THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
Nome, Alaska
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Box 618
S1.50 PER MONTH S16.00 A YEAR
Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943, at the postoffice
at Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
(Monday, August, 30, 1948)
TOLERANCE IS STRENGTH
(THE DENVER POST)
The strength of democracy was aptly illustrated last
week when the French chamber of deputies voted Pre
mier Marie’s government emergency powers to deal
with the national economic situation. That vote lifted a!
great obstacle to the success of the European recovery
plan. It is only the most recent in a series of incidents
when men of greatly varying political beliefs gathered j
themselves to vote together—and staved off the strong
Communist group in the French parliament.
Many of the men who voted to give Finance Minister
Reynaud almost dictatorial economic powers did not
want to. The Socialists, in particular, fretted about giv
ing so much strength to the government. Yet they voted
for the bill because they knew that it was essential to
the success of the Marshall plan.
But, Tike other Communist parties, the French com
munists have always followed a strictly Kremlin line.
Now they are attempting to pull France out of the ERP.
In 1939-40 they tried to keep her out of the war against
Germany—after signature of the Berlin-Moscow pact.1
If there is any doubt as to the ultimate loyalty of
other Communist parties, there should be none as to the
loyalty of the French communists. To the detriment of
France they have consistently looked to the east. Dur
ing the war, Maurice Thorez, secretary of the party, de
serted from the French army rather than fight against
Stalin’s temporary allies.
After the war, Uhe Communists first tried to gain con
trol of the government. Failing that, they did take over
the ministry of industry. They were so much more con
cerned with proselyting than production that the Com
munist minsiter of industry was finally removed. Last
winter, they attempted to stage a general strike to de
feat the Marshall plan, cause chaos in France and gain
control of the government. They supported the inter
ests of France only between 1941 and 1945, when
French interests were the same as those of Moscow—to
defeat the Nazis.
Perhaps it is difficult to understand why the French
democracy tolerates a party which has so openly shown
its derision of freedom and its foreign loyalty. Not to the
French. With the exception of General de Gaulle and
the extreme ^ight, they believe that every man should
be entitled to his opinions, and they know it would be
dangerous to force the Communists underground.
Being intensely practical, as well as intensely demo
cratic, the French tolerate their Communists.
Of course this has made for trouble. Yet it has not
made nearly so much trouble as the presence of strong
democratic elements would make in a Communist po
lice state—if they were ever permitted. The commun
ists do not permit freedoms or democratic parties to ex
ist, because they know that those would be their down
fall. Democracy can despise Communism but tolerates
Communists. No brand of totalitarianism can tolerate
democracy, for that toleration would destroy them.
There is the strength of democracy.
■■ ■ 1 . ” “ - '
RETREAT IN EUROPE
(By Dorothy Thompson)
Although the latest headlines proclaim “Moscow
Prospects Brighter” they are entirely misleading, if by
“brighter” is meant more favorable to the west. These
negotiations will produce nothing unless a further con
cession to Russia. Meanwhile their continuation is, in
itself, a concession.
For at the outset we took the view that the blockade
of Berlin must be lifted before “formal high level four
CONFERENCE W A BOLER FACTORY
power consultations” could begin. Whatever ‘formal”
and “high level” may mean, western diplomatic agents
have been consulting in Moscow with both Stalin and
Molotov while the blockade is not lifted but tightened.
The resulting half truce is being used by the Russians
to strengthen their economic positions in the city and
reach toward new objectives.
Not words but acts are decisive in this world. While
we negotiate in Moscow, there also has been aDanubian
conference in which Western Europe and the United
States have been decisively defeated. The control of the
most important river highway of southern Europe has
passed entirely into the hands of Russia and her satel
lite states. The Danube is a German and Austrian river
as well as Hungarian, Czechoslovak and Romanian
stream, rising as it does in the German Black Forest and
emptying into the Black Sea. Its importance to all Eu
rope is such that the treaty of Versailles put it under an
international commission, and its importance to Ger
many such that two representatives of German states
were put on the commission.
What the “blue Danube” means to Austria is cele
brated in folklore, painting, economic statistics and the
world’s most famous wraltz, but a “free and independent
Austria” has no voice in the control of the river that
traverses her whole length and the price for getting it
is apparently to join the Soviet bloc.
