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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 2, 1958)
10 MAIL TRIBUNE, MedforJ, Oregon, Sunday, November 2. 1958 Porter Became Man of Action Soon After Arriving in Capitol (Editor's nole: The follow ing pre-election assessment ef Congressman Charles O. Porter was written by a long-time Washington cor respondent, who serves sev eral Pacific northwest news papers including the Mail Tribune. It is based on near ly two years of watching Porter in action in Washing-Ion.) By A. ROBERT SMITH Mail Tribune Washington Correspondent Washington When Rep. Charles O. Porter arrived in Washington as a newly elected con gressman from Oregon back in early 1957, after the wearing in service at the Capitol he he went to his office, settled into his big leather swivel t i A- Robt. smitb cnair cockco his feet up on the desk and basked in the warm satisfac tion of having reach a goal he had set for himself while still in high school. This moment of leaning back in satisfaction was brief, for Porter, it soon appeared, came to Congress not to bask in self-esteem. He had deter mined to be a congressman as a lad because of the impact the depression with its un employment and mortgage foreclosures made upon him. -v. ' t i ' J VOTERS of Jackson Gounly An ever present problem in communities such at ours is finding competent men willing to serve as public officials. In CHET WENDT we have found a capable and competent public servant and we can not afford to lose his services. We must vote to retain CHET WENDT as our COUNTY COMMISSIONER Otto Bohnert, CP. Paid Adv. Chester H. Wendt, Medford, Oregon. He recognized early in life the great affect upon our so ciety, especially its economy, of laws made in Washington. So with this background, and because he is more strong ly propelled by the force of ideas than by desires for po litical or high social status, Porter quickly became a man of action. Like many a con gressman he acted in behalf of developing the economy of his congressional district, but unlike many congressman he was no less concerned with problems outside his area, es pecially those concerning basic human rights valued by a democracy and violated by dictatorship Launches Campaign When Gerald Murphy, the Eugene flier, disappeared, in the Dominican Republic, Port er launched what was to be come an unending campaign against this Caribbean dicta torship and the American pol icy by which it was treated with no less respect than the struggling democr- -'es of Latin America. Because of its atmosphere of international intrigue, the Murphy case and its apparent connection with the Kidnap ping of Prof. Jesus de Gaiin dez from New York City, proved a good vehicle upon which to gain a reputation. And some who subscribe to the "events make the man" theory of history are prone to believe that the Murphy case "made" Charlie Porter. Because of this sensational case, he appeared on the NBC television program, "Meet the Press," almost unheard of for anyone below the "rank" of a top flight senator, cabinet officer or ambassador. He was featured in the South Amer ican edition of Life magazine. Several national magazines asked him to write a story about it. Saturday Evening Post has contacted him to do a profile, after the election, if he wins. And he will probably do a book before it is over. Emerges from Ranks Certainly it is true that be cause of the role he played in the Murphy case. Congress man Porter emerged from the faceless ranks of the House of Representatives, that 435 man body in which most new comers stagger about in hope less anonymity. This, in itself, is a distinct asset to any con gressman who is trying to work his will upon his col leagues or upon the officials who man the government's bureaus. But if some observers have concluded from afar - that Porter has simply been trying to swashbuckle his way to political fame through sys tematic press agentry, it is the judgment of this reporter, who observed his actions at close range, that Porter has exercised a creative influence in Washington. Had Porter not been the restless type, with a deep probing mind, with an un willingnss to be sidetracked or easily rebuffed at the State Department in the early months of the Murphy investi gation, the probabilities are that this sticky case which embarrassed our "ally" in the Caribbean would have been hushed up as neatly as pos sible. Grand Juries Convene Instead two grand juries have been convened to investi gate it and our entire policy in Latin America, which prev iously aided