eorurcnliu, Sfrer,/reil

Thc time hal come, the Walrur eaid, To epcak of manY things, Of chqcre, and rats, and bureaucrate' And infuence'Peddling ringe.

' Three newspaper reportcrs walked aide by side out of the room where the Fulbright Committee of thc United States Senate war prying-with nose held firmly between thumb and forefinger-into the afrairs of thc once honorable and highly ugeful Rcconstruction Financc Corporation' One of them said to the other two: "You boys were inclined to doubt the rumors concerning RFC; what do you think of it now?" The second newsPaper rcportcr said: "It stinkst" And the third said: "f don't think it smells that good t"

*

Thcy had been listening to testimony that would make an old-time bunco-steerer pale with envy, and a half-honest pickpocket hide his head in shame. It was testimony that caused Senator Fulbright to declare, with sorrow and regret, to his colleagues in the Senate, that "what America needs is a promPt return to the simple honesty and principles of the Pilgrims and the Founding Fathers." And his words and manner indicated that in his opinion the return trip would be a long and difficult one.

He said hc had discovered that it was not simply legal or legislative matters they had run up against in their investigation, but a great and shocking moral problem created by those who seek or grant favors in governmental matters which "offend the spirit of the law but do not violate its letter." They found that the ethics surrounding RFC affairs were to say the least, of questionable character.

To the writer who read and heard everything that came to hand on the RFC investigation, that governmental unit seemed to have much the same idea of ethics as the retail merchant in the old, old story. He was explaining to his son what "ethics" means. He said: "Suppose a customer comes in and buys some goods and gives me a ten dollar bill to pay for them, and leaves. After he is gone I find there is a second ten dollar bill stuck to the back of the first one, so I have twenty dollars instead of ten. Ethics means, do I put the extra ten dollar bill in my pocket and say nothing, or do I put it in the cash drawer and have to divide it with my partner?"*

What Senator Fulbright said to his fellow Senators is an opinion you can hear repeated in a variety of words but all with the same meaning from the lips of a hundred and fifty miltion American citizenr wherever they gather togcther; and from all thc decent newlPapers of the nation; thc demand for a return to "simple honerty in government" in thia country. It looks like "red herring" when a red is caught red-handed, or "asinine" whcn the croohg arc taking over our fattrer's temple, will not be gufficient answer from now on. It is inconceivable that anyone can fail to hear that rieing chorus.

*

A young Congreseman from Cdifornia busted out the other day with suggestiong on how to Eecure an RFC loan. Hc told his colleagues in the Houge of Repreeentatives about it. He facctiously covered various of the types of chicanery exposcd by the Fulbright Committee. Among other things he suggested that the applicant be prepared to make a generous contribution to the Democratic National Committee; get acquainted with and employ the services of. a7/2 percenter since 5 p€rcenters have raised their rates; give some White House steno a mink coat; invite RFC big shots to expensive hotels and pick up the checks; employ RFC men at high salaries after getting a loan; and if you can't find an RFC man right quick, look in the pocket of some peddler of infuence. Thes€ were just a part of the Congressman's suggestions.

Of course being Americans, the public has had lots of fun over the RFC matter, too. Few events in Washington history have excited more comment than the nine thousand dollar mink coat the White Hoirse steno got. The laughs and gags on that subject still echo back and forth across the country. And soon, as thousands of gag-men said, "the mink coat got too hot to y.Ir'

In the meantime American boys by the thousand continue to fight and fall in Korea in a war that was recently likened to a football game in which one team was entirely free, while the other was not allowed to cross the ten yard line of the opposition. Recently General MacArthur called on the commander of the Chinese Communist forces in Korea to meet him in the field and discuss ending the Korean war. A roar of criticism swept skyward. The General had exceeded his authority. And promptly the Communist killers were told by our own side that thev had nothing to fear because we have no intention, as MacArthur had suggested, of carrying the war to the Communists on the other side ?t al. Yalu River.

Yes sir, the Commies were told not to worry about anything of the kind. The U.N' wouldn't allow it. So the sweet Communists have been assured that they can retire to the other side of the line to gather forces and supplies,

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and makc thcir unobrtnrctcd prcparationr to movc into Korea when ready, and kill morc Americanr. Ar the Hourton Polt cditorielly remtrkr: "It'! a nice wey to 6ght a war-for the Chincrc Communirtr And for thc Brltirh' too, becaulc thcy arc piling up profitr by trading tpith thc Reds at Hong Kong. But it'r an outrageout handicCp to impose on thc U.N. forcer in thc field. Wc arc to boxed in that.if we win thc war it wiU bc a United Nations victory; while if wc lore it, it will bc an American defeat."

