Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The Plattsmouth journal. (Plattsmouth, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 31, 1952)
THE PLATTSMOUTH, NE8RASXA, SERH-WEEKLY J'VnriM. 4GE FOUR 'V;iion 13 Thursday, January 31, 1S52 LEAP YEAR EDITORIALS Furse's Fresh Flashes PLATTSMOUTH NEEDS SCHOOLS Decision of the board members of School District No. 1 to submit for ap proval to the voters construction of new educational facilities for Plattsmouth is not an idea of a few born adreaming. It is a culmination of years of frugality on the part of most of us in failing to keep in step with changing conditions, to heed the needs of a rapidly expanding com munity, and to live up to our obligations in providing adequate facilities for the mental and moral training of our children. As a property owner and taxpayer, we can assure readers of this newspaper we are no more inclined to pay taxes than anyone else. But there is a great differ ence in the kind of taxes you pay and the benefits derived therefrom. School taxes are not only an investment in the future of Plattsmouth's boys and girls, but a,n in vestment to the home owner as well. With out top educational facilities in today's world, property values in any city or town totter and crumble. The proposed bond issue that will come before us on February 19 in the amount of $425,000 appears on the surface to be a tremendous amount of money to the average home or property owner. Frank ly it is no small sum, but to a city of over 5000 the amount proposed here to moder nizeand improve our school system in or der to maintain its accredited rating is much less per capita than dozens of com munities throughout Nebraska have con tributed during the past two years. Few people know the true conditions of our schools here in Plattsmouth. Class rooms crammed with twice the number of pupils as present facilities were origin ally planned for. In checking old files of the Journal back to 1921 we fail to come up with one construction project that has added additional class rooms that in a period of over SO years. Certainly, Platts mouth constructed the new Central build ing in 1939, but that construction did not add new class rooms. Central did nothing but replace a school building that was condemned by the state fire marshal. The local contribution toward that construc tion was only one dollar per thousand valuation. In all those 30 years, the max imum bond levy this school district has carried is TWO mills and that dates back to the mid-twenties. Plattsmouth is a growing community, rich, progressive and alert. Our faith in its future expansion and growth cajinot be shaken. We must keep that faith, we must provide the oesl in schools, churches, stores and recreational facilities to at tract and hold more citizens of sound background seeling a spot on this earth to raise and educate their children a fam ily town that every citizen can point to with pride, to trag about, to fight for. We'll have that kind of town. You and I can do that job by supporting sound, pro gressive steps proposed by those leaders in whom we have confidence. We must plow back into our commun ity a few of those dollars the Almighty has so generously bestowed upon us. T'S TOUGH IN THE U.S.A. I The Communist world is being told daily by the Communist press in satellite countries that life is really tough in the United States. " One broadcast in Bulgaria recently re ported that "more than two-thirds of the American people are unable to earn even a bare living." Another broadcast said, "Horse-meat has become a major part of the daily rations of the American work ing people." The Communists blame these terrible circumstances on the Amprimn nrmc buildup and inflation and say we Amer icans try to conceal our present miseries by talking of the "good old times." That last bit of propaganda sounds suspiciously like the people of Bulgaria are currently doing a great deal of talking abcut the "good old times" themselves. The only THOUGHT FOR TODAY Nature in an absolute "manner wills that right houll at length obtain the victory. Immanucl Kant There is an old saying that "Most people can't stand prosperity." Right now most people don't have to. Flipper Fanny, oirr dainty little con tour twister, tells us it is not always the coldest girl that gets the mink coat. The only medicine that does a woman more good than harm, is a dress. A great writer named Taine , says there are four varieties in today's society: The lovers, the ambitious, the observers and the fools. We'll wager the fools are the happiest. We wouldn't mind the wife having the last word if she wouldn't keep repeating it. In most cases the chip on a guy's shoulder is just bark. Young things who tear up the street in automobiles usually do not pay the re pair bills. The trouble with cheap labor is that you get too many self-made men. A Plattsmouth man gripes every time he seeks advice from a lawyer. He says the lawyer just reads it out of a book and charges him a whopping fee. He should realize the lawyer is the only one who knows what page its on. Man is that foolish creature who short