THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
Nome. Alaska
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Box 61 H
$1.50 PER MONTH $16.00 A YEAR
W. A. and EMILY BOUCHER...Editors
Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943, at the postoffir**
at Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Wednesday, February 26, 1947
Rather Not Have Some, Thanks
• *
(Daily Alaska Empire)
ATTEMPTS TO PRY the lid off the pork barrel are
showing up in unusual numbers at this session of the
Alaska Legislature. Already enough such bills have
been dropped into the hoppers to exceed the usual ses
sion quota. It is to be hoped that the appearance in quan
tity of so-called pork bills does not indicate a disposi
tion on the part of members of the Enghteenth Legisla
ture to throw the gates wide to appropriation abuses.
The Senate already has demonstrated a worthy inten
tion to keep the lid down.
On the surface, the obtaining ,of appropriations for lo
cally-desired projects seems an easy way for a legislator
to win the gratitude of his constituents in the area bene
fitted. However, in practice that gratitude is very often
fleeting. More significant is the disrupting effect of pas
sage of this type of legislation upon the integrated de
velopment of the whole commonwealth.
Not only is this type of legislation almost universally
frowned upon, but the Alaska Legislature has an added
and conclusive reason for closing its doors to pork bills.
They are definitely prohibited by the Organic Act un
der which the Alaska Legislature operates. Any such
act passed is illegal and if challenged must be thrown
out by the courts.
Attorney General Ralph J. Rivers has so told the
members of both houses and in so doing confirmed the
opinion of his predecessor Henry Roden.
The effect of memorials, presumably backed by legis
lative majority opinion, advising Territorial officials to
specific actions in matters that are properly charged to
the official’s discretion, is seldom constructive. The offi
cial to whom such a memorial is addressed presumes it
to be an explicit instruction from the Legislature and
tends to act as the memorial may direct even when his
own considered judgment leads to a different conclusion
as to how the duties of his office would best be per
formed.
A peculiar evil of memorials is the little significance
which the legislators themselves attach to them. They
are contemptuously referred to as “letters” and it is
common practice to set aside one day in which to push
through a long list of such measures, with practically no
time devoted to discussion of their merits.
If they were considered as lightly by the addressees—
merely as reminders that here’s some projects that bear
examination—their effect could be beneficial. But that
Territorial officials are prone to consider such notes
from the Legislature compulsive was demonstrated last
week.
Appearing before the Senate, the Commissioner of;
Education explained his budget request of $350,000 for1
new school buildings by stating that the 1945 Legisla
ture had directed him to erect three specific schools. He
did not imply that the three schools in question might
not be needed, nor did he say that they would have been
in his budget had the decision to build them now been
left entirely to the judgment of himself and the Board of
Education. He evidently considered the matter had been!
taken out of his and the Board’s hands by the Legisla-i
ture.
With the Legislature facing a pressing need to spread |
available funds as thinly as possible, it can well consider j
the advisability of influencing officials to expenditures
that they might otherwise conclude are not essential.
That Bag Isn’t Empty
REFUSAL TO SHARE our knowledge of atomic en
ergy with the rest of the world means that we are tight
ly clutching a large empty bag containing a secret that
is no secret,” according to Henry A. Wallace. At least
four other nations are progressing in the development
of atomic energy, he says.
The four, Mr. Wallace writes, are Canada, Britain,
France and an unnamed Scandinavian country. If true,
why should retention of our atomic processes, secret or
otherwise, so disturb the give-everything-to-Russia cir
cles for whose ideas Mr. Wallace seems to speak?
None of those four nations is any more likely, than we
are to use the atom bomb as a weapon of aggression.
But, whether or not it holds a secret, the bag is not
empty. It contains American know-how acquired at a
, cost of two billion dollars.
W’e are out in front in the development of atomic en
ergy. We can’t forbid other nations to enter the race,
but in the world’s present state we should do everything
possible to stay.in front.
And, most assuredly, we should not help any other
nation to catch up with or overtake us.
* •
Reckless “Economy Talk
(Rocky Mountain News)
CONGRESS HAD BETTER heed the warnings of Sec
retaries Patterson and Forrestal and Generals Eisen
hower and MacArthur against proposed cuts in military
appropriations.
