Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, November 13, 1953, Page 4, Image 4

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Capital AJournal
. . An Independent Newspoper Established 1 888
BERNARD MAINWARING, Editor and Publisher
GEORGE PUTNAM, Editor Emeritm
Published every afternoon except Sunday at 444 Che
meketa St., Solem. Phones: Business, Newsroom, Wont
Ads. 2-2406; Society Editor, 2-2409
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SUBPOENAS FOR PRESIDENTS
. Ex-President Harry S. Truman has rejected a subpoena
from the house Un-American activities committee in its
efforts to force him to testify on the Harry Dexter White
"Soviet spy case" and the effort has collapsed, as it
should, for it was protested even by President Eisen
hower. Truman told the committee by letter that for him to
obey the subpoena would shatter the constitutional doc
rine of presidential independence of congress and make
the chief executive "a mere arm of the legislative branch
of the government."
Chairman Harold H. Velde, R., 111.), said the commit
tee has no intention of trying to compel the ex-president
to appear, though he said the ex-president has "a sacred
duty to co-operate in all respects where the public safety
and public welfare are concerned."
This is the first effort of a congressional committee
to subpoena an ex-president for testimony, but 146 years
ago Thomas Jefferson, founder of the democratic party,
was twice subpoenaed while president, but by Chief
Justice John Marshall, who was hostile to Jefferson's
administration. Not only the president but Jefferson's
entire cabinet received court subpoenas, during the two
treason trials of Aaron Burr in 1807.
Jefferson turned down two subpoenas on the grounds
a president has more important duties. He said he was
"unwilling by any notice of the subpoena to set a prece
dent which might sanction a proceeding so preposterous."
The cabinet members were summoned to testify 'at a
New York trial involving two American citizens who took
part in a military expedition against a Spanish colony.
They rejected their subpoenas saying the president
had told them their services were so necessary they could
not be spared to appear at the trial.
Jefferson had been subpoaned by Marshall at the
Richmond, Va., trial of Burr. In his letter of rejection,
Jefferson said in part:
"As to our personal attendance at Richmond, I am persuad
ed the court is sensible that paramount duties to the nation
at large control the obligations of compliance with the sum
mons In this case, as it wouli should we recive a similar one
to attend the trials of Blennerhassett and others in the Terri
tory of Mississippi, those initiated at St. Louis and other
places on the Western waters, or any place other than the
aeat of government." The executive was the one branch
of government whose functioning was continuous. "It could
not then Intend that it should be withdrawn from its station
by ai.y coordinate authority." He concluded In a rebuke to
Marshall: '
"The respect mutually due between the constituted authori
ties in their official intercourse, as well as since dispositions
to do for everyone what is just, will always issue from the
Executive In exercising the duty of discrimination confided to
him, the same candor and Integrity to which the nation has in
like manner trusted in the disposal of its Judicial authorities."
G. P.
COMMUNIST INFILTRATION
Out here in the west where we hear a lot about com
munists but virtually never see one, it is hard to im
agine 11 of the first 12 tabor union leaders quizzed
by a senate subcommittee at Pittsburgh this week re
fusing to answer the question as to whether they were
or had ever been members of the communist party.
Ten of the officials were in one union, the United
Electrical Workers, which as we now recall was kicked
out of the C.I.O. for this very reason. They took refuge
behind the fifth amendment, basing their refusal to an
swer on the ground that they might incriminate them
selves. Here is as Senator Butler said, a shocking situation,
even if it is confined to one union, and this remains to
be seen. The Reds persistently infiltrate where they
think they can do the most damage, in labor unions, law
enforcement agencies, federal policy making offices, etc.
When one gets in he helps others get in. Then they work
together to promote each other. The ordinary American
has no such organization working for him. So the Reds
advance to key positions. Probably we'll never know
the full extent of their activity, though if there is a war
with Russia we'll learn more than if there isn't. And
in a most painful way.
The senate committee's explorations should be help
ful. Particularly in lotting
know who their Red officials are. Usually they take care
of them once their identity is established.
EUROPEAN COMMENT ON THE SUBPOENA
One can agree with President Eisenhower that the
issuance of a subponea on former President Truman was
a poor move by the congressional committee and yet be
amazed at the intemperate comments of the European
press on the incident, particularly the British.
The Associated Press reports from London that
"papers of all political shades declared that the summons
for Truman to appear before the House Committee oil Un
American Activities will blacken the name of America in
the court of world opinion."
