Daily except Sunday
Deputy Defense Sec.
Donald A. Quarles
Found Dead At Home
WASHINGTON (UPI) Deputy Defense Secretary Don
ald A. Quarles, who was in line as President Eisenhower's
next secretary of defense, was found dead at his home here
today. ' '
Quarles, 64, apparently died in his sleep.
He was found by his chauffeur who tried to wake him at
7:55 a.m. (e'd.t.) so that he would make an NBC television
appearance.
He was pronounced dead 35 minutes later. Mrs. Quarles
was in Chicago.
A police rescue squad and a physician rushed from Walter
X4a - N
r f - VY" - , "I
J f ' ' ' "I'1
DONALD A. QUARLES
. Found Dtad
Star-Studded
75th Birthday
Party For HST
NEW YORK (UPI)-Harry S.
Truman, who took over Times
Square Thursday, captures the
rest, of tha nattoa -tonight -in a
star-studded" happy 75th birthday
party. ,
An estimated 50,000 persons
were expected to turn out to hon
or the former president at Demo
cratic Party dinners in 16 cities,
linked by closed-circuit television.
Truman was to join 1,800 guests
at a $100-a-plate dinner in the
Waldorf -'Astoria Hotel here.
Speakers at the cross-country par
ty include Adlai Stevenson, Mrs.
Eleanor Roosevelt, House Speak
er Sam Rayburn, former Secre
tary of State Dean Acheson and
the jaunty, vigorous Truman him
self. Entertainers were to include
Danny Kaye, Jack Benny, Leo
nard Bernstein, Jimmy Durante,
Mort Sahl and Melvyn Douglas.
Thursday, New York's famed
Times Square was renamed Tru
man Square for a week. Mayor
Robert F. Wagner presented the
city's medal of honor to Truman.
In addition Wagner gave Tru
man a scroll granting him "the
freedom of the city."
Such scrolls have been award
ed only twice before to Adm.
Robert E. Peary in 1909 and to
United Nations Secretary Gener
al Dag Hammarskjold last year.
ACTOR FACES TRIAL
ANAHEIM, Calif. (UPI) Cow
boy actor Lash Larue, 45, will go
on trial May 30 on misdemeanor
assault and battery and disturbing
the peace charges arising out of a
domestic fight April 11 in which
he suffered a head gash requiring
five stitches.
Larue changed his original plea
of guilty to innocent Monday in
Municipal Court. The charges
were brought jointly by his wife,
Passie, 28, and her sister, Mrs.
J. M. Oslorn.
AS FAR APART
Preliminary Steel Talks
Fail To Bring Agreement
NEW YORK (UPI) Prelimi
nary steel contract talks ended to
day with both sides as far apart
as at the start and actual give
and take negotiations between
four-man teams will begin Mon
day. -
Both David J. McDonald, pres
ident of the United Steelworkers
Union, and R. Conrad Cooper,
chief industry negotiator, said they
were beginning the joint collec
tive bargaining sessions Monday
in an attempt to reach an agree
ment by the July 1 strike dead
line. McDonald and Cooper issued
statements which showed that the
preliminary talks which started
tteea Army Meaicai center
failed in efforts to revive him.
Eisenhower was "shocked and
saddened" by Quarles' unexpected
death.
In an expression of sympathy,
the President said:
"As deputy secretary and, prior
to that as secretary of the Air
Force, Mr. Quarles devoted his
extraordinary talents to the serv
ice of his country. His contribu
tion was of inextimablc value to
the security not only of the United
States but of that of the entire
Free World. I share with his as
sociates in the government a keen
sense of personal loss."
Sew President Thursday
Quarles, as a member of the
National Security Council, had met
with the President Thursday
Queries was an engineer-industrialist
who came out of the Ozark
Mountain town of Van Buren,
Ark., and once played in a hill
billy band. .
- He had been a member of the
Eisenhower administration team
since September, 1953, and had
served as secretary of the Air
Force before taking over as dep
uty defense secretary March 20.
1957.
Quarles has been mentioned
prominently as the possible suc
cessor to Defense Secretary Neil
H. McElroy who Is expected to
resign later this year. ..--sj
Quarles was reported in" good'
health and spirits Thursday night
when he attended a private dinner
and an Air Force symphony con
cert. He had returned to his home
about 11 p.m.
When the chauffeur couldn't
wake him this morning, police and
a son-in-law. Col. Stanley Lewis,
were notified.
Had Brilliant Mind
Before coming to Washington as
a government official, Quarles had
had a successful career with West
ern Electric and the Bell Tele
phone Laboratories.
