Hi NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN A T .ASK A —MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LX No. 77 r NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 1958 Per Copy—15*
Southern Senator Asks How States
Righters Can Oppose Alaska Statehood
WASHINGTON, UP) — “How
can we States Righters vote
against statehood?”
That question was posed in the
Senate Tuesday by Sen. Russell
Long <D-La) during debate on the
Alaska statehood bill.
In addressing his question to
Sen. Willis Robertson (D-Va),
Long voiced an inquiry more of
ten phrased: “Why does the
South oppose statehood for Alas
ka and Hawaii?”
This was Robertson’s reply:
“The first obligation of the
senator from Louisiana (Long)
is to the 172 million people of
the 48 states. We cannot do jus
tice to them if we admit a non
contiguous territory with a popu
lation of about 100,000. If it is
done we will dilute the rights
the people of the 48 states now
have. That is the first part.
“Second, this country would
have to give support to the new
state (Alaska) far and above any
thing that has ever been done
before.”
Not all southern senators op
pose Alaska statehood. Long is
one who does not. But he is
definitely in the minority.
Racial Issue
It is an open secret that the
racial issue is behind some south
ern opposition to Alaska state
hood.
In Robertson’s 100,000 estimate
of the true population of Alaska,
he excluded 35,000 Aleuts, Eski
mos and Indians. He also exclud
ed military personnel and their
dependents.
But more important, southern
ers know that the admission of
Alaska to statehood will mean
statehood, in the not too distant
future, for Hawaii where a pop
ulation of Asian and Polynesian
origin outnumbers Caucasians
about two to one.
Southerners often mention the
dilution' of their voting strength
in the Senate Miy the addition of
two or four more senators who
would be apt to oppose their
position on civil rights legislation
and take the western viewpoint
on federal aid development pro
grams which is traditionally more
liberal than the southern position.
Dangerous Precedent
Sen. Strom Thurmond (D-SC)
asserted that admission of non
contiguous Alaska to statehood
would be setting “a precedent for
the admission of Hawaii, which
will in turn be cited as prece
dent for the admission of other,
even more dissimilar areas.”
He mentioned Puerto Rico, Guam,
Samoa, the Marshall Isands and
Okinawa.
“I see no reason,” he continued,
“why the process should stop
with American possessions and
trust territories. Suppose some
Southeast Asian nation beset by
political and economic difficul
ties should apply for American
statehood, would we deny them?
On what basis?”
CAP Officials
Expected Here
Saturday Evening
Civil Air Patrol Wing officials
are scheduled to arrive here Sat
urday evening for conferences
with the local group which has
been re-activated.
An informal no-host dinner is
planned for them at the Bering
Sea Club Saturday evening at
7 p.m., after which a CAP pro
gram is scheduled over KNOM
TV. At this time special awards
will be made to Les Bronson,
Alice Hudson, Roald Amundson
and Hap Lancaster.
A Wing Squadron meeting is
scheduled for 1 o’clock Sunday
afternoon at the Squadron head
quarters in the CAA area.
Anyone interested in the CAP
program is welcome to attend,
stated F. Rhode, who is making
the arrangements for the meet
ings.
AIR FARES TO
ALASKA INCREASED
ABOUT 10 PER CENT
SEATTLE, (#) — Air fares to
Alaska have been increased by
about ten per cent by the four
carrier's flying the states-Alaska
runs.'
The new Seattle-Anchorage fare
is $82.50, compared with the pre
vious fare of $75. The Seattle
Fairbanks fare has been hiked
from $90 to $99.
The new rates have been ap
proved by the Civil Aeronautics
Board.
Carriers flying Seattle-Alaska
runs include Alaska Airlines,
Northwest Orient Airlines, Pacif
ic Northern Airlines and Pan
American World Airways.
49 Star Flag To Be
Presented to President
If Alaska Bill Passes
SEATTLE, (j¥) — An American
flag with 49 stars will be flown
from Seattle to the nation’s cajy
tol today for presentation to
President Eisenhower—if Alaska
becomes the 49th state.
The flag, fashioned from rayon
taffeta and measuring 52 by 98
inches, was the idea and work
of Kathryn Keating, 16, daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Keating.
