Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (July 25, 1946)
f _ Washington Not Always Glamorous A - - ■■■■ ■. . ..... World’s Greatest Capital Has Its Seamy Side Too! By BAUKHAGE Newt Analyst and Commentator. WNU Service, 1816 Eye Street. N.W., Washington, D. C. WASHINGTON.-A boy joined the •tail of a four-page paper of which he was one day to become editor. The office was a rattle-trap build ing whose notable characteristics, he later said, were “sewer gas. rats, dirt, over grown rowdy newsboys who had to be held in check by a long whip and fire arms,"and it was "positively dan gerous at times to go into the al ley which they infested, leading to the composing room." The town as the boy had grown up in it was a straggling over grown country village “with zigzag grades, no sewerage, no street cars, no water supply except from pumps and springs, unimproved reserva tions, second-rate dwellings and streets of mud and mire." That doesn’t sound like the na tion's capita) whose budget for the coming year is $76,755,009—but that was the way it was in 1858 as de scribed by the editor of the Wash ington Evening Star, Theodore Noyes, who died early this month. He joined the paper in 1877. Except for the Australian capital of Canberra which arose almost as Camelot at a wave of Merlin's wand, there is nothing to compare with the bizarre history of a city whose site was based on a political deal and no city which has gone through more vicissitudes than this Bagh dad-on-the-Potomac. No city was ever more magnifi cently planned, or more discredit ably neglected in its early days, as Mr. Noyes’ description indicates. To day, as the undisputed capital of the world, it still has to battle with a grudging congress for its budget. It remains the chief city of the greatest democratic republic whose 938,000 citizens have no voice in their own government and whose citizen ship itself is a bar to the basic priv ilege of a democracy—the ballot. Mr. Noyes was, as is the news paper he served, a Washington in <4r + stitution. He will be remembered for his long campaign to give Wash ington a vote in congressional and national matters. • • • Rata Were Menace To City's Health Some time ago I had occasion to mention the invasion of Washington by rats and how the city hired a modem Pied Piper who has done an effective, if silent, Job. This was brought to my mind recently when 1 encountered a fat, black cat on my way to work early one morning. The cat had a guilty look, and I had a hunch he had spent the night in riotous living and was merely sneaking in to change his collar. However, the cataclysm caused by the rat-invasion in which, believe it or not, a baby’s hand was eaten brought hasty action and 1 see that It was considered worthy of com ment by experts, including the edi tors of the magazine of the Amer ican Museum of Natural History. The campaign began when a case of typhus which is spread by fleas and mites on rats, was discovered. Traps set in the neighborhood caught a number of rats whose blood was typhus-infected. The United States Public Health service got busy, shocked to learn that the scourge of Europe two centuries ago was a possibility right here in our fair capital. An expert was called in. He first sealed up all points where commer cial transportation entered the city. Then 300 traps were set up in the zone where the infection had been found. Five days later the traps were taken in and the area was thoroughly dusted with DDT, the in secticide which the army perfected. Next red-squill bait was distrib uted. It kills rats, but not pets or children who might pick up the bait. In places where there was no dan ger to human beings the deadly “1080” was distributed. The cam paign was successful. Meanwhile, a clean-up of potential rat-breeding premises was started with court or ders to enforce it. Today Washing ton has a complete scientific rat control program which will cost us about $75,000 annually. However, it still leaves a few rats for energetic cats. _A_ When People Vote, They Win The June "Economic Outlook." published by the Congress of Indus trial Organizations, contains an ar ticle entitled "When the People Vote —They Win.” That might be in terpreted in more ways than one. The article points out that an “off year” is so designated politically not only because the presidency is not at stake, but because the poli ticians know that general apathy on the part of the voter has marked those elections in the past: 1938 (off) thirty million voters went to the polls; 1940 (on) fifty million votes; 1942 (off) twenty-eight million; 1944 (on) forty-eight million. The CIO takes the attitude that what the people as a whole want is what they (the CIO) want, and that the people get what they want when they vote for it. They say: "Mass registration and mass voting is the best guarantee of liberal progres sive government.” They might also add that if you want conservative rather than lib eral progressive government, you have to vote for it, too. In any case you can’t get what you want unless you go after it. The "Out look" prints a table showing how the vote