22 NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA —MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LX No. 104 NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 1958 Per Copy—15<£
Bartlett --- Father 05 Statehood
(The following is taken from the Congressional Record of the
U. S. House of Representatives for August 22. 1958.)
MR. KING: Mr. Speaker, all of us who did our bit
to bring about Statehood for Alaska are proud that it
is about to be accomplished. No doubt the people of
Alaska will ratify statehood by an overwhelming vote
in the forthcoming referendum, and Alaska will be
come in fact our 49th State by Presidential proclama
tion before the end of the year.
I am concerned howover, over the lack of credit
that has been given to the man whose tireless persis
tence and dedication, over a period of many years,
contributed so materially to achieving the support for
Statehood in the House of Representatives that made
the admission of Alaska possible.
I refer to the distinguished Delegate from Alaska,
the Honorable E. L. “Bob” Brtlett, who is now serving
his seventh term here with us.
I believe that no Member of this House will dis
pute my statement that had it not been for Mr. Bart
lett’s sterling work — his total dedication to the cause j
of Statehood — his refusal to acknowledge defeat even
when prospects seemed darkest — Alaska Statehood I
still would be far in the future.
Delegate Bartlett never sought publicity for him
self. He sought it for Alaska, and had remarkable sue-1
cess in obtaining it. His characteristic personal mod-j
esty, Whice we in this House know so well, perhaps has
made it easier for certain late arrivals in the Statehood
movement in behalf of Alaska to claim credit that we
know rightfully belongs to Delegate Bartlett. Some of
(Continued on Page Two)
Alaskan Prof
Swimming Lake
Michigan Today
MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. UP) —
At nearly a stroke a second, Har
ry Briggs, Alaska’s aquatic pro
fessor, was swimming across
Lake Michigan today.
Three and one-half hours af
ter the 37-year-old distance
swimmer officially took off he
had covered iVi miles of the 34
mile stretch of lower lake from
Michigan City to Chicago.
He was reported in good spir
its, joking with the crews of
boats accompanying him. Swim
ming at about 50 strokes a min
ute, he was able to stay on course
by following a boat with a radio
turned to a guide beam.
Fifteen minutes after entering
the water at 5:01 a.m., Briggs was
pulled out at his request. He said
his protective covering of lano
lin was too heavy. After being
recoated, he officially started
across the lake at 6 a.m. under a
five-boat escort.
He hopes to reach Jackson
Park on Chicago’s South Side by
6:30 p.m. tomorrow.
Portable Radios Foul
Aircraft In Flight
LONDON. UP) — Britain’s air
line pilots have ben told to for
bid passengers playing portable
radios while in flight.
They could be the cause of dis
aster, the Ministry of Transport
and Civil Aviation warned in a
special circular.
“Experience has shown that
fortuitous radiation by a passen
ger’s portable radio receiver may
cause interference to aircraft
radio and navigation systems,”
the circular said.
Norfolk School
Board Bows To
Integration Order
The school board at Norfolk,
Va., today bowed to federal
court orders and announced it
would enroll 17 Negro pupils in
white schools — which may make
the coastal city the first to have
its schools closed to forestall ra
cial integration.
This development came shortly
after a lull settled over the Little
Rock, Ark., situation when the
U. S. Supreme Court delayed a
decision on the integration
struggle there.
The Norfolk board acted after
a court-dirctd r-xamination of
the applications of 151 Negroes
seeking admission to white
schools.
In reporting to Federal District
Court that it had approved 17
applications for enrollment on
Sept. 8, but again rejected the
other 134, the board said it acted
against the public interest as it
sees it, but pursuant to the law
as interpreted by the court.
CITY TO HAVE
FIRE AND WIRING
INSPECTION SOON
Councilman Axel Edman was
acting mayor at the meeting
Monday evening.
/It was announced that a house
to-house inspection of fire haz
ards, Wiring and sanitation would
be held soon as they are a part
of the new Code recently adopted
by "the city.
