TI1E NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
NOME. ALASKA
Telephone: Main 125 P- O. Box 613
$1.50 PER MONTH $16.00 A YEAR
W. A. Boucher .Owner-Publisher
Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943, at the postoffice
at Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3. 1379.
Nome, Alaska, Wednesday, December 14, 1949
TO SPEND OR NOT TO SPEND
(By George S. Benson, President Harding College)
Nearly everybody agrees, when they think about it
seriously, that the national budget ought to be balanced.
This country is big enough, and prosperous enough, to
permit our proper federal activities to be paid for on a
current basis. Then there are extensive debts that were
assumed in the Thirties and during the war. Yet, the
President has forecast that government spending this
year will run the nation five and one-half billion dollars
further into debt.
It has not been the custom of the federal government,
during the past 20 years, to end a fiscal year in the
black. It would appear that many of our present leaders
in government do not care whether the nation ever gets
back onto the black side of the ledger. How it is that the
present administration is so out of touch with the de
sires of the public, I am unable to say. Apparently, it
knows how to spend and can't stop.
Inasmuch as certain persons, bureaus, groups, and
projects are always calling for money from the govern
ment for pet undertakings they wish to promote, it
seems safe to say tha, ih: administration is not out of
touch with these things. These spenders have the voice.
Evidently Washington has long since learned that it is
easier to spend than not to spend. Habits that way are
hard to break. Politically, it pays to be free and easy.
But without accusing the American public in general
of not knowing just what it does want in regard to gov
ernment spending, I affirm that most people 'simply
look at government finances like they do their own.
Some folks are spenders, but most adult Americans
know that it is folly" to live beyond one's income. Most
of them have experienced a bit of debt or installment
buying, and this has taught them the value of paying as
one goes.
Maybe it is for such reasons that the public wants to
have the federal budget balanced. In addition, I am sure
that folks realize the strength that comes only to a na
tion out of debt, or that is getting out of debt. A govern
ment that is in danger of defaulting on its obligations,
that resorts to more and more borrowing to take on
added obligations of all sorts, and gets more in debt, is
not going to be a strong government when the test
comes.
Everybody wants the budget balanced. All right, then
how? Shall we do it by raising taxes, or by cutting down 1
our expenses? That’s where the rub comes! President
Truman wants to balance it by higher taxes and more
spending, although there seems to be some question
whether this method would ever get the books evened
off. At any rate, the President wants to have more taxes
and he wants to spend more, too.
A survey completed in October by Dr. Henry C. Link
of the Psychological Corporation indicates that most of
the public disagrees with President Truman on the sub
ject of government expense and taxes. At least, the
American people are of the opinion that the way to bal
ance the national budget is through reducing expendi
tures. This survey reports that it has seldom found such
overwhelming agreement on a subject, among all
groups.
They asked the question: “Do you think the Govern
ment should balance the budget by reducing expenses,
or raising taxes ” The large majority of 84 per cent
answered: “By reducing expenses.” Only 6 per cent “by
raising taxes,” and only 10 per cent were uncertain or
said by both methods. It would seem that this coming
session of Congress would be the logical time to tackle
this problem, and cut all government spending to the
very minimum.
THE CASE OF EZRA POUND
Three years ago, Ezra Pound, Idaho-born poet, who'
Form All-America
Defense Assn.
NEW YORK </P>—Organization
of the all-America defense asso
ciation which seeks “adequate de
fense” of American territory, was
announced today by Fred W. Ay
er, executive secretary of the
group.
Ayer said the association with
offices in San Francisco. Detroit
and Washington, D. C. will give
“vigorous support” to the unoffi
cial joint congressional commit
tee on national defense.
The unofficial committee is
headed by Sen. Magnuson <D
Wash.) and Alaskan delegate E.
L. “Bob” Bartlett..
Robert K. Christenberry, presi
dent of the Hotel Astor corpora
tion, heads the new association.
Ayer said the immediate aim of
the association was to secure ac
tion at the key to Pacific coast de
fenses.
Other officers of the association
were listed as A. J. Hayes, Mil
waukee. Wis., president, interna
ERIC HAY WEDS
IN STATES
Mr. and Mrs. Ole Hay have re- '
| eeived word of the marriage of
their son Eric H-ay to Mary Louise
Shaw, daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
E. N. Hinchcliff of Pullman,
Wash., in a double ring ceremony
on Thanksgiving Day.
Best man at the ceremony was
Paul McCarty, son of Mr. and
Mrs. W. McCarthy of Nome.
Eric is a senior in the depart
ment of civil engineering at Wash
ington State College. The bride
is a graduate nurse also of W.S.C.
