MEDFORD MAIL IRlbUME, MLDFOHD. OREGON
bununr, ttoHuAnt 1U. ISbii
Communications
Letters io the Editor mutt bear the turn and address oi iha writer, although undar
certain circumstances the uia ot a pen name or initial tor publication ii permissible.
The Mail Tribune reserves the right to edit all letters with a view to clarification and
condensation. Letters submitted tor 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.
A Student Speaks
To the Editor: The people
of School District No. 4 are
again faced with the prospect
of consolidation with the
Medford School District. For
the past three years this issue
has come before residents of
both school districts with
much discussion on both
sides. However, at the present
time, emotions are running
high concerning this proposed
union.
I am a senior at Phoenix
High school and will grad
uate in May of this year. If
consolidation is approved, it
will not affect me directly,
but since I have received my
entire education in the Phoenix-Talent
system, I take an
interest in what happens to
District No. 4.
In my opinion, consolida
tion would not be beneficial
to Phoenix High school for
many reasons other than the
loss of "identity," a reason
given in the editorial of
Thursday's paper. In a state
ment issued to District No. 4
residents by the School Board
of the Phoenix-Talent School
District, sound facts are given
to support financial and edu
cational bases for non-consolidation.
It is a fact that union
with Medford would raise
taxes of Phoenix-Talent resi
dents immediately after con
solidation, and also upon the
initial building of the planned
second high school. How
could it help but do this? The
money must come from some
where and logically from the
taxpayers who shoulder many
burdens as it is.
Some people involved seem
to think that the 91-course
curriculum offered at Med
ford High school immediately
insures a better education for
their children. Personally, I
feel this merely uses numbers
to impress people, rather
than measuring the quality of
education provided at either
school. The faculty at Phoe
nix High is comparable to any
in the valley. Because of the
low teacher pupil ratio, the
students enjoy a closer educa
tional relationship with the
instructor, and can obtain
personal help from a quali
fied person at their conven
ience. Also, many of the 91
courses at Medford are voca
tional and if added to Phoe
nix's curriculum would put
it on an equal plane with
Medford.
I believe that basically for
its size, Phoenix has a very
well-rounded and adequate
curriculum to' prepare young
people for college or work.
As I stated, quality is more
important than quantity.
With the above reasons in
mind, the logical vote would
be no to the proposal of con
solidation. However, regard
less of the decision, every
registered voter should vote
on the issue.
Donna Hill
(Phoenix High School)
Route 1. Box 370
Talent, Ore.
If it is advantageous to the
state to recognize its educa
tionally advanced children
and to give them special train
ing, then it seems to me that
the state will benefit from
teaching all of its gifted chil
dren who are desirous of par
ticipating, and qualified to do
so. Furthermore, tax laws are
supposed to be applied uni
formly, and educational bene
fits ought to be distributed
uniformly, to all children sim
ilarly situated. I believe very
strongly that the church and
the state should be kept sep
arate, I also believe that our
laws should not discriminate
against any segment of our
population. It is for that rea
son that I introduced the bill.
It may be that the whole
subject matter is now moot
since there is pending In the
State Senate another bill
which would completely abol
ish this section of the law
which I seek to amend. There
is also a possibility that, for
financial reasons, no funds
will be provided in the next
biennium for state support of
the program for the educa
tionally advanced children.
Edward Branchfield
State Representative
Jackson County
Speaks of Liberal
To the Editor: Whenever a
Conservative speaks out in
the column, he is immediately
assailed with cries of irrele
vant, irrelevant, irrelevant. A
certain liberal has used this
term so frequently that I
firmly believe he was miscast
in life. Any TV producer
would automatically cast him
to oppose Perry Mason each
Saturday night.
He seems to assume, when
ever a Conservative writes in,
that there is really nothing to
discuss and how can the Con
servative be so ridiculous to
even bring up such a thing,
ue ii iiuormaiinn, Commun
ism or why white shirts are
laundered more cheaply than
sports shirts.
His ideas, opinions and eval
uations are his "facts" and
anyone who does not agree
with them is obviously not a
world traveler and is more
than often dismissed as a local
clod or country bumpkin. His
education was received in the
East and enriched by travels
abroad and while he apparent
ly knows history exists, he ig
nores its lessons and proceeds
on up the path of self-assumed
intellectual snobbery.
As Mr. Lincon once said
"Let us be diverted by none of
these sophisticated contriv
ances wherewith we are in
dustriously plied and bela
bored, contrivances such as
groping for some middle
ground between right and
wrong."