The Council also discussed with
the survey engineers problems
concerning property changes on
the new preliminary plat of the
City.
The Moonlight Water Co. was
granted a permit to "operate its
summer water system again as
in past, years.
U. S. Warns Reds
“Hands Off”
Formosa Straits
By WARREN ROGERS, JR,
WASHINGTON. UP — Amer
ican officials said today a new
Peiping threat will weigh heavily
in any decision by President Eis
enhower on sending U. S. forces
against any Red Chinese invaders
in the Formaso Straits.
The State Department was so
impressed by Peiping’s state
ment that it issued a hands-off
warning to the Chinese Commu
nists yesterday.
The United States is pledged
by treaty to defend the big Na
tionalist island of Formosa and
the nearby Pescadores Islands,
about 100 miles across the strait
from the China mainland.
Congress left it up to Eisen
hower to decide whether any Red
Chinese attack on Quemoy and
Matsu, small islands closer to the
mainland, was the start of an
attack on Formosa and the Pes
cadores.
If the President decided it was,
his next step could be to oppose
in with the U. S. 7th Fleet and
other American military power.
This, in part, is what Peiping
Radio said, as Red guns pounded
Quemoy and Matsu in a continu
ing record bombardment:
“The Chinese Peoples Libera
tion Army is determined to lib
erate the fatherlands territory of
Taiwan (Formosa) and the coastal
islands.”
The Red radio called on Na
tionalist defenders of Quemoy to
surrender, saying “The island is
doomed ... a landing is immi
nent.”
Alaska Bar
Assn. To Meet
Here Sept. 5
W. C. Stump, president of the
Alaska Bar Association, has an
nounced that the forthcoming
meeting of the Board of Gover
nors will meet in Nome, beginning
September 5th. The meeting is an
important one, as among other
matters which may regularly
come before it, the Board will
consider the transitional meas
ures necessary in the organiza
tion of the bar, in becoming a
State, and also will consider the
recommendations of the Alaska
Bar to the forthcoming Legislature
in the setting up of the new
State Judiciary and Court Sys
tem.
The members of the board, all
attorneys, are as follows: W. C.
Stump, President, of Ketchikan,
Robert L. Jernberg, also of Ketch
ikan, M. E. Monagle of Juneau,
John R. Connolly, Wendell P. Kay
and Clifford J. Groh, all of An
chorage, Robert Parrish and Rob
ert McNealy, of Fairbanks, and
James von der Heydt, of Nome.
The forthcoming meeting will
mark the first time the Board
members have met in Nome, and
the community is looking forward
to their visit.
Monday is Labor Day. All
business houses. Federal and
Territorial offices and the
U. S. Post Office will be closed.
The Nugget will also observe
the Holiday, and there will be
no publication on that day.
Absentee Ballots May Decide
Democratic Primary Races
JtJNEAU. — The outcome of I
Democratic Congressional and
Secretary of State races in Tues
day’s primary may be settled
today as the count of absentee
ballots begins in Alaska.
The total vote from the Terri- j
toray’s first state election pushed j
toward the 45,000 mark as the j
tedious task of counting a record i
number of ballots continued.
The mountaing record vote — j
likely to run more than 16,000 ^
higher than ever before in Alas
ka — left the two Democratic
nominating races whisper close.
With less than 100 precincts
still to be reported, Raymond
Plummer was less than 300 votes
ahead of Ralph Rivers for the
Democratic Congressional nomi
nation. But Rivers reportedly was I
gaining in the count of two big
Fairbanks precincts.
The winner of the nomination
will face Republican Henry Ben
son in the general election.
For the Democratic choice as
Secretary of State, Territorial
Treasurer Hugh Wade was hold
ing an edge of about 400 votes
over Dick Gruel.
Karl Dewey of Juneau was the
Republican Secretary nominee
without opposition.
