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About Herald and news. (Klamath Falls, Or.) 1942-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 27, 1963)
PACE 4 HERALD AND NEWS. Klamath Falls, Oregon Wednesday, November !7, 19ti3 EPSON IN WASHINGTON . . Inside Facts Given On VP Acceptance Shame Should Be Shared During the 30-day period set aside as a time of mourning the tragic death of President Kennedy it would be well for all of us to consider in our sorrow the shame being suffered by the people of Dallas. It was in their city that the President was as sassinated, a brave policeman killed in an attempt to apprehend the suspected mur derer and then the assassin, himself, was shot to death by still another resident of that cily. The terrible tragedy could have hap pened in any city in the United Slates. So we are all equally involved in a heinous page of history written over the past week end. Dallas alone shouldn't be expected to bear the burden of shame for the Presi dent's death. All of America should share the blame. It should be remembered that Texas is one of the great stales in the Union. The Lone Star stale has furnished a tremendous amount of leadership and manpower in the past when the fate of the U.S.A. was at slake . . . like their fight in gaining inde pendence from Mexico during the heroic days of Stephen Austin and Sam Houston and the subsequent massacre (1836) of the garrison at the Alamo which included heroes like W. B. Travis and Davey Crockett. In World Wars I and II Texans carried a big load in the fight to preserve our free dom. They died at the Rapido River; at Iwo Jima. There has never been a time in his tory when the loyally of Texans could be questioned. They have been leaders in the fight ever since the state became a part of our great nation. So all of us must take responsibility for the President's death. We must share in the responsibility for those who are mentally un stable, or those who lack understanding of the very foundations on which our country was founded; our American heritage and why we are the most fortunate people in the world to live under a democracy guaranteed as long as a breeze riffles the Stars and Stripes. Today our hearts go out to the citizens of Dallas and the State of Texas but the shame shouldn't stop at their cily limits or their state borders. First Things First The honest disagreements among scien tists and others as to the wisdom of pouring heavy U. S. effort into the moon race must be welcomed. We need all the earnest de bate we can get. But Arkansas' Sen. J. William Fulbrighl offers a useful corrective on this subject when he suggests that much more is involved than whether or not we spend vast sums to try to reach the moon. . What is at stake, he indicates, is how wo are to apportion our tremendous but not bottomless resources among many, many important national programs military, for eign and domestic. ; The question, in other words, is one of priorities. And these, says Fulbright, have not really been wisely settled by the leader ship of this country. This does not mean no priorities arc in effect. Plainly they are. The federal budget, with its allocation of expenditures, is one great collection of priority decisions. Con gress, cither by accepting or altering those Americanism (Dallas Times Herald) What is Americanism? We know what Americanism is. We were born in it, we suckled Americanism from birth. And the foundation stone of real Americanism is the freedom to believe and to disbelieve; the right to hold a point of view, no matter how much it might be counter to someone else's. On this foundation can be elected all kinds of disagreement, ideas, or divergent philos ophies. But they must be contested by rea son and logic, not force and the argument of brawling brawn. judgments, puts ils own stamp upon the pri ority process. Fulbright's point is that the whole process is not really well thought out that we have not run up a solid balance sheet of national needs against national resources and ar ranged the needs in genuine order of im portance. By his measure, then, it is slightly shallow lo say we are planning to spend too much money to go to the moon, when it is not clear whether we are spending loo much or too little on educating scientists, helping Latin America, building new hospitals at home, expanding our highway network, at tacking the problem of crime, safeguarding our nuclear "delivery systems" and so on. Rich as we are, we cannot do all of these things at the "optimum" level. So it becomes a matter of how much of each lo do, in what order. The budget, the spending by the "private sector" of the economy, these represent our current decisions. But the demands upon the nation's resources are mounting so rapidly and so steeply that we may not be able to get by Indefinitely without more fully rea soned priority judgments. Fulbright did not mention it, but an im portant study in this field is under way, un der auspices of the National Planning Asso ciation. This respected research organization is still in the relatively early stages of its in quiries. Vet it is heartening to know there is at least some assault on this vital matter. This country, privately and publicly, spends untold billions of dollars with some thing less than full thought as to the wisdom of it. To question spending for the moon is all right. But the questions ought not to stop there. THE GLOBAL VIEW... Nuclear Test Ban Pact By IKON DENNKN NEW YORK INEA) - Prcsi dent Kennedy's outstanding achievement in international affairs lives after him; it is tlio nuclear test ban agreement lie recently concluded with ltussia. Though he never