Page 2
Heppner Gazette Times, Thursday, May 4, 1950
EDITORIAL
NEWSPAPER
PUBLISHERS
ASSOCIATION
NATIONAL EDITORIAL
IassocFatj
-As
The FBI'S Confidential Files .
Since Senator McCarthy has raised such a
stir in high political circles the question has
arisen about opening the confidential files of the
Federal Bureau of investigation. The idea may
appeal to some of the population as being the
right way to "crack" some of the cases wherein it
is charged that certain men high in the govern
ment are Communist stooges. But the Bureau's di
rector, J. Edgar Hoover, sees the matter different
ly. And his twofold reason for opposing opening
of the files is of the highest importance, says the
Industrial News Review.
"First, opening the files would gravely dam
age the Bureau's future efforts in obtaining confi
dential information, by disclosing the names of
informants. Some of the witnesses whose testi
mony led to the conviction of the 11 Communist
leaders in New York had risked their lives as
undercover employes of the FBI. In Mr. Hoover's
words, "A disclosure of FBI reports reveals the
identity of confidential sources of information
and, if it did not place the lives of such persons
in actual jeopardy, it would certainly ruin their
future value and effectiveness." And, moreover,
criminals and subversives would be forewarned
and would conduct themselves accordingly.
"Second, opening the files could do the most
serious and unwarranted injustice to individuals.
The files contain complaints and allegations
not only facts which may or may not be true.
Mr. Hoover compared them to the notes of a
newspaper reporter before he has culled the print
able from the unprintable. Then he said, " I
would not want to be a party to any action which
would 'smear' innocent individuals for the rest
of their lives."
"Mr. Hoover makes it plain that opening
these files could very well both endanger the
national security and commit profound injustices
on good citizens."
Good Rainy Day Protection
Purchasers of government bonds may some
times feel they are providing the government
spenders with more money with which to finance
political experiments, and they may be justified
to a certain extent for feeling that way about it,
but there is another side they should not over
look. It is the side that may directly affect them
should a recession set in, or if there should be
an over-long period of unemployment for them.
The bonds are worth the amount paid for them
in the first place plus the interest accrued since
the time of purchase. The banks are authorized
to redeem the bonds if the original purchaser
offers them for sale.
The real value of the bonds has been demon
strated more than once right here in Oregon
since wartime industries shut down. Business con.
cerns "viewed with alarm" the pending closure of
large 'shipyards and other operations employing
thousand of workers, yet when the shutdown
came there was no recession. People went right
on living, perhaps a little less extravagantly, and
the adjustment period, which had every right to
create apprehension in the minds of all, has not
been the cause of too many gray hairs.
As recently as the past winter, shutdowns in
Oregon industries placed the state at the top of
unemployment in the nation. It was fortunate
that many of the families affected by the shut
downs had bonds they bought during the war
and since. These bonds came in handy foT living
expenses when the last of the wages were gone.
The standard of living may have been lowered
but it kept many families off of the bread line
and eased the strain on the unemployment com
pensation to some extent.
Whether one buys bonds, postal savings, life
insurance, or follows a policy of saving so much
from the weekly income regularly, it is a good
thing to have something tucked away that can
be drawn on in times of need. Savings create a
feeling of independence and develop a spirit of
thrift among our people. With all of the things
that are offered as lures for our money it is some
times difficult to put away that little stipend
against the proverbial rainy day, but exercising
the will to carry out the plan with regularity is in
itself a molder of independence, and independence
on the part of the individual is greatly preferred
to the type o. dependence on government pap
that has seizea control of too great a segment of
the population of America.
East Oregonian Comes of Age
This country still seems too young to have a
newspaper reach the ripe old age of seventy-five
years and it was with something of a surprise
that we learned the East Oregonian had been en
lightening th people of a large part of Eastern
Oregon for thiee quarters of a century. This
knowledge came to us Sunday morning when the
75th Anniversary edition, heavier than the Sun
day Oregonian was removed from the post office
box. And the poundage was not all that was
heavy about the edition. It was chock full of
history histoiy that no other source could pro
vide so graphically, for the newspaper has in its
own files the events that are worth chronicling
and hence have invaluable historic interest.
