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Shelton Mason County Journal
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September 22, 2016     Shelton Mason County Journal
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September 22, 2016
 
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Page A-4 - Sheiton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016 KOMEN COMMENT ~r~he Soviet of Washing- - | -ton" was the label af- .l= fixed to our fair state back in 1936. It was a phrase coined by James A. Farley. He was postmaster general and political adviser to President Franklin Delano Roos- evelt. So Farle s words bore weight and author- ity. And even though he said his "Soviet of Wash- ington" remark was made in jest, the phrase took on a life of its own. In full, Farley said: "There are 47 states in the union, and the So- By JOHN viet of Washington." It KOMEN was meant as a descrip- tion of political ferment then roil- ing the state. A joke, maybe, but it had an element of truth. Socialists, communists and radical labor movements, includ- ing the feared Industrial Workers of the World, were pitching their philosophies, often with violence. The IWW -- known by the almost epithetical term "Wobblies" --was threatening shutdowns and prais- ing the revolution in Russia. Living was tough in those middle days of the Great Depres- sion. Hungry people without hope and men without jobs were ready audiences for radicals offering solutions. Communists and socialists were known to take direct action against banks foreclosing mort- gages on farms and homes. Their threatening presence at sheriffs' foreclosure auctions were legend- ary in the farm communities of Western Washington. As the economy improved and the Depression years gave way to World War II, radical movements lost their effectiveness. Their appeals against government were replaced by fears of foreign enemies with their forbidding to- talitarian governments. The Cold War was underway. It was the beginning of the Red Scare years. And it started right here in what Farley once called =the Soviet of Washington." It was the day of the Canwell Commit- tee, formed in 1947 by the state Legislature to ferret out commu- nists in public agencies. Chairman of this Joint Legisla- tive Fact Finding Committee on Un-American Activities was Rep. Albert F. Canwell of Spokane. His first aim was to rid the University of Washington of what he said were scores of communist profes- sors. On July 19, 1948, Canwell convened his committee in the Seattle Armory and subpoenaed 40 professors. Eleven were sum- moned to appear, and for five days the committee probed what Canwell contended were sub- versive communist ac- tivities on the university campus. If this has a familiar ring, it is because Can- well's committee was the precursor to the similar- ly named congressional committee led by U,S. Sen. Joe McCarthy. The McCarthy hunt for communists in the federal government and in the military dominated America in the 1950s. Canwell's committee flamed out before the McCarthy hearings consumed the nation's attention. But Canwell was successful in getting three professors removed from their positions at the Uni- versity of Washington. Scores of others were sanctioned or threat- ened with dismissal. The Red Scare had found its victims. Unlike McCarthy, who kept winning re-election from Wiscon- sin, A1 Canwell was soon gone from the state's political system. He served only one term in the Washington Legislature, failing to move up to a state Senate seat in 1950. He also lost bids for Con- gress in 1952 and 1954. Years later, in 1994, the Uni- versity of Washington apologized for the firing of the three profes- sors. But Canwell stood fast. It is said he continued to collect infer- mation on supposed communists as part of his private security and consulting business. "I have no apologies," he said in a 1998 interview. "I didn't ac- cuse anybody who wasn't guilty as hell." He remained unrepentant un- til the end, which came at age 95 on April 1, 2002, in Spokane. • John Komen, who lives on Mason Lake, was for 40 years a reporter and editor, Seattle televi- sion news anchorman and execu- tive, national TV network news correspondent, producer, colum- nist, editorial writer and commen- tator. His column, Komen Com- ment, appears each week in the Shelton-Mason County Journal. JOURNAL EDITORIAL The saga of Mary E. Theler Wetlands and Community Center seems to be coming to an end -- at least, for now. Last week, the North Mason School Board signed legal documents to dissolve the trust binding the school district to the locations, putting a period on a years-long controversy over the future of one of Belfair's most popular and iconic locations. The Samuel B. Theler Testamentary Trust, as it was named, was put into place after Belfair resident Sam Theler's death. The trust, named after Sam's late wife, Mary, whose di- ary entries appear in the Belfair Herald each week, was intended to pay for the management of the wetlands and community center after his death. The Thelers were prominent business owners and com- munity members in North Mason throughout the early 1900s. But financial misman- agement and increasing fees have caused the North Mason School District to re-evaluate what role it will have in the Theler Wetlands and community center. Earlier this year, North Mason Superintendent Dana Rosenbach recom- mended the school district keep the community center and play field. Under a proposal, the district could turn the parcel into an early childhood education resource center. The wet- lands could be transferred to another agency. We applaud Rosen- bach's proposal and cre- ative thinking. The North Mason School District's No. 1 priority is teaching our children. It should not be managing a wetlands preserve. We're glad Rosenbach and her administrative staff held several public fo- rums to gather community input on the complicated, and at times, controversial topic. The superintendent has stated that the public will remain in the loop as this process continues. At the request of the school board, the school district will continue to talk with interested partners about accepting responsibility for the 55-acre wetlands preserve. If you're interested in speaking to the school board about the Theler Center or wetlands, its next meeting is at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 20 in the district office, 71 E. Campus Drive in Belfair. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 1 would benefit county Editor, the Journal I am supporting Proposition 1 creating a Metropolitan Parks District and I am a candidate for Position 3. Mason County Parks is under a criti- cal financial dilemma. Funds normally destined toward parks are being used to finance critical infrastructure in the county. These infrastructure projects once finished, will help protect the environ- ment, provide mnlt'ffamily housing and will grow the economy and tax base for many years. see LETTERS, page A-5 SHELTON-MASON COUNTY USPS 492-800 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Mason County Journal, Re. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584. Published weekly by the Mason County Journal at 227 W. Cota St., Shelton, Washington. Mailing address: Re. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584 Telephone: (360) 426-4412 Website: www.masoncounty.com Periodicals postage paid in Shelton, Washington. The Mason County Journal is a member of the Washington News- paper Publishers Association. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $42 per year ($33 for six months) for Mason County addresses; $56 per year ($43 for six months) in the state of Washington but outside Mason County; and $66 per year ($53 for six months) out of state. Owned and published by Shelton-Mason County Joumal, Inc. Publisher: Tom Mullen Newsroom: Adam Rudnick, editor Gordon Weeks, reporter Brianna Loper, reporter Michael Heinbach, reporter Alexandria Valdez, sports reporter Advertising: John Lester, ad manager Brittany Haddock, ad representative Theresa Murray, ad representative Front office: Donna Kinnaird, bookkeeper Dave Pierik, circulation and classifieds manager Delivery: Paul Kinnaird, Gary Larimer Composing room: William Adams, technology and design manager Linda Frizzell, graphics All editorial, advertising and legal deadlines are 5 p.m. the Monday prior to publication. To submit a letter to the editor, email adam@masoncounty.com.