What is the matter with these British writers? Don't
they ' derstand how a free system of government, much
of which originated in their own country, works? Who
i Harry Truman? A citizen of the United States. Just
like the rest of us in the eyes of our laws. As subject to
arrest, to appearance in court or before a congressional
committee as any of the rest of us if tie knows or is sup
posed to know anything these agencies wish to learn.
We have no "sacred cows" who are above the law. It
wasn't particularly smart politically fur the Republican
committee chairman to summon Truman. It smacked of
discourtesy. But to say it 'blackened the name of the
country" is ridiculous nonsense. It could come only from
those who are straining to find things to condemn in this
country,
OLD MOSSY'S DAY IN COURT
Old Mossadegh, the ex-bad man of Iran, is providing
the world with a bit of much needed comedy, though his
trial for treason may prove to have anything but a hu
morous aftermath.
He shouts, pounds the table, weeps, threatens (or
promises) to commit suicide if his captors will let him,
and declares with his usual emphasis that the court is
illegal, that it can't try him for anything. Even if they
ctot off his head he won't still recognize 'em.
This reminds us of that hoary old story about the
fellow who couldn't be put in jail, but was in there any
way. If they decide to find Mossy guilty and then shoot
him it will matter little whether he recognizes the au
thority of the court.
"Ht that liveth by the sword . . ."
the members of the unions
ANY NUMBER OVER
I UHLUCfCy
ON YOUR IPXOMttTFI? -7
IT I UNLUCKY TO TOUCH
A STEERING WHEEL
AFTER YOU'VE TOOCHEDJ
A BOTTLE 1
WASHINGTON MERRY
TisoNLucKy-2S
wSfSfQT to cross a m?2K.
C STREET- ($m l5Awf
F'l I JV 'Vale. jt BB L. . . " -- m " " A At
Pearson Became Suspicious
Of White in April, 1945
By DREW
Tucson, Ariz. Harry Dex
ter White, the alleged commu
nist spy, whom Attorney Gen
eral Brownell has Just exhum
ed from his five-year-old grave,
was a treasury official whom
I knew slightly in Washington
during World War II. A wiz
ard in monetary matters, he
was always intensely pro-Russian,
but at first I attributed
this to the fact that he had
been bom in Boston of Rus-
sian parents and that we were
allied with Russia during the
war.
At the San Francisco United
Nations conference in April
1945, however, I first began
to be suspicious of Harry White.
By that time the United States
was having diplomatic trou
bles with Russia, and Stalin
had sent a brusque, almost
brutal note to Roosevelt one
day before he died.
General Eisenhower at that
time had pulled American
troops back from the outskirts
of Potsdam to the River Elbe,
deference to Russian pro
tests, and I recall that, when
I broke this story, Harry White
whom I saw in San r rancisco
in April of 1945, protested
against it.
Harry Truman, Incidentally,
who had taken office only a
few days before, was much
tougher on the Russians than
General Eisenhower appeared
to be in Germany; and "Chip"
Bnhlen reported that when
Molotov flew to Washington
en route to San Francisco, Tru
man gave Molotov the dressing
down of his life. Bohlen, who
! acted an Interpreter, said hei
had never heard one top off i- j
cial scold another in such a ;
manner. ;
Shortlv after that I Dicked
up the first trail of the Hus-1 without his knowing too much
an spy ring In Canada a about It.
story which took several! 1 recall most vividly, how
months to nail down. Harry! evcr. that the temper of the
I White's name entered the oic-time was nowhere as anti-
ture. It wa; difficult to prove j Russian or as suspicious as it
that White was involved at is today. On Feb. 3, 1946. for
.least to the point of being safe ' instance, 1 broke the first story
from libel But it rertainelv of Ule Canadian-Russian spy
looked as if White was one of ring, at which time I was de
the men the Russian." came to luged with protests from peo
for secret informatioun in ' P'e who said 1 was unfair to
Washington i the Soviet.
; Information Similar j Truman Strongly
j The evidence was such that Anti-Communist
j I took It to my old friend. Fred I am quite sure that most of
I Vinson, who had just been these letters came not from
made secretary of the treasury. ; communists, but from well
I To the best of my recollection meaning people who sincerely
j this was in midsummer of 1945 1 hoped that we might get along
and before the FBI submitted with Russia, and felt that I was
i its report on While to the White upsetting Russo-American rela
House and various members of tions. That was still the tem-
the cabinet pT of the time and the letters
I told Vinson that while I of protest continued to pour in
could not be certain a bout! until Prime Minister Mac
White, it looked to me as if Kenzle King of Canada Issued
he were not only intensely pro- j an official announcement two
Russian but had been linked j weeks later confirming the
up with the Russian spy ring: existence of the spy ring.
