SSI NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LVI No. 41 NOME, ALASKA, MONDAY, APRIL 5, 1954 Per Copy—15^
THE PEOPLE SPEAK . . .
The reaction o’f local business people is plainly expressed
in the following statements of stunned surprise at the attempt
to cast off the Second Division from the Alaska Statehood bill.
It was gratifying tcf see that although Alaska may be
divided on many issues, Anchorage leaders in both political
parties responded unanimously and immediately in opposition
to such an unfair division.
James A. von der Heydt, former district attorney of the
Second Division and now candidate for territorial senator, has
this to say:
“Governor B. Frank Heintzleman’s suspiciously tardy pro
posal that the Second Division be cut off from the rest of the
territory prior to granting statehood to the remaining three
divisions is a masterpiece of political whitewash.
“The opponents of Alaskan statehood must be getting
desperate to mislead our governor into such a statement at
this stage of the game.
“Alaska’s destiny is statehood—statehood for ALL Alaska.
To deny the people of the Second Division, the most potentially
rich of all the divisions, the rights and benefits of statehood,
shows a clear lack of foresight, is a flagrant injustice, and is
foreign to the principals of our democracy.”
Larry Galvin, past president Of the N.W.A. Chamber of
Commerce and prominent business man:
“I resent any idea of separation. What is good enough
for the majority of Alaskans should be good enough for all
Alaskans.”
Mike Walsh, an Alaskan for 50 years, prominent mining
man and regent of the University of Alaska:
“Sink or swim, Northwest Alaska is an integral part of
the territory. Statehood should be for all or none. I don’t want
to live in a crown colony.”
Sieve, Andersen, Mayor of Nome:
“We are part of the Territory of Alaska and should be
included in any legislation which effects the territory as a
whole.”
Bob Curtiss, Nome manager of Alaska Airlines:
“It appears that the Honorable Governor does not clearly
see the relationship that different parts of the territory play
together as a whole. Seventy-five percent of the minerals and
other natural resources are in this area which he doesn’t
consider important or productive. We are amazed at the
* inaptitude shown by these politicians.”
Edith Bullock, Kotzebue businesswoman and Second Divi
sion representative in the territorial legislature:
“This is a subject that has been kicked around for some
time. It is apparent the governor wants to get the public’s
reaction. He’s getting it!”
Carrie M. McLain, Nome City Clerk and Democratic
candidate for the territorial legislature:
“The Second Division is the ‘gateway’ for the rest of
Alaska, to Siberia and Russia. What would an alienation of
the Second Division from the other three divisions result in?
What would this lack of a unified Alaska do to us, politically
and economically?”
George Goshaw: “Incredible!”
Boyd Harwood: “The partition of Alaska would cause
only confusion on the statehood bill for both Alaska and
Hawaii. I believe that the bills should be separate.”
Dewey Goodrich: “As a citizen I am against partition, as
it would be many years before we would be able to become
a state in our own right.”
Nomeites Asked To Wire
President Eisenhower In
Support of Statehood Now
Mike Walsh has received the
following wire from Anchorage,
sent to Nome through the recom
mendation of Earl Cooper, former
ILS. District Judge here, so that
people of this area could partici
pate with individual effort in this
all-out campaign to pass the
statehood bill.
“Washington advises statehood
victory assured in House if Eisen
hower gives nod. Imperative tele
grams flood President Eisenhower
before press conference Wednes
day. Strongest possible effort
* needed in telegram campaign em
phasizing reasons Alaska ready
now. Will you organize in your
area.
s/ Operation Statehood”
Telegrams are already being
sent by local citizens and many
more are anticipated.
The following wire was re
ceived Sunday by George Goshaw
from Mildred R. Hermann, secre
tary of the Alaska Statehood
Committee:
“Statehood committee urges
wires be sent by all persons will
ing to da so urging President
Eisenhower to endorse joint
Alaska-Hawaii statehood bill. In
view of your long service toward
this end would appreciate your
taking responsibility for getting
Nome people to send wires im
mediately.”
HEINTZLEMAN PROPOSES THAT
ONLY DEVELOPED PART ALASKA
BE ADMITTED TO THE UNION
Description Of
The Proposed
Alternative State
(By the Associated Press)
The 250,000 square mile area
proposed by Governor Heintzle
man to be cut out ■ of .the vast
territory for a state of Alaska
would make the new state slight
ly smaller than Texas.
The land area of Texas is listed
at 263,000 square miles. Includ
ing inland waters, it is listed at
267,000.
Here is the description, in brief,
of the proposed alternative state
area: f
It would have the Shelikoff
Strait, between Kodiak and the
mainland, as a dividing line on
the southwest, meaning all of Ko
diak island would be included in
the state.
Then the line would run north
ward along the 152 meridian of
longitude. All to the east of that
line would be included. The 152nd
runs barely off the tip of the
Kenai Peninsula and cuts diagon
ally through Cook Inlet and runs
alongside Mt. Spurr, across the
inlet from Anchorage.
Mt. McKinley would be about
30 miles inside the proposed state
boundary. All of Mt. McKinley
National Park except the south
west corner would be inside.
The town of Tanana on the
Yukon River would be close to
the line and apparently just out
side the state.
The Alaska Peninsula and the
Aleutians and all of the Second
Judicial Division would be out
side the state.
The northern boundary would
be south of the summit of the
Brooks range. That would make
the line slightly more than 100
miles north of the Arctic Circle
and about 250 miles north of
Fairbanks.
