Capital
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62nd Year, No. 87 Salem, Oregon, Wednesday, April 12, 1950
(22 Pages)
Price 5c
Force Railroad Budenz Never
No Hot War
Seen as Result
Oil Slick and
To Face Issue
Mel or Talked
On Union Street To McCarthy
A Jon
"far.
THE WEATHER HERE
MOSTLY CLOUDY with scat
tered showers tonight and
Thursday. Little change in tem
perature. Low tonight, 40 de
grees; high Thursday, 56.
Maximum yeiterday, 59; minimum todty,
4H. Total 24-hour precipitation: .60: for
month: 1.09; normal, J.OS. Scaaon precipi
tation, 39.86; normal, 32.36, Biter hclcht.
S feet. (Report by U.S. Weather Bureau.)
.-.VI II II
Officials Claim They
Never Heard of
Franchise Expiration
By STEPHEN A. STONE
Three or four registered let
ters will go from the city ad
ministration to the Southern Pa
cific company informing the
company of its summons before
the city council to show cause
why it should not vacate Union
street.
Mayor Robert L. Elfstrom so
declared today.
The letters will also call at
tention to the council's action a
year ago when it informed the
company that the city of Sa
lem did not intend to renew the
Union street franchise after
this year.
Iever Heard of It
In reply to an inquiry by the
Capital Journal the Southern
Pacific's attorney, and its land
and right of way agent in Port
land said they had never heard
of the council's action of a year
ago. The railroad company's su
perintendent was out of the city.
City council records show that
the council on June 27, 1949,
When the present franchise was
granted, warned the company it
did not intend to renew the fran
chise when it expired. It will
expire June 27. The record also
shows that the railroad com
pany was informed of the coun
cil's action in a letter sent out
by City Recorder Alfred Mundt
on July 1, 1949.
This Time They Will
"This time," said Mayor Elf
strom today, "we'll send regis
tered letters to.all of them."
He referred to the company
attorney, right of way agent, and
superintendent.
The mayor said he thought
the council was justified in fac
ing the company squarely with
the, issue because of the long
standing effort by the long-
range planning commission, and
a strong local sentiment, to re.
move some of the railroad bar
riers to the city center of Salem.
Standard Time
Al Polling Places
All of Oregon polling places In
the May 19 primary election will
have to operate on standard time,
regardless of whether the com
munities in which they are lo
cated are on daylight saving
time, state elections Chief Dave
O'Hara said today.
This means the polls will be
open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. in
communities with daylight sav
ing-time. They will be open
from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in those
with standard time.
O'Hara said the issue was set
tled by a recent supreme court
decision which ordered a new
trial in a Clatsop county school
election case. In that case, the
election was held on daylight
saving time.
O'Hara said the state law pro
vides the polls be open from 8
a.m. to 8 p.m., and that that
means standard time. He said
state law prevails over any lo
cal ordinance providing for
daylight time.
Sawmills Deluged
With Log Demands
' Saw mills are being deluged
with orders and the demand for
logs has resulted in the reopen
ing of logging operations ear
lier than usual, says the month-
' ly report of the Salem office of
the state employment service.
Mild winter conditions exper-
ienced. in some sections of the
J country made it possible to con
tinue construction work thus
I drawing heavily on the availa
I ble lumber supplies. ''This,
couDled with