THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
Nom*. Alaska
Telephone: Main 125 p. o. Box 618
$1.50 PER MONTH $16.00 A YEAR
W. A. and EMILY BOUCHER.Editors
Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943, at
the postoffice at Nome, Alaska, under the Act of
March 3, 1879.
_Monday, July 16, 1945
WRONG ACTOR
(Anchorage Times)
Senator Ray Willis of Indiana was
quoted the other day as saying that the
OPA, instead of “holding the price line/’
is “shrinking the waistline.”
That isn’t a bad summing up of the
Congressional case against the price
agency. In fact, it’s a pretty neat exam
ple of the Senatorial epigram, which oc
casionally is on the ponderous side.
There’s only one trouble, as we see it.
Senator Willis wasn’t the right man to
utter it.
The gentleman from Indiana is a poor
advertisement of OPA’s villainous inep
titude. He has one of the least shrunk- j
looking waistlines in the Senate. And
while his accusation may be true, we
fear that his solid pretense robs it of
some persuasiveness.
So we hope the next time Mr. Willis
conceives a similar sally, he will seek out
some Senatorial Cassius with a lean and
hungry look to deliver it. Mr. Caper of
Kansas, for instance, could talk convinc
ingly of shrinking waistlines. So could
Mr. Ball of Minnesota. But Mr. Willis
may have defeated his purpose by his
performance. The script was good, but
the casting was all wrong.
NATIONAL PLANNING
(Cincinnati Enquirer)
Does national planning conflict with
individual initiative? Does it mean the
throttling of private enterprise? These
are great questions. One of the immedi
ate difficulites is that so much of the na
tional planning has been by men who
frankly state they wish to upset the
American tradition and go forward with
a program of state ownership, of collec
tive farming, and of a system of industry
with no profits.
A good many of these idealists are
open and above board Communists. They
admire the Russian plan of society, ap
parently overlooking the fact that plan
needs an iron-fisted dictator to impose it
upon the people. Probably they are will
ing to provide the dictator. Yet, if there
is one thing more than another which the
American people cannot endure, it is dic
tation. Our proverbial philosophy is that
one man is as good as another. So if in
any way national planning smacks of
Communism it will not be acceptable.
But plans that can wisely direct and sug
gest greater individual effort, or that can
open new avenues for enterprise, will be
welcome. In other words, we are willing
to be shown, but not to be bossed. No one
is going to drive us. And if these national
planners think they can use the war
emergency to put over communistic no
tions, they had better think again. We
are willing to do everything to win the
war, but when peace comes we expect to
return to our normal ways.
Think twice before you speak—par
ticularly if you contemplate saying what
you really think.
_PAST THE TRAIL PIA7CPS_
ItTfITWIUS
Jk i
. ——
MMIMM
PAYING PARLIAMENT
How would you like to be elect
ed to the board of governors of
the finest country club you ever
saw? Unless you are an exception-,
al person, you can’t afford such a
job. It uses a lot of time and
there’s no salary connected with
it. Helping to boss a lovely palace \
in the middle of a big playground
is fun (I imagine) but it’s an ex-1
pensive pastime.
People who habit such spots to,
i
enjoy their spare time are in thej
financial upper brackets. If they
work at all, they do things they
enjoy doing, or perhaps they do a
few jobs nobody else can do as
well. Such wealthy people are
usually competent but they en-!
gage others to handle their rou
tine work. This leisurely class is
growing steadily smaller, but it
still exists.
Work Well Done
A rich country club is proverb
ially well managed. It does not
need to economize and cut cor
ners, but that’s only part of the
story. It is governed by men of
singular ability with spare time,
who like their club and take per
sonal interest in it. They have no
better minds than men who hus
tle for business and use their
wives for stenographers, but ex
cellence thrives on calm.
the way Mrs. Harry A Tru
man used to serve her husband as
secretary when he was senior Sen
ator from Missouri. The President
told it himself to the press when
he approved the bill allowing
$2,500 a year expense pay to rep
resentatives. It would be hard to
find stronger testimony that mem
bers of he Congress of the United
States need better compensation
for the work they do.
No Time To Think
e
In every practical sense, mem
bers of Congress have been elect
ed to the board of governors of
the world’s grandest country—not
a country club. They represent
important segments of people who
have chosen them to help boss
(not a playground) the most in
fluential power under the shining
sun, and, until early this month,
they got $10,000 a year—the pay
! of a junior executive.
One of America’s ugliest habits
is criticizing Congress for short
comings that result directly from
being poorly paid. No one man
can study all the profound issues
Congressmen must vo.'e on, and
no $10,000 man can afford to pay
experts to digest them. Often Con
gressmen use precious hours do
ing chores for people back hom
because they can’t afford enougl
competent assistants.
A Good Man’s Job
Many solons labor intemperate
ly. Rep. Doughton, who is past 81
rises regularly at 5:00 a.m., anc
starts his 12-hour day at 6:30
this after 34 years in the House
and 14 years chairman of the
Ways and Means Committee.
What $100,000 official of industry
claims to be worth more to his
firm than Doughton is to his state
and nation? American legislators
are top-flight, except in pay.
Must we send rich men to Con
gress bceause poor men lack the
funds to finance the job, or can’t
afford to maintain an extra home
in wealthy Washington? Do we
want incompetents on Capitol Hill
who stay there lpecause they could
never earn so much anywhere
else? The answer is “no” of
course; America can afford the
best. Then congratulate your Con
gressman on this increase and
don’t let him wait 20 years for the
next one.
Judge Alexander Issues
Permanent Injunction
In the case of Bowles vs Charles
G. Warner Co., of Juneau, Judge
i Alexander of the U. S. District
j Court in Juneau, issued a perman
i ent injunction against the firm on
July 10. The order restrains the
firm from charging prices in ex
cess of maximum prices permitted
for the sale of material or services.
The firm, owned by Mrs. Aileen
! Warner, also made settlement of a
, Treble Damage Claim with the
Office of Price Administration by
i making a payment in the sum of
1 $1,050.00 in full settlement to the
I United States Treasury.
Wm. J. McDonald,
Alaska Forester,
61, Passes On
ANCHORAGE, July 16—(JF)—
William J. McDonald, 61, senior
forester of Alaska and member of
the forest service since 1913, died
this morning following an illness
of several months.
McDonald served on the selective
service board for two years. He
was a member of the Anchorage
park board, Scout committee, USO
board of control and numerous
civic organizations, and the Ma
sonic lodge.
He had high interest in the con
*
servation of Alaska forest lands,
| which brought him the appoint
ment of head of the Alaskan Fite
l
i Control, which was organized in
| 1939, holding that positoin until
! the time of his death,
j The survivors include his widow
Melda McDonald of Anchorage,
and two brothers, Harry and Rob
ert of Seattle.