THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
NOME, ALASKA
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W. A. Boucher .Owner-Publisher
Emily Boucher .Local Editor
Jim Frye . Editor (
Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943, at the postoffice
at Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Nome, Alaska, Wednesday, November 3, 1948
!
WHAT WITCH HUNT?
(George S. Benson) 1
“No Communist, no matter how many votes he should
secure in a national election, could, even if he would, be
come President of the present government. When a
Communist heads the government of the United States
—and that day will come just as surely as the sun rises
—the government will not be a capitalist government
but a Soviet government, and behind this government
will stand the Red army to enforce the dictatorship of
the proletariat.”
Please read the above quotation again. Could an
American have said that? Or does it sound like a mes
sage from Moscow? Indeed, everything in that state
ment is un-American. It was written by William Z. Fos
ter, head of the Communist Party in the United States.
This statement is reprinted in large type on the back of
a pamphlet prepared and distributed by a committee of
the U. S. House of Representatives. This is the Com
mittee that is accused of “witch-hunting.”
Nor is the Congress guilty of distributing the sayings
of Communists as propaganda for the Soviets. The pub
lication which carries Mr. Foster’s sworn statement is
very much anti-Communist. The booklet is called: “100
Things You Should Know About Communism in the
U. S. A.” It is one of a series of five publications “on the
Communist conspiracy and its influence in this country
as a whole, on religion, on education, on labor and on
■our government.”
By giving Mr. Foster a prominent position on the back
cover of this booklet, our Congress hoped to show Amer-!
icans that native Communists really condemn them
selves whenever *they open their mouths. In the quota
tion, there is revealed Communism’s greatest appeal:
the lust for power, and the urge to dominate others that
some people have. There is revealed also its greatest
weakness, for people everywhere do not like to be dom
inated by force. People like to be free.
The Congressional Committee to which I refer is the
Committee on Un-American Activities. If you have ever
listened to the palaver of Communists or the “fellow
travelers” (Communist sympathizers), the chances are
you have heard this Committee of Congress strongly
criticized. Like the committee says, the right answers
given in the booklet, by using the facts, must certainly
infuriate the Communists. It is true also that many of
these right answers will shock the average citizen who
has not studied the “ism” closely.
It is not my purpose to apologize for the Committee on
Un-American Activities. No apologies are needed. It has
done a great service to the American people in a time
when light and facts are needed to clear up so much
confusion. If the Committee has made minor mistakes in
the course of its work, it has at the same time done a
glorious job in reselling our people on the American
way of life. It has opened the dark secrets of Commun
ist conspirators.
No wonder these men and their fellow travelers are
infuriated. Perhaps they would not expect Congress to
live up to its obligations as representatives of the peo
ple. Congress knows that there are persons who would
take their own evil advantage of America’s freedom.
Through the method of the Congressional investigation,
our representatives in Congress have helped to unmask
these conspirators who are hired by a country that
wants to control the world.
The Communist policy is to break down existing na
tions any way they can, and in the confusion to seize
control. They will promise every kind of “better life,”|
but they have never been known to deliver it. As am
LET’S GIVE HIM A HAND
MATKMh
JHITY
American, I am thankful for the work the Committee
has done. I say with the committee: “You know what the
United States is like today. If you want it exactly the
opposite, you should turn Communist. But before you
do, remember you will lose your independence, your
property, and your freedom of mind.”
SPAIN AS AN ALLY
(Rocky Mountain News)
Spanish Dictator Franco is trying to high-pressure
the United States to get Marshall Plan aid and United
Nations membership.
-We need certain pro-Franco Latin-American votes to
get a UN decision against Russia in the Berlin dispute.
In event of war we would need Spain as an ally because
of the Pyrenees defense line and the Gibraltar approach
es. So Franco thinks he can dictate terms to us.
Some Americans are ready to give him what he wants
in return for a military alliance. They say it is too bad
he is a tyrant, put in power by Mussolino and Hitler, but
since he in anti-Communist and can aid us in defense
against Russia we should be realistic.
If we coidd take Stalin as an ally against Hitler, we
should not gag at accepting Franco as an ally against
Stalin. We agree with those who think Stalin is worse
than Franco, for the obvious reason that the strong
Communist dictator is an aggressive menace to world
peace and the weak Fascist dictator is not. But it doesn’t
follow that a Franco alliance is worth the price.
