PAGE-
HERALD AND NEWS, Klamath Fall, Ore.
Sunday, March J, 1963
NOTHING
SPECIAL
IW. B. S.)
There are perhaps 40 million Americans
today who are seriously disadvantaged poverty-stricken,
handicapped, ill, forgotten.
Thanks to efforts like Michael Harring
ton's excellent "The Other America," some
of us in this country are perhaps a little more
aware now of these unfortunate millions.
They Include, of course, migratory workers,
the out-of-work in abandoned Appalachian
coal fields, aged folk cast aside, the young but
unskilled who can't find jobs, and many more.
Certainly our society can never be ac
counted a success until we find a way to lift
such millions out of their half-world of des
pair and disillusion.
The commentator who called attention to
(Portland Oregonian)
Management took a severe beating in the
Atlantic-Gulf Coast longshore strike, and the
federal government swung the club in the
person of pro-labor Sen. Wayne Morse of Ore
gon. This can be the only conclusion from the
terms of the settlement, happily accepted by
the International Longshoremen's Association
and reluctantly agreed to by ship owners
under Mr. Morse's threats of a worse beat
ing in Congress after many more weeks of
losses on the waterfront. The month-long
strike is estimated to have cost $750 million.
The settlement will add an estimated $28 mil
lion in labor costs to a $145 million annual
payroll in New York alone.
Wage and benefit increases, by the Ken
nedy Administration's own announced policy,
should be kept within the bounds of increased
productivity, which the government has said
is about 3 per cent a year. But on the eastern
waterfronts, productivity has declined by 14
per cent in 10 years, according to the em
ployers. Featherbedding is rampant.
; This was a key issue in the dispute. Em
ployers insisted that 17-man gangs could easi
ly do the work of the present 20-man crews.
They demanded that other practices which
produce on work or limit, for instance, a
checker's duties to a certain item or a crew's
work to one hatch, be eliminated.
But in the final settlement no considera
tion was given to this vital issue. Earlier, the
Labor Departments had got both sides to
agree to a non-binding study by a government
commission of work practices. Employers have
little reason to believe that if the commission
finds for them the union will accept the
EDSON IN WASHINGTON . .
By PETER EDSON
' Washington Correspondent
Newspaper Enterprise Assn.
WASHINGTON (NEA) - Presi
dent Kennedy is now in the unen
viable position ot being damned
if he does and damned if he
doesn't. Whatever domestic or
foreign policies he proposes, he
gets jum)ed on by his critics in
both parties. And his defenders
are few.
Prime example at the moment
is the lax program. For over a
year practically everyone has been
screaming nt the President for a
tax cut as the only sure cure
(or recession.
i A few dissenters have pointed
out that while tax cuts wcro nice,
they couldn't be had without either
a cut in government spending,
deficit financing or tax reform.
Nobody inid any altcntion.
But now many of the people
who last year were demanding
tax cuU of every kind, just so
they were big enough, have awak
ened to the fact that both tax
reform and deficit financing may
be Involved. And they are yelling
that the President Is going to ruin
the country. So the demand now
is to cut government spending
right to the bono to pay for the
tax cut.
Meanwhile, opposition to the
President's balanced, three-year
gradual tax reduction and tax
reform program has become prac
tically unanimous. To labor un
ion leaders, low income groups
would not bo given enough of a
tax cut. To business leaders, cor
porate taxes would not be cut
deep enough or fast enough.
And to everyone who now gels
liltle benefit from some escape
clause In existing tax law like
Revealing The Hidden
their plight performed a useful service
which ought to be repeated by one or another
constantly.
But he was unrealistic in suggesting that
strong words from the president can magical
ly start these people on the road up.
The burden of Harrington's book is that
the "other America" is largely hidden in a
nation essentially prosperous. And, no matter
how loud the President's voice, Congress is
not in the habit of legislating about hidden
problems.
It acts when they are out in the open,
feeding a fire that every lawmaker can feel.
On the problem in question, admittedly a
grave one, we have barely begun to gather
the kindling.
Settlement By Club
findings or that the government will pres
sure it to do so.