In Canada Vinson thanked me
for the information, made no
comment, but later I noticed
that White left the treasury.
Later he turned up with the i Hoover wanted to take a fur
International monetary fund, j ther look at his confederates.
I never asked Fred Vinson As I said. Mr. Truman did not
what happened. He was ap-! confide in me.
pointed chief Justice of the su- It is unnecessary for me to
preme court some time later I add that I owe nothing to Har
and removed from the realm of i ry Truman. Quite the contrary,
political comment. But I did He took every opportunity to
ask J. Edgar Hoover. I had j belabor me both publlcy and
learned that subsequently cer-1 privately,
tain Justice department offi- But I would be unfair if I
cials considered putting White's I did not report that Mr. Truman
case before a grand Jury and was Intensely, vigorously antl
that Hoover had been opposed, communist and anti-Russian.
When I asked Hoover about In fact Jimmy Byrnes once told
this he gave the p e r f e c 1 1 y me that he and Churchill were
THE CAPITAL JOURNAL, Salem1. Oregoa
FRIDAY, THE THIRTEENTH
60 TP.
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PEARSON
plausible explanation that he
had White under observation,
wanted to keep him that way
in order to track down any
other Americans and Russians
he might be doing business
with. If White was prosecuted
immediately, the other mem
bers of the spy ring would be
alerted and it would be im
possible to '. ich them.
About a year and a hall la
ter. White's name was placed
before federal grand Jury
which failed to indict him. Vin
cent Quinn, assistant attorney
general in charge of the crimi
nal division, has stated that the
evidence was not conclusive
enough to bring an Indictment.
My own information was
similar. It was obtained large
ly from British sources, not
from the story given by Eliza
beth Bentley. Indirectly it
came from Igor Gouzenko, the
code clerk In the Russian lega
tion in Ottawa, who eventual
ly spilled the beans to the
Royal Mounted police. Gou
zenko indicated that there was
a man in the U. S. treasury the
Russians contacted for infor
mation, he was not quite clear
as to who he was, though the
signs pointed to White.
Appointment Upset Truman
Neither Harry Truman nor
General Vaughan were among
those who confided In me in
great detail at that time. In
fact, Mr. Truman hurled some
strong words in my direction
shortly thereafter because I
was critical of Vaughan. There
fore I cannot speak first hand
regarding their views on White.
I did hear, however, that Mr.
Truman was upset over White's
appointment to the monetary
fund and felt that it was slip-
Ped by him (in February 1946)
I never knew whether Tru
man kept White on as a mem-
ber of the International mone
tary fund because J. Edgar
IT IS UNLUCKY
TO LOOK WORTH
WHILE DRIVING
SOUTH-
50 Years Barbering
McMinnville News-Register "Well, you know what I'm
He's clipped many a person going to do with my 1.276 buf
in SO year of plying his trade falo. Bill? I'm a-going to give
but contrary to most people
who get clipped, Frank Lukes'
customers have been happy
with the job. From Lesterville,
S. D., in 1903, to McMinnville,
Oregon, in 1953, Frank has
made thousands of friends and
customers In the barbering
trade.
u.k i .t 7u t r 7" birthday this
1UI1 1C(BIU Willi W111V.11 flttllK
is held after 28 years in this
community was the large num.
ber of persons who called to
remind the newspaper that he
had finished his first half cen
tury apprenticeship Tuesday.
No less than 15 people took
time to call and numerous oth
ers made a point of dropping in
or stopping us on the street to
pass along the information.
Frank has seen a lot of chan
ges in his career in 50 years of
work.' Prices, conditions of
work, barbering customs and
styles have made some radical
changes. But, throughout that
time he's kept abreast with
keen interest in his work, his
friends and community activ
ities particularly sports.
Watching him at work you
have the feeling he'll be clip
ping away in the same manner
many, many years from now.
STARTING PRETTY EARLY
Bend Bulletin
That kidnap story which
topped the news in our favorite
newspaper on Monday de
scribed the abductress as a "17-year-old
former strip teaser."
One o fthe staff members read
it and remarked that it isn't as
far from the cradle to the foot
lights and runway as he had
always thought.
flabbergasted at the Potsdam
conference at the way Harry
Truman a verv ereen and vrv
new president of the United
States, proceeded to bawl out'n'8h ' had this nightmare:
Stalin to his face A couple of i "Well, Bill," I said, "I bought
times, Byrnes said he tried to
pull Harry's coattails to get
him to sit down. But Mr. Tru
man cuuld not be stopped from
bawling out Stalin.
