22 NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA —MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS_
VOL. LX No. 78 NOME, ALASKA, MONDAY, JUNE 30, 1958 Per Copy—15£
WE FINALLY MADE IT!
Alaska Delegation Busy In Washington
WASHINGTON, UP) — A large
delegation of Alaskans was busy
here during the weekend in antic
ipation of seeing Congress and
President Eisenhower admit the
territory as the 49th state.
The Senate started a second
week of debate on the issue today.
Heading the statehood group is
Gov. Mike Stepovich. Busy about
the Senate are “Senators” Wil
liam Egan and Ernest Gruening
and “Representative” Ralph Riv
ers.
They were selected to be Alas
ka’s first voting members of
Congress on statehood but this
provision was dropped from the
bill in favor of new elections. All
of them are Democrats and so
the idea was abandoned to pick
up Republican congressional sup
port.
Delegate Bob Bartlett, who has
the right to be on the Senate
floor as a nonvoting House mem
ber, has spent much of his time
watching every move.
Busy in the Senate press gal
lery, in addition to newsmen reg
ularly assigned there, are C. W.
Snedden, publisher of the Fair
banks Daily News-Miner, Robert I
Atwood, publisher of the Anchor- j
age Daily Times, Bob Kederick,'
of the Daily Times staff, and
Marilyn Atwood, daughter of the
publisher and a staff corres
pondent.
Republican and Democratic par
ty leaders from Alaska also are
here including several potential
congressional candidates.
Sen. Charles E. Potter (R-Mich)
said today his mail is “running
100-1 in favor” of admitting
Alaska.
“The letters reveal a warm re
gard for the spectacular land of
timber, salmon and ore which
the canny William H. Seward,
Andrew Johnson’s Secretary of
State, picked up some 90 years
ago for $7,200,000 the price of a
modern bomber,” the senator said.
Potter cited these samples from
letters:
“A Detroit engineer writes that
Alaskan statehood will improve
American defenses and enhance
our prestige abroad.
“A Utica retailer, who served
two years as an Army medic in
Alaska, demands to know why
‘we give money to England, France
and Spain,’ but deny statehood to
a territory which has enriched
us.
“A Flat Rock school giri favors
statehood because ‘my boy friend
lives in Alaska in the sumer’.”
China Demands
UJS. Resume
Geneva Talks
HONG KONG, UP) — Red China
today demanded that the United
States resume ambassadorial
talks in Geneva within 15 days,
coupling it with a threat against
Formosa.
The talks were halted last Dec.
12 when U. S. Ambassador Alexis
Johnson and Red China Ambas
sador Wang Pin-Nan held their
73rd meeting and adjourned in
definitely.
The talks were begun in 1955
to negotiate the release of about
40 Americans imprisoned in Red
China. Most of the Americans
have since been released and
the talks turned to other issues
between the two countries.
Peiping radio broadcast the de
mand for resumption of talks,
but insisted the Red regime did
#not care whether the negotiations
were resumed.
“The Chinese people are by no
means afraid of U. ,S. aggression
and there is no reason whatever
that they should be pining for
talks with the United States,”
Peiping said.
“Building socialism with light
ning speed, the Chinese people are
perfectly strong enough to liber
ate their territory of Taiwan (For
mosa). No force on earth can
stop the great cause of the Chin
ese people.”
The >U. S. 7th Fleet guards!
Chinese Nationalist stronghold,!
from invasion. , '
Russians Hold
9 U.S. Airmen
In Red Armenia
MOSCOW, UP) — U. S. Ambas
sador Llewellyn E. Thompson Jr.
today asked the Soviet Foreign
Ministry for the immediate re
lease of nine American airmen
forced down inside Soviet Ar
menia.
The ambassador denied Rus
sian charges that the plane, an
unarmed DC-6A Air Force trans
port, had deliberately trespassed
into the Soviet air space. The
U. S. Defense Department sug
gested that the aircraft was fly
ing above an overcast on instru
ments and strayed off course.
The Russians previously re
ported that the plane, forced
down Friday by two Russian jets,
burned on landing but that the
six officers and three airmen
aboard were unharmed and are
being well cared for. Presum
ably the Americans set the plane
afire to keep the Russians from
getting its classified equipment.
They are the second group of
nine American military person
nel held by the Communists.
The East German Reds have been
holding nine U.S. Army men
since their helicopter got * lost
in a thunderstorm June 7 and ran
out of gas over East Germany,
v The plane downed in Armenia
was en route from Weisbaden,
Germany to Tehran and .Karachi
with cargo for U.S. military
and diplomatic missions in Iran
and Pakistan.
> - <3
“We made it” rejoiced Alaskans all over the
territory as impromptu parades formed, bonfires were
lit, stores closed as the news spread that the State
hood Bill had passed the Senate 64 to 20.
Thirty three Republicans and thirty one Demo
crats favored the bill while an assortment of both
Democrats and Republicans from both the north and
south opposed it.
The siren alerted the community as soon as the
news was received this noon and the city leaders
have gone into high gear for a giant parade this
evening at 8 o’clock.
