2 THE NOME NUGGET Wednesday, August 26, 1953
THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
NOME, ALASKA
E. P. BOUCHER . Managing Editor
CLINTON GRAY .Production Manager
Telephone: Main 125 i P.O. Box 618
$1.50 PER MONTH$16.00 A YEAR
Subscribers not receiving their papers by 5:30 p.m.,
call Main 125 for special delivery. After 5:30 call Black 102.
Entered as second class matter October 14. 1943, at the
postoffice at Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
NINETY DAYS’ WONDER
(Christian Science Monitor)
Has the United States made a casual promise to go
to war if the conversation gets tedious?
That is the clear implication of President Rhee’s
report to his people that the Allies “are determined
to fight with us jointly in complete unity of purpose”
if the postarmistice political conference breaks down.
The fact is that the United States (not to mention
the other more reluctant allies) has made no such rash
promise. It has made an important concession —
namely, that it will join the South Koreans in walking
out of the conference after 90 days if it is convinced
the Communists are negotiating in bad faith. But that
is a very different matter.
In the first place, the United States does not
promise to follow such action by going to war again
to unify Korea. In the second place, the mere fact
that unification has not been achieved by negotiation
. in 90 days would not necessarily prove Communist
bad faith. A sucessful working out of so complex
and explosive a problem could take much longer under
the best of circumstances.
It is obvious that the United States has no slightest
intention of allowing President Rhee to plunge it into
war automatically if South Korean ambitions have
not been satisfied after 90 days of negotiation. But
it is not obvious to the South Koreans, who have been
told the opposite by their President. The matter
should be cleared up immediately in order that a
people so cruelly disappointed may not receive new
and crueler disappointments or be misled into dis
astrous ventures.
ALASKA CAB
(Formerly Glue Pol Cab)
“SEE US FOR SIGHTSEEING”
I MAIN 20 or RED 41
Judge Cooper Among 14 Witnesses
Testifying For Alaska Statehood
At First Hearing In Anchorage
ANCHORAGE. 'UR — The An
chorage hearings on statehood for
Alaska opened Monday before a
subcommittee of the Senate Terri
tory and Insular Affairs Commit
tee with 14 witnesses testifying in
favor of statehood.
Margaret Rutledge, Third Div
ision Republican committeewo
man, said she was humiliated in
being cleared for entry into the
United States under the McCar
ran-Walter Immigration Act when
she went to Washington, DC., for
the inauguration of President Eis
enhower.
She complained that in contrast
to the treatment received by Al
askans, the new immigration act
will admit thousands of aliens
“who within five years will be
able to vote for President and for
congressmen to represent them
from whatever state they choose
to live in.”
Mrs. Rutledge pleaded for full
citizenship for Alaskans, who,
she said, “are born Americans.”
Waller Hickel, a contractor, said
the territory is “helpless” in get
ting lands for development. Hick
el added: “We ask only that you
give us what we have (lands of
Alaska) and we will develop it.”'
Elmer Rasmuson, banker and a
member of the Board of Regents
of the University of Alaska, poin
ted to a $9 million surplus in the
Alaska treasury and asked “if we
are able to balance the territorial
budget, why shouldn’t we be able
to* project into the future revenues
required for a state budget?” Ras
muson added that “Alaskans are
well aware there is cost involved
in anything worthwhile and do
not fear the cost of statehood.”
A1 Owen, business agent for
Anchorage longshoremen, said
Alaska could develop its own
pbrts if government competition
was removed. He commented that
“Alaskan carriers cannot develop
if the military takes the stateside
haul away.”
A travel agent, Bard Phillips,
reminded the six senators that the
“raw materials” of the tourist
industry are mountains, scenery
and interesting people. He de
clared these things will not deter
iorate “if we have control of them
so they will not be obliterated.”
J. Earl Cooper, recently retired
judge of the Second Division in
Nome, told the committee he felt
ashamed in conferring citizenship
on Alaskans to tell them they
were denied most of the rights in
a democracy that citizenship
stands for.
