That's unfortunate because a salt finish still has a lot going for it and is far too attractive to be considered obsolete. While the pattern isn't elaborate, it has a distinctive look not achievable with any other method.
Joseph McCarthy (14 November 1908 - 2 May 1957) was a Republican Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 to 1957. He is best known for making accusations of membership in the communist party or of communist sympathies against people working in sensitive sectors of the U.S. government.
McCarthyism was a campaign against so called communists in the US government and other institutions carried out under Senator Joseph McCarthy in the period 1950-54. Many of the accused were blacklisted or lost their jobs, although most did not in fact belong to the Communist Party. It was similar to what we now call witch hunts.