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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 6, 1944)
News Behind The News By Paul Malloo ' Paul M&Uon Washington, Nov. 6 Clever est feature of Mr. Roosevelt' fourth term campaign was the extent to m which it kept the public mind in the past and away from the pres ent and future. Mr. Hannegan largely suc ceeded in run ning the presi dent against Hoover, Cool idge and Hard ing rather than against Dewey. The debate was centered, from the Demo cratic standpoint, upon the iso lationism of characters and situ ations long dead, to the exclu sion of the isolationism of the present (refusal of Russia to go Into the open air conference at Chicago.) Why, they even managed to push the argument back into the tariff. A great newspaper, the New York Times, actually made it a leading point of its an nouncement for Roosevelt, on the notion that the Republicans were historically the high tariff party. Shades of Smoot and Fordney-McCumber were raised like threatening witches. The Dewey side in a high school de bate in Pennsylvania had to call -Republican headquarters and ask what-in-the-world was the Republican answer on the tariff proposition. Headquarters did not seem to know a . particularly good answer. Most people had not even heard of it for 15 years or more and the two platforms were equally vague. Yet a great news paper and an inestimable num ber of people decided their vote to some extent on this matter which properly belonged among the antiques alongside the ques tion of how nasty the late Sena tor Lodge was about a wholly different league of nations prob lem 25 years ago. rTHB flimsy obsolescent rub- blsh used in this campaign may not be swept up on Wed nesday, but just allowed to lay where it fell, while the winner turns his attention to current events. The current truth on the tariff is that it is the least Im portant of all prevailing in fluences upon foreign trade. It wlil continue to be increasingly inconsequential for many years because it must. When this war is over, the most Important phase of the matter will be that few nations will have much money with which to purchase our goods. Furthermore, all the allied world will be in inextricable debt to us and cannot pay 'us. The 'Roosevelt administration has started to meet this problem In a typical way. Despite the fact that the debts are already too high for re payment, they propose to issue more debt to foreign buyers. " through continuing lend-lease. and furthermore by increasing the capital of the export-Import bank from $500,000,000 to $5, 000,000,000 (congress is holding this proposal up now.) In short, this government plans largely to take money from the public treasury to pay for foreign purchases of goods from us, covering this transac tion with the thin pretense of lending what it knows cannot be repaid. There is one way nations could repay us. There is a sound way of promoting a last ing foreign trade. This govern ment will have to get around to it one of these days either when its treasury runs dry or when it decides to stop playing bankruptcy politics and faces the modern facts of internation al life non-politically. . THE situation calls for a man aged trader trade by spe cific negotiation, barter goods for goods as well as goods for gold, because that is the only way most foreign nations can trade with us. Does this mean free trade? Of course not. Free trade is Just as obsolete as tar iffs. Conditions make it so. This country does not want cheap electrical bulbs made by Japanese slave labor coming in here. Before the war both Japan and Germany were un derselling American production in our own market on a wide scale of goods. .(Incidentally, the A. F. of L. took the leadership in the fights for all the high Republican' tariffs. Abo Ameri can agriculture does not want competitive food products com ing in here.) This is one matter in which centralized government con trols are not only warranted but necessary, without interfer ing with individual freedom, be cause foreign trade is just as much a national matter as na tional defense. It does not re quire regimentation, but man agement. More bad debts, more spending, more giving-away or more or less tariffs will not solve the foreign trade problem (our exporters to the contrary. notwithstanding.) But a speci fically managed program, in which deals are made through the government on a business basis, might do the job. It could take payment In the noncompetitive raw materials we need from foreign nations while selling the surpluses we do not need, thereby achieving a balanced constantly expand ing trade, which would be lim ited only by our own ingenuity. months ago when he came to thel U. S. He wanted to know what was the matter with the people of Texas. He Isn't allowed in the restaurants. He isn't allowed to go out with "white" girls and the boys of the town refuse to speak to him. His brothers want to know what they are fighting this war for. He has three of them overseas with the U. S. army not to mention 1? cousins! Well, what are they fighting for? What can you or I say to them? And what about the thou sands of Negroes, Japanese and Jewish people who are being dis criminated against? Shall we tell them they aren't fighting for their own freedom just for the freedom of us "Christian whites?" Or perhaps It would be better for us to DO something to stop this discrimination if we want to stop it. Of course, probably most of the people of the Rogue river valley who wft read this will say "well, that may be true of the south and other, parts of the U. S., but it certainly Isn't true In OUR valley." Like hell It isn't! In one year's time I have seen anti-Semetism right here in Medford grow from next to nothing to alarming proportions. And the proposals for liquidat ing the citizens of Japanese an cestry recently put forward by the grange masters of the Pa cific northwest might well have come directly from Hitler him self! We here in the peaceful Rogue river valley face the prob lem the same as all other sec tions of the U. S. and we had better do something now. 1 1 propose that a council on inter-racial problems