ens his life by working so hard to acquire things that shorten his life. The best way to save face is to keep the lower end of it shut. difference in the two situations is that compared to life in Bulgaria today, the "good old times" really were the "good old times." In the United States, we talk about it but no one really would go back to the so-called "good old clays", with all the inconveniences. Down Memory Lane YEARS OLD rfU The resident property occupied by Mrs. Dollie Young and family was badly damaged by fire that destroyed the roof of the house . . . The D.A.R. is joining the crusade to relieve suffering in drouth stricken areas in Nebraska . . . Mrs. J. R. Jahrig and Mrs. Otto Keck were hostesses in honor of 'Miss Isabel Marshall at a mis cellaneous shower . . . F. I. Rea, Frank M. Bestor, R. W. Knorr, Henry Herold, William Baird, Frank H. Smith, T. H. Pollock, C. C. Wescott, A. H. Duxbury and E. H. Wescott were named chairmen of the various committees of the Chamber of Commerce . . . Floyd M. Cole of Weep ing Water has filed as a candidate for the office of county sheriff . . . John Conis observed his fifth birthday anniversary at a party . . . Plattsmouth costs per pupil to operate local schools is $15 below the state average. 1A YEARS AGO lv Miss Inga Reichstadt, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Herman Reichstadt was married to Mr. Glen William Pankonin, son of Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Pankonin . . . Carl J. Schneider is the general chairman of the local defense bonds and stamps committee . . . Barbara LamDhear was elected president of Theta Rho club founded recently by the local Rebekah lodge. Other officers are Catherine Conis, vice president; Hazel Essert, secretary; and Betty Hamblin, treasurer . . . Glen wood outscored Plattsmouth 31-23 in a game featured by 32 fouls. Hilt was high for Plattsmouth with 10 points . . . Mrs. John Kalasek entertained Thursday even ing in honor of Mrs. Harold Shafer, a re cent bride. i?asiiington a Following this. anti-Kefauver strategists in Ohio conceived the idea of volunteering a top Democrat for the Kefauver tic ket, then having him sudden ly send a telegram to the Ohio Secretary of State on Feb. 6, the filing day. saying he was un able to go along with some of the Kefauver delegates and therefore pulling his name off the ticket. This would have left the Sen ator from Tennessee high and dry. It would have invalidated all Kefauver petitions and ta ken him out of the Ohio prim ary altogether. Also it would have made him look like a rank amateur not in a class with partv professionals. However. Tim Hogan, Kefau ver's Ohio manager, got wind of this sly strategy, and after a hurried conference with Con gressman Wayne Hays, it was decided to take no chances. In stead of a b, shot as No. , 2 on the Kefauver ticket, the name of Marie Harrington Krim of Martins Ferry. Ohio, was in serted. So Ohio Democrats, when they vote in the primary, will cast their ballots for Kefauver and a lady who, while com pletely unknown, happens to be the personal secretary to Con gressman Hays and can be trusted. Note Opposition to Kefauver in Ohio came from the "Tru manites" those around Tru man who passionately want him to run again rather than the President himself. Actually the President has expressed friendly sentiments toward the Tennessee. Senator, even gave him suggestions during their recent talk on how to conduct his campaign. Among other things, he suggested that not much was to be gained by fea turing KefauVer's victory over the Crump machine, also warn ed him to avoid early contacts with scaly peonle. said that his geographical location. Tennes see, meant that he should win the support of the south. Military Waste The full SPanrinl Viasn'r hoon told, but three U. S. Air Bases in French Morocco have sud denly been abandoned in the middle of construction. Over one million dollars had already been spent on the three bases when suddenly the Pentagon changed its mind and decided not to build them. The Senate Preparedness Committee is auietlv investiga ting who is responsible for this expensive boner. One report is The Plattsmouth Journal Official County and City Paper KSTAULJSHKI) IN 1SS1 Awarded Ak-Sar-Ben Plaque For 'Outstanding Community Service in 1950" J "ii M islipl xemi-weekl y, Mondays anil Thursdays, at 409-H3 Main Street. l'lattsmoutli. Cass I'ounty. Nebr. RONALD R. FURSE Publisher HARRY J. CANE Editor FRANK H. SMITH News Reporter The Washington Merry-Go-Round that the airstrips weren't built on solid ground and sank into the sand; Another report is that the rainy season flooded out at least one base. Chairman Lyndon Johnson. Texas Dem ocrat, has demanded a full re port. - Stalin Gets Mad If we get discouraged over government waste and efficien cy here at home, it might pay to look at an official report from Moscow that Marshal Sta lin has secretly visited Russian shipyards in the Baltic to find cut what's holding up his plan to build a powerful fleet of super-battleshios. American observers report that Stalin was furious at the excuses his Admirals have been giving for Russia's failure to turn out a single new battleship since 1939. Therefore, accompanied by 200 secret police, he personally in spected the naval installations where three 50.000-ton battle ships are under construction. The inefficiency and blunders he saw. especially at Gdynia, infuriated him even more, and Stalin has now ordered a com plete purge of the Russian Ad mirals responsible. Truman's Near Court-Martial The nation's Commander-in-Chief. Harry S. Truman, is just a little nroud of the little known fact that he was once almost court-martialed. The, story came out the other day when Congressman Dan Flood of Pennsylvania called with other colleagues at the White House. 