Pioneers, Boy Scouts, Veterans and anyone else
are invited. The parade down Front Street will be
followed by a huge bonfire on the Sandspit.
At the impromptu ceremony on the spit the
Ministerial Assn, will lead in a prayer for the suc
cess of the 49th State—as well as lead in singing of
patriotic songs.
“Now we can vote for President” chorused the
newpboys of the Nuggt.
“Now we can make our own laws” stated a busi
ness man.
“Now we are really Americans” stated an Eskimo.
We’re the biggest state in the Union now,” from
an old miner who hasn’t voted since the McKinley
election.
Bertha, Alaskan
White Whale, DOA
At N.Y. Airport
NEW YORK, UP) — The great
heart of Bertha, the only white |
whale in captivity, pumped every
eight seconds, as a whale’s heart
should, as she neared Idlewild
Airport yesterday.
It had been an exhausting 11
hour trip from Seattle for Bertha.
She started east with a healthy
pearl gray complexion. On the
way she was swathed in canvas
and blankets, which were soaked
with water every hour. ,
Dr. Carleton Ray, assistant di
rector of the aquarium at Coney
Island who made the trip with
Bertha, said that although her
skin gradually hardened and
turned dark brown, she seemed
in good health until 15 minutes
out of Idlewild.
At that point, the 450-pound
mammal died. An autopsy by
aquarium staff physicians indi
cated a pulmonary injury had
caused death.
Bertha and another whale,
Louey, were taken at King Sal
mon, Alaska. Louey died in An
chorage. He suffered an in
fection which set in around a
harpoon wound.
-ALL
GROCERY STORES
Will Be Closed
Friday and Saturday
Do your shopping early.
-----1
President Signs
On Tax Cut
WASHINGTON, GP — Presi
dent Eisenhower’s signature to
day repealed the half billion
dollar a year federal tax on
freight shipments.
It was the lone tax cut in a
bill continuing for another year
the Korean War increases in cor
poration income taxes and in
excises on new autos, car ac
cessories, liquor and cigarettes.
The bill was passed by Con
gress just last Fir day to beat a
July 1 deadline for what other
wise was an automatic drop in
the rate increase. It thereby
averted a $2,115,000,000 revenue
loss to the government.
Supreme Court Throws
Out Contempt Finding
By Alabama Judge
WASHINGTON, GP — The Su
preme Court today threw out a
contempt finding and a $100,000
fine levied against the National
Assn, for the Advancement of
Colored People by an Alabama
judge. ,
Justice Harlan delivered the
unanimous decision.
' At the same time the high tri
bunal declined to act on a re
quest that it dissolve a restrain
ing order barring NAACP from
operating in Alabama.
Harlan said the court found
the association has never received
a hearing on the merits of the
ouster suit and the issue was
not properly before the Supreme
Court.
WASHINGTON. UP) — The
Senale beal back another ef
fort to sidetrack the Alaska
statehood bill and headed for
a possible final vote later to
day. The Senale rejected
the second of the constitu
tional challenges led by Sen
ator Eastland.
The vote was 62-22. The
bill's floor manager. Senator
Jackson told newsmen a
showdown vote could come
later today.
WASHINGTON, UR — The Sen
ate began its second week of de
bate on Alaskan statehood amid
hope that votes today might clear
the way for final action by mid
week.
Sen. Mansfield, acting majority
leader, said he hoped for votes
today on the remaining consti
tutional challenge against the bill
by Sen. Eastland arid the Missis
sippians’ move to send the bill
to the Senate Judiciary Commit
tee which Eastland heads.
Backers of the House-passed
bill, heartened by two test vote
victories, were confident the ad
mission measure would be on its
way to the White House not
later than Wednesday. They
forecast passage by a 2-1 Senate
margin.
Delegate Bartlett, traditionally
cautious in his statehood fore
casts, said he would not be sur
prised to find 70 senators lining
up for the bill on the final roll
call. He said he looked for action
by Tuesday night.
Simiar forecasts were made
during the weekend by Senate
backers of the bill which would
authorize the first new state since
New Mexico and Arizona joined
the union 46 years ago.
There was some indication that
(Continued on page 2)
WHAT WAS IT ?
Several people have reported
seeing a round fluorescent ob
ject with an eight foot red tail
drop into the Bering Sea Satur
day afternoon shortly after five
o’clock.
People in the Bourbon Creek
area, Bessie Road area thought
that the object, which appeared
to be white hot, fell on the land
betweeh them and the shore but
persons near Fort Davis and in
town claim they saw it fall in
to the Bering Sea about 300 feet
off shore.
4th Program Shaping Up
Fourth of July plans are shap
ing up it is reported, and the
program will be in Wednesday’s
issue of the Nugget.
The tourist committee has of
fered a $50.00 prize for the best
float, stating that they will be
competing for the prize them
selves with a very special float
for the occasion.
They state that any individual,
any organization or any business
house may compete, and any ve
hicle small or large may be en
tered.
a w v ni/^MCrD C! ^ssen,ble For StatehoodParade — 3:00 Tonight
A I A ■ I XV-/INLjLjiviJ By Order Of Axel Edman, President