THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
Nome. Alaska
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Box 618
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W. A. and EMILY BOUCHER .Editors
Entered as second class matter October 14. 1043. at the postoffice at
Nome. Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1870.
Wednesday, March 6, 1946
A TRADITION SHATTERED
(Cincinnati Enquirer)
Although compelled to change rapidly in respect to
weapons and other technical equipment, the Navy has
been reluctant to upset firmly established traditions as
the enlisted man’s uniform. But the war demonstrated
the complete impracticability of the tight jumper and
bell-bottom trousers. The total absence of pockets alone
constituted a heavy indictment of the time-honored
costume.
Neither blue woolen stuff nor white twill is a suit
able material for a working uniform; and as a result
bluejackets in wartime went to slovenly tropical green
fatigue uniforms or to dungarees. At home, bell-bot
tomed trousers remained in evidence to provide the
theme for a catchy song. But where the war was, the
sailorman’s outfit of British and American tradition
virtually was unknown.
Now it appears that the wheels of the Navy are turn
ing and a wholly new set of uniforms is on the way. It
is high time. Youngsters just out of high school may
have liked the novelty of a skin-tight blouse with one
pocket almost large enough for a pack of paper matches;
the laced, floppy trousers which look so well on enlist
ment posters. But the grown-up men who fought the j
war at sea had come to feel, in the main, that their’s
was a little boy’s costume. And that is the real reason
why the Admirals in their wisdom finally signed the
death warrant of the sailor suit.
So long as it serves the ends of discipline or builds
morale, tradition needs to be cherished—whether it or
iginated in America, or Great Britain, or 15th century i
Spain, or the Belgian Congo. When it ceases to serve a;
purpose, and actually impairs morale, a military tradi
tion is ready for the discard. Some will deplore the
passing of the photogenic sailor suit. But those who feel
that way will not be the men who wore it.
—
EDUCATION FOR PEACE
(Denver Monitor)
“In planning for permanent peace, the coming gener
ation should be the primary focus of attention.”
That is the group opinion of 2,000 leading psycholo-'
gists who recently submitted their plan for world peace
to the U. S. Congress.
So far as “the coming generation” is concerned, the
psychologists said: “Children are plastic; they will read
ily accept symbols of unity and an international way of
thinking in which the evils of imperialism, prejudice,
insecurity and ignorance are minimized.”
In a democracy we cannot expect the government, or
some national education group, to work out a program,
for educating children in the ways of peace. In the final
analysis it will be up to all of us—to teach our own chil
dren in our homes about the evils which lead to war,
and to keep in close touch with what they are taught in j
school along these lines.
Keeping the peace may become the problem of our
children, but giving them the right education for peace
will be the duty of all of us.
The Deep South parents of a three-month-old son
who has been whistling “Yankee Doodle” frequently
since he heard it over the radio some days ago have so
far managed to refrain from drowning him.
The letter “e” (or its phonetic equivalent) occurs
most frequently in all languages. Through a strange (?)
coincidence, the “e” sound also is predominant in the
jabberings of monkeys.
COBIOUS KIBITZER
- . -—
comt‘n<s .
UNCLE SAM WARNS ARGENTINA
(Rocky Mountain News)
The State Department’s exposure of the Argentine
dictatorship is unanswerable because it is completely
documented.
Under ordinary circumstances, no government could
ever amass so much secret incriminating proof against
another. In this case the United States captured the
evidence in Germany.
Argentine officials collaborated with Axis agents in
espionage and other activities against the Allies. They
combined with Nazi leaders and groups to create a
Nazi-Fascist form of Argentine state. They plotted with
the Axis to wreck pro-Allied governments in Chile,
Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil. Successive
Buenos Aires regimes gave the Axis economic protec
tion and strengthened enemy industrial and commer
cial power in Argentina. They also conspired to obtain
arms from Germany.
lhis Argentine-Nazi activity was aimed chietly
against the United States and the good-neighbor hemi
sphere policy. And it continues “to the present mo
ment,” according to the State Department.
