"Everyone in Southern Oregon
Rbfished Dally except Saturday by
. r MIDFORD PRUNING CO
35 Worth Fir St., Ph. BP3-glt
"ROBERT W. RUHL, Editor
HERB GREY, AdverUitng Manager
tiCKAlJ 1. LJ 1 11..--., uiu, - n
ERIC W. ALLEN JB , Mnr. Editor
OLIVE STARCHER. Women a Editor
DALE IWun, utrcuwumi ...a.
Ml illlic mil.., . . . . , r
Entered eecond claii matter at
Meaiora, uresun, uiiu ...
March 3, 1897
By Mall In Advance, Copy 10c
e.,nj.v t vaar 11.1.00
n.llv and Sunday 8 mo. 8 00
Daily and Sunday 3 mot. 4.3
Sunday Only One year 4.J0
"htano, Central Point , Eagle
bi Jacksonville. Cold Hill,
Phoenix, Shady Cove, Rogue Rlv-
er. Talent and on moior nwa.
Dally and Sunday 1 mo. 1.S0
Carrier and Dealera copy 10c
All Term Cain in Aavance
-official Paper of City of Medford
Official Paper of Jackson County
United Press International 1 ,
Full Leased Wire
nJI. Telephoto Wewiplcturei
' "MEMBER OF AUDIT BUREAU
Aavernsina "SH,c"b".mXVt
WEST HOLIDAY COj, INC. Of
fleet in New York, Chlcago, De
troit, San Franclico. iia
Seattle, Portland, St. Louis, At-
lama. Vancouver, p..
NEWSMPII
PUBLISHERS
ASSOCIATION
NATION Al I DITORIAl
Flight o' Time
Medford and Jackson County
Hlitory from the flit o The
Mill Tribune 10, 20, 30, 40
and 50 Vr go. '
10 TEARS AOO
a it tail fVMiiavl
Tk hm0 Japfe-ann at. bridge
across Bear creek will prob-
. . . x A 41 n
ably DO openea to .
' sometime Sunday, according
to the city superintendent.
A J 8-year-old man was ar
retted by state police here ye-
. ten-day and U being held as a
luiptct In a March 81 murder
In Tacoma, Waah.
SO TEARS AOO
April II, 1141 (Sunday)
Local dtlzeni are flocking
to Crater Lake park this Eu
trr w-k end. -
r.' 4 Arthur Parry's "Ye
V Pot" column! "The
tm viae today
roar. "All
i i j. l.al Monday)
The attempted robbery of
' an Aihland bank failed yester
day when a local arunw
hot one of the band
lit; a tecond bandit escaped
and la now the object of a
nollce search.
The county court Is again
seeking way of Keeping me
public from dumping rubbish
along county roads.
40 TEAM AOO .
April 13. 1111 (Wednesday)
An Ashland man has an
nounced plan to bulla a road
house at the summit of Siski
you pass. ' ,
Snow fell In Medford for
a half-hour early this morn
ing, but It quickly melted.
SO TEARS AOO
AnrU 13. 1911 (Thursday) ,
Page one headlines: "Frost
King Put to Rout by Smudge
Pots: Although Killing xem-
M
' oerature Comes, Orchards Ate
Not Harmed as Scientific
Flahtlna of Frost Proves a
Great Success,"
Charles A. Malboef has re-
luned as secretary of the
, Medford Cpmmerclal club; he
did outstanding work In pro
motlns Medford and the
Rogue valley.
What's Your I.Q.?
Nina 01 tan correct It luperlorl
tven or eight It Mcallant) ilva or
tlx It 0000.
l'. Standing at the North
Pole, In what direction would
one face?
2. Is a gnu an Insect, ante
lope, or reptile? .
3. Gumbo Is a soup thick
ened with mucllagnous pods
of what vegetable? -
. 4. Of what South'Amerlcan
country is Pedro G. Beltran
the prime minister?
B, Would you guess that the
gorilla has the same number
of pairs of ribs as man, more
ribs, or fewer ribs?
6. Do biennial elecUons oc
cur every six months, or every
two years? ,
7. How many divisions has
the Zodiac?
8. Is the moon self-luminous?
9. Do opponents In a chess
game use the same or differ
ent color squares?
: 10. Which sea does the port
of Bombay, India, face?
Ans worst 1. South In all di
rections, t. Antelope. 3. Okra.