shifted in certain districts in off-years. The table showed that when the vote fell off, it was the Democratic vote. Districts which swung from Democratic to Repub lican candidates in most cases shift ed with a decrease in the total vote . . . “the Republican vote remain ing relatively stable, while the Dem ocratic vote dropped sharply.” Does this prove that Democrats are sleepier than Republicans, or that the Republican is a creature of habit? • • • War Profiteering Will Be Scandal The Juicy scandal uncovered by the senate war investigating com mittee in which "profiteering at its worst,” as Senator Mead called it, was exposed, is, I fear, only the be ginning. Any moment I expect to hear an explosion in connection with surplus property. War breeds waste, and the cloak of patriotic endeavor as Samuel Johnson indicated even more bluntly, often covers skulldug gery. The same thing happened after the last war, and on a smaller scale, after all wars. But what is prob ably making people squirm all over Washington is the revelation of the fact that telephone wires were pret ty generally tapped, and heaven knows what may be in the FBI files. It is a strange thing about the tele phone. People have Just come to take foi granted that because you can't see anybody on the line, no body is there. 1 wouldn’t be surprised to learn that telephone conversations with most of the government departments are being recorded right now. I have reason to believe that when the question of installing these re corders in the White House was brought up, it was flatly turned down. White House employees have a long and excellent record for fidel ity. Of course they are carefully screened, and when the campaign to get everybody fingerprinted (an excellent idea if you have nothing to conceal about your past and no plans for an over-adventurous future) was begun, the White House employees voluntarily came forward and of fered their thumbs, fingers and hands for the ink-pad. • • • The senate galleries were full. It was a scorcher of a day and a fili buster was going on. The senate chamber is air-cooled. What caused the crowd? The heat or the stupid ity? • • • Pretty Goldwyn Girl Georgia Lange (who visited Washington with her five pulchritudinous pals of ”Kid From Brooklyn”) stepped up "to a newsstand and moved a paper weight oil the face of the cover girl on the July Coronet. Why? I asked her. Because it was her face. • • • I never saw a purple bear, I never hope to see one—but I’d like to see that little silver-blue fellow, born recently in the Bronx zoo. TRIP TO CAPITAL . . . Mrs. Evelyn Baker and Mrs. James'Magee won a trip to Washington in a contest conducted by radio station KOTA in Rapid City, 8. D., to honor women who did their Jobs quietly and well during the war. Mrs. Baker’s husband was killed on Okinawa and she has two children. Mrs. Magee lost a son In the war. NEWS REVIEW Truman Sets Jaw, Shows That Job Irritates Him TRUMAN: Temper Short Maybe it’s hot weather, but Presi dent Truman’s temper is consid erably shorter than it used to be. This was evident recently when he spoke out at a press conference stating that John O’Donnell, a re porter, had spread "another lie.’’ (Incidentally, O’Donnell once re ceived an iron cross from FDR.) Other displays of irritability have been noticed by those close to him. Is it his health? No, says his doc tor; it’s Just being President. "I don’t know of any President who kept so many appointments,” said Col. Wallace Graham, the President’s physician. Mr. Truman wakes himself be tween 5:30 and 6:00 each morning, showers, shaves and dresses without the aid of a valet, and goes for a mile walk. He sometimes splashes in the White House swimming pool, but never plays golf or engages in any game more strenuous than pitching horseshoes. He may keep eight or ten appointments of 10 to 20 minutes each, see visitors, legis lators, foreign diplomats, head a reception line and do some work in his office, all in an afternoon and evening. He sleeps soundly too. But sometimes these days, he’s a little irritable! Maybe he's Just like the rest of us. INVISIBLE DEATH: Surrounds Bikini Some of the things that happened at Bikini atoll when the atomic bomb exploded are still a mystery, correspondents aver. The A-bomb rays, for instance, clung like a se CANDIDATE . . . Mother of four children, Mrs. Elisabeth Chilton Murray is a candidate for the Democratic nomination for con tress in the eighth district of Vir ginia. Her father was former U. S. Senator William Chilton. cret weapon or invisible death around that South Pacific area for hours and days—and even longer perhaps. The blast of x-rays and invisible alpha, beta and neutron rays that hit ships from the atom bomb were more crippling than the blast that smashed down and the heat that wrecked some. One of the navy’s "drone” ships, which went pilotless into the cloud and returned, was un safe to approach for more than three days. It is believed that had there been pilots in the planes they would have been killed. Mice that flew into the cloud changed color. White mice became brown. Hair usually turns