Quarles had a rural background
and showed a flare for brilliance.
At 16, he was teaching mathe
matics in Van Buren High School
to students as young as he was.
He worked his way through Yale
and was a Phi Beta Kappa. In
World War I, he saw two years
service as an Army captain in
France and Germany.
Quarles began his career as an
engineer with Western Electric in1
1920 and studied theoretical phys
ics at Columbia University at the
same time.
Firemen Answer
Roof Fire Call
A roof fire at 1101 Penn Avenue
was extinguished by city firemen
shortly before 8 a.m today. The
minor damage blaze was believed
lo have been started from chim
ney sparks. Mrs. Viola Stile and
her granddaughter live in the
house.
Firemen also reported that fur
ther investigation of the Dr. Jo
soph H. Gaiser roof fire yesterday
at Alder street and M avenue was
started by defective wiring.
AS EVER.
Tuesday have been completely un
successful in narrowing the dif
ferences between them on basic
economic issues.
Cooper said proposals made at
a preliminary meeting between
the union and V. S. Steel "reflect
substantial differences between
us."
The union wound up separate
talks with. 12 major steel compan
ies. Cooper again called for a one
year wage freeze and said steel
companies could not absorb fur
ther cost increases without suffer
ing "a profit squeeze that would
be ruinous."
Cooper also emphasized that the
Established 1896
LA GRANDE, OREGON,
A wee bit of Scotland, in the form of the Scottish High
landers shown above, will be one of the highlights of
the final night of the La Grande High School May Mu
sic Festival in the school auditorium tonight. Theme of
BIG CREEK
RAILROAD
' BY H. E. PHILBY
Observer Staff Writer
One of the shortest, and' least
heard about railroads in the state.
the Big Creek and Tclocasct Rail
road is being abandoned as a re
sult of the sale of the Pondosa
sawmill by the ValscU Lumber
company. t
Truman Collins of Portland,
head of the Collins Pine Company
which owns the 14-mile line, said
today that an application is be
in? filrd wjth the Interstate Com-
nrereo commission to aoanaon
the line. The I.C.C. might just
as well comply with the request
the Big Creek & Tclocaset isn I In
operation anyway .
Built in 1926 by Japanese hand
labor by the Stoddard Lumber
Company of Pondosa, the railroad
was designed to haul logs from
Stoddard s timber holdings to the
Pondosa mill.' . Because of finan
cial difficulties, the Stoddard
firm transferred the railroad to
the Big Creek & Telocaset Rail
road company om Dec. 22, 1927
by warranty deed in exchange for
capital stock. March 17, 1937 the
Grande. Ronde Pine Company,
owned by E. S. Collins, purchased
the entire stock in the BCStT rail
road. The Grande Ronde Pine
company later became the Col
lins Pine company.
Although the railroad was nev
er designed to carry passengers,
there were times when men were
hauled on the line as an emerg
ency measure according to Reu
ban S. Teske, a Valsctz Lumber
company accountant who handled
the paper work.
Teske recounts one mercy mis
sion made by the roalroad. "A
hunting accident had occurred
and the injured man was slip
ping fast from the loss of blood.
Roads at this time were poor and
blocked by snow.
"The engine was fired up, and
the injured man was put on a
flat car with a stove to keep him
warm. When the train left
camp, Teske reports, every avail
able man in camp was hanging
on the engine and shoveling snow
to keep the track clear. The ac
cident victim was taken to a Bak
er hospital where he recovered.
Teske also reported that lor
company had an obligation to its
more than 300,000 stockholders.
He said the 'average stockholder
of U. S. Steel has an average an
nual income smaller than the av
erage steel worker and that the
stockholders' needs are just as
great as those of employes.
McDonald told a news confer
ence that "no member of United
Steelworkers has an income even
remotely approaching any of the
top officials of U. S. Steel."
McDonald insisted the union
would press for a "reasonable and
noninflationary settlement earned
by the employes and justified by
the company's productivity and
the industry's profits." ,
FRIDAY, MAY 8, 1959
i mmiii ' in ..tuetnA, mimn i n 1 i n 1 1 m mmi
LHS SCOTTISH DANCERS PERFORM
AND TELOCASET
BEING ABANDONED
years, operating and maintenance
workers carried guns during the
hunting season ."and usually got
their buck without much effort."
