The Charlotte News

Saturday, November 4, 1950

THREE EDITORIALS

Site Ed. Note: The front page reports that in Korea, allied forces struck a firm line against renewed attacks by enemy troops, including increasing numbers of Communist Chinese, estimated by South Korean Army authorities to number 75,000 or six divisions. American estimates had placed the number at about half that, with at least two divisions fighting in the northwest sector, plus another identified in the eastern sector by the Marines. An Eighth Army official said that the Chinese had probably 300,000 troops deployed along the Manchurian border, with a million within "committing distance". An intelligence officer, however, said that there was still no consistent proof that the Chinese were sending regular divisions to Korea.

At the most crucial points of attack, at Unsan and Kunu, MacArthur headquarters said that the withdrawal was almost complete and the situation stabilized. Half of the trapped First Cavalry Division in the northwest sector had escaped on Thursday.

In the northeast sector, the U.S. Marine Seventh Regiment, driving toward Changjin reservoir, one of two power dams serving both North Korea and Manchuria, ran into resistance northwest of Sudong, 20 miles north of Hamhung on the east coast.

Weather continued to hamper allied air force operations. Observation planes observed enemy forces moving southeasterly from the Yalu River boundary but there was no indication the movement was of a large scale. Marine planes were supplying Marines cut off on the drive to the power dam in the northeast, one battalion having been encircled at Wonsan.

Chinese Nationalists were reported from Taipei to have sent 12,000 of their guerrilla troops to invade the mainland Chinese city of Silung in Kwangsi Province and inflicted more than 500 casualties and took over 100 prisoners. The reports said that Silung was captured on October 25. Such an operation appeared to be in defiance of instructions by the President to Chiang Kai-Shek to refrain from any offensive operations in mainland China during the war, a condition for U.S. defense of Formosa for the duration. The directive was meant to avoid any provoking incidents which the Chinese might use to enter the war.

Meanwhile, Chinese propaganda warned that the world was a "narrow step away from a third great war."

Correspondent Hal Boyle reports from Eighth Army headquarters of Lt. Logan Weathers of Shelby, N.C., who had a good sense of humor, a kindly heart and demonstrated courageous leadership. The latter quality had earned him medals and finally a hero's death in Korea. He had received the Distinguished Service Cross during World War II on Okinawa by drawing enemy fire to save his company, then reorganizing a shattered battalion and leading it back into the attack. He and several of his men were among the last to leave Chinju in South Korea in August, retreating toward Masan in the direction of Pusan, when he suddenly boarded a jeep to return with a truck to search for men lost from his outfit. He had found none and had to shoot out two machinegun nests and wench his vehicles across a blown bridge to return. Mr. Boyle had met him in a Masan hospital a few hours later trying to determine whether any from his company had been wounded. In a detached manner, he had told of the retreat, as a good historian and soldier.

That was the last contact Mr. Boyle had with Lt. Weathers. He later heard that a few days afterward, he had been supporting an infantry attack in his armored car when it was hit by rocket or artillery fire, killing the assistant driver and blowing off the lieutenant's arm. He had crawled out and knocked out a machinegun blasting the car, but the enemy also got the lieutenant. He was awarded posthumously a cluster for his previous DSC. The lieutenant's widow had later written his outfit that she could not help but wonder whether he had died in vain.

A postscript to the story tells of the 38-year old Mr. Weathers having been a twenty-year veteran of service who had come to Shelby from Kentucky after being stationed during the war at Fort Bragg and then marrying a woman from Shelby. His fellow soldiers hailed him in death as the bravest man with whom they had ever fought.

The unexpected reverses in the fighting had clouded the midterm election prospects for Democrats as the President prepared this night to give a major speech at 10:00 from St. Louis on the campaign. Senator William Knowland of California said in San Francisco that the President ought cancel his political talk and give the people the true facts on the Communist Chinese participation in the war.

A report from New Delhi said that India had offered asylum to the Dalai Lama, 15-year old ruler of Tibet, should he flee Lhasa at the approach of the Communist Chinese troops in the country. Foreign ministry officials were skeptical of reports that he was already fleeing. The last reliable report, received October 30, placed the enemy troops 200 miles from Lhasa.

At the U.N., the General Assembly voted 38 to 10, with twelve abstentions, to revoke part of the four-year ban against Franco's Spain, allowing members to send ambassadors and for Spain to join specialized agencies of the organization. The ban of Spain to membership, however, continued. Most of the opposition came from Soviet-bloc nations. The President had said during the week that it would still be a long time before the U.S. would send an ambassador to Spain.

John Scali reports that a Russian proposal to discuss a plan for unification of Germany appeared headed for quick rejection by the U.S., Britain, and France. The Communist plan, first proposed at Prague on October 27, called for the creation of an all-German constitutional council to set up a single government, banning rearmament and requiring the withdrawal of all occupation troops. American officials called it a "propaganda stunt" aimed at scuttling plans for rearmament of West Germany as a barrier against Communist aggression. The proposal was drafted by V. M. Molotov, the Deputy Prime Minister, along with seven foreign ministers of satellite nations.