ICoprrlltit 195J)
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POOR MAN'S PHILOSOPHER
Daydreams Not so Much Fun
As You Grow Up, Hal Finds
By HAL
New York, Wl Your day
dreams grow up as you do.
This tact Is giving me quite a
headache. My daydreams used
to be fun. Now they're hard
mental work. To tell you the
truth, my daydreams are begin
ning to give me nightmares.
The trouble is, I always im
agine I have a big rival in my
daydream, and the dream, itself
is the drama of how I became a
hero and show my rival up as
bum.
Here, for example, Is my old
est and most favorite day
dream: Dawn is breaking on the
plains as I rid up to a small
campfire, dismount stiffly from
my tired pony, and put down
my smoking rule.
A buckskin-clad figure doz
ing by the fire throws off a
blanket and looks up drowsily.
It is Buffalo B1U himself.
"Where you been. Hal?" he
asks.
Just shot me 1,276 buffalo,"
I reply curtly.
In the dark?"
'Of course, in the dark. Any
man who shoots a buffalo by
daylight is a coward."
You can t call me that, says
Buffalo Bill, reaching for his
holster.
"Draw, darn you, draw!" I
say, my gun hand hovering like
eagle talons. Buffalo Bill looks
in my steel gray eyes and sees
death in them.
"I was Just a-jokin'," he says
lamely.
"Well, I wasn't," I answer
shortly. "When you kill buf
falo you sell 'em to the railroad
work gangs, don t you? "
"Yeah," says Buffalo Bill.
"It's lust a living with me."
em all free to the pioneer
mothers of America so as they
can feed their kids. Why do
you suppose they all call me
'buffalo Hal. the mother's pal'?'
Buffalo Bill is so ashamed he
covers up his head with his
blanket like a prairie dog. End
; of dream.
tiirnii -I .. .1..
birthday this daydream
began to get a bit threadbare.
I got ashamed of making poor
old Buffalo Bill feel ashamed.
I looked around for a new
rival in my daydreams and
found him in 'R-al Estate Bill.'
And I've had nothing but woe
since.
This "Real Estate Bill" is
William Zeckendorf, the fab
ulous Manhattan dealer who
sold the United Nations site to
John D. Rockefeller, Jr., at a
$2 million profit Bought the
top of Nob Hill out in San
Francisco, and owns or, con
trols acreage and buildings in
35 states and three foreign
countries.
Zeckendorf doesn't seem I Y . , T V
know himself where hi. nextto house the state highway de
tremendous deal is coming off. Partment.
But In my daydreams I was
making him look like a minor
league cemetery lot salesman.
Then I made the mistake of
dreaming I bought the Chrysler
""""" " a 8 u ' selection of "back of the week"
teeth and moaned, "Hal. you:. ' ,u. .. i
outbid me again.
Well, the next day I picked'"" "".'.' , I . .
up the paper and bless m
Zeckendorf actually had pur
chased the Chrysler tower and
two other skyscrapers for $52
million. Since then he has an
nounced plans for a multi-
million dollar garage, a $35
million shopping center, and
gave away $500,000 to Long 1s-
! land University as a kind of af-
j ter-thought.
What can you dream up
! against a guy like that? Last
Grant's Tomb, the Statue of
Liberty, the Eiffel Tower, and
the Washington Monument this
morning. Think I'll air-condition
'em all except the Eiffel
Tower, of course. What'd you
'SII'tHM. I1ISI.IIIU II 1
As many as
the stars
Of
tr Blessings.
For these
are tltankfuL
service Sim 1171
BOYLE
buy today another Broadway
shooting gallery?"
And Bill Just quietly tossed
over a newspaper that bad this
headline: "Zeckendorf purchas
es U.S. mint, announces plans
to modernize currency."
I woke up sweating. Guess I'd
better go back to dreaming
about old Buffalo Bill. He
can't fight back.
Salem 18 Years Ago
By BEN MAXWELL
November IS. 1935
Newton D. Baker, secretary
of war in the Wilson adminis
tration, had written a letter to
the New York Times denying
allegations that commercial and
financial interests had caused
America's entrance into the
first World War.
Test holes had been dug to
explore subsoil structure for
foundations to carry .-lem's
new postoffice.
Capital Journal had offered
a detailed map 01 tmiopia
showing significant points in
the Italian campaign against
that nation.
.Engineers had submitted a
report to the Salem Water
Commission showing that it
would cost $733,490 to make
the local water system adequate
for a population of 50,000.