trusted the Kussiuns, Kennedy's foreign pul ley was based on the possibility of coexistence with them in one world. He saw Iho bitter con flict between Soviet Premier Mkita Khrushchev and lied Chi na's Man Tsc-tung as an oppor tunity to convince the Rus sians their future and Hie fu ture of tlio entire world de pended on cooperation that ex cluded the possibility of ail atomic liolocaus. Will Iho new President Lyn don Johnson continue President Kennedy's foreign policies? Historians still speculate on what tlio world would have looked like had President Roose velt been alive when the last war ended in 11H5. It is a known fact that Ills successor, the then Vice President Harry Truman, never participated actively in the conduct of foreign affairs. Thus, when Hooscvclt died there was a vaccum In Ameri can foreign policy. Truman, in faithfully carry ing out tho Yalta Agreement of 1!44, enabled the Hussions to extend their domination to all of eastern L'uroe and East llormanv. Historians assent that loard the end of his life President Hooscvclt realised that ltussia never meant to keep the agree ments reached at Yalta. President Lyndon Johnson is in a different situation. He is no newcomer lo foreign affairs. He has been Kennedy's close collaborator. Nevertheless, there probably will bo Important changes in foreign policy under the new President. Lyndon Johnson is more conservative than Kenne dy, has less faith in the Rus sians. He is expected to try lo re establish friendly relations with French President lie Gaulle and strcngtlicu NATO and oilier western alliances which were in a sad stale of disintegration in recent months. Johnson doubtless will pay less attention lo the academic advisers who were part of Pres ident Kennedy's entourage ami seek lo exploit to llie advantage of the free world the conlhet between Russia and Red China. The t inted Slates is the most powerful country in the western alliance and the world's free dom in the foreseeable future will depend n great deal on President Johnson's foreign pol icies. There is no doubt that for Russia President Kennedy's death has raised a hornets' nest. Nikila Khrushchev, for all his duplicity wanted lo come to some agreement with the Liulcd Slates. He needs a brcalhuig scll in the Red world lo mend his political fences a'ld lo come to grips with Mao Tsc tung. He exploited his on ngam and oil-again negotiations Willi President Kennedy in an cflort lo display his peaceful intentions. Kennedy's death is likely lo unleash the nnli . Khrushchev and pro-Chinese forces in Rus sia. In recent weeks, Mao Tsc tung has even appealed lo Red generals lo "eliminate" Khru shchev. Until now Khrushchev has been able lo oulmaneuver Ins enemies. Tlie death of Kenne dy may give Iss enemies then long awaited opportunity to strike ag.un. Editor's Note: Following is the hitherto untold Inside sto ry of how Lyndon Haines Johnson Umk a vice presiden tial job he had sworn never to accept and thereby he came President of the United .Stales. By PETKR KDSOX Newspaper Enterprise Assn. W ASI ll.N'GTON ( NBA l-Pres-ident Lyndon Baines Johnson once said shortly after he had been sworn in as Vice Presi dent in 1001 that he had never expected anyone from the South could ever become President in his lifetime. The prejudices against t h e South were too great, he ex plained. That a man from Tex as could ever be put in second place on a presidential tickoi and be elected was probably not beyond his hopes, but it certainly was beyond his expec tations. Yet now. by the crudest trick of fate, Lyndon Johnson will soon find himself living in the White House. But he would he the last man to want this lo come about the way it did. It was a much kinder trick of fale that put Lyndon John son on the ticket with John Fitz gerald Kennedy, the man who had just defeated him for the presidential nomination at llie IlltiO Democratic convention in Los Angeles. The morning after Kennedy had won, 80!) voles to 404 for Johnson, the defeated candidate lay abed in his hotel suite. The phone rang. It was his wife. Ladybird, who answered. Ken nedy was calling. He wanted to come to see Johnson right away. Johnson, taking the phone, of fered to go to see Kennedy, but Kennedy didn't want it that way. Unshaven and unwashed. Johnson stalled the President's call for 4.) minutes. Rut it wts an hour and 45 minutes before Kennedy appeared at the John son door, followed by a swarm of reporters. When the two men were alone Kennedy came lo the point at once and said he wanted to of fer Johnson the vice presidential nomination. Kennedy wanted a national ticket, he said, representing the whole country. With 1.213 of llie . convention's 1 .4:12 voles between them, they were first choices of an overwhelming majority of the delegates. Johnson demurred. He sard that the only thing he was a candidate for at the moment was reelection as U.S. senator from Texas. Kennedy replied that he had talked to Gov. Dave Lawrence of Pennsylvania, Gov. Mike Di Sallc of Ohio, Arthur Goldberg of AFL-CIO and other Demo cratic leaders. They had all ap proved Johnson for second place on the ticket. One of the principal tilings that made Johnson delay was that the late Speaker Sam Ray burn of Texas, who had nom inated Johnson for the presiden cy, had told him the night be fore not to lake second place on the ticket. Tliis is contrary to reports published at the lime winch said Rayhurn had suggested to Johnson that he consider run ning for llie vice presidency. Anyway. Johnson wanted to talk lo liayburn and his other advisers. He asked Kennedy if they could meet again before the night session of (he conven tion when balloting for the vice presidency would begin. Kenne dy agreed. Johnson called in his advi.vrs as soon as he could get them. During this session Robert V. Kennedy came to the Johnson suite to tell him that if he did become a candidate for Vice President. Gov. Menncn W i I liams of Michigan and some others might oppose him. This was not a threat to try lo force Johnson lo withdraw, but simply a friendly warning that he might have opposition. Speaker Rayburn, who was in the room during Bobby's visit, told him bluntly that Johnson was not a candidate for any office. The late Sen. Robert F. Kerr of Oklahoma, another adviser who was in the room at the . lime, told Johnson, "If you ac cept that nomination I'll go get my Winchester and shoot you right between the eyes." 