A funeral for a hero soldier was provided to White House Police Private Leslie Coffelt, the 40-year old guard who had been killed by two Puerto Rican Nationalists during the attack on the President at Blair House on Wednesday. He had served in the Army during World War II. The President and First Lady attended the funeral service. The President also had visited the previous day with the two police officers wounded in the attack and reported that they were getting along fine.

In New York, Carmen Torresola, the widow of the slain attempted assassin, went on a hunger strike in the Federal jail where she was detained after arrest for conspiracy to injure the President. During her arraignment the prior day, she said that she was in complete sympathy with the attempt on the President's life.

In Raleigh, the North Carolina Conference of the Methodist Church called on the Legislature to authorize a statewide liquor referendum in 1951. The 1949 Legislature had turned down such a proposal. The Conference also wanted legislation to ban liquor advertising in newspapers and other publications printed in the state, repeal of the law which allowed transportation of a gallon of liquor per person into dry counties, authorization to employ a supervisor for further instruction in the public schools re liquor, and enacting of laws to provide prison sentences for drivers convicted of drunk driving.

On the editorial page, "Doctors and Ambulances" suggests that the Wake County Medical Society investigate a truck accident which had taken place in Raleigh in which a man was seriously injured but attempts to summon medical help from several doctors' offices proved unsuccessful. It informs that in many large cities emergency ambulances were run by the hospitals, with interns and resident physicians riding along to provide emergency medical care. It hopes that Mecklenburg and Wake Counties would evaluate their emergency care system to avoid such situations as that occurring in Raleigh.

"Still Playing Ostrich" finds that it was time to explode the myth that the U.N. troops were not facing organized units of Communist Chinese in Korea. The North Korean army had been shattered and the U.N. forces were about to win the war when suddenly the tide of battle had turned during the week. The only reason which made sense was the presence in considerable numbers of Chinese Communist reinforcements and equipment.

U.N. troops could not get at the source of the equipment and soldiers in Manchuria, but could only attack after the appearance of the forces in Korea. The issue needed to be aired before the U.N. General Assembly rather than ducking the issue to avoid the prospect of general war with China. It favors filing of charges before the U.N. against Communist China. If such action did not force a change in policy of China, at least the atmosphere would be cleared so that the U.N. could decide what should be done.

"How Much Is a Councilman Worth?" finds that the salary of members of the City Council was insufficient at $200 per year, given the work performed. There were good potential candidates who could not afford the time for such paltry remuneration. It suggests an annual salary of $1,200.

A piece from the Christian Science Monitor, titled "Cats in Court", tells of a Gallup poll which showed that 33 percent of respondents preferred marriage to a pretty girl while 23 percent preferred to marry a rich girl, as 18 percent selected "other qualities" as the proper criteria. The remaining 26 percent could not decide. The piece suggests reasons for each group's responses but says in conclusion that young men should eschew the poll results.

Drew Pearson finds that Representative Alvin O'Konski of Wisconsin had engaged in a violation of the Corrupt Practices Act, limiting campaign spending, by allowing his "Veterans for O'Konski" club to do the spending for him, technically bypassing the law as long as the organization was not directed by the candidate. But the organization was chaired by a person on Mr. O'Konski's Congressional payroll in Washington, though the person stayed in Wisconsin working on the campaign. Thus, there was also an issue of paying the salary of campaign workers out of the public trough. He notes that Attorney General J. Howard McGrath had been in possession of evidence of salary kickbacks to Congressman O'Konski for months but had failed to prosecute.

In implying that the failure to prosecute was political, as former GOP Congressman J. Parnell Thomas, former chairman of HUAC in the 80th Congress, had been successfully prosecuted for receiving such kickbacks, Mr. Pearson appears to neglect the fact that Tom Clark had been the Attorney General when that prosecution was initiated in 1948.

Senator Taft was reported to be gaining on opponent Joe Ferguson in the Senate race in Ohio during the previous couple of weeks. It was believed that the Senator was likely to win. The two candidates with the most to spend on billboards appeared to be Senator Taft and Congressman Richard Nixon in California. The latter had so much money that he had paid for billboards in Mexico.

Former Senator Henry Dworshak appeared likely to defeat former Senator Worth Clark in Idaho, but some scandals adversely reflective on the GOP could upset things.

A big Republican vote was expected in the Senate race in North Carolina, to be registered by Democrats as a protest against the primary campaign tactics of Willis Smith, involving race-baiting and Red-smear against his opponent, incumbent Senator Frank Graham.

