THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
NOME, ALASKA
E. P. BOUCHER . Managing Editor
CLINTON GRAY . Production Manager
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Entered as second class matter October 14. 1943 at the
postoffice at Nome, Alaska, under Act of March 3, 1879 *
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THE RUFFIAN’S BODYGUARD
PROMOTE, PROMOTE, PROMOTE
Newsweek' has quoted an official of a retail trade
associationas saying: “The business is there for the man
who goes out after it. But he’s got to promote, promote,
promote to get it. He’s got to be aggressive. Otherwise,
he’ll lose out to his competitors.”
In ,a recent survey, merchants all over the country
were polled as to their current advertising plans. Nine
ty-nine per cent are spending as much or more on ad
vertising as was the case last year.
This is just more proof of the fact that the buyers’
market is back, and competition is tough and‘intense.
The consumer is king in the vast retail market.
$334,500 Contract Given
For Hospital at Valdez
JUNEAU, UR — The C and R
Builders, Inc., Seattle, was low
bidder at $334,500 Wednesday for
construction of a one-story, 150
bed hospital at Valdez, Public
Works Director Jim Huston an
nounced.
Nine bids were submitted and
the government's estimate of cost
was $350,000.
The building will include a
local health center. Construction
is to start this spring and should
be completed by fall, Huston said.
Speed Finally Slops Speeder
BISHOP, Calif., UR — Death
finally accomplished what traffic
officers had attempted to do —
stop Leo Reisig from speeding.
Reisig, a Porterville shoe sales
man, lost control of his car on
icy highway 395 about 12 miles
south of here last night. His auto
sideswiped another, overturned
in a field, killing him.
About noon yesterday he got a
ticket near Ridgecrest for doing
70 mph and six hours later he
received another citation for trav
eling 75 mph near Lone Pine.
ALASKA AIRLINES
From Anchorage: Maj. Dunning
/ To Anchorage: Sgt. B. Stacy, j
W. C. Stephenson, John McNees. |
To McGrath: Sig Krogstad.
From McGrath: Ray Blaster
void, Anna Eyak.
From Unalakle^t: Lt. Leidholdt
Police Round Up Score Of
Persons In Solving Wave
Of Fairbanks Robberies
FAIRBANKS, UP) — Territorial,
city and federal police officers
have rounded up a score of per
sons in what they said was the
solving of at least five major
robberies and bfeak - ins in the
Fairbanks area in the past two
months.
Announced as solved in the
roundup were holdups of a liquor
store, grocery, a club, supermar
ket and post office.
James H. Gale, special agent of
the FBI said three persons have
been arrested in connection with
the break-in and robbery of the
post exchange at Ladd Air Force
Base on Jan. 3.
It was not disclosed whether
any of the loot from the robber
ies has been recovered.
WIEN AIRLINES
From Fairbanks: H. R. Johnson,
Sgt. Chas. McEvoy,' Lt. W. J.
Quirk, Ralph Brown, Mr. Gray.
To Fairbanks: Mr. and Mrs. L.
D. Bronson and Nellie Panigeo.
Big Hurdle ...
(Continued from Page 1)
minority is likely to be a tightly
aligned little group, while the
Democratic senators, on the basis
of past voting records, are likely
to break ranks more often.
Selection of a Speaker of the
House and a President of the
Senate will be the kickoff jobs
for the legislators.
Rep. Wendell Kay, Anchorage
Democrat, is a virtual cinch to
get the speakership on his return
for a third term in, the House. He
is an attorney.
Howard Lyng apparently has
the inside trick for the Senate
presidency, to succeed Charles D.
Jones, also of Nome, who held it
in the 1953 Republican-led ses
sion.
Reports indicate a liklihood of
a choice between Lyng and Sen.
James Nolan of Wrangell. The
pipeline from Anchorage has it
that 3rd Division senators will be
supporting William Egan of Val
dez at the start, but inclined to
Nolan when it gets around to
switching votes to reach an ag
reement.
Lyng, Nolan and Egan are all
former Speakers of the House.
Lyng was Speaker way back in
1939. Except for two sessions, he
has served in the legislature con
tinuously since 1935. That gives
him the honors as “dean.”
The Republicans are under
stood to be agreeable to either
Lyng or Nolan when it comes to
final agreement on the Democrat
who will hold the President’s
gavel. Lyng has been seeking
support for the seat and reports
from around the territory indicate
Nolan, who was just re-elected
and will have another chance for
the post in the 1957 session, may
step aside in Lyng’s favor. Nolan
probably would get the Finance
Committee chairmanship, a key
role in framing the budget.
The .Democratic Central Com
mittee meets in Juneau Saturday
and ft no doubt will have an in
fluence on the final selection.
U.S. In Grip of Cold Spell
(By the Associated Press)
There weren’t many warm
spots across the nation today. The
mid - continent also got freezing
rain and snow.
It was generally below freezing
over all the country except for
the states bordering the Gulf, the
West Coast and the far southwest.
The coldest area was northern
New England, with temperatures
around zero in northern Maine.
