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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 20, 1959)
MAIL TRIBUNE, Medfonl, Or. Sunday, Dec 20. 1959 "Cveryone to Southern Or iron Reads The Mail Tribune" except Saturday by MJJJVOHD PRINTING CO m S3 Worth fli 8t Ph SP 8-S141 ROBIRT W BUHL. Editor HERB GRE AdvertWrr Manager GEP.ALD LATHAM Business Mf? KRIC W ALXXN JR. Managing Kditor EARL H ADAMS City Editor HARRY CHIPMAN Telef Editor RICHARD JKWETT Sports Editor OLIVE STAR: "HER Women's Ed I tot DALE ERJCKSPN Circulation Mr An Indenendent Newspaper Xntered a second class matter al Medfor rtrrwm under Ac of Marrb 3 1897 SUBSCRIPTION RATES Br M a .In Advance Cony lOe Da 11- and Sunday 1 vear $19 00 Dally and Sunday mos B ot Dailv ni Sunday 3 mos 4.23 Sunday Only One year S4.2W By Carrier In Advance Medford Ashland Central Point E a a 1 Point Jacksonville. Gold Hill Phoenix Shady Cove Rogue Riv er Talent and on motor routes Dell7 and Sunday 1 year IIS 00 Daily and Sunday 1 mo - 1-M Carrier and Dealers copy 10c Ail Terms casr in Aovance Officio Paper. ! City 1 Medford Official Papei ol Jacason county United Press Internationa Pull Leased Wire MEMBER OF AUDIT BUREAU ' OF CIRCULATION Advertising Representative: WEST HOLIDAY CO.. WC Of fices in New York. Chics so De , trolt. San Francisco. Los Angeles Seattle, Portland St. Louis. At lan'v Vtnmiw BC -,. V NEWSPAPER i PUBLISHERS "ASSOCIATION- NATIONAL E0ITOBIA1 Flight 'o Time Medford and Jackson County History from the filet of- Thf Mail Tribune 10. 20. 30, 40 nd 50 years ago. ' 10 YEARS AGO Sac. 20, 1949 (Tuesday) ' Two suspects held in county Jail here in connection with burglary of Swan's Book and Gift shop. Premier Josef Stalin of Rus sia will celebrate his 70th birthday tomorrow. 20 YEARS AGO : Dee. 20. 1939 (Wednesday) The killing of a 71-year-old Lake Creek man by two state police officers is termed justi fiable homicide. From Arthur Perry's "Ye Smudge Pot" column: "The secret service reports there Is less counterfeit money in the county now than 10 years go. There is also less genuine money, many report." , 30 YEARS AGO See. 20, 1929 (Friday) . Radio beacon to be instal led at airport soon. Mayor Pipes issues letter urging parents to instruct Ihlldren to obey the curfew few. 40 YEARS AGO Sec 20, 1919 (Sunday) Oil tanker, J. A. Chanslor, strikes a reef near Bandon, Ore. and 47 aboard perish. Snow melts here before cit izens can obey Mayor Gates' warning to shovel sidewalks. B0 YEARS AGO . Sec 20, 1909 (Monday) School board purchases land in Queen Anne addition for first school in East Med ford. Medford milk supply is be ing examined by state- dairy and food commission for pos sible violations of law; . " . , What's Your I.Q.? Nine or ten correct is superior; sevea er eight is excellent; five lis. is feed. 1. Did Pocohontas marry John Smith, John Rolfe, or John Cabot? 2. Which is greater: the air line distance from Honolulu to Tokyo, or that from New York to Paris? - ' 3. Pizzaro was the Spanish conquerer of which - South American country? : " .. ; 4. How many pieces of sQ . ver did Judas receive for be traying Jesus? 5. Was Benjamin Franklin ever a Vice President of .the United States? , 6. How many baseball teams are there in each major league? 7. Of which state is Little Rock the capital? 8. Complete the title of this book: "A Bell for 9. Which is the second larg est planet of the solar system? 10. The parallel of latitude that passes through San Fran cisco, passes through which Atlantic coast State? Answers: 1. John Rolfe. 2. Honolulu to Tokyo. 3. Peru. 4. Thirty. 5. No. 6. Eight. 7. Ar kansas. 8. Adano. 9. Saturn. 10 Virginia. " ; TAXES ON TRAILERS Salem - (nPD - Owners of house trailers parked in Ore gon on Jan. 1, and later moved to another state, must pay Oregon personal prop erty taxes on the trailer on Jan. 1. zrx There Was- Music t It is perhaps too easy for avid sports fans to think of extra-curricular activities in the Med ford school system largely in terms of football, basketball, baseball, and the "lesser" sports. Equally important are those other activities which may be less-publicized (lacking, as they do, tne dramatic element of competition and championship possibilities), but which may be of far greater long-range significance and satis faction to the students involved. Notable among these is the music program in the Medford school system. e . e e A NOTHER Ihursday nights performance of some 740 Medford students in their annual Christmas mu sic program, recalled that when he was in Med ford High, a small group would gather in the Eark, sing a few Christmas carols, and that would e it The contrast between that and the perform ance Thursday night is startling. The estimated 3,000 - plus spectators that jammed the fledrick Junior High school audi torium to the rafters heard a smooth and compe tent performance, which would have been of almost professional character if it were not for the - freshness, vitality arid spontaneity of the youngsters' voices and performances. ATTEMPTING to describe the music in words is bootless. But the