Ours, The Liberal Credo de
clares, is an "Open Society,"
the rules of which call for a
continuing hearing for all
ideas. Close examination of
this same liberal's letters re
veals that he has given Con
servatives a terminal audi
ence. He is ready, willing and
able to co-exist with Commu
nists and Socialists on his left
but can only recommend the
Conservatives on his right to
the psychiatrist.
I am fully convinced that
any competent psychiatrist
would find much more to oc
cupy his time in an examina
tion of such Liberals and the
place to where their approach
to our country's problems
have brought us, than will be
found in examining any large
group of aginners.
James K. Shafer,
Route 2, Box 210X,
Medford.
life in prison because he was
fighting for the downtrodden
worker.
According to statistics com
piled by NLRB in 1936, the
total operating costs that year
of labor espionage was $80,
000,000. As an individual, Mr.
Brown, how could you cope
with that?
Did you ever hear of Pearl
Bergoff? Strike breaking was
his business, he made millions
elected official. He can have
as many as 20 cabinet depart
ments. We lose our votes.
"Buying a pig in a poke," a
new office, the Controller. His
selection, removal, salary,
deputies, office personnel,
term of office are all to be,
"as provided by law." His
term will be not less than
eight years. ,
His job covers a multitude
of words which you can read
Fn helZ ZH on pages 24 and 25; Some jobs
working conditions
Abundance for All
To the Editor: Mr. Brown
in the M.T. Communications
attacks the unions. Well that
is his privilege. Very few of
the working force today know
what it is all about. They
have been on the gravy train
for the last 17 years.
They don't know the battle
labor had to get just a little
legislation in their favor. Now
it is being taken away from
them and fast. Go back to
Sacco and Vanzetti. They died
in the electric chair, framed
just because they were labor
leaders. Joe Hill died before
a firing squad in Utah on
trumped up charges. Tom
Mooney spent the best years
of his life in prison on a bomb
ing frame up. Eugene V. Debs
spent about one-half of his
tne working force today
had better wake up before
it is too late, when the Gold
waters, the Birches, and the
Dan Smoot crowd get control,
the whole U.S. will be nothing
but a concentration camp.
Don't let anyone kid you Uie
NAM and the U.S. Chamber
of Commerce is no good lor
the little people.
Sure there is corruption in
labor unions, but not half as
much as there is in big busi
ness. Go back to the Palmer
raids after World War I and
follow right on through the
Harding administration and
see what you find. It still
smells.
How can all this be chang
ed? By adjusting our economy
to the era in which we are
living. Our economy is based
on scarcity. We have an
abundance. Adjust to an
abundance, it is just as simple
as that. Every man, woman
and child on this North Amer
ican continent could be living
in luxury. But the vested in
terests are running the show.
Technology is burying our
way of lite, not the Commu
nists. Are we big enough to
adjust before it is too late?
Technocracy has a blueprint
ready to go. What are we
waiting for? Science has given
us a push button system of
production, big business has
taken it. Now if we will just
take science's economy we
will have security fnom the
cradle to the grave, this abun
dance is here for all of us, not
just the vested Interests.
Ray Prichard,
414 South First St.,
Central Point
Poets' Corner
Conducted by
Arnold Eugene Jenny
are listed but again the "Pig
in the Poke" is in the words.
"He shall make additional in
vestigations and reports as re
quired by the Legislature As
sembly, and perform other
functions as provided by law."
Bob Duncan said "we could
trust our Legislature to vote
themselves a fair wage." We
did and they did as "we can
plainly see." Once bitten,
twice careful.
We want a spending cut not
taxes raised.
Ella Powell
Box 621
Central Point, Ore.
Explains Bill
To the Editor: Some ques
tions have been raised in Jack
son county concerning House
Bill 1203 which I introduced.
I think it would be well for
me to explain the bill and its
possible effects.
At the present time, the
Jackson County Sch-H Board,
in cooperation with the State
Department of Education, is
conducting a scries of classes
on Saturday, at Southern Ore
gon college, for educationally
.jrivan. -:! 'children. TV is in
addition to, and is not a part
of, the regular school pro
gram. This is in accordance
with the ,aw which has been
in effect for some years. One
section of that law provides
that the special program is
limited to students "who are
enrolled in the public
schools " The bill which I in
troduced would strike the
quoted language from the law.
The bill would not make any
other changes in existing law.
