Comment from the Capital —
40% well stay home ...
by Vant Neff ;
By all odds, the coming elec
tion figures to be one of the
closest races in the century.
And, coming as it does at a time
of excitement and challenge, a
time of grave crisis at home and
abroad, it could well prove to be
the most important election of
our lifetime.
Sure it must come as a shock,
then, to realize that in all like
lihood almost half of the citi
zens of the world’s greatest de
mocracy won’t even bother to
go to the polls on November 8th.
This is no idle guess; it is
based on vivid, disgraceful fact.
1952 saw the greatest percent
age of American voters in his
tory flock to the polls — and
then it was only, 62.7% 1 And
in the 1948 election — the clos
est race of our time — only
51.5% of the population of vot
ing age saw fit to use their
franchise. These were presiden
tial contests. In off-year elec
tions, almost no one bothers!
Who are all these “non-vot
ers”? They arent outsiders or
castoffs or “beatniks”; not most
of them anyway. They are the
nice, solid, friendly, comfortable
people next door. They are the
housewives who leave politics
to their husbands; the men who
are “too busy” to worry about
politics. After all, what is one
vote in a hundred million ? They
are the people who switched
channels to avoid thinking about
its issues. They are your friends
and business associates. They
are the shirkers, parasites who
reap the advantages of living in
a democracy, without accepting
their responsibility for making
democracy work and not giving
anything in return.
Democracy won’t work by it
self. It needs people who believe
in it; people who are willing to
work at it. Because, far from
being simple, democracy is the
most complex and difficult form
of government ever devised by
man. But, as we all know, it is
also the best. Let’s keep it that
way.
We feel proud of our liber
ties — we feel we are better off
than the great number of people
throughout the world who- have
no choice or voice about who
shall be elected to the unshak
able officialdom which governs
them, yet ironically, here only
about 50% of our freedom
fighters bother to cast their
ballots.
The whole world will be
watching us in November,
watching to see democracy in
action. Let’s show them what
it means to live in America.
Let’s v< ‘?.
Maj. Morgan, who Gave
Up U.S. Citizenship, Is
Called Traitor by Cuba
HAVANA, UP) — Maj. William
Morgan, who gave up American
citizenship to follow Fidel Castro,
was called a traitor to Cuba in
the government controlled press
Saturday.
This suggested the adventurer
from Toledo, Ohio, will be tried
for treason by a Cuban military
tribunal and that prosecutors
probably will ask for the death
sentence.
The Cuban army announced
Friday night that Morgan, 31, had
been arrested along with Maj.
Jesus Carrera, whose case was
linked to Morgan’s by the press
and the army.
A press note issued by the
armed forces ministry said both
men were arrested for maintain
ing contacts with armed groups of
counter-revolutionaries. The note
specifically charged Morgan with
carrying arms to insurgents in
the Escambray Mountains and
hiding and protecting fugitive
counter-revolutionaries. The note
said the results of a complete in
vestigation in both cases will be
handed over to a military tri
bunal.
Clinton Atwood, veteran tug
boat captain for Lomens, left to
day for his home in Sequim,
Washington.
Dick Ludwig, mining engineer
for U.S. Smelting, arrived today
from Fairbanks headquarters for
a days in this area.
Loyalty Dinner Wednesday
For Methodist Church Members
Wednesday evening will be
Loyalty Dinner night for the
members of the Methodist
Church. At 6 p.m. members will
bring covered dishes for the sup
per and friends are invited to par
ticipate.
Dr. William Hillman, friend of
Dr. John Barrow, from Tennessee,
has been visiting here for the
past week and has enjoyed his
stay so much that he is consider
ing bringing his family back for
another visit in the spring.
Evert L. Hough, former district
engineer for BPR here, returned
today as area director and will
confer with State Highway offi
cials on development to date.
MMM HOSPITAL
Admitted: Michael Parker, Sel
ma Tingook, Dolores Pike, Ben
Attatayuk, Emma Lyle.
Discharged: Margaret Chase,
Irene Apassingok, Martha Keller,
Joseph Kakik, Isabel! Arnold,
Victor Ailak, Carl Riddle, Mary
Patunac.
House Investigators Seek
Government Poll Showing
Decline of U.S. Prestige
WASHINGTON, UP> — House
secrecy investigators moved today
to determine whether the govern
ment is suppressing opinion polls
reportedly showing a decline in
U.S. prestige abroad.
The inquiry was ordered by
Rep. John Moss, D-Calif., chair
man of the House Government
Information subcommittee.
A subcommittee aide said the
group is asking the U.S. Informa
tion Agency whether results of
any prestige polls are available
and if so why they haven’t been
made public.
The subcommittee action was
disclosed in the wake of a CBS
radio broadcast that a secret gov
ernment report of Aug. 29 shows
overwhelming belief abroad that
Russia will be stronger militarily
than the United States in 10 years.
LOS ANGELES, UP) — “Nixon”
and “Kennedy” aren’t the only
things you see on bumper stick
ers these days. Some signs turning
up here say “Undecided.”
