THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
Noma, Alaska
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Box 618
S1.50 PER MONTH S16.00 A YEAR
W. A. and EMILY BOUCHER.Editors
Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943, at the post offic#
at Nome. Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Monday, August 18, 1947
Scouting Outing Successful
OUR HIGHEST PRAISE goes to scoutmaster B. G.
Baker, of Troop 666, for his untiring efforts in getting
for his scouts a permanent camp at Dexter, and fulfilling
the boys’ wildest expectations for two weeks of the
grandest possible outing and training, with lots of fun
thrown in for good measure.
It is through his desire to help the youth of the city
that the boys and girls of the town have a clubhouse
in town as well as a permanent campsite at Dexter, with;
the necessary equipment to carry on a full program of 1
scouting activities.
Sunday, the Boy Scouts completed their two weeks
of summer camping. Our appreciation goes also to Mrs.
Baker and Mrs. Carl Glavinovich, who voluntarily
cooked for the boys at camp. They did a marvelous job.
Nome has already received some returns from the
organization in the form of street signs and the num
bering of houses, which will soon be completed through
the Bov Scout activities.
We are sure the boys join us in our appreciation.
They Can't Override The Bill Of Rights
(The Denver Post)
IT IMPRESSES US that labor officials, in their agi
tation over freedom of the union press, are twisting the
tail of a papier-mache lion, a creature whose ferocity
is largely imagined. If we though the restriction on
political contributions which the Taft-Hartley act im
poses upon unions (and corporations) could be inter
preted to prohibit political comment in union newspa
pers we would most certinly share their alarm. But we
are confident the courts would never sustain such a ban.
It is true this anxiety is not without some basis. The law
flatly forbids “any labor organization to make a contri
bution or expenditure” in connection with any election
to federal office. There have been several unofficial
opinions-*-some of them from high places—that this
provision bars newspapers supported by union funds
from stating opinions on candidates and issues.
During the Senate debate on the measure, this ooird
was discussed at length. Under the insistent questioning
of Senators Pepper, Barlley and Magnuson, Senator,
Taft maintained that papers operated on union dues—
as distinguished from labor organs sustained by volun
tary subscriptions—would be politically gagged. The
same prohibition, he said, would extend to radio ad
dresses on time bought with union money.
But, with all respect to Senator Taft’s legal learning
we suggest a careful reading of the first article of the
Bill of Rights, which says, simply and without qualifi
cation:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establish
ment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;
or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press.”
The constitution permits no limit upon the enjoyment
of this freedom, except that which is logically implicit
in national security. The language is clear and broad. If
Congress could deny or circumscribe this right, Amer
ica’s most basic liberty would be in jeopardy.
In view of this plain and unconditional protection or
the constitution, the current anxiety over freedom of
the union press looks very much as though it has been
purposed exaggerated for prapaganda purposes.
To any degree which this alarm is genuine, however,
labor, we urge, should press a test case through to de
cision in the courts. Let there be no uncertainty about
our freedoms.
Isolating Communist Idea
(Cincinnati Enquirer)
THE BEST WAY to combat a danger is to be familiar
with it. That point is brought out most forcefully in a
recent article by J. Edgar Hoover, in which he advises
.Americans to know of what they speak before they label
individuals or ideas as political philosophy. Admittedly,
it holds grave threats for the democratic philosophy we
in the United States are following. But before we can
solve the problems which Communism advances, we
must—first of all—isolate the communistic philosophy
from the maze of political theories which eternally gc
bouncing around us.
Liberals and progressives, Mr. Hoover says, aren’t
Communists. They may lean toward what we call the
lett; may advocate certain changes in our democratic
system which, to some of us, seem quite radical. But so
long as they only seek alterations in, and not changes
from the democratic system, they should not be trusted
a3 Communists or combated as Communists.
To maintain the democratic policies and programs in
a changing world, we must gear those programs to everv
change. We must devote our best efforts toward that
end. If we continue, under a democracy, to provide the
best living standards, best goods and greatest iv asper
ity, our cause will be strong enough to overcome any
outside opposition. Nothing succeeds, as the old saw
insists, like success.