4. Peru. S. More. I. Every two
: years. 7. Twelve. I. No. 9.
Same. 10. Arabian tea.
PHOTO Or A SNEEZE i
Newark, N.J. - The picture
of man in the act of sneez
ing was the first successful
demonstration of a motion pic
ture at West Orange, N.J. in
1889.
THURSDAY, APRIL 13. 1961
Man In Space
For a lone time, American scientists and tech
nicians have had the basic knowledge to put a
man into orbit around the earth, to do the job
the Russians did yesterday. ;
For a decade or even more, all tnat would
have been required was a sense of direction, of
urgency, and the necessary expenditure of rela
tively huge sums to develop the hardware and
fuels necessary for the task.
That the Russians have done it first reveals
several things. One is that they have the tre
mendous drive and energy and determination to
surmount the technical problems and do the job.
. ..
IT ALSO is revealing of the fact that America,
which for so long was in the forefront of the
world's science and technology, is no longer the
unchallenged leader. '
We must admit that, in some areas at any
rate, the Russians are ahead of us how far
ahead, and whether we can catch up, are ques
tions yet to be answered. - -
The answer depends on this country, its lead
ers, and its people whether they respond to the
challenge of scientific competition in the race
for space; or whether we will continue to be
contented with our gimmicks, our gadgets and
second class status. E.A.
Why
Why, some people ask, should we worry about
getting into space? Why spend all that money?
Why expend the effort and take the attendant
riBKSf wnai gooa wiu ii uui miy nuu wv w
solve some of our earth-bound problems first?
These may be valid questions, but they ignore
the fact that man is a curious beast, and will go
to almost any lengths to satisfy that curiousity.
; Secondly, we must admit that our own space
program, and that of the Russians, too, would not
be where they are, were it not for the competi
tive push each has given the other.
e '
IDEALLY, it might be a good idea to solve the
nmtilama nf Vienlf.ri ..nvprnnniilatfrw. distribution
of foodstuffs, raising the world's standard of
living, and so on, before we go gallivanting off
into space.
But. once the start was made, it was too late
to turn back. There are many factors all adding
up to the necessity that the task continue fac
tors including those 6f world psychology, the
military asnects. human curiousity. human pride,
and simple scientific advancement. t
: We are committed to tne race lor space. 10
day we're lagging. E.A.
The Larger
v y There are, inevitably, political ramifications
to the fact tnat Kussia
the U.S. hasn't and isn't yet ready to.
Whatever can be said about the pleasant Ei
senhower years, it cannot
years filled with ambition
They were, in many
the attention of Americans was focused on pleas
ant living, with far too little on the many serious
and unsolved problems facing America things
like adequate education,
dwindling natural resources, dynamic economic
growth, basic scientific research, and even the
threat posed by communism to the free world.
a
TTHE orbiting of Sputnik on October 4, 1957, did
a lirla ot?r tViu AmnrifnYl nonnlo Tfa nffpeta
m toVVaV W VIA Vll V 4aiiIV4 0VMt U4V4 VU
on education, for one, are still being felt.
But aside from that, it didn't seem to get peo
ple tremendously excited, and by the time a dozen
or so satellites nad been iired on, tney became
fairly routine., Ho hum.
But a man circling the globe in less than two
hours, while in actual cold scientific terms it may
not be as significant as some of our instrument
ed space shots, should
tion to both the dangers
the space age which has come upon a world
which is politically and psychologically unready.
" e e v e
THERE is a new political climate in the United
States today. People are beginning to respond
to President Kennedy's vigorous leadership. And
it is our prediction that even the congress will
wake up to the fact that we are in a new era be
fore too long.
At least we hope so.
For if we do not have a nation essentially
united behind its leaders, a nation which will
respond to the demands of the times, then we
might just as well stop worrying about the United
Nations, and Laos and the Congo and Latin
America, and all the rest pull in our horns, re
tire from the struggle, and wind lip a has-been
nation without trying.
If this happens it will be the denial of the
hopes and dreams of Americans, and other free
peoples, for a peaceful, fruitful world.
e e a .
lAKE no mistake. If America does not re
spond to the challenge implicit in Maj. Yuri
Gagarin's first little step in space, it will mean
the end of the world as it is now,' and as we hope
it may be.
