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About The Plattsmouth journal. (Plattsmouth, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 19, 1951)
.01 1 ft EDITORIALS BIG PROFIT ON WAR SURPLUS DEAL The people of the country will prob ably be amazed at the profits made -on deals in surplus war material, yhile it is not feasible to attempt to give details of individual actions in these columns, one transaction seems to be worthy of note. It seems that two Chicago truck deal ers made a profit of $425,000 on the re sale of 872 surplus trucks, bought from the Philippine Government. They were Army trucks, sold by the Filipinos for about $250,000. One man was paid $85,000 for his services in negotiating the purchase. A Cleveland law firm got 895,000 to obtain a release of the trucks for sale in this country after they had been purchased for sale in the export market. Another man got $42,500 for a claim that he had been instrumental in getting the purchase deal through. Three men, who did the buying, drew $340,000. A company was paid $125,000 for "finding" a buyer. It is interesting also to note that the biggest customer for the surplus trucks was the Atomic Energy Commission. An other detail which arouses interest is the fact that the Philippine Government, which originally got the trucks from the United States, acquired ownership in a post-war settlement and got the money when the trucks were sold. Meanwhile, the government is making an effort to collect an excise tax which was not paid in this, and similar, transactions. THERE IS OPPOSITION TO CONTROLS There is talk now that prices would be lower if there were no controls and the government is being urged to drop price and wage controls immediately. We are inclined to believe that they might be dropped with profit unless ac tion is taken to prevent business and in dustry from making huge fortunes out of war contracts. Nevertheless, never let anybody fool you into the idea that wage and price con trols do not have a tendency to keep prices down. The same argument was used, just after World War 2, when the politicians in Congress and the big business boys got all controls removed upon the silly theory that competition would cause prices to drop. In case anybody doesn't know what happened after the controls were removed it might be a good idea for the individual to do a little research to see what the rec ord shows. The opposition to wage and price controls is based upon the very positive fact that they do slow down increases. This is why some people fight them bitter ly. The boys who want to take advantage of the governmental emergency, whether they labor, farm or do business, congeni ally oppose any plan that will control pro fits. They would not fight the scheme if it did not have some effect. OFFERS SOUND ADVICE Bernard M. Baruch offers some good advice when he- urges the nation to quit "blowing hot and cold" and proceed to enact legislation for universal military training. The industrialist, described by his press agents as an adviser to presidents, might address his remarks to the members of Congress. Only when the elected rep resentatives of the people are ready to at tend to the necessary business of building our military strength to equal that of So viet Russia will there be any chance of a universal military training law. Like Mr. Baruch, we do not know, and nobody else knows, whether the Rus sians will plunge the world into another war but, like him, almost everybody knows that the peril will be less if this country swiftly and enduringly builds its military strength. Likewise, it is apparent that a peaceful solution of world problems, and an opportunity for the free economic dev elopment of nations, depends upon "our standing guard with ceaseless vigilance." ? 4 heir. THOUGHT FOR TODAY. IlJ-gottcn goods never descend to the third Latin Proverb The Plattsmouth Journal Official County and City Paper ESTABLISHED IN 1S81 Awarded Ak-Sar-Ben Plaque For Outstanding Community Service in 1950" Published semi-weekly. Mondays and Thursdays, at 409-413 Main Street. PlaUs mouth. Cass County, Nebr. RONALD R. FURSE Publisher HARRY J. CANE EriUn FRANK H. SMITH '.'News Reporter Helen E. Heinrich & Donna L. Meisinger ouiieiy - oooKKeepine ac Circulation hstocinnon I U Knt&red at the Post Office at Plattsmouth. Nebraska, as second class mall matter In accordance with the Act of Congress of March S. IS. 9. SUBSCRIPTION RATE: $3.50 per year in Cass and adjoining counties. $4.00 per year slsewhere, in advance, by mail outside the city of Platts mouth. By carrier in Plattsmouth. 20 cents for two weeks. TIE tPHAHYSlMflDGJTD-O JjflDtDO&IMtt. SECTION n CASS COUNTY'S NEWSpaper Serving Plattsmouth and Cass County for Over Seventy Years Furse's Fresh Flashes There is always something suspicious about the charity that is practiced to the accompaniment of a brass band. The only person that should worry is the guy who gets paid for it. Comes spritely spring freshly fair, And fickle as a hen; We doff our winter underwear, Then put it on again. The most popular scientific feat at the present time seems to be getting monev. The cost of living has been going up ever since people quit eating each other. A grouch by any other name would be just as contemptible. "iou should smile at some of these wisecracks your grandfather did. There's one thing you can say for the men in charge of our government they're running it like nobodv's business. A lorcal youth showed up at the