LA GRANDE OBSERVER
WEATHER
Fair Thursday; low to
nifht 40-47; high Thursday
86-93.
286h Issue 63rd Ytar
LA GRANDE, OREGON, WEDNESDAY, JULY 29, 1959
Pric 5 Centt
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Rolls Junto La S
Ike Praises Nixon
For His Conduct
On Russian Visit
ONLY TIME WILL TELL
IF TENSIONS REDUCED
WASHINGTON (UPI) President Eisenhower said today Vice
President Richard M. Nixon has acquitted himself splendidly on
his tour of the Soviet Union but that only time will tell whether
tensions will be reduced as a result ot the visit.
Eisenhower said Nixon was not authorized to invite Soviet Pre
mier Nikita Khrushchev to visit this country. He ducked a ques
tion as to whether a Khrushchev visit could result from Nixon's
trip.
Reporters accompanying Nixon on the trip have written that they
considered it almost certain the vice president would suggest a
Ike
Okays
Substitute
Labor Bill
WASHINGTON UPI Presi
dent Elsenhower today gave his
qualified blessing to a substitute
labor reform bill unveiled in the
House this week.
He told a news conference that
the measure, sponsored by Reps.
Phil A. Landrum iD-Ga.i and
Robert P. Griffin (R-Mich.i, came
much closer to his ideas for deal
ing with union corruption than the
Senate bill and one approved by
the House Labor Committer.
The President said he thought
the new legislation went far to
ward correcting the evils exposed
by the Senate rackets investiga
tion. He said he had not studied
all of the bill but had been ad
vised it would come a long way
closer to carrying out his recom
mendations than other measures.
The Landrum-Griffin bill car
ries stricter curbs on secondary
boycotts and organizational pick
eting in line with administration
recommendations
No Comment On Steel
On other topics which came up
at his news conference, the Presi
dent said:
He docs not think that Rus
sian missile superiority gives the
Soviet Union an advantage at
Geneva. He noted the U. S. fired
an intercontinental missile Tues
day night and this nation also has
other means and methods which
fully counter balance . Soviet
strength during the transition
from conventional weapons to
long range missiles.
He would not comment on
whether tlc record-breaking prof
it reported by the U. S. Steel
Corporation Tuesday for the first
half of 1959 should permit a wage
increase without a price increase.
He said lie repeatedly had an
swered such questions by saying
that he would not discuss subjects
during negotiations lest he appear
to be favoring one side or the
Other.
He is gratified that some of
the winners in the Hawaiian elec
tion are of Asian extraction and
believes the result is a very fine
example of democracy at work.
T (I
.?.L.. - " . I
UP YA' CO, NARCISSA
Play leads Leu Edwards and Roberta Miller
I visit to the United States by
Khrushchev when Nixon returns
to Washington. There has been
no official announcement of this
however.
On other aspects of Soviet
Americai affairs, the President
said he is not ready to say that
the Geneva Foreign Ministers
Conference should end because of
a stalemate between the East and
West. But he volunteered that
there still has not been progress
that would justify a summit con
ference. Russians Like Americans
Eisenhower made it clear he
believes the Geneva conference
should be recessed, if necessary,
to permit Secretary of State Chris
tian A. Herter to attend a meet
ing beginning Aug. 12 in Santiago.
Chile, of the foreign ministers of
this hemisphere.
The President said he believes
all could agree that Nixon has
acquitted himself splendidly on
the Soviet trip. He said this is
hal you would expect from a
man in such a hl'gYl office of gov
ernment. One thing that is clear from
the reception that Nixon has had
so far, Eisenhower said, is that
the Russian people continue to
have a warm feeling for Ameri
cans. As to the reiwrts that a Khrush
chev visit was being considered
by the Nixon group in the Soviet
Union, the President said that
this was a subject that has been
bandied back and forth for a long
time and will be talked alwut a
lot in the future.
Nixon Lacks Authority
Asked whether the vice presi
dent had been given authority to
invije Khrushchev to the United
States, the President said of
course not.' He said, however,
that the vice president has the
right to discuss the pros and cons
of such a proposal.
The president said he had no
particular feeling about the ques
tion of whether the cong-ession-ally
inspired proclamation by the
President naming last week as
Captive Nations Week cmbar-,
rassed Nixon because of its tim
ing. He cited his 1952 campaign
statements that the U.S. would
never believe that true peace
could be established in the world
See NIXON On Page 8
tour wagon train.
(Observer Photo)
FORTUNE TELLER
MIS-READ FACTS
SAN ANTONIO, Tex. (UPI)
Fortune teller Jack Richard
Mots, SI, mil-reed his crystal
ball Tuesday. "You're an easy
going type," he told a cus
tomer. The customer then identified
himself at detective Bill Madi
son and arretted Mots for vio
lation of an anti-fortune tell
ing law.
