THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
NOME. ALASKA
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Box 618
$1.50 PER MONTH $16-00 A YEAR
W. A. Boucher .Owner-Publisher
Entered as second class matter October 14. 1943. at the postoffjce
at Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Nome, Alaska, Wednesday, July 27, 1949
AN OPPORTUNITY, NOT A PROBLEM
(Aichorage Daily Times)
President Truman’s problem of filling the vacancy
on the U. S. Supreme Court left by the regrettable j
death of Justice Frank Murphy, is an opporunity for
greatness.
Judge Anthony J. Dimond of Anchorage would be
a most commendable public servant for that high posi
tion, acceptable to all men who have the best interests
of the nation at heart.
The selection of Judge Dimond would be acclaimed
around the world as the first time an American citizen
residing outside of continental United States has
achieved such a high position. It would be new evidence
for the world that the democratic principles on which
this great nation was founded still operate freely.
Alaskans need feel no compunction in pressing for |
the appointment of their friend and neighbor. His rec
ord as a public servant is outstanding. The admiration
and respect for him is universal among all those who
have had the privilege of knowing him.
Press reports from Washington yidicate that Presi
dent Truman’s task of selecting a successor will be a dif
ficult one. In political circles it is believed that Robert
P. Patterson of New York was slated for the next va
cancy. But tradition requires that JusticeMurphy’s suc
cessor be a Catholic.
Because of the religious angle, Sen. Joseph C. O’Ma
honey of Wyoming has been suggested. But he is serv
ing the nation well in the upper House of Congress
where, under the seniority rules, ha is chairman of im
portant committees. It would be a loss to the Senate to
take him out of his present position.
The appointment of Judge Dimond would bring into
the federal family at Washington a new personality.
The nation would benefit from the addition of Judge
Dimond’s wisdom and leadership. His appointment
would be more than a mere shutfling of the present tal
ents in Washington.
President Truman would be aiding the cause of State
hood for Alaska as well as strengthening the leadership
of the nation. The Democratic Party and the President
are obviously failing to keep their pledges as to State
hood. Recognition of Judge Dimond by this appoint
ment would bring before the nation most forcibly the j
fact that Alaska is an integral part of the nation and that |
Alaska can and does develop great Americans.
Judge Dimond is an Alaskan as smoked salmon. He
came to Alaska in his youth, starting his remarkable
career as a school teacher in Valdez in 1900. He pros
pected and mined from 1904 to 1912, entering the prac
tice of law in 1913.
Since then he has been U. S. Commissioner at Chi
sana, special assistant U. S. attorney at Valdez, served
four terms as Senator in the Territorial Legislature and
mayor of Valdez for nine terms. He gained national
prominence and recognition during 12 years as dele
gate to Congress. Since 1945 he has been judge of the
Third District Court and single-handed has conducted
successfully and well the busiest one-judge court in the
entire U. S. Department of Justice.
Judge Dimond’s record on the bench more than qual
ifies him for the Supreme Court. Only once has a higher
court reversed a decision made by him, a record that
is truly remarkable.
In Congress, Judge Dimond was known by virtually
every member of both Houses. Their respect for him
was demonstrated on numerous occasions and his nom
ination should win ready approval in the Senate.
Judge Dimond’s personal life has been exemplary
and his party regularity throughout the years is beyond
question.
Truman Signs
Atlantic Treaty;
Asks For Funds
'Continued from Page One)
free from fear.”
“But it is only one step,” he
said in a statement issued at the
White House signing ceremony.
“We must keep ourselves mor
ally and materially strong. We
must play our part in helping to
strengthen freedom everywhere.”
That was the theme of his arms
aid message to Congress.
3y stressing what he called ‘‘the
most pressing current needs,” Mr.
Truman obviously was hoping to
short circuit demands in Congress
for a less ambitious program.
Two Republican Senators who
have played an important part in
drafting this country’s bi-partisan
foreign policy had served advance
notice on the administration that
its views may not coincide with
theirs.
Senator Vandenberg of Michi
gan. ranking Republican on the
Senate foreign relations commit
tee, announced over the week-end
he favored a “stap-gap’ arms pro
gram—some to be carried out
only until grand strategy can take
shape under the Atlantic Pact.
And Senator Dulles of New
York-, a top adviser on foreign pol
icy matters, flatly called the 81,
450.000.000 figure “too big’ even
before he entered the Senate.
Actually the value of the pro
posed foreign arms aid would ap
proach the 81,825,000,000, the
. tie department disclosed.
The extra value is in “excess”
U. S. military stocks, proposed to
be sent to America’s friends
; bro: d with no charge other than
the cost of getting it ready for use,
rid handling.
About 8450.000,000 worth of
such material, the department es
timated, can be provided with
only about 875.000,000 in rehabili
tation costs charged against the
program.
Under the program, military
aid would go mainly to eight Eu
ropean nations and to about a half
dozen others scattered all the w’ay
from Europe to the Pacific Ocean.