Two fatalities occurred while
the train was in operation. 1 One
engineer shot a deer from his cab
and dropped dead from a heart
attack and on another occasion a
train wreck resulted in an engi
neer was scalded to death by
steam. '
Technically there were n6 em
ployes on the BC&T railroad. The
payroll and operating expenses
of .the line were carried by the
Mt Emily Lumber Company, a
subsidiary of the Valsetz com
pany. In exchange for this finan
cial arrangement the BC&T paid
Mt. Emily a fee for each car of
lumber moved along the tracks.
The BC&T then charged off this
tec as prorated engine operating
expense. The payroll assumed
by Mt. Emily was picked up on
BC&T records as a contribution
and took care of the maintenance
Rackets Committee Hears
Union Official's
WASHINGTON (UPI) -A Hous
ton, Tex., official of the Boiler
makers Union swore today that
Joseph McCoilum, the union s vice
president, tried to raise funds to
have another union member mur
dered by a hired killer.
McCoilum ' immediately denied
the charge, saying "I have never
in my life heard a man perjure
himself more."
The charge was made before the
Senate Rackets Committee by Le
land F. Head, business manager
of Houston Local 74.'
It was injected unexpectedly in
to a committee hearing on a union
dispute between McCoilum, who
Lions Birthday
Party Planned
La Grande Lions club members
will celebrate the 30th anniversary
tomorrow night when they hold a
banquet at the Sacajawca hotel
starting at 7 p.m. A no-host social
hour will precede the dinner.
International Director Ted Pe
terson of Seattle will be the guest
speaker at the dinner.
Lion President Bob Wllkins has
received word from Bob Chrisman,
state council governor, Izzy Hawn,
Oregon's candidate for Internation
al director, and district Governor
Simmons that they would attend
the affair. Several Eastern Ore
gon clubs have indicated they will
participate in the celebration.
Lions elected new officers at the
regular meeting this week. Harvey
Carter was named president, Augie
Sperling, first vice president, Aver
itt Hickox, second vice president;
Stewart Wylde. secretary; L.
Rhodes Lewis, treasurer; Rocjch
Fitzgerald, Lion Tamer, and Wen
dell Vaughn, Tail Twister.
WEATHER
Increasing clouds today;
partly cloudy tonight and Sat
urday with a few scattered
showers over the mountains;
high today 67-74 and Satur
day 60-67; low tonight 37-44.
O
tonight's production will be
Other musical performances
Wednesday nights.
side of the bookkeeping records,
Teske said.
Eleven miles of the 14-mile
line is under I.C.C. jurisdiction,
while the remaining Ihrce miles,
from Beagle Creek to Pondosa is
cn private land. The line con
nects wilh Union Pacific at Tclo
casct. Collins said the 14 miles of
trackage will be picked up and
held in storage for future sale
as scrap metal.
The tracks were laid on .the
ground- without- ballast in this
sagebrush country. The buildings
of the Japanese labor camp arc
still standing and can be seen
from a car on a drive btween
Pondosa and Tclocasct.
The last load of lumber was
hauled on the BC&T on March 12,
1959 with John J. Rayl as engi
neer. The Pondosa mill was actually
shut down March 5 and the rail
line was used to haul out the last
cuttings from the mill.
Charge
also lives in Houston, sought to
raise $500 each from the locals
in the area to hire a killer, per
haps from Mexico, to murder
Clarence Wilkins, member of Lo
cal 132 at nearby Galveston, Tex
McCoilum, also testifying under
oath, said that not a single state
ment by Head was true.
Chairman John L. McClclIan D
Ark. ) said it was obvious that eith
er Head or McCoilum had commit
ted perjury. Ho said a transcript
of'lhcir testimony would be sent to
the Justice Department for pos
sible action.
Just before the committee ad
journed for lunch, Head, who had
been excused as a witness, rose
and told McClclIan he would be
willing to take a lie dcloctor test
on his testimony.
McClellan then asked McCoilum
if he would like to do the same.
"I volunteer," McCoilum replied.
McClclIan told the committee
staff to try to arrange the test
for both this afternoon.
It was brought out that Wilkins
had been acquitted on grounds of
self defense for the 1955 union hall
slaying of James Huff, business
manager of Local 132. The next
year, the committee was in
formed, Wilkins was uccuscd of
stabbing Jay D. Billingslcy, an
oiner oinciui oi inc local, in a
bar room.
Head said he presumed this vio
lence was why McCoilum wanted
Wilkins murdered. Hcud said he
refused to contribute $500 to the
r L. ;.. 1 '
iuiiu iroiii 111s local .
EOC Music Groups
Set Performance
The Eastern Oregon Colleee band
and choir will present a Joint con
cert at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in the
college theatre. Although designed
as a higmignt of the Parents Week
end events at the college, Ihe ocn
c?rt has been opened to the public,
Dr. Rhodes Lewis reported.
