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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (March 16, 1961)
4 A Medford, RIBUNI "Everyone in Southern Oregon Reads Do Mail Tribune" Published bally except Saturday ov HEDFOHU KKINTINU LU 33 North Fir St .. Ph SPJ-8141 ROBERT W RUHL. Editor HERB GREV Advertising Mannjei GERALD T LATHAM Bus Msr ERIC W ALLEN JR.. Mn Edltoi EARL H ADAMS. City Editor HARRY CHIPMAN TeleK Editor mrmnn IFWETT Knnrls Editor OLIVE STARCHER Women's Editor DALE ER1CKSON. Circulation Mjtr An Independent Newjpaper Entered as second class matter at Medford. Oregon under Act of March 3. 1897 SUBSCRIPTION RATES By Mall In Advance Copy IJc Dally -nd Sunday I year tljno nallv and Sunday mos on Dally and Sunday 3 mos 4 25 Sunday Only One year 4 20 By Carrier In Advance Medford Ashland Central Point E a fie Point. Jacksonville Gold H II Phoenix Shady Cove Rnjtue Rlv er. Talent and on inntnr iw Dallv and Sunday 1 vear iano Da'.lv and Sunday I mo 1 SO Carrier and Deal'rs - copy 10c All Terms Cash In Advancu "officlaTPaper (if City of Medford Official Papsr of Jackson County (TnlteiTPri-ss International Full Leased Wire o P.l Telephoto Kewsplctures MEMlBER OF AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATIONS ArfvrrtisTne "y",!n'",Hv',;Mr. WF.ST HOLIDAY CO INC .v.r . m Vnrlr rMrnn "f De troit. Sari Francisco Los Aneles Seattle Portland St Louis At lanta Vancouver, a . NEWSPAPER RUSHERS SOCIATION TORI AL Flight o' Time Medford and Jackson County History from the files of The Mail Tribune 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 years ago. 10 YEARS AGO March 16. 1951 (Friday) iir..n Mnr'cp 'Inld tllC Sen. vvajiic Mail Tribune yesterday the department ui " "v. vet to make up its mind on the proposed reactivation of Camp White. The number of influenza cases reported to the county health department today was 436, but County Health Offi cer Dr. A. Erin Merkcl said the influenza epidemic is defi nitely subsiding. 20 YEARS AGO March 16, 1941 (Sunday) The 41st Oregon legislature adjourned at 3 a.m. today af ter the senate and house were finally able to come to agree ment on a two-cent per pack age cigarette tax. From Arthur Perry's "Ye Smudge Pol" column: "Spar row. Sparrow, Sparrow and Robin, the leading architects, report they have completed plans for a number of new nestalows, and construction has started on several." 30 YEARS AGO March 16, 1931 (Monday) The state fire marshal yes terday praised both the Med ford and Ashland fire depart ments on an inspection tour here. Pay telephones have been Installed in the lobbies of the Cralcrian and Riallo theaters; service was formerly free. 40 YEARS AGO March 6, 1921 (Wednesday) The Ohio association of the Rogue River Valley met yes terday at Chaulaqua hall in Ashland. The state dairy Inspector had praise yesterday for most local dairies. - 50 YEARS AGO March 16, 1911 (Thunday) Fifty Rogue Valley "colon ists" arrived by train yester day. County fruit Inspectors have completed the prc-blos-som Inspection of valley fruit growers and predict a bumper crop this year. What's Your I.Q.? Nine or ten correct li superior; seven or eight it excellent five er sis is good. 1. Does Easter always full on a dale before the first day of spring? 2. With what sports do you associate these names: Babe Ruth, Bill Tildcn, Bobby Jones? 3. What government agency Is indicated by the initials T.V.A.? 4. What building is repre sented on the back of the $5.00 bill? 5. Did the birth rale In the U.S. increase or decrease dur ing World War II? 6. Arc bats blind? 7. Is the esophagus the pas sage for food lo the stomach, or air to the lungs? R. What Is a caisson? 9. Name the President who subsequently became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. 10. Which is the larger at birth, a bear or a porcupine? Antwtrii 1. No. 2, Baseball, iennii, golf. 3. Tennessee Val ley Authority. 4. Lincoln Me morial. 5. Increased. 6. No. 7. Foot! to stomach, I, Artil lery ammunition Wagon. 