Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 16, 1956)
r Matter of Focf By jpi. m. "HE COULD'VE DID MORE" I Philadelphia Philadelphia's 32 Ward one of those Negro lections in the northern big cities j which both Democrats and Rep ublicans are now watching with breathless a t tention is n o w h e re as bad as the worst of H a r lem and no where as good as the best. In this Philadelphia ward there is little to compare with jwide areas of slum clearance housing that promise a new decency and hope to the poor in Harlem. There is nothing, either, quite so evil as Harlem's even wider areas of stinking cliff high slum apartments that are fully as horrible as the worst slums of Bombay. The 32 Ward is, rather, a classical Negro sec tion in the old style, where the Negroes have taken over street after drab and dreary street built for fairly prosperous white people 70 or 80 years ago. The more ambitious and suc cessful Negro families live in often even own little stone built row houses that must once have housed a solid middle class family apiece, and today house anywhere up to eight or ten Negro families apiece. ... pUSH your way into these tcne- ments past the children play ing on the steps and sidewalk be cause they have nowhere else to play. Climb the rickety dark stairs. As you pass by, avert your eyes, if you are wise, from the single foul bathroom that serves the two or three families on each floor. Knock at the crazy doors. Peer into the crowded rooms, furnished with the squalid castoffs of our in dustrial, civilization, whose pro ducts, somehow, do not seem to age very gracefully. You are gripped you must be gripped by a deep shame that this rich country lets so many of its citizens live in sop such a manner. Even so, even the worse of Phila delphia's 32nd Ward lacks the dark, downright Asian squalor, the foulness and grim hopeless ness of the worst of Harlem. And this difference seems to have considerable political import ance, judging by the results of an intensive door to door In quiry recently conducted in company with a professional poller, John Kraft. On a similar expedition in Harlem, this reporter's partner found that the slumdwellers thought little about civil rights and were voting solidly Dem ocratic simply because "The Democrats are the party of us poor people." In contrast, he also found a passionate preoccu pation with civil rights wherev er Negro families had achieved more decent living conditions; and in these sections of Harlem there was considerable resent ment of Adlai E. Stevenson's "moderation" on the civil rights issue. IN PHILADELPHIA'S 32 Ward, in contrast, where almost no one can escape from slum con ditions but the slums are some what less appalling, the economic and civil rights issues are blend ed in almost everyone's mind. But here in Philadelphia, they seldom mention Adlai Steven son's "moderation" on the civil rights: instead, they say, "The President could've did more to help our people." Typical of the more articulate was Mrs. Irene Bennett, a sturdy, intelligent woman who works for Wanamakers and is rearing her large brood in part of one floor of a tumbledown house on Camac Street. Mrs. Bennett is no Stevenson enthusiast, but after careful thought she gives the greatest weight the Pres ident's inaction during the school troubles in the South. "The deciding factor with me is which party is going to do the most for my people," she says. More belligerent, and more representative of the less thoughtful, more directly emo tional voters was Miss Celia Cook, a little, whltehalred, hard working old lady who lives in a room like cave in one of the North 12th st. slums. "I don't like Republicans," said Miss Cook. "They're for the rich. And I don't like Mr. Eisenhower at all, either. He's done everything for the White people and noth ing'for my people. Why look at all those trouble down South. Isn't he President? Why can't he do something?" TTOWARD Norris, an ambitious H young Clerical worker who is buying his own little house on North st., took the exceptional view that "Although Eisenhower has ducked the civil rights issue, I always remember these South ern Governors are Democrats. So I'm for the Democrats just because I think they're the party of the little man." But two of the rare Repub lican voters, ladies of rather obvious easy virtue, said they did not like the