, Nora Wdn ("The Strcet of Preciour Pearh," "The House of Exile," "Reaching For the Stan,") is touring the United States, mahing specches, and in magnificent fashion she ie asking Americans for hclp and support for ttre almost countlese thousandg of war-orphaned children of Korea. Shc spoke in Dallas, and rc effective were her efrortr that Lynn Landrum, columnist extraordinary for the Dallas Newg, almost burst a G-etring in his enthusiasm. Because of the wonderful things she tells concerning the American effort in the Korcan war, the readers of this column will, I bclieve, feel repaid many times over for giving Mr. Landrum's remarks careful digestion, for some of ttrese things have not been told before, and they are things we all need to know'

(Mr. Landrum wrote): "Nora Waln delivered in Dallas this week quite the finest hour-long report on American relations in the Orient that the Columtator has heard. Miss Waln's address, if it could be heard by all America, would solidify our foreign policy over night. In all seriousness the suggestion is made to the Department of State. Miss Waln, with a speaking knowledge in Chinese (in four or five dialects), Japanese and Korean, has lived in the homes of the people of whom she talks. She has known Mao Tsetung, Syngman Rhee, Douglas MacArthur, and many others of the moving factors in the Orient at first hand and for some time.

"She went up with troops in the battle line dl the way to the Yalu River-and came back with them when they came back. She has almost single-handedly looked after hundreds of Korean orphan children. She has talked to high brass, plain GI's, Koreans, Turks, British, Dutch, captured prisoners and what not. She has fown over Korea on reconnaissance missions many times. From blood and filth to guts and glory, she knows*the*whole of it.

"Nora Waln says that Lt. Gen. Arthur MacArthur took his son Douglas with him to the Orient to train him for future usefulness in a theatre which, the older MacArthur was convinced, would be vital to the existence of the United States and of the world. If Douglas MacArthur calmly assumes that the Lord called him for his present work, that may be the reason. * *

"Ffow magnificently Douglas MacArthur has wrought in Japan is shown by what has happened. When the General was belatedly given charge after the invasion of South Korea, he stripped Japan of American soldier-clerks and Military Police to man the Korean battle line- and not a Japanese hand was raised in revolt. Instead, Japanese handled heavy loads at Japanese landing fields for American crclvt, and rlipped away at night not.arking pay or GvGn lcaving their namcr. Othcr ruch volunteer workerl rcrubbed floorr in hotpltalr and rtood in line to givc-givc not rell-their blood for the aid of wounded Unitcd Nationr roldicrr. Even rmell children ttood in line asHng that thcir blood, too, be takcn. For a timc TWO THIRDS OF THE FRESH BLOOD USED WAS JAPANESE BLOOD FREELY GMN.

"The troopt, too, Nora Wdn says, have bcen magnificent. Their bravery has been equal to thc best-and she wae with Patton's troops in Europe when Patton was on the prowl with aU his armor. True, the clerka and typists didn't know modern war when thcy began, any more than the South Korcans did. But they learned the hard way' and they lcarned quichly. MacArthur'e strategy throughout, Miss Waln bclieves, has been daring; but she believes he was right throughout. She thinks it is paying now. Her conception of the mission of the United Nations is to clear all Korea of thc enemy, occupy it in the spirit of the MacArthur occupation of Japan, and make the Koreans our friends as the Japanese are today." (End of Landrum's column.)

The writer of this piece feels that he has learned much from the above editorial on the missioh of Nora Waln; that he has added much from these few paragraphs, to his perspective of our Oriental situation. And he looks forward to hearing Miss Waln tell her story.

Fan Man

I have been reading The California Lurnber Merchant since coming to Burbank in 1945 and do not want to miss an issue. I enjoy your Vagabond Editorials and your sound philosophy. Wish we had morc men like you writing editorials, also wish that they had m.re circulation'

wm. L. (Bi') Simmons

calif'

You are doing a good job, keep it up.

Santa Rosa, Calif. Ben C. Pliillios

Los Angeles Building Permits lor March

4,625 permits for construction totaling $25,486,534 were issued in Los Angeles in the month of March as against 5,235 permits with valuation of $28,069,688 in February. For the first three months of the year construction amounting to $84,205,183 has been started as compared to $77.179.508 for the same period in 1950.

Attended Intermountain Convention

R. R. Galloway, Building Materials sales matrager of Pabco Products Inc.. San Francisco, attended the Intermountain Lumber Dealers' Association annual meeting at Salt Lake City on March 1-3. While there he also held a semi-annual sales meeting for the Pabco building material salesmen of the Intermountain district lrith Harry W. Hargrave, district manager.