THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
Nome. Alaska
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Box 618
W. A. and EMILY BOUCHER . ...». Editors
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Entered as second class matter October 14. 1943. at the postoffice
at Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Friday, December 5, 1947
Stalinas Strategy
(By Jack Foster)
JUST WHY ITALIAN and French Communists are
staging bloody riots and political strikes at this time is
not altogether clear.
On the surface they appear self-defeating. Though
aimed at the Marshall Plan, the Communist violence is
increasing French and Italian support of the European
recovery plan and at the same time building Congres
sional support in Washington.
We are not so sure as some that Stalin is short-sighted |
in all thfs. He simply may be sacrificing immediate ;
gains for long-range advantage. He may fngure that the
Marshall Plan would go through anyway. It probably
would.
If so, he is not losing much by driving more Europeans
and Americans to support it—not if he is aiding sabo
tage of the plan after it begins operation.
From that angle the Stalin strategy makes sense.
Since both Italian and French Communists have failed
to get political power by legal means, and since Moscow
threats have failed to frighten any but Soviet satellites
away from the Marshall Plan, thie Red’s best bet may
be to create chaos.
They are succeeding in that. If the strikes continue
they will weaken the already desperately sick nations
to the point where European recovery will be far more
difficult under the Marshall Plan.
If Italy and France can be plunged into civil war, or
even if the threat of such class strife can be kept alive,
those countries are not likely to make rapid headway
toward the increased production and unity on which
recovery depends.
And the American public, which now rallies to the
Marshall Plan because it is under Red attack, may react
in the opposite way when the Red-provoked European
violence really gets under way.
Then American taxpayers may say there is no use to
pour billions into countries more interested in class
fighting than in working. Or at least Stalin seems to
hope so.
Whatever the correct explanation of the Stalin strat
egy, this is no time for smug American certainties that
the Reds are stupidly helping the Marshall Plan by at
tacking it. We could win the first battle and still lose the
way for European recovery.
i
Getting Good Results
(The Rocky Mountain News)
THE CIO UNITED AUTO WORKERS’ convention,
having given President Walter Reuther a complete vic
tory over leaders of that union’s left-wing faction, has
adopted a number of constitutional amendments urged
by him. Three of them, he said, were designed “to meet
the requirements of the Taft-Hartley Act and to protect
the union” from damage suits under that law. Here’s
what they do:
1. Prohibit instigation or calling of any strike or boy
cott without express authority from the union’s inter
national executive board or president.
2. Require each local union “to carry out provisions
of its contracts” and prohibit anyone in the union from
advising or causing “a breach of any contract entered
into by a local union.”
3. Forbid any local union or agent to act for the union
without express authority from the international board
or president.
Like officials of other unions, Mr. Reuther objects to
the Taft-Hartley Act and demands its repeal by Con
gress. But meeting the law’s requirements by such
amendments to his union’s constitution certainly doesn’t
AN EYE FOR THE FUTURE.
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mean that the auto workers are being “enslaved.”
They provide merely for more self-discipline—more
responsibility in making agreements, keeping contracts
and avoiding wildcat strikes—a more positive check on
the conduct of local union officers and members.
We think these are significant and hopeful reforms.
Their wide adoption by other international unions
would help, not hurt, the cause of organized labor.
In our opinion, they testify to the wisdom of those pro
visions of the Taft-Hartley Act which caused the United
AQto Workers’ convention to adopt them.
Seven Eyes For An Eye
(The Denver Post)
THERE AREN’T ENOUGH BIBLES to supply world
demand, chiefly because of the paper shortage plaguing
publishers everywhere. So Japan has an unholy black
market where the Good Book brings seven times its
normal price.
Ministers should find food for sermons in this trans
pacific report. The world is hungry, and not for bread
alone. Germany after Hitler is vastly short of Bibles.
That’s one shortage, at least which the Russians are do
ing little to aggravate by seizures for their own use.