music, both orchestral and vocal, both religious and secular in origin, and all re lated to the Christmas theme, was thrilling to par ents and non-parents alike. This is training which 1- - 3 -I Jl Al peupie in gooa sieaa mrougnouc tneir lives, en riching them with love and appreciation and un derstanding of. music, which is one of those "un practical" Qiings which make life so much worth living. - . . . .. , . - . Our compliments to all involved. E. A. Corrective The comedy of errors involving the city and the Siskiyou Memorial Park's new mortuary has come to what appears to be a satisfactory con clusion. .: At Thursday's council al was given to a measure which will permit the firm to operate. The whole thiner points up what seems to be a basic 6rganizational defect in the city admin istration something which can and should be corrected. In following the affair rather closelv. we have come to the conclusion that no individual was to blame, but that a revision of city proced ures is necessary to prevent something similar from recurring. IJERE IS a brief chronology of what happened. Back in June of this vear. the cemeterv firm obtained a city building permit for construc tion ot a "chapel. In August, it obtained to operate a mortuary in ' T n i 1 , in aepiemDer, it announced lis plans ior tne operation of a mortuary at the cemetery, both through advertising and a news story. As nearly as can be determined, it never did make any at tempt to conceal the nature of the building. IN LATE October, however, it was told by the 1 building department it could not operate the mortuary, then almost complete, because of zon ing restrictions. This decision was appealed to the planning commission, which' thereupon recommended a variance to the ordinance to permit operation of a mortuary, but only under conditions which would have been difficult, if not impossible, to fulfill. (One of them, incidentally, eliminated a new ; automobile entrance to the cemetery an entrance which the city itself constructed at a cost to the cemeteiy firm of $45.) The planning commission's recommendations went before the council last week. The council granted the variance, including three reasonable conditions, and after eliminating the conditions which would have crippled or made impossible operation of the mortuary. yHE FAULT, it appears, lies not with any in 1 dividual, but there does seem to be a woeful lack of coordination between city departments, with the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing. Shouldn't the building department know what kind of business licenses are issued to firms to which it has issued building permits? Shouldn't the city hold up construction of an access road entrance if it is to be later subject to possible planning commission disapproval? Shouldn t the planning commission be aware of building projects which, started in good faith, may run into conflict with zoning regulations? - e e DERHAPS the solution lies in some sort of re- organization of existing; departments so that there will be a central clearing house for city ac tivities which may later impinge on one another. This is not the first embarrassing incident brought about by a lack of coordination in city departments dealing with licensing, land use and zoning. Let us re-emphasize that no individual is to blame. But it does seem that Medford residents are entitled to less confusion and better service and coordination from the city which in other respects serves us so well. E.A. father-of-daughters, after watching will stand these young 1 , il ! is Needed meetintr, final approv a city busmess license the building. , . , -i a ,i Dennis the Menace UK A TO SHMYAHMTD BREAK. IT? Communications Letters to the Editor must bear the name and address of the writer, although under certain circumstances the use of a pen name or initial for publication is permissible. The Mail Tribune reserves the right to edit all letters with a view to clarification and condensation. Letters submitted for publication must not exceed 400 words. The letters printed in this column do not necessarily represent the views of the paper; in fact the contrary is often the case. Christinas Favorites To the Editor: This lovely legend and poem, which are so appropriate for this time of the year, have been my favo rites over all other Christmas stories. Therefore, I would like to share them with everyone. Do you suppose you could find room in your paper for them? Thank you and best wishes for the Holiday Season. Margaret Davis P.O. Box 195 Eagle Point, Ore. Legend When the animals came to render their homage to the Christ Child lying in the manger, there came with them, , also, a litle striped cat which sat shyly in a dusty cor ner of the stable. The Christ Child smiled on all the animals, but they in terested Him so much, that when His sweet Mother told him He must sleep. He could not compose Himself. ' The Mother called on the kind placid ox, the gentle donkey, and the faithful shep herd dog to help her put her child to sleep but He re mained wakeful. Then, the little tiger cat, dirty