Postponement of the featherbedding is
sue left only wages and. fringe benefits for
Sen. Morse and the other 'presidential com
mission strike settlers to prescribe. How one
sidedly they did prescribe is evident in origi
nal demands and offers and the final settle
ment. The union had demanded 50 cents an
hour over a two-year period, of which 26
cents would be in wages. The employers
offered a package of 22 cents. The President's
commission gave the union 39 cents by em
ployers' figures, though Sen. Morse denies it
will nin that high. The Morse commission
gave the union 24 cents in wage increases
only 2 cents less than the union demand
15 cents retroactive to last Oct. 1 and 9 cents
more next October. Pension contributions
were upped by 9 cents over the two-year
period and other benefits, such as an extra
holiday, were thrown in. The longshoremen
now earn $3.02 an hour, with 67 cents ad
ditional in fringe benefits.
Mr. Kennedy was "gratified" by the set
tlement, the 'White House announced. How
he could be gratified by a violation of his
own rules relating to wages and productivity
and by a settlement that is bound to disturb
price stability and make world trade more
costly is beyond our comprehension. Obvious
ly the government-dictated settlement is not
within the "framework of living costs," as
Sen. Morse said it was.
The image as a friend of business the
President has tried to establish since the
steel-price rumble is bound to suffer from this
bludgeoning of an industry into submission
to the union.
Kennedy Popularity Jolted
the people who have boon gelling
dividend lax credits or extra
large depiction allowances on min
eral resources the mere thought
of denying them these entrenched
special privileges is revolution
ary. Little realization is apparent that
there never was a perfect tax
bill and there never will be. A
tax cut which gives everybody
everything he wants and then
some would not do the job it
must do raise money tr pay for
defense and run the government.
The (act that somebody has to
make some hard decisions on
on theso matters and bull them
through has not registered.
Much of the same kind of criti
cism is now being applied to the
administration's foreign policy
moves.
Since the end of World War II,
the principal fault found with the
conduct of American foreign
policy has been that this country
lias not taken the position of world
leadership to which It is entitled.
There has been too much de
ference to allied second-rate pow
ers and underdeveloped countries
on the foreign aid dole and not
enough firm insistence that the
American position should deter
mine tree world policy in oppo
sition to international communism,
since America carries most of
the load.
In the past few months, how
ever, the President has led the
tree world in imposing a block
ade on Cuba. He has forced the
witlidrawal of Russian missiles
from Cuban bases. He has in
sisted Uiat Polaris missiles Iw
substituted for Skybolts to de
fend Britain. He has taken a strong
stand on creation of a nuclear
striking force in the North At
lantic Treaty Organization. He
has called on Canada to live up
to its past commitments for nu
clear defense. He has cut off for
eign aid to Haiti and Ceylon
for their unfriendly attitudes.
Instead of taking a certain
amount of pride in this softly
siHiken diplomacy, backed up by
wielding of a bigger stick, the
burden of the criticism is that
the President is wrecking all
American alliances and that his
foreign policy is a mess.
The same kind of reaction has
greeted almost every administra
tion program.
The President is blamed for
not having been able to lift the
country out of the recession lelt
on his doorstep when he entered
the White House.
In the same breath he is criti
cized liecauso he has tried to do
something about this through ac
celerated depreciation and invest
ment credits to business, through
extended insurance benefits for
the jobless, by public works and
redevelopment programs in de
pressed areas. The whole purpose
has been to reduce the curse of
excessive unemployment.
The justification for all this
cirticism is that it is part of the
American political system and
tradition. The great game of pol
itics is to destroy every president
as soon as he takes the oath.
This is what happened to Presi
dent Hoover, to Presidents Boos
evelt and Truman, to President
Eisenhower, and now Kennedy.
The logic, the consistency, and
the everyday common sense ot
such an attitude Is hard for the
fair-minded citizen to follow most
of the time.
By SYDNEY J. HARRIS ,
My recent column on names of
characters in fiction that have
passed into the common vocabu
lary of English speech has been
supplemented by readers from all
parts of the country. A few of my
oversights were excusable only
on the grounds of temporary im
becility. For instance, I mentioned Dick
ens' "Fagin," but neglected the
far more popular "Scrooge." I
credited Shakespeare with "Ro
meo," but ignored the equally
well-known "Shylock." And some
how 1 overlooked the adjective
"quixotic," which Cervantes
contributed by Don Quixote.