be organ ized at once. F. Cyril Sander. Rt. 1, Box SOS, Medford. Nov. 4. Tucker Endorsed To the editor: In publishing the list of Republican candidates In yesterday's Mali Tribune for tomorrow's election the name of William P. Tucker, candidate for justice of the peace, Medford district, was inadvertently omit ted by the county Republican committee. This statement is made to assure the voters that Mr. Tucker has the whole heart ed endorsement of the Jackson County Republican committee. Ralph E. Koozer, County Chairman. Only 362 antelope were taken in the 1943 season as compared to 405 in 1942. Severe Drought Hits Australia Sydney, Nov. 8 OJ.O The Daily Mirror reported today that great parts of eastern and south ern Australia were being para lyzed by what was rapidly, be coming the worst and most tragic drought of the century. The newspaper, under a ban ner "Famine Threatens Austra lia," said that even widespread rains would not bring relief to New South Wales. The Mirror said Australia's RUTHt FRUR 1 drona in well IMM-1 tru at mint own usi eoia-eloc.ea noaei mnA Iron will .UftDl tuirfar. uaunon: vni only he oirAciea. ui HI Monday. Nov. 8, 1944 MEDFORD MAIL TWBUWB ITVB wheat crop would be about one third of normal this year and fodder crops only about one eighth of normal. Three of Napoleon Bona parte's brothers were kings. Norway became Independent from Sweden in 1906. The Tamborlta la the national dance of the Republic of Pan- Be sure Iff PURI CAN I SUGAR Insist en IN IIMNIU.PACXID CONTAIN.! GH sugar A SUUCAM Communications How About Race Prejudice Here? To the Editor: I have just crossed the continent for the sixth time in the last year and a half and each time I have been confused by the increasing evi dence that while we are winning the war abroad, we are very rap idly losing it here at home! I am speaking of the Increasing ac ceptance, by masses of people, of Hitler's idea of racial superior ity. " We are supposed to be fight ing this war to rid the world of not just Hitler, but of his ideas as well. I could recount hundreds of examples of the worst sort of racial discrimination I have wit nessed in the past year, but my latest will suffice here. A few days ago I stopped at a USO in Texas where I met Rob ert Dominguez, a good-looking 15-year-old Mexican lad. He had lived in Mexico City where he was brought up with a "white" girl of his own age until six r. - SfT'X ' r f For United Stales Senator 3UY CORDON Vote 16X For Your Own Interest and for the Best Interest of Oregon General Election, Nov. 7, 1944 Keep Senator Cordon on the Job Prl Adv. Cordon for Senator Committee M.r.h.U Cern." Ex? Sec. Imperial Hotel. Portland cgamanseal Lai&i? IBJunsnimess IREGEr TTW EEAT BEUIPS THE TIOTSEfJi BILL The MEASURE THAT WOULD IMPOSE A 3 GROSS TRANSACTION TAX ON ALL SALES AND WAGES This Joint Statement of the OREGON STATE FEDERATION OF LABOR and the PORTLAND CHAMBER of COMMERCE . : By the Chamber-Federation- Recognizing the grave threat to the welfare of industrial workers and business enterprise that is contained in the proposed gross income tax constitutional amendment .(Little Townsend Plan), organiza tions representative of management and labor appeal to citi zens who are members of their respective groups to study this measure and cast their votes for the preservation of Oregon's economic integrity. It is the firm belief of our organizations that adoption of this measure would bring economic ruin to the state. . This proposed amendment, frozen into the constitution, would levy Upon every dollar received by an individual, firm or corporation, without the slightest regard for what portion of income might be net earnings or profits. The individual or the business firm would be compelled to pay the tax 12 times a year on all moneys received, even in a transaction that represented a loss. Income would again be taxed when spent, and in many cases would take a multiple tax for all the preceding transactions through which an article or com modity had passed. . Applying the tax to every transaction taking place with- ' in the state would mean that an Oregon-made article would take the tax several times between and including the sale of the natural product and the final sale to the consumer. The ' consumer would be required to pay all the accumulated taxes in the purchase price. The price of the product at re tail would necessarily be so high that Oregon industry could , not survive, for the Oregon-made product could not compete in price with a similar product made in another state, either ' for sale in Oregon or elsewhere. The result would be that Oregon farm products, In their natural state or after being processed, must take a high price or the Oregon farmer must dispose of his product at a loss. The wage-earner, in addition to bearing a wage reduc tion through the payment of a tax on every dollar received, would find that the product he produced could not be mar keted because its price would be advanced to absorb the multiplied taxes. The ultimate result would be that his job would disappear. The merchant, or other business concern, engaged in dis tribution would be forced to discriminate against Oregon products. Moreover, the inevitable reduction of the income of the farmer and the wage-earner would drive the distribu tive enterprise out of business because of the certain reduc tion in business volume. An understanding of this measure, we are sure, will re- ' suit in its rejection. Therefore, we urge that our respective groups inform themselves, and exercise their rights of citizen ship to protect the Welfare of the state. BEFORE YOU VOTE! How much will the tax ralsa? Based upon Oregon's itlattd gross transactions of $5,G33, 000,000 a 3 tax would rata a minimum of over $I68,GS3,GC0. This is over three times the total taxes of $54,516,000 collected b Oregon from ALL sources for Hta fiscal year 1 94243. v Does the proposed Act eliminate . any taxes? No. ALL existing taxes cexHxss In effect. OREGON'S FUTURE and YOUR FUTURE ARE AT STAKE Don't Fail To TOTE w mm Against the "Little Townsend" Bill TUESDAY, NOV. 7th PAID ADV. CITIZENS' COMMITTEI OF JACKSON COUNTY B. I. HARDER, CHAIRMAN 71 T
