Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989, January 12, 1956, Image 4

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FOUR MEDFORD (OREGON)
MEDFORDtiJTBIBUNE
"Everybody In Southern Oregon
Reads The Mail Tribune
Publiihed Daily Except Saturday by
MEDFORD PRINTING CO.
27-29 North Fir St.- Phone 2-6141
ROBERT W. RUHL. Editor
HERB GREY. Advertising Manager
GERALD LATHAM, Business Manager
ERIC ALLEN JR, Managing Editor
EARL H. ADAMS. City Editor
HARRY CHIP MAN, Telegraph Editor
RICHARD JEWETT, Sports Editor
OLIVE ST ARCHER, Society Editor
DALE ERICKSON. Circulation Mgr.
An Independent Newspaper
Entered at second class matter at
Medford, Oregon, under Act of
March 3, 1897
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
By Mail In Advance: Per Copy 10c.
Daily and Sunday One year $12.00
Daily and Sunday Six months 6.50
Daily and Sunday Three mos. 3.50
Sunday Only One year $3.50.
By Carrier In Advance Medford,
Ashland, Central Point, Eagle Point,
Jacksonville. Gold Hill, phoenix.
Shady Cove, Rogue River, Talent,
and on motor routes:
Daily and Sunday One year $15.00
Daily and Sunday One month 1.25
Carrier and Dealers 5c per copy.
Official Paper of the City of Medford
Official Paper of Jackson County
United Press Full Leased Wire
MEMBER OF AUDIT BUREAU
OF CIRCULATION
Advertising Representative:
WEST-HOLLIDAY COMPANY INC.
Offices in New York, Chicago. De
troit. San Francisco, Los Angeles,
Seattle, Portland, St. Louis, Atlanta,
Vancouver, B.C.
NATIONAL EDITORIAL
I AsTbcG-ATLQN
J U
WUJUTMiH.'.M.'.lHI
NEWSPAPER.
PUBLISHERS
ASSOCIATION
Flight o' Time
Medford and Jackson County
Historv from the files of The
.Mail Tribune 10. 20, 30 and
40 years ago.
10 YEARS AGO
Jan. 12, 194S
(It was Saturday)
Gwen Goin, Barbara Hawley,
Anne Bonhert, Jean Kincaid and
Jeanette Brown announced as
candidates for Queen of Amer
ican Legion sponsored World
War II veterans homecoming
dance at Central Point.
From Arthur Perry's Ye
Smudge Pot column: Quite a
hegira of local folks have gone
south to drink spring water,
trod the hot sands of the desert,
and gawk at movie kings and
queens.
20 YEARS AGO -
Jan. 12, 193S
(It was Sunday)
Jackson countv Judge Earl B.
Day elected vice-president ' of
state association of county
judges and commissioners.
Central Point abandons sewer
disposal plant plans because of
high cost of materials.
30 YEARS AGO
Jan. 12, 1926
(It was Tuesday)
Dr. S. V. Gearey, county
health officer, and Miss Vera
Beard and Miss Leah Jennings,
public health nurses, to conduct
first pre-school clinic here soon
Merchants committee of Louis
Ulrich, A. C. Hubbard and B.. W.
Paul appointed to study and or
ganize budget system for Com
munity Chest drive, which is
favored by the local Merchants
association.
40 YEARS AGO
Jan. 121916
(It was Wednesday)
Dr. J. J. Emmens and Dr. J.
M. Keene elected councilmen
from wards one and two, re
spectively, in city elections.
From Local and Personal
column: Those living in the vi
cinity of Derby, up Rogue river,
report that the heavy snowfall
of the past three or four days
has driven some big game down
into the foothills.
What's the Answer?
Can You Gel 4 of the 7?
Copr. 1955, Editorial Research Repert
1. It Was three, five, seven or
nine years ago that Gen. MacAr
thur stopped the Chinese Red
advance in Korea?
2. Most Methodists, a national
survey finds, do or don't con
sider dancing sinful?
3. Wives living with their hus
bands work outside the home in
about one out of every two, four,
six or eight U. S. families?
4. Which avowed candidate
for a 1956 presidential nomina
tion has a wife named Nancy?