9. William Howard Tall. 10 Porcupine. NATIONAL EDI 1SD.Y. MAttCH 16, 1961 Do-It-Yourself Dunes The Oregon Dunes National Park proposal is dead at least for the present session of Congress and opponents and proponents are closer than they ever have been. For the district's own con gressman, Dr. Edwin Durno, dismissed the area as not scenic enough for national park status. Dr. Durno never has been off the highway, obviously. Since the dunes between Florence and Reeds port already are almost wholly owned by the public, through one agency or another, why not try a bit of joint effort? Why not put together a do-it-your-self park of roughly national park size but with far less expenditure? OONEYMAN State 11 small parks in the natural headquarters area. A number or U. b. Forest Service camp areas, largely undeveloped, are scattered up and down the highway within several miles. Besides these two agencies, the Bureau of Land Management, Lane County and Douglas County control land west of Highway These five agencies . l I C. ments ana planning iunus. ir mey coordinated their ettorts at the planning level, much could be accomplished. Jf they went a step further and pooled crews in such joint-benefit activities as signing and construction of access roads and trails, the whole area could be made usable by recreationists in a short time. Pooling of custodial and maintenance forces TO OUR knowledge, county through federal level never has been done on this scale in any field before. There would be policy conflicts and legal problems to solve. But this doesn t mean it can t be attempted. And, whether Rep. Durno thinks so lor not, it would be worth the effort. Capital Journal. Back To A cautious optimism is the possibility of arriving at an agreement among the nuclear powers to stop weapons testing. It is as if the second half of a tie football game were about to begin and our side was putting in a new team, fresh and eager, but also experienced. The Geneva talks were recessed last Dec. 5 at the suggestion of the United States. After 25 months since the discussions began, Oct. 31, 1968 deadlock remained on the number of on site inspections to be permitted to check on boot leg underground tests. J he British and American position had been that teams within the country in question must be allowed to investigate at least 21 earth tremors a sought to limit such inspections to three. One reason for the pressed bv Hubert H. Humphrey, chairman of the Senate Disarmament subcommittee, on March 12. In the past, said Humhprey, U.S. negotiators did not have "a clear purpose and distinct offers" to Russia, but now a clear-cut position had been worked out. THE RESUMPTION of c i i ..i. jreiticeu uy wuik. wussiuiis nuie iti which me principal British representative was David Orms-by-Gore, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. President Kennedy on Jan. 25 named a 13-man panel of experts, mainly armament Administrator Meantime, the ground work for a new ap proach to arms control had been laid in several loner series of official and unofficial discussions that extended well back election victory m November. The new U.S. representative at Geneva will be Arthur H. Dean, a New York attorney a former partner of John Foster Dulles and U.S. negotiator with the Chinese Communists in the Korean War. He is generally regarded as a tough bargainer, but he is by no means weddetl to the Dulles foreign policy. DRES1DENT Kennedy appears quietly to have dropped his campaign pledge to "prescribe a reasonable but definite time limit within which to determine whether significant progress is be ing made" after which, if the finding were nega tive, the United States would resume testing. He is reported to wan to avoid the impression of an American ultimatum. Nevertheless, the consensus is that the first six or seven weeks ol the resumed discussions should indicate what are the chances of accommodation. The Russians are supposed to want an agreement before the "nuclear club" grows any larger larticulaiiv before Red become a member. Moreover, Nikita S. for Summit diplomacy. When Dr. Walter Rostow, now a Kennedy advisor, went to Moscow for a scientific conference last casion to act as a sort of unofficial envoy. Accord ing to the N.Y. Herald Tribune, Ro'stow laid down as prerequisites for Kennedy's agreement to attend a Summit conference "completion of the test-ban negotiations" and "a dignified meet ing of Mr. Khrushchev and Mr. Kennedy in New York to sign the test-ban treaty." Thus'the path to the Summit, wherever it should be held, would appear to be by way of Geneva. E.R.R. t Park, one of the finest West, already supplies a most ot the remaining 101. all have parks depart- 1 TC 11.. . . 1 ? might be attempted later. interagency pooling from Geneva felt in Washington over year. The Russians had new optimism was ex the Geneva talks was : 1 ..i ...u:..u iu scientists, to advise Dis John J. McCloy. beyond the "Kennedy C hina discovers how to Khrushchev is still eager winter, he took the oc Dennis the Menace 'WHYt I HAVB A TWIN 3ROTHER? 