The Keatings recently moved
to Seattle after spending 17 years
in Alaska.
Her flag is being rushed to
Territorial Delegate Bartlett, who
will present it to the President—
when and if the territory joins
the union.
JET TANKER CRASH KILLS 15
WESTOVER AIR FORCE BASE,
Mass., — A jet tanker plane
attempting a trans-Atlantic speed
record crashed and exploded sec
onds after takeoff early today,
killing all its 15 occupants.
Observers said the giant KC
135 jet tanker hit high tension
wires about a mile and a half
from its take-off runway and
plunged into a garden in a blind
ing burst of flames.
The explosion disintegrated the
plane into hundreds of pieces, the
largest of which was described
as no bigger than a chair.
Among the victims were six
newsmen who were to cover the
flight of four Air Force planes
attempting to break records for
aircraft speed in crossing the
Atlantic in both directions.
The ill-fated plane was the
third of the four-plane flight to
take off. The first two got off
on schedule and headed directly
for London.
The fourth plane was on the
runway ready to take off at the
time of the crash. That flight
was canceled.
Some five hours after the crash
and with the first light of dawn,
rescue workers found 14 bodies
scattered- over a wide area. The
15th body was jammed in the
wreckage.
Eyewitnesses said all the bodies
were burned.
Parts of the flaming wreckage
set fires to trees and brush hun
dreds of yards away.
The crashing plane gouged out
two holes in the cross-state
Massachusetts turnpike and
knocked out electric power over
a wide section when it struck
high tension wires. A four to
five miles stretch of the high
way was closed until a crew of
Army men cleared away debris.
j Half Billion
| Cut in Freight
Goes to Ike
WASHINGTON, UP) — The
House today passed and sent to
President Eisenhower a compro
mise tax bill repealing half a
billion dollars a year surcharges
on freight transportation costs.
The bill averts a drop of
$2,115,000,000 in federal reve
nues due July by extending for
another year Korean War in
creases in the corporate income
tax rate and other excises on new
automobiles, car accessories, liq
uor and cigarettes.
The House completed congres
sional action on the tax compro
mise in spite of renewed grumb
ling over the fact Congress has
not cut other excises, particu
larly the 10 per cent federal tax
on rail, bus and airplane ticekts.
“Who comes first? People or
freight?” demanded Rep. Harold
R. Collier (R-Ill) in short debate
preceding House approval of the
compromise worked out yester
day between Senate and House.
U. S. Jet Tanker
Sets New Atlantic
Crossing Record
BRIZE NORTON AIR BASE,
England, OP) — A U. S. Air Force
jet tanker set down at this Ox
fordshire Air Base today making
the fastest-ever New York to
London trans-Atlantic flight.
It was followed by a second
huge KC-135 Stratotanker which
also flashed over London in faster
time than any previous mark for
the route.
The tankers had planned to
take off on a London to New
York record attempt after a brief
stopover here. This plan was
abandoned because a third tanker
in the flight crashed early to
day as it was taking off from
Westover Air Base in Massachu
setts, killing 15 persons.
The first record-breaking tank
er took exactly 5 hours 22 min
utes 29.68 seconds to make the
3,459-mile flight from New York
to London.
The flight time figured to an
average speed of about 644 miles
per hour.
The previous New York to
London record of 6 hours 16
minutes was set by a Royal Air
Force Canberra bombef in 1955.
Preliminary Votes Expected Tonight
In Senate On The Statehood Bill
WASHINGTON, UP) — Sen.
Mike Mansfield of Montana, act
ing Senate Democratic leader
said today there is a reasonable
chance for one, possibly two,
preliminary votes on the Alaska
statehood bill before the Senate
quits tonight.
The ballots would be on points
of order raised against the bill’s
constitutionality by Sen. East
land (D-Miss).
Mansfield reiterated to news
men his intention to keep the
Senate in late session again to
night, possibly until 11 p.m.
Sen. Thurmond (D-SC) who
held the floor when the Senate
recessed last night, today re
ceived unanimous consent to at
tend a meeting of the Labor and
Public Welfare* Committee with
out losing his right to resume
his speech later today.