If we concentrate on making democracy work, we’ll
have only a certain amount of time and energy available
for the business of combating communistic efforts to
wreck our system. It is important, then, that all su?h
surplus energy be aimed directly at those communistic
efforts. We can’t afford to waste it, as Don Quixote did,
in battling windmills. Neither can we waste it by fight
ing true democrats whose only real hope is to improve
the democratic system by altering it.
Communism has grown strong—even menacing. It is
so strong that it deserves the steady, unwavering aim
of our best guns. Let’s improve our eyesight so that our
aim can be true. Let’s learn to know a Communist when
we see’—or hear—one.
USING THE OLD BEAN
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By MARY LEE COUNCIL
Secretary to E. L. (Bcb) Bartlett, Delegate to Congress 'roin Alaska
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PRESIDENT SIGNS
TWO ALASKA BILLS
The President has signed into
law the bill providing legal author
ity for the Secretary of Agriculture
to enter into contracts for the ut'l
ization of timber resources in the
exterior boundaries of . Tongass
National Forest in connection with
----
the development of a pulp indus
try in southeastern Alaska.
The legislation also authorizes
the Secretary of the Interior to sell
vacant, unappropriated and unpat
ented lands within the exterior
boundaries of the forest as he and
the Secretary of Agriculture be
lieve are needed for plant sites and
other purposes for the develop
ment o' the timber resources of the
fore t under contracts made with
: the Secretary of Agriculture. The*
’ sale of land and timber may be
made notwithstanding any claim
of possessory rights. Funds de
rived from the sale of timber and
land will be maintained in a spe
cial account in the treasury until
such time as the claims of aborig
inal rights of the southeastern
Alaska Indians are determined,
when payment will be made either
to the Indians or be placed in the
United States treasury.
Approval wras also given the
same day by the Chief Executive
t > Delegate Bartlett’s measure to
allow exploration for and mining
g ilds and other minerals in the
beds of navigable streams in Alas
ka. Safeguards are contained in
the law for the Fish and Wildlife
Service to keep a constant check
upon mining to make certain that
the fish run is not endangered.
INTERIOR DEPARTMENT
AGENCIES
Three agencies of the Interior
Department active in matters per
taining to Alaska will move their
headquarters from Chicago to
Washington within the near fu
ture.
The agencies concerned are the
Office of Indian Affairs, the Fish
and Wildlife Service and the Na
tional Park Service. During sev
eral years past these agencies were
transferred to Chicago to make
room in the Capital for war agen
cies. It is understood the first
agency to return to Washington
will be the Office of Indian Af
fairs which will begin its move on
or about October 1, to be followed
bv the other two agencies as soon
as space can be found by the Pub
blic Buildings Administration.
FOREST ROADS
From the funds for* forest high-1
way construction, rehabilitation
and maintenance allowed by Con
gress throughout the United States
and Alaska of $5,300,000, Alaska’s
.'•hare will be S390.000 for the fis
cal year 1943. according to infor
mation given Delegate Bartlett by
the Forest Service. *
Embracing no funds for rehabil
itation or new construction of for
est highways in the Territory, this
amount will be used for the main
tenance of existing roads at the es
timated cost of $250,000 with the
balance for surveys, administra
tion and equipment.
Alaska’s allotment for the pro
tection and management of the
National Forest in th? Territory
for the fiscal year 1943 is $271,000
and for forest development roads
and trails. $200,300.
The original request made of
Congress called for the appropria
tion ot $ 11,3u0,000 for forest high
way construction, rehabilitation
and maintenance for the United
States and Alaska, but Congress
flushed this request by six million
dollars to $5,300,000.
One Man’s Opinion
(By Walter Kiernan)
Gandhi says he has no plans for
a hunger strike — Like most of
us these days he will attempt to go
on eating as long as possible. . . .
Now we are threatened with a
shortage of gasoline — the official
explanation has shifted slightly
from “This is war” to “This is
peace.” ... In Tokyo, the Tojo
trial now is in its second year. —
The third act still is not quite
ready. . . . Nuernberg was shorter *
but there were more willing hands
available to fashion the law as
they went along. . . . Things are
speeding us — a Columbia uni
versity prof made a pianist out of