In the central part of the coun
try, cloudiness and freezing rain
or snow kept temperatures in the
20s from northern Minnesota to
southern Missouri.
The nation’s warmest region
was on the Texas Gulf coast, with
a top early today of 68 at Browns
ville.
MMM HOSPITAL
Admitted: Lorena Nassuk and
Pollyanna Tocktoo.
Discharged: Bessie Estep and
Betty Tungwenuk.
Fine Job Printing at The Nugget
GLUE POT
Soda Fountain
CIGARS, CIGARETS
TOBACCO
CANDY
FRESH ICE CREAM
EVERY DAY
*
1
_ .__:
I
By Dr. Donald R. Moberg
Assoc. Prof, of Polif. Science
University of Alaska
Alaskans will be called upon
very soon to draft a constitution
for our proposed new state. A bill
calling for a constitutional con
vention will be introduced into
the hopper at the forthcoming ses
sion of the territorial legislature,
and all indications point toward
its overwhelming approval.
This prospect of framing a sys
tem of government for our new
state is an exciting, challenging,
and awesome task. Two immedi
ate benefits will derive from it:
1) it will rekindle our apprecia
tion and understanding of and re
spect for, the democratic way of
life, helping us to be more worthy
citizens in performing our duties
of citizenship; 2) it will be a tre
mendous boon to us in our fight
for statehood because it will dem
onstrate to the American public
and the American government
that, if we do a commendable job,
we are fully entitled to become,
at long last, first class citizens of
the United States, and equal part
ners with the 48 states.
The present series of articles is
designed to refresh the memory
of Alaskans as to the contents of
a state constitution, and to pro
voke real thought on some of the
fundamental problems involved,
in order that all Alaskans may
begin to prepare themselves seri
ously and intelligently for the
convention. It is not the purpose
of this series either to answer the
questions raised, or to influence
personal opinions on any particu
lar point.
PART I
Conienls of a State Constitution
And Some General Considerations
The scope of a state constitution
in modern civilization is vast and
complex, including nearly all as
pects of man’s political, economic
and social needs. Listed below are
the 14 most commonly included
sections in the 48 state constitu
tions:
1. Preamble
2. Bill of Rights
3. Suffrage rights and elections
4. Legislative branch
5. Executive branch
6. Judicial branch
7. Revenue, taxation, public in
debtedness, corporations
8. State educational system
9. Other state institutions
10. Local government
11. Provisions for amendment
12. Provisions required by fed
eral government
13. Location of state capital
14. Miscellaneous provisions such
as tidelands, rivers and har
bor rights, boundaries.
Such a list reveals the tremen
dous scope of political, economic,
and social factors with which a
constitutional convention must be
prepared to deal. The necessity j
for choosing competent, respon- I
sible delegates to frame Alaska’s j
constitution is obvious. Each and j
every citizen of the territory must,
therefore, be ready to assume his j
full responsibilities of citizenship j
to insure that the constitution 1
which will shape the future of Al- >
aska is the best possible one for
all of Alaska.
Several basic points must be
understood before suggesting spe
cific problems within each major
section of the constitution.
I. Constitution making cannot
possibly be involved in partisan
politics. Delegates must be chosen
on a non-partisan basis and must
conduct their work at the con
vention free from party strife.
II. Thorough understanding of
Alaska’s many political, economic
and social problems is essential
before proceeding to the structure
of our future government. No
model or theoretically ideal con
stitution can be automatically ap
plied to the new stat^. Local con
ditions do and should modify the
final result. Also Alaskans must
never ignore the two basic deter
minants of our life—climatic and
geographic factors.
III. Should we Alaskans attempt
to profit from the experiences of
the older states in their constitu
tion making, and from the new
requirements of modern life by
drafting a constitution that will
incorporate new trends in the
democratic processs? Or should
we be more conventional for fear
our constitution would not be ap
proved by the American govern
ment and thus endanger our
chances for statehood?
IV. Should our constitution be
as brief and general as possible
with the aim “to state principles
of government for an expanding
future,” as Mr. Justic Cardozo
once said? Or should our constitu
tion be cfuite specific as to the
powers and functions the people
with to delegate to their state and
local governmental institutions
and officials?
V. In a democratic society the
people themselves hold the ulti
mate sovereignty or power. They
delegate it in practice to the three
traditional branches of govern
ment—the executive, legislative,
and judicial, .maintaining a check
and balance system to prevent
any one branch from usurping
more than its constitutional share
of power. However, in the 19th
j century the legislative branch
| tended^ to gain the predominant
j power, due to American distrust
! of the executive inherited from
' colonial experience.
In the 20th century the trend
i has been toward more centraliza
tion resting in the hands of the
executive branch. This has been
a result of the increased control
given to the government over
more of the political, economic,
and social aspects of our modern
life. What position do Alaskans
wish to take on this problem? Do
they desire full control by the
legislature, or do they wish to cre
ate an efficient business type of
government controlled though the
executive branch? Or can some
effective compromise between the
two be. reached?
NEXT: Specific problems aris
ing from each section of the con
stitution.
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