THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
Nome, Alaska
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Box 618
Sl.50 PER MONTH $16.00 A YEAR
W. A. and EMILY BOUCHER..Editors
Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943, at the postoffice at
Nome. Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Wednesday, March 27, 1946
STALIN’S MISTAKE
(Rocky Mountain News)
Stalin is biting off more than he can chew. He is get
ting too clever.
Stalin is shrewd. His success in getting what he want
ed from Churchill and Roosevelt at Yalta and other con
ferences was the slickest diplomacy in modern history.
He knew how to play his cards, when to bluff and when
to wait and when to take over.
By outsmarting Churchill and Roosevelt, Stalin got
Eastern Europe. He took Churchill first, with a bargain
that looked good to the British Tories. If Britain would
recognize Russia’s sphere in Eastern Europe, Russia
would recognize Britain’s in Italy, Greece and the Near
East.
Roosevelt did not like that; he was against such im
perialist spheres. But what could he do—there was a
war on, and it was two against one. Moreover, this was
sugar-coated for him by another Stalin bargain. Stalin
promised that the three powers together would protect
democratic elections and rights in the Eastern European
countries, and Russia would cease blocking a postwar
United Nations Organization.
So Stalin got his troops all over Eastern Europe and
set up his puppet governments. Then he broke his bar
gains.
He not only violated all his agreements for repre
sentative government in Eastern Europe, but barred
Britain and the United States from protecting demo
cratic processes in those areas. He also moved in to take
over the British sphere in the Mediterranean and Near
East. And now he is getting tough with the United
States in the Far East.
Well, why not? He got away with it in Eastern Eu
rope. why can’t he repeat in the Mediterranean-Near
East and in the Far East? If the bluff worked once, whv
not again and again?
But that is where Stalin is wrong. So wrong that his
latest moves, if continued, can have the opposite effect
he expects. His bluff worked in Eastern Europe. It will
not work in the Mediterranean or in the Far East.
The reason is simple—so simple that only a two
clever operator could forget it for a moment. The Brit
ish Empire cannot survive without its Mediterranean
Near East lifeline; and Britain means to survive. The
United States’ security in the Pacific requires a free
Ch na; and the United States will not compromise on
that.
If there is only doubt in Stalin's mind about this, let
him remember some very recent history. When England
seemed on the verge of defeat, with so few armed forces
left that she probably could not withstand a Hitler in
vasion of her home island, she grimly sent her main
force to portect her Mediterranean lifeline. And when
Japan offered the United States every conceivable com
promise if only we would sacrifice a free China, the
United States refused—knowing that it would mean
war, which it did.
The gravest danger in the world today is that Stalin,
having bluffed Britain and the United States so easily in
Eastern Europe, thinks he can bluff them in the Medi
terranean and the Far East. HE CANNOT.
JUST DESERTS
(The Denver Post)
Secretary of Commerce Wallace asked for the lam
basting he is getting as a result of his proposal that Sen
ators and Representatives who oppose their own parties
on major legislation should be barred from running for
office on their partv tickets. Both Democrats and Re
SAUCE FOR THE GOOSE AND THE QANPEK
UNO ;\
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sxTSssr A
^VON»Pt RATI
publicans have taken a rap at him. Their comments run
the gamut from an explosive “Oh, nuts!” by Senator
Eastland (Dem.) of Mississippi to statements by Demo
cratic and Republican House leaders that such a system
would be “impractical” because it would deprive legis
lators of their right to vote according to their convic
tions.
Wallace’s idea of a party purge of members who do
not stick to the party line is the kind of a screwball sug
gestion that should be .expected from him. It ignores
the obvious fact that while Senators and Congressmen
are elected on party tickets, they are elected to repre
sent their constituents and not their political parties.
And it smacks of Hitlerism.
A statement by Marshal Stalin of Soviet Russia, that
democracy has “booms, busts and wars" is a “challenge
to democracy," according to Wallace. “It is interesting
to note that during the '30s Russia had neither,” he says.
“I suggest we accept this challenge in the most peaceful
way possible and see if we can’t have full employment
to prevent ‘booms, busts and wars’.” Hitler’s Germany
had full employment, as did Russia. But that didn't keep
them out of war. If Wallace is such a lover of the Soviet
system, why doesn't he move to Russia and try living
under it?