President be cause "It seems like he could've did a lot more for the colored people." They then added, with a giggle, that they were Repub licans all the same, "Because everyone round here is a Repub lican." That notion of the two ladies was oertainly erroneous. The vast majority of the voters of the 32 Ward chose Adlai Steven son four years ago. The Dem ocratic lead was so decisive that there were few Republicans left to switch; yet we found a couple of switches none-the-less. Unless our rather large sample was somehow badly distorted, this crucial Negro ward of crucial Philadelphia should give Adlai Stevenson as large a propor tional majority as he got four years ago. And if our switches are indicative, he may even gain a percentage point or two on top of that. 1956, New York Herald Tribune Inc. PLUSH 'COPTERS FOR BRASS Washington (U.R) The Army at a cost of $92,236 is fitting out eight helicopters as plush passenger vehicles for trans porting high civilian and mili tary brass. America's Finest AUTOMATIC BLANKET NATIONALLY FAMOUS AT SAVINGS YOU DREAM ABOUT! Evn heat with t ft-VS. ffg n ' ' Fabulous new fabric that washes like a dream, developed especially for Universal. Shrink proof, mothproof, fadeproof and light weight. BIG 72"x84" SIZE Fully Automatic Electric Blanket New Dream Features . . New single control eliminates bumpy ther mostats and is so safe that it resets itself automatically in the event of current inter ruption. Drapes well to mate up good tooling bed because the blanket is operated by a flexible feeder wire. Washes like dream, mothproof, fadeproof. 190 Watts. Blue, Green, Rose, Flamingo. TWIN BED SIZE ONLY Single control. 135 Watts. 24 mYt I ONLY 9 ASS 03 95 DOUBLE BED SIZE Dual Controls. 190 WatH. I i I -f M HI -1 T 'Jx 1 Weisfleld's Jewelers IZZ E. Main, Medford ... .electric blanket in (color). and will send S . per month until the en- please send me the. advertised at S I am enclosing S per week or S tire amount is paid. g NAME ADDRESS PHONE ... CITY . HOW LONG ZONE STATS .. HOW LONG... g WHERE EMPLOYED -REDIT REFERENCE JJ i Firm Names and Where Located) IF5 122 E. Main Phone 3-5348 Open Wednesday Until 9 p.m. Editorial Comment STEVENSON'S CAMPAIGING Oregon Democrats gave Adlai Stevenson a hearty welcome Wednesday when he came to press his campaign for election as President and to give a boost to the candidates of his party for other offices. Stevenson is intelligent, articulate, stimulat ing. He would in our opinion make a very able President. To do so, however, he surely would have to shorten sail on many of his overtures for group votes which he has been making in his campaign. This was the basis fro President Eisenhower's ac cusation that the Democrats were becoming "politically irrespons ible." We think the change could be tempered a bit by applying the discount of "campaign oratory." The trouble is that Stevenson has in his party many who would try to put all these promises into effect. They would quote from the text of his speech es to his own discomfort. Ninety per ' cent parity for farmers with government secu rity extended to growers of other than the basic crops, more gen erous aid to aged, government guaranteed health insurance, greater aid for education. all these, and others, and lower taxes threaten the stability of the national treasury. The Dem ocratic record is one of mount ing taxes and mounting govern ment paternalism. By committ ing himself so fully to this pro gram of federal generosity, Stevenson departs from his pre vious endorsement of modera tion. We regard Stevenson more highly than his campaigning warrants, but feel he has made himself a captive of old New Fair Deal. Oregon Statesman, Salem. Tuesday, October 18, 1956 MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE FIVE FAVORS HELLS CANYON Mike Strauss, commissioner of reclamation under President Truman, said something here this week that deserves much more consideration than many who live in the Northwest prob- j ably will give it. Mr. Strauss said that tne eyes ot trie nation are constantly directed to the course of water resources devel opment in the Northwest for the obvious reason that such a great part of the nation's hydro elec tric potential is here. This has long been evident. It was vividly pointed up when the Hells Canyon argument was rag ing. Many large newspapers in the eastern