and protected the Dominican dictatorship, has been called to account and is now in a state of change. This has happened because of the pressure of public opin ion generated from the Mur phy - Galindez case, mostly because of information sup plied by Porter, through con tacts he developed, to the newspapers and magazines that were anxious to tackle the story but were hamstrung by customary diplomatic sup pression of information about a foreign power. After Vice President Nixon returned from his hazardous tour of Latin America, he told reporters that he would rec ommend changes in our Latin policy so as to help and en courage the growth of democ racy, essentially what Porter advocated. Calls on Nixon Not long thereafter, Porter called on Nixon in the privacy of the vice president's office to discuss ways and means of improving relations with Lat in America. Good press agen try would have called for photographers and reporters to record this event, but there were none. An interesting, and reveal ing sidelight on this meeting, is that when Porter first came to Washington, he vowed he would not shake hands with either Sen. James Eastland CD Miss.) or Nixon, both of whom he held in low esteem. Porter had been a principle figure in the demonstration against Nixon at the Eugene railroad station during the 1952 cam paign shortly after the story of the Nixon fund broke. Porter and several other Democrats sparked a rhubarb by carrying critical signs, one of which said, "No mink coat, just cold cash" a satire on Nixon's criticism of influence peddling during the Truman administration. Useful Purpose But six years later, when he thought perhaps it would serve a useful purpose, Porter not only shook hands with Nixon but took the initiative in conferring with him about a problem of foreign policy in which there should be no partisanship. A man more interested in political posturing than in working at the job of finding solutions for the problems he believes the country should solve would have been un un likely prospect for a meeting with the vice president, the man whom Porter's party finds to be the most handy target for criticism and the main threat to their recovery ATnriEMTrnaDM Central Point Voters! A VOTE FOR FREEMAN MASON For Mayor of Central Point IS A VOTE FOR GOOD CITY GOVERNMENT Mason will be mayor for all the people Honest . . . Efficient . . . Wide Business Experience A VOTE FOR ... LYLE PAULL For City Recorder of Central Point is also a vote for good city government. He has done much for city hall the past two years. He deserves re-election. He Is Fair . . . Honest . . . Efficient O My Vote is for Freeman Mason and Lyle Paull . . . How About Yours! Signed JOHN CUPP Pd. Pol. Ad. John Cupp, 3 1 8 So. 2nd, Central Point Oregon Juvenile Council to Hold Meeting in City The Oregon Juvenile Coun cil will hold its annual confer ence in October, 1959 in Med ford, it was resolved at the conference in Eugene last week. The conference is composed of representatives in all fields interested in youth welfare in Oregon, Mrs. Kay Crowell, Jackson county juvenile court director, explained. The mem bership is composed of juve nile court judges, juvenile court workers, police, sheriff's officers, school authorities, personnel of state and private institutions, welfare, commun ications fields, child care fa cilities. Attend from County Attending from Jackson county, besides Mrs. Crowell, were Lawrence Tweedy, boys counsellor for the Jackson county juvenile department and Mr. and Mrs. Robert Swan, juvenile detention home supervisors. During the conference the council's legislative commit tee completed work on the proposed new state-wide juve nile code and received the sup port and endorsement of the council. Mrs. Crowell is a com mittee member. The last draft of the code with a few minor corrections will be presented to the state legislative interim committee. Mrs. Crowell also spoke on a panel which discussed the subject "Who will plan for the child?" On the panel be sides Mrs. Crowell were the Rev. David Fosselman, Uni versity of Portland; Raymond Riese, director of child wel fare department, Oregon state welfare; Leo Nolan, assistant superintendent of MacLaren School for Boys; and Lt. M. R. Hibbard, Washington state di vision of youth and children. Keynote Speaker Keynote speaker of the con vention was Bernard Russell, chief of training branch, di vision of juvenile delinquen cy service, children's bureau, Washington, D. C. Another of the main speak ers was Lane County Circuit Court Judge William S. Fort who talked