2£ NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LVIII No. 14 NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1956 Per Copy—15«*
Convention Rejects Attempt to
Make C onstitution Effective Even
If Alaska Does Not Become State
By FLORENCE DOUTHIT s
FAIRBANKS, UP) — An attempt
to make Alaska’s proposed con
stitution effective whether or not
the territory becomes a state was
defeated by the Constitutional
Convention yesterday.
The proposal was rejected after
speakers called it “defiant” of
the United States and “threaten
ing.”
Debate revolved around a pro
posed amendment to the Tennes
see Plan, a plan to advance state
hood by electing two senators and
a representative to the U.S. Con
gress.
Steve McCutcheon of Anchor
age and others backed a motion to
insert in the schedule of ordin
ances:
“If, after the people of Alaska
ratify this constitution, Alaska
has not been admitted as a state
before the fourth Monday in Jan
uary 1959, the territorial legisla
ture shall provide for the election
of officers under this constitution
and for proclaiming the date on
which this constitution shall be
come effective.”
Advocates described the section
as one more step in an orderly
process toward statehood. They
said it would strengthen the Ten
nessee plan adopted by delegates
earlier this week.
To speakers who charged the
move smacked of “emotionalism,”
Robert McNealy of Fairbanks,
chairman of the committee which
produced the section, declared:
“If it hadn’t been for people
(Continued on Page Two)
Ncuberger Would Shame
Administration Into
Statehood For Alaska
WASHINGTON, UP)—Sen. Neu
berger (D-Ore), an advocate of j
Alaskan statehood, said last night
he would be “willing to vote at
this session for statehood for only
Hawaii as a means of shaming the
administration.”
“The administration won’t i
budge with respect to Alaska, so
let’s admit Hawaii alone,” he de
clared. “Then, when the new
Democratic President takes office
in January of 1957, Alaska can
likewise become a state.”
The senator declared the two
territories should be given state
hood “if only for the purpose of
consistency and uniformity in the
handling of resources.”
Another speaker, Delegate Bob
Bartlett said the administration
has spoken “in a multiplicity of
tongues regarding Alaska state
hood” but that “when the verb
iage has been removed it becomes
clear this administration said ‘no’
to Alaska statehood.”
“This administration,” he said,
“has shown no interest in Alaska
or its development; it has taken,
not given.”
In his State of the Union mes
sage this year, President Eisen
hower urged immediate statehood
for Hawaii and said he hoped to
see progress made toward state
hood for Alaska.
Bulganin Fails To
Melt Opposition
To U.S--Soviet Pact
By JOHN M. HIGHTOWER
WASHINGTON, lift—A new ap
peal from Premier Bulganin fail
ed today to melt U.S. opposition
to a Soviet-American “friendship
treaty" which this government
holds to be needless and perhaps
risky.
In a 2,800-word message made
public by the State Department
last night, Bulganin urged Presi
dent Eisenhower to reconsider the
20-year pact proposed by the
Russian premier last week and
promptly turned down by Eisen
hower.
U.S. officials said Bulganin’s
new message was mainly a re
hash of previous arguments for
the treaty and that he had not
advanced persuasive new ideas.
Eisenhower, in a letter Satur
day, had told Bulganin a treaty
between Russia and the United
States, merely reiterating peace
ful behavior pledges already in
the United Nations charter,
“might indeed work against the
cause of peace.”
He said such a pact could create
“the illusion that a stroke of a
pen could achieve a result which
in fact could be obtained only by
a change of spirit.”
Bulganin picked up Eisen
hower’s argument that “deeds not
words” are needed to ease East
West tensions, and sought to turn
it back on the United States.
Without naming Secretary of
State Dulles, he called the secre
tary’s “brink of war” statement
provocative. And he said Ameri
can moves to build up its air
bases around the Soviet Union
create “fully understandable ap
prehension” among the Russians.
Officials said his letter would
be answered in the same cour
teous vein that has characterized
the exchange of almost half a
dozen personal messages between
the two leaders since the summit
conference last July.