Russians
Hold Debate
With Nixon
SVERDLOVSK. USSR. UPI)
Nixon flew into this industrial city
of the Urals today after another
of his rough and tumble debates
with Russian hecklers
His greeting here was warm and
friendly, as it was on arrival and
departure from the western Si
berian city of Novosibirsk. But
the warmth ran somewhat cold
when Nixon was subjected to
some tough give-and-take by three
men in Novosibirsk before he left
there this morning.
The three men identified them
selves as workers, but their tech
nique and questions reflected the
well-indoctrinated Communist par
ty adherent.
The first and most vigorous ex
change came when Nixon visited
the dam on the Ob River. There,
he took on Grigori Fedorovitch
Belausov, 30, who identified him
self as an electrician at the No
vosibirsk hydro-electric station
Belausov challenged American
foreign policy, demanded to know
why the United States had mili
tary bases in many countries out
side its borders, at times shouted
directly into Nixon's face, repeat
edly interrupted the vice presi
dent, aad -spoke with -cuctrWifftr
that some of his colleagues had
to calm him down.
. Nixon Speaks Saturday
Nixon gave as good as he took.
He told Belausov that he had dis
cussed the question of V. S. mil
itary bases with Premier Nikita
Khrushchev last Sunday, chal
lenged the Russian about Soviet
domination of the East European
satellites, and invited him to lis
ten to a Nixon speech from Mos
cow Saturday as well as western
broadcasts from abroad in order
to get information from both sides
on current cold war issues.
The vice president ran into a
second questioner, this time a
milder one named Antoli A. Chart
gov, a senior engineer, when he
went inside' the brick hydro-clcc-tric
plant.
Chcrtgov followed the same
technique as Belausov, only rath
er sheepishly, in saying he want
ed to ask several questions. Nixon
invited him to do so.
When Chertgov asked Nixon
why the United States and Russia
could not agree on ending nuclear
tests, the vice president told him
it took two to make a bargain
and that the West wanted to be
sure it was doing more than just
signing another piece of paper.
He said tests would cease when
there was agreement on complete
inspection. 1
BRINGS BACK MEMORIES
a wagon at North Powder and
Oregon.
WAGONMASTER TAKES TIME OUT
Tex Serpa, waconmaster for the Oregon Ccntcnial Wagon Train talks with Observer reporter
Neil Andersen at the Train's camp site at North Powder last night. The wagons moved in to La
Grande today where they were greeted by local residents. (Observer Photo)
Night With The Wagon Train
Fulfills Dream Of Reporter
Editor's Note: Observer re
porter Neil Andersen spent last
night with the Wagon Train at
their north Powder camp site.
The story below gives his
impression of the Wagoneors
along with some of the tales
of the Oregon Trail told by the
modern day pioneers.
By NEIL ANDERSEN
Observer Staff Writer
Every boy dreams of a night
with the wagon traK
Thai drota was fulfilled (or .this
reporter last night. And the mem
ory of exciting talcs told by Ore
gon's modern day pioneers will
not soon fade.
The pioneers who trudged across
the plains more than 100 years ago
were a hardy, determined lot.
Their 20th Century counterparts
are just as hardy and determined
ad real friendly.
Thyrza Polling is a young woman
making the trip with her two sons.
Rodney and Trevor. With her
black hair tied in a red bandanna
and her blue eyes shining she'll
tell you she just couldn't pass up
the opportunity to ride with the
wagons.
Two Biggest Thrills
Her two biggest thrills on the
trip were the night they slept on
prairie grass that had not been
touched since the original Oregon
pioneers came through.
"The first time we ran across
the ruts of the Oregon Trail was
quite a thrill, too," she said.
A muleskiiver from Medford
tells an unusual story. George
McUne drives the pair of big white
mules that he drew before the
train left Missouri.
His mother told him that the
first thing he bod ever ridden in
was a wagon pulled by a team of
white mules. George is pretty
anxious to get the pair home.
C. A. Hill of Telocaset leans on
talks of memories of his trip to
(Observer Photo)
One of the mules is 16, the
other 20 years old. Last night the
pair got frisky and walked off
with part of the fence that sur-rou-ds
the athletic field.
"Buffalo Bill" Dave Gastman,
with his goatee and long white
hair trailing over his shirt collar
ready for scalping, always smiles
and jokes with visitors.
Dave tells about the time he
worked for a fellow on an Indian
reservation. He claims he used
to walk around the reservation and
the squaws used to pirch him and
say "Mighty fino boy."
Weaver Clark drives the Hills-
boro wagon and is the oldest man
(66) in the caravan. Stuck in the
front of his wagon is a little
cactus plant that he picked up in
Wyoming.