The Capital Journal had the
future of Salem looking bright:
$2,500,000 for a new capitol,
$1,000,000 for new public
school construction, $350,000
for a subway railroad crossing
north of town and $260,000 for
a new postoffice.
Don Upjohn's Capital Jour
nel column "Sips for Supper"
had received prominent- notice
in the History of Oregon Lit
erature, an 800-page book just
off the press.
Two bloodhounds owned by
Sheriff A. C. Burk had escaped
by chewing off their harness.
Shipley's pre-removal sale
had knited suits and dresses of
rabbit hair mix for sale at
$5 and those new. barrel-style
sweaters in brushed wool for
$1.79.
Federal resettlement admin-
istration had looked toward
eastern Oregon and eastern
Washington for good farming
land upon which families on
the rehabilitation roles could
live on a self-sustaining basis.
State Highway Engineer
R. H. Baldock had advanced a
proposal that a separate build
Punish Versatility
Astorian-Budget
The Associated Press in its
. ,.k,ii .,,. u. ,
jover the University of Oregon's
great George Shaw in favor of
some Texan, and cites as one
of the reasons the fact that
Shaw played part of the time
at end during the Ducks' great
upset of Southern Cal. In other
words, Shaw was penalized for
his versatility, in favor of some
character who couldn't play
end as well as Quarterback.
ii an goes to snow mat sucn
selections as back of the week
land lineman of the week are
akin to all-American selections
j in being somewhat silly.
ONLY 3 DAYS LEFT
SHRYOCK'S PRE-
HOLIDAY SALE
OF NEW FALL SUITS
All Nationally Advertised Brands
Formerly Priced
55.00 to 65.00
$2900
BROKEN LOTS OF 1ST CUSS CLOTHING
Formerly Priced
67.50 to 95.00
Imporlid TwMdj Fonlmjnnj Flinmb i Wontt
Copitol Shopping Center
OPEN MON. & FRI. TILL 9 P.M.
Friday, November IS, 1953
Newspaper Postage
By Raymond Mole
Let us begin with a truism
which I have used before but
which I trust deserves repltl
tion. With a grateful nod to
Abraham Lincoln, we can say
that you can subsidize tome
of the people all the time and
all C people some of the
time: but you cant subsidize
all the people all the time.
Somewhere, sometime.
somehow, this roundelay of
government benefits must
stop.
Alexander Hamilton sowed
dragons' teeth when as the
first secretary of the treasury,
he advocated subsidies for
"manufactures" to build up
infant industries In an infant
nation. The vast structure of
a protective tariff followed.
Then, to leap over a century
or more in our story, farmers
demanded and got under the
New Deal what they called
"tariff equality," which means
that since the farmer buys
things that he needs in a pro
tected or subsidized market,
his products should be protect
ed and subsidized, too.
The demand we are begin
ning to hear now is from the
mining people, some of whom
are saying that the price off
their product should be pro
tected. For some time we have
heard from advocates of sub
sidies for farmers, workers,
and others that the press is
subsidized by below-cost second-class
mail rates. Such
charges have been most vigor
ously made by politicians, like
the late Harold Ickes, who
generally have been opposed
by a majority of the press.
But congress has been slow
to raise those rates, although
a beginning has been made.
There was a 10 per cent raise
in 1952, another 10 per cent
in 1953, and another 10 per
cent to be effective In 1954.
However, a bill is now pend
ing to increase magazine rates
67 per cent in 36 months. This
bill will be a controversial is
sue in the next session of Con
gress. For more than a century
and a half there have been
preferential postal rates for
newspapers and magazines.
These have been Justified by
presidents, postmasters gen
eral, and congresses because
of the value of publications in
(disseminating information and
I in providing inexpensive ed-
ucationai material lor the
people.
The present situation is
complicated by the fact that
there are big, strong news
papers and magazines and
there are small and not well
financed newspapers and mag
azines. The big ones say with truth
that they could sustain the big
increase. Some national mag
azines would, with some re
adjustment, survive and pros
per. They would either raise
the price to the reader or find
other ways to carry their pro-duct-by
private airlines, by
rail, truck, or otherwise. But
hundreds of smaller publica
tions, some cf them religious,
educational or scientific,
would perish. Some farm pap
ers would find hard going.
The question whether a sub
sidy is deserved or desirable
is not, however, the present
argument of the publishers.
They are raising the question
whether present rates are, in
fact, legitimately below cost.
In short, they deny that they
sre really receiving a subsidy.
It seems to me that, to be
consistent, that should be the
major point. In another col
umn I shall examine this ques
tion of rates and costs.
m--