'Tell them about the time I came to the rescue of an artil lery unit from your home town of Wilkes-Barre during the first World War," Truman sug gested to Flood during their talk. "That's right." said Flood. "I was too young to be there, but Wilkes-Barre vets who fought in that action still talk about it. They were pinned down by Ger man artillery after crossing a river in France and it looked like they were done for." The Pennsylvanian went on to relate how Truman, then a field artillery captain, swung his outfit over in the nick of time and "knocked hell out of the Germans." "You're still a hero in my home town," added Flood. "I , guess that's one battle you 11 ! never forget." "Indeed I won't forget it,' emphasized the President. "I was almost court-martialed. My commanding officer was furious at me for firing out of my sector without permission. That was the worst bawling-out anybody ever gave me." Washington Pipeline Taft forces are secretly put ting out an imitation of the red, white and blue "I like Ike" campaign button. However, in stead of the words "I like Ike," the bootleg Taft buttons are worded "No Like." . . . Maj. Gen. Frank E. Lowe, the former Maine National Guardsman, has complained to Jim Lucas, alert Scripps-Howard reporter, that Truman was never shown the cable he sent him just before the Wake Island conference with MacArthur. If Truman had been shown the cable, says Gen eral Lowe, the MacArthur-Tru-man conflict never would have happened. Real fact, however, is that Truman was shown the Lowe cable. However, it was so long and rambling that it didn't make much sense, and he pro bably didn't read it ... It looks as if Attorney General Mc Grath would finally move in on the Maryland Senate campaign of 1950 where the Senate Elec tions Committee unearthed all kinds of corruption. McGrath has been sitting on the Senate report 4or over a year so far doing nothing . . . Secretary Charles Sawyer has picked a crackerjack press spokesman for his Commerce Department Nils Lennartson. who has been Sec retary of the Air Force Fin letter's shadow for the past 18 months. WHILE MOST Republicans and seme political commentators gauged the Presidential message to the congress as "politically weak" and a "toned down" appeal for all he has asked before, most Democrats and some other analysts suggested that it was a "shrewd" political speech. And while the President was more "pacific," the President still stressed all his Fair Deal program somewhere in the message "for the record." It appeared likely the Pres ident had in mind a special session of this congress to be called some time between the July conventions and the No vember election, at which a stern message would be direc ted calling for all those "neces sary" legislative acts he asked in his Fair Deal Program, also "for the record," giving him a chance again to stump the na tion at the "whistle stops" and lay the blame on his Republi can opposition in the congress. The thinking here Is that Presi dent Truman will be a sure candi date for re-election, and he has said he will announce his intentions prior to the GOP convention opening in Chicago July 2. Despite the personal popularit of General Eisenhower, his reluc tant admission of his Republicanism and his firm declaration that "under no circumstances" would he ask for relief from his present job in order to participate in any pre convention campaign, have put i crimp in campaign plans of soma of his backers. Despite his state ment, there is a persistent rumor that the general may return to this country, possibly in March. Some see in the President's dis satisfaction with the present agri cultural law and his call for less costly measures to carry perish able products, a renewal of his in sistance for the so-called Brannan plan, although he did not mention it by name. Indication are that, since this is a presidential election year, this congress will be another "spend ing" congress and that more money will be appropriated for the defense plan, for continued foreign aid, for civil defense and for defense hous ing Indications also point to a re newal of price controls, a deter mined fight to eliminate the "Cape- hart" amendment and tne ner ling" amendment restricting the present law, although the cnances are that very little tightening of the act will get through. What other domestic legislation will be successful is doubtful, al though it was evident that both bouse and senate leaders are in op position to any general tax increase on individuals. There may be some increase in other forms of taxation. As a matter of fact, the inside view is that President Truman may not even ask for any great tax increase in bis budget message. In this congress, the line-up is 231 Democrats, 201 Republicans and one independent in the house;. 