white or gray when exposed to radioactive rays. All the drones brought back evidence of extreme radioactivity in or near the cloud. This invisible ray attack was worst at about 15,000 feet alti tude. The roof of x-ray is placed at about 2,000 feet, so the other rays were different. So far the scientists have made no report. But newsmen are ask ing: "Could human beings have lived on airplanes and ships after the blast?” COTTON: Crop Is Bigger There were 18,316,000 acres of cot ton in cultivation on July 1, or 3.2 per cent more than a year ago, the department of agriculture has es timated. The acreage in cultivation July 1 and the percentage of the 1945 acre age, respectively, by states included: Missouri, 310,000 acres and 116 per cent; Virginia, 20,000 and 105; North Carolina, 580,000 and 102; South Carolina, 950,000 and 98; Georgia, 1.235.000 and 98; Florida, 23,000 and 100; Tennessee, 600,000 and 99; Ala bama, 1,510,000 and 107; Mississippi, 2.420.000 and 106; Arkansas, 1,660, 000 and 107; Louisiana, 900,000 and 104; Oklahoma, 1,120,000 and 95; Texas, 6,350,000 and 104; New Mex ico, 116,000 and 99; Arizona. 145,000 and 94; California, 359,000 and 113, and all other states, 18,000 and 99. WHEAT QUOTA: To Europe Passed The United States was ahead of its quota of wheat shipments to Eu rope in the first six months of 1946, Secretary of Agriculture Ander son reported a few days ago. He reported to President Truman that 50,000,000 bushels were shipped in June, bringing shipments for the year up to 397,000,000 bushels. COAL LAND: Good for Farming At Altoona, Pa., tests have shown that stripped coal fields, properly backfilled, are better farm land than before the coal was removed. It was the opinion of the state mine inspector that practically all of the land can be restored for agri cultural purposes, either for crop ping, grazing or planting orchards. 3.3 BILLION BUSHELS Record ’46 Corn Crop Forecast WASHINGTON.-The largest crop' of corn ever raised in the United States, and near record production of wheat and oats has been forecast by the department of agriculture. The department stated the current outlook for total crop production has seldom been surpassed. Except for 1942, the reported condition of all crops is the best in seven years. Continued favorable weather is necessary to bring this prospect to realization. Indicated corn crop is 3.341.646.000 bushels, compared with the preceding record of 3,203,000,000 bushels harvested in 1944 and with 3.018.410.000 bushels in 1945. Winter wheat crop of 857,163,000 bushels would be a record and al though spring wheat promise is only 232.929.000 bushels, the total wheat harvest looks Uke 1,090,092,000 bush ► els based on present condition. Production of oats is estimated at 1.471.026.000 bushels, compared with 1.547.663.000 bushels harvested last year, which was the largest oats crop ever raised. Barley production is placed at 230,278,000 bushels, against 263,961,000 bushels last year and 1935-44 average of 289,598,000 bushels. Corn Peak in Prospect. In commenting on the report, the department said the nation’s corn cribs will have more corn in them this year than ever before if the all time high production indicated by July 1 prospects materialises. The expected yield an acre of 36 bush els on the 91,500,000 acres for har vest which is virtually the same as last year, would also be an all-time high. Measured by the 1935-44 aver age, the 1946 acreage for harvest Is only a trifle less but the prospective yield an acre is 8.0 bushels more and the production over a fourth larger. Acreage and yield an acre changes from last year fall into simple patterns. A big wedge of states extending from Kansas and Oklahoma northeast to the New Eng land states show either increased acreage or no change while almost all states outside the ‘‘wedge” show decreases. Another broad wedge of states extending from South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas southeast to Virginia and North Carolina shows good to excellent yield prospects. Outside this ‘‘wedge” prospective yields show wide variations. SECRECY PREVAILS Ships Regrouped for Second Atomic Test By WALTER A. SHEAD WNU Correspondent. HONOLULU, OPERATIONS CROSSROADS — With much attendant secrecy the target fleet in Bikini lagoon has been regrouped for the second atom bomb test scheduled for July 25. Although most of the correspondents have returned to the States, several made application to remain in Bikini during the interim so they could cover the arrangements being made for the second test. This request was refused by the navy, however, and all newspaper men were ordered to proceed to Kwajalein, where they were either transported immediately by air to the States or to Honolulu, or were housed aboard the press ship Appalachian. -— In the meantime the Appalachian made a leisurely trip to Pearl Har bor where she underwent some mi nor repairs, and now is proceeding back to Bikini, where she is sched uled to arrive on B-Day minus 1, or July 24. Nearest Center. It has been announced that ships nearest the bulls-eye of the second test will include the