The Wrangell sentinel., 1950-07-07
THROUGH THE SENTINEL PERISCOPE

While 1t was three months be- fore the general election in 0Cto- Der and most voters were busy with their seasonal activities, the old political pot was boiling along merrily in Alaska this week. Par tieularly active was the so-called "Hnited Republican" party, an Emalgamation of the white and an- ti-whits forces which emanated from the COP caucus held in Ju- neau in the spring when Cap La throp, AlsskA's highly publieized millionaire induatrialist, was named rational committeeman to succeed the late A. E. RAsmuaon. Actually, the two Republican groups are as far apart as when they split wide open in Douglas in 19s6 but for political purposes they were trying the old united we stand" political chestnut, hoping to get somebody elected in October.
 Apparently the theme song was going to be smear" It was built on the political thinking that with former Democratic Treasurer Oscar olRon in the penitentiary for em- bszzlsment they might be able to convince the voters that all other Democratic offiesholdsra were crooks. or at least just a couple of jumps ahead Of the FBI. So the united Republican," set up in Ju- neau an Investigating" office. The Worthlss from this headquarters would dslVs into this and that, just sure they would come up with nothing les than a good old Re publican Teapot Dome scandal and blame 1t on the Democrats
 First attempt was made at the. Aeronnutics Division of the Alaska AeronautiGa and Communications Commiasion. When this bubble, blown up to exploding size by Cap LAthrop's News-Miner in Fairbanks, the Anchorage News and Sid Charles Ketchikan News, burst in their laps with a dull thud the Investigating office became the ahing to have. From thie headquar- tera would no doubt come from time to time between now and cleo ton propaganda e1lsged nswg pieces for the papers implying there was a Democrat Ethiopian in the wood pile and the forces of the united Republicans" were about to ferret him out. This week Lathrop's News Miner had Jack Daum in Juneau on assignment" Jack was filling in' at the Empire, 50 the story goee while one of the Empire re porters was in the hospital.
 On a wider front, the antitrust suits brought by the Department of Justice in Anchorage were being used @ a prop" Those indicted were crying "persecution" to high heaven, particularly the Alaska Steamship Company and Cap La- throp were were blaming every thing on the Governor, the titular head of the Democratic Party in Alaska. Gilbert Skinner, president of Alaska Steam, was flooding the territory with letters denying everything the grand jury had charged at Anchorage, and, of course, not overlooking in each let ter to charge Governor Gruening with being the big, bad wolf back of it all. EEN
 Now if the fish will only run, even under a Democratic admins tration, it promises to be very Interesting summer.
 Preliminary steps in setting ur aA adequate civilian defense pro- gram in the Anchorage area were being taken this week. Fairbanks would b~ next on the list. From these setups would manate to the less military strategic communities of the Territory a program aimed to protect all civilians in case ot disaster or enemy attack. As a re suit of the Korean war it was pos sible that certain defense area, which the military had decided t abandon as no longer necessary fl peace time would continue in op eration during the present Pacifi situation. It had been announces publicly that Shemya in the Aleu-
 tian chain would be kept open a
 an air rsfueling station.