The New York Yankees are training in the Panama
Canal Zone. They may henceforth be known as ball
players who came direct from the said “locks.”
By MARY LEE COUNCIL
Secretary to E. L. (Bob) Bartlett. Delegate to Congress from Alaska
A_ _
SABLEFISH SEASON
The sablefish season in Alaska
will not be shortened as first or
dered by the Interior Department
following representations that in
sufficient notice was given after
the fishing fleet was ready to go
to the fishing banks and, in fact,
after some fishermen had left for
the grounds ignorant of any
change in the regulations.
The regulations, which have
now been rescinded, prohibited
sable fishing until May 1 instead
of March 15, the usual opening
date, upon the advice of the Inter
national Fisheries Commiss:on.
In protesting the closing order.
Delegate Bartlett stated, “Affect
ing as it does the livelihood of
several hundred men, the order
most assuredly should have been
preceded by hearings in Alaska so
that the fishermen affected could
have given their views. This was
not done, and the new regulation,
without advance warning of any
sort, is so obviously unfair that I
think it should be rescinded forth
with.”
ROADS COMMITTEE REPORT
ON THE ALASKA HIGHWAY
The House Committee on Roads
was “most favorably impressed”
with the manner in which the con
struction of the Alaska Highway
was executed and believes the
project, costing $138,312,166, was
justified because of the military
and naval situations existing in
the Alaska area in 1942 and 1943.
These conclusions are contained
in the recent renort of the com
mittee to Congress covering the
trip of its subcommittee to Alas
ka and Canada in August, 1945,
and is the result of that trip sup
plemented by a four-month inves
tigation of government records.
In making recommendaitons as
the result of its study, the com
mittee stated: “The Nation pos
sesses in the Territory and resi
dents of Alaska great natural and
human resources which cannot be
underestimated or left to cope
with their future unaidded by the
Congress.”
HAINES HIGHWAY LAND
The Interior Department is now
preparing to reduce the land with- *
drawals along the Haines highway
to a nominal ri^ht of way, accord
ing to information given Delegate
Bartlett recently.
The lands along the road w'll be
made available under the small
tract act. Surveys will be made to
determine which areas along the
road are most suitable for'estab
lishing homes and business sites,
and it is hoped these survey will
be undertaken this summer.
KETCHIKAN-WRANGELL
HYDABURG MAIL SERVICE
A four-year contract for carry
ing mail by boat between Ketchi
kan, Wrangell and Hydaburg has
been awarded to Edward E. Mel
hart of Ketchikan, according
information given Delegate Barb
lett by the Post Office department.
The contract will be effective
July 1.
ALASKA FISHERIES
The control over salmon and
other fisheries of Alaska would
revert to the Territory, to be ex
ercised by the Alaska Territorial
Legislature, according to the pro
visions of a bill recently introduc
ed by Delegate Bartlett.
The bill excludes such control
over the fur-seal and sea-otter
*
fisheries which would remain un-'
der the jurisdiction of the Interior
Department. The laws relating to
Alaska fisheries would remain in
effect until the legislature accept
ed the administrative and regula
tory functions over th'e fisheries
and made provisions by law for
administration and regulation of
the fisheries.
To meet the costs of this pro
gram, the bill provides that one
half of the net proceeds accruing
to the United States from the sale
of sealskins taken from the Prib
ilof Islands and other ;sl»nds in
Alaska, will be paid by t:,e U ■ (j$
States Treasurer to the Territory.
Delegate Bartlett’s measure is
similar to previous legislation in
troduced by former Delegate Di
rnond.
SCHOOL DISTRICT BONDS
Independent school districts in
Alaska would be able to issue
bonds for the construction of
school facilities through a bill Del
egate Bartlett has introduced.
POSTAL PAY
A bill giving substantial ini
creases in compensation to postal
employees has been favorably re
ported out by the House Commit
tee on Post Offices and Post Roads
to the House.
All postmasters and postal em
ployees. except employees paid on
an hourly or part-time basis and
fourth class postmasters, would
receive additional compensation
at the rate of $100 a year. Em
ployees paid on an hourly or onrt
t me basis would rece'vc a 20
cents an hour increase, and fourth
class postmasters would receive
increases equal to 20 percent of
their basic annual compensation