Two Small Girls Burned
To Death In Kodiak Fire
KODIAK, 0?) — Three persons,
including two small children,
were burned to death late Satur
day night when fire levelled a
two-story home here.
The dead were identified as
Mrs. R. L. Richey; Sherry Van
Sant, 3; and Michael Van Sant, 1.
The children were both the dau
ghters of Mrs. Frances Van Sant.
Firemen ' said preliminary in
vestigation indicated Mrs. Rich
ey’s clothes caught fire as she
cooked in the Van Sant’s kitchen
on the first floor.
She apparently then ran into a
bedroom where the two tots were
sleeping, fireman said, with her
clothes ablaze and the fire spread
rapidly.
Mr. and Mrs. O. Stamsberry,
living upstairs, and an unidenti
fied babysitter escaped the flames.
Stamsberry told firemen he and
his wife, Patricia, ran by the donr
of the bedroom where the two
girls were, but presumed they had
been rescued.
Senate Leader
Knowland “For”
Alaska Statehood
WASHINGTON, UP — Senator
Knowland says he will find a
place on the Senate’s calendar for
a bill granting statehood to Alas
ka if the House decides to split up
a Senate-approved measure which
also grants statehood to Hawaii.
Although House leaders have
indicated they have little hope
that the double-barreled bill will
get approval in that body, Know
land said he hasn’t given up hope
that a statehood measure of some
kind will be sent to the Presi
dent.
“I personally believe there will
be a statehood bill,” he said.
He said if the House should
pass the joint bill approved by
the Senate, he hopes Eisenhower
won’t veto it.
As far as he is concerned,
Knowland said he doesn’t agree
that Hawaii would be likely to
send two Republicans to Wash
ington or that Alaska necessarily
would send two Democrats.
“I think it is just as likely that
Alaska might elect two Repub
licans and Hawaii two Demo
crats,” he said. “I don’t support
the statehood bill on a political
basis.”
Anchorage Statehood
Group Has Quick Answer
ANCHORAGE, (R—-Leaders of
both political parties reacted with
stunned surprise when informed
of a letter in which Gov. Heintzle
man proposed that only the popu
lated and developed sections of
the territory be allowed to attain
statehood.
Hasty conference among party
leaders here followed announce
ment of Heintzleman’s letter. Most
queries brought forth a reply of:
“No comment . . . yet.”
The Anchorage “Operation
Statehood” Committee, however,
acted quickly.
The group sent a telegram to
Speaker of the House Joe Martin
calling Heintzleman’s argument
for separation of the territory
“fallacious” and charged the “an
nual cost of the upkeep of the
glaciers, tundra and mountains of
Alaska is quite small but Alaska
needs the mineral underneath.”
“Alaska is united now and in
tends to stay that way,” the tele
gram concluded.
IKE TO PITCH FIRST BALL
OF 1954 BIG LEAGUE SEASON
WASHINGTON, (R — President
Eisenhower told owner Clark
Griffith of the Washington sen
ators today he’ll be on hand April
13 to throw out the first pitch
of the baseball season.
“The President said he’d be
there to make the first throw and
not hit the impire in the back like
last year,” Grififth told reporters
after speaking with the President.
The Senators meet the - New
York Yankees . in the opening
game a week from tomorrow.
| WASHINGTON, Uf) — Gov. B.
Frank Heintzleman’s proposal
that only the populated and dev
eloped portions of Alaska be ad
mitted into the Union drew op
position Sunday from Delegate
Bartlett and from the chairman of
the Alaska Statehood Committee.
Bartlett, in a statement, char
acterized the part state- part ter
ritory suggestion made Saturday
by Alaska’s governor in a letter
to Speaker Joe Martin (R-Mass)
as “a nicely calculated effort to
hurt the statehood cause.”
Proposal Rejected Before
Robert B. Atwood, Alaska
Statehood Committee chairman
and editor-publisher of the An
chorage Times, said the proposal
has been considered many times
and “rejected as in accord neither
with the national interest nor the
interest of Alaska.”
Chairman Miller (R-Neb) of the
House Interior Committee re
called that he made the same
proposal some six years ago and
it was turned down. Miller said
he thought it “was good then and
now” but that he didn’t think it
would be accepted.
Atwood and Bartlett said that
Heintzleman, an ex-officio mem
ber of the Statehood Committee,
an official agency of the terri
torial government, did not con
sult with them before making his
proposal.
The governor suggested that
such an amendment be written
into the Hawaii-Alaska statehood
bill approved by the Senate last
Thursday. The House already has
approved statehood for Hawaii.
But Martin said Friday he saw
little chance for approval of the
Senate’s combination bill.
Heintzleman said his proposal
was based on a belief Alaska
could not carry the financial bur
den of statehood in its present
state of development.
Less Than Half Of Alaska
About 250,000 square miles, less
than half of Alaska, are in the
area Heintzleman proposed. It
would include all the lands lying
east of the Shelikoff Strait and
the 152nd meridian of longitude
and south of the summit of the
Brooks range, eastward to the
Canadian border and all of south
eastern Alaska.
Bartlett said it “appears” that
Heintzleman did not consult with
the Statehood Committee, and
added: “I would expect he did
consult with officials of the In
terior Department.”
Bartlett said the governor is a
federal official, named by the
President and not chosen by Al
askans, and that the Department
of the Interior is “overlord of
Alaska.” He continued:
Harmful to Hawaii's Chances Too
“This intervention now, coming
at a critical moment, and posi
tively hurtful not only to Alaska
but also to Hawaii statehood, is
the most useful example now at
hand why Alaskans want to run
their own affairs under statehood
(Continued on Page Two)