One correspondent suggested
that "Walter Mitty" belongs in
this small and select band of
characters, and while it is still
too soon to tell, it is probable
that James Thurber's endearing
dreamer will prove as enduring
in the language as Nabakov's
"Lolita." Medical men speak of
the "Waller Mitly syndrone" to
describe certain types of re
pressed and fantasy-laden per
sonalities. My reference to "Lothario" as
being the only remnant of the
works of Nicholas Rowe to re
main in memory brought from a
professor of English in California
the reminder that the phrase,
"simon-pure," is another strange
vestige of an otherwise forgotten
work.
A comedy written in the year
1717 bv one Susanna Centlivre,
Tunisia
ACROSS
,1 Agriculture Is
Tunisia's
Industry
6 is its
capital
It Daring
13 Give
14 Feminine
appellation
15 Kxpunger
16 Boy's nickname
17 Hops' kilns
19 Transposes
tab.) 20 Prizes
23 Kuropcan
26 Feared
SOSoothcj
32 Holding:
33 It is a
country
35 Kiiiid
39 I'lly i,l
Washington
SS Kind p( pearl
39 Biierte is t
Tunisian
42 Social Insect
45 Coat pit
46 Pedal digit
49 Bullfighter
62 Sauce
ingredient
M Elurier
55 Roman officials
68 Titled
57 Vapid
DOWN
1 Scorch
2 Blood,
(comb, form)
3 Persia
4 Kternity
6 Dogs
Rocky pinnacle
7 Girl's
appellation
ft Cartoonist
9 Roman roar!
10 Indian weights
12 Dramatis
personae
13 The Sahara
is on its
12 13 14 15 I lb 7 18 19 10
U l7" HP
ft
is H17 iFrT9
luuJL Lna.ni J
20 21 22 -
23 124 125 ' 55 27 128
35 iTi th
33 34 ""j5
35 371 ""85
' 35 trpij
4244T"''''f4ir jj' J 7T7
45 60 bl 52 53 '
5? 05"
55 Ia -
STRICTLY
PERSONAL
called "A Bold Stroke for a Wife,"
introduces an imposter who goes
by the name of Simon Pure, pre
tending to be a Pennsylvania
Quaker of good repute. Miss
Centlivre, her play, and her char
acter, have been long forgotten
hut for some inexplicable rea
son, "simon pure" has remained
in our speech.
And a bacteriologist in New
Jersey points out that the word
"syphilis" has achieved a dubi
ous immortality through the little-known
book of the 18th cen
tury, "Syphilis Sive de Morbo
Gallico," by an Italian poet and
physician. The hero of the book
was a man named Syphilis,
meaning "friend of swine." His
name quickly passed into our
medical terminology for the dis
ease. Of course, hundreds of com
mon words have entered the lan
guage from the names of real
people boycott, bloomer, guillo
tine, mesmerism, ampere,
braille, chauvinism, derrick,
dunce, galvanic, macadam, mas
ochism, nicotine, sadism, sand
wich, saxophone, silhouette,
fuchsia, and innumerable others.
In our own time, one of the
few' candidates for this linguistic
honor is the infamous Vidkun
Quisling of Norway, who was
hanged in 1946 for betraying his
country by collaborating with the
occupying enemy. "Quisling" en
joyed a considerable vogue for a
number of years, but only time '
and the needs of language will be
cide its immortality.
Answer to Previous Puizt
southern border
37 Roof finial
40 One time
41 Peruses
42 Solar disk
43 Rossa
44 British
streetcar
46 Anatomical
tissue
47 Algerian
seaport
48 Essential being
P0 Dutch city
61 Color
fi3 Deep hole
18 Scatter
20 Happenings
'21 Encounter
22 Most rational
23 Soap-making
frame
24 Openwork
fabric
25 Bewildered
27 Sand hill
28 Gaelic
29 Act
31 Location
34HullataIon
Other
Editors Say . . .
FREELOADING
(Register-Guard, Eugene)
Rep. Richard Eymann, the Lane
County Democrat who is both
House majority leader and chair
man of its tax committee, is inter
ested in getting some tax-exempt
property back onto the tax rolls.
He suggests that churches, hos
pitals and organizations of that
sort go on the rolls in a small
way, eventually paying a tax one
third as great as other institutions
of similar value would pay.
Already he has bumped into
some opposition. Small churches
fear this could force them to close.
Hospital administrators talk of
the rising costs to the patient.
And philosophers remember that
"Uie power to tax is the power
to destroy."