5. The bite of the black widow
spider usually is or isn't fatal to
human beings?
6. Which two members of the
Eisenhower Cabinet have been
U. S. Senators?
7. A "Benedict" is a bachelor,
a recently, married man, a long
married man, a widower or a
divorced man?
The Answers: 1. Five years
ago. 2. Most don't. 3. About
one out of four. 4. Sen. Ke
fauver. 5. Usually isn't.. 6.
Secretary of State Dulles, Sec-'
relary of Commerce Weeks. 7.
Recently married.
MAIL TRIBUNE
!: An Announcement
For quarter of a century it doesn't seem that
long! the Southern" Oregon Publishing company of
Klamath Falls, has-been a minority stockholder in
the Medford Printing company which publishes the
Mail-Tribune. It was in 1931 that this Klamath com
pany, owned jointly by Frank Jenkins of the Klamath
Falls Herald and the late Ernest Gilstrap, for many
years the business manager of the Mail Tribune,
bought out the stock interest of the late Sumpter
Smith of Medford who was for oyer a decade the
advertising business manager of this paper.
A few weeks ago this minority stock interest was
purchased by resident stockholders of the Mail Trib
une, so that the paper is now entirely (100) home
owned. This will mark no changes in the policies of the
paper or its operating personnel, but m view of the
fact that during the period of joint-interest, many
misapprehensions existed, and many false rumors
were circulated, an announcement of the change in
stock ownership at this time seemed desirable. .
.. R.W.R.
Line-up on Gas'Bill
The Democrats in the Senate are badly split on
the pending Fulbright (D-Ark.) bill (S 1853) to end
federal regulation over prices of natural gas as sup
plied by producers to distributors for resale in inter
state commerce. Hence the Democratic leadership
is anxious to have the bill disposed of quickly, that
any scars it leaves may heal well before the Novem
ber elections. Senate Majority leader Lyndon B.
Johnson and House Speaker Sam Rayburn, Texans
both, are working for the bill.
When the similar Harris (D-Ark.) bill (HR 6645)
was passed by the House last July 28 by only a six
vote margin' (209 to 203), the House Democrats were
better than 3 to 2 (136 to 86) against it. The House
Republicans were almost 2 to 1 (123 to 67) for it.
President Eisenhower took no stand, but his advisory
committee on Energy and Resources had come out,
Feb. 26, against federal control over natural gas
"prior to its entry into an interstate transmission
line."
Most Senators, regardless of-party, from gas-producing
states are for the Harris-Fulbright proposal.
Local utility companies that buy ;Tiatural gas, also
some state utility commissions, are fighting the pro
posal, and opposition to it can be expected of most
Senators from non-producing areas-using natural gas.
CERTAINLY that was much the line-up in the House
nre Inpf irnnv f 1 1Vi -i Tftvon A rnvinfin T
vui.c .10.00 jrceu.. xnc icAas, Jru. rvdiioao, Jiu UlOldllct
and Oklahoma delegations voted solidly for the Har
ris bill, the Kentucky delegation solidly against it,
the lennessee and Virginia delegations against it
with one exception each, every Representative from
New York City against it. . . '
For many years the Federal Power Commission
considered its control over natural gas prices, under
the Natural Gas Act of 1938, restricted to what the
pipe lines charged on delivery to local gas companies.
But on June 7, 1954, the Supreme Court by five to
three in the Phillips v.- Wisconsin case found that the
F.P.C. control extended to what the producers
charged the pipe lines. Thereupon the F.P.C. froze
the existing prices in the field.
So It Can't Be Done?
. "We are getting letters in the mail claiming that
no defeated candidate for President deserves a sec
ond attempt.
"In the election of 1792 Thomas Jefferson re
ceived only 4 electorial votes, but in 1800 and again
in 1804 he was elected overwhelmingly.
"John Quincy Adams was defeated in 1820 but
elected in 1824.
"William Henry Harrison was beaten by Martin
Van Buren in 1836 but elected over Van Buren in
1840. After being defeated in 1888, Grover Cleveland
came back to win in 1892.
"These are some historical facts we will do well
to consider." R.N.
