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The INDEPENDENT, December 15, 2005
The
INDEPENDENT
Published on the first and third Thursdays of each month by
The Independent, LLC, 725 Bridge St., Vernonia, OR 97064.
Phone/Fax: 503-429-9410. Publisher Clark McGaugh,
clark@the-independent.net • Managing Editor Rebecca Mc-
Gaugh, rebecca@the-independent.net • Editor Noni A n d e r-
sen, noni@the-independent.net
Opinion
Yes, Vi rginia, there is a Santa Claus
( This timeless classic is from the Editorial Page of The New
York Sun, written by Francis P. Church, September 21,
1897 )
To the Editor:
I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no San-
ta Claus. Papa says, “If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.” Please tell
me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?
Virginia O’Hanlon
New York
Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affect-
ed by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe ex-
cept they see. They think that nothing can be which is not com-
prehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether
they be men’s or children’s are little. In this great universe of ours
man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the
boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capa-
ble of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as
love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they
abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how
dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would
be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no
child-like faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this
existence. We should have no enjoyment except in sense and
sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world
would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in
fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the
chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you
did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove?
Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no San-
ta Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither
children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the
lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there.
Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen
and unseeable in the world.
You tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise
inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the
strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest
men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry,
love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture
the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia,
in all the world there is nothing else real and abiding.
No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A
thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand
years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of child-
hood.
Salem Scene
By Representative Brad Witt
Oregon District 31
Before sharing some of
our post-session high-
lights, I want to take this
opportunity to thank all of
my House District 31 con-
stituents for the honor and
privilege of serving as
your State Representa-
tive. I have honestly en-
joyed every minute of it.
From my January swearing-in ceremony to the
6:30 a.m. gaveling of Sine Die (the end of ses-
sion), serving as your State Representative is a
thoroughly rewarding experience.
I have derived great satisfaction in represent-
ing you to the best of my ability. It is also incred-
ibly rewarding to assist you wherever I can. And
in so many occasions where I have asked many
of you for assistance with legislation – helping to
solve problems – your words of advice have
been invaluable. While ours is only one district
among sixty statewide, I must say that the peo-
ple in House District 31 are simply the greatest!
Passage of House Bill 2278 —
That our court rooms are overcrowded is not
news to most people. Overwhelmed judges and
burgeoning case loads seem to be the norm
across the country. Yet a recent judicial review
cited Clatsop County as one of the areas in the
greatest need for more judges. I knew this to be
true when I stopped by the county courthouse on
Super Bowl Sunday and found the building hum-
ming like a Monday afternoon.
This session, I teamed up with Sen. Betsy
Johnson and Rep. Debby Boone to begin build-
ing the case for an additional circuit court judge
in Clatsop County. This began by soliciting sup-
port from the courts and members of the law en-
forcement community. I walked and talked my
way through the Capitol hallways and met with
over 30 fellow legislators to educate them about
the high case loads our area was facing. By
working with others, the case was made for a
new circuit court justice in Clatsop County. I’m
pleased to report that our efforts were rewarded
with the passage of House Bill 2278 and the ad-
dition of four circuit court judges statewide – in-
cluding one for Clatsop County!
At the Governor’s bill signing ceremony, I
commented “Clatsop County will now enjoy a
justice system that works in the best interests of
all our citizens.”
Interim Committee Assignments —
I am very pleased to share my interim commit-
tee and task force assignments. Each of these
committees allows me direct access to some of
the issues I care most about – sustainable jobs
and the environment, health care for the poor
and impoverished and the care and treatment of
our most treasured resource – senior citizens.
– House Interim Committee on Agriculture
and Natural Resources
– House Interim Task Force on Dept of Hu-
man Services Review
Please see page 27