draft board here the other day and claimed ex emption on account of his eye sight and brought along his wife to prove it. Broadmindedness is nothing but high mindedness that has been flattened by ex perience. A fellow really doesn't know how many parts an automobile has until it hits a ten-ton truck. Pretending to be rich keeps a lot of people poor. ic DOWN MEMORY LANE 1A YEARS AGO 1 tr Dorothea Mae Duxbury was named as the Plattsmouth representative to Girl's State at Lincoln with Helen Minniear as alternate . . . Clinton Harris of Spokane, Washington was visiting his parents Mr. and Mrs. C. F. Harris and in attendance at the observance of their golden wedding anniversary . . . The Bates Book Store and and Gift shop at Fifth and Main streets moved to the east room of the building at Fourth and Main, adjoining the Journal . . . With the approach of spring and sum mer rush of seasonal packing the Norfolk Packing Co., was closing one of its best years in the production of all lines of can ned goods; with the excellent crop pros pects a great year was anticipated at the local plant. OA YEARS AGO U Harlan Gorder, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Gorder of this city student at college of pharmacy at Des Moines, passed the state test and received permit to practice his profession as a pharmacist . . . Bern ard Galloway, former P.H.S. basketball and track star, attending Peru State College, was among the members of Coach Gilkersons track team competing against the Creighton University . . . Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Rough of Nehawka, returned from a trip of several months duration including Havanna, Cuba, and Panama Canal Zone as well as points of interest in Arizona, Texas and California. (Copyright. 1949. By the Bell Syndicate. Inc.) DREW PEARSON SAYS: MAC ARTHUR RIDES DOWN PENN. AVE., ON TWO HISTORIC OCCA SIONS UNDER TWO UNPOPULAR PRESIDENTS; MACARTHUR'S CRI TICS DURING BONUS ARMY SING HIS PRAISES N O W ; MACAR THUR'S POPULARITY INCREASED BY AMERICAN SYMPATHY FOR THE EVICTED. Washington. It is symbolic that Douglas MacArthur has twice ridden up and down Pennsylvania avenue on his toric occasions, each time under unpop ular presidents, and each time when the principle of civilian versus military gov ernment was at issue. The first time was nearly 20 years ago under the Hoover administration, when a cautious, timid president had been so slow in handling a group of veterans lobbying for a bonus that extreme milit ary measures were finally used to evict them. The second time is today under a president with more courage than caution, whose injudicious utterances and precip itous actions have brought his administra tion to the same low stage of unpopular ity as Herbert Hoover's. Significant also may be the fact that MacArthur's previous advance down Penn sylvania avenue, behind tanks and cav- THE OCTOPUS THE PLATTSMOUTH, NEBRASKA, SEMI-WEEKLY JOURNAL Thursday, April 19, 1951 Section B PAGE ONE A rmspnSk aWFashiagtea u AFTER A HIATUS in the pro ceedings of its many "side show" investigating committees, the congress appeared ready to get down to some real work on vital legislation affecting the wel fare of the entire ration. In the meantime the "great de bate" on troops to Europe droned on in the senate, and before the issue came to a vote, about as many resolutions and amendments to proposed resolutions had been in troduced as there are senators in the chamber. airy, drove a decisive nail in the Hoover political coffin and led to the Republican party's disas- i trous defeat. Today, the tables are turned, and MacArthur's second ride up Pennsylvania avenue may drive a nail in the Truman political coffin and lead to the democra tic party's defeat. Press Comment Turns The tables are turned also in another interestine manner. MacArthur. after driving out the bonus army, was unpopular in the extreme. The Veterans of Foreign Wars, which praises; him today, was bitter in its de- nunciation then. And the Scripps - Howard newspapers, which champion MacArthur to day, felt quite differently then. "Revolution has been threat ened. General MacArthur. Chief of Staff of the U. S. Armv. an nounces from the White House." said the Scripps-Howard Wash ington news. "This is untrue. The veterans, ridden down and slashed bv MacArthur's trooos. were insurrectionists, according to the peneral. This is untrue . . . revolutions cannot be threatened bv unarmed men. The bonus marchers were un armed, i "What ? Pitiful spectacle is that of the prt American! eovernment miehtipst in the : world, chasing unarmed men. women and children with armv tank" Chanees on Penn. Ave. There are other chants be tween that march neaHv two ripcarfps ar and that of to'''', MacArthur himself, a man wuh obotoTanhic pvp. will dubt les: b th first to notion tbm As h laVPS thp cnnitnl prrl rrotx! thp pven"n toward the whitp Tous0. h will niss ainnq tbo mall. oie tv most hq- ntjfni nark" in TTashir,fon crprViri'T ron tQ font of rrrutoi Hill to the Lincoln Memorial. MacArthur has never seen this park before. For. during that other march down Pennsylvan ia avenue, it was partly a grove of trees around dilapidated houses, headauarters for the 20.000 nondescript, pathetic vet erans who came to Washington during those depression days seeking relief for their families. MacArthur will also pass by the Mellon Art Gallery, one of the most beautiful buildings in Washington, which he has not seen before. It was at this point, when