For America still represents the "last, best
hope",for world freedom and world peace, in its
leadership of the free world. : : t
; ; If it loses that leadership,! in any marked de
gree, in any really significant field, we might as
well concede that Communism represents the
wave of the future, i -
; And that is a thought too appalling to con
sider seriously. E.A. . .
Space?
Challenge
Jias orbited a man,' and
be said that they were
and determination. r
regards, lazy years, when
conservation of our
do more to alert the na
arid the challenges of
Dennis the . Menace
jELty DOUGHNUT. )A VWNT IT?
Letters- to the Editor must bear the name and address of the writer,
although under certain circumstances the use of a pen name or Inlial
for publication Is permissible. The Mad 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 ease,
Sick Pay and Pensions
To the Editor: In a news
item in April lOth's Issue of
the Mail Tribune I was aston
ished, (second time lately), to
see some facts and figures
there in bold type. Tuesday,
when I could get my. breath
through' the "pear piokers
smog," the figures had not
changed a bit.
Are you ready? Well here
they come: Seventy-five thou
sand (75,000) Federal Govern
ment workers report SICK on
an average working day! And,
my friends, that is with payl
That i is a heck of a lot of
'hang-overs.'
Federal workers averaged
7.7 days of short term sick
leave. Hold your hat, here are
some more figures: This short
term sick leave cost Uncle
Sam, I mean you taxpayers,
$315,000,000 last year.
Here is one point I want to
make: Call-up the veneer mill
where you work and tell the
boss you won't be In, you are
sick. Then on payday, see If
you got paid for that day I
Now my main point: With
only a couple hundred thou
sand of world War One vet
erans left, who all average 66
years old and the total drop
ping fast yearly,- don t you
think that the Bill In Congress
to grant therfl a separate Pen
sion of $100 per month should
be passed? Thousands of these
veterans are disabled, many
100 per cent. ,
Think it over.
Malemute Slim,.
White City; Ore. ;
Enjoy God's World
To the Editor: We live right
across the street from the
playground at Hanby school
here in Gold Hill, and usually
there isn't too much activity
over there during the week
ends, except for the usual
boys and girls who play bas
ketball and sometimes tennis.
However, this week end was
different. How? Why was It
different? Because several of
the younger families got to
gether to play basketball and
baseball, and this is as it
should be. The mothers and
fathers were playing-'havlng
a ball"-lettlng off pent-up en
ergies in a clean, wholesome,
healthy way. This is the way
to stay youngl i
How long has 'it been since
you took a walk? Either a
good brisk one or a slow,
peaceful, thoughtful one? How
long has it been since you
communed with nature?
So often, and the majority
of us must admit this I'm sure
(especially we, the women) we
find ourselves to be merely
hot-house plants-never ven
turing into the fresh air ex
cept to hang the wash or to do
some other task. We don't al
low ourselves to enjoy nature.
Sometime when you are
tired and bedraggled, try tak
ing off your shoes and going
barefoot on the grass. If it's
damp it's all the better, for
it tends to, in a manner of
speaking, recharge your bat
tery. Or lie on the grass and
Mrs. Duncan Pens
Script for Movie
Salem (DPD The legislature
decided Wednesday to get
Into the movie-making busi
ness.
It Dassed HJR34 which au
thorizes a committee to have
a documentary film produced
showing what Is Involved In
the lawmaking process.
The film, for which $1,300
was appropriated, will be be
produced and narrated by
Robert Rlchter, program coor
dinator for' state station
KO AC-TV In Salem. I
The script was written by
Mrs. Robert Duncan, wife of
the House speaker.
Cameraman will be Wil
liam Rush of Corvallls.
MEDFORD MAIL
if you feel like rolling around
in It do so. It's a good way to
exercise while you're at lt-
but don't think of It as exer
cise, Just enjoy it.
I'll bet some of you are
thinking I'm fetched In the
bead by now ana prodarjiy
feel I'm some kind of a nut.
But I'll wager that if you
learn to communicate with
nature as you would a rela
tive or friend, you'll soon find
that you're feeling so much
less tense and much more
healthy,-
Of course, if you re afraid
to become- friends with the
great out-of-doors, then you're
afraid of your own shadow. If
you're afraid someone, might
take you as some sort of idiot,
then just continue living in
your hot-house and grow more
tense and shrivel up and die,
not knowing the exuberant
joy of loving all God has put
here for us to enjoy.
Enjoy God's beautiful world
todayl , ,
Mrs. R. P. corona, .