It would be our worst defeat in psychological warfare,
seeming to confirm Soviet propaganda that we are try
ing to create a Fascist Europe. And certainly demoraliz
ing the struggling democratic forces on the continent.
It. would strain our informal alliance with France and
the Low Countries. They already are suspicious that we
intend to leave them alone on the front line to fight Rus
sia. An American alliance with Franco would be taken
as proof bv them that we would defend only the Prven
°es and Spain.
Our goal should be a free and strong Spain, which can
carry its part of defense responsibilitv in the family of
nations. That cannot be achieved by foreign support of
Franco any more than bv foreign imposition of some
other regime on Spain. The Spanish people alone have
the rght to choose their own form of government in a
free election. Such a representative government, whe
ther monarchist or Republican, should receive not only
complete diplomatic recognition and UN membership
but also Marshal Plan aid and membership in a Euro
pean military alliance.
Until Franco s feuding monarchist and Republican
opponents can get together in a national coalition care
taker government committed to free elections — long
proposed by the United States, Britain and France—
there is littie chance for Spain internally or as an effec
tive military ally.
We hope the unconfirmed reports of such a represen
tative coalition in the making prove true.
Truman Beats
Dewey; Close Race
(Continued from Page One)
to be a strong, united nation—a
nation that can meet the challenge
of a dangerous world.”
President" Truman in an as
tounding upset of pre-balloting
predictions, today won the Presi
dency. He will have a Democratic
Senate and House to work with
him.
Gov. Thomas E. Dewey, his Re
publican opponent, conceded Mr.
Truman’s election at 11:15 a.m.
At that time, Mr. Truman was
leading in 28 states having 30-1
electoral votes. Needed to win are
266 electoral votes.
Dewey was leading in 16 states
with 189 electoral votes. Foui
•fates with 38 electoral votes hac
been captured, or were leaning to
States’ Rights candidate J. Stroir
Thurmond.
James Hagerty, Dewey s pres:
secretary announced that Dewej
had conceded the eelctiop in i
telegram to Mr. Truman.
The last Republican hope tha
Dewey might nose out Truman ir
the electoral vote, even though h»
was trailing well behind in popu
! lar balloting, apparently fadec
; with late California re.urns whicl
put Truman in front in that State
At the time Dewey conceded
Truman was leading in or ha<
! won the following states:
Arizona, Arkansas, Californic
Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idahc
Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Massa
c h u s etts, Minnesota, Missour
Montana, Nevada, New Mexico
North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahomc
Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texa:
U ah, Virginia, Washington, Wes
Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.
Dewey was leading in these:
Connecticut, Delaware, Indiam
I
Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Michi
gan, Nebraska, New Hampshin
New Jet ev, New York, North Da
kola, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Sout
Dakota, Vermont.
Thurmond was in front in fou
slates: Mississippi, South Carolin:
Alabama nad Louisiana. In Tenne
see, two elec oral votes are i
doubt between 'jhmman and Thin
rnond.
Air. Truman plans to return t
Washing, on from Independence
.do , tomorrow, then go to Ke
West, Fla., Sunday. According t
Washing on friends who have bee
in touch with his Kansas Cit
headquarters.
Even before the resident's v\<
. tory was assured, the returns ha
clinched Democratic control <
Congress, wresting it away froi
the Republicans who won it tv
years ago.
The indicated Congressi o n *
I lineup is:
j Senate: 54 Democra s and 42 R
j publicans. House: 246 Democral
I 188 Republicans, and one Amei
■ can-Labor.
| While these may not be the fin
j figures, it is clear that Mr. Tr
! man will hate a working majori
of his own party in Congress. r
which majority he can submit t!
legislative program over which 1
and the GOP-run 80th Congrt
quarreled — quarreled so mu>
that Mr. Truman called Congee
“Idiot” and the “Second worst”
history.
This program included power
put on price controls, housing le
islation, and the so-called “ch
: rights” measures which led ma;
Southern Democrats to break v i
Mr. Truman.
Among the civil rights p’*opos:
are laws against race segrega'i
on trains and buses crossing sir