he passed on his previous march down the avenue that a ! negro veteran waved a big American flag and dared Mac Arthur's cavalry to advance. Two troopers brought their sabres to salute. Others stood at attention. An officer gave a command. The negro was ridden down. The scenes on that other march down Pennsylvania ave nue were at one time awful, gruesome and amusing booing spectators, tanks, tear gas, vet erans taunting troops . . . "Where were you during the Argonne?" . . . "Hoover's Cos sacks." . . . "Bring on Bis marck!" MacArthur would have escap ed anv blame had it not been for two things. As Chief of Staff he did not have to participate in the bonus army's eviction. It was a minor police operation which should have been com manded by a colonel from Fort Mver across the Potomac. In stead MacArthur sent for his full-dress uniform, changed in his office in the War Depart ment, and as Chief of Staff took personal command of the oper ation to the accompaniment of nwsrepls and nhotoTranhers. Unfortunate Press Conference His second mistake wras to hold a press conference, which again was outside the line of duty, and during which he made unfortunate statements taking credit for the "victory." "I have entered villages in wartime which have been in the grip of the enemy for three WASHINGTON REPORT Howard Buffet Congressman, 2nd Nebraska District A short time ago the presi dent of France came to Wash ington. You if you are a tax payer, helped pay for his trip) because our treasury funnels hundreds of millions of your tax dollars into Fiance each year but that is not all! When the President of France comes to Washington for a handout, he must do things up in style. Just because France is panhandling us for everything in sight is no reason why you should expect the French not to "put on the dog." And so, for a dinner party, the French pres ident brought: 'Four huge elaborate silver candelabra and two smaller ones all the way acrotss the ocean from the Elysee Palace in Paris . . . and three sets of Sev res china, including articles from the Louis Phillippe and Napoleon III period . . . also, sil ver service and gleaming gold service used with gold dessert plates and gold finger bowls . . . also, 1,000 bottles of champagne for one reception." "We are told what fine things would happen if every one of Demecratic leaders in Wash ington are pretty low in spirits as a result of the recent probes because of the fact that the crime investigation had shown a link between the mob leaders and political machines in the larger cities, mostly Democratic. On the other hand the Republicans were exultant and were bending every effort to have the probes of crime and the RFC continued indef initely for political purposes, and as Senator Fulbright, of Arkansas charged, to "turn up a little more dirt" fur the elec tion in 1953. The political observers are pon dering the statement of the Presi dent at a recent press conference to the effect he had made up his mind on what he intended to do in 1952, but declined to say what he had decided. Of course, these ob servers say, it would be political foolhardiness for the President to announce this far in advance of the 1952 convention that he would NOT run, since by so doir.g he would cut himself off from any in fluence he may have in the con gress. But the first prediction was made about 1952 when Michael J. Galvin, undersecretary of labor, told a Lancaster, Ohio, audience that the President would run, that he would poll about 56 per cent of the vote and would ba reelected president. Tnsp!te of "thetialt m the" two big probes, others are up-coming. Slated for immediate action are hearings on the rubber program before a senate small business committee; hearings over defense mobilization officials' handling of trie tax amortization feature for, plant expansion in the defensa production act of 1950; probe of aluminum production and alloca tion; probe into conditions sur rounding an air force base at Sampson, N.Y.. at Camp Pickett. Va., and at Ft. Jackson, S.C.; probe of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad; a mining house-subcommittee on production of critical minerals and metals; hearings on the two year railway labor dispute which has brought about two strikes; the Tidelands Oil question; and the un-ending un-American activities committee probes. The house and senate have both passed the bill to authorize plant ing of more peanuts, a big crop in the south, in 1951, than the pre sent marketing quota, but the bill is now stalled and sidetracked, since the house has refused to ac cept senate amendments to the measure. Although Congressman Harold Cooley. North Carolina, tried to get the house to accept the bill as amended, saying it was better than none at all, the mem ber voted him down. Some political footnotes which are considered indicative by sage observers here include: for the first time in three years post of fice patronage has been restored to Mississippi congressmen; Gov. James F. Byrnes of South Caro lina has announced he would not seek the presidency on a states right or any other ticket in 1952; the Democratic party in Kansas City, united for the first time in 19 years, failed in an attempt to win the mayoralty election March 27; the attorney general of New Hampshire announced he would check campaign funds of Senator Charles W. Tobey of that state, a result of the charge made by for mer Mayor O'Dwyer of New York before the Kefauver committee in New York (the