THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
Nome. Alaska
Telephone: Main 125 P- O. Box 61H
SI.50 PER MONTH $16.00 A YEAH
W. A. and EMILY BOUCHER.Editor*
Entered as second class matter October 14, 1043, at the postoffic*
at Nome. Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1870.
Friday, January 10, 1947
The ‘Fascists,’ Of Course,
Will Not Understand
(The Denver Post)
“GET TOGETHER With Russia Month” has been
launched with a fanfare of rallies, testimonial dinners
and panel discussions of the National Council for Amer
ican-Soviet Friendship. The objectives are highly com
mendable, and it is much regretted that their activity
must be restricted to the United States when there is so
great a field for missionary endeavor in Russia itself.
The Denver council of th^ organization, with an im
pressive list of sponsors, is making its earnest contribu
tion toward reawakening a sense of common purpose
which it feels guided the United States and Russia to
their mutual victory over Fascism. Like the national
council, the Denver group has not allowed itself to be
come disturbed bv the confusion which exists in many
minds concerning that common purpose.
(Many “misguided” persons, for instance, feel that a
common hatred of Hitler does not necessarily imply a
common espousal of Communist totalitarianism. Friends
of Russia regard this distinction as a serious threat to
international peace.)
In a mimeographed circular entitled “Truth Is Our
Business,” the council promises to “tell the TRUTH . . .
about the Soviet Union, and to disseminate factual infor
mation about that never-to-be-forgotten wartime ally.”
“Needless to add,” continues the circular, “we do not
get assistance from the enemies of Russia who are the
friends of Fascism. We depend, for support on the more
rational-minded people of Denver. We know of no other
organization doing such practical work as we in educat
ing against the hostility and distrust of the Soviet Union
that so many molders of public opinion deliberately fos
ter. . . .
(Many “molders of public opinion,” for example, de
cry Russia's denial of basic human liberties. Such per
sons are, of course, “Fascists.”)
Since the Denver council has no faith in ordinary or
gans of news and opinion, it has its own source of truth,
the Reporter on American-Soviet Relations, a publica
tion of the national organization. In contrast to Ameri
can newspapers, this organ of truth has never in many
months of existence departed one hair from the line of
Soviet foreign policy as set forth by such straight-for
ward sentinels of honesty as Viacheslav Molotov and
Andrei Gromyko.
(There is. for example, a significant contrast in views,
concerning Foreign Minister Molotov’s speech of Oct. 29;
before the United Nations assembly. Vincent Sheehan,!
a writer long known for his liberalism, said in an article
in New Republic that he had never heard a “ruder and
cruder, rougher and tougher piece of consummate dis
honesty” than the Molotov speech. These remarks nat
urally prove Sheehan a “Fascist liar.” Referring to that
same speech, the Reporter on American-Soviet Rela
tions declared that while “the Soviet statesman spoke
directly and clearly, with a minimum of . . . diplomatic
language ... it represents a challenge—a challenge to
ourselves and other great powers to live up to the high |
promise and underlying premise of the United Na
tions.")
Inasmuch as truth, by the council's implied definition,
is identical with the Russian foreign policy line it will
perforce be a changeable quality. What is true one week
will not necessarily be true the next week. A week or so
ago, for example, the American attitude on Trieste, in
ternationalization of the Danube, inspection and control
of atomic energy, etc., was replete with what members
of the council probably undoubtedly felt was Fascist
dishonesty.” But since Russia has lately approached the
American point of view on these matters, dishones y
has now become truth.
This will be quite confusing to simpler and less flex
ible minds. It is the intellectual curse which friends of
Russia have always had to accept. Leaders of the Den
| ver group have indicated they are prepared for an\
necessary acrobatics.
(The ‘‘Fascist” believers in a single standard of truth
and honesty, of course, will not understand.)
Value of a Free Press
(.New York Times)
INSIDE GERMANY there is a problem more difficult
to solve than the struggle for food and shelter. It is the
problem of redirecting the German mind. Though allied
military government officials do the best they can. that
job can never be done by outsiders. It must be done by
the Germans themselves.
There are, fortunately, Germans who can do the
work—the relatively small group of men and women
who did not embrace Hitlerism. They are now working
in schools and colleges, in factories and homes, in the
press and publishing houses. They are trying to deter
mine the causes, not so much of Germany’s defeat as of
her years of darkness, and to find solutions which will
lead Germany into the light. A German of this kind is
Prof. Fritz Ernst of Heidelberg, who makes a contribu
tion in this intellectual groping in a new German maga
zine, “Die Wandlung,” meaning “The Transformation.”
tProf. Ernst’s article is in effect a paean of rejoicing
over seeing again after the dark war years a copy of The
Times of London. He greets it as a representative of the
free press which Germany never had, and as a breath of
fresh air coming from the outside would into the stag
nant German atmosphere. It makes him realize that
while Germns had studied English literature, traveled
in England and read English newspapers before the
war, nevertheless for lack of an objective press of their
own few of them understood what they read or saw.
