4A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL December 30, 2015
O PINION
Offbeat Oregon History
Oregon’s own would-be fascist dictator:
Gov. Charles Martin
BY FINN J.D. JOHN
For the Sentinel
R
emember General Jack D.
Ripper, the character from
the 1964 movie “Dr. Strangelove;
or, How I Learned to Stop Wor-
rying and Love the Bomb”? Can
you imagine what might have hap-
pened if General Ripper had been
elected governor?
For Oregonians, just a few years
ago, it wouldn’t be too much of
a stretch. In 1934, voters elected
a retired major general named
Charles Henry Martin — known
to the soldiers assigned to his care
during the First World War as “Old
Iron Pants.” And although Martin
isn’t known to have gone on any
anti-fl uoridation rants or spluttered
about “precious bodily fl uids,” his
political style was more than a little
reminiscent of Ripper’s … and, of
course, it’s not a work of fi ction.
“If things come to a crisis,” he
wrote to a sympathetic fellow
military man in 1937, while dis-
cussing the likelihood of a Com-
munist takeover in America, “there
are enough strong men left in the
country to handle it properly. …
The Italians wouldn’t submit; they
organized their blackshirts. The
Germans wouldn’t submit, so they
had their brownshirts and Hitler. I
don’t believe Americans will sub-
mit.”
Left unmentioned in this remark
was any suggestion for who might
play the role of the American
“strong man” analogous to Musso-
lini or Hitler, but it was clear that
he felt himself to be up to the chal-
lenge.
Charles H. Martin stands athwart
Oregon history like a cartoon su-
per-villain, a larger-than-life cari-
cature of a would-be fascist dicta-
tor. He established his own forces
of secret police; his agents infi l-
trated every leftist organization in
the state with undercover agents
tasked with reporting, provoking
and occasionally soliciting per-
jured testimony. He responded to
at least one labor strike by deploy-
ing the National Guard and State
Police with orders to shoot to kill.
And according to historian Gary
Murrell, he gave offi cial support to
a plan to euthanize 900 inmates at
the Oregon State Institution for the
Feeble-Minded as a cost-saving
measure. These are just a handful
of the most egregious things Mar-
tin is remembered for.
On the other hand, we have
him to thank for the federal gov-
ernment’s decision to build the
Bonneville Dam and establish the
Bonneville Power Administration
in 1934. Ironically, his attempts
to reserve the benefi ts of Bonnev-
ille for his plutocrat friends was a
signifi cant factor in his eventual
downfall.
But Oregon, and America,
would have to wait a long time for
that downfall, and a lot of dam-
age would get done before it hap-
pened.
Charles Henry Martin was born
near the town of Grayville, in
southern Illinois, during the Amer-
ican Civil War. He was the third of
10 children, with two older broth-
ers, and his father was determined
that his oldest boy would pursue a
military career. Charles was hap-
pily pursuing his goal of becom-
ing a gentleman-farmer and writer
when the unthinkable happened:
His two older brothers drowned in
the Wabash River. One of them got
in trouble, the other dove in to save
him, and both perished.
A titanic clash of wills ensued.
But in the end, the old man had his
way, and Charles reluctantly went
off to West Point.
Charles had a rough time at West
Point, characterized at fi rst by ex-
treme homesickness and misery,
but he eventually graduated 19th
in a class of 65. He was assigned
to an infantry regiment stationed
in Fort Vancouver, just across the
river from Portland.
During the decade in which he
was stationed in Vancouver, Mar-
tin put down roots in the Portland
area. In 1897, he married a Port-
land girl — Louise Jane Hughes,
daughter of Portland attorney Ellis
G. Hughes.
The very next year, when the
Spanish-American war broke out,
the young offi cer — by now a cap-
tain — was sent to the Philippines
to help organize, with the Filipino
rebels, resistance to the Spanish.
Shortly after that, when the Boxer
Rebellion broke out in China, he
was dispatched to China to help
with that.
These operations — especially
the experience in China, where
the allied European and American
troops storming through the Chi-
nese countryside looking for re-
belling “boxers” adopted a sort of
“kill ‘em all and let God sort ‘em
out” attitude — seem to have
Please see OFFBEAT, Page 5A
CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS
Cottage Grove City Councilors:
District: 007
900 Court Street NE
Suite H-379
Salem, OR 97301
Phone: (503) 986-1407
Fax: (503) 986-1130
Email: rep.cedrichayden@state.or.us
Mike Fleck, At Large: 942-7302
Oregon State Senate:
Jake Boone, Ward 1: 653-7413
Sen. Floyd Prozanski (DEM)
District: 004
900 Court Street NE
Suite S-319
Salem, OR 97301-0001
Phone: (503) 986-1704
Fax: (503) 986-1080
Email: sen.fl oydprozanski@state.or.us
Cottage Grove City Hall: 942-5501.
www.cottagegrove.org/
Cottage Grove Mayor Tom Munroe:
942-5501.
