— NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS__
VOL. LVIII No. 98_ NOME. ALASKA, FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 1956 Per .Copy—15/
Stevenson, Leaving Vice President
Choice to Delegates, Spotlights
Ike’s Health and GOP Squabble
CHICAGO, Uf>—In the convon-l
tion's most dramatic moment last
evening, the Democratic Presi
dential nominee, Adlai Ewing
Stevenson, strode to the podium
microphone.
He told the cheering delegates
he had decided to “depart from
the precedents of the past” so that
the Democratic Party’s vice presi
dential candidate “may join me
before the nation not as one
man’s se^ction but as one chosen
by our great party even as I have
been chosen.”
Kefauver applauded Steven
son’s proposal to let the delegates
actually pick the vice presiden
tial nominee, something they had
not done in years.
In his unusual move, Steven
son spotlighted the health of
Eisenhower and the Republican
squabble started by Stassen in his
effort to ditch Vice President
Nixon.
Stevenson told the Democratic
delegates the voters “have the
solemn obligation to consider
with the utmost care who will be
their President if the elected
President is p-evented by higher
will from serving his full term.”
The Democratic nominee made
no direct reference to Eisenhow
er’s health, but added:
“It is a sober reminder that
7 out of 34 Presidents have served
as a result of such an indirect
selection (as vipe president).
“The responsibility of the pres
idency has grown so great that
the nation’s attention has become
focused as never before on the
office of the vice presidency,”
Stevenson continued. "The choice
of that office has become almost
as important as the choice of the
presidency.”
There were some signs that
Stevenson’s decision to toss the
nomination to the convention may
have been influenced in part by a
belief that if he didn’t choose Ke
fauver he would generate some
deep-seated resentment within
the rank and file of the party.
Associates said Stevenson could
not openly choose Kefauver, who
withdrew from the top nomina
tion contest in his favor, without
being accused of having made a
deal.
James Finnegan, Stevenson’s*
campaign manager, said the pres
idential nominee planned to re
main entirely aloof from today’s
contest over second place.
Veterans of Foreign Wars
Have New Commander
DALLAS, W*—Cooper Thurman
Holt of Chattanooga, Tenn., was
to formally become commander
in chief of the Veterans of For
eign Wars today.
Holt, at 32 the youngest man
ever to take the office, was to be
elevated at ceremonies in the
closing sessions of the 57th Na
tional VFW encampment. He
served as vice commander the
past year.
A vice president of two Chatta
nooga department stores, Holt
was drafted at 18 in 1943 and
served with the infantry in the
South Pacific.
_
Pineau Proposes
Compromise Plan
To Settle Crisis
LONDON, UP—French Foreign
Minister Christian Pineau pro
posed today that the Suez Canal
be managed by an international
authority, but with Egypt ac
knowledged as the canal’s owner.
Egyptian officials, objecting to
a western plan advanced yester
day by Secretary of State Dulles
for international control, were
dickering behind the scenes with
Indians and Russians to block it
as the Frenchman expressed his
views.
“We consider that there are
points on which agreement should
be easily reached altho they im
ply sacrifices for some, including
ourselves.” Pineau told the 22
nation Suez conference. He made
these points;
“1. The canal and its installa
tion should be the property of
Egypt, which would assure Egypt
of adequate revenues from it.”
“2. The Suez Canal Co. should
be properly compensated."
As the owner of the canal, Pi
neau proposed, the Egyptian gov
ernment should sign a treaty
handing its management to an
international authority. He said
the principal countries using the
canal and interested in >t, includ
ing Egypt, should be represented
on the ruling body of the author
ity.
Pineau proposed that any at
tack on the rights of the authority
should be considered aggression
under the U.N. charter. He said
the authority should have power
to fix tolls, operate the canal, de
termine the investments which
should be made, and arrange for
compensation to the old company.
AN ELDER STATESMAN IS A DEAD POLITICIAN’
By SAUL PETT
CHICAGO, UP—In the blue
trimmed box on the side of the
hall, the man who had been Pres
ident of the United States sat in
helpless silence.
The vote was rolling up fast, in
one direction, away from him.
And Harry Truman’s familiar,
square face, the reflecting light
glinting off his glasses, appeared
frozen in glum immobility.
Eyes and Cameras Watching
Then he stirred. He seemed to
be reminding himself that this
was a very public place, that there
were eyes and cameras watching
everywhere.
He tried a few lame, self-con
scious smiles but they quickly
faded. This was a bad night for
the man from Independence and
he and the country knew it.
Harry Truman used to say he
didn’t want to be known as an
elder statesman because, in his
book, an elder statesman was a
“dead politician.”
Last night, in the minds of
many, Harry Truman became an
elder statesman.
It happened at 9:56 p.m. Steven
son, opposed bitterly by Truman,
was in. Averell Harriman, backed
strongly by Truman, was out.
The landslide nomination of
Stevenson left Truman with only
a trace of the power he once
wielded in the Democratic Party.
As Stevenson went over the top
Truman was asked if he had any
comment. “Only that the Demo
crats will win,” he said.
Was he willing to campaign for
Stevenson? “Of course, if he
wants me to,” Truman replied.
Stevenson Pays Visit
Stevenson paid a brief call on
Truman today and emerged smil
ing. He told newsmen the former
President telephoned him in the
Loop hotel where both have quar
ters and offered to walk down
two floors to congratulate him.