"Pop" has a shotgun in his
wagoi that is just for display. His
real weapon is a toy sawed-off
shotgun that he used to warn Secre
tary of State Howell Appling about
his hostile wagon.
Dick Carter, advance man for
the caravan, told the crowd that
gathered some of the incidents
that have happened along the
route. Stories of Indians who
could 't ride and ball point pens
that melted in the heat drew loud
laughs from the crowd.
Carter warned any would-be at
tackers that the wagonncrs had
long ago run out of blank am
munition and all they had was
live."
Carter told the crowd that when
the people of Oregon are prouder
of being Oregoians they will
make the state a better place to
live.
Wagonmaster "Tex" Serpa said
that everyone always says it's so
nice to have you. It's nice to be
here, he continued, it's just like
CHIEF VISITS WAGONS
AI Kaiser, author of "Dr. In Buckskin Clad," visited train in
Indian costume. (Observer Photo)
an old pair of slippers to be back
in Oregon.
Walter Milliard, who does the
shoeing for the train, started with
800 pair of horseshoes in Inde
pendence. In addition to using
these, it has been necessary to
buy at least 200 more.
"Shorty" estimated that a pair
of horseshoes will last between
three and four days on a. wagon
horse and about a week on a saddle
horse.
"Some of those shoes were worn
so thin you could read a news
paper through them, he said.
The wagonners. most of them
clad in buckskins or Levi's, are a
well tanned crew. 1-ong side
burns, chin whiskers and full
beards such as the multi-colored
one sported by Rudy Roudebaugh.
lend authenticity to the travelers.
Ben Griffith was hitching his
mules to the mail wagon this morn
ing and he started to thi- k about
what they have had to cope with
on the trip.
"We have a lot of conveniences
(hat the first pioneers didn't and
a lot of inconveniences. We're
geared to the jet age. Traffic,
barb wire and paved roads have
caused a lot of headaches he con
linued. We have had more prob
lems with greater conveniences."
R. R. Roudebaugh says their
biggest problem is going back
"When the first pioneers came
through Oregon they were making
progress. We have had to go back
in history to duplicate this trip
and this is our big problem.
Thursday 'morning when the
teams lean into their harness it
will be with determination. The
same determination and pride of
acomplishment will show in the
travel weary faces of every wagon-
ner as the wagons move West
ward.
rn
RESIDENTS LINE STREET
TO WELCOME WAGONS
Harness creaked and rigging jingled as La Grande residents wel
comed the Oregon Centennial Wagon Train today.
The wagons filed from circle this morning at North Powder and
pulled out onto the highway boand for La Grande.
Soon the clip clop of shod hooves rang through the chilly morn
ing air and the 59'ers settled down for the 24 mile trip to Pioneer
Park where they will spend the night.
Residents, city officials, eager youngsters and local pioneers
lined Adams Avenue to welcome the modernday version of the
first wagon train to Oregon.
The wagonncrs spent a cool
night camped on the athletic
field at Powder Valley high
school. A sprinkler turning slow
ly in the morning l&ht had a
ring of ice under it and a faint
trace of frost was visible on the
ground.
It was a chilly 38 degrees as
the wagon train left and the pio
neers dug into their gear for
jackets and coats.
Ki Roudebaugh and Jean Mar
shall were stomping their feet
while preparing breakfast for
the wagon train before it left
North Powder. The wagonners
posed with their plates for early
bird photographers and joked
with cooks as they stood in line.
One of the boys said: "I like
everything but the shells." Some
one else told them to hurry, he
wanted breakfast before noon.
The horses whinnied as they
were harnessed and from across
the camp a mule brayed.
Air It Frotty
The wagnnner's breath was
visible in the frosty air and
steam rose from their coffee cups
as they talked about the day's
trip before getting underway.
The wagon from Independence
was hit with shrinking wheels
again Tuesday. The wooden
wheels tend to dry out and the
metal rims become loose, accord
ing to Roy Brabham, wagonner
from Eugene.
Instead ot soaking the wheels.
Brabham broke out a hydraulic
tire setter and "shrank" the tire
to fit the dried-out wheel.
The wagon people were served
lunch yesterday by the North
Powder Ladies Aid. The dinner
meal was a pot luck given by the
Wolf Creek Grange. After the
dinner the modern pioneers were
introduced to the crowd of ap
proximately 500 persons, includ
ing several from La Grande, who
greeted the train.
Shortly after nine the lights
went out and wagonncrs prepar
ed to bed down for what proved
to be a chilly night.
National Guard troops from
La Grande, who had picked up
the train just the other side of
North Powder, stood guard
throughout the night. Six men
swapped shifts during the night.
