The Wrangell sentinel., 1948-01-30
DECLARES TRUMAN AND PEACE
 IN KEYNOTE ADDRESS

 Iocrauc Congress h November l Governor Ernest GrueHing gave the keynote address opening the Demo |Cratic convention in ketchlkan last week. The Goveronr reciteu the achievements of the Democrat lie party since the time of Jefter- son and declared 1t always had been one of progress and in be- |halI of the majority of the peo- pie. He praised the late Franklin ] b. Roosevelt for extending demo- cratic opportunity in the economic field, and to make the pursuit of l happiness a reality in the indus trial age.
 With the passing into immor- tality of Franklin D. Roosevelt, one of the great of all ages, the mantle | fell to Harry $. Turman,' the Governor pointed out, and declar- ed of Truman:
 Hedging his support to his i predecessor $ policies Harry Tru- man ossumed his new great re- 1 spousiDuuty with humility and de termination. The end of the war was in sight and the pattern Ot peace prescribed. But it was not long belore Harry Truman found the ship oI state sailing on un- charted and turbulent seas. He o as soon ou ms own. And it dId not take long for the American people to recognize in him, the re solution, the integrity and the cnarocter that constitute aDie leadership President Truman made 1t plain that he was dedicaung hIs efforts to the speedy return Of Am erica to a peace-time norm-but q better norm than the nation had known-and to the establishment of the world on a basis of endur- ing peace"
 Truman, the Governor said, had as hi gsoaI peace, not only in our own time, but for all time." He declared the President had weld ed together behind him the senJd- ment of the nation, and has con- mitted to his support the leader ship of both major parties. This, in an election year, he declared, is no slight achievement, and shows both great statesmansnlp and political sagacity."
 1he Governor blamed the RepuD- licau congress for ditching the housing program through the machinations of a powerful real estate lobby" He pointed out that the Republican program of slash Ing appropriations had resulted in Alaska in loss of the Coast Guard headquarters, curtailment of activ- ities of the Fisheries Products Lab oratory, virtually eliminated the Alaska Fire Control Service, and barred out entirely a Geophysics laboratory and institute at the Un- iversity of Alaska to carry out re- search in radio, radar and related subjects which had been requested by the Army, Navy and Coast Guard.
 The defense of Alaska - the building up of it's non-existant de- lenses - would seem to be a num- Der one priority in national and international affairs" the Govern or said But the appropriations granted by the 80th Republican controlled congress have been so insufficient that building under-l taken as part of the program has had to be suspended, and the 5orkers shipped out this fall to the states at government expense. This spring when the Republican con gress makes up it's mind, they will doubtless be shipped back at gov ernment expense - completing at needless and wasteful costs and af- ter needless and wasteful delays what should be now be completed operation"
 President Truman has heartened all Alaskans by reiterating his plea to congress to grant Us statehood and by proposing a de- velopment program to help us in the process of achieving full cit izenship and full equality in the family of states,'' the Governor said "A Democratic congress un- der his leadership in the White House will give Alaska and the nation the policies that they re- quire."