'ihey discussed the situation troiu every angle. Kerr, leav ing the room for a short time, came buck to announce, "Lyn don, if you don't accept that nomination I'll go get my Win chester and shoot you right be tween Hie eyes." That was the decision they fi nally agreed on. They look the position that if LBJ sat out the campaign on his ranch, Nix on might win the presidency. They decided that the best thing Johnson could do was to help Kennedy win the presidency and keep the Democrats in power. Lyndon Johnson and Ladybird had also talked it over thor oughly between themselves. At first Ladybird was against her husband's accepting the vice presidential nomination. But then they concluded that they wouldn't want people to think that the Johnsons were loo up pilv to lake second place on llie ticket. Later in the afternoon than he had intended lo see Johnson, Presidential nominee Kennedy called Johnson on the phone. Kennedy apologized for the de lav but said that he had been held up by other appointments. Mr. Kennedy said that he had prepared a statement which he would like to announce. He read it lo Johnson. Johnson approved t. Kennedy said he would an nounce it immediately. Johnson walked over lo the television, turned it on, and there was Kennedy announcing that Lyndon Baines Johnson - was his choice and had accept ed Hie invitation to share the ticket with him as vice presi dential candidate. As an epilogue to this story there is an anecdote about Lvn don Johnson's mother he has told intimate friends. He remembers her sitting on the edge of his bed one night during the depression, crying her eyes out because her son would never he anything better than a ditch digger. lie had a WPA pick and shov el job at the time. He had been in a fight that night and his nose was broken. His mother lamented that her son. with no education, would never amount to anything. The next morning Lyndon Johnson was on the road, hitchhiking his way to the clos est college to enroil. He w as on his way on his way to the While House though he had no idea then where he was go- OUESTIONS AND ANSWERS U What peace treaty ending a foreign war was signed at Portsmouth. X.H.? A Treaty ending the Russo Japanese War in P.I03. '"With n pood onscioncp our only sure rrwnrd, willi history llie final .juilsje of our deeds, lei lis go forth lo lend the land we. love . . ."' John y. krnnetlYlnniiturnl Alless ri-' " " """i f - ? Leaders Seek LBJ's Views Ily TOM A. CULLEN Newspaper Knlerprise Assn. LONDON (NEA) - European political leaders are frantically racking their brains for impres sions of President Johnson, but the tragic fact is that he is vir tually unknown here and on the Continent. Many Europeans have met Johnson during his extensive travels and have been won by his southern charm,- but few lake American vice presidents seriously. There is no European equivalent for them, no assis tant prime minister of Britain nor vice president of France as next in line of succession to Sir Alec Dotiglas-Hcme or Charles do Gaulle. Meanwhile, newspaper files are being combed for facts about Johnson: his speeches are being scrutinized in London, Paris and Bonn, and attitudes are being formed on the basis of available information. One Briton 1 talked to de scribed President Johnson as "a dark horse galloping off into the great unknown on a moon less night." This pessimism is not typical. On a deeper level, however, Eu ropean confidence in America as the leader of the free world is severely shaken by the Ken nedy assassination. Politically, it could not have happened at a worse time. Two of America's Atlantic partners Britain and Ger many have just changed their leaders. Neither Douglas Home nor Chancellor Ludwig Erhard has had lime to play himself into office properly. In Italy, the government is shaky and the left recently has made significant gains. The Common .Market is having teething trou ble and Europe is far from be ing united, either politically or economically. To make matters worse. Brit ain faces a general election in less than one year, with Douglas-Home leading a Conserva tive party whose fortunes are waning. The Tory government built its platform en recognition of the United States as the free world leader. Now that this concept has been dealt a rude blow by Kennedy's death, British voters may turn toward the neutralist policy advocated by the Labor Party. De Gaulle would appear to be the only political leader this side of the Iron Curtain who stands to gain from the presi dential change-over, at 1 e a s t from the short-term viewpoint. De Gaulle had adopted a pa tronizing attitude toward Kenne dy, treating him as a jumped up leader who had yet to learn his trade. By inference, De Gaulle regarded America as being loo young and too imma ture to assume free world lead ership. De Gaulle may now claim that he has been justified by events. In particular, the French president is hoping that