Marquis Childs, in Rome, tells of nearly 400 Americans being present, involved in administration of ERP and the Military Assistance Program for Italy. A major problem had arisen when it was revealed by leak to the press by an American official of the mission that the Government was hoarding the aid to build up its dollar and gold supplies rather than spending on capital investment to reduce unemployment and thus build a strong economy. The American who leaked the information was being fired as the American Government believed he should not have thus precipitated a rift in relations with the Italian Government.

Mr. Childs thinks that while the leak may have been clumsy and impolitic, the American taxpayer would find it hard to comprehend why American influence should not be exerted to persuade the Italian Government to engage in certain reforms, such as compelling the rich to pay their fair share of taxes. Without such reforms, the U.S. would be forced to assume the principal burden of rearming Italy for it to withstand Communist aggression.

It had been determined that the Communists in Italy relied on a disciplined underground fighting force of 150,000 left from fighting the German occupation during the war. They likely still had hidden caches of weapons and would be a formidable fighting cadre in the event of a revolt. Such a force could be overcome only by a people with the will to resist by acting in their perceived self-interest. That will to resist, he concludes, would not be achieved solely through infusion of American aid.

Stewart Alsop, in Chicago, finds that Senate Majority Leader Scott Lucas was being seriously threatened in his bid for re-election by the combined effects of lower hog prices and the wealth of an elderly police captain in Chicago, Daniel Gilbert, running for Sheriff of Cook County, better at making money than capturing gangsters. The success of Senator Lucas depended on how well the boss of the Democratic machine in Cook County, Col. Jacob Arvey, had performed his job to combat the sizable majorities held in the rural areas and the suburbs of Chicago, estimated at 350,000.

The old days of the late boss Ed Kelly, in which mere obedience and a proper understanding of patronage were the sole qualifications for election, were over. Mr. Gilbert, however, appeared as a candidate of the old stripe and had become problematic for the Democrats. He had amassed a third of a million dollars on an annual salary of $9,000 during his eighteen years as chief investigator for the district attorney, in which there had been 187 gang murders but none solved, including the recent slaying of Police Captain William Drury just before he was to testify to the Kefauver committee.

Mr. Gilbert was promising to dispense patronage only to Democrats and the pledge was being received well on the hustings, but was impinging on Senator Lucas's ability to maintain the high-level campaign he desired, an unfair condition as he had nothing to do with the corruption in Chicago. Senator Lucas continued to hold a slight edge over his challenger, former Congressman Everett Dirksen, who was beholden to Chicago Tribune publisher Col. Robert McCormick and his isolationism. The Republicans had a major opportunity in the race but did not seem to be very good at taking advantage of such opportunities.

Tom Schlesinger of The News, in his weekly "Capital Roundup", tells of Senator Frank Graham having voted with fellow Democrats 95 percent of the time in 144 recorded votes, while Senator Clyde Hoey voted with other Democrats 70 percent of the time. Virginia Senator Harry F. Byrd, by contrast, voted with Democrats only 34 percent of the time. He provides the figures also for the House delegation, led by Charles Deane at 90 percent.

Senator Hoey had been on record in 95 percent of the 218 roll call votes, while Senator Graham, having to campaign in the primaries, was present 83 percent of the time.

Most Washington insiders predicted that the Democrats would maintain their majorities in the Senate and House, albeit with smaller numbers.

Experts believed that Senator Taft would be defeated in Ohio and Senator Lucas would win in Illinois—the opposite of that which would occur Tuesday.

Less than a grain of plutonium would be used each year in the atomic furnace to be built at N.C. State for research into peaceful uses of atomic energy.

Former UNC football star Charlie Justice, after his first Washington Redskins game, commented on a statement by his coach, Earl Blaik, that the better college football teams played harder football than in the pros. He said that he did not understand how the coach could say that as he had never been tackled in the pro league. The popular North Carolina native had not turned down a feeler to join the staff of Senator-nominate Willis Smith, saying neither yea nor nay to the suggestion, made to help the presumed re-election effort in 1954—one to be cut short by the death of Mr. Smith in 1953.

The President had made a decision to call back Congress after the recess, depending on how the midterm elections would go. He wanted action on rent control extension, the excess profits tax, and statehood for Alaska and Hawaii.

Senator Graham had been in Washington to address a UNESCO meeting. He was amused by rumors that he might be appointed to the State Supreme Court, as he said that he had never practiced law. He said that he did not intend to make any decision on his future until he finished his term as Senator.

The counsel for the Senate subcommittee which had begun an investigation of campaign spending during the Graham-Smith primary to determine whether campaign finance laws were violated had been called off at the instruction of Senator Graham.

Congressman Harold Cooley said he was ignoring the criticism of him for receiving Government airplane rides on his European tour. He said that the planes had only been used to visit cultural attaches at embassies, pursuant to a House resolution authorizing studies abroad. He said the criticism came from people wanting to embarrass members of Congress.

Framed Edition
[Return to Links
Page by Subject] [Return to Links-Page by Date] [Return to News<i><i><i>—</i></i></i>Framed Edition]
Links-Date Links-Subj.