Editorial Comment
iBATT.Ttnsn msTnnv
We believe railroad passenger
train history was made last week
when the New York Central op
erated General Motor's new
Aero-train between Chicago and
Detroit on a .four hour schedule
for the 284 mile run. Currently
the normal passenger train time
between these mid-western cities
is five hours.
The GM Aerotrain is a revolu
tionary type of passenger train,
with low-slung articulated cars
seating 40 passengers in each
coach. Seats are of the airplane
type. Two Aerotrain coaches
weigh ' only a little more than
half of a present-day standard
railroad car and General Motor's
new train is designed for speeds
up to 100 miles an hour.
A key factor in the new train,
which should appeal to progres
sive railroad managements, is
the fact that the Aerotrain costs
only one third as much as a
train of similar capacity in stand
ard equipment and can be oper
ated at one half the cost.
The initial reaction of New
York Central officials was one
of optimism.
"This train gives us a chance
at recovering profitable passen
ger business," said Alfred Perl
man, president o fthe New York
Central.
After May 1, the new GM train
will be leased by the Central for
regular passenger service be
tween Chicago and Detroit. Until
Thursday, January 12, 1956
that time, it will be demonstrat
ed on half a dozen different
roads and, according to the Wall
Street-Journal, the Southern Pa
cific is one of the western roads
which will make tests of the
new, equipment.
While the present 10-car Aero
train would be far too large a
train to operate over the Sis
kiyou line, it would be interest
ing to see what the equipment
would do on a test run between
Dunsmuir and Eugene.
It might demonstrate a meth
od by which the SP could restore
passenger service in this highly
profitable section of its system.
Ashland Tidings.
EARTH AND SKY
It is appropriate that Phil Bro
gan of Bend has been designated
the successor to the late J. Hugh
Pruett as celestial bookkeeper
for the Pacific Northwest. His
title will be Pacific Northwest
director of the American Meteor
Society. Now it will be Phil who
keeps the charts of the fireballs
which pass across the sky.
Phil, associate editor of the
Bend Bulletin, is a science writ
er of solid reputation. He is also
a scientist. While most of his
work has been done in geology,
he served many years as Bend's
weather man on a part-time
basis.
The men and women who
worked with Mr. Pruett, report
ing to him the time and direction-
Good Will Potential Seen for
Dulles' Visit to Nehru Soon
By CHARLES M. McCANN
United Press Correspondent
Secretary of State John Foster
Dulles can do a lot of good when
he visits Prime Minister Jawa-
SaRHEri .harlal Nehru
of India in
March. The
visit, in fact,
may prove to
be one of the
most impor
tant Dulles has
made in some
time. First, he
should be able
Charles McCann to Clear UP
completely the misunderstand
ing over his recent reference to
Portugal's "provinces" in the
Far East, including Goa on the
Indian coast.
Secondly, he should be able
to offset some of the propa
ganda which . Soviet Premier
Nikolai A. Bulganin and Com
munist Party Chief Nikita S.
Khrushchev dished out so lavfsh
ly on their visit to Nehru.
Dunes may - be . able to con
vince Nehru that solid American
aid is of more value to India
than Communist big talk.
Finally, Dulles will be able
to discuss intimately the issues
outstanding between the United
States and Communist China.
The visit might even result
in some initiative by Nehru to
ease tensions in the Far East.
He is anti-Communist in his po
litical philosophy' but he is
friendly with Chinese Red lead
ers Mao Tse-Tung and Chou En
Lai. He is a valuable go-between
in East-West relations.
Important Man
Nehru has made himself a
most important man in world
affairs. He is the leader of the
"neutralist" nations, which want
to side neither with the West
nor with the East. He is the
leader of India's 360,000,000
people. His country, the second
largest in the world in point of
population, is bound to take an
increasingly large share in world
problems as the years pass.
Nehru is in no sense a dic
tator. He was chosen leader be
cause he is India's outstanding
man. He enjoys the respect and
love of his people. But he is
undisputed leader. A lot of dic
tators might envy him.
Indian-American relations got
a big jolt when Dunes issued
Grange
Upper Rogue Grange
Upper Rogue Grange held its
first meeting of the new year
with the new master, Caroline
Harding, presiding. All new of
ficers but three ' were present.