Army
MOJAVE LENDS A HELPING
HAND. A disabled H-34
CHOCTAW is airlifted by ex
ternal sling from an inacces
sible Florida swamp by Army's
medium transport helicopter,
the H-37 MOJAVE. Designed
for tactical transport and cargo
operations, MOJAVE normally
can carry 10,000-pounds of
cargo by external sling at
tached to the floor of the fuse
lage.
Middle-Aged, Plump,
Schoolteacher Named
Britain’s No. 1 .Nudist
LONDON, (tfl—A plump, mid
dle-aged schoolteacher has been
elected Britain’s No. 1 nudist, but
she’s keeping it a closely guarded
secret from the kids in her class.
Muriel Clark became the first
ever woman president of the Brit
ish Sun Bathing Association at the
nudists’ centrally heated annual
meeting here over the weekend.
“It’s a great honor,” she said.
‘‘But, oh, dear, what would the
children say?
“And what will the parents
think? Some of them are a bit
funny. They can be rather sensi
tive about things like this, you
know.”
To help keep her secret Miss
Clark refused to reveal her ad
dress or the name of the school
at which she teaches.
“Education authorities might
not like the idea of a teacher who
is also a nudist,” she said. “It’s
my bread and butter.”
“I’ve been a sun bather since
I was a child,” she told reporters.
"My parents brought me up to the
life."
Rockefeller Refers to
Controlled Convention
That Nominated Nixon
NEW YORK, OP—Gov. Nelson
A. Rockefeller made a new refer
ence today to “control” of the
Republican National Convention
that nominated Vice President
Richard Nixon for President.
The Republican governor was
on a walking tour in Manhattan
in behalf of the GOP national
ticket when the subject arose.
“Why aren’t you running?” a
woman asked him in a Broadway
bakery.
“I went out and looked around,
and I figured those who were
going to control the convention
had made up their minds al
ready,” Rockefeller replied with
out hesitation.
His comment came at a time
when the New York Daily News
poll reported that Sen. John Ken
nedy was leading Nixon in the
quest for New York State’s 45
electoral votes.
CAMPAIGNERS RETURN
Edith Bullock, candidate for
State Senator from this area, re
turned this morning from a trip
around the voting district, with
House candidates Myrtle Johnson
and Art Johnson, who piloted the
plane. The party got as far east
as Stebbins, then swung up to
Candle and Deering, then over to
Shishmaref. They spent Friday
night at Golovin, Saturday night
at Stebbins and last night at
Teller.
SOVIETS INTEND TO
KEEP ON HARRASSING
DAG HAMMARSKJOLD
UNITED NATIONS, N.Y., UPl —
The Soviets made clear Saturday
they intend to keep harassing Dag
Hammarskjold in the apparent
hope of forcing him to quit as
Secretary-General.
The attacks, steadily mounting
in intensity, are expected to reach
a climax Monday or Tuesday
when Hammarskjold is slated to
put in an estimated bill of $150
million to $200 million to cover
the cost of the Congo operation
through next year.
The Soviet bloc served notice
in the 99 nation financial com
mitee Friday that they will not
pay any part of the Congo bill.
Czechslovakia acused the United
Nations of playing a “dirty role”
in the strife-torn African state
and charged Hammarskjold with
hypocrisy and showing partiality
to the West.
Albert F. Bender, U.S. delegate,
called the Czech statement “one
of the most deplorable ever made
in this body.”
He said that by charging the
United Nations with playing a
dirty role, Czech delegate Miro
slav Nacvalac had hurled insults
at Hammarskjold, the U.S. gov
ernment and all other nations
which voted to set up a U.N. force
in the Congo.
“Our organization is built on
good faith,” Bender declared. “I
suggest that whoever attempts to
destroy that good faith is not only
violating the spirit of the char
ter; he may well be considered
to have as his goal the total de
struction of the United Nations it
self by sowing the seeds of dis
trust.”
Phony Bomb Found
In Pennsylvania Station
NEW YORK, tP)—A phony bomb
was discovered in Pennsylvania
Station today, causing a new scare
in a city beset by four bomb ex
plosions in recent weeks.
Police at first described the de
vice as a bomb, but later found
that it consisted of four lengths
of empty pipe, wrapped in brown
paper.
They termed it the work of
hoaxer.
The device was suspended by a
piece of twine from a shelf under
a telephone in a booth on the
station’s lower level, used by
Long Island Railroad trains.
The discovery came as police
were investigating a bomb explo
sion Sunday aboard a ferryboat
on a run from Manhattan to Sta
ten Island. Nobody was hurt in
the latest explosion.
Miners & Merchants Bank of Alaska
THE FRIENDLY BANK
FULL BANKING SERVICES
To Northwestern Alaska Since 1904
— BRANCH OFFICE IN KOTZEBUE —
Guaranteed ZIEGLER
Dependable and
Fuel Service /wmn\ Quaker
•CiS |«Mnw«mi OIL HEATERS
LP Gas WEHB' stove parts
and Appliances AND REPAIRS
Office: Ma. 152 Bes: Main 89
DEAL WITH CONFIDENCE AT
Green’s City Fuel and Transfer
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• OXYACETYLENE WELDING
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Black 115 after 5 p.m. —phones— Shop: Main 115