Army Inspectors Here
To Survey Damage To
Downed A.N.G. Plane
An Aircraft Maintenance Team
consisting of Maj. P. Ratayczak
and two enlisted aircraft inspect
ors, arrived in Nome Thursday.
Maj. Ratayczak is commanding
officer of the Transporation Air
craft Maintenance Detachment,
USARL, Ft. Richardson.
The purpose of their visit is a
technical inspection of the A.N.G.
Beaver aircraft which crashed
last Friday, and to determine the
extent of the damage and to make
recommendations as to abandon
ment or recovery of the aircraft.
Maj. Ratayczak has requested
that all persons remain away
from the scene of the crash until
final disposition of the aircraft
has been published.
2nd Div. Filings
For Legislative
Primary Election
The office of the U.S. Clerk of
the Court was busy Wednesday
with late filings of candidates for
the next session of the legislature.
The complete list for the 2nd
Division include the following:
Democrats filing for the Senate
are Charles Fagerstrom, Lester
Bronson and John McNees, all of
Nome;
Republicans, Charles D. Jones
of Nome and Edith Bullock of
Kotzebue.
Democrats for the House are
Rose Silverman and James von
der Heydt of Nome, Frank Deg
nan of Unalakleet, and E. Hob
son of Point Barrow;
Republicans for the House are
W.W. Laws, Charles Frazier, and
Clinton Gray, all of Nome, and
Maynard Londborg from Unala
kleet.
Third Division Filings
For Primary Election
ANCHORAGE—Recent Demo
cratic candidates from the Third
Division for the territorial Legis
lature include: Rep. Harry B. Pal
mer and Earl Hillstrand, who filed
for the House, and Victor C. Riv
ers, Senate.
The Republicans are: George
C. Anderson, Reese Tatro, Rich
ard H. Alvord and Thomas Lee
Wharton, for the House.
The Independent is Ben Hitch
cock, for the House.
Other candidates who filed pre
viously include: Democrats for
the House: William H. Poe, Rep.
Russell K. Young, K. Lewis Fields,
Rep. E. G. Bailey, David (Col.) N.
Boyer, Rep. Seaborn J. Buckalew
Jr., Irwin (Irv) Metcalf, H. Andy
Andrews, Mrs. E. A. (Helen)
Fischer, Dorothy J. Awes, Irene
E. Ryan, Ken C. Johnson, James
E. Norene, and Leroy H. Duncan.
Democrats for the Senate: Ralph
E. Moody, Victor C. Rivers.
Republicans for the House.
Thomas A. Fink, M. D. Snodgrass,
John Rosswog, plus the latest four
candidates above. For the Senate:
Dr. Lee McKinley, Barbara D.
Dimock.
Gruening Blames Gen.
Lucius Clay For Stalling
Statehood For Alaska
DETROIT, (A*) — Ernest Gruen
ing, former governor of Alaska,
says that Gen. Lucius Clay stalled
statehood for Alaska by advising
President Eisenhower against it.
Gruening described Clay as one
of Eisenhower’s “most trusted ad
visors.”
Gruening said “The people of
Alaska hold that Eisenhower has
changed his position on state
hood. He was for quick admission
to show the world that America
was “protesting ‘colonization’ of
dire sorts in other parts of the
globe.
“By the time of his first key
note speech he had changed. He
was all out for Hawaii but not
Alaska, and the Alaskan people
think it was the advice of Gen.
Clay, who is chairman of the
board of Continental Can, which
in turn sells fisheries in Alaska.”
Alaska’s Menial Health Bill Attacked
In Letters to Senate Insular Committee
Jury Clears Sitka
School of Charges
Of Delinquency
JUNEAU t/P>—A federal grand
jury reported it failed to find evi
dence of “gross delinquency”—at
the Mt. Edgecumbe School at
Sitka.
The 22-member jury reported
to Judge Walter Hodge that “a
study of information obtained
from many witnesses does not
substantiate the charges of gross
delinquency” at the school.
The report is the result of an
investigation of charges made by
U.S. Commissioner Frank Rich
ards of Sitka, who said he had
found evidence of “shocking de
linquency” at the school.
