THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wecfciesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO*
Nome, Alaska
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Box 618
W. A. and EMILY BOUCHER .Editors
$1.50 PER MONTH . $16.00 A YEAR
Entered as second class matter October 14. 1943. at the postoffice
at Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Wednesday, April 7, 1948
STATEHOOD— Then and Now—
The following letter to the Editor of the Nome Nug
get wilhbe self expanatory—
Ruth Coffin
Juneau, Alaska
March 26, 1948
The Editor
The Nome Nugget
Nome, Aaska
Dear Sir:
In going through the papers of my uncle, the late
Judge James Wickersham, I found many interesting
entries which have historical value to pertinent con-!
troversies of Alaska today. Attached page indicates]
that Alaska Statehood has been in the air since 1916—j
a matter of 32 years!
Perhaps you would be interested to know that the
Judge singled out the Nome Nugget as one of the
papers of the Territory in which to introduce his bill
to the people of Alaska. I quote from his personal
diary:
“March 3, 1916: Sent advance copies of my
Enabling Act for the State of Alaska to the JUN
EAU DISPATCH, - THE 49th STAR - THE NEWS
MINER at Fairbanks and THE NOME NUGGET, I
with instructions to publish on March 30th on
which day I will introduce the Statehood Bill j
to Congress.”
FIRST STATEHOOD BILL
March 30, 1916: The 49th Anniversary of the sign
ing of the Treaty of the purchase of Alaska from Rus
sia.
“I introduced the first Alaska Statehood bill today.”
In preparation of the above—
January 22, 1916: I am now drafting the Enabling
Act for the State of Alaska.
January 23, 1916: lam now working industriously
on the preparation of an Enabling Act for the Creation
of State government in Alaska. In so doing, I am fol
lowing the Enabling Act of 1906 for the State of Okla
homa. This is for two reasons - at least - it is a late
Act, contains many of the new ideas and is liberal
in grants of money and land to the new,State. Another
thing, it is a Democratic State and its Enabling Act
ought, therefore, to pass the eye of this administration
with less criticism than one older and less liberal.
February 5, 1916: I am working on a final draft of
an Enabling Act for the Admission of Alaska as a
State.
INFLATION TODAY
An observer who failed to admit that an inflationary
boom is in progress would appear to be less than can
did. The broad scope of the movement is the best
assurance of its continuation for some time, unless
an unforseen catastrophe upsets all calculations.
The lull that many misjudged in mid-1947 and which
led to dire forecasts of disaster proved to be temporary
and did not for long retard trade. Building was slower
and exports slipped into a reversal of the post-war
upward trend, but many industries managed to forge
ahead, despite delays and shortages.
But the second and third quarter rise in grain prices,
induced by crop damage and the urgent world need of
food, started a new forward movement which shows
no immediate sign of slackening, since the promise
of billions in aid for Europe, increases availability of
consumer credit, and new wage and price rise spirals
have touched* off added inflationary forces.
| SETTING IT FOR BEAR
Smart merchants will move in harmony with these
facts, lightening inventories with every major lift
and replacing new stocks on the basis of dollar volume
sold. Food appears destined to be the real controling
factor. By June the crop picture throughout the world
may determine the price levels and business control
policies in more than one country.
One fact stands out stubbornly.
The existence of 13 million more people in the
United States than during pre-war years means a
greater consumption of goods of all kinds is inevitable.
These new Americans possess a buying power greater
than that of many sizeable countries, such as Canada,
Mexico or Argentina. They will automatically con
stitute a major inflationary force until production of
food, steel, houses, automobiles and similar items,
has been increased and their most urgent needs have
been satisfied.
Only then will a true surplus exist which can be
exported without depriving this country and with
out increasing the upward pressure on price.
(Exporter)
VICE CAN BE NICE
Don’t swear off swearing. Jndeed, don’t cut out
any “bad” habit such as moderate smoking, drinking
or gambling unless you’re sure it’s really harmful.
If you can’t decide for yourself, ask your doctor.
