THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
Nome. Alaska
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Box (>)*
ti.SO PER MONTH $16.00 A YEAR
W. A. and EMILY BOUCHER..Editor*
Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943, at the postoftir**
at Nome. Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Wednesday, February 12, 1947
LINCOLN’S BIRTHDAY
Peace Through Democracy
(The Denver Post)
THE UNITED STATES army is cast in a new’ role. I
It’s script has been rewritten. The change has come
about as a result of the country’s acceptance of the awe
inspiring responsibility of trying to lead the world to
permanent peace.
Rather than concerning itself only with national de
fense and plans for the next war, when and if it comes,
the army has undertaken the more fundamental task of
trying to stop the next war before it begins.
No one appreciates the significance of this new con
cept of the army’s function better than Secretary of
War Robert P. Patterson, who addressed Denver uni
versity patrons recently. No one could be better quali
fied to direct the army in this new task.
Instead of rattling swords and talking jingoism, as a
secretary of war might be expected to do, Patterson is
advocating—and putting into practice—the doctrine of
seeking peace through worldwide education in demo
cratic processes.
“Overseas the army is making, through education, a
vital contribution to peace,” he told his Denver audi-i
ence. “I refer to the education in the democratic way of
life of 100 million Germans and Japanese, only recent-'
ly the anti-social followers of Hitler and the Nipponese
war lords.
“Nothing will do more to secure the peace, won at
such great cost in lives and treasure, than putting those
peoples on the road to decent, responsible memberships
in the family of nations.
“The army is doing its best to instill in those peoples
not only an understanding of the forms of democracy,
but a devotion to the substance of democracy, a respect
for the importance and integrity of the individual.
“There is no point in minimizing the difficulties, but
if we succeed in this, we are well on the road to peace.
I believe that the common man, no matter what country
he belongs to, is not likely to involve his country in a
war of aggression, provided he has sufficient informa
tion and freedom of choice.”
The world needs more militarism of Secretary Patter
son’s kind, the kind which recognizes that the ideologies
with which men fill their minds are more important
than the contents of the “Infantry Drill Regulations,”
“The Manual of Arms” and the “Articles of War.” j
Our Bipartisan Foreign Policy
(Rocky Mountain News)
SENATOR VANDENBERG’S apparent disinclina-l
tion to attend the Moscow meeting of the Council of
Foreign Ministers, because of demands upon him in the
Senate, threatens further to weaken liaison between
Congress and the State Department. This poses a real
problem for Secretary Marshall.
The Vandenberg-Byrnes combination was a happy
team. The fact that one was a Republican and the other
a Democrat made little difference. They talked the same
language. Working together, they made our bi-partisan
foreign policy a thing of real meaning.
Having been a senator, Mr. Byrnes belonged to the
lodge, an advantage Secretary Marshall does not enjoy.
The general got along well with Congress as chief of
staff of the army. But he was a respected military ex
pert, dealing with civilians. His present relationship to
Congress is altogether different. Nearly every member
of that body regards himself as an authority on inter
national affairs.
So in his new role, Secretary Marshall must make his
.case before a critical jury, most of whom have precen
ceived convictions on every issue.
With the new Republican majority, responsibility for
foreign policy has become virtually co-equal between
the Senate and the State Department.
If Senator Vandenberg finds it inexpedient to partici
pate in the German and Austrian negotiations at Mos
cow, Secretary Marshall will need a new Republican
adviser, of high caliber and availability, who has the
confidence of the Republican majority. We can think of
no one who would fill the void quite as well as John
Foster Dulles.
Mr. Dulles has participated in the development of the
United Nations. His knowledge of the German and Aus
trian problems is perhaps equal to that of Senator Van
denberg's. Not being a senator, he would not be expect
ed to have the same influence in that body. But Secre
tary Marshall can remedy that deficiency by improving
his own Congressional contacts.
It is the secretary’s No. 1 problem to operate in har
mony and understanding with the Senate’s Republican
majority. His success iri his new position will be mea
sured in exact ratio to that achievement.