“If this program of military
aid is to succeed,” Mr. Truman
said in a special message to the
lawmakers, “we must prosecute it
promptly and vigorously. Our pol
icies for peace are having the de
sired effect.
We cannot afford to lose the
momentum we have already gain
ed.”
CITY COUNCIL
A regular council meeting was
held Monday evening with a good
attendance of citizens.
Two requests were made for ac
i quiring city property. Lomen
; Commercial Co. desires to pur
1 chase Bridge Street and the C.A.A.
has requested additional ground
on C Street. Both matters will
have to be presented to the peo
; pie of Nome for voting upon.
Tiu* U. S. Engineers have asked
j for a lease on a portion of the tide
' flats on the west side of Snake
! Rive.1 above the bend of the river,
i An application for the opening
on the police force has been re
, ceivea from Howard Campbell
, and referred to the committee.
The city clerk was instructed to
write to the commanding officer
of Marks Air Force Base concern
ing the barbed wire on the foot
bridge to the Sand Spit due to the
fact that it was causing consider
able inconveniene to the residents
of the Sand Spit.
A discussion was then opened
on the subject of the two
deaths which occurred last week
in the city jail and city officials
were put on the carpet for various <
laxities in the handling of police
cases. Mayor Anderson asked lor
a complete revision of the rules
of the police department.
Mrs. B. Seiffert, having spoken
on the necessity of a matron for
the women prisoners voluntee-ei
for service if called. It was final
ly decided to post a notice i;i the
paper asking all women of the
c immutyly who would be inter
ested in serving as police matrons
to inquire at the City Hall for fur
ther information. The matter of a
regular guard for the men's ja:l
was also brought under consid.-ra
tion.
Mr. Nay, of the Alaska Airlines
offered to donate eight army cots,
mattresses and blankets to com
plete the new quarters for the wo
men’s cells in the city jail.
Several citizens spoke on the
matter of the two deaths which
have aroused the community into
the spirit of a thorough investiga
tion. Although the matter is now
in the hands of the U. S. Mar
shal’s office and the U. S. Dis
trict Attorney and being fully in
vestigated, the feeling of citizen’s
attending was to take immediate
action in correcting conditions in
the city jail so that no further re
petition of these tragedies can
take place.
Legal Blanks at The Nugsei of
V
SPOILING HIS VIEW
News of the World
At A Glance —
—
(Continued from Page One)
still linger in France ‘ and Italy
■ that, in the event of war, the
United States would leave them
to be occupied while she prepared
a counterattack from behind the
British Channel or the Pyrenees.
( In Lisbon, Portugal, yesterday
premier Antonio Salazar said that
Russia “could carry her armies in
'a smashing march as far as the
British Channel and the Pyre
nees” any time she wanted. Portu
gal is expected to ratify the At
lantic pact this week.
W a s h i ngton observers said
Western Alliance nations have
available trodps numbering 1,500,
000 and American forces in all
branches now number 1,600.000
men. Russia is reported to have a
military strength of more than
four million men.
The Chinese communists con
tinued their drive to capture South
China. Acting President Li Tsung
Jen of nationalist China flew to
Hengyang to get first hand re
ports on menacing war develop
ments in Hunan province. He is
expected to confer later with gen
eralissimo Chiang Kai-Shek on
the Island of Formosa.
Wednesday, July 27. 1949
The North Atlantic treaty was
approved todry by the French Xa
' i'.mi.I Assembly. The pact now
needs only the approval of ’.he
French and Dutch upper houses of
; ,:1.ament before .{ goes into cl
The French Assembly approval
was by a vote of 308 to 187. It
came after an all-night session
marked by heated debr'e which
at one point boiled over into fist
fighting between communists and
rightists.
The treaty provides the* it will
c.-rre into f rce as .oon as the rat
ificaf :ons of the maj rity of the
signatories, including Belgium,
Canada, France, Luxembourg, the
Ntheriands, Britain, and the
United States a-e deposited. This
means that only final action by
the French and Dutch upper
houses is awaited.
The British financial crisis has
touched off a crisis in ail Mar
shall plan countries. Britain has
rt u.-sled an additional §624,060,
000 to meet her emergency needs.
A French spokesman said the Bri
tish request “could break the Mar
shall plan wide open.”
An American economist in Paris
said the other Western European
nations “will never stand for” the
British request. The other patrici
pating nations had become resign
ed to a slash in American recov
ery aid.
In Washington Democratic party
leaders said they would support
a recovery fund of about 16 per
cent below what the Euiopean
countries had hoped to rece ve.
The communist government in
p: edominantly Catholic Poland to
day forbade Roman Cath o 1 j c
priests to excommunicate any
Pole belonging to the communist
party. The government said" 'the
Papal decree threatening excom
munication of communist support
ers is an “act of aggression’*
against the state.
At the same time the Polish
government announced accept
ance of a church proposal to nego
tiate a church-state agreement. It
looked like a victory of the gov
ernment which had insisted the
hierarchy stop its “anti-state” ac
tivities before the * government
would negotiate.