The grand jury report did not
give the administration of the
school a clean bill of health, how
ever. It reported that “testimony
does indicate that increased su
pervision at Mt. Edgecumbe,
school, which has been curtailed
by lack of funds, would benefit
present conditions.”
The report is the result of ex
amination of 12 witnesses, the
grand jury said. It was signed by
Phil R. Holdsworth, foreman.
It was noted that the school
receives the overflow from other
ANS schools in the territory and
the average age of students is
higher than at other high schools
in Alaska.
The only recommendation was
that of increased supervision.
—
U.S. Olympic Skaters
Sweep Top Honors
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy,!
—Plucky Tenley Albright, chok
ing back the pain of an injured
leg, and teen-ager Carol Heiss
won gold and silver medals with
a dazzling performance in wom
en’s figure skating Thursday and
sent the United States into sixth
place in the team standings of
the winter Olympic Games.
The triumph, following Hayes
Alan Jenkins’ victory in the men’s
individual competition Wednes
day in a 1-2-3 U.S. sweep, gave
America the first sweep of such
honors by one nation in 36 years.
Sweden last did it in 1920.
The 15 points picked up in the
women’s figure skating gave the
United States a total of 43 Vz
points, supplanting Switzerland in
sixth place and moving within
a half-point of Austria, in fifth
with 44.
Russia, with 217 points, has a
lead virtually impossible to over
take in the final three days.
HANS ODSEN. CAPTAIN
OF ALASKA SHIPS, DIES
SEATTLE, UFi — Capt. Hans
Odsen, 82, retired former captain
of numerous historic ships plying
to Alaska, died at his home here
Wednesday.
He came to Seattle aboard a
sailing vessel in 1900 and seven
years later was with the halibut
fleet. From 1918 to 1951 he was
captain of the Victoria, Denali,
Northwestern and Dellwood.
By FRANK W. VAILLE
lAP Special Washington Service!
WASHINGTON. UP*—A House
passed bill to modernize commit
ment procedures and treatment of
Alaska’s mentally ill is being at
tacked as an effort to “destroy
religious freedom” or create an
“American Siberia” in the north
ern territory.
Such criticism has been voiced
in several dozen letters received
by the Senate Insular Affairs
Committee, before which the bill
is now pending, and by individ
ual senators.
Most of the letters are signed
by individuals and come from
Arizona and California. The Sen
ate committee has replied to
those it received, saying it is “at
a loss” to understand the com
plaints.
Although the number is small,
Delegate Bartlett has taken of
ficial note of the communications,
advising Roswell B. Perkins,
Assistant Secretary of Health,
Education and Welfare, that a ’
campaign — “perhaps one which
has been inspired” — has been
launched against the bill.
Bartlett said the letters voice
one of two contentions: that the
bill is “anti-religious” or that the
million acres of land which it
provides be given Alaska is to be
fenced and used as a “Siberia” to
which the insane from the United
States would be taken. The “anti
religious” letters do not discuss
the accusation in detail.
Both contentions, Bartlett said,
constitute a “complete misunder
standing” of the bill.
He said the proposed legisla
tion “actually makes no refer
ence to religion but seeks to es
tablish a more humanitarian pro
cedure for treatment of the men
tally ill by caring for them—not
in a distant state as is now done—
but in an institution within the
territory.”
It also seeks to end the con
tract system which Bartlett* said
has been “generally condemned
by all experts in the field.”
He said the land to be given
Alaska “most decidedly is not for
‘stockade’ purposes” but is to pro
vide revenues which will help
Alaska finance costs of the pro
gram.
The bill, which passed the
House on a voice vote last week,
is patterned after legislation now
in effect in several states.
Western Europe In Grip
Of Worst Cold of Century
LONDON, (iP> — West Europe’s
worst cold wave of the 20th Cen
tury continued today with at least
100 persons dead and hardship
spreading from the British Isles
to Turkey.
Government forecasters said
little relief could be expected for
the next few days.
Exposure, heater fires or storm
caused accidents accounted for
the death toll as temperatures
ranged down to 37 degrees below
zero.