4 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 iniial for publication is permissible. The Mail Tribune reserves the right to edit all letters with a view to clarification and condensaton. Letters submitted for publication must not exceed 400 words .The letters printed in his column do not necessarily represent the views of the paper; in fact the contrary is often the case. 'Monkeys Sure Hale' To the Editor: Them mon keys sure rate. When a mon key goes up in a rocket and don't come down, the Army sends a plane up and brings him down. If he falls into the ocean and don't come up, the Navy sends a submarine down and brings him up. When they put me on Deck Z on the Mauritania, the Army wuz In f ranee and the Navy wuz in Pearl Harbor. My pup- tent wuz under the coal pile on Deck Z and the elevators on the Mauritania wuz busted. A few weeks before I got on the Mauritania, a German submarine fired a shot just six feet under the Mauritania. That's gettin' pretty close to my cotton pickin' shirtlaii. When 1 stepped on Deck A, they gave me a slip of paper and pointed down. Maybe I better read it. It wuz for the seagulls. The first paragraph wuzn'l so bad; "You are as signed to lifeboat No. 13 on Deck A. You noticed Deck A when you got on the boat." I wuzn't there long enough lb see it, but if they say so. The next line wuz slartlitig It said; "Lifeboat No. 13, see- on trip." I got to wondering how many lifeboats ever got back for the second trip. The next paragraph wuz even bet tor. It said; "If the Mauritania is torpedoed, (and a great many boats are) you should start running up." There just wuzn't no other way to go but up. One step down nnd I wouldn't even be in the boat. Paragraph III wuz the best one. It says; When you get Deck A, lifeboat No. 13 won't be there. It s in Liver pool. Keep your chin up and don't let the Mauritania sink. We'll be back." Everett Acklin, Ashland, Ore. Discusses Swallowi To the Editor:, With an in creasing number or outdoor life species decreasing along with their wilderness habitats, and an increasing number of people interested in same, it seems most unfair for a rec ognized outdoor-life writer making statements that arc obviously unfactual. This is brought up sharply by outdoor writer Lynn M. W a t k I n s in Sunday's Maii Tribune. Whether it's to go along with the LA publicity boys for the Capistrano swal low myth we don't know. One time the MT referred to it editorially as plain canard. The Audubon Society of San Francisco commented some what the same a couple of years ago. Just how can a recognized outdoor writer like Watkins come out with a flat state ment that swallows leave and return from their nesting places on unvarying dates, "as if they were equipped with calendars and time clocks" as he put it. Obviously ridicu lous, as any thinking person must know. For swallows like all the (Inch family feed only in (light. Feed on live flying Insects hatched out when the weather is right, which we know varies from year to year. Like in 1938 when we made the rare snow-balls at San Uardo in a late spring. Yet. the LA Times came out: Swal lows Arrive at Old Mission No such thing (or we were there March 19. Of course, no swallows, A couple of nos ey newsmen located the old padre who mumbled some thing about' the huge crowd of people there had scared the swallows away. No such thing. We were there early, found a few swifts fighting with sparrows over nesting rights, but not a swallow there. And there were none there next morning at all, for we were there. We enjoy Outdoor Writer Watkins' column in the MT, even when he makes little slips like: "the drake wouldn't give a quack" for whatever it was. Fact is as any farm boy can tell Watkins, drakes don't quack, they're gravely soto voiced. And the hen duck don't start setting when she lays the first egg in her crude nest, as Watkins wrote. The hen duck does the quacking; bills the eggs down in the cool damp earth till she has a clutch of 12 to 18, then bills them out and starts incuba tion so they will all hatch at once and get lo water safety. F. J. Clifford Route 2, Box 200F, Central Point, Ore. Remembers Ox Teams To the Editor: Almost un believable, yet true, there are many people in the last half century who well remember as far back as 1910 when Ezra Meeker, one of the few remaining "trail blazers," drove an ox team from Ore gon to Missouri. One couple moved to Talent via ox team some years later (in the early thirties.) From the horse and wagon slage we entered (he bicycle age back about the I880's. The steam age goes back