former New York mayor charged Senator Tobey did not know the source of his own campaign' funds); the - Democratic national committee plans a re surgence of activity in the up-coming Jackson day dinners and the word is that President Truman is planning a stiff special message to the congress. us would go and do something for the welfare of somebody else; but why not contemplate also the immense gain which would ensue if everybody would do something for himeslf?" William Graham Sumner, 1889 VtteIao, CoMmp By HICHAM C. PECK Cass County Veterans' Service Officer Observation on the Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act The protection provided by the Act does not automatically nor is the Act intended to pro vide forgiveness of debts or other obligations incurred by a man before he enters service. It does nrovide an opportunity for a serviceman to arrange for suspension o f court suits, di vorces, and other legal actions against him, and to arrange for the adjustment of navments on his fv debts in accord- V 'fTi ance with his I V f 1 I ability to pay. Richard Peck The man owing debts at the time he receives notice to report for active duty should first of all contact his creditors to work out any re duction of payments which will be equitable to both, and to have a new contract written which includes: (1) the new monthly payments agreed upon, and 2 if possible, a provision which puts the extra debt accrued by reason of the payment reduc tion at the end of the contract period, so that he won't have to make up in a single payment Jft . sJ? this larger amount at the mo ment of his discharge. Remember, there is nothing in the act which keeps a credi tor under an unpaid conditional sales contract covering automo biles, refrigerators, etc., from asking for repossession of the articles covered during the ab sence of a man in the armed forces. But, unlike the usual ci vilian case involving reposses sion, the creditor must get a court order to repossess from a serviceman, and the latter must be represented by an attorney. Then if, in, the opinion of the trial judge, the family's ability to pay has been impaired by reason of the man's being in service, the judge may grant whatever relief he desires. Should the plaintiff win repos session, as if in the case of an automobile, he must sell the car at its market value, and he can only retain the money owed him. The remainder goes to the serviceman as his equity, less the court costs. Evidence sub mitted in a repossession case to show that the serviceman tries to work out an equitable agreement with his creditor will weigh in the serviceman's favor. That is why it is important for himxto try and arrange these matters before he leaves home. years," he announced, "and I know what their gratitude means. But never have I seen, even in those days, such ex pressions of gratitude as from the crowds today." The Washington Board of Trade, quite a conservative or ganization, meanwhile passed a resolution praising the Wash ington police for their compass ionate feeding of the bonus army. Historians, who will have a chance to view the events of the past week more dispassionately that the public comment of to day, will be interested in eval uating the steps by which Gen eral MacArthur, a none-too-popular figure two decades ago. staged such a terrific popular comeback. One reason of course, is his brilliant handling of the occu pation of Japan a management of a conquered people which history will probably sav far surpassed his military achieve ments. Several others should share credit for victory in the Pacif ic Admiral Nimitz. Admiral Halsev, . Gen. Walter Krueger and Gen. Robert Eichelberger. But no one can ever detract from the sunerb manner in which MacArthur stabilized Ja pan and transformed a suspic ious, hostile people into genu ine admirers of the United Sta tes. That, historians are sure to sav. will be MacArthur's great est claim to fame. But another reason for the change in public opinion is tnp fact that on that other march down Pennsylvania avenue. MacArthur was the evictor. the bonus armv was the evicted. Now it is the other wav around. MacArthur is the evicted evic ted from his command in Tokyo. And the American public al wavs sides with the evicted- 's it did during that march down pprtnsvlvania avenup in .Tnn 19?2: as it does dnrine today'"! march no the avenue; and as I hop it always will. Realty Transfers Catherine D. EgenPerger et al, to Stewart I. Gochenour & Murna L.. 3-15-49, S. 72' L. 12, B. 33, Plattsmouth, $1.00. Helen Egenberger Carter et al, same. 3-13-51. same, $1.00. Walter Gochenour to James S. Gochenour. 1-19-42, L. 12, NE4 NWI4 4-11-14, $1.00. Raymond E. Johnson & Helen Marie to Paul A. Johnson & Esther E., 3-30-51, Int. L. 799, Louisville, $1.00. Orville Julian & Marjorie E., to Delia Johnson, 2-14-51, L. 6 & 7, B. 20, Elmwood. $4500.00. Platts. Realty Corp.. to Mollie C. Gobelman. 3-26-51, L. 28, Hillcrest, $9750.00. Roy R. Wade & Ruth G., to Harold R. Wade, 4-3-51, Ls. 4 & 5. B. 2, Riverside Add. Weeping Water, $2200.00. Grace F. Cross & J. R., to Lewis B. Mougey & Nettie, 3-30-51, Und. 15 Int. N'zSW 10, EV2SEU .9-10-13, $4500.00. Naomi Rankin & David, same, 3-17-51, same, $4500.00. Iva Mougey, same, 3-20-51, same, $4500.00. Blanche Cross & Carl, same, 3-21-51, same, $4500.00. John W. Van Horn Florence to Edward Van Horn & Mar jorie, 3-31-51, L. 7 & 8, B. 34, Weeping Water, $125.00. 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