The first group arrived at 3:30 in
the afternoon and stood guard
until relieved at 10. The second
shift served from 10 p.m. until
2 a.m. The final shift served un
til the wagons departed.
The National Guard is provid
ing an escort for the wagon train
through Oregon. La Grande will
provide the escort until the
train reaches Pendleton. The
train will be guarded to The
Dalles where the wagons will be
floated down the Columbia to
the mouth of the Willamette.
Many Events Tonight
Thirty-three members of the
Independence, Ore., Chamber of
Commerce flew into La Grande
today to greet the wagon train
as it arrived.
A full schedule of events is
planned to entertain and feed
the wagonncrs tonight. The Li
ons and the Chamber of Com
merce are sponsoring a public
dinner at the armory. Admission
is $1.25 for adults and 50 cents
for children.
A square dance exhibition, wa
ter ballet and swimming races
plus a western dance with music
by Cliff Woodcll will be featured
in the night's program.
A special performance of the
play "Doctor In Buckskin Clad"
will be given at the college coli
seum at 8.
Breakfast will he served by the
Soroplomista at Riverside Park
Thursday morning.
Centennial commissions from
Union and Umatilla counties and
the La Grande Chamber of Com
merce arc planning a ceremony
for the opening of the new high
way between Glover and Meach
am to coincide with the passage
of the Wagon Train.
Chief speakers will be W. C.
Williams, State Highway Engin
eer and Charles Reynolds, for
mer member of the State High
way Commission.
The ceremony is scheduled to
take place near the Katncla inter
change at 10 Thursday morning.
The wagon train will make camp
that night on Strickland flat near
the interchange.
The public is Invited to attend
the ceremony.
Pioneer Tells
Of Driving
Own Wagon
'I drove one of. those wagons
out to Oregon when I was only
11 years old." said C. A. Hill as
he eyed the Oregon wagon train'
encampment at North Powder.
Hill is a slight man with grey
ing hair who has lived on his 995
acre farm near Telocaset for U
year.
My parents and I left Carson
City. Nev., 78 years ago to come
to Oregon, Hill said. We had two
four horse wagons and one two
horse hitch that I drove," he con
tinued. Hill told of the first time he
came to North Powder.
'We parked our wagons just
south of the flour mill and my
brother and I went fishing. We
got all the fish we could handle
and fried them for breakfast, ' he
said.
Hill recalled that the trip from
Carson City took seven weeks to
complete. The family moved into
the Grande Ronde valley and after
he got married he moved to his
present farm in Telocaset.
Despite his 89 years Hill still
moves around quite a bit. He
still likes to hunt and fish although
he claims he doesn't do as good
as he would like.
"It isn't like it used to be." Hill
said. "They have roads and all
we had were trails." - .
Reds, U. S.
Agree To
End Talks
GENEVA (UPI) The United
States and Russia agreed today
to wrd up the deadlocked Big
Four Foreign Ministers Confer
ence within a week. The decision
came after the Soviets brought
the talks to a near-breakdown by
increasing their price for a Ber
lin truce.
American diplomats warned
that they had little hope ot any
Berlin agreement before the
scheduled wind-up.
The other western allies agreed
to the Herter- Gromyko arrange
ment. The end of the talks need not
necessarily be a rupture or a
break-up in anger, a U.S. spokes
man indicated.
He said the United States hopes
to resume the discussions on Ber
lin and Germany at a later date.
Assistant Secretary of State An
drew Berding. in making the an
nouncement, added this caution:
"Do not interpret this to mean
that the conference will end with
an agreement."
Herter Returning Homo ,'.
"The idea." ho added, "is to
have as many discussions as pos
sible during the next week to see
whether we can reach an agree
ment by next Wednesday.''
But, in reply to questions, Ber
ding admitted the U.S. delegation
has little hone of any agreement
here on Berlin.
Herter conferred with Russia's
Andrei A. Gromyko at lunch to
day and it was during a post
lunch conversation in Herter's liv
ing room that the two agreed .to
end the conference next Wednes
day. After detailed discussion of
the western and Soviet papers on
Berlin exchanged Tuesday. Her
ter told Gromyko he intended to
leave for Washington a week from
Thursday and that the conference
would have to come to an end
by that time.
Earlier, both East and West had
rejected rival plans for a Berlin
truce. The double rejection ' ap
peared to doom the Geneva talks
to failure. .
TOOK BULL BY HORNS
ATLANTA (UPI) U. Col.
Maynard P. Booth, stationed
at Ft. McPherson. out-manned
gun-carrying squad of motorcycle
police with only a rope and a
jeep Monday. The Army officer,
attracted by the curious activity
of the policemen, learned a wfM
bull was loose. He had It roped
and tied in five minutes. Just the
way be learned it, he said, to
his South Dakota youth.
1