The East Oregionian could not have picked
a more appronriate time to observe its seventy
fifth birthday. With the great development taking
place in Umat'lla county there is every incentive
for a special edition and the newspaper made
good use of all facilities at hand.
Trend of the Times
A short time ago the Saturday Evening Post
printed an article called "The Federal Snoops
Are After Me," written by Robinson Mcllvaine,
publisher of the Downington, Pennsylvania,
Archive. Mr. Mcllvaine and his wife had bought
this little weekly paper on the proverbial shoe
string, and were getting along nicely until a
representation of the Wage and Hour Division
of the Federal government appeared with a long
bill of particu'ars of unfair practices which the
publisher had unwittingly committed. Mr.
Mcllvaine has since followed up He Post piece
with a further recital of events which he printed
in his paper. It all amounts to an interesting,
first-hand account of how Federal laws whose
intent is perfectly good can be carried to ex
tremes of interpretation which make them almost
incredibly onerous to business and especially
small business.
Newspapers of less than 4,000 circulation are
exempt from the Wages and Hours Act, and Mr.
Mcllvaine assumed that his Archive, with a cir
culation of about 1,600, naturally fell into this
category. However, it seemed that the printing
end of the paper had been set up as a separate
corporation, and this legal quirk brought it with
in the scope of the law. Mr. Mcllvaine didn't
think he was engaged in interstate commerce
either. But he was wrong again simply because
he printed letterheads for firms which mail letters
out of the state!
That was only the beginning of the troubles.
It had been a common practice for years for
groups of people, young and old, to drop in at
the little plant each Wednesday evening and
fold the papers for mailing next day. They earned
a little money and they had a lot of fun. But,
according to the Wages and Hours agent, each
one would henceforth have to have a time card,
a social security card, and all kinds of records
would have to be kept. Result: Mr. Mcllvaine,
who was already heavily in debt, borrowed more
money on his remaining assets and bought a
press which mechanically folds the papers.
Some time later the Wage and Hour people
moved again. Mr. Mcllvaine was ordered to pay
$744.25 in back wages, which he didn't have. Of
this, $156 was to go to the foreman. The foreman,
incidentally, had been paid a straight $80 a week
with paid vacation, and had been away two more
weeks because of sickness. So he had already
received $320 for time he had been absent. But
he got the additional $156.
Most anming of all, $582 of the back wages,
according to the Wage and Hour division, had to
be paid to himself! Apparently he'd been taking
out less than the proper salary and that just
wasn't legal.
Mr. Mcllvaine cites more instances of this sort
and observes that the Archives' dosier at the
Wage and Hour office "is now about 15 inches
thick and it would be hard to estimate how many
of our tax dollars were spent on this investiga
tion." In all probability, thousands of little busi
nesses have found themselves involved in similar
predicaments. The big business, with its legal
and accounting departments, can take the huge
mass of laws and rulings and bureaucratic prac
tices pretty much in stride. The small operation,
on the other hand, takes the beating.
The G-T Drops a Column
It is not the desire of the management to be
making changes in the makeup of the Gazette
Times, but we find ourselves involved in the
second change within a span of four years. Early
in June, 1946. the paper was changed from a
five-column page to an eight-column page. This
was done largely because a change was desired
and the piper stock for the five-column page is
the same used for the eight columns. At that
time newsprin was hard to get and having a
source of upr 'y for the eight-column size estab
lished we were not facing a handicap In making
the change, although our preference was for the
seven-column page. The situation relative to
newsprint has eased somewhat and we are able
to buy the size we want and with this issue we
start a seven-column page and hope to "stay
put" for years to come. I
The oAmerkan Way
George Peck
FEWER RELIGIONS '
MORE RELIGION
By George Peck
What America and the world
need today is fewer religions and
more religion; fewer tenets, ritu
als, and dogmas and a heap
more of the milk of human
kindness.