battleship Ar kansas, the heavy cruiser Pensa cola, the Jap battleship Nagato, the aircraft carrier Saratoga, the destroyer Mayrant, the submarine Pilotfish, the transport Fallow and a tank landing ship. It may be thr.t the Pilotfish will be nearest the bomb burst, which, as has been announced, will be an underwater detona tion. Other ships of the target fleet have been placed in various positions ranging up to 1,800 yards away from the blast. The Arkansas, the Pensacola and the Nagato all were severely dam aged as to superstructure in the first blast. The Pensacola particularly suffered heavy damage to her fire control; her stacks were blown off and her deck plates buckled. This correspondent went aboard the Pen sacola after the first test and noted that her decks amidship were driv en downward about 12 inches and with such force that steel supports beneath were driven through the steel deck plating like toothpicks through paper. Await Report. There is considerable speculation as to the coming report of the Mili tary Evaluation board as to the ef ficacy of the atom bomb as an of fensive weapon in naval warfare. If the board decides that future na val construction must meet the dan gers of atomic blasts, then we may expect an entirely different warship of the future. The experience of the first blast indicates that firepower exposed upon high superstructure is partic ularly susceptible to the heat and blast of atomic power. The specu lation is that to meet this threat, future construction will see stream lined warships with low superstruc tures, enclosed as much as possible, looking something like a modern deisel locomotive with curved sur faces to deflect blast. Installation of ventilation systems also will be given close scrutiny since it was learned that the blast in some cases, particularly aboard the Pensacola, entered the ventila TERRIFIC BRILLIANCE . . . Camera catches terrific brilliance of atomic blast in this photo taken just at time of detonation of the atomic bomb. tion openings and followed the ducts below decks, breaking out at the weakest points, shoving through a bulkhead and smashing other ob stacles in its way deep in the ship. This was particularly notice able in a comparison with the German ship Prim Eugen, which has no ventilation system and depends upon row upon row of portholes for ventilation for its crew. Not a porthole was smashed and no damage done below deck, but she was admit tedly much farther from the center of the blast than the Pensacola. In reflecting upon the damage done to the ships in the first blast, the remarkable thing to this writer is that not a single live mine, bomb, shell, bag of powder or any other ammunition aboard any ship was ex ploded either by the heat or blast force of the bomb. Torpedoes on the Independence exploded due to a fire which finally exploded her powder magazine and her aviation MUSHROOM CLOUD . . . The huge mushroom cloud rises over Bikini shortly after the atom bomb was dropped. This picture was made by a photographer flying in a B-29. gasoline. But on most all the ships were placed live mines, bombs, shells were in guns or on loading apparatus, and each ship had a full load of ammunition. None of it was exploded and the safety crews which boarded the ships following the blast were careful in their ex amination. Then the speculation goes to the use of lead lining against X-rays, rock wool or some other protection against heat, and concrete or some substitute against neutrons and oth er radioactivity. Opinions Vary. There are two schools of thought as to the damage likely to occur to ship hulls from the underwater blast. Having in mind the fact that depth charges of presently used ex plosives have sunk or damaged sub marines and heavily damaged de stroyers and other lighter craft, one school declares that the atomic bomb will play havoc with the tar get fleet and predicts that even cap ital ships closest to the blast will be capsized and sunk. Others, however, predict that much of the force of the blast will be absorbed by the water and that, although there is danger of light ships capsizing, the larger ships will merely roll with the water and their heavier underwater armor will not be damaged. They predict the heavily armored ships will not suf fer as much underwater damage as could be inflicted with a torpedo. This is all in the realm of specula tion, however, and the navy remains mum about its own expectations. In discussions aboard the Ap palachian among scientists and off-the-record comment by na val officers, there is some rea son to presume that the atomic bomb as an offensive weapon against ships at sea is not as ef fective as other weapons. How ever, its effectiveness against naval bases would be devastat ing and a fleet without naval bases would be rendered im potent. Atoll to Remain. This writer believes that Bikini atoll and its cocoanut groves will be there after the second test is over and even after the third bomb sched uled for November or later is detonated in hundreds of fathoms of water in the ocean outside Bikini la goon. We do not expect any 100 foot waves nor 