on the beginning of juvenile court work in the United States and the legal as pect of juvenile court work. New officers elected in cluded Ronald McKenzie, Portland detective lieutenant, juvenile bureau, president; Dan J. Kardwell, director of of the White House in 1960. He took other risks of being misunderstood , when he de fended Japenese hardwood plywood imports because they don't compete with Oregon ooftwood plywood, and Japan buys Oregon products, lumber included, with its dollar cred its; and when he advocated stopping nuclear tests some thing the administration has since proposed. Marquis Childs Columnist Marquis Childs, visiting Oregon recently, said in his 25 years here he has seen few freshman congress men make as much of an im pression as Porter. Since this is not an isolated evalution, : perhaps some may fear the greatest threat to this 38-year- j old Eugene attorney is cranial swelling and a bad case of j Potomac Fever. I Once Potamac Fever grips his days of usefulness to the public are limited by his own placement of higher values up on prestige, position and his listing in the Social Register. If he falls from grace or gets too controversial, the Register drops him as it did Serman Adams this season and life for the fever victim is sudden ly transformed from an ex- hilerating uphill climb into a downhill struggle all the way. Porter wanted to be a con gressman. He got his wish. But his talents and temperament seem to impel him to be a figure of controversy who is always forcing his adversaries into the uncomfortable neces sity to think how to defend difficult, sometimes impos sible, positions .of the status quo. He seems destined never to gain the reputation which so many value of being just "a nice guy." Making Socialites' Grade A fellow with this handicap never seems to make the grade with Washington social ites. This almost immunizes him from the fever. The path way to recognition is narrow ed to that lonesome road of hard work and being right in the eyes of progressive cit- izens. Those who disagree with i him say he is brash and im j pudent. Those who'agree with I him praise his resourceful ! ness and his tenacity.But no i one seems to question that he travels the lonesome road of hard work. It is for the progressive citizens of Oregon to determine whether Porter is and has been right in their eyes. y the Curry county juvenile court, vice president; Sgt. Bib iana Maher, women's division, Portland police department, secretary. Mrs. Crowell was appointed a member of the resolutions committee for the conference and met with the board of di rectors of the Oregon Juvenile Judges association for plan ning the annual conference for February in Eugene. Marine Instructor Declared Guilty San Diego, Calif. (DPB A 24-year-old Big Springs, Tex., Marine drill instructor has been convicted of two counts of maltreatment of recruits by a Marine Corps general courts martial. The instructor, Sgt. Doyce R. Todd, was sentenced to a bad conduct discharge Thurs day, confinement at hard labor for six months, forfeit ure of all pay and allowances for six months, and reduction in grade to private. The sentence handed the San Diego Marine Recruit Depot drill instructor is sub ject to review by the Adjutant General's office in Washing ton, D. C. Todd was charged with striking Pvt. Richard T. Fitz gerald, of Burbank, Calif., in the stomach with his fist and a broom handle. He also was accused of striking Pvt. Don E. Harner, of Kokomo. Ind., in the stomach with his fists and hands. Both incidents were alleged to have taken place last Sept. 7. New Exploring Program Planned by Boy Scouts Following several years of research, the Boy Scouts of America and the Crater Lake Council launches this fall a new Exploring program de signed to be attractive to boys of high school age whether or not they have ever been members of the organization. The research studies reveal ed that to appeal to boys of these ages, a program must be broad in scope, flexible in operation, and balanced in content. Attorney's Office To Be Open Nov. 4 Portland The United States attorney's office in Portland will be staffed throughout the day Tuesday, Nov. 4, in order that prompt and vigorous enforcement of federal election laws may be assured, the attorney general has announced. Citizens have been invited to confer with the United States attorney or an assist ant, concerning any alleged vitiation of federal law on election day. The office in Portland is in the federal courthouse, SW Broadway and Main st. "To meet these needs the new Exploring