Old Adam Smith, the hard-headed economist made
big medicine out of a Bible black market. Complete
therein from Genesis to Revelations is a demonstration
of the oldest law—the law of supply and demand. The
world’s best-seller is in short supply. Demand is driven
to cutthroat lengths, and the maney changers in the
temple of commerce are profiting mightily thereby. He
who quotes them the Golden Rule is a voice crying in
the wilderness. He who points out book, chapter and
verse to show them the evil of their ways must pay
through the nose for every page he turns.
Seven eyes for an eye; seven teeth for a tooth. Such
is the price when the devil keeps shop. Verily, these be
times to try the patience of Job.
Hie Greatest Of These
(By Palmer Hoyt)
j . IT WILL BE DISCOURAGING to the John Steinbeck
school of authorship to learn that Horatio Alger still
dominates the thinking of the majority of Americans
who have any views on the question of a man’s oppor
tunity to get rich quick in the good old U. S. A.
To find out what—if anything—our present income
tax system has done to undermine public confidence in
the cherished rags-to-riches concept, which Alger did
not invent but merely chronicled, the American Insti
tute of Public Opinion has taken a poll.
It discovered that 49 per cent of all Americans believe
j it still is possible for this country to produce another
| Henry Ford with a fortune running into nine digits.
Forty-five per cent do not believe it is possible and 6
1 per cent have no opinion.
The poll showed also that the average American is
under the impression that if a man
makes a million dollars a year the
government takes half of it in in
i' come taxes whereas actually, un
der the present law, the govern
ment takes all but about $160,000.
The institute’s survey leaves the
impression that if people realized
1 the extent to which government
appropriates great wealth in this
country today, they would n~t be
so hopeful or gullible.
But the real point brought out
by the poll, it seems to us, is that
if a majority of the people believe
it is still possible to amass 100
million dollars or so in this coun
try, it is a cinch that nearly every
one is convinced it is possible for
a poor but eager boy with a rea
sonable amount of brains and
luck to salt away at least a mo lest
million bucks.
Since Alger laid down his pen
we have had not only the income
tax but a couple of depressions
and a whole library of laws re
stricting business practices, yet
faith in the Alger concept of
American opportunities remains
unshaken. That is important. It is
something that no other people in
a major country of the world has
today.
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CONGRESS IN ACTION
Spectators at a recent Congres
sional inquiry guffawed. I hope
that some of them got the point. A
movie actor had just remarked,
dead-pan: “I’ve heard people say
that we would have a more effi
cient government without Con
gress.’’ A very serious point was
contained in that statement, which
apparently struck spectators as a
humorous jibe at lawmakers,
present and not present.
It is somewhat of an American
custom to poke fun at our elected
officials. Some steam is released
that way, like the blowing-off of
a safety valve. That’s all right.
But that any sane American
should suggest doing away with
Congress is no laughing matter.
You might as well say that we
ought to give up our democratic
way of life, in the interest of great
er efficiency. One would be equiv
alent to the other. But who wants
an efficient tyranny?
Our safeguard
I am going to say that I appre
ciate Congress. I am not ashamed
to say it. Moreover, I am concern
ed that there are those who fail
to recognize the essential dignity
! and worth of this branch of our
government. Out of the welter of
political turmoil in Washington, I
think there is still room for a
i healthy respect for what our Con
gress does. And we must never
forget that Congress represnts the
will of the people, of the majority.
Congress is a mighty safeguard.
When any Congressional session
I is over, try looking back over the
i record. It will usually surprise you
i how much was acmomplished. Es
pecially so, if you are one of those
Americans who like to chant:
j “Why, oh why, doesn’t Congress
do something?” When the recent
Congress adjourned in late July,
final action had been taken on at
least 17 major issues. This was an
array of achievements when you
recall that this Congress was the
1 first new Congress following the
war. ,
Another Lobby
Action was taken on Presiden
tial tenure and succession labor