904 Fifth ave,,
: Gold Hill, Ore.
It Seeks the Truth
To the Editor: This Is an
open letter tothe members
of the Oregon House, State
and Federal Affairs Commit
tee, about HB 1413-registra-
tion and reporting by paid
lobbyists.
All House BUI 1413 seeks is
that the truth be told and
told as a public record,
This bill has had two hear
ings before your committee.
The last hearing was held
March 8, over one month ago.
No further hearings are In
tended by you, I am Informed.
: Since no one has appeared
publicly to oppose this bill be
fore your committee at either
hearing, and since consider
able testimony and evidence
in favor of it was produced
I am at a loss to understand
why the bill has not been
reported out. Perhaps this has
been an oversight and this re
minder will prompt action.
In the event there is still
some small question about the
need for this legislation, I
would be happy to provide a
list of persons to call and
questions to ask. Your corn
mittee has the power to sub
poena witnesses and records,
should that become necessary,
although I doubt it would be,
I personally see no reason
for further hearing, however,
and only suggest it if the com
mittee's failure to act is based
upon any doubt. ; '
The Governor and the
Speaker have endorsed this
bill in principle. So have sev
eral editorial commentators
and leaders in both parties.
Again no oife has opposed.
Thirty-one states have regis
tration, and 22 states have ex
pense - reporting provisions.
Missouri and Colorado have
been considering such this
spring.
The public has a right to
know how much what is
worth to whom. Even in the
case where a proposed $40,000
budget for the promotion and
drafting of just one bill be
fore this legislature was dis
closed, the public has not be
come fully Informed. The ac
tual persons composing the
membership of the commit
tee desiring to raise and spend
this money have not become
known. Who are.they, exacUy
how many lobbyists are actu
ally engaged, where did the
funds come from and how
much has been spent by all
lobbying for this bill?
In a similar circumstance in
the next legislature this would
be public knowledge, as
would the persons involved
and the amounts spent on oth
er subjects at the next legto-lature-e.g.
green stamps, high
way taxes, billboards, dairy
regulation, school laws or
budgets and appropriatiohs-if
this bill is considered favor
ably by the legislature.
o supporter mentioned
TRIBUNE, MEDFORD, ORE,
'HIBUHE, Mtiurunu, unn,
U.S. Views
By PHIL NEWSOM
UPI Foreign News Analyst
Just two years ago this
week Fidel Castro began a
triumphal tour of the United
States."
"An articu
late and cour
ageous young
man," one U.S.
senator called
him.
. In the lnter
v e n 1 n g two
years, United
States and Cu
ban relations
Maii&W?faafctaaJ
Newton
made a full 180-degree turn.
Castro had seized about a
billion and a quarter dollars
worth of U.S. property.
A position, paper prepared
in the White House declared
that Castro and his fellows
had betrayed their own revo
lution. It labelled the Castro
regime a "clear and present
danger" to the hemisphere.
It expressed confidence that
'I
Drummbiid Reports
(Walter Llppmenn Is In Europe. Roicoe Drummond reports from
Washington In Vis absence.)
POLITICAL PEACE COFPS?
- Washington - We have still
ta tighten the election laws
against fraud and careless
ness and, even more Import
ant,- to provide for real en
forcement. 1
There are two essential in
gredients for this reform.
1 The first Is for Republicans
and Democrats to quit point-
ine at each other as the guilty
one. Both should recognize
that better enforcement of the
above has charged corruption
or pay-off, nor have I. Since
this is the case I can not see
why anyone would want to
keep the truth a secret. I urge
you to pass this bill out to
the floor of the house for a
decision by all its members.
Edward N. Fadeley,
State Representative,
(Lane county)
Salem, Ore.
Why the Dead Fish?
To the Editor: Have been
reading about the Rogue river
being so muddy, and the rea
son for it. Now I am wonder
ing why all the dead trout in
Big Butte Creek?
There are 30 of them rignt
in front of my place alone,
and with fishing season to
open April 22, I have been
wondering If that is too good
Can afiy one explain the rea
son for the dead trout?
I have lived on the Big
Butte Creek for 32 years and
have never seen anything like
this.
Caroline Harding,
Trail, Ore.