Presideni A. G. Hiebert of the
Anchorage Chamber of Commerce
was the first to testify in Mon
day morning’s session. He alluded
to what he called the “shackles
of bureaucratic control” in ac
quiring lands for the normal
growth of Anchorage and to re
strictions in Alaska’s Orgahic Act
in passing laws to fit local situa
tions.
Hiebert said he wanted to an
swer impressions that Anchorage
would be economically unable to
pay its way under statehood, and
would have to be given a financial
lift from tj?e southeast. The cham
ber president declared two'-thirds
of all the lumber milled in south
eastern Alaska was bought by
Anchorage and the railbelt area.
Mitch Abood, representing the
Little Man for Statehood Club,
submitted a petition with 3,629
signatures of greater Anchorage
residents asking immediate state
hood.
“We are tired of living in a
boarding house,” he said. “This is
our country, our home and our
lives and hearts are here. We
want statehood.”
Dr. James O'Malley, city physi
cian, and Dr. Charles Anderson,
physchiatrist for the Alaska
Health Department, said statehood
seemed the only way to get an
immediate change in the law for
treating the mentally ill like pa
tients instead of criminals.
They pointed out Congress has
been asked to change the law
since 1912 but Alaska’s mentally
ill are still “charged with the
crime of being insane” by a jury
and sent to jail with criminals.
Mrs.'Edwin Crittenden, wife of
an architect, invited senators to
visit local enterprises because
“seeing is believing.” She said
they would believe in what Alas
kans. can do if given the chance.
Sen. Hugh Butler (R-Neb) com
mittee chairman, cautioned Alas
kans not to grab statehood for its
congressmen and senators and let
the federal government retain 99
percent of the land. “Drive as
hard a bargain as you can,” he
said.
Butler opened the hearing with
what he termed some “thought
provoking” statements for Alaska
to consider.
One was the loss of the 25 per
cent cost-of-living differential if
statehood is granted.
Butler estimated the differential
meant a difference of $15 million
to 16,000 federal employees in
Alaska.
The senator said most Alaskans
see statehood as a means of asking
Elective Governor Bill
Would Defer 1st Election
From 1954 to 1956
The bill for an elective govern
or for Alaska will, when and if it
comes before Congress, be amen
ded so as to defer the first elec
tion of a territorial chief execu
tive from 1954 to 1956, Sen. Hugh
Butler announced during the
statehood hearing at Ketchikan
last week.
Sen. Butler said he would offer
the amendment in view of the
fact that Gov. Heintzleman only
recently took office and should
have an opportunity to work out
his program through the term to
which he was appointed by Presi
dent Eisenhower.
Sen, Butler pushed, without
success, for elective governor leg
islation during the last^ years of
Gov. Gruening’s incumbency.
the United States Treasury for
more money under statehood, but
he asserted the facts are just the
opposite.
The Nebraska Republican said
the federal government would
continue to run the Alaska Native
Service and the Alaska Railroad
under statehood but “that is just
about all the special burden” it
could assume.”
A1 McCuen, freight service in
spector for the Alaska Railroad,
walked up from the audience and
opposed statehood, saying terri
torial legislators had proved they
are politically immature, so Al
aska is not ready to send anyone
to Congress yet. He said it would
be great if Alaska were a state but
“we can’t afford it and I’m not
willing to tighten my belt and
eat beans for statehood.”
McCuen declared the Alaska
Visitors Association is not doing
anything and rapped the Alaska
Development Board, saying it
spent so much money on salaries
it had “nothing to use to develop
anything with.”
BERING SEA CLUB |
Special Chinese Combination Dinner
$2.50 Sunday, August 30 $2.50
Egg Foo Yung
Sweet and Sour Ham Cantonese
Pork Chow Mein
Li Chi Nuts Tea Fortune Cakes
— Served from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.—
I VETO'S MOST EXPERIENCED A.RUNE S
1 Dependable, scheduled «rme jo M
1 flights weekly—by 4-engine Clipper* I
^snasMS- I
- .Trade-Mark, Pa. American 3
Pan American I
.