The two close Democratic con
tests could be decided on the ab
sentee ballots, the count of which
must begin by next Tuesday.
Both Rivers and Wade were
expected to register substantial
gains on the Southeastern absen
tee tally.
The only other contested race
among the State and national of
fices in the voting was the three
way Democratic lineup for the
gubernatorial nomination.
No count of absentee was nec
essary to settle that one. The
nomination went to William
Egan, a landslide winner over
Victor Rivers and J. Gerald
Williams.
Egan had compiled more than
6,000 votes more than the com
bined total cast for his two oppo
nents.
Egan will face Republican John
Butrovich, who received the GOP
nod for governor without op
position.
Delegate E. L. Bartlett, after
14 years as a non-voting member
of Congress, was certain to pass
the 30,000 mark — alone greater
than the total vote ever cast in
Alaska. Barring unseen develop
ments, his popularity seemed
likely to be maintained at the
polls in November.
R. E. Robertson of Juneau, the
Republican who will oppose Bart
lett in November, had polled
6,000 votes in the primary returns
counted so far.
The more politically interesting
vote count was that for the two
former Alaska governors who
will be seeking Alaska’s second
Senate seat.
Mike Stepovich of Fairbanks,
the 39-year-old lawyer who is
the Republican choice, had built
an edge of nearly 4,000 votes over
Democrat Ernest Gruening.
Political observers estimated
that about 5,000 ballots still re
mained to be reported three days
after the election. They were
from many areas of the north
western and southcentral dis
tricts, and a dozen or so of the
precincts from the outlying areas
of the southeastern district.
Complete Returns
From 230 Precincts'
(By The Associated Press)
'Unofficial complete returns
from 230 of about 297 precincts
in Tuesday’s primary give:
For U. S. Senate term A: Bart
lett (D) 32,879s Robertson (R)
6,852.
For U. S. Senate term B: Gruen
ing (D) 17,424, Stepovich (R)
22,210.
For U. S. House: Plummer (D)
15,251, Rivers (D) 14,768, Benson
CR) 8,703. •
For Governor: Egan (D) 19,776,
Rivers (D) 6,651, Williams (D)
4,884, Butrovich (R) 7,83?.
For Secretary of State: Greuel
fD) 16,147, Wade (D) 16,807,
Dewey (R) 5,993.
Statehood Referendum, 218 of
297 Precincts:
Proposition One, for 36,832,
against 6,906. Proposition Two,
for 36,669, against 6,618. Propo
sition Three for 36,883, against
6,582.
Farm Bill and Social Security
Measures Signed Into Law
WASHINGTON. UP) — Presi
dent Eisenhower today signed
such far-reaching measures as
the new farm law and social se
curity revisions.
Here are the major new laws
made effective by Eisenhower’s
signature:
Farm — A new, more flexible
price support range, with a floor
of 65 per cent of parity, is pro
vided.
Social Security — Old Age and
Survivors benefits are raised 7
per cent, with a minimum boost
of $3 a month, to a new range
of $33-$116, effective with the
Feb. 3 checks. The new family
maximum is $254 compared with
the former $200.
Tax&s to finance the program
rise Jan. 1, from 2V\ per cent
each on worker and employer on
the first $4,200 of annual pay to
2Vz per cent on $4,800.
Welfare Plans — Managers of
employe welfare and pension
funds are required to disclose
how they handle the money. Eis
enhower criticized the bill, say
ing it does not provide enough
protection for workers even in
that narrow field.
Euralom — U. S. help is pro
vided for West Europe to build
a million kilowatts of atomic
power capacity.
Aid — An appropriation of
$3,398,500,000 is set up for mili
tary & economic aid, raising to
tal for such purposes to about 70
billion since World War II. The
bill provides 652 million dollars
less than Eisenhower asked.
Appropriations — A total of
$6,090,156,900 is provided to fi
nance independent federal agen
cies, mostly the Veterans Admin
istration.