No Place To Go
To the Editor, and the
White City man whose tale
was headed "Humanity," and
savs he has no place to go,
iJosh Billings said "The
trouble with most folks isn't
so much their ignorance as it
is knowing so much that
ain't so." :)
If you are under 50 years
of age, walks in the country
at this time of year should
give you - great satisfaction,
but if over 50, we Medford
seniors are the friends you
lust didn't know about.
There is something doing at
the Senior Center, 601 East
Jackson, nearly every day:
pictures, language classes,
painting lessons and the
drama class from 3 'til 4:30
Wednesdays, orchestra prac
tice from 1 'til 3 Thursdays
-and, by the way-sometimes
our pianist can't make it. Is
there a piano player who
would volunteer to help out
if called? Other oldsters who
once played any Instrument
will find ths a good place to
keep in practice.
All the classes are free and
you'll like us. I know, for we
like ourselves.
The Fifty Plus club has
more women memDers uwu
men. AU we ask is that mem
bers be of good character ana
behave themselves. Member
ship dues In the latter is $1
each quarter (three months).
Pearl Spademan,
Secretary,
Jacksonville, Ore.
Steam Conversion '
To the Editor: I am won
dering if there may be among
the readers of the Medford
Mall Tribune' some dyed-ln-the-wool
steam fans who may
have a few ideas on the con
version of a Chevrolet six
engine to run on steam. I
think it could be done, at any
rate it would present an in
teresting problem. ' .
I think it necessary to mane
new cylinder head, cam
shaft, Intake, valves and pos
sibly rockerfcrms. Tne advan
tages of using an old gasoline
engine would be ready made
cylinder block, pistons, con
necting rods, crank shaft, lu
brication system, and quite
possibly a number of other
ready made parts.
I'd be very mucn mterestea
in hearing from others who
may be Interested In this proj
ect. Floyd R. McCabe,
Mt. Pitt Star Rt-,x
Butte Falls, Ore.
on Castro
the Cuban people "will con
tinue to strive for a free
Cuba," and. Importantly, it
promised full and positive
support to "future democratic
governments" in Cuba. '
Whether by coincidence or'
through cause and effect re
mained a matter for conjec
ture, but scarcely had the
White House paper been is
sued than the newly-united
anti-Castro forces under for
mer foreign minister Jose
Miro Cardona Issued a dra
matic "caU to arms."
- "Fidel knows his days are
numbered," said Miro Car
dona. Throughout Latin America
there was the belief that the
White House had Issued the
10,000-word . statement for a
purpose more than just setting
the record straight.
Contained In It, they be
lieved, was an obvious call for
Internal insurrection against
Castro. They saw in It also an
equally obvious implication
election laws will benefit ev
eryone by insuring that every
vote will count.
There Is no doubt that over
the years both parties have
engaged in Illegal and unfair
practices at ' the polling
booths, voting dead men and
counting out tne living.
But no party has had a mo
nopoly on these evils. .
Obviously when a national
election is as tight as last fall,
the very fact that some 3,000,-
000 Americans were deprived
of their ballots, undermines
confidence in the Democratic
process and underlines the
need for reform. Interparty
recrimination, however, will
get us nowhere. The assump
tion that one party is more
culpable than the other will
simply delay reform. Mr. Nix
on might have picked up
strength If all the votes had
been secure, but it Is also true
that President Kennedy might
have won by a greater plu
rality.
.'
THE second ingredient for
election reform is for the
Republican and Democratic
parties to recruit and train
adequate manpower to guard
the polls. Rep. William B
Widnall, R., of New Jersey,
has a helpful suggestion, He
says: "It appears to me that
a tremendous service could
be performed by some of the
colleges in providing watch
ers and challengers -fori elec
tion day.!' '
This goes to the heart of
the problem. The greatest pro
tection to tne integrity of the
ballot-safeguarding both the
right to vote and the fairness
of the count-comes from the
ability of the two parties to
put competent, voluntary
workers at every polling place
in every i district In every
state. In areas where one par
ty Is weak, adequate watchers
are unavailable. Often they
are untrained, do not know
the laws, are quite useless.
Many of the worst abuses at
the polls stem from this inad
equacy. ..
TTOW can the parties get
- competent election watch
ers in adequate number?
It seems to me that a right
and workable answer is star
ing us In the face: Why not a
political peace corps of vol
unteer college students? They
would gladly give their serv
ices in at least one election
They would serve the better
functioning of democracy in
tne u. s. the way the interna
tional peace- corps is prepar
ing to help build democracy
m other countries.