and dusty, crept from her corner. First, she washed herself from the black tip of her tail to the pink tip of her nose. When she was clean, she jumped lightly into the manger and curling up beside the Babe, she purred softly. Soon the Christ Child slept, and ever since, all tiger cats have carried the grateful mark of the Madonna an M in the middle of their fore heads. School Nativity Scene . There will be a tinsel star Above a straw-filled Manger; There will good St. Joseph . stand. Firm against all danger; Mary, blue-gowned, sweet, will hold The litUe Infant Jesus; . Angels, rosy-cheeked and small, Will sing their songs to - please us. You will look on smilingly, Nodding side to side; I shall need a kerchief To catch a tear of pride; And the miracle of Christ mas Will be for us each minute The little donkey stands : serene, With our son Jimmy in it. Accident Hazards To the Editor: Since the accident at the Tolo overpass some time ago, I have been waiting expectantly for some one to write an article or a letter in your Correspondence column regarding the acci dent, its causes, and possibly some measures that can and should be tak.en to try to see that this type of incident does not happen again. Perhaps I missed seeing such an article because I don't get to see every issue of the Mail Tri bune. It seems to me that this ac cident could have been avoid ed by the simple application of sand by the proper authori ties. I don't have any way of knowing how much money was spent as a result of what happened but with costs be ing what they are nowadays, I feel sure that it was consid erable. Fortunately, no . one was seriously injured but as was witnessed in an accident of the very same nature a short time later north of Yreka, it was certainly pos sible. This day and' time, just about every motorist has two strikes against him when he ventures out on the highway with the hazards that are what you might refer to as normal. to say nothing of unexpected conditions such as were re sponsible for the Tolo deal. Incidentally, this particular area at the Tolo overpass and for some distance to the south is dangerously slippery when it is wet from rain or. fog. It doesn't have to be icy. I don't intend to try to set myself up as an authority or even as an example but I have been driv ing for about 30 years and I do think that this qualifies me to see and know what is safe and what is unsafe. This area I have mentioned is not the only one that is ex tremely hazardous; others are Highway 99 from the top of Rice Hill, between Oakland and Yoncalla, and also be tween Cottage Grove and Go shen Junction. The Baldock Freeway is another. As a mat ter of fact, here some time back, the county or state had equipment on, the freeway, burning it off to make it safer. " I realize that I am way out on the proverbial limb, but as one of your correspondents so aptly put it the other day, that's where the fruit Is. I don't care how much criticism comes my way if something can be done to remedy a de plorable condition.' .- There are several ways that this condition could be alle viated, but before I stick my neck out any further, I would like to see some comment by other people that must be con cerned and who are no doubt better qualified to discuss the issue. Lionel H. Guy 314 Laurel st.. Medford Pot of Gold To the Editor: I realize this will not solve the problem but maybe it will help some one to face it. MY POT OF GOLD I'm tired of fog and smoke and dust That compass me round about; I want some air a man can breathe, Then kick up his heels and shout. And so, heigh ho, away I go, Like a buccaneer of old; On land or sea, what's that to me? I'm seeking my pot of gold. Firm sod beneath, clear skies above, I'm leaving my cares be hind; Tramping forth on the quest I love . Till my pot of gold I find. I'll sleep by night and tramp by day, If there aren't too many showers; My pot of gold - not a rain bow's end, But lovely wayside flow ers. Pure air to breathe, I'll take my leave, And tramp like a warrior bold; Till tired and worn. I'll sleep and dream Beside my pot of gold. L. G. Weaver 301 Haven st. Medford . . P.S.-A man can dream even if his dream is foggy. Filtration Plant To the Editor: After the Dec. 7 meeting of the Gold Hill city council I believe Mayor Milton Steinmetz and some of the council are deter mined to put over this propos ed water filtration measure by concealing the real costs from the voters. They can't conceal that it would cost $13,000 or more each year to pay principal and interest "on the $120,000 bond issue and to operate the filtra tion plant, in addition to what we pay now. At the meeting I challenged them to prove the figures I used in my previous letter to the editor were wrong. Each denied making any such state ment. Mayor Steinmetz stated that the figures given by En- Matter ot Fact THE JOB TO BB DONE Paris The inner history of a recent moment of tension in the Atlantic Alliance, which has never been told quite cor rectly, is worth telling now IT 1 ' for the lieht it sheds on the West's current frictions. In brief, the