still further. Then the gasoline age since the early nineties or be fore. Then . the - flying age began. The electric age was harnessed in the 18th cen tury. Now the atomic age plus the jet age are here. We take them for granted. All of these self propelling powers have been improved upon ever since discovered by man. We hope lo see some yet new undiscoverd mode of travel before we close the pages of inventive history. Bert Kissinger, 520 Boardman St., Medford Drawn To Area To (he Editor: Now that the Mt. Ashland ski resort seems to be assured, it may be gild ing an already resplendent lily to speak further of the supe riority of the mountain. I write this not to persuade where persuasion is unneces sary, but for the sheer joy of it. We are newcomers in Ash land and one of the things that drew us to this area was the possibility of good local skiing. I have been skiing for about 25 years, and am famil iar with ski resorts in New England, Ihe Rockies, the California Sierras, Switzer land and southern France. We visited Mt. Ashland twice be fore Ihe snow fell, and have taken every opportunity to ski there this winter, as well as in other local areas. Without making any comparisons. I can simply say that I think Mt. Ashland will make a first-rate ski development. Two important advantages of Mt. Ashland stand out in my mind. The first is the un usually beautiful and varied terrain. The grassy eastern meadows, coming down to the saddle where the proposed lodge will be, arc ready-made novice and Intermediate slop es. They need no clearing and they can be skied with a very small amount of snow, thus assuring an extremely long season. (About the abundance of snow, both early and late, there has been ample testi mony.) Not far from here begin the sleep wooded pitches of the northeast and north expo sures. Here trails can be cut to challenge expert skiers, and here also, because of protec tion from sun and wind, the snow will often be of a quality to excite those who love good powder. There is almost limit less terrain on the north side of the mountain for possible future expansion of Ihe ski area. The second great advantage. MtUt.'JHD MAIL THlbUNE. MEUhOnU, ORE 2 Events Illustrate Challenge And Promise in Latin America By PHIL NEWSOM UPI Foreign News Analyst Two events, widely separ ated but almost simultaneous, vividly illustrated this week both the chal lenge and the promise for the future of Latin A m e r ica. With Fidel Castro beam ing approval near by, the Cuban ambas- Newiom saaor to Mos cow set forth the challenge in a speech at Havana university. The Castro revolution, he said, is "loyal to communism." And he added: "The students of tomorrow will recall how the people of Cuba became Communist, and they will see how all the peo ples of Latin America will be come Communist. ' Contrast In Washington At almost the same moment in the more restrained atmos phere of the White House, President Kennedy was out lining a 10-point, 10-year eco nomic and social program for Latin America to meet a "fu ture full of peril but bright with hope." At the outset, Ihe President of Mt. Ashland, is its fortu nate location near a main highway and close to two cities, which is also vital to the success of the ski resort. In an area in which tourism is already important in the summer, the addition of a winter resort will be of enor mous economic benefit. Because of Mt. Ashland's closeness to settled population centers in the Rogue valley, this economic impact will not be dispersed, but will fall directly on these cities. Accessibility, as it concerns skiers, is of great importance. I have been dreaming a tan talizing and heady dream; in a few free hours I have been up the mountain, had a couple of runs, and, refreshed, am back at my down-to-earth tasks. What this means for school children and SOC students is easy to calculate in terms of fun and good health. It standard practice in resort towns, such as Franconia, N.H and Aspen, Colo., for the schools to arrange schedules so the children can ski, say, Wednesday afternoons. This is with the cooperation of the resort management, which is of course happy to be creating more skiers. Surely this is an exciting prospect for the Rogue valley! Cynthia Lord, 588 Beach St., Ashland, Ore. Must Make A Choice To the Editor: In 1932, Jo seph Stalin outlined a 6-point plan for the demoralization of America to help facilitate Communist lake-over of this country. The first point named by Stalin was: Attack religious dogma. This attack was to be implemented by the following