1,000-mile-an-hour wind although some wave may wash over the island. A 15-foot wave could do that. But the test which has changed from a joint army-navy operation, about which so much stress was put, into strictly a navy show and which is probably costing about a half million dollars a day, likely will give our military men all the knowledge they will need to prepare for or against the atomic bomb in the fu ture ... if indeed there is any way of preparing against it. Rats Horn in Defiance of Atomic Death Despite deaths from radioactiv ity among animals aboard target ships in the Bikini atomic bomb test, the animal population remains al most stationary, reports from the USS Burleson, animal ship of Joint Task Force 1, reveal. To offset the deaths from radio activity, a litter of white rats was born aboard the USS Pennsylvania and the new arrivals were unaffect ed by the bomb. Originally there i were 150 goats, 150 pigs and 3,100 white rats placed aboard 22 ships of the target fleet. Deaths from radioactivity are continuing, accord ing to reports from the Burleson. Loss of life among the animals al ready has exceeded the 10 per cent figure originally announced. The little pig, found swimming vigorously toward land after sinking of the Sakawa, is presumed to be still alive. | # Pegged Lawn Chair Easily Taken Down — CHAIR pattern 292 REMOVE PEGS TO STORE PIECES FEftT 'T'HIS chair has such smart lines 1 that it may be used in any in formal room as well as out of doors. It is made with simple cuts of the hand saw from stock widths of lumber. The *ides. the seat and the back are separate sections which are put together and held rigid with pegs. Remove the pegs and you have four flat pieces. • • • Pattern 292 with large cutting diagrams for all pieces of the chair, illustrated di rections and list of materials, is 15 cents postpaid. Send order to: MRS. RUTH WYETH SPEARS Bedford Hills, N. Y. Drawer 10 Enclose 15 cents for Pattern No. 292. Name_ Address_ CLASSIFIED DEPARTMENT BUSINESS & INVEST. OPPOR. ATTENTION—JOB RETAILERS! Khaki trousers and shirts, 8 oz. chino. sizes small, medium and large. $7.80 a doz. Sold in 5 doz lots f.o.b. Omaha. L& B MERCHANDISE CO. SIS s. 11th St. - - Ja. 5882 _ DOGS, CATS, PETS, ETC. CHESAPEAKE PUPS A. K. C. registered, from real hunting stock. Ready for delivery. BEADLE’S KENNELS GL 2199 8904 Biondo St. - Omaha 4, Nebr. FARM MACHINERY & EQUIP. WE HAVE nAYING EQUIPMENT IN STOCK. Loose tine grab forks, slings, fork and cable carriers, two drum rope hoists, sisal rope, cable and hay mow track. FARMERS SUPPLY COMPANY 80th & L Street, Ma. 6159, Omaha, Nebr. VEE-BELTS and PULLEYS for all farm machinery. Sheller and Hammermill belt V drives. Pillow blocks and take-ups. J. H. NICHOLSON SUPPLY CO. 717-S 16th St. Ha. 2776 Omaha, Nebr. _MISCELLANEOUS_ FUEL TANKS — Husky, enduring. B-29 semi-rigid synthetic rubber rectangular wing tanks. Buy these brand new. eight ply. self-sealing tanks at half the cost of steel. Fitted with threaded brass inlet and outlet for hose, spicrot. or filler nlpe: alum inum plates seal all other openings. Guar, gasoline tight. 13 sizes, 136 to 464 gals. If your dealer doesn’t carry, write for special club prices and more infor. Fitted tanks ready 2 days following order. FOB Fort Crook. Boxed in plywood. Havd returning stock truck pick up a load Slater Surplus. 4175 Chicago St., Omaha 3, Nebr. , WANTED TO BUY WANTED—GOOD CORNPICKER IHC.. No. 20 or 22B. State price. CHAS. LAKIN - EMERSON. IOWA Buy U. S. Savings Bonds! SUNBEAM & G.E. IRONS FOR Sale—Sunbeam and General Elec tric Irons. Latest post-war models, auto- jr matic, streamlined. Delivery from stock. Postpaid $8.95. Order at once. THE AKIIOK CO. Nebraska City 4, Nebr. TOMORROW AlllGHI Dependable 4//-VEGETABLE LAXATIVE vCAVTION. tail ONI* *t • ■•ICHM GCTA25fB0X JUST A OASH IN FEATHERS f : —i Here's One Of The Greatest B1000IR0N TONICS"ST If you lack BLOOD-IRON! Tou girls and women who suffer so from simple anemia that you're pale, weak, "dragged out"—this may be due to lack of blood-iron 80 try Lydia E Plnkham’s TABLETS—one of the best home ways to build up red blood to get more strength—In such cases. Pink ham’s Tablets are one of the greatest blood-Iron tonics you can buy I WNU—U_ 30—46 For You To Feel Weil 24 hours avery day, 7 day* every week, never stopping, the kidney* filter waste matter from tna blood. 1 II more people were aware of how the kidneys must constantly remove sur plus fluid, excess acids and other waste matter that cannot stay In the Wood without injury to health, there would be better understanding of wAg the whole system Is upset when kidneys fail to function properly. Burning, scanty or too frequent urina tion sometimes warns that something is wrong. You may suffer nagging back ache, headaches, diaxiness, rheumatie pains, getting up at nights, swelling. Why not try Doan’* Pills? You will be using a medicine recommended the country over. Doan't stimulate the func tion of the kidneys and help them t« flush out poisonous waste from the blood. They contain nothing harmful. Get Doan’s today. Use with^onfulenoa. At all drug stores.