United States were pushing for the high dam be cause they thought it would in sure best use of a resource that belongs to all the people of the United States. What we say and think about water resources de velopment in this region is of vital interest everywhere be cause we will be direct beneficiaries. It is for that reason that we j have, time and again, questioned ! the approach taken by eastern j Oregon's representative in Con gress, Sam Coon. He opposed full development of the Snake river when he opposed a high Hells Canypn dam. And he has : done nothing to get appropria-j tions for construction of John j Day dam, which has federal au-1 thorization. If Mr. Coon is not willing to go to bat for his re gion what must the people far removed from the region think? build three low head dams in the Hells Canyon stretch of the Snake river. It is tcft early, how ever, to count the high dam peo ple down and completely out. Illinois' Sen. Paul Douglas told a Democratic dinner meet ing at Milton-Freewater last Saturday night that the election of a Democratic President und firmer control after this election of the House and Senate by Democrats could bring about re versal of the FPC decision and construction of the high dam. Seems to us that is a distinct possibility. Pendleton East Oregonian. EVERYTHING IN SIXES Detroit (U.R) With John G. Andrew, everything comes in sixes and it's not his lucky num ber. Andrew, 44, was arrested for trying to sell football tickets for a $6 profit and was given a choice of a S60 fine or 60 days in jail. He paid the fine. PASSENGER SERVICE Reading the comment this week of L. R. Capron, vice pres ident of the Burlington railroad, was refreshing, for Mr. Capron believes the pessimism of some railroad executives over the fu ture of rail passenger business "is completely unfounded and the future looks good if you give customers the right equip ment and service. Mr. Capron expressed his views in Portland this week and announced that his railroad will put a new Denver Zephyr in service Oct. 28, with entirely new sleeping accommodations at a low rate. The new coaches, he said, for the first time bring comfortable sleeping accommodations to the coach fare passenger. There will be none of the usual upper and lower berths. The entire train will be rooms and roomettes. Individual rooms for coach fare passengers will include a window seat that be comes a bed and private lavatory and toilet facilities. Additional fare from Denver to Chicago will be only $7.50, he said. Burlington, always successful on its Chicago to Denver run and the pioneer in diesel-powered streamliners, is venturing mil lions, and doing it with confid ence, in putting on the new equipment. Out this way, we are being "brain washed" by the Southern Pacific into the belief that pass enger service by rail is a thing of the past. Ashland Tidings. The proponents of a high Hells Canyon dam took another sock on the jaw this week when a court decision upheld the rec ommendation of the Federal Power commission that Idaho Power company be permitted to US. When You See GEORGE LEWIS ROGUE TRAVEL SERVICE A FREE SERVICE -We Reserve and Sell Airline and Steamship Tickets PHONE 2-6779 LOBBY HOTEL JACKSON MOVING and STORAGE With Care! Experienced movers help you with your moving or storing problems from start to finish. We pack, sci entifically load, and unpack ... taking special care to protect fra gile items. DIAL 2-6273 JACK FITZGERALD TRANSFER & STORAGE CO. 139 S. Fir Phone 2-6273 IE 3 . . . when you purchase this POLISHED BRASS CURTAIN SCREEN -PIECE FIREPLACE ENSEMBLE COMPLETE WITH HEARTH BRUSH AND POKER r No Money Down Only 50c A WEEK Your fire will flicker forth with a friendly glow from behind this ornately designed black filigree screen which contrasts smart h with the polished brass frame. Pull chain opens and closes screen curtains easily, and poker and brush hang ia easy reach on frame. Wcisfield'f Jewelers 122 E. Main Medford Please send me the Fireplace Ensemble adver-' tlsed at $19.95 plus two free English Brass Wall Plaques. I am enclosing $ and will send S per week or J per month until the entire amount is paid. NAME ADDRESS.. CITY..' PHONE... WHERE EMPLOYED.. HOW LONG.- ZONE. STATE ...HOW LONG- CREDIT REFERENCE (Firm Name and Where Located) -wrf iliifi 1 5Pc,Set 122 E. Main Ph.' 3-5348 Open Every Wednesday Until 9 p.m.