steps: ' a. Bible not divinely in spired. b. Attacks on the divinity of Christ. c. Enlightened age (intcllcc tualism) vs. the Bible (which was allegedly written by un intelligent, impressionable, su perstitious men). d. Virgin birth deprecated. e. A change in words, ideas and values. f. Brotherhood ot man stressed to the point of a class less society. g. Stress on selfishness of the individual, if he desires his own personal salvation rather than to share in the social consciousness of the brotherhood of mqn. h. Interest In the social or der rather than faith in Christ and resulting emphasis on Christian virtues. The above program is being pushed hard by the Commu nists because it is part and parcel of their basic philoso phy and necessary for Com munist victory. But it is also being pushed by "enlightened intellectuals," and extreme liberal religious circles. Win? The Bible says In John 3:19, 20 "and this Is the condemna tion, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, been use their deeds were evil. For everyone that doeth evil hatclh the light, neither Com eth to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved." "Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished." Eccl. 4:13. The (ear of the Lord is Ihe beginning of wisdom. The main channel or avenue of Communist conquest is not through the stomach, but through the atheistic mind of the student Intellectual. When a young mind is rooted and grounded In a Godless, mater ialistic philosophy, he is ripe material for Communist re cruitment. Even more tragic - much more tragic is this: ". . . he that belicveth not is con demned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God " John 3 18. Speaking ot intends to utilize the $500 mil lion originally earmarked by I h e Eisenhower administra tion for a similar program. But also to be brought into play are other resources. "We will immediately step up our food for peace emer gency program . . . Hungry men and women cannot wait for economic discussions or diplomatic meeting . . "We must rapidly expand the training of those needed lo man the economies of rapidly developing countries . . . The Peace Corps will be available." This was the United States' reply to Communist Cuba's boast that it is to serve as the springboard for the Commti nization of all of Latin Amer ica. The President's announce Bigger Allowances For Office Clerks Would Help Public By DICK WEST Washinglon-IUPn - Members of Congress are forever doing things for our welfare,' even if we don t always recog nize in what way we are being helped. Wednesday for instance, the House of R e p r e senta tives decided that we would all be better ,ve" off if each congressman had a bigger of fice payroll allowance. . It approved, therefore, a resolution authorizing House members either to hire an ex tra clerk at $3,000 annual base pay, or to spread that amount around among their present employees. I'll confess that when the resolution first came to the House floor, I was a bit mysti fied as to how it would con tribute to the common weal. In fact, I was about to en tertain a suspicion that it was designed primarily for the benefit of congressmen and their employees. But, fortun ately, House Democratic Lead er John W. McCormack was on hand to straighten me out For The People "This is not for the better ment of the members," Mc Cormack said, elevating the resolution to the level of statesmanship. "It is for the betterment of the people of the country, lo enable mcm- the Great Judgment day to come, God's book says in Rev elation 20:15 "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." Jesus and the Communists have both made this state ment: He who is not with me (us) is against me (us). Which of these two are you trusting in? A choice we must make. Bill Henley, 422 Siskiyou blvd., Ashland, Ore. Where Will It Stop? To the Editor: Here is some thing to think about. It really opened my eyes to taxes. Henry Suburban reaches out of bed lo turn off h i s alarm clock (price $5, taxes 84 cents). Out of bed he walks across floor of house (priced at $12,000. annual property tax S20SI); switches on electric light bulb (price 33 cents, tax 2 cents). He listens to music from radio (price $30. tax $1.80). Henry shaves with a taxed electric razor, slaps a handful of bay rum ($1.30, tax 13 cents) across his jowls. He drosses and fastens tic clasp (price $3, tax 30 cents). His wrist watch cost SB0, tax $6. His- underarm briefcase cost $25, tax $2.50. In the kitchen two pieces of toast, al least 151 hidden taxes. The electric toaster cost $16, tax 48 cents. Off to work in car with taxes of $518 and operator's license. S3. 