These men know what they’re talking about when
they say that such reductions as Republican leaders are
advocating would invite disaster.
We can understand the Republicans’ eagerness to find
some way of saving enough money to let them make
good on their promises of lower taxes. And certainly
there is room for some safe paring in the army, navy and
air force budgets submitted by President Truman.
But that operation ought to be performed with a scal
pel, not a meat-ax. This is no time to risk crippling the
services which still are our best insurance of national
security and world peace.
Congress has not yet done the careful work necessary
to determine how far or in what respects military ex
penditures can be cut without danger. What the Repub
lican leaders are proposing is only a guess. And Con
gressional guessing on that subject is itself, perilous.
Coming on the eve of the meeting of the Council of
Foreign Ministers in Moscow, it impairs our bargaining
position. It gives other nations reason td hope or fear
that America is about to dissipate the armed strength
essential, under present conditions, to support a firm
foreign policy.
The American people want Congress to end waste and
extravagance in every branch of the government, in
cluding the army and navy. But we believe a vast ma
jority would rather have no tax cut this year than see
the military services weakened by a reckless and unin
formed stab at economy.
FRIEND OR FOE ?
n nun,
^jL wv i«i
Washington
News Letter
—
ALASKA SHIPPING
The House of Representatives
this week gave cognizance to the
gravity of the operation of vessels
in the Alaska trade by approving
two resolutions, one to extend gov
ernment operation for an addition
al four-month period until July 1,
and the other to authorize partial
government subsidy in the form of
ship charter at nominal rates and
hull insurance.
It is expected action by the Sen
ate will take place the early part
of the week of February 24 on
these two resolutions.
ALASKA'S PLACE IN
THE DEFENSE PROGRAM
Pointing out that General Craig,
commander of the Alaskan De
partment, recently ^stated that
Alaska would be difficult to de
fend unless there is a strong civil
ian economy to back up the army,
Lelegate Bartlett this week urged
on the floor of the House, that the
defense program for Alaska should
not be jeopardized by “false no
tions of economy.”
“Now as perhaps never before,”
Delegate Bartlett emphasized, “it
is essential for us to build in Alas
ka a mighty fortress capable of
withstanding any onslaught which
might be made against it. Only in
that manner, can be we reasonably
sure that the United States can be
protected from the horrors of war
as it will be in the future.
“Last week the gentleman from
Florida ‘Mr. . Sikes) warned this
nation that we must not neglect
Alaska from the military stand
point. His compelling analysis of
the situation ought to be read by
every American. Alaska can either
be the region furnishing protection
I for our nation or it can be the re
gion from which an enemy can
reach us. The choice is ours. With
respect to Alaska we simply can
not be put in the position of saving
a few dollars where that saving
would result in peril to this coun
try.”
Enumerating the fact that there
are seven cities in the six Soviet
Republics in Asia with populations
over 100,000 each with this area
having in 1944 an estimated popu
lation of 20,000,000 and an estim
ated projection in 1994 of 45,000,
; 000 people, Delegate Bartlett stat
, ed, “We cannot afford to sit idly
! by and see our northern outpost
remaining undeveloped, either mil
itarily of economically.”
| AGRICULTURAL GROUP SET
TLEMENT IN ALASKA
In consideration of climate, ac
j cessibility and character of the ag
j ricultural land, the Interior De
i partment recently estimated that
640' new farm families “may have
reasonable expectation of estab
lishing successful farm enterpris
es” in the Territory.
The report was made following
a request of Secretary Krug that
the Bureau of Land Management
locate areas suitable for veterans’
farming projects. Associate Direc
tor Wolfsohn of the bureau stated,
in his letter of transmittal to the
Secretary, “At first glance the es
timate may appear to be ultracon
servative. However, when it is
considered that this additional set
tlement in all probability would
more than double.the productive
crop acreage in the Territory, the
estimate assumes significant pro
portions.”
The addition of 640 new farm
families would more than double
the present number of families on
Alaska farms, according to the re
port, as there are now in the Ter