Featured cn the program will be
the Blue and Gold singers, the
varsity band with Marcia Mac-
Pherson, vocalist, and the "Music
Man" starring Johanna Hardwick
who is Miss Baker of 1050.
Price 5 Cents
"There's Magic in Music."
were given Monday and
(LHS Photo)
JUST LIKE
A WOMAN
LELAND, Miss. (UPI)-The fe
male boll weevil i more dan
gerous than the male, according
to entomologist Marvin Mericl,
He put a male and female in
a cage containing cotton plants.
The male damaged five cotton
bells on one plant. But the fe
male made 442 punctures, dam
aging every plant in the cage.
'Mrs. McThing'
Show Tonight .
Mobsters "The Stinker" Mike
Hanford, and "Dirty Joe" Bill
Ward, kept "Mrs. McThing alive
on tho Thursday opening night of
the play at The Eastern Oregon
College auditorium.
The naturalness of these two
parts kept the play moving suf
ficiently to draw audience atten
tionthough Becky Kimbrell, the
seven year old girl who portrayed
Mimi, and Ron Fuller as Howay,
turned the trick by being cute In
their parts.
"Mrs. McThing" is a fantasy in
three acts by Mary Chase. The
illusion of fantasy is created when
Howay is turned Into a "stick" by
Mrs. McThing. The real Howay
turns up in a skidrow cafe work
ing as a dishwasher for Poison
Eddie Schcllcnbach, chief of the
mobsters.
When Howay's rich mother, Mrs
Howard V. Larue III, finds him
at the cafe, she is turned into a
"stick" by Mimi, Mrs. McThing's
daughter.
All ends well in the end as the
sticks, who have occupied the
fancy home of Mrs. Larue, are
actually turned into sticks, and
Howay and Mrs Larue resume
their normal rich wayof life,
The Stinker and Dirty Joe are
the humorous vehicle for the play
and Bill Ward and Mike Han
ford play tho parts with zest and
a definite naturalness.
Tho play will be presented to
night and tomorrow night at the
EOC auditorium. Curtain time Is
8 p.m.
PATCH ON THE
Hatfield Gives His Views
On Legislature's Actions
SALEM (UPI) Republican
Gov. Mark Hatfield Is satisfied
wilh the size of Oregon's 1959-61
budgot but not with the way the
Democratic-controlled 50th Legis
lature went about raising money
for it.
In his inaugural message, on
Feb. 9, Hatfield outlined a gen
eral fund budget calling for $312,
972,000. The budget approved by
the Legislature which adjourned
early Thursday was estimated at
$312,400,000. .
Hatfield charged that the lawmakers-
"provided only a n o t her
patch on the crazy quilt of Oregon
taxation." He added, "instead of
truly broadening the tax base as
recommended . . , the Democratic
Russian Attitude
Might Break Up
Geneva Meeting
NOTE WARNS REDS
ON EVE OF MEETING
WASHINGTON (UPI) The United States formally urged
the Soviet Union today to seek honest, fruitful results at the
East-West foreign ministers conference which starts in Gen
eva Monday.
In a note to Moscow, made public shortly before, Secre
tary of State Christian A. Herter left for the conference, the -U.S.
also disavowed Soviet charges of trying to torpedo the
negotiations in advance.
Hertpr took off after a Diane-side statement that he was
leaving in a "hopeful spirit."
success at Geneva are "not.
too high" and said that nego-
tiations with the Soviets have
Droved that a "tremendous
amount of patience is need
ed." Earlier, high American sources
said that any high-handed action
by the Soviets against Berlin
would break up the four-power
foreign ministers meeting and kill
chances of a summit conference
later.
Before departing, Herter con
ferred with President Eisenhower
at the White House, then called
on his ailing predecessor, John
Foster Dulles, at Walter Reed
Army Medical Center. Herter and
Dulles talked for about 15 minutes.
Herter headed for his vital as
signment, ready to negotiate with
the Russians in a spirit of con
ciliation, but firmly set against
bargaining away basic western
principles.
Officials said if the Soviets are
not already aware of the danger
of carrying out their ultimatum on
Berlin, it will be made clear to
them at the Geneva meeting start
ing Monday.
There also was indication that
U. S. officials are prepared for
a procedural scrap in the meet
ing's opening phase over what
rolo the two Germanics and pos
sibly Poland and Czechoslovakia
should take In the discussions.