Local officials have another ob
servation: In many cities, includ
ing Salem, Corvallis and Eugene,
the greatest freeloader is the state
itself. The state occupies many
acres of land, uses police, fire and
other city service, and yet pays no
local property tax. If the Legisla
ture really wants to get at the
freeloaders, it will adjust the
state's position in relation to local
governments.
LETTERS
TO THE
EDITOR
Pet Law
I just came home from the
store to find my son's kitten run
over and still lying in the middle
of the street (under a street
lamp).
I live in the first house behind
Lucky Lanes Bowling Alley.
Early this spring several new
light poles were installed in the
parking lot because of theft. It is
now as bright as day so they
couldn't possibly have missed see
ing her to say nothing of being
able to stop in time provided they
were driving at a proper speed.
Every day and night I see and
hear "hot rodders," both young
and old, gunning their engines,
spinning their wheels and racing
in and out of the parking lot.
There are many small children
in this neighborhood. I see them
playing out during the day. Since
children have a tendency to dart
out in the street without thought
I only hope I never look out and
see one of them hit.
By the time those cars pass my
house they are doing 40 at least
and couldn't possibly stop in time.
I have often wondered where
the police are, it's only four
blocks to the station but then I
realize they are very "busy."
I would like to add whoever it
was (I'm sure they know who I
mean) didn't even have the de
cency to remove it completely or
nt least place it to the side of the
road to prevent further destruc
tion. 1 hope tliey have a hard time
sleeping nights, I know I would
know ing I had killed someone's
pet.
I hope someday to see it a law
to report a cat mishap just as you
must a dog now and I'm sure
there are others who (eel as I do.
Mrs. M. Reeves,
ru," Arthur Street.
Necessa ry
Zoning laws arc as necessary as
game laws in preventing unscrupu
lous persons from abusing their
individual rights at the expense of
tltor fellow man.
II. O. McCann,
Allamont Drive.
A visit for a day or two at the
state capitol in Salem is inter
esting, if rather frustrating. I
happened to hit it lucky last
week and hit a day when all
Klamath County legislators were
up to their ears in projects of
interest to them and people in
Klamath and Lake, so we had
some news stories of specific in
terest. It might be well to put
in here a few of the observations
made there, inasmuch as most of
the topics are hardly up to full
blown comment in the editorial
columns.
I do wish those people In
Salem and those concerned
with putting up highway signs
leading to the "capitol" would
get around to spelling the word
one way. You see it spelled
"capital" some places and
"capitol" in others. I prefer the
latter form, and my diction
aries lend support to this
claim.
I don't profess to know about
the innerworkings of the political
situation in the state, and my
limited contacts with those who
claim to know lead me to believe
much the opposite much of the
time. Nevertheless, for what it
is worth, those who should know
their way around claim that this
present session of the legislature
is not so "unusual" at all. While
it might get its work done in
less than the 150 days freely pre
dicted at the opening, work is
proceeding through the various
committees in pretty much of a
routine manner, I'm told.
An aspect of proposed legisla
tion that disturbs me, and oth
ers, is the large number (and
increasing with each session) of
bills from minority or special
interest groups which purport to
be setting up controls over other
restrictive devices "In the inter- .
est of the public safety and wel
fare." Some legislators, includ
ing four own delegation, are
mighty disturbed over this
trend. Their feeling Is that
we'll get so many laws protect
ing our safety, welfare and well
being that we won't be able to
turn any direction without vio
lating a law. i
Almost any. day you go to the
WASHINGTON REPORT . . .
State Department
Briefings Shunned
By FULTON LEWIS JR.
Crusty old Steve Young, a Sen
ate liberal whose Washington
service dates back to the early
days of the Roosevelt Adminis
tration, is furious at eager-beaver
"image makers" in .the
employ of President John Ken
nedy. Senator Young, an Ohio Demo
crat, was selected recently to rep
resent this country at the United
Nations Cultural and Scientific
Technical Conference, held in Ge
neva. While Y'oung toiled abroad,
State Department officials drew
up a press release for use by
Ohio newspapers, radio and TV
stations. Five hundred copies of
the release were delivered to the
Senator's office and they read in
part:
"Sen. Stephen M. Y'oung, of
Ohio, proposed that the United
Stales employ roving teams of
technical and information experts
to help developing nations make
the most of challenging, large
scale, international conferences."
When Senator Y'oung saw the
release, upon his return, he ex
ploded: "I made no such suggestion.