Jeff Gowing, Ward 2: 942-1900
Garland Burback, Ward 3: 942-4800
Amy Slay, Ward 4: 942-5501
Lane County Commissioners:
Governor:
Faye Stewart, East Lane Commissioner
Lane County Public Service Building
125 East 8th Street
Eugene, OR 97401
Phone: (541) 682-4203
Fax: (541) 682-4616
Oregon State House of Representa-
tives:
Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
900 Court Street
Salem, Oregon 97301-4047
Phone: (503) 378-4582
Fax: (503) 378-6827
United States House of Representa-
tives:
Rep. Peter A. DeFazio (DEM)
District: 004
United States House of Representatives
2134 Rayburn House Offi ce Building
Washington, DC 20515-0001
Phone: (202) 225-6416
Fax: (202) 225-0032
Email: http://www.house.gov/formde-
fazio/contact.html
United States Senate:
Sen. Ron Wyden (DEM)
District: 0S1
United States Senate
230 Dirksen Senate Offi ce Building
Washington, DC 20510-0001
Phone: (202) 224-5244
Fax: (202) 228-2717
Email: http://wyden.senate.gov/contact/
Sen. Jeff Merkley (DEM)
District: 0S2
United States Senate
404 Russell Senate Offi ce Building
Washington, DC 20510-0001
Phone: (202) 224-3753
Fax: (202) 228-3997
Email: http://jmerkley.senate.gov/web-
form.htm
Rep. Cedric Hayden (REP)
The path to a healthy new year
BY JOEL FUHRMAN, MD
For the Sentinel
However, the festivities often
present us with tough choices
— tempting, unhealthy foods
are everywhere. It has become
accepted in our culture to use
the holiday season as an excuse
for a six-week binge on danger-
ous foods loaded with sugar, fat
and salt.
Maybe overindulging while
celebrating the holidays has
left you feeling unhealthy and
T
h e
holi-
day season
is a joyous
time when
we
cel-
ebrate with
our family
and friends.
$ PUUBHF ( SPWF 4 FOUJOFM
116 N. Sixth Street · P.O. Box 35 · Cottage Grove, OR 97424
ADMINISTRATION:
JOHN BARTLETT, Regional Publisher..............................
GARY MANLY, General Manager................942-3325 Ext.
207 • publisher@cgsentinel.com
ROBIN REISER, Sales Repersentative...............942-3325
Ext. 203 • robin@cgsentinel.com
E. SCURRY ELLIS, Sales Repersentative......... 942-3325
Ext. 213 • esellis@cgsentinel.com
SPORTS DEPARTMENT:
SAM WRIGHT, Sports Editor...................942-3325 Ext.
204 • sports@cgsentinel.com
CUSTOMER SERVICE
CARLA WILLIAMS, Office Manager.................942-3325
Ext. 201 • billing@cgsentinel.com
LEGALS.............................................................942-3325
Ext. 200 • legals@cgsentinel.com
NEWS DEPARTMENT:
JON STINNETT, Editor......................................942-3325
Ext. 212 • cgnews@cgsentinel.com
GRAPHICS:
RON ANNIS, Graphics Manager
(USP 133880)
Subscription Mail Rates in Lane and Portions of Douglas Counties:
Ten Weeks ............................................. $9.10
One year ..............................................$36.15
e-Edition year .......................................$36.00
Rates in all other areas of United States: Ten Weeks $11.70; one year, $46.35, e-Edition $43.00.
In foreign countries, postage extra.
No subscription for less than Ten Weeks. Subscription rates are subject to change upon 30 days’ notice. All
subscritptions must be paid prior to beginning the subscription and are non-refundable.
Periodicals postage paid at Cottage Grove, Oregon.
Postmaster: Send address changes to P.O. Box 35, Cottage Grove, OR 97424.
Local Mail Service:
If you don’t receive your Cottage Grove Sentinel on the Wednesday of publication, please let us know.