program," Car rol W. Smith of Ashland, chairman of the Exploring committee of the council said, "will cover six areas of ex periences." "These cover citizenship ex periences," Smith noted, "in cluding meeting responsibili ties and a knowledge of the American heritage and under standing the fundamental free doms of worship, speech, press, and enterprise. Explor ers will learn of the vigilance needed to retain liberty and to appreciate America's re sponsibilities in world lead ership." The new program, he said, includes a personal fitness emphasis, social experiences, vocational exploration experi ences, and outdoor and serv ice experiences. HELP US! We Need Clothing, Shoes, Dishes, Furniture. We Pick Up. HELP OTHERS! The Salvation Army SPring 3-733S Do You Believe The Unfair Accusations i Against Congressman Porter? Many of Porter's opponents in this election campaign have directed unfair accusations toward him. We believe that in the heat of this campaign their zeal to win has caused them to cast aside principles of fair practice and to resort to utterances that are defamatory. If they knew Charlie Porter as we and others do, they could not make such derogatory statements. We have known Charlie since the day of his birth. He grew up as any other ordinary boy. but as he developed, it was noticeable that he was determined to absorb knowledge of matters comparable to those interesting to adults. He led the Eugene Hieh debating team, and about that time he resolved to enter jour nalism and political education to prepare himself for what, even then, was his goal-representing Oregon in the Congress of the United States. We did not see Charlie too often after that, but we did maintain occasional contact by correspondence after he entered college, while he served in World War II, and after bis return when he re-entered Harvard. Since his return to Oregon, he, his lovely wife, Priscilla, and their four fine children have many times visited us at our home. We have also visited their home in Eugene and attended their church where Charlie taught a Sunday school class before he was elected to Congress. Charlie Porter as a boy, as a young man, and as a Congressman has always been aggressive, studious, upright 'and honest, a Christian man with sterling character, willing to serve, willing to help his fellow men to the best of his ability. ' Much as we resent the defamatory accusations against Charlie in this cam paign, we are willing to forgive and forget, even though we will admit that we too at times have felt deeply hurt, knowing that our many friends in Southern Oregon hear these charges. We hope that they will think as we do, that such remarks are made by over-zealous opposition in the heat of this campaign. We are proud that Charlie Porter" is our nephew, and we are proud to present this in his behalf. We believe that the voters of the 4th District' will come forward and show their faith in the character and qualifications of Charlie Porter by re-electing him to Congress. . Thank you, DAVID A. and GLADYS L. PETERSON 376 Crowson Road, Ashland, Oregon Pd. Pol. Adv. by D. A. Peterson. ? t elect Governor Koberi D. holmes . . he's doing a great job VHis new department of economic planning and development is bringing new payrolls to Oregon! j Governor Holmes called a special session to cut taxes and your state income tax has been cutl Governor Holmes in August settled a crippling strike! His leadership brought gains to our schools and universities! y His fellow governors named Governor Holmes vice-chairman of Western T Governors, executive board member of National GovernorsI y He is endorsed by businessmen, labor, farmers, teachers, sportsmen, professional men, fishermen all over Oregon! (DEMOCRAT) J- f . v : -.- . ' ' m ' ' Ti ' I 1 I 9 1 14 OREGON NEWS THIS TEAMWORK AT THE STATE AND NATIONAL LEVEL! GOVERNOR HOLMES is the trusted partner of Oregon's famous Congressional delegation. He works closely with them on appropriation bills and other national legislation helpful to Oregon. Shown here with Bob, Senators Morse and Neuberger, and Congressional representatives Edith S. Green, Charles O. Porter, and At Ullman (absent because of illness when the above photo was taken) all urge the re-election of Governor ROBERT D. HOLMES. And Here's the Holmes Family... At right: Grandchildren Debbie and Bobbie who are frequent visitors at the Governor's Home in Salem. Below: Son John, Marie, Governor Bob, Daughter-in-Law Sarah and Son Denny. Pd. Pol. Adv. Jackson Co. Democratic Central Committee, James Redden, Chairman, Medford