Mrs. Kirk Jackson and daugh
ter returned home today from a
visit with relatives in the States.
tional association of machinists;
Edward F. Holter, Middleton, Md.,
master. Maryland grange; Clyde
A. Lewis, Plattsburg, N. Y., na
tional commander, veterans of
foreign wars; Murray Lincoln.
Columbus, O., president, coopera
tive league of the United States,
and Ben Brown Edwards. Tulsa,
Oklu., Flying Tigers, Inc.
lived for many years in Europe, escaped trial for trea
son in connection with his activities during the war by
the decision that he was unfit to stand trial.
The poet has since been confined to a mental hospital
in Washington. Nevertheless, early this year, the Li
brary of Congress awarded him a $1,000 prize for the
outstanding book of poetry published in 1948. It was
written while he was in prison and published while he
was in the hospital.
As a resuit, Congress directed the Library of Con
gress to discontinue the practice of sponsoring of prizes
for artists. At the same time, some Americans suggest
that a man who could write a prizerwinning book of
poems in prison must be same enough to stand trial for
his broadcasting activity during the war in Italy.
MENACING CZECHOSLOVAKIA
In Czechoslovakia, an information bulletin of the U.
S. embassy has been confiscated because of “an alarmist
report menacing the security of state and public order.”
This is the reason given by the Czechoslovakian Gov
ernment. The offending item involved a joint British
United States resolution before the United Nations,
urging respect for the dignity of man, freedom of reli
gion and “full freedom for the peaceful expression of
political opposition.”
If the publication of such an item menaces the secur
ity of Czechoslovakia, then the government must be in
bad repute, even in Czechoslovakia.
THESE WOMEN! By 7^\
“I made it from a ‘good neighbor recipe* from Mexico!1*
U. S. Govi. Issued
Licenses To Ship
Uranium to Russia
WASHINGTON. (/P)—Secretary
of State Acheson said that the
army’s wartime atomic bomb pro
ject approved government licenses
for the shipment of uranium com
pounds to Russia in 1943. *
In a news conference statement,
Acheson recalled that two export
licenses were granted in March,
1943, and another in April, 1943.
In November, 1943, he said, a li
cense was granted by the board
of economic warfare for shipment
of 1,000 grams of heavy water to
the Russians.
“The lend-lease records now
hold by the department,”, Acheson
said, “show that none of these ex
port licenses was permitted with
out the approval of the Manhattan
Engineering District.”
The Manhattan Engineer i n g
District was the army’s name for
the agency that developed the
atom bomb.
Acheson in effect denied charges
by former air force major George
Raccy Jordan that secret state de
partment documents had been il
legally transported to Russia.
“The department ha- no knowl
edge,” he said, “that any depart
mental documents, secret ortuher
vvise were made available to the
Soviet government without pro
per authorization, as alleged by
G. R. Jordan.”
FIRST CHRISTMAS SERVICE
AT FEDERATED SUNDAY NITE
The senior choir of the Method
ist Church-Federated will present
a service of Christmas music in
their concert this Sunday evening,
thus beginnnig the Christmas sea
son for the church. Mrs. William
Cameron is directing the 16 voice
choir in the annual Christmas con
cert. which this year will be the
first of several inspiring services
offered to the community by the
church.
Numbers to be sung include the
always well loved “O Come All Ye
Faithful,” sung with the candle
light processional with the con
gregation joining in the last
verse; “The Birthday of The
King,” in anthem form, “O Holy
Night” a men’s group singing
“Deck The Halls.”
Those singing include Mrs. Car
rie McLain, Mrs. Harold Harper.
Mrs. O. S. Weaver, Mrs. Stanley
Morgan, Mrs. Carl Glavinovich,
Mrs. Ted Duffield, sopranos; Mrs.
Luther Dunbar and Mrs. Robert
Leise, altos; Daniel Jones, Earl
Clark, ad Rev. Robert Treat, ten
ors; Robert Baldwin. Raymond
Teveter, Richard Small and Ted
Duffield, basses. Mrs. Wilfred
Boucher is the pianist and accom
panist. Organ prelude by Mrs. Sel
mer Johnson.
Other services to follow will be
the midnight Christmas eve com
munion service, at 11:30 to 12; the.
Sunday morning Sunday school
at 9:45, Christmas Day and the
morning worship that day at 11;
which will be a baptism service
with the junior choir singing. The
Christmas pageant will be pre
sented Monday on the legal holi
day following at 7:00 in the eve
ning.
There will be caroling Christ
mas eve, but the 7:30 hour is left
open for all those who wish to at
tend the Lavinia Wallace Young
Mission Christmas program, held
traditionally on that evening. On
Sunday afternoon, Christmas Day,
a caroling group will sing at the
hospital.