50 Democrats and 46 Republicans in the senate. Election of Senator Styles Bridges of New Hampshire as senate GOP leader by a vote or 26 to 15 represents the split in the Senate Republicans with the 26 for Bridges in the camp of Senator Taft for the presidency, and the 15 sup porting Senator Saltonstall, Mas sachusetts, in the camp of Eisenhower. It appeared a new probe was about to get under way, this cm into the security exchange com mission, the first in the 18-year ex istence of the SEC. Another attempt may be made at this session for an over-all budg et bill in this congress, instead of the five or six separate measures which is usually the case. The Na tional Committee for Strengthen ing Congress has again called the lawmakers' attention to the fact that it is still operating under ob solete methods and has not solved four basic problems under the re organization act. One is lack of proper organization, lack of re sponsibility, failure to control money and misuse of time. For in-i stance, in the house alone, it takes about one month of time for roll calls and quorum calls. Electric voting machinery would cut this time to a minimum, according to the national committee. IpssocmTion I a Tftetn NATIONAL EDITORIAL ASSOCIATION J'nteret at the Tost Olfif at PlattsnKvuth, Nebraska. ' beconJ class mail matter in aicorUance with tho Act of Congress of March Z. 1879. SUBSCRIPTION RATE: $3.50 per year in Cass and adjoining counties. $4.00 per year elsewhere, in advance, bv mall outside the city of Platts mouth. By carrier in Plattsmouth, 20 cents for two weeks. (Copyright 1949, By the Bell Syndicate, Inc.) DREW PEARSON SAYS: SEN. KE FAUVER STAYS IN OHIO PRI MARY WITH LADY SECRETARY; MILITARY WASTE REVEALED IN MOROCCO; PRESIDENT TRUMAN ALMOST FACED MILITARY COURT-MARTIAL. Washington. The vehemence of the undercover "Trumanite" drive to stop Ke fauver is illustrated by the way wires were pulled backstage among Democratic lead ers in Ohio." Ohio primary law requires delegates to be pledged both to a first and second choice. Originally, therefore, Murray Lin coln, statesmanlike head of the Ohio Farm Bureau, was offered the No. 2 spot on the Kefauver ticket. But Lincoln declined when pressure was brought from Wash ington. He was told he would have to re sign his advisory post on the State De partment's Point 1 program; so Lincoln said no. VETERANS' COLUMN By RICHARD C. PECK Cass County Veterans' Service Officer Lapsed and Expired G. I. Insurance Recently enacted Federal leg islation (PL 23, 82nd Congress) affecting U. S. Government and National Service Life Insurance, has created some misunder standing on the part of some veterans a.s to the exact mean ing of the terms "lapsed" and 'expired'' as it applies to their insurance poli cies. A permanent policy will lapse if premiums re main unpaid when due. It does not expire. A term policy mav larso due t.n non-payment of premium ana in addition, it may expire (at the end of the term period for which it was written), A veter an who has a term policy and desires to keep his insurance protection in force must either cnovert'to a permanent plan or renew for another term before the exniration of the current,! f 'WMtitfj ...":! Richard fee term period. Veterans who al low their term USGLI to expire without converting it to a per manent plan or without renew ing it for an additional term period, are no longer eligible for any type of Government In surance. A lapsed policy is not neces sarily dead. However, it must be reinstated (put back into force) before it provides any in surance protection. Reinstate ment may be accomplished by meeting the prescribed health requirements, and by paying the required premiums. In the case of a lapsed term insurance poli cy, the reinstatement must take place before the term expires. To reinstate a permanent type of policy, in addition to meet ing the health requirements, all back premiums, plus interest, must be paid. If a policy (either term or permanent) has been in a state of lapse for three or more months, the veteran must pass a physical examination to get v-ic insiirnn"0 bnclr in force. Legislative SIDELIGHTS.. by BERNIE CAMP Information Director Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation (Legislative Sidelines Is made ivailable to your local newspaper as a service of the Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation. Opin ions expressed are not neces sarily tnse of this newspaper). The Peoples' Choice "It is intolerable that any President should be permitted to determine who should suc ceed him-himself or another by patronage or coercion, or by any sort of control of the mach inery by which delegates to the nominating convention are cho sen. "There ousht never to be an other presidential nominating convention; and