Pomona master Herb Carlton in
stalled Bill Miller on the exec
utive committee; Ray Gillispie as
assistant steward and Ann Gill
ispie' as musician. The charter
was draped for Brother Tracy
Boothby who passed away, re
cently. The master read her new
committees as follows:
Youth, Monte Axtell; juvenile,
Don Vannice; ways and means,
Carl Richardson, Robert Dar
rOhn, Eda Torrance and Caro
line Harding; building, Roy
Vaughn, Harry Harding and
Herb Carlton; hospitality, Meryle
Carlton; roads, Henry Schuder,
Mabel Hanson and O. E. Stone;
legislature, Harold Barber, Ran
ald Axtell; agriculture, Bruce
Grieve and Herb Carlton; mu
sician, Ann Gillispie, Nellie Van
nice; publicity, Lucile Barber,
Caroline Harding; education,
Birdie Moore and Esther Merri
man; history, Harold Barber;
fire insurance, Bruce Grieve;
and H.E.C., May Richardson. . .
Herb Carlton attended a spe
cial Grange conference meeting
at Roseburg Sunday, Jan. 8.
Next regular , Grange meeting
wUl be Thursday, Jan. 19, at 8
p.m.
H.E.C. meeting, with May
Richardson presiding, will be in
the hall Thursday, Jan. 12, with
a'l p.m. luncheon. '
After the Grange business
meeting refreshments were
served by Mr. and Mrs. George
Tockstein assisted by Meryle
Carlton.
Work Starts On
Hotel Remodeling
Work started this week on an
other phase of a long range re
modeling program at the Med
ford hotel, Harry Watson, man
ager, has announced." Under re
modeling now are the large room
formerly the dining room, and
several upstairs guest rooms.
In the dining room, ceilings
are being lowered and new floor
ing and lighting fixtures instal
led. Don L. Jacobs is contractor
in charge of work. Present plans
call for use of the room for ban
quets or special parties..
The other phase includes add
ing new bathrooms to eight guest
rooms. Stan Parrish, contractor,
Coffeen Brothers, plumbers,
with Phil Stanbridge, tile layer,
are in charge of that work.
of meteors observed in our skies,
will now report to Phil Brogan.
And we are confident that this
man whose fame has stemmed
from his knowledge of mother
earth will do equaUy well when
he turns his eyes to the skies.
Eugene Register-Guard.
a joint statement with visiting
Portuguese Foreign Affairs Min
ister Paulo Arsenio Verissimo
Cunha in Washington on Dec. 2.
The statement criticized Bul
ganin and Khrushchev for try
ing, on their visit to South Asia,
"to foment hatred between the
East and West." But it also
mentioned Portugal's posses
sions in the Far East as "prov
inces" of the mother country
and not as colonies. They are
classed by Portugal as provinces.
Wants Colonies
Nehru, who says he Is deter
mined to get Goa and its adja
cent tiny Portuguese areas on
the Indian coast, got quite angry.
MClttQF Of FdCt By Joe and Stewart Alsop
THEY THINK HE'LL RUN
Washington President Ei
senhower clearly indicated, at
his recent press conference, that
he had already
made a tenta
tive decision
about his polit
ical future.
Among the men
around the
President,
there is a re
markable unan
imity about the
Joseph Aisop nature or. tnis
decision. If those who should
know are right, the President's
intentions may be described
about as foUows.
He wUl run, on two condi
tions. First, he win keep a close
watch on his own reactions, now
that he is back working "in full
swing" at the job of being Pres
ident. If he feels any grave and
unusual fatigue in the next few
weeks he wiU
reverse his
present inten
tion. And he
win, of course,
also decide
against running
if the doctors
advise against
it when they
examine him in
a eDruary. Stewart Alsop
- The steady growth of the con
viction that the President : wul
run if these two conditions are
met is a remarkable political
phenomenon. Three months ago,
hardly anyone thought he would
or could run. As recently as one
month ago, even the optimists
among his friends put the
chances of his running at no
better than 50 per cent. But now
almost everyone with access to
the President - believes that he
means to run - bar - unusual fa
tigue or a medical red light.
