THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
Nome, Alaska
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Box 613
W. A. and EMILY BOUCHER . Editors
$1.50 PER MONTH $16.00 A YEAR
_ I _ _
Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943, at the postoffice
at Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Monday, October 13, 1947
Growing Importance of Scandinavia
(Minneapolis Tribune)
THE ANNOUNCEMENT that our diplomatic mission
in Stockholm is soon to be raised to the rank of an em
bassy, with Sweden returning the same courtesy to
Washington, is evidence of the growing importance to
us of Scandinavia in Europe. During the last war, our
diplomatic mission to Norway was raised to ambassa
dorial rank, as is now being down with Sweden.
The importance we attach to our relations with Swe
den was further shown when we sent two of our top
diplomats tp Stockholm. H. F. Matthews, who during
the war was chief of the European division in the state
department, is now our minister at Stockholm and as
sisting him as counselor is Hugh Cumming, who for
years has been chief of the state department’s north
European section. It was Cumming who in February,
1944, negotiated the top-secret agreement with Sweden
which gave us an air base in northern Sweden in the
final phases of the war.
In the struggle for power in Europe, we are begin
ning to feel the increased pressure of Moscow on Scan
dinavia. Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Iceland were
unable to maintain their traditional neutrality during
the war and they now find themselves under pressure
to re-orient their foreign policies.
Scandinavia is painfully close to Russia. Its desire to
“gfiet along” with its neighbor is tempored by its econo
mic and political need for American trade and dollars.
Few countries in Europe are going to be affected more
severely, as far as their.commercial relations with the
United States are concerned, by an inability to convert
sterling into dollars, than the Scandivanian countries.
Elevating our diplomatic mission in Sweden to am
bassadorial level should help to demonstrate that we as
a nation are determined to maintain the position we
took in Europe during the war and that we value our
friends on the continent at their true worth.
Murder Is The Rule
(The Denver Post)
IT IS SHOCKING to learn that Mohandas K. Gan
dhi, the world’s foremost advocate of nonviolence, is
now prepared to accept war as a solution to the prob
lems of India and Pakistan, for the mahatma thereby
refutes his own lifelong theories of peace.
Gandhi and other leaders of both states protested
long and loudly about British imperialism in their fight
for independence. They accused the British of foment
ing trouble, of setting Hindu against Moslem purposely
to achieve imperialistic ends. Since the evacuation of
the British that propaganda has been proven untrue,
but in their fight for independence leaders of both fac
tions said they would be able to resolve their differ
ences if th^y were only given independence.
To date they have done nothing to resolve them. Now
Gandhi seems to feel that it is all the fault of the Mos
lems, and that the Sikhs and Hindus of India are blood
and guilt-free.
Since they found their independence the people of
old India have moved away from peace. In their com
munal fighting they have done grave disservice to the
other colonial peoples of the world. Open and* declared
war between the states would only further dis-service.
The two countries are now independent, and they
have the responsibilities of self-government. One of
these responsibilities is the protection of foreign nation
als within their borders—a responsibility neither party
has yet met. Rather than war, the leaders of India and
Pakistan should discuss means of controlling their own
people, and if they cannot successfully bring peace,
should ask the intervention of the United Nations,
STILL HOLDING THE BAG—_
through its police powers, to halt communal murder.
Testing The Labor Laws
LAWYERS FOR THE CIO went to court last week in
an attempt to knock out Florida’s 1944, “right-to-work”
amendment, which prohibits the closed shop, the union
shop and other union-security amendments.
Success in this effort, according to CIO Chief Coun
cil Lee Pressman, could overturn similar amendments
or laws which have been adopted by 11 other states.
And, Mr. Pressman adds, the CIO intends wherever
possible to challenge the constitutionality of what he
terms “anti-labor” legislation of all kinds in all states
that have passed it.
The AFL also has attacked the Florida amendment,
and it too has announced intention to test all state laws
to which it objects.
The big labor organizations are within their rights
in asking the courts to nullify laws, state or federal,
which they consider unfair or unconstitutional.
Of course, when employers challenged the Wagner
Act and other “pro-labor” legislation, these same or
ganizations cried that the employers were trying to
thwart the will of Congress, the state legislatures and
the public. But they also have a right to be inconsistent.
, What we wonder if whether they are wise in making
the same mistake far too many employers did—that is,
in attacking laws but ignoring the extent to which pub
i lie opinion demanded those laws.