50. He lights a cig arette (at 25 cents a package, tax 14 cents). When he com mutes by train he plays cards with cronies, cards 40 cents, tax 13 cents. If he is going to have friends at his home he buys a bottle of whiskey at $3.40, tax $2.10. Henry sighs (no lax). On his annual $7,500 income he pays $986 in taxes. There is a 3 per cent sales tax, which we don't have here in Oregon. Gasoline tax is 4 cents fed eral, 6 cents state. In his state where Henry lives his bollle of whiskey is subjected to 30 cents distilled spirit tax and 12 cents sales tax So you go on and on about taxes. Where and when are they going to stop. 1 wonder how much our forefathers paid in their homeland in taxes, when they set out for the land of Ihe free and the home of the brave. Nothing like this I bet. Erma Milledge. 12 South Orange si., Medford, Ore. ment scarcely could have been more timely. This correspondent recent ly completed a tour which in cluded stops in Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil and the West Indian Federation. He has witnessed the im balance of wealth which plagues Latin American na tions, has seen the poverty which invites Communism and the disaster which can be fall nations dependent on a single crop or mineral for their economy. He also noted the bound less hope placed in the new administration by these peo ples - hope which if allowed to grow without a clear Uni ted States definition of its limits could lead only to dis appointments and new bitter ness. bers to better perform service. . McCormack was so enthusi astic about this method of public betterment, he suggest ed it would be a good thing if congressmen also raised their own salaries. - I don't know whether the other. House members are will ing to do us that big a favor, but at least McCormack's idea gives us something to look forward to. Perhaps I should now ex plain that the S3. 000 figure meritioned in the resolution does1 not represent all the ex tra money that a congressman will have available for clerk hire. If a clerk is hired at a basic annuual salary rate of $3,000, he actually will receive $6, 781.24. This is because the basic payroll is adjusted up wardly nine limes in amounts ranging from 5 to 25 per cent. Even with an electronic computer, nobody would be able to figure out exactly what Wednesday's exercise in public betterment will cost the bettered public. If; to use a conservative example, 200 additional clerks were hired al the full $3,000 base rate, the cost would be $1,356,248. But if twice that many clerks were hired at half that amount, the cost would not be the same. Then it would be $1,515,52. You can understand, then, why Rep. John Kyi (R-Iowa) described the payroll comput ation system as a "mathemat ical monstrosity." He said the House clerk's office had a set of payroll tables consisting of 45 sheets with 40 entrties per sheet. Far be it from me lo sug gest that this system was in tended to mislead anyone. But in matters of public better ment, it would appear that the hand of Congress is quicker than the eye of the taxpayer. Goldberg Ends Jobless Area Tour Washinglon-fllPll-Labor Sec retary Arthur Goldberg re turned to the nation's capital today with a briefcase full of jobless complaints from his non-committal tour of depress ed areas in three Midwest states. The secretary told idled miners and steel workers at Hibbing, Minn., "I wish I could return to Washington and the President would wave a magic wand and there would be jobs for all. But I can't do that." The tour carried Goldberg into Illinois and Wisconsin and ended Wednesday night in Minnesota's recession-hit iron country near H'bhing, where he talked to some of the 12. 500 unemployed workers in the area. "I will carry their ni(,s';ii"f's back to the President." G' 'H berg told Minnesota Gov. Elmer Anderson. He drew rapt attention from 200 workers in a speech at the Duluth. Minn., labor tem ple, repeating his call for a stepup in steel production to match that of Soviet Russia, where he said output at the present Soviet rate could one day equal or surpass the Unit ed Slates. Former Agriculture Director Succumbs Portland-UTI' Funeral scrv-! ice; are scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Friday for J. D. Micklc, 91. retired director of the Ore gon Agriculture Department,! who died Tuesday. The services will be at Fin ley's Mortuary. Mickle was director from 1938 to 1943. He had been appointed by