THE simplest explanation . of
this growing . conviction
would be, "of course, that the
President himself has said as
much. More than once, most re
cently at a meeting of the Re
publican Finance Committee, At
torney General Herbert Brow
neU has clearly intimated that
the President has given' such as
surances. But others at least as
close to the President assert
very positively that he has not
revealed his tentative decision
to anyone, bar perhaps Mrs.
Eisenhower. . .
These men say that they are
sure the President's present
strong inclination is to run, not
because he has revealed this in
tention in so many words, but
because of the way he talks and
acts. He not. only looks weU,
but what is far more import
anthe feels weU. He has re
marked jokingly to friends
that "It must have been some
other f eUow who had that heart
attack."
"Ike just isn't acting like a
man whose career is drawing to
a close," a member of the "Com
modore Regency" has remarked.
"He acts like a man who expects
to be right in the thick of it for
years to come. I'm sure he'll go."
APART from the atmosphere
the President generates
around him, there is another
reason for the relief that his
tentative decision is to run again. .
In the last year or so especially,
the President has become very
mucbTa party man. He now often
says with obvious conviction,
that the Republicans must win
in 1956, because it would be a
disaster for the Democrats to re
capture the White House after
only four years. The President is,
of course, fuUy aware that the
disaster is much more likely to
occur if he is not a candidate. '
But aU this hardly seems to
justify the near-certainty that
the President will run which is
expressed ' by many of those
around him. The fact is that the
extraordinary political depend
ence of the Republican party on
the President's magical person
ality has led to a lot of wishful
thinking. As pro - Eisenhower
publisher John Knight has
pointed out in a strong editorial,
it has fed the delusion that "A
coronary is not much worse than
a bad cold."
FIS A dangerous delusion.
The Mutual Life Insurance
Company of New York has esti
mated that a coronary between
the ages of 50 and 60 cuts life
expectancy by an average of
more than 50 per cent, to less
than nine years. There are no
estimates for higher ages, since!
The incident was blown up
far beyond its real importance.
But it was pie for Bulganin
and Khrushchev, and they made
the most of it as enemies of
anything but the Kremlin kind
of colonialism. V
Indian resentment over the
DuBes - Cunha statement prob
ably was keener because Bul
ganin and Khrushchev, were
still in South Asia.
But the timing certainly was
unfortunate, and it certainly
hurt relations of the .United
States with India.
Dulles ought not to have much
trouble in setting things'' straight
again.
persons who have coronaries
over the age of 60 are not con
sidered insurable. Such grim sta
tistics must, of course, be
weighted rather heavily in the
President's favor, since his gen
eral health is exceUent and he
has so far made a remarkable
recovery. But, as publisher
Knight also writes, "it is . f oUy
to pretend that, the President is
not a sick man."
The doctors cannot possibly
give the . President the much
talked about "green light," more;
over. Kven it his recovery con
tinues unmarred, they cannot
possibly assure the President
that he wiU not have another
attack. All they can do is to give
him the facts on. the basis of
which he can weigh the risk of
a "critical" mid-term change of
government (to use his own ad:
jective) against the opportunity
of future service to the country,
who has never been a victim of
the no -worse-than -a-bad-cold
myth, can be relied ; upon to
weigh both risk and opportun
ity most carefully and soberly.
(C) 1956, New York Herald
Tribune Inc.
Fortunately, the President,
Communications
Letters to the Editor must bear
the' name and address of the writer
although under certain circum
stances the use ot a pen name or
initial for publication ii Dermis
rible. The Mail Tribune reserves
the right to edit all letters with an
eye to clarification and condensa
tion Letters submitted for publica
tion must not exceed 400 words.
Mrs. Lyman Praised
To the Editor: I am coming to
the defense of a wonderful, dear,
sweet, understanding, tolerant,
wise human and the nearest
thing to an angel in human form
that ever lived in this country.
No one can count the many
thousands of little things favor
and advice and wise council
that she has given to hundreds
of people on welfare. The cour
age she has given, when things
looked useless and black.
As for her being disloyal to
her job and county, 'tain't, true!
She is the soul of honesty and
loyal to the organization she has
so loyaUy served. Who wants
her job, I wonder? Easy way
out, when she is ready to retire?