Latterly, this has been carried on behind the false
front of Argentine adherence to the Inter-American
Charter and the United Nations Charter.
Some critics of the United States will say this state
ment is an unwarranted Yankee interference in Argen
tine domestic affairs and in Colonel Peron’s campaign
for election on Feb. 24.
Actually, however, it is a defense of international
order. It is a warning to our friends, the democratic
people, that the Peron gang is creating an exceedingly
dangerous crisis. Appeasement is out.
A news correspondent believes a hat found in the
ruins of the Reich Chancellory belonged to Hitler.
We don’t It didn’t have holes for the ears to stick
through.
WHITHER WALLACE?
WASHINGTON — The retire
ment of Harold L. Ickes from the
cabinet has political observers
here turning speculative flips over
the future of Secretary of Com
merce Henry A. Wallace.
Wallace in his recent speech
and press conference at Cleveland,
made it clear that he was con
vinced that President Truman
would run in 1948 and equally
clear that he, Wallace, would not
be a candidate for the vice presi
dency.
The speculators, however, were
not at all satisfied. They point
out:
(1) That Wallace, already the
acknowledged leader of the liber
al or left section of the Demo
cratic party, made a powerful ap
peal at Cleveland to the “white
collar” workers who, in spite of
their lack of organization, can be
the nation’s most potent voting
force.
<2) That Wallace ducked any di
iect answer whether he might run
for the presidency in 1948 or the
vice presidency again in case Tru- *
man didn’t run by insisting, “But ^
Truman is going to run.”
«3» That he hasn’t reallv rt!v*n
any clue as to whethe*' v'° «’U|
stay on in the Cabinet. Among the
more level heads here, there isn’t
any question but that Wallace
will string along and enjoy being
the Cabinet’s one political ques
tion mark. Wallace could, they
say. qnjt the Truman camn and
take more votes with him than a
score of Ickeses ever could swing.
But where would he take them?
Wallace is an ideologist first, a
party member second. If the Re- A
publicans nominated another
Willkie in ’48. he might be tempt
ed to leave the Democratic ranks,
but only if.
On the other hand. Wallace’s
friends point out that he is No. 2
man in the party today. If. they
sav. the heat on President Tru
man turns into a political prairie
fire. Wallace would be the only
one to whom the Democratic party
could turn for leadership in 1948.
Ickes left (some sav was kicked
out of* the Cabinet with two
achievement prizes just ahead.
He publicly exnressed reluc
tance over departing before con
summation of the Anglo-Ameri
can oil treaty. Practically un
known to the public are plans fo^
an international conference on
conservation of the world’s oil.
coal, lumber and other natural re
sources.
The United States would be
sponsor of this conference and our
secretary of the interior would be
host. There probably isn’t any
thing in his career that the almost
fanatical conservationist Ickes
would have considered mere im
portant than being No. 1 man in
such a world conference.
* * A
y
At no time during the war did
the Navy come in for so much
criticism as it has as a result of
the court martial trial of Cant.
Charles McVay, skipper of the ill
fated Indianapolis. Much of the
criticism has come from Navy
men, now discharged from service.
Insiders predict the Indianapolis
case will end with the sentencing
of Capt. McVay or any subsequent
actions on review and appeal of
the decision, although some active
Navy officers argue in private
conversation that the whole story .
hasn’t half been told. A
At the same time this criticism
was kicking around, a House Mili
tary Affairs Committee was draw
ing up a report on Army courts
martial. It is hinted the report will
be a hot one, with the public in
vited to look over some of the
more glaring judicial discrepan
- cies soon after Congress recon
i venes.
As a result, the whole military
court martial procedure may get
an overhauling.
-4
TWO ALASKA UNIONS
WILL CONSOLIDATE
KETCHIKAN, Mar. 6, </P)—The
merger of the Alaska Native
Brotherhood and the American
Federation of Labor—Alaska Sal
mon Purse Seiners’ Union into a
• cannery bargaining agency to be
known as the Alaska Marine
Workers, was completed last
Saturday after an all-night set*
i sion.