The Wrangell sentinel., 1952-07-04
THROUGH THE SENTINEL PERISCOPE
Why Stanley Didn't Run

It now becomes obvious why Rep. Stanley McCutcheon. Speaker of the House is the 1949 LegiI,a- ture. did not seek reelection. Stan ley was the attorney for the Alas ka AerOnauties and Communica- tions Commission when the now ill-famed Palmer airport deal was put over = or nearly put over un- til exposed by Mark Jensen two years ago. Jensen who is running for a seat in the Territorial Senate in next October's electiOs, was at the time a member of the House of Representative from the First Di- vision His unflinching insistence that all was not on the up-and-up in the Palmer airport deal helped to bring the matter before a U. s. Senate committee which looked in to the background and resulted in the Comptroller Generals decision last week that the federal govern ment had been the victim of con niving Territorial officials.
 Former Speaker McCutcheon was the legal "mouth-ptece' who advis- cd Director of Aeronautics George Tony Schwamm how to handle the Palmer transaction.
 The handling. as last weeks pa per announced, resulted in the Ter ritory paying the entire cost = something more than O,0O0.Ths Comptroller General of the United States, backed by the Senate com mittee investigation, decided the General Accounting Office couldn't go for a dime of it. He told the Secretary of Commerce there was "collusion' and other points which made it impossible for GAO to clear payment for any part of the Palmer airport.
 McCutcheon, unlike his father. the late H. H. McCutcheon, a tops gentleman in anybody's league, has long been a stooge of Gov. Ern- est Gruening who, incidentally, in a speech in Palmer, praised the Palmer airport project as a sound piece of business. As Governor. his No. 1 sworn oath is to protect the interests of the United States. The now apparent fact, that, as head of the Aeronautics and Com municatiOns Commission t the time of the Palmer deal, he wasi not looking to the interests of the United States doesn't seem to have a bit of bearing with the President of the United States who appointed him.
 The overall result is that the Territory built Palmer a very nice airport. and other communities in the Territory will have to "get a. long without" until there is more gasoline tax money. Meanwhile, ill-adyised Tony Schwamm is the goat.
 The Governor, who very neatly in the 1851 Legislature got a bin through to take the Governor off the aeronautics board, wouldn't know a thing about it.
 Shipping Strike Sidelights
 Harry Lundeberg, chief of the Sailors Union of the Pacific, is re- ported getting ready for vacation trip to Europe Gov. Gruening all ready is attending a Governors conference in Houston, Texas. Both vocal and as far away from the strike that is crucifying Alaska, as possible
 Desperation
 It looks like the left-wing Demo- crats and their cohorts from they Republican party are in desper- ate situation. No McCutcheon, no Essie Dale, no Warren Taylor, no Rivers, no anyone apparently qual- flied to take 'em off the hook. So Ernest has taken to the air to try and save the situation in October. Starting with WPA Qean-on-the- shovel the Governor is trying to build up a case from now until election on why his boys and girls should be elected to the Territorial Legislature. As the former Chair man of the Aeronautics and Con- munications Commission, W h has been repudiated by the General Accounting Office in connection with the Palmer airport, he has quite a TOW to hoe.
 Metcalf in Trouble
 Frank Metcalf, Highway Engin- ger, head of the highway patrol and often its chief blarney special. ist, is running into troubled wat CTS. The truckers in the Interior are getting a Title irked. They hold the highway patrol has been mak. ing 1t difficult for them to operate .----~-~>~~~--~-~~-->-----
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