able Secre-' tary General I V-jTr 4 o f NATO, Yr, I Paul - Henri X"- ISpaak, not W I long ago made joseph alsop a trip to Wash ington, where he heard about the Treasury - Budget Bureau drive to recall two American divisions from Europe. On his return to Paris, Spaak passed the word among the NATO allies that they had better meet their NATO , pledges more faithfully, lest the Amer ican departure from Europe begin. He cited as evidence the serious argument then going on in Washington about the two divisions. A little later, German Chan cellor Konrad Adenauer came to Paris, to visit his old friend Gen. de Gaulle. He was first received by the French Prime Minister, Michel Debre. In his talk with Adenauer, Debre mentioned Spaak's warning, but not as proof of the need to meet all NATO pledges. He used it, rather, as proof that the European nations had bet ter begin planning how to de fend themselves when and if the Americans should have departed. Adenauer did not take it in a matter .of fact spirit, however. THE Chancellor was both horrified by the mere mention of the possibility of American withdrawal and en raged because Debre did not appear to be equally horri fied. In the sequel, Adenauer Was reassured by Gen. de Gaulle. The French President both -declared his absolute loyalty to the Atlantic Alli ance, and assured Adenauer that he too would regard an American withdrawal from Europe as a real catastrophe. Yet the incident stiU left a small residue of disquiet in the minds of the Germans. This fragment of inner his tory is so interesting because it says much about two quite different sets of problems -those confronting Gen. de Gaulle and those confronting President Eisenhower. For de Gaulle, in brief, the Ade-nauer-Debre incident implied the existence of certain limits beyond which French policy cannot safely go. In theory, of course, de Gaulle can engineer a classic "reversal of alliances," by reviving the Franco-Russian pact of the past In practice, as he indicated to Adenauer, nothing could be further from gineer Archie Rice were his own, not the council's. Well, the council hired him At least 60 persons attended a special meeting and heard the figures of $10,000 a year for 20 years for bonds and in terest, or a total of $200,000, plus an additional $3,808 a year to operate the filter plant.. On Dec. 7, several eoun cilmen tried to convince me that the only extra cost would be an additional $1.75 a month on their water bills. Since this would raise less than $5,000 a year in extra revenue, it would not pay the extra $13, 000 or so a year needed. The real truth came out a little later. The council plans to add $6,000 to our city tax es, to partially replace the money they now get from the present Water bills of $3 a month. The present water rev enue is used for general city expenses and would have to be replaced if all future water revenue is to be used to pay for the filtration plant. The proposed increase of $6,000 would be approximate ly 52 per cent. Jt would add about 12 mills and make our tax millage the highest in Jackson county. . Why says we need this fil tration plant, anyhow? Our water is tested at least twice a month and the tests have shown it is safe. Do we believe the health department, or per sons who make money out of building filtration plants? Our water is now treated with chlorine .to kill bacteria. If we build a filtration plant, the water will still be treated with just as much chlorine. Is is worth $200,000 to have the mud removed? Vera Stewart 619 FifflPave. Gold Hill Early Transmission v' To the Editor: Now that the Medford Mail Tribune is using the latest equipment for the transmission of radio pic tures for publication, a little personal sidelight on this de velopment in communications may be of interest. About 30 years ago the writer, on visiting RCA lab oratories in New York, was privileged to view the earliest feeble effort to transmit "pic tures" by radio from abroad. The print received was made up of dots and dashes Bv Joseph Alsop de Gaulle's thoughts. But if he does not wish to reverse his alliances, de Gaulle can not go too far in the direction of the old fashioned, freely maneuvering, purely national diplomacy which is natural to him. If he seems to attack the unity of the West or the work ability of NATO, de Gaulle will face a solid, angry united front of all the other Western powers, headed by his own particular friend, the German Chancellor. . FOR President Eisenhower, ' meanwhile, the Adenauer Debre incident also had cer tain unpalatable implications. In Europe generally, and here in France particularly, there are growing doubts about the firmness of American leader ship of the West and about the finality of America's position as a partner in Europe. The twist Premier Debre gave to Secretary Spaak's warning plainly suggests how easily these doubts- can be aroused and how strong they can be come. Since arriving here, Secre tary of State Christian A. Herter has been working hard and well to still these doubts. Having taken ' the lead in blocking the Treasury-Budget Bureau