Europe will turn to him for advice in the present crisis as it would to a patriarch. He certainly has the seniority to back up his hopes. The truth, as seen by levelcr heads, is that Europe offers no real alternative to American leadership. The Atlantic part ners will just have to be patient while President Johnson gets his bearings. Blind trust in American lead ership has evaporated and it may be a long time coming back. The optimistic ones here hope that Kennedy's death will not result in ' a long interregnum during which the initiative in world affairs will pass- lo the Russians. That, in their opinion, would be the real tragedy. d9 WILLIAM S. WHITE Congressmen Attacked By WILLIAM S. WHITE WASHINGTON - A compar atively minor bill now pending in Congress to raise its own pay and that of federal judges and a host of other federal offi cials to something approaching a rational level has now become far more than an issue of mere dollars and cents. It has become a test of the will of Congress to resist the most widespread and hysteri cal attack on the integrity of representative government w ith in the memory of this column ist. Has Congress the courage to use this situation not as an excuse to slink away from com bat but rather as an expression of its will to meet its detrac tors and detainers head - on? This has become the one real question. The clear necessity is for a counterattack by Congress upon all those forces ineffectu al, and thus disgruntled, mem liers inside, and uninformed sources outside which are pre senting that ancient institution as a very sinkhole of sloth, in difference, obstructionism, influence-peddling and the like. Obstructionism and so on is charged simply because there is no effective majority in Con gress or in the nation for some of the welfarist measures upon which thus inevitably and rightly there is no Congression al action. Influence-peddling is being charged by innuendo sim ply because of two or three tasteless but not unlawful in cidents, involving at most half a handful of 535 members, which the voters of the Con gressional districts concerned can easily lake care of by re turning other members next time. There are silly men in Con gress, true. Congress makes mistakes, true. But in the pres ent climate one might suppose that a saturnalia of corruption and incompetence enisled on Capitol Hill. This blown-tip no hig) is monstrously false. Worse, it is promoting a. spirit of witch hunting which tends to reject the whole idea of representa tive government. Those w h o give countenance to this melo dramatic nonsense arc doing in linite harm, whether they know it or not, to the whole concept of a responsible constitutional society. And no vehicle for a declara tion now of Congress' fortitude and self-respect is so readily available as the pay-raise bill precisely because it is w idely supposed Congress will n o t have the guts to pass it. What is proposed is to raise the salaries of members of the Al manac Bv United Press International Today is Wednesday, Nov. 27, the 331st day of 13 with 34 to follow. The moon is approaching its full phase. The evening stars are Jupiter, Saturn and Venus. On this day in history: In m. the War Department authorized the creation of the Army War College lo provide instruction for commissioned of ficers. In 1!M3. President Harry Tru man named Gen. George C. Marshall as his special repre sentative to China. In 1951. Spanish sources in dicated tlie United Stales had dropped plans for establishing air bases in Spain because of inadequate communication sys tems. In lKW President Eisenhower issued a statement in which he denied that difterences over tlie Suez crisis had weakened the U.S.. British and French accord for NATO. A thought for the day Eng lish writer Rudvard Kipling said: "The silliest woman can manage a clever man: but it needs a very. clever woman to manage a fool I" House and Senate and of fed eral judges from $22,500 lo $32, 500 a year, with equivalent rais es for other federal personnel. In plain fact this would be a small enough increase for a Congress which has had p r e cisely four pay increases since 1866 and only one within the past 1(1 years. In plain fact present Congres sional pay is demonstrably inadequate for all save mem bers with private income. In plain fact men holding the life of the United Stales in their hands are being rewarded on a scale that would be absurd in any private enterprise involv ing even remotely comparable responsibilities. In plain fact so responsible an organization as the conservative American Bar Association which is rarely accused of eag erness lo toss away public mon ey on harebrained schemes is standing stoutly for both the Congressional and the judicial pay bills as deeply needed steps lo improve the quality of pubic service. But a most melancholy (act also is that other responsible or ganizations, holding no less stake in government, are sitting this thing out. What possible logic can move the great cor porations and farm and trade and labor associations lo re main silent here not merely on the symbolic issue of the pay raise but on tiie incomparably bigger issue of defending the constitutional independence of tlie only truly representative body left in this nation? Tliere has rightly been much talk in our recent past about tlie evils of guilt-by-association But the elected institution of Congress itself is. these days, a constant victim of something ecn worse. It is guilt-by-innu-endo based on rumors and gos sip so thin, so venomous, so third-handed and even fifth- handed as to sicken and appall those who can see how and why His campaign of slander is be ing developed. o o