Some of those who are kicking
up a fuss had better sweep their
own backyards. I have worked
for the government and have
never seen anyone, officer or
otherwise, who was infallible or
not human. Funny, after an these
years she should suddenly be
caUed incapable. She has a lot
of people in her work to super
vise, aU human beings, and
make mistakes too we aU do.
I have met many of them in
my trouble, and never have I
had either man or woman be
discourteous or -unkind to me or
mine. Some a good deal young
er than I, Taut stiU wonderful
people- Sometimes they get their
ears fuU, but not a word or con
fidence is broken. N
Mrs. Lyman is a fine Christ
ian upstanding woman.- I
think any boss who doesn t
try to stand by his or her help
wouldn't last 21 years. That's
for sure. .
I worked for the Army three
years and saw a lot that wasn't
exactly according to Hoyle. They
got by with it. But let a fine wo
man like her make a mistake
oh, my, it's awful crime! People
who live in glass houses
shouldn't throw stones.
OK, aU you folks she has
helped, be human and write a
letter to her defense; help give
her faith in us she has helped;
forget petty differences and
write or caU her or the paper
and stick up for her.
Mrs. Anna Dale,
252 Strawberry lane,
Ashland, Ore.
Tribut to "Fergie"
To the Editor: Do we realize
how much we have lost with the
passing of E. C. Ferguson? I be
came acquainted with him in
'33, and during those hectic
years of '33 and '34 I was im
pressed with the value of a man
like Fergie to his community.
I am sure that service to the
community, state and nation
was always foremost in his
thoughts and plans.
I join with his many friends
in my expression of sympathy to
Mrs. Ferguson, and in saying E.
C. F. wiU be with us for a long
time in memory.
Elwood Hussey
Mayor
Cave Junction, Ore.
and
' ly Walter
CONGRESS AND THE PRESS
The Eastland Sub-Committee
announced last week that "this
phase of our. hearing is closed
for the pres
ent." This
phase has had
to do with
Communist in
filtration of the
newspaper
press, and the
specific target
has been "The
New York
Walter Lippman Times."
The Committee has shown
that over a period of some 20
years there have been employed
on "The Times some 30 men
who have at one time or an
other been Communists. Con
sidering that there are now more
than 4,000 employees, consider
ing how many thousand more
must have worked for "The
Times" in the course of 20 years,
the percentage of the infiltra
tors has been minute. More sig
nificantly, almost aU of them
have held quite subordinate jobs,
and none of them has nearly
enough editorial authority to ex
ercise any discernible influence
upon the news and opinions of
the newspaper.
The objective test of whether
there has in fact been infiltra
tion is whether or not the pages
of "The New York Times" show
any evidence of the suppression
or distortion of news by the
members of the staff. If the
paper had indeed been subvert
ed, any competent investigator
would have been able to point
to the evidence that the Commu
nist infiltrators had served their
cause in the pages of "The New
York Times." As the Eastland
Sub-Committee has offered no
such evidence, has not even
hinted that it could offer such
evidence, it is as certain as any
thing can - be that there is no
such evidence.
What the hearings have shown
is that the paper has at one time
or another employed a very
small number of Communists,
and that these Communists have
not infiltrated, have not in any
visible way subverted, what the
paper has thought fit to print.
BUT while the investigation of
"The New York Times" is a
dud, the affair of this ; investi
gation has raised a hard question
about the freedom of the press
and about the rights and duties
of newspapermen. ;
Does Congress have the power
to investigate the press,, and if
it has, what if any are the limits
of that power? There is no clear
and authoritative answer to the
question for the very good rea
son that it is in American ex
perience a radicaUy new ques
tion. Not for many generations,
if ever before in our history,
has any organ of government
claimed the power to examine
and to pass judgment upon who
shaU work on newspapers.
The law on the subject has
not been tested and it is not
clear. Judicial opinion ranges
from that of Judge Prettyman's
decision in the Barsky case,
which is that Congress may in
vestigate whatever it suspects. is
a public danger, to the opinion
of Chief Justice Warren in
Quinn v. United States, that "the
power to investigate, broad as It
may be, is also subject to rec
ognized limitations." It has never
been determined what those lim
itations are.