The Rural School Board has
full control of the classes, sub
ject only to the regulations of
the State Department. If pa
rochial school students were
permitted to attend, the con
trol would remain the same,
and the parochial schools
would have nothing to say
about the content of the
courses or the conduct of the
classes. No money would be
paid to any parochial school.
Some people have indicated
that they feel the new bill
would violate the separation
of church and state. In my
opinion that constitutional
nrinciole is not involved here.
because no money would be
paid to or for any parochial
school The only provision of
the constitution which was
concerned in the recently
overruled text book statute
was Article I. Section 5 which
states that "no money shall be
drawn from the treasury for
the benefit of any religious, or
theological institution." The
only institutions involved in
this special educational pro
gram are public schools.
At Gettysburg
These quiet fields, where play the mocking-birds;
These lavish orchards, born to days of peace;
These happy valleys was it here the words
Of weary Lincoln bade the battles cease?
And was it here the tides of conflict rolled
Through fearful days of devastating death,
While countless millions worn with warfare old
Endured and prayed and hoped, with bated breath?
O Lincoln, master, speak to us again;
Lift up our hearts, subdue our stubborn souls;
Here, once again, on this embattled plain,
Call us to peace, speed us to worthy goals;
Bind up the broken spirits, bid war die
In every heart, and under every sky!
Thomas Curtis Clark
O
The Fatalist
I deem it rather quaint to think
That if we teeter on the brink,
Then teeter just a bit too far.
Thus make our world a burned-out star,
We did it in a bang-up way
With atoms splitting 'round so gay.
Examine Goya's etchings, then.
Determine if you'd rather been
A victim of exquisite pain
As practiced in the land of Spain?
Or peek across the Pyrenees
And think if you would bend your knees
To bow below the guillotine
As did a trightencd King and Queen?
Still undecided? Then we go
To Merry England where they show
Decorum in the proper use
Of silk or hemp to form a noose.
Electrodes fitted to the head
Will leave the victim just as dead
As pellets dropped in acid bath:
A newer age's clever wrath.
This catalog Is much too brief
In all the ways that man makes grief,
But if I merely pointed out
Or left no room for anxious doubt
That all that comes is swift and sure,
Then might there be a chance for cure?
Lloyd B. Halverson
Medford
O
Reflections
Mv mirror isn't always good to me;
I fear I look for what I cannot find;
It shows me things I do not want to see.
Gray hairs, a little stoop, and features lined
Were mirrored back to me one fading day.
Then I looked past myself and God was kind:
The sunset's rose and gold, in glad display,
My mirror caught and held for my delight.
When I put vanity and self away,
God brought eternal beauty to my sight.
Blanche Ellis Norvcll
The Manor, Medford
o
Query
The stars tint shine upon my window-pane.
Like sliver riots on a ceiesiiai plane.
We view with awe, yet they must hide attain.
When dark clouds come to bring the snow and ra;;;.
The galaxies parading in the sky
Impotently roll on and on as you and I,
And will continue on and on, while we
Prepare to live, nor yet prepare to die.
If we could move Time forward in its flight
Would our old Moon still shed her sliver light?
Would the white-light of Venus over shine,
And would the Star of Bethlehem be bright?
Thomas M. Riley
Eagle Point, Oregon
Objects to Bills
To the Editor and to our
State Legislature: Among the
bills submitted to the legis
lature are at least eleven bills
for schools. We want the bill
that isn't there. That bill
would return the schools to
city and county. No state con
trol.
We object to 1IB1121 which
authorizes the State Board of
Education to fix salary of
State Superintendent. Also
SB 52 which takes all control
i of the parents from dismissal
of teachers. Our children are
our most priceless possessions.
Certainly parents should have
some control over those who
teacli them.
We object strongly to bill
HB 112a which "provides that
the account of commitment
and testimony of the trial of
the mentally ill be given to
the County Clerk who shall
seal it. Neither the account
nor the testimony shall be dis
closed to any person except
the County Health Officer or
pursuant court order." That,
to put it bluntly, means that
a person can be picked up and
sent to an insane asylum and
nobody will be able to find
out why except to file a court
suit.
In Russia this is done at
midnight.
Our constitution says, "Nor
any person shall be deprived
of life, liberty, property with
out due process of law." Ar
ticle 5.
Section 10 of the Oregon
Constitution says "No court
shall be secret but justice
shall bo administered openly
and without purchase." That
makes this bill unconstitution-
al.
J VV do n.it like Ms n; ..-
We, the people, no longer
have, "the right to alter, re
form or abolish the govern
ment in such manner as they
may think fit."