On the basis of conversa
tions with undergraduates on
many campuses, I am sure
that large numbers of college
students would tie willing and
eager to volunteer if given a
significant job to do. They
would need to receive special
training because untrained
poll watchers are helpless.
Many would themselves like
to get into politics. Service in
the political peace corps
would be a good beginning.
,
rpHE Democratic and Repub--
lican National Chairmen,
Sen. Thruston Morton and
John Bailey, ought to realize,
If they don't already, that
voter opinion is very sensitive
about fraud and carelessness
at the polls.
The completely non-parti
san study, "Are You a Shadow
Voter?"-put out by the Wom
en's Division of the Republi
can National Committee-has
created a nationwide stir. Po
litical and non-political or
ganizations, including the
League of Women Voters and
the Fair Campaign Practices
Committee, have been dis
tributing copies by the thou
sands in all the states.
Mr. Morton and Mr. Bailey
need not leave the initiative
to others. The need for action
is evident and it seems to me
that the political peace corps
is a large part of the right
answer.
(c) 1961 New York Herald
Tribuno Inc.
. .
Do 180-Deg ree Turn
Position Difficult
that any forces tnat tnrew
Castro and his communist
henchmen out and pledged it
self to democracy would re
ceive quick and sympathetic
attention in Washington.
What the United States actu
ally would do In the event a
counter-revolutionary force
did establish a Cuban beach
head remained unclear.
On the one hand was hs
clear obligation unaer me
charter of the Organization of
American States which bans
intervention, direct or indi
rect, In the affairs of any
other state. . ,
On the other was tne rear
that unless action came soon,
any counter-revolution by the
Cuban people must be crush
ed under the steadily increas
ing weight of Communist
arms flowing into me coun
try. Washington estimates of
these arms place them at more
than 30,000 tons in tne lasi
nine months.
Matter of Fpct y joePh ai.op
(o) New York Herald Tribune Syndicate
COL. THAO'S ELECTION
Ben Tre, Kien Hoa Prov
ince, Vietnam The black-
pyjamaed Vietnamese ranger
lieutenant sa
luted smartly
after making
his whispered
report, and
ran out Into
i t' ' sharp rattle
I r, Vof gunfire,
iVaadaW-aM aaati not too far
Aisop : away. The
vouna colonel turned to his
long table-full of guests with
a brilliant, mildly teasing
smile: '
"One of two Communist
companies are moving to
wards the town," he said.
"I've sent one of the re
inforcement groups from my
reserve to oppose them. But
I'm afraid dinner jnay be a
little noisy." .
The. assembled notables of
this river delta province took
the announcement with com
plete outward -calm. Ever
since 1955, the Communists
have been making a maxi
mum effort here. Not so long
ago before Lt. Col. Pham
Ngoc Thao took charge of the
provlnce e v e n this little
provincial capital of Ben Tre
was in the Communists' hands
by night. And the Commu
nist guerrilla chief had long
since sent printed circulars
all .-.through' the province,
swearing to use his entire
military force to abort the
next day's election.
rTlHUS no one was surprised
by the advance on , the
town. Bub- the absence of
astonishment only made the
dinner part rather more
bizarre.
Course after course of de
licious Vietnamese food was
brought to the long table,
Under blazing lights, we sat
maKlng small talk about such
subjects as the population's
remarkable ability to tell the
difference between real mor
tar shells and the Commu
nists' psychological warfare
mortar shells produced by ex
ploding acetylene in bamboo
logs. Now .another courier,
now another burst of riflr
fire, now the dull booming of
a cannon, caused a short hia
tus in the small talk. A final
courier arrived as dinner
ended, and his news for the
first time caused the colonel
to change expression.
"The advance on the town
has been stopped, they are
withdrawing," he told his de
parting guests. Then, out of
tne side of his mouth, he
passed another item of infor.
mation to a more permanent
guest. "One of my compan
ies on the fringe of town may
have deserted. Would you
line io come and see?"
A QUICK drive through the
velvet night; between
thick fringes of palms, man
goes, and bananas the snick
of a, bullet from somewhere
in the trees a cautious ap-
prum-ii io anotner vehicle
which turned out to be a jeep
tarrying a wounded man
ana then we came on a scene
from Goya. The little mud
built fort of the auto-defense
group was like a disturbed
antnui. boldiers and their
women were running back
and forth. A non-mmmir.
sioned officer was gesturing
o..u ouuuunis orders. And
over all this, the lamps that
uaa oeen Drought cast a dull
golden light against the pitch
black background of the
night.