The Labor Department’s monthly bulletin has just
pointed out that, in 1947 alone, 30 state legislatures
passed “restrictive” labor laws. “Most of the 4 5 legisla
tures which met during the year considered restrictive
i measures,” it adds. And such measures were passed,
not only in agricultural states, but “in industrialized
1 states where unions are strong and well organized.”
There must be a reason. We don’t believe it is that
most of the legislatures were seized suddenly by a
j fiendish desire to “destroy unions” and “enslave work
ers.” We think it is that most of the American people
! finally lost patience with labor-union abuses which urn
ions and their leaders would not correct.
The CIO and the AFL are not likely to win any per
manent victory by court battles against laws unless
j they act to stop the abuses that brought forth the laws.
! A Key Gear In The European Machine
— ■■■ '■ ■ -
* (By Jack Foster)
The American-British plan to
i raise the level of industrial pro
duction in western Germany
means that the great democratic
powers are at last resolutely fac
ing up to the basic facts of Euro
pean life. One of the central fac«.s,
1 upon which the revival of Europe
to a large extent depends, is that
Germany’s Ruhr is the industrial
heart of the continent.
The economy of Europe, in its
i generations of natural growth
has become a complex and intec
I connected machine, with the great
metal-working and coal-mining
t .nduitry of the Ruhr at its center.
The Ruhr also was the generator
of the German war machine which
I thrice in two generations has over
run Eyrope. It has been in under
standable recognition of this that
the Allies have thought first of
j “de-industrializing” Germany as a
means of removing this recurrent
scourge. The most extreme version
of this Allied policy was the so
called “Morgenthau plan” with jt«
purpose of reducing Germany to ,
a nation of farmers.
It is not mere sympathy !'.*r the
Germans that has caused the
American and British to abandon
the “pastoralizing” policy., It is
rather our forced awakening to
the fact that by suppressing Ger
man industry we were hamstring
ing the recovery of all Europe—
victor and vanquished alike.
The guiding principle of the
Marshall plan is that Europe, or
such nations as wish voluntarily
to associate themselves in the pro
gram, must be treated as an eco
nomic whole. Any program of re
habilitation which did not take
into account the importance of
Germany’s resources and skilled
manpower would be neeJless’y
■self-defeating.
The protests of Russia—echoed
by her Communist puppets in
America—are at bottom only a
new example of that country’s ob
structionism. Denied the power to
dictate the outline of western Eu- <
rope’s reorganization, the Krem
lin has opposed every forward
step. Russia objects to the Amer
ican-British decision as “bi-later
al” and insists the question is one
for four-power determination. But
the west cannot forget that it has
been Russia which has blocked
the economic unification of Ger
many to which the four powers
agreed at Potsdam. Thus Russia
herself is to a large extent respon
sible for the continued chaos in j
Germany which has poisoned the
recovery of all Europe.
We have disarmed the Germans
and we can, by firm international
surveillance, insure that the reich
does not revive' as'an aggressive
threat. Such continued policing of
Germany is, of course, a necessary
corollary to permitting her a re
storation of high-level industry.
With this idea, the French appar
ently are now in agreement, re
moving one of the most stubborn
obstacles.
We cannot expect the Buhr to
recover at once. Millions in Amer
ican goods and technical assist
ance must inevitably be poured in
before this industrial generator
may be geared to the European
machine. But the wealth we may
advance toward real revival will
be more productively expended
than the millions we now appear *
to be emptying down a German
rathole. At present, we are mere
ly keeping the Germans alive. In
the future, under the policy on
which we are embarked, we can
bring them effectively into the
ressurection of European stabil
ity. Germany, the destroyer, has
a deep responsibility in this, a re
sponsibility which in her present
weakness she cannot meet.
Half MilTionTn
Vouchers Unpaid
By Alaska
JUNEAU (/P)—Emphasising tha
Alaska Territorial government's
serious financial situation, auditor
Frank Boyle reported to the board
of administration Saturday he
holds nearly half a million dol
lars worth of unpaid vouchers.
More than $360,000, he said,
are for the commissioner of edu
cation.
The board then asked tax com
missioner M. P. Mullaney to seek
advance collection of Territorial
taxes due. next January to help
the situation.
The annual audit of Territorial
banks was ordered postponed be
cause of the lack of funds.