The governor is the only
Purpose of Project
To the Editor: I do not wish
to join the long list of writers
who fill your columns with
their letters, expressing their
views against every subject,
except some subject that
would offer a better oppor
tunity for expression of op
position of things in general.
1 am not a habitual writer
of letters to the editor; but
once in a while, some one
expresses himself in such a
way as to make me think he
should be answered.
The one 1 am referring to
is a certain Mr. A. C. Fries,
Jr., of Ashland, who remarks
about Representative Branch
field's bill which would call
for a fair break for students
of Parochial schools, by
amending the present law
which . limits eligibility for
education of gifted students to
those from the public schools.
Of course, as Mr. Fries
states, every dime spent in
this program comes out of
taxes, but is he so ignorant
as to think people who choose
to send their children to paro
chial schools do not pay just
as much in taxes for support
of public schools as those who
make use of the public
schools?
And doesn't he know that
this education program for
gifted students has nothing
whatever to do with breach
ing the separation of church
and state? There is to be no
religion taught in this special
education program.
I do not believe that any
law-maker in our state legis
lature has at any lime been
so biased as to place such
a provision as the one quoted,
limiting this benefit to stu
dents other than Catholics,
Lutherans, Seventh Day Ad-
vcntists or any religious or
der that wishes to have the
children taught according
their own religious belief,
enough to build, equip, pay
for their own teachers, fur
nish their own buses for I
travel to and from school, I
all at their own expense while
paying their equal share of
the upkeep of public schools,
while they are barred from
receiving free text books, or
anything else that comes from
the public fund.
I do not think that Mr.
Branchfield will have any
trouble getting the rest of
the fair minded members of
the state legislature to pass
such a just piece of legisla
tion. After all, the purpose
of this project is to further
education of the gifted or tal
ented students, and discrimi
nation against the rcligicn of
any gifted student is not, or
should not be considered.
Pat Graham,
175 JeHtielle si.,
Medford
so for theirs and ours? For
their young people and ours
to be hauled away on busses?
They say it "would avoid the
present unnecessary and cost
ly transport of children" (last
night's Mail Tribune). We
have around 400 or so high
school students how would
they get to Medford?
They tell us all we would
'gain".
We feel we would "lose" a
great deal more than the
claimed gain. We want to keep
our voice in the management
of our children and their edu
cation and keep our own
school board, a group we feel
has done and is doing a mar
velous job.
Keep our improvements and
schools in our own districts.
Our taxes would be raised.
Why not have the buildings
and improvements here, to
show, for our present rate of
taxation, not a big new high
school in Medford (with high
er taxes), while our own
buildings stand as they are.
If we need improvements
and additions, why not add
them to our own schools in
our own community and have
them here.
Our children have a fine
school chance, with the privi
lege of their own teams and
activities.
Talent and Phoenix people
there is only one way to
keep our schools as they are.
Vote.
Ruth M. Clark
118 South Pacific
highway
Talent, Ore.
finds himself facing a major
war if he should try again.
And in the meantime, Khrush
chev will use the military
base he is building In Cuba
for communist expansion
throughout the western hemis
phere.
With congressmen and mili
tary officials becoming in
creasingly concerned about
the Russian buildup of arms in
Cuba who can believe the
double talk about "defensive"
missiles that comes out of
Washington?
We scuttled our Skybolt
program that we had prom
ised to England in exchange
for Khrushchev agreeing to
remove the original 42 mis
siles. Now, they are all back
and a lot more with the Rus
sians digging in to stay right
on our door steps.
Sweet Dreams??
M. L. Spencer
Talent, Ore.
Run by Conservative!
To the Editor: The morning
news says: "Congress is being
run by Conservatives."
Now I wuz wondering how
much money them penny
pinching conservative cotton
pickers in Washington would
have to spend to be classified
as spendthrifts?
Everett Acklin,
Ashland, Ore.
About Lionel Barrymore
To the Editor: And William
T. Cuddy, you say you knew
Lionel Barrymore. My 'steady'
was his nurse while he was In
the hospital at Amityville, L.I.
Lionel was a great actor,
but I didn't judge hint to be
"Darn near a God" as you put
it. "Still-water runs deep"
but come to think of It, Lionel
wasn't always so blamed
still,' either. Being only 16
then, perhaps I wasn't a good
judge.
I moved west and never saw
Lionel or his nurse-Clarence
Potter-again, tho' I corres
ponded with both for a time.
While riding with the horse
show and caring for my own
string of broncs, I had little
time for letter writing.