Quickly, the colonel sot h
real story. One man of the 12
in the forth had tried to kill
the officer in charge, and had
then escaped by leaping into
the river nearby. Quickly
with an order and a joke, the
colonel restored calm.
And after four additional
soldiers had been left behind,
,u give tuimuence to tne men
in the fort, the jeep cavalcade
moved on again!
' ',
THIS time, the objective was
An Imnnrlont f" i j
Ing on th rthest nf ih
11 5? it
thr- delta-islands w h I r h .
Finally there is the effect of
any direct U.S. Intervention
on Its relations with other
Latin American nations. What
affection there is among them
for the United States might
easily be dissipated and their
own problems increased by
the fact that many possess
large pro-Castro elements.
.Already the U.S. position
balances upon a fine edge. .
It would not be difficult to
Interpret the White House pa
per itself as a form of Indirect
intervention and thus a treaty
violation.
But alternatives also are
distasteful. If It is accepted
that an internal explosion is
inevitable, then delay only
means additional suffering for
the Cuban people.
Castro already possesses far
more arms than needed for a
simple matter of defense. If
he attempts to use them else
where then' another nation
must suffer. -
make up Kien Hoa province.
xne arive was long, but at the
end the same Goya-scene was
re-enacted, with the addition
of a just-trapped Communist
grenade thrower, weeping and
in bonds. Col. Thao patted his
local commander on the back
when he .heard that a Coml
munist -underground tax col
lector had also been caught.
Then, after briefly interred
gating the grenade-thrower,
he leaped Into the jeep and
drove onwaros once more.
"The grenade-thrower says
there are 30 of them over
there In trees," he remarked,
gesturing leftwards.
"The men of the post were
already preparing their at
tack. But if the Communists
think the post has been re
inforced, they'll get away
first. So we must move
quickly."
So the night continued,
ending with a long patrol just
before dawn, which located a
little Communist infiltration
group by their quickly flash-
ing signal lights and flushed
them out of their hiding place
on the fringe of Ben Tre
town. But only a few hours of
sleep were permitted before
the colonel's endless patrol
ling began again. I-
'
A LL morning, he made the
rounds of crowded polling
places, checking everywhere
with the village headmen on
the percentage of voters who
had come out,
."There is little support for .
the opposition lists," said the
colonel between polling
places.
"It would not be an inter
esting election, if the Commu
nists had not said there must
be no election. That makes it
a contest between us and
them, about whether 'there is
to be an election at all. If we
get out as much as 65 to 70
per cent of the vote in this
province, It will be a victory
for us."
The pause for luncheon was
brief, and the colonel's pa
trolling began again, this time
directed towards points where
trouble had been reported
during the morning. A visit
to an unsuccessfully dynamit
ed bridge a quick sweep
into a village where Commu
nist agitators had been haras
sing the voters and then the
colonel came to a stream-site
where 60 or 70 of the enemy
were firing on a polling place
from the opposite bank.
-
HPHE troops on the spot and
the colonel's own men
were quickly collected. Burst
ing from cover, the detach
ment hurled itself across the
shallow stream with a vast
splashing, under heavy but
fortunately ill-aimed fire. As
they reached the bank, sha
dows dodged away among the
trees. But wiry little Lt. Ninh,
who led the detachment,
came back with two young
guerrilla fighters who had
been left behind.
So ended the active part of
the colonel's election day.
This morning, with all returns
in, he cast up his accounts.
He had lost one man at the
river crossing, plus a civil
guard in another action, plus
a village' elder who had been
assassinated, plus an old wom
an and a child whom the
Communists had shot while
attacking a little market. In
addition, he had one man
wounded, the officer attacked
by the deserter.
The Communist had left six
dead on the field, of whom
two fell at the river crossing;
four of them had been taken
prisoner; they had at least ten
reported wounded. In nine
villages out of 115 in the
province, thev had blocked
the polling places well
enough to require' military
sweeps. But over 80 per cent
oi tne people in the province
had gone to the polls, will
ingly or unwillingly defying
the Communists' orders, and
gave President Diem a huge
majority.
It was between us and
them," said the colonel, sum-
m. "And I think we
'iia iund."
L