there need nev er be another. Several of the states have successfully solved that difficulty with regard to the choice of their governors, and federal law can solve it in the same way with regard to choice of Presidents. The nom inations should be made direct ly by the people at the polls. "Conventions should deter mine nothing by party plat forms and should be made up of the men who would be ex pected, if elected to carry those platforms into effect." That statement was made al most 40 years ago by an Amer ican lawyer and professor of jurisprudence and political economy ,a man who was him self at that time President elect of the United States Woodrow Wilson. The United States, looked to by the world as the shining ex ample of democratic processes, is not always democratic in its processes of government. Demo cracy implies that in elections there is complete freedom of choice, on the part of the voters among candidates for public office. This is certainly not true in the selection of men to fill the most important office on the national scene the presi dency. American political parties meet in convention, nuttins on a ereat show of selecting a pres idential candidate. The average member of the party "has little bout the choice of the party candidate. The nomination for what is probably the most im portant elective political office in the world can be determined by a small group of men through "horse trading" con ferences in hotel rooms hazy with cigar smoke. On occasion, when the party leaders have been unable to agree among themselves, they have comprom ised on a "dark horse" candi date of which the voting public knew little or nothing and had little opportunity to learn once he party propaganda machines started "Deifying." him. - The Constitution of the Uni ted States (Article II. Section 1) originally provided that each state should appoint in a man ner to be determined by the state legislature a number of electors equal to the number of senators and representatives the state sent to Congress. These electors, which could not be a senator or representative or employee of the national gov ernment, met in their states to elect by ballot two persons, one of which could not be a resi dent of the state. The person receiving the greatest number of electoral ballots among the states was then elected presi dent of the United States; and the next highest the vice pres ident. The 12th Amendment (rati fied in 1804) provided that dis tinct and separate ballots should be case for president and vice resident. Otherwise, no change or amendment of the Constitution has been made to make possible a greater voice of the people in presidential elections. As a mat- tr of fact, there is nothing in the Constitution to prevent the president and vice-president elect beinc of opposing polit ical parties; although custom and agreement have dictated that the two officers be of the same party. Actually, the Con stitution makes no mention of rjolitical parties or their activ ities. Originally, in the Constitution of the United States, it was pro vided that U. S. senators were to be chosen by the state legis latures. However, that provision was changed by the 17th Amendment in 1913. which cal led for U. S. senators to be elected by direct popular vote, -j Thus, this could be consider ed a precedent for providing that the president be: (1) elec ted by direct popular vote; or (2) by a system of primary elec (Continued on Page 5) Crossword PuzzSe HORIZONTAL 1 Disposed of for price S Trans gressions 9 Flying mammal 12 Turkish regiment 13 Bad 14 Holland com mune 15 Dried grap 17 Toward 18 Metal con tainer 19 Chart 21 Chick pea (pi.) 23 City in Penn. 27 Indian mulberry 28 Kind of lily 29 Rodent 31 Small rus 34 Aloft 35 Kinl o turtle 38 Jap marine measure 39 Encountered 41 Native minernl 42 A bird 4-4 Pronoun 46 Exquisitely charming 43 Small open ings 51 Smell 52 Thick, black substance 53 By 53 To talk fool ishly 59 Girl's name 60 Unaccom panied 62 Famous river 63 Things in law 64 Rip 63 Contest VERTICAL 1 Sixty sixties, Babylonian numeral S Palm leaf (var.) 3 Medieval type of short tale 4 Dissipates 5 Upper cham ber of Parlia ment in France 6 Four t Roman numerals) 7 Insect's ee 8 To plod 9 To Tender quiet 10 First man 11 A number tpU 1 Is I6 I7 I I l I to lift u 13 u IS 16 J 17 18 i5 20 jp H li H p 35 36 37 id" """" 39 40 J 41 I! 43 44 45 46 47 " "54 W S6 1 57 S m : 5 60 61 6i M 64 65 18 Mindanao Moro 20 Submarine projectile 22 Sun god 23 Dross 24 Adhesive bandage 25 North Syrian diety 2fl Short sleep 30 Fright 32 Seed covering 33 Prong of an antler 36 Goddess of vengeance 37 Loud, deep prolonged sound 40 Obstacles to spiritual progress 43 Size of shot 45 French for 'and' 47 Queerer 48 Heavenlv body 49 Route across an ocean Puzzle No. 171 50 To season 54 Part of foot 5" I3v way of 57 Kind of tree 58 Confederate feneral ymbol for sodium Answer to Puzzle No. 170 iBjHjAlsj meAnS LlA T S S DAN T 0K p3 fj? S 1 E j HI B 13 RLJ I T E jc 0 0 J Ml A R 3 S B ARNJ T I Si3 ffi OCR R 3 Tf LIB I S S S U R IA B H T ? pis aIk i T A X I p 3 A N K S R S ".VS. 3H INBJ siP P I B 3 jA 3 tA 1 Wai SIT