“I told the President not to do
that, that I would come up,”
Stevenson related.
City Council Impressed by Plan
For Water and Sewer Systems
Satchmo Invited to Play
With Symphony Orchestra
LONDON, Ifl—Louis Satcftmo
Armstrong, the American jazz
musician, has been invited to play
with a symphony orchestra in
the Royal Festival Hall in Decern-1
ber, a London representative said
today.
Kefauver Hopes
To Become V. P.
Op First Ballot
CHICAGO, Iff)—New jockeying
for the Democratic vice presiden
tial nomination swelled up today
after Adlai E. Stevenson, an over
whelming choice for the No. 1*
spot, threw the decision to the
party’s convention.
“The choice will be yours,”
Stevenson told the delegates last
night a short while after they had
handed him the nomination to
run again against President Ei
senhower, a landslide victor when
they met in 1952.
Sen. Estes Kefauver of Tennes
see appeared to be the leading
contender for the vice presiden
tial nomination to be voted__ on
later today. Sen. Hubert Humph
rey of Minnesota and Mayor Rob
ert F. Wagner of New York City
were also avowed contenders, and
others were “available.”
Kefauver told a pre-dawn news
conference he hoped to win on
the first ballot. His withdrawal
from the presidential nomination
race had cleared the way for
Stevenson’s first ballot triumph
last night.
On an illuminated scoreboard
where every delegate could read
the running tally, Stevenson’s
steamroller ground out a victory
of 905Vfe votes. He needed 686Vi.
The 219 votes Stevenson had to
spare were more than were polled
by Gov. Harriman, his only real
rival. Harriman had 210 before
the traditional move to make the
Stevenson nomination unanimous.
Seven favorite sons divided the
remainder of the convention’s
1,372 votes.
Alaska-Hawaii
Statehood Plank
Of Demo Platform
CHICAGO, l^v-rHere is Alaska -
1 Hawaii statehood plank of the
Democratic Party platform.
“We condemn the Republican
administration for its utter dis
regard of the rights of statehood
of both Alaska and Hawaii. These
territories have contributed
greatly to our national economic
and cultural life and are vital to
our defense. They are part of
America and should be recog
nized as such. We of the Demo
cratic party, therefore, pledge
immediate statehood for these
two territories. We commend
these territories for the action
their people have taken in the
adoption of constitutions which
will become effective forthwith
when they are admitted into the
union.” ,
THREE KOTZEBUE
ESKIMOS STRICKEN
BY DEADLY POISON
FAIRBANKS, —•'The Air Force
has evacuated three Eskimos
stricken with what is believed to
be botulism poisoning from Kot
zebue to the Elmendorf Air Force
hospital near here.
Two of the Eskimos, a mother
and daughter, were reported yes
terday to be ‘“failing fast.” The
son was said to be in fair condi
tion.
The three .reportedly had eaten
»ver-age whale blubber.
Repeat Ticket Would
Be First in 50 Years
WASHINGTON, (A>)—'The expect
ed second Stevenson-Eisenhower
race this year will be the first in
more than 50 years in which
presidential .candidates were the
same twice in a row.
The last time was in 1900, when
William McKinley, Republican,
defeated William Jennings Bryan,
the Democratic nominee, for the
second successive time.
' Members of? the Nome City
Council met last evening with
Charles Mitchell of the Territor
ial Department of Health for a
discussion of the proposed water
and sewerage system in Nome.
Nome has been handicapped in
getting funds from Federal Hous
ing and other agencies for the re
modeling and building of homes
and has even encountered consid
erable delay in the granting of
Alaska Public Works funds for
the school because of the lack of
property sanitary conditions.
Mitchell explained to the coun
cil that water business is a good
one and must not be considered
as a great tax load for the com
munity but as a business which
will pay its way for the city and,
in time, produce revenue for oth
er improvements in the commu
nity.
He explained how the system
will operate satisfactorily with
running water the year round at
a cost to the consumer of less
than what is now paid for carrier.
“This is a serious condition,”
he stated. “You people must rem
edy it. We are talking about
health and a modern city. You
are not going to spend money but
make money.
“An engineer’s estimate of $8
per month for water should fnake
every Nomeite jump at the idea
and urge the council to take im
mediate steps for the survey and
make application to APW for the
necessary loan.”
The matter is to come up be
fore the council at its regular
meeting next Monday when a
decision will be made, Mr. Mitch
ell was advised.
Council members present were
impressed with the plan and the
feasibility of its operation, which
is patterned after the setup now
in operation in Fairbanks which
has been found to be most satis
factory.
NEW ACS CHIEF
TO ARRIVE TODAY
ON OFFICIAL VISIT
Col. Carl Hatch, new command
ing officer of the Alaska Commu
nication System, is scheduled to
arrive today on his first official
visit to the area since taking over
the command in July.
Col. Hatch has just returned
from Paris, France, where he was
deputy director of the communi
cation division at the headquar
ters of the European Command.
During World War II he served
in the Mediterranean area where
he received the Bronze Star. La
ter, he served with the Army of
Occupation in Germany and with
the chief signal officer in Wash
ington, D.C.
Col. Hatch will be accompanied
today by Lt. Col. Glenn Vinquist,
deputy commander; Maj. L. C.
Temple, sector commander; Phil
Stewart, of the engineering divi
sion of the Pacific division.
The party plans to remain here
overnight.