Confers W!!fc Eisenhower
; Meanwhile Herter had a brief
morning consultation with' Presi
dent Eisenhower. They presuma
bly went over last minute details
on what the U. S. will expect as
a prerequisite for, a summer con
ference that would involve the
President.
Officials said any Soviet at
tempt to take unilateral action on
the Berlin situation while negotia
tions are going on in Geneva
would very likely break up the
conference.. They would expect one
of the western nations to take the
matter immediately to the United
Nations. N
Herter, in his first tough assign
ment as the West's chief negotia
tor, was prepared to make con
cessions at the Geneva foreign
ministers' conference if Russia
will give, ground, too.
Short Stop In Germany
Flying to Geneva by way of
Bonn, Herter was to stop off Sat
urday for discussions with West
German Chancellor Konrad Aden
auer. ;
Herter promised . in a radio
television address Thursday night
that the Western; powers would
stand firm on such basic princi
ples as "freedom for Berlin,"
Gorman unification and safe
guarded arms control agree
ments. Doesn't Expect Much
But he said the United States,
Britain and France were will
ing to negotiate with the Soviets
on the "application" of these
principles "provided that conces
sions from us are matched by
equivalent counter concessions
from the Soviet - Union."
In his maideni address to the
nation as secretary of state, Her
ter pledged the t West "honestly
and in good faith to seek some
advance, even if small, toward a
just peace" in bargaining with
I the Soviets. '
CRAZY QUILT
leadership has socked the same
taxpayers who have been hit so
often and so hard for so many
years."
But referring to the size of the
budget, Hatfield said it was kept
"some 15 million dollars under
what was predicted for this bi
ennium a year ago by then Fi
nance Director John Richardson."
Hatfield has recommended a
broadening of the tax base in ad
dition to the net Income tax. Aft
er much wrangling the Legis
lature finally came up with a
plan whereby rates would be low
ered but taxes would be hiked by
eliminating the federal income
tax deduction from state returns.
The governor said if the base
had been broadened, vital needs
He said his expectations of .;;
,
Di2w '
Broadcast
Accusations
LONDON (UPI) Russia ac
cused the West today of going
into the Geneva conference Mon
day with a plan "which has little
to do with a peace treaty or a
Berlin settlement." ,
The broadcast by Moscow Ra
dio was one of a series of prop
aganda statements in recent
weeks aimed at setting forth the
Soviet position before the world
and discrediting thr West in ad- .
vance.
It coincided with Secretary of
State Christian A. Hcrter's speech
in which he -warned that the
American people should not ex
pect a quick and easy end to the
cold war that the Soviets' past
record of negotiating "does not
warrant much optirrjjsm."
Moscow made no direct reply
to Hertcr's speech. Tass carried
a lengthy factual account of the
speech but did not comment.
The Moscow broadcast .said
Russia realizes the conference
"has some definite problems to
settle, and it should help to nor
malize relations between coun
tries." '.' -.-
Moscow said no Western plan
has materialized for a Berlin and -German
settlement. "T h e r r. 'a
seems to be a complex plan '
which has little to do with ' a
peace treaty or a Berlin settle
ment," it said.
Court Test ;
For Extra Pay
Measure Due
A
SALEM (UPI) Secretary of
State Howell Appling refused
Thursday to comply with a de
mand that he approve extra pay
for legislators provided in a leg
islative bill, thus setting up a '
court test. v
The bill would increase legisla
tors.' pay to $175 a month from
the present $600 a year. It was
introduced by Sen. R. F. Chap-
man (D-Coos Bay) solely to get
a decision from the State Supreme
Court on whenthec members of
the Legislature could set their
own salaries.
The Legislature also passed a
bill whicn submits to the people
in November of 1980 the question
of whether legislators' salaries
will go from the present rate to
the $175 per month figure.
Chapman made the demand for
the extra pay from Appling with
intention of filing suit to force
him to comply. Appling said he
was in sympathy with "the need
for higher legislative salaries" .
and that he would cooperate fully
to "obtain an early decision of
legality of the issue."
such as those in elementary and
secondary education could have
been met with resultant property
tax relief.
The main Income tax plan as
finally approved met with almost
solid Republican opposition. All
27 GOP house members voted
against it and only three, of the
11 GOP senators voted for it. It
also received bitter press criti
cism. Hatfield was not entirely criti
cal of the Legislature. He cited
reorganization of the Board, at
Agriculture, repeal of the anti
picketing law, adoptioiHof an un
insured motorist clause and un
employment compensation provis
ions as good things which came
out of the session.
Si
2
v