We are slipping in Europe, despite the far greater
prosperity of the west compared with the east, and de
spite the utter failure of Communism, as spontaneous
revolutionary movement. A redressing of the situation
is not to be found in Moscow. The Russian leadership is
impelled toward advancement, first by fundamental
| theory, and second by Russian necessity.
The war revealed to the Russian leadership, if not to
ourselves, prodigious weaknesses in the Soviet system.
Russia needs western brains, technics, organization
and experience. To get these by opening her frontiers
would threaten the Communist dictatorship. She must
get them on her own terms, and now, as in Lenin’s time,
the hope is from Germany, the country and people that
Russia, whatever her hates, has always most admired.
To think that Russia will voluntarily retreat an inch
from Germany or “co-operate” in any program aimed
at keeping Germany out of the Russian orbit is to cher
ish a hopeless illusion.
Hope does not, therefore lie in Moscow. Nor in Frank
fort and the new west-German government. It lies in
London, Paris and Washington, and in the possibility of
creating a genuine western union, a real United States
of what still remains of Europe, with rump Germany in
it as an equal. Unless there is war, eastern Germany is
gone, for the time being, as a European civilization, and
by “time being” I mean the lifetime of the Soviet Union,
whatever it may be. But it will be longer than the life
time of Europe if Britain, above all, France, persist in
j half-measures and continue to be ruled by old fears
j whose entire basis has disappeared.
Many Names
Suggested For
Receding Glaciei
(By Vern Haugland)
M/P) Special Washington Ser
WASHINGTON, (/P)—An
created by the gradual meltin
an Alaskan glacier may be na
for the University of Wisconsi
It is one of 32 places in gk
bay national monument, so
eastern Alaska, under study
the U. S. board on geogra
names.
The national park service
preparing a new map of the a
and has asked the board to dc
nate officially the names for v
ous features, including those
ated by the year-to-year re
sion of the glaciers.
Many of the names propi
are connected with early exp
tions into Alaska.
The feature which has t
shown on some maps as Cusl
Inlet would be named Wiscoi
Inlet, in one proposal before
board, because of the many i
versity scientists who have st
ied the glacier bay area. The
let was formed in recent years
the recession of Plauteau glac
Muir glacier, one of Alasl
greatest glacial bodies, 1
named for naturalist John Mui
Wisconsin alumnus.
% Other proposed names now
fore the board for the glacier 1
monument area, include:
Flapjack island. It’s in an a
! of sfrallow water “and as the t
falls the portion about water
pears to spread out like thin t
ter on a griddle.”
Burroughs glacier, west of M
inlet—for John Burroughs, v
visited the inlet with the Hai
man expedition in 1899.
%
Hunter cove, west side of M
inlet—for Captain Hunter of
S. S. City of Topeka, which v
ited the inlet in 1892.
Johnson Cove, northeast sh<
of Willoughby Island—for Jo
Johnson, a fox farmer.
George point, southwes t e
end of Strawberry island—for
E. George, pilot of the S. S. Id«
which visited .glacier bay in 18
Elder point, northern point
the Beardslee islands—for the
S. George W. Elder, which visi
Glacier bay in 1892 and was us
by the Harriman expedition
1899.
Martin islands, in the easte
part of Glacier bay—E. R. Marti
a member of the internation
boundary commission’s 1907
vey party.
| Spokane cove, east shore of gl
cier Bay—the S. S. Spokane, oi
of the Alaskan exploratory ve
sels.
Tidal inlet, on Glacier Bay o
posite Gilbert island—Reid’s e:
pedition in 1890 made tidal o'
servations there.
Point Wachusett, west side
! Muir inlet—the U. S. sloop
war Wachusett which visited tl
area in 1881.
York river, four miles Ion
empties into glacier bay opposi
South Marble island — Willia
York, a camp helper with Reic
1892 expedition.
Young island, in the Beards!
group—the Rev. Samuel H;
Young, who accompanied Muir
the area in 1879-89.
Other names proposed: Anchc
age cove, since 1931 the best a
chorage in the area; Beartra