong as Th that aftef h,s third
Farouk is, frequently can im- daughter was born he went to
pose his will without much op- hjs kneU b her sid and
position Anyway the denoue- sajd. ,It doesn,t m dear
merit of this story-book romance However, it did matter, as the
will be interesting. subsequent divorce showed.
" Obviously there must be a
The 29-year-old, six foot Far- new queen for Egypt. Will the
ouk is a determined individual, lovely Narriman be the one? If
and he has great influence. He Farouk, as reported, indeed has
is king of a sovereign, indepen- set his mind on marrying her,
dent Egypt which, when he came will she give up the man she
to the throne, was just emerg- loves? Which is stronger love
ing from a period of some 2,500 or the glamour of a golden
years of domination, on and off, throne?
by other nations. Since then When all Is said and done, it
Egypt has grown in stature and really is sweet sixteen who is
today is a powerful figure among on the spot. What a decision for
the mohammedan countries, a little lass to have to make)
Our Ailing Calendar
(Bulletin of World Calendar
Association)
Our present calendar is com
pletely out ol date. It was in
augurated by Julius Caesar as
lnnff nffn ni 45 R f nnri nHlnct-
has been flying out the window ed hy Pope Gregory XIII in 1582
around here and the young folks ln order to rcctlfy ,he errors in
and some not quite so young ,he Julian arrangement that had
",wr.1 ''"djng romance blowing become increasingly apparent
a little cold? From all the hulla- Thcse so-called Julian and Greg-ballc-
about the world of kings, orian caiendars were admirably
movie stars, et cetera rushing ,uited to their day and age, but
off to the altars I. would seem do not provide adequately for our
romance hasn t been drying up modern needs. They.re , 0id.
much among the big wigs and fa5hi0ned and antedated in this
there s no reason to expect it advanced era as driving down
hero. Of course, the fact that Broadway In a surrey with a
jobs arc getting scarcer while fringe on top
living costs are still soaring !
around skyward may have a Foregoing complaint about the
little effect in delaying the ap- calendars now in use refers spe
plication for marriage licenses, citically to the figures printed
Anyway, the census taken this on the calendar part, not to some
year should answer the question of the figures which appear
but by the time the census bu- above the calendar portion and
rcau gets around to letting us as part of the advertising. Some
know the answer maybe Cupid of those should certainly "pro
will be steaming along again at vide adequately for our modern
the 1946 pace. needs." and have no relation
whatever to a surrey with a
It seems the directory publish- fringe on top. In fact some of
ers just out with their new city them hardly have a fringe on
directory puts th city's popula- anywhere.
happened to
crowd into the subway has its
limitations. It leaves out all
sorts of people, including vice
presidents.
What about Aly Khan? What
about King Farouk of Egypt?
Hasn't love in the first half
of the 20th century become an
international problem?
It probably has, but so has
finance. Privately the average
man is sure that he himself is
one of the great lovers of his
era. And his wife is hardly In
his death, the
b 1 a c k - h aired
Valentino is the
wolf that most
American men
would most hato
to have to com
pete with if he
nrero ct ill filivf
him in "The
Sheik?" To
t h o u s a nds of
nnt-a than
7 : j . .i, iv, jr( a position to say he is wrong
Srhm'2.kV,hSf because what ha, a good girl
in their heart. But Rudolph Valentino is still
And after Valentino who was the iandmark of romance in our
the most devastating male be- century, for n the fact that if
tween 1900 and 1950? he were alive today he and Ezio
Well, a casual male poll says pinza would look like two soph
he is Francis X. Bushman. Who's omores.
zat? Look up the old silent mov- And why this is true is hard
ies. He was a matinee idol for hard-headed and bald-head-whose
memory has outlived the ing men to figure out. But there
noise of a popcorn-chewing gen- he is, after all these years, the
eiation that revered him. glamorous apostle of cupid even
We'll have to mix up our in his grave Rudolph Valen
chononology a bit to place John tino.
Barrymore third and John Gil- You Jay his name now and
bert fourth. Remember Gilbert most men laugh. And some wo
ln "The Big Parade?" men weep. He stood for ome-
And who but Clark Gable thing they yearn for romance
would be fifth. Tommy Man- unattainable. And in death they
ville sixth, Gary Cooper seventh, miss him for something they
Ronald Colman eighth, Charles want and haven't found.
on
lit JO I) I
euu vi ear ieiiA
From Tennyson's "In Memoriam"
Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go ;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
Ring out the grief that saps the mind,
For those that here we see no more:
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.
Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife:
Ring in the nobler forms of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.
Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times :
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes j
But ring the fuller minstrel' in.
Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite:
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.
Ring out old shapes of foul disease,"
Ring out the harrowing lust for gold:
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.
Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand:
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.