Earlier Eastland said he would
be willing to start discussion to
day looking toward a vote on two
of his three challenges to the
bill.
Timing of the actual vote, he
said in an interview, would de
pend on the number of senators
who wish to speak. He said he
didn’t know how many dT these
there are.j
The Senate recessed in the
midst of a talk by Thurmond
shortly after the Senate filibus
ter champion passed the two
hour mark.
Deny Filibuster
Both Eastland and Thurmond
denied any intention to filibuster
the bill.
But during the evening, Thur
mond had blocked an attempt
by Mansfield to gain unanimous
consent to limit debate beginning
Monday to two hours on all
amendments and to four hours
on the bill itself.
Opponents of the statehood
bill held the floor most of yes
terday—the third full day of de
bate.
Eastland and other opponents
contend a provision of the pro
posed Alaska state constitution is
unconstitutional in that it calls
for election of one of Alaska’s
first two senators to a short term.
To back their contention, they
point to a Constitutional require
ment that all senators be elected
to six-year terms.
Eastland’s two other constitu
tional objections are based on
authority which the bill would
give the President to make nation
al defense land withdrawals with
in the new state.
Sens. Henry Jackson (D-Wash)
and Thomas Kuchel (R-Calif),
co-managers of the bill, agreed it
eventually will pass the Senate
without change.
Yesterday, two amendments
made their appearance but spon
sors made no effort to call them
to a vote.
Income Tax Exemption
One, by Sen. Mike Monroney
(D-Okla) and George Smathers
(D-Fla), would give Alaska com
monwealth status in lieu of
statehood, and accompany it with
exemption from federal income
taxes on all money earned with
in its borders.
The second amendment was
offered by Senator Thurmond.
It would require congressional
concurrence before the President
could exercise the privilege,
granted him under the bill, of
creating military reservations in
certain Alaskan areas.
House Probers
Continue Digging
at Sherman Adams
WASHINGTON, OP) — John
Fox quoted Bernard Goldfine as
saying that he had bought a
house for Sherman Adams in
Washington and had sent checks
to Adams over a long period of
years.
Adams, President Eisenhower’s
top aide promptly denied the
story about the house in a letter
read at A stormy session of the
House investigating subcommit
tee headed by Rep. Oren Harris
(D-Ark).
Fox did not specify the period
when he said the checks may
have gone from Goldfine, a mil
lionaire Boston industrialist, to
Adams. But Fox indicated it
was before Adams came to Wash
ington with Eisenhower in 1953.
Among other testimony before
the recess, Fox told the Congress
members that he got a $500,000
loan from Joseph P. Kennedy,
Boston multi-millionaire, after
supporting Kennedy’s son John in
his successful 1952 Senate race.
Fox, former publisher of the
Boston Post, said he got the loan
for his now defunct newspaper
and has repaid it.
He said he decided to support
the present Sen. John Kennedy
(D-Mass) because he became con
vinced the Republican candi
date, Henry Cabot Lodge, was soft
Stateside Weather
(By The Associated Press)
A late June cool wave ex
panded into eastern sections of
the country today but some
warming was in sight in the
chilled midwest.
The cool belt extended from
east of the Rockies to the Atlan
tic coast, excluding the extreme
southeast part of the country.
Warm weather continued in
South Carolina, Georgia, Florida
and areas near the Gulf coast.
Fair and warm weather covered
most of the west, with a heat
wave continuing in the south
west desert region. Tempera
tures dropped into the 40s and
upper 30s in the plains yesterday
morning but bright sunshine
sent readings to near 80 during
the day.
The mercury bubbled past the
100-degree mark again yesterday
in the desert region, with read
ings of 110 in Southern California
and up to 113 at Gila Bend,
Ariz.
against Communism. Lodge is
now the U. S. Ambassador to the
United Nations.
The letter in which Adams de
nied Goldfine had bought him a
house was produced by Rep.
Joseph P. O’Hara of Minnesota,
top Republican on the subcom
mittee, after Fox quoted Goldfine
as saying he bought the house.
Adams’ letter said nothing
about the checks that Fox quoted
Goldfine as saying had gone to
Adams. O’Hara had not asked •
Adams about that.