Most of the misfortunes of
mankind are brought about by
the failure of individuals to re
spect the rights and feelings of
others, by their total disregard
of the spirit of the "Golden Rule,"
which Rule is the fundamental
tenet of all religions.
Many people have the idea
that the baser qualities of man
kind can be cured by govern
ment legislation, regulation and
handouts. How wrong they are!
You cannot legislate decency into
an individual; you do not create
an upright citizen by governmen
tal regulation; and government
handouts tend to debase rather
than elevate the recipients.
Others believe that regularly
attending church, or financially
supporting a church, ends their
obligation to society. Either or
both are praiseworthy and are to
be encouraged, but, by them
selves alone, will not bring
about the redemption of man
kind. Only be being patient, more
understanding, more thoughtful,
more tolerant of those with whom
we mingle, can a better America
and a better world be achieved.
Sympathetic understanding and
consideration of our neighbors,
our friends, yes even our enemies,
will enable us to overlook their
real or imaginary faults which
so greatly annoy us.
Within the last thirty-three
years America has fought two
great wars against cruelty and
oppression against the pagan
doctrine that any nation has
the right to force its dictum on
another people. Currently we are
fighting a cold war with the dic
tators of another nation whose
avowed goal is to subjugate all
the inhabitants of the earth.
Did we fight these two shoot
ing wars in vain; are we now
fighting a losing war? An honest
appraisal reveals that we did
and are. Unless America experi
ences a spiritual regeneration; if
we do not substitute the words
"sympathy, understanding and
sacrifice" for "my rights and
gimmie," it is inevitable that we
will lose the cold war.
There is too much hatred, bru
tality and suffering running ram
pant throughout the world to
day. As the most prosperous and
enlightened nation on earth, it
behooves us to set an example
for the rest of the world. We
must resolve not to add to its
woes by any harsh word or overt
act. We must be cheerful, more
kind, more self-sacrificing in our
day-to-day contacts with our
fellow-Americans, beginning in
the bosom of our own families
and fanning out to all with whom
we come in touch.
Self-sacrifice is the child of
love, and love is of the being
of God. Yes, we need fewer re
ligions and more religion less
hatred and more love less curs
ing and more prayer fewer
"gimmies" and more giving. First,
we must purge ourselves, then
material and spiritual victory
must ultimately be ours.
Pagan Communism can not
prevail against nation united i:i
the bonds of mutual understand
ing and spiritual fellowship.
30 Years Ago
HEPPNER GAZETTE TIMES
May 6, 1920
Levi Hansford, a brother of
James Hansford of this city,
dropped dead on Main street
about 6 p.m. Tuesday evening.
He had been in poor health for
several years.
Fire completely destroyed the
farm house of Adam Blahm, four
miles below Heppner, one day
last week.
The city dads are looking for
ward to the cooperation of every
Heppnernite in keeping the city
streets clean and free from waste
paper and other rubbish, as gar
bage cans have been placed on
convenient corners of Main street.
The Heppner band will give
its second concert Sunday after
noon at the Fair pavilion.
Mr. and Mrs. J. S. Young left
the first of the week for their
new home at Aloha, Oregon.
Due to the sudden illness of
Miss Berniece Sigsbee, one of
the star actresses in the school
play, "The Thirteenth Star," the
performance which was schedul
ed for Friday evening has been
postponed.
Mrs. Mary. E. Hayes died in
this city Monday after a long
illness, at the age of 61 years.
Her husband, Joseph C. Hayes,
had preceded her in death by
only a few weeks.
Laxton McMurray and Manny
Pettys of Jordan Siding were
in Heppner Wednesday. They are
now busy in the irrigation game,
getting water on their alfalfa
fields while the getting is good.
A temple of Pythian Sisters
was instituted in Heppner last
Thursday evening. The lodge will
meet on the second and fourth
Friday of each month.
o
PRINTER LEAVES
Thomas W. Allen, who has
been printer-pressman on the
Gazette Times force since August
1948, left Sunday -afternoon for
southern California to visit mem
bers of his family and look
around for a new position.