drive to recall the two divisions, Herter is now man fully seeking to tidy up that drive's unfortunate- after-effects but it would surely have been better if the President had told the Treasury and Budget Bureau at the outset that the subject could not even be discussed at this time. Then Secretary Herter would : not need to keep assuring the Europeans we are here to stay, while he quite properly urges them to bear , their own share of the burden of west ern defense. But the job to be done can not be entirely done by Sec retary Herter. The President himself wiU have to finish the job when be arrives here. In formed quarters suggest that the meeting between the French and American Presi dents will begin with a pretty bad quarter of an hour, be cause of the American vote in the U. N. on the Algerian question and for other rea sons, too. President Eisen hower, with his charm and his good will, ought to be able to get over these Initial huraies, After that, however, Eisen hower must also reach agree ment with de Gaulle on the right ways to tidy up the present disarray of the West in preparation for the summit meeting with Khrushchev, The first requirement for tidying up this Western dis array is to leave no room for any question about the per manency of the American commitment of the defense of the West. . (e) 1959 New York Herald Tribune Inc. like Morse code in telegraphy, or nerhaos more familiar, like some of the "art work" ac complished with a typewriter. At that time the only use for tile instrument was in the instantaneous transmission of what looked like photostatic copies ox documents. Sid Hollingsworth Camp White, Ore. No Lake There To the Editor: After reading Ihe "Name on file" letter knocking the proposed sta dium suggested at the Fair ground site, I feel compelled to show my interest in this matter. ' . First this letter would lead us to believe that the seating capacity Of a stadium must be limited to a few. Conversely, the information I have is that the capacity would be no less than 7500 persons. That amounts to 10 per cent of the population of Jackson county, more people than all the boats on Diamond lake carry on opening day of trout season. Secondly, it was implied that stadiums are for baseball fans only. This is not so, as even the dullest spectator who has traveled to other cities, including those mentioned, will agree that stadiums can be and are used and enjoyed by all kinds of spectator sports events, public functions, festi vals, fairs, rodeos, various dis play type shows of livestock, autos, fireworks, racing, con ventions, flower shows, art ex hibits, concerts, and is only limited by the desires and tastes of the people in this area. Thirdly, this letter mentions the large sums of money in volved in constructing a sta dium as compared to the cost of a lake. Surely he is not in formed on the maintenance of a park type lake that collects all types of debris, trash and occasionally a person's life, usually a child; and that breeds mosquitoes by the clouds-full. In the towns he mentioned, did he not notice the overgrowth of a"quatic plants that choke out even a path for a rowboat unless con tinually cut and maintained at great cost? If he is genuinely sincere about a lake for the immedi ate Medford area, then he should investigate the plans proposed by interested groups for lakes to be developed at (By M-T Staff MONDAY last (or was it Tuesday?) we heard a weather man at the weather bureau utter a profound truth, something we hardly expected to hear, when he said plaintively (and these are his exact words): "The weath er isn't behaving properly." . EVERYONE was talking 'about the fog last week. Cars moved slowly, lights on, day and night. And many was the un-garaged car which suf fered a . double handicap in the morning both the fog, and ice . on all the windows and windshields. RESOURCEFULNESS Is the key-note of such situa tions, however, and they ranged from newspapers over the windshield at night (see -there's something ELSE to use them for?) to a variety of scrapers and sloshers to keep visibility at a poor maxi mum.: REALLY, though, the best fog story we heard last week wasn't about a motorist at all, but about a pheasant rooster, seen by one Medford resident on Barneburg rd., flying along a few feet above the pavement, very evidently following the yellow center stripe. Smart bird! YOU probably have receiv ed a parking ticket at one time or another, so it may be some consolation to know that the city fathers are not immune. During a special meeting of the council recent ly, Councilmen Bob van Sickle and Bob Baccus each received the little slips, and came ' roaring in to complain about the injustice of it all to Mayor John Snider (himself no stranger to a parking tick et). He had mercy on them. He assured them that, instead of having to rav the usual penalty of 50 cents each, he would use his influence with city hall to see they received a special rate of $6 per doz en. several ideal locations. The proposed stadium site is not one. We now have problems with Bear creek and a lake using