THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
Nome, Alaska
Telephone: Main 125 _ p O, B x 6ih
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W. A and EMILY BOUCHER . Editor"
Entered as second class matter October 14. 1943. at the pos.offie*
at Nome. Alaska, under the Act of March 3. 1379.
Monday, December 30, 1946
Our Stake In China
(Rocky Mountain News)
THERE IS IMMEDIATE need for a clean-cut author
itative statement on the official American attitude
toward China. It should be made by no one less than
President Truman or Secretary Byrnes.
A loyal, heroic wartime ally is being undermined at
critical moment in its history by such speeches as that
made in New York recently by John Carter \ incent,
director of Far Eastern affairs in the State Department.
By inference, Mr. Vincent indicated China could ex
pect no further financial assistance from the United
States as long as so much of China’s income is devoted
to military purposes.
He neglected to explain that China is forced to spend
so much money for military purposes because Chiang
Kai-Shek is defending his country against Communist
attack. He did say that the Chinese people could not
stand much more adversity, which was another way of
saying that China might be on the verge of collapse—a
warning Mr. Vincent's assistants have been sounding
for many years.
This kind of innuendo and double-talk by our official
spokesmen cannot help resulting in further deteriora
tion of the Chinese situation. It reflects a form of "diplo
macy” most certainly not to our credit.
If our government is planning to walk out on Chiang
Kai-Shek, we ought to have the courage to say so. and
Mr. Truman or his secretary of state, not one of the sec
ond lieutenants, should do the talking. As it is. we are
weakening the Chinese government by slow poison,
which is as cowardly as it is unwise.
whether we deliberately kick the props trom under
Chiang Kai-Shek, or merely slip out the back door and
leave him holding the bag, the effects will be the same,
and we should face up to the issue and be sure the inev
itable consequences are what we want.
If American withdrawal from China brought collapse
of the Nationalist Government, as it probably would,
the door would be thrown wide open to the Communists.
That would add 450 million people to the ever-ex
panding Russian orbit and give the Kremlin a pool of
manpower dwarfing anything the world has ever
known. The implications are staggering.
We have every reason, not the least of which is self
interest, for keeping faith with China, and we have no
reason to be apologetic about it. We should back our
faith with our money, and if it is necessary to keep our
handful of marines there to discourage the Russians
from coming in, why should it be denied? Our civiliza
tion is fighting for survival, and the contest won’t be
won by backing and filling.
But the decision about our course is of such tremen
dous gravity that it should not be delayed. It should be
announced at the highest policy level, where responsi
bility is vested and where we have a right to look for
leadership and guidance.
Mr. President, the issue is up to you. Where do we
stand?
SENATOR SOAPER SAYS:
-On the other hand we may never know what Chur
chill thought of F. D. R. In Britain, younger sons who
blurt are shipped somewhere east of Suez, and left to
age. ... So often the dream is shattered by some small
hard reality, such as the discovery that for building a
brave new world we shall need a few pound of nails.
THE idea: to land ON HIS FEET
yn*cr/OH
pt*rro*M
A
Peace, It’s Wonderful
(The Denver Post)
GRANDPA soon can regain his dignity and hand
down that wartime sport shirt to Sonny. Junior can
stuff that crazy-quilt, three-tone outing jacket in the
ragbag. And dad can tell the storeman, “A suit of
clothes with two pairs of pants, please.”
Yes, sir, those minor blessings of peace are on the
way. The wholesaler has sent out the word and the re
tailer is picking it up.
Grandpa had to wear that sport shirt and Junior the
patchwork jacket because of loopholes in the OPA regu
ltions. The garments required just as much goods as any
regular similar-sized garments, but they carried a catch.
The makers, under the regulations, were allowed to
kick up the price. Accordingly, this type was made, and
granddad and Junior could not find anything else.
Any office-going dad knows that with two pairs of
trousers, a suit will last twice as long. But that extra
pair required extra scarce goods, so in wartime Uncle
Sam said no double orders. The question then rises: If
two-pants suits last twice as long, did Uncle Sam actu
ally save more goods? For the sake of those seamy,
shiny, single-pair pants, it's probably fortunate that the
war lasted no longer.