He undoubtedly appreciates this fact, and his past
porformance supports the expectation that he knows
how to maintain such co-operation.
Editorial Correction
IN THE ISSUE of January 31, The Nome Nugget, our
editorial column carried an editorial in defense of the
Alaska Development Board.
The second paragraph of the editorial stated that Sen
ators O. D. Cochran and Joe Green introduced a bill to
abolish the Alaska Development Board. We have since
learned that it was Senator Edward D. Coffee, who
with Senator Joe Green, introduced the measure known
as S.B. 4, to abolish the Board.
We learn also that other papers in the Territory car
ried the same story that included Senator Cochran’s
name in connection with introduction of S.B. 4.
It is certainly not our policy to criticize unnecessarily
or falsely, and we take this means to rectify the state
ment.
_ THE QALF GROWS UP
f IP £RANDP* ^
( COUtD DO IT
V 'I CAN TOO /
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By MARY LEE COUNCIL
Seeretary to E. L. (Bob) Bartlett, Delegate to Congress from Alaska
FAIRBANKS-LIVENGOOD
ROAD
Plans envisioning the road from
Fairbanks to Livengood on a par
with the Richadson Highway and
Glenn Highway have been pre
sented to Congress in a request by
the Interior Department that $600,
000 be‘appropriated for the road’s
; .mprovement.*
1 This amount represents a re
quest originally sought bqt elim
inated by the Bureau of the Bud
get and is a supplemental request
w.iich increases the appropriation
a.->.ved for construction and main
tenance of roads, bridges and
trails in the Territory from $3,753,
oOO to $4,353,000.
It is hoped that the Fairbanks
Livengood road can be improved
this year as part of the Interior
department’s five-year road con
struction plan for development of
heretofore inaccessible portions of
Alaska. Ultimately, it is planned
to extend the road to the Yukon
River in order to prQVide access to
points located on the river for
freight carried by The Alaska
Itaiload, thus eliminating the ship
ment of freight via the Tanana
River. Freight shipment on the
Tanana acording to the Interior
Department, is becoming increas
ingly more difficult because of
silting conditions of the river.
DIFFERENTIAL
relegate Bartlett has made
it.ong representations to the Pres
cient urging exclusion of Alaska
irom a recent War Department or
der eliminating the 25 per cent
salary differential paid to depend
ent employees of the department
who reside with the head of a fam
ily 'employed by another federal
government agency.
The ord£r was promulgated, ac
cording to information given Dele
gate Bartlett, largely to provide
such a limitation in occupation
areas overseas because it was felt
that dependents needed no induce
ment to work for the War Depart
ment so long as by so doing they
wouid be able to join members of
their families.
Declaring that the order is a
clear violation of the President’s
instructions, to which all govern
ment departments agreed, that un
til a permanent government pol
icy is established the policy of pay
ing a 25 per cent differential
would remain in effect, Delegate
Bartlett stated the order “repre
sents a unilateral determination of
the War Department” which
should be immediately rescinded
insofar as it affects Alaska.
The President’s instructions
were issued in 1945 with the re
quest that a cost-of-iivii\g survey
be made. The Bureau of the Bud
get and the Civil Service Commis
j sion. ar° now cooperating to ar
rive at a settled permanent policy.
, Delegate Bartlett also pointed
out that preliminary studies issued
by the two agencies recognized
that the conditions in Alaska are
unique. He also pointed out that
the 25 per cent differential paid in
Alaska is in recognition of the ex
cessive high cost of living and is
not paid as an "inducement” to
recruit workers.
RELIEF FOR GOLD AND
SILVER MINE OPERATORS
The Senate Judiciary Commit
tee has reported favorably upon
Senator McCarran’s bill providing
for suspension of enforcement of
certain obligations against the op
erators of gold and silver mines
who have been forced to cease op
erations because of the existence
of any law or regulation of the fed
eral government.
The b«ll provides that any oper
ator, who because of the unavail
ability of supplies and equipment
is unable to continue operation of
his silver or gold mine and thus
fulfill any contract to purchase
such property or requiring the
performance of certain work on
his property, may appeal to a
i United States district court for re