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Show 1fLOOKhrG Sm AHEAD Pirfim GEORGE S. BENSON '" President-Harding eollegt " Searey. Jrtetsas THE NEW SECRETARY OF INTERIOR "If the American people ever lose their self-reliance in any great numbers," Secretary of Interior Douglas McKay said to me, "our nation will be destroyed." We were seated in his office in the Interior Department for the second in this series of interviews with key people peo-ple in the Eisenhower adminstra-tion. adminstra-tion. The key word in the American Ameri-can language Secretary McKay feels is "opportunity." The government's govern-ment's primary responsibility is to protect and expand it. Secretary McKay considers the number one job of the Interior Department De-partment to be the safeguarding nf the natural resources so their mental philosophy. He closed Oregon Ore-gon Indian reservation schools, 5nd brought the Indian youngsters into the public schools, and at the same time repealed all state laws discriminating against Indians. And when a vast acreage of Oregon Ore-gon timberland was denuded and left barren, he organized a great locally-financed and locallyhman-aged locallyhman-aged reforestation project, sowing seed with helicopters, -instead ot relying on the federal government to do it. As Interior Secretary he wants gradually to end the government s jurisdiction over the Indians, give then full citizenship responsibilities responsibili-ties and let them become self-reliant. self-reliant. Paternalism for anyone, lie thinks is destricutive. "I believe in private enterprise," he said at the close of the interview. inter-view. "But it must earn its way. For instance, atomic energy is being be-ing developed by our government. It holds great promise for the future. fu-ture. At the proper time, I believe be-lieve it should be gradually transferred trans-ferred to private industry but not as a gift. There are, on the other hand, some individual projects pro-jects that seem fitted to public ownership, and in such cases I think public ownership and private ownership can and must work side by side." development may enrich the lives of all Americans. He believes that in most cases private enterprise can best serve in such developments. develop-ments. At my request Mr. McKay related a bit of his life story, but the most interesting details came from talks with some of his intimate in-timate associates in the department. depart-ment. School of Hard Knocks Douglas McKay's Scotch forebears fore-bears helped settle the West, but his parents were of such modest means that young Doug, at 14, was driving a butcher's delivery wagon wa-gon while getting his high school education piecemeal. He worked his was through Oregon State College, but the beginning of his career was cut short by World War I. He enlisted. In the historic battle of the Argonne Forest, his outfit engaged in the fiercest action. Of its 201 men, only 28 survived. McKay, Mc-Kay, his right shoulder terribly shattered, was given little chance for life. He was hospitalized for months and had to adjust to a lifetime of being handicapped. At war's end he got a job selling Ford cars in his home town, Portland, Port-land, Ore. He lived thriftily, saved his money, and in 1928 bought a small Chevrolet dealership in Salem. Sa-lem. Some of his capital was borrowed bor-rowed money and this he paid back early in the depression because he felt the future was so uncertain he might not have it later. He weathered the depression by cub-ting cub-ting expenses to the bone. Today his automobile business built up gradually over 25 years, is prospering. pros-pering. "Put Something Back" . Larry Smyth, veteran writer on the Oregon Journal, was persuaded persuad-ed by the new Secretary to take a leave of absence and work for him for a time in Washington. Smyth covered McKay's 'political, career in Oregon. "When Douglas McKay got in business for himself and began ,to progress in Salem,, he also got into civic work," according ac-cording to Smyth. "His theory was and still is, 'that those who take something out of a community should put something back." McKay's Mc-Kay's civic work led to his being elected mayor. He next was sent to the state senate. When World War II started he cut short any further political career car-eer and, although handicapped and! over-age, he enlisted in the Army again. He remained in service until the Japanese had capitulated. Back in his Salem automobile dealership dealer-ship once more, he was stunned one day in 1947 when the Governor, Gover-nor, the Senate President, and the House Speaker all were killed in an airplane accident. A few days later the Oregon Republicans tossed tos-sed in McKay's hat for governor. He was elected. In 1950, he was re-elected to a four-year term with the biggest vote any Oregon gubernatorial -candidate ever received. re-ceived. He left the governorship to join President Eisenhower's "team." Hin Philosophy At 59, Douglas McKay feels that the Interior Secretary-ship now gives him an opportunity to "put something back into America" Ameri-ca" for what America has given him. Two actions as Governor of Oregon characterize his govern- |