The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1950-10-05

been employed as cashier in the
bank Of the late Captain Austin E.
Lathrop, Republican National Com
mitteeman, who recommended him
highly for the veterans job, and
that he had been appointed by the
Territory specifically at the urging
of a Republican Senator from the
Fourth Division.
Mr.. White found fault with the
fact that the Veterans Bureau had
from time to time retained attor-
neys to collect on delinquent loans.
He cited as an example the en-
ployment of Warren Taylor of
Fairbanks in bringing suit against
the Star Cab Company of Fair
banks on behalf of the Veterans
Affairs Commission and mentioned
that the attorneys fee in that case
was $780, and that a 1907 fee was
Paid to Mr.. Taylor in another case
in which the Veterans Affairs Com
WHERE'S THE MONEY Gal. 2 j
mission was an intervenor. What
Mr.. White was very careful not
to say was that these fees had
been set by the court in each case
and were paid not by the taxpayer
or the Veterans Affairs Commits
sion, but as part of the judgment
obtained when the Territory won
the suits. Mr.. White pretends to
find something horrifying and pol
itical in the employment of this
particular attorney, who as we all
know is a member of the legislature
and candidate for the Territorial
Senate. Mr.. White again was very
careful not to mention that other
Alaska attorneys, including notably
such eminent Republicans as Will
liam l.. Paul, Jr., of Juneau and
Herald Stringer of Anchorage, had
been retained for similar work.
In view of all the deliberate mis-
statements in AL Whites speech
and advertisement, it is refreshing
to find that in one paragraph he
says something which is absolutely
true. This is that "a few business
firms who collected the veterans
tax have not paid it into the fund
at ALL" Mr.. White knows exactly
whereof he speaks, for as owner OF
the Bon Marche store in Juneau, he
collected the tax from customers
and has to this day failed even to
make a return covering the tax
owed by the Bon Marche for the
first two quarters of 1913. Mr..
White sold that business in De-
cember of 1948, but still owes the
veterans of this Territory the
money which he collected for six
full months on their behalf. There
is apparently no record either OF
his having paid over to the vet
Grams any tax he may have col
lected as an attorney. Was this
because, as in the case of the Bon
Marche, he just pocketed the
money he collected for veterans,
or because he didn't have any
clients until the Republican party
came along? AIS having included
in his statement the mention of
non-payment of taxes only goes to
prove, I suppose, that there is a
little bit of truth in everyone. He
is absolutely right in saying that
some firms have not paid.
WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO
KNOW NOW, AL, IS WHETHER
YOUR FAILURE TO PAY THE
VETERANS THE MONEY YOU
OWE CONSTITUTES CORRUPT
ION, MALFEASANCE OR MIS-
FEASANCE?
Mr.. White, so anxious to find
something to criticize, ignores en-
tirely the good work done under
the fine program which Alaska has
enacted for her veterans. Under
it, more than 1000 Alaska veterans
have received the benefit of $4,-
595,314 in loans and another 1888
veterans have received S1,385, $50 in
bonuses. The fund has been man
aged conservatively and, to the
credit of our veterans, total losses
have been less than was anticipated
when the program was set up.
Unprincipled attacks such as
those of the Republicans under
mine public confidence, jeopardize
worthwhile programs and destroy
the morale of conscientious public
servants. just consider what kind
of veterans program we could ex-
pect if such people as AL White
again gained control of the Terri
torial government! Veterans not
only of World War II but of Korea
could expect to come back to Alas
ka and take up the good old Re-
puhlican-sponsored profession Of
selling apples on the street cor
ners.