That would be furtliercst from
my thoughts ... I resent the fact
that some public relations man,
who probably failed to make a
good living, or perhaps was fired,
as a reporter for some newspa
per, attributes something to me
1 never said."
Moreover, Senator Y'oung said,
the whole conference was a farce,
a Slate Department boondoggle
that cot U.S. taxpayers plenty.
While Y'oung flew to Geneva on
a tourist class ticket, delegates
from "underdeveloped" nations
arrived on first-class tickets paid
for in large part by Uncle Sam.
Delegates sat through boring
speech after boring speech, tew
understanding what was being
said, then departed for the night
ly round of receptions at which
drinks "containing almost 100 per
cent alcohol were served."
"In the United States." says
Senator Young, "we are used to
diluting it with a little tap wa
ter." Senator Y oung came back con
vinced that a billion dollars can
be slashed from the President's
foreign aid request. Long an ad
vocate of loreign aid, he now (eels
such a cut would mean that
capitol from now until the session
is over, you're quite likely to
run into one or more student
groups being shown through the
building. Thousands of students
from high schools and grade
schools around the state put in a
day or more in Salem.
A couple of bills co-sponsored
by Sen. Harry Boivin and others
really pulled crowds to the capi
tol Tuesday and Wednesday. One
was that pertaining to setting up
an interim committee to study
game management and the oth
er was the so-called Sunday clos
ing law. Both drew more than 300
persons to testify and listen. In
cidentally, don't let that Sunday
closing bill throw you. It's not
as bad as some people would lead
you to believe, even though it
would be difficult to enfore'e.
When it comes right down
it, an observer can learn more
by attending committee hearings
than he can by attending the
floor sessions of either the House
or the Senate. Testimony in
greater detail comes out in com
mittee hearings than is the case
in the assembly. The fact that
members of our delegation are
members of the most powerful
and interesting committees in both
the House and Senate adds to
the desirability of attending'
some of (he sessions in which they
participate in committee activity.
If you plan to visit Salem, don't
overlook the opportunity to attend
one or more committee hearings.
They are held in the various com
mittee rooms in the afternoon
and evening, after the assembly
adjourns for the day.
While there is considerable
hot air about economizing and
so on, there is considerable cvi.
dence that members of this leg
islative assembly are not
practicing economy when it
comes lo their own working
conditions.
Incidentally, some of those leg
' islators who were not in favor of
a pay increase are wondering
what effect the new salary will
have on the makeup of the legis
lature in the future. Some are con
vinced we have entered the era
of the professional legislator.
More on that later.
"some of these (bureaucrats) can
come home and make a gainful
living."
Young is by no means the only
lawmaker angered by the State
Department. Representative Tom
Pelly (R., Wash.) has reacted
sharply to a State Department in
vitation for a "closed-door, top
secret" Congressional briefing on
foreign policy. Pelly replied to
Frederick G. Dutton, Assistant
Secretary of State, that he could
not in conscience attend any more
such briefings. He wrote:
"In all frankness, I must indi
cate to you my concern with re
gard to these briefings because
it is my impression that in the
past the press and members of
Congress, and thereby indirectly
the public, have been briefed .for
the purpose of tranquilizing pub
lic opinion, regardless of the true
facts."
On Sept. 28 of last year, Pelly
received from Dutton a one-page
summary of U.S. Cuban policy
for help in answering constitu
ents' questions. In this summary,
the State Department said:
"There is. however, no evidence
of any organized combat force in
Cuba from any Soviet bloc coun
try. .Nor is there evidence of any
significant offensive capability,
including offensive ground - to
ground missiles, either in Cuban
hands or under Soviet direction
and guidance." -
On the very day that Pelly re
ceived that summary, however,
William Bundy, Deputy Assistant
Secretary of Defense, was ap
pearing before a house military
appropriations subcommittee. In
an off-the-record talk, Bundy in
formed the members present of
the existence in Cuba of an of
fensive military buildup. He told
of the construction of a number of
sites for ground-to-ground mis
siles capable of destroying the
Panama Canal. Cape Canaveral,
and most major U.S. cities and
defense plants.
Congressman Pelly says he
agrees with tlie HUH) statement of
candidate John Kennedy that the
American people "if they are
armed with the truth can be
trusted' to make the right deci
sion." But the truth is not available
from State Department salesmen,
he says. And (or this reason Con
gressman Pelly will boycott any
future urtment "briefings."