John E. Ring, your letter
about geologic age fosyils was
interesting.
I guess Bonnie Hovey and I
were about a fourth of a mile
northwest of Culbertson,
Mont., where we had been
shooting flickertails and rat
tlers. On a hill we found a huge
flagstone with a hole at one
side. We slid down and found
a square, man-made room with
sandstone walls. While
scratching our initials on the
wall, we uncovered a round,
red jewel - like bone. We
thought it to be the ball part
of a ball and socket joint of
an arm.
Wasn't there a tribe of In
dians called "Red bones?"
That must have been about
1911. As that hill was bare of
all excepting buffalo grass
rains may have washed It full
of soil, but the stone would be
there as a marker.
I always liked digging and
A 5
were I young, I think I'd
spend much time In delving
into such things.
Pearl Spackman,
Jacksonville.
(llP)
See Our Stttctten I
MEDFORD
PHARMACY
6th .t Central . . . 771-6253
Has Spoken Again
To the Editor: The Little
King and his Court Jesters in
Washington have spoken
again. Yesterday the net
works, local radio and TV
hummed with soothing words
about the Cuban missile situa
tion. So, go back to sleep little
kingdom of dimwits until you
are blasted out of your sweet
dreams by the Soviet arsenal
now in Cuba. Anyone with a
memory of Khrushchev's past
performances knows it takes
more than a Harvard accent
to frighten him.
Kennedy, having missed
two comparatively easy oppor
tunities to get communism out
of Cuba, is stalling now. He
L. D. WANEK, M.D.
Physician and Surgeon
announces opening of office
in general practice
832 East Main
Suite 11
Office Hours by Appointment
Phone 779-1721
Loses Its Activities
To the. JWttnr For a com
munity to lne its high school
is a sad situation. Talent lost
all the activities connected
with our older children. No
high school games, practice,
parties, programs. Now is
Phoenix going to lose this al-
Only 1 more day!
DOLLAR DAYS
AT EQUITABLE
Now through February 11
$noo
11 FREE
SAVINGS ACCOUNTS
Dvpoaft by 10th msrn from th 1tt
I SAVINGS tttOWfl 1 1
I
513 Medford Shopping Center, Medfortf
19 offices in Oregon and Washington Home office: Portland, Oregon
SCHOOL QISWT 4
SHOULD NOT BE
SWALLOWED UP"
by School District 549C
Here Is Wltif
Residents of School District 4 have the lowest school millage rate In Jackson County
with the exception of Pinehurst.
LET'S KEEP IT THAT WAYl VOTE (X) NO ON CONSOLIDATION
Residents of School District 4 have a school system In which the voice of the citi
zens may be heard in the education of their children by electing their own school
board members.
VOTE (X) NO ON CONSOLIDATION
LET'S KEEP IT THAT WAY!
3 School Diitrict 4 already meets or exceeds all state standards and requirements.
LET'S -Kit? 11 TUAWAY!
VOTE (X) NO C'N CCNSC1SATJCN
4.
The grade schools of School District 4 have consistently been ABOVE county and na
tional norms In the averages of all subject areas tested In all grades. The teacher
pupil ratio is low, thus insuring individual attention to the needs of each child.
LET'S KEEP IT THAT WAYl
VOTE (X) NO ON CONSOLIDATION
The average grade point average of Phoenix freshman In college Is consistently above
the general average of college freshmen, thus showing the result of good educa
tional system.
LET'S KEEP IT THAT WAYl
VOTE (X) NO ON CONSOLIDATION
6.
Plans are already under way on a pay-as-you-go bails to meet the needs of
growing school population and thus maintain the high educational standards now
In effect. This plus a modest Bond Issue will maintain our system for several years.
LETS KEEP IT THAT WAYl
VOTE (X) NO ON CONSOLIDATION
SCHOOL DISTRICT ELECTION
MONDAY, February 112 to 8 p.m,
TALENT:
Talent f lemenlary School Gym
PHOENIX:
Phoanii Elementary School Gym
iirnrnsn fMCTDir-T-imii
vnv viinl-l.
Griffin Creek School
Hoover School
Howard School
Jackton School
Jackionville School
Jeffenon School
Lincoln School
Lone Pine School
Oak Grove School
Rooievelt School
Ruth School
Wathtncjten SeSool
Watt Side School
Wilton School
VOTE H NO On Consolidation
Paid Political Adv. Citiien, Committee e Dlitiict 4. Lee Zundal, Chairman.
t