Gov. Charles Martin. i A veteran of Oregon agri-i culture, he served as commis-i sioncr of foods and dairies for 1 the state prior to creation of the state department. ! Matter of Fact By Joseph Alsop "JACK. JACKIE. AND LITTLE CAROLINE" Washington-President Ken nedy being somewhat of a scene - stealer, Ihe Congres s i o n a 1 per formanee i n the grand po litical drama has lately been getting r e m a r kably little atten tion. Yet this per formanee is a I r e a d v Alsop well worth watching, if only because the President is quite likely to take a hpatino ,h nis first really major meas- IV ure, tne minimum wage bill, comes up in the House next week. The plain truth Is that tne story of the adm n sta tion's legislative program is going to be a rliff.hanimr from start to finish. It was hardlv noticed, vol there was a fine plifr.hannimf , ..cl.i,b episode last week, when the House passed the obscure feed Grains hill hv thp nvntiich ma jority of 209 to 202. As in the case of the minimum wage bill at the moment, the odds were rather heavilv aeainst passage of the feed grains bill when it was reported from committee. 11HE bill was saved by care--- ful counting and hard per suading by Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn, the Ray burn lieutenants, and thp White House legislative liai son staff, headed bv Law rence O'Brien. The problem was to persuade enough of the big city Democrats, who nor mally cast automatic votes against bills favoring the far mer, to change their habit on this occasion. One of Ravburn's staff nffi. cers, Rep. Richard Boiling of Missouri, is reported to have used the simple plea, "You've just got to do this, for Jack, Jackie, and little Caroline" Certainly the urban members who helped to put the feed grains bill over, did not do so from any deep convictions about the bill's merits. In the case of the minimum wage bill, the lask will be harder, for the Southerners and the Republicans are the groups who must provide the needed extra votes. One could be sure of the doom of the minimum wage bill if quick foot work by the Kennedy , men and Rayburn men had not secured a self-reversal by the House Labor Committee. As the Committee changed its mind about extending mini, mum wage protection to ho tel and restaurant workers, the big bill still has a chance. TY a crude count, there a p. pearcd to be about 160 solid votes for the bill, about 170 solid votes against, and ' about 93 members whose votes are being viciously fought-over by the Adminis tration's vote-catchers and the two opposition leaders, Republican chieftain Charles Halleck of Indiana and the boss of the Southern Demo cratic ultras, Rep. Howard Smith of Virginia. The outcome will not be predictable until the debate begins after the week end. But it will be something of a triumph if the Administration again squeaks by with a ma jority on the minimum wage bill. After all, much the same bill was handily beaten by the Smith-Halleck team last year, when the Democratic House majority was consid erably larger. Meanwhile, it is worth not ing that Rep. Boiling's some what special appeal for the feed grains bill is sympto malic as well as entertaining. The plain truth is that the Administration has been try ing to get by in Congress, thus far at least, by exploiting the good will that most members of the House and Senate now feel for the President, and no doubt for Mrs. Kennedy and little Caroline as well. PXTRAORDINARY efforts " are being made by the While House to increase this reserve of good will. In the last five weeks, for instance, "'resident Kennedy has been hard al work on an unpubli tized. self-imposed chore never before attempted by any ot his predecessors. He has been calling in the chair men of all House and Senate committees for long, private talks and this, al the rate of two and three chairmen a day. when the President has no much else on his plate. The committee chairmen have come away all smiles, in most cases. Yet the most ardu ous cultivation of good will.f and the most efficient vote-p counting, and the most coolly practical use of patronage and other persuaders, will not bof enough to assure a happy end-! ing (or each and every cpi-ff sode of the Congressional' cliff-hangers. i Happy endings will only be assured when and if two con-: ditions are fulfilled, which, have not been fulfilled to date. In the area of domestic policy, the Congress must bn convinced that a substantial nalional majority is firmly behind the Kennedy pro gram. Otherwise, the throng ing lobbyists will triumph. 1