The practical situation is that
Congressional committees will
tend to push the limits of their
power as far as the newspapers
and public opinion permits. The
law on the subiect is not set. it
is now being made by what we
aU do and do not do.
THE crucial question posed by
the Eastland Committee is
whether Congress has the power
to censor the individual em
ployees of a newspaper. If a
Congressional committee has
that power in case of employees
who are, have been, or are charg
ed with being Communists, what
is to stop future Congressional
committees from censoring
newspaper employment on other
Today
jo.-!
Jf '
Tomorrow
Llppmann
grounds? 1
Let the politicaL, climate
change, let it become again like
that of the '30s: On what legal
ground is Congress to be chal
lenged if it chooses to investigate
the influence on the press of
corporate interests; if, for ex
ample, it demands a public ac
counting of the financial con
nections and interests of pub
lishers, editors, and reporters?
Once it is the accepted prin
ciple that Congress has power
to set up standards of newspaper
employment, the inner spirit and
the practical meaning of the
First Amendment will be deeply
impaired, congress has, of
course, no power to pass laws
dealing with , the standards of
newspaper employment Has it '
the right to do the same thing
by the power to investigate?
As exercised bv latter-dar
Congressional committees, the
power to investigate is a tre
mendous instrument, combining
the power to make laws, to en-
iorce those laws, to judge and
to punish' men under those laws.
nus tremendous instrument can
he, notoriously it has been, used
io narass, to intimidate, to pun
ish, and to destroy.
were it to become the nrrmK .
ed practice that Congress may
investigate the press, machinery
wuuiu exist xo nullify the First
Amendment.
rpHE question therefore is
--whether the newspaper pro
fession shaU assent to, or shaU
oppose, the claim that Congress
nas tne ; power to investigate
the editorial management nf
newspapers. The hiring or ' fir
ing of employees is an essential
and central part of the editing
of a newspaper. My own view
is that no part of the editorial
management should, that no part
can under the First Amendment,
be ceded legitimately to Con
gress. If we who are connected
with newspapers acquiesce, in
the right to Congress to censor
on any. grounds whatever news
paper employment, we-., shall
have opened the way to a grave
invasion of the freedom of the
press. ,'".'"
.It has been said, among oth
ers by "The New York Times"
itself, that the press is not sacro
sanct and that the right of "any
investigation of the, press by any
agency of Congress' should not
be questioned. .
I su&nit that it must be ques
tioned. Of course the newspa
pers are not sacrosanct. . They;
are subject,, like every individ
ual and corporation to aU the,
laws of the land to the tax
laws, to anti-trust laws, to the
military laws, to the labor laws,
to the building laws, and if they
have watchdogs, to the laws
about rabies inoculations.
What is sacrosanct is that the
freedom of the press shaU not
be abridged by Congress. Con
gressional' censorship of the em
ployment of newspa permen
would, if it is assented to, and
aUowed to become the practice,
threaten seriously to abridge
the freedom of the press. -
T'HE sacrosanct principle'of the
First Amendment was not
adopted in order to favor news
papermen and to make them
privileged characters. It was ,
adopted because a free society
cannot exist without a free
press. The First Amendment im
poses many duties upon news
papermen who enjoy the priv
ileges of this freedom. One of
the prime duties of free jour
nalists is. that they should to
the best of their abilities pre
serve intact for those who come
after them the freedom which
the . First Amendment guaran
tees.
It is, therefore, our duty, as
see it, to refuse to assent to,
and instead to oppose, the setting
up of a precedent that can lead
to the gravest abuse.
Copyright 1958,
New York Herald Tribune Inc."
U. S. railroads carried a total-
of 17,500,000 fewer passengers
in 1954 than the number trans
ported in 1953.
WHICH CEMETERY?
- You can save your loved ones considerable
inxiety if you let them know which cemetery
you prefer.
When the time element is critical in ar
ranging funeral services, you can especially
lave them much mental anguish if you have
been thoughtful enough to have selected and
purchased plots in advance of need.
If you are not acquainted with Medford's
three cemeteries, visit them and arrange for
the purchase of space now, when it is easier to
think of the "indefinite future."
CHAPEL MORTUARY
Across from the Courthouse
Frank Morgan Harold Snodgrass
FUNERAL DIRECTORS