Call 942-3325 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Advertising ownership:
All advertising copy and illustrations prepared by the Cottage Grove Sentinel become the property of the
Cottage Grove Sentinel and may not be reproduced for any other use without explicit written prior approval.
Copyright Notice:
Entire contents ©2015 Cottage Grove Sentinel.
regretful in the past. When you
are not in good health, it ex-
acerbates every other problem
in your life and contributes to
emotional unrest. Don’t wait for
the New Year to make a resolu-
tion — now is the time to make
changes. If you are serious
about caring properly for your
body — the only body you will
ever have, you’ll need to make
the commitment to stay on the
road to wellness and longevity,
even through the tempting holi-
day season. No excuses. Only
you are in charge of your future
health.
The holiday eating frenzy
causes more than a few extra
pounds. The holidays are also
associated with trips to the
emergency room and deaths
due to dangerous eating. The
emergency room doctors call
it “holiday heart” — the busi-
est times at hospitals are when
heart attacks, strokes and other
emergencies occur the morning
after a big holiday meal. I take
bad nutrition seriously because
people die from it. Junk food,
including the traditional, dis-
ease-promoting foods served at
the holidays, may produce mo-
mentary pleasure, but the results
continue on to compromise your
health for a long time to come.
As a fi rst step, remember the
acronym G-BOMBS: Greens,
Beans, Onions, Mushrooms,
Berries and Seeds. These are the
most health-promoting foods
in existence — build your diet
around them. Watch out for
addictive,
disease-promoting
foods: white fl our, sugars, arti-
fi cial sweeteners, oils and pro-
cessed meats. These foods are
not only disease-causing but
also addictive.
Here are some strategies for
staying on track, during the hol-
idays and all year round:
Always keep your kitchen
stocked with fresh and frozen
produce.
Keep disease-causing foods
out of your home to avoid temp-
tation.
Budget time: plan out when
you will shop for groceries,
cook, exercise, relax, and spend
time with friends and family.
Bring healthy dishes to share
when you attend gatherings.
Cook warming vegetable
bean soups in large batches, and
store leftovers in the refrigerator
so you can quickly heat some up
for lunch or dinner later in the
week.
Stay focused on your health
— eating right is self-care. Do
not allow the ubiquitous un-
healthy foods around you to de-
rail you from your health goals.
Find a healthy living buddy.
Commit together to your food
and exercise goals. Getting sup-
port from a friend will fi rm up
your commitment to yourself.
Don’t give in to “food bul-
lies.” Friends, family or co-
workers will inevitably push
unhealthy foods on you; re-
main confi dent in your pursuit
of excellent health and decline
unhealthy foods in a kind and
loving manner. Not only will
you be pleased with your food
choices, you will give the bul-
lies a chance to learn from your
example.
Fast forward to next year’s
holiday season: you will effort-
lessly make the best choices;
the ones that will allow you to
achieve overall health and qual-
ity of life. You’ll be celebrating
your health instead of simply
indulging in the “traditional”
destructive foods. As you eat
for optimal health and vitality,
you’ll be able to more fully en-
joy the special times with fam-
ily and friends. You will fl ourish
and it will be the most enjoyable
holiday season you’ve ever had.
There will be no need to “start
over” next Jan. 1. You will al-
ready be committed to your
health, and feel pleased with
yourself for maintaining your
healthy habits over the holi-
days.
Dr. Fuhrman is a #1 New
York Times best-selling author
and a family physician special-
izing in lifestyle and nutritional
medicine. His newest book, The
End of Dieting, debunks the fake
“science” of popular fad diets
and offers an alternative to di-
eting that leads to permanent
weight loss and excellent health.
Visit his informative website at
DrFuhrman.com. Submit your
questions and comments about
this column directly to news-
questions@drfuhrman.com.
Letters to the Editor policy
The Cottage Grove Sentinel receives many letters to the editor. In order to ensure that your letter will be printed, letters must
be under 300 words and submitted by Friday at 5 p.m. Letters must be signed and must include an address, city and phone
number or e-mail address for verifi cation purposes. No anonymous letters will be printed. Letters must be of interest to local
readers.
Personal attacks and name calling in response to letters are uncalled for and unnecessary.
If you would like to submit an opinion piece, Another View must be no longer than 600 words.
To avoid transcription errors, the Sentinel would prefer editorial and news content be sent
electronically via email or electronic media. Hand written submissions will be accepted, but we may need to call to verify
spelling, which could delay the publishing of the submission.