Miseducated by more than fifty years of false teachings,
they understood nothing of the spirit of either the lands
they studied or their institutions and, above all, knew
nothing about the great political vitality of England.!
They therefore became easy prey of Hitler’s propaganda.
For that reason Professor Ernst concludes that what
Germany needs most of all is contact with the outside
world. Germans must learn what is going on in other
lands, what other people are doing and thinking. They
must learn to understand and evaluate the meaning of
things. And the best medium for this intelligence and
understanding Profesor Ernst considers to be the free
press of the democracies. Fortunately, after their long
isolation, most Germans today suffer from a kind of in
tellectual claustrophobia and are as hungry for news
from the outside world as they are for bread. Therein
lies the best chance of Germany’s educators.
For A Good Campaign
(Daily Alaska Empire)
WITH A SPECIAL ELECTION coming up January
20, some good campaign material might be seen in the
proposed Territorial budget for the next biennium. Pro
posed expenditures amount to about $12,000,000, while
revenues expected under existing taxes would amount
to only $3,500,000.
A candidate who has an answer to that one ought to
get a following, because that undoubtedly is the biggest
problem facing the 1947 session of the Legislature, and
the most serious. It affects every person in the Territory.
I
By MARY LEE COUNCIL
Secretary to E. L. (Bob) Bartlett. Delegate to Congress from Alaska
KLUKWAN AND <
BARROW RESERVATIONS
Recommendation by counsel
that the Native reservations at
Klukwan and Barrow not be es
tablished as withdrawn has been
been approved by Secretary of the
Interior Krug, following hearings
held in October in Alaska by Ir
win W. Silverman, Chief Counsel
I for the Division of Territories and
Island Possessions of the Interior
Department.
On August 22, 1946, public \ani
orders withdrew 150 square rrulej^
for u native reservation for the
inhabitants of Barrow and 12joq
aces for the use of the nat ves at
Klukwan by authority ot a v (>n.
gressional Act ot 1936 al.o,\llio
sucli withdrawals and pro;;j.iu
for approval by vote ot a
of the Indian or Eskimo rc.Muea,,
! j 1
j concerned.
As the result of the hearing neld
at Fairbanks October 10, Air. Sil
verman in his accepted report to
the Secretary stated his belief that
there was “little of economic*
value” in the 750 square m les I
proposed to be set aside for a res
ervation at Barrow with the ex
1 ception of the shore line for the
hunting of walrus, seal, bears and
whales. He stated that “the limits
of the proposed reservation were
arrived at without consultation
with the natives of Barrow.” in
order to insure regulation in the
trading and traffic in liquor by
appropriate ordinance of the
row village council, to saieguad
the economically valuable shore
' line and to provide for exclusive
use of the native coal supply in the
vicinity of the Inaru River, Mr.
Silverman urged that the Office of
Indian Affairs meet immediately
with the residents of Barrow “to
determine the boundaries to be
withdrawn from the public do
main.” To prevent future large ^
hunting and trapping parties to
the possible detriment of native i
livelihood in the 30,000 ,-quare !
mile area beyond the original pro
posed withdrawal, Mr. Silverman
recommended that the Alaska
Game Commission give considera
tion to the establishment of a
game reserve from the Arctic
Ocean to the foothills of the
Brooks Range with exclusive trd^
ping and hunting rights reserved
for the natives of the Arctic re
gion. As an alternative. Mr. Sil
verman recommended considera
tion and issuance of regulations
“under which any substantial in
terference by non-resident white
persons with native hunting and
trapping rights in the 30.000
square mile area may effectively
be prevented.”
Hearings held at Klukwan on
October 15 on the proposed reser
vation there amounting to 12,800 >
acres revealed that this area is I
not the source of game, fish, tim- ft
ber and berries for the natives I
and that nothing of economic r
value would accrue to the Kluk- 1
wan Indians by creation of the
reservation. Mr. Silverman in stat
ing that “not a single witness walL.
in favor of the reservation as pro
posed" reported “there was con- '
siderable conflict of testimony as
to whether the boundaries of the
reservation as proposed had been
discussed with the natives.” Mr.
Silverman recommended that the
Interior Department hold hearings
to determine the extent of the pos
sessory rights of the Klukwan In
dians instead of establishing the
proposed reservation and that up
on such determination opportunity
be given to the natives to retain
the lands to which their title had
been confirmed. He also recom
mended that the natives be al
lowed to sell such land, the pro
ceeds to go to establishment of na
tive community industries, such as
canneries and freezing plants.
In connection with Mr. Silver
man's approved recommendations
as concerns Klukwan residents, 1
implementing legislation will un
doubtedly be necessary similar tty
Delegate Bartlett's bill introduced \
in the last Congress and which he
intends reintroducing in the 80th