"Tommy" is one of that fast
fading number of all round print
ers who doesn't have to search
very far or diligently for work,
but getting a little on the sun
set side of life he wants to be
free to come and go as" he
pleases. And besides, he thinks
he will keep clear of snow here
after, even if he has to go to the
equator to accomplish his purpose.
FANCY WORK SALE
Lexington Ladies Aid
MAY 10
2 to 5 P. M. in Aid Room
Now Open For Business
HEPPNER SAND & GRAVEL CO.
Henry G. Peck
Located North of Highway across from
Interior Warehouse
For Sale at Bunks or we Deliver
Call Heppner 1482
PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY
JOS. J. NYS
ATTORNEY at law
Peters Bldg., Willow Street
Heppner, Oregon
Call Settles Electric
for all kinds of Electrical Work
New and Repair
Shop phone 2253 at Willow &
Chase Streets. Res. Phone 2542
J. O. TURNER
ATTORNEY AT LAW
Phone 173
Hotel Heppner Building
Heppner, Oregon
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. jft are lift. rM S
A Mother will sppreciat &pWTi $
receiving ... and enjoy using ... jjk V lnr
tvtry day I The serving vjgjy Jj'
piece! ihown here In Gorham Jw "C3
A "Chinlllly" are available in t $S W''gp
" moit Gorham Sterling patterns. jfSffiSi J!a!!r
See our ibowing of Corliam frpl jj
terving nd other piecei, ? Il 'J jf
j lelectAer gift today 1 L
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jewelers J
P. W. MAHONEY
ATTORNEY AT LAW
General Insurance
Heppner Hotel Building
Willow Street Entrance
Carpentry and
Cement Work
By Day or Contract .
Bruce Bothwell
Phone 845
Jack A. Woodhall
Doctor of Dental Medicine
Office First Floor Bank Bldg.
Phone 2342
Heppner
Dr. L. D. Tibbies
OSTEOPATHIC
Physician & Surgeon
First National Bank Building
Res. Ph. 1162 Office Ph. 492
J. O. PETERSON
Latest Jewelry & Gift Goods
Watches, Clocks, Diamonds
Expert Watch & Jewelry
Repairing
Heppner, Oregon,
Veterans of Foreign
Wars
Meetings 2nd & 4th Mondays
at 8:00 p.m. at Civic Center
A.D. McMurdo,M.D.
PHYSICIAN & SURGEON
Trained Nurse Assistant
Office in Masonic Building
Heppner, Oregon
Turner, Van Marter
and Company
GENERAL
INSURANCE
Dr. C. C. Dunham
CHIROPRACTIC PHYSICIAN
Office No. 4 Center St.
House Calls Made
Home Phone 2583 . Office 2572
Phelps Funeral
Home
Licensed Funeral Directors
Phone 1332 Heppner, Oregon
C. A. RUGGLES Representing
Blaine E. Isom
Insurance Agency
Phone 723 Heppner, Ore.
Heppner City
Cminril M' Tint Monday
WUUIIbll Bach Month
Citizens having matters for
discussion, please bring them
before the Council. Phone 2572
N. D. BAILEY
' Cabinet Shop
Lawn Mowers Sharpened
Sewing Machines Repaired
Phone 1485 for appointment
or call at shop.
Morrow County
Abstract & Title Co.
INC.
ABSTRACTS OF TITLE
TITLE INSURANCE
Offioe in Peters Building
RICHARD J. O'SHEA, M. D.
Physician and Surgeon
2 Church Street
. Telephone 1152
Morrow County
Cniirt Meets First Wednesday
viuurr of Each Month
County Jndg-s Office Honrs I
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 9 a.m.
to & p.m.
Tuesday. Thursday, Saturday Fore-
oon only.
Peterson's -
ALFRED BASRA
GENERAL CONTRACTOR
2-bedroom (block) house, com
plete, $4500.
Phone 404, Condon. Ore.
914
Dr. J. D. PALMER
DENTIST
Rooms 11-12
First National Bank Building
Ph.: Office 783, Home 932