If the family doc agrees with Dr. J. B. Rice in the
April issue of Esquire, he, too, will advise you to
“hang on to those vices.” Well, well. Such talk sounds
almost too pleasant to be genuine. But since its exactly
what we were going to do, anyhow, let’s hear the good
doctor out.
“From the mental hygiene standpoint,” says Dr. Rice,
“it is quite possible that your bad habit is good for you.”
As an example, he says, nicotine in the amounts ab
sorbed by normal smokers is a mild sedative. To
bacco, he finds, lessens nervous irritablity by putting
the brakes on the emotional pendulum.
Savage man didn’t peed a cigar, or a highball, or
stud poker to relax him. He could settle his problems
with spear and club, climb yonder tree and sleep like
a babe. But once man became civilized, he had to find
some way to reconcile shabby reality with the splendor
of his dreams. So he took up drinking, the bum.
Dont get the doctor wrong. If something’s really a
sin, he’s like Coolidge. He’s against it. His point is that
taking one drink isn’t a sin. It’s a relaxation. The fellow
who always takes one too many, says Dr. Rice, is a sick
man even when he’s sober. Only the neurotic need es
; cape so desperately that he drinks to excess.
Even cussing helps to relieve tension for harried in
habitants of this frustrating modern world, says this
medico. But to be really effective, the cuss word must
i be new or bad enough to comfort the swearer by mildly
shocking himself or someone else. Why, we’ll' be a Hen
kry Wallace if the doc hasn’t got something there.
LOOKING I
AHEAD I
» GEORGE 1 BENSON f
\ f’H'Ucat-Jiardlaf Mk* I
I Searrf. Artamm X
NATIONS MAKE CHOICES’
As drastic and as devastating
as war is, I am confident that
the economic troubles of many
European countries are not trace
able entirely to the aggravations
of war. Famine, wars, oppressions
those are symptoms, n >t causes.
Certain nations, like Switzerland,
fare surprisingly well amidst the
decay and chaos so common in
Europe. Little Switzerland is not
hollering for help. She is a free
enterprise country.
Of course, Switzerland was not
a belligerent and hence was spared
some spoilage of war. But now
comes news that Belgium is pros
pering. What is^the reason? Bel
gium chose a free economic sys
tem at the close of the war, when
she might have taken some fool
ish panacea. This little country
rightly chose a system of free en
terprise and economic freedom as
the system most likely to bring
recovery.
A Practical Way
A reasonable degree of freedom
is enjoyed by the Belgium peo
ple.Reports have it that the stand
ard of living there is well up to
ward prewar levels. Newspaper
reports caU attention to Bel
gium’s airline, Sabena, which re
ported its net profit for the year
at about $2,800,000. This has hap
pened in spite of the fact that it
started out with practically no
thing after the war. The airline
had lost most of its equipment,
and had to get help from the gov
ernment to go ahead.
This is high contrast to what
happened to British airlines.
Owned entirely by the govern
ment and operated by them, the
British airlines find difficulty in
keeping their losses down to that
figure. The difference is that Brit
ain blundered in choosing, and
Belgium chose wisely. Surely the
European neighbors of Belgium
will notice her good example.
Planned economy sometimes looks
good on paper, but it is free econ
omy that permits people to use
their initiative and work out their
own salvation.
Matter of Teamwork
I am not at all surprised to
hear these things about Belgium.
11 was there in the summer of
1946. One very remarkable thing
impressed me. And in this there
| is a lessoni for our own people:
I labor was at that time cooperating
; in Belgium with the management
of industry and with government,
; in keeping prices down. America
i has not achieved that much team
j work, and we need it. Dangers
. still threaten in the battle against
j inflation.
In Belgium, labor leaders were
1 saying that it was necessary to
i increase production and thereby
bring down prices rather than put
up wages and keep prices high.
They reasoned that in the long
run this would be the best for
labor. It is not surprising that their
standard of living is reported good
by those who have recently toured
'the country.
Freedom Wins
As a result of that policy, and
, because she kept her private own
ership and private management
of industry, Belgium has come
back more rapidly than other Eur
opean countries that were hit by
war. This experience is only an
other link in the strong chain of
, evidence that free men working
in a free economy are happier