To the economy-minded, bargain-seeking white col
lar worker, this news about two-pants suits is as world
shaking as a new stock of nylons in a women's shop. It
means neater dressing on a smaller budget, more wear
for less money.
Dealers say ample supplies of good quality men’s
wear will be reaching retail outlets soon. Meantime, tho
they warn, there may be a flood also of wartime “erstaz”
goods as a result of decontrol. Wholesalers and others
who are loaded with these goods want to unload before
the better quality arrives.
But they can’t spoil the cheering effect of that news
about two-pants suits.
AGAIN, THAT SIMPLE PRESCRIPTION
PRESIDENT TRUMAN S Council of Economic Ad
visers, surveying the prospects of full employment in
1947, published a report of 26 pages The sense of that
report—and good sense it is, too—can be boiled down
to one sentence:
There’s nothing wrong with this country that going
back to work wouldn’t cure.
THAT’S THAT b> bruce gustin
A__
Calling off the coal strike set
tled nothing. By sending his 400,
000 miners back to work, John L.
1 Lewis did give the American peo
ple a respite from the most seri
ous domestic crisis that had con
fronted the nation since the Civil
War. But he also emphasized his
dictatorship over the coal mining
industry. He made it plain that
this country can have coal only
when he tells the miners to work.
When he passed out the word a
few weeks ago that they should
strike, the tieup of the coal indus
try was complete. When he told
the strikers to go back to work
their response was virtually iq(J
percent. i
What about the damage done by
this coal strike? The health, wel- I
lare and lives of millions of
pie were endangered. Widespread
suffering resulted when tnouaands
ui families couldn’t get fuel to heat
their homes. Approximately une
million workers were laid off as a
result of tne coal striK.e. HjiC t.^y
no recourse?
In the opinion ol many attor
neys, individuals and businesses
who suffered monetary and other
losses on account of the coal strike
cannot maintain damage suits
against Lewis and his union. But
as a matter of right, they should
be able to collect damages. If
Lewis’ automobile struck and in
jured an individual that person
would have the right to sue for
damages. He should be just as lia
ble for the damages done to the
American people by his miners’
union under his dictation.
Congressman Cast of South Da
kota is absolutely right in saying
that the coal strike “should be a
warning to the country that we
should not leave the destinies and
welfare of the public in such a
shape that any one man at une
time can hold the economic life
of the country in his hands. We
should have adequate legislation
to see that such a situation cannot
be repeated." The most important
job for the next congress is to en
act the legislation needed to make
imposible a repetition of the coal
strike and similar tieups.
Whoever decided that the Wine
coff hotel in Atlanta Go., needed
no fire escapes because it was fire
proof should have his head exam
ined. Approximately 12U persons
perished there in the worst notel
f.re in American history. At the
time the fifteen-story stee. and
concrete structure was erected in
1 13 tho builders were not requir
ed to install outside fire escapes
because the building was supposed
to be fireproof.
Even if the walls and floors are
of materials wnich w»ll not burn,
adequate lire escapes stin are
needed in every large hotel. The
furnishings are inflamm abie.
bmoKe can suffocate and k.ii peo
ple even if they are in no danger
of burning to death. Some emer
gency avenue of escape must be
provided. Undoubtedly many- lives
would have been saved ii the
Winecoff hotel had been equipped
with fire escapes.
Highly significant is a statement
made by Clinton S. Goiden, as
sistant to President MuYray of the
CIO, that labor leaders must “use
their heads” if indu^tr.al relations
are to be improved. “A lot of peo
ple have come into power,” he said
in reminding that labor now has
the upper hand which manage
ment formerly had. “They are not
: management and they are not us
ing their power as judiciously as
! managem;nt.” If this statement in
dicates that top labor leaders are
beginning to pull in their horns
and recojnize that they must ac
cept responsibility commensurate
with ther power, it is encourag
ing.
The cfccision of Circuit Judge
HermanSachtjen of Madison. Wis
consin, evoking the Ku Klux Klan
charter n that state, should be ap
plauded throughout the nation.
■ His ruing that principles of the
Klan a® “un-American and un
| democntic” is absolutely right.
Any og&nization which foments
! racial nd religious hatreds and
intolerance should be outlawed.
Where«r the Klan raises its hood