this same water would increase and compound this hazard. . Do not misunderstand me. I am not against lakes, but let's not sacrifice a stadium for the sake of a few water- lillies and a rowboat. Harry Adams 1090 Ellendale dr. Medford. On Freedom to Differ To the Editor: Not long ago one of our friends approached a prospective customer. He was engaged in religious sales work. The door opened with a screen between. On the other side stood his prospect with a glass of milk in her hand. She quickly inquired as to his re ligious connections. Before he could turn, he had the milk In his face and all over his suit. I'm afraid that if it had been me, the next part of the story might be well to leave out. Our friend smiled and said "Lady, that was good sweet milk.' Could I have some more?" Naturally she was taken aback a bit. She opened the screen, invited the salesman in and proceeded to help him mop up with the aid of a damp cloth. Within a year's time she and her entire family were mem bers of the organization which he represented. The point is this. I may not agree with everyone else's' ideas. How could I? There are too many. It would be rather hard to be a Democrat and Republican at the same time. Or a Christian and a Budd hist. We don't all believe alike and never will in this world as it is now. I thank God that we live in a land where we Try and -By BENNETT CERF- DR. JOHN ERSKINE, savant and author, wrote: "At tho end of my university studies, when I was leaving for my first professional job, I went to say goodbye to my old teacher, William Trent, who said, 'I can give you no theoretical advice in pedagogy, but Til tell you one thing from experi ence. It will frequently happen when you are holding forth that some boy in the class will dis agree. He will probably shake his head violently: You will be tempted to go after him and convert him then and there. Don't do it He is probably the enly one who is listening." A medical major, Inspecting an fastallationa water supply, asked what was being done to avoid contamination. "Well, sir, explained a sergeant, "we boll it first, and then we filter if "Good enough," approved the major. "An" then," coatiaue4 Ukt sergeant, "jmt to be on tb t&t auk, wt drink beacV and Contributors) CHRISTMAS time seems to bring out the worst in some columnists, and this af fliction has smitten one of our favorites, Vic Fryer of the Salem Capital Journal. He devoted one of his col umns last week to providing "definitions" of words and phrases heard at this time of the year. We take the liberty of swiping a few: HE SAYS, for instance, that a Charge Account is system of buying gifts by Charging them on Account of you don't have the cash. REGARDING "Greetings, he explains that it Is a form of message usually ac ceptable in late December so long as it doesn't com from the local draft board. . FUSING the phrase "Lay Away," he explains, on means that it refers to a plan of action maintained by chil dren throughout the holiday season that leaves the par ents ready to be laid away before New Year's arrives. SLEIGH, he adds, used to mean the vehicle in which Santa arrived (now generally superseded by a helicopter), but now-days it is a term popular with wives, as "If you don't buy me that fur coat, dear, I'll Sleigh you." THAT'S enough of his defin itions - except, perhaps, the one for "Money," which Vic explains is a word he doesn't seem to recognize right now. , MAYBE it's an old one, but we liked it. It seem when Antony first saw Cleo patra, he exclaimed, "Wow' A perfect XXXVIII, XXII, XXXVI!" A FOOL and his money are soon parted, according to old maxim. And at this see son of the year, a friend re marks, you don't even have to be a fool. SO Christmas is next Friday, and a New Year begins a week later. It's been a good year for those of us on the Mail Tribune staff, and w are more grateful, than we can say to all those of our contributors who have been so friendly and helpful. We extend our thanks to them all, and to men and women of good will everywhere. f f ! can believe and worship ac cording to the dictates of our conscience. There are forces at work that would prohibit this liberty. , I understand that in recent weeks some have felt that lines appearing in these col umes under my name were not to their liking. That's fine. I was pretty sure right along everyone was not of the same opinion, else I wouldn't have written. However, I have not meant to hurt anyone and freely apologize to any who have felt thus. We have a phone and if you want to let me have your opinions, I'd welcome them. I make mistakes and stand to be corrected. Yet as I told one friend recently, if one stands where the shots are flying he may get hit. Actually, I m not trying to shoot" at anyone. We can be thankful for freedom of the press. This is not so in many lands. As freedom loving Americans we should stand awake to the dangers that threaten. Communism is not the only threat to our liberties. Forces far more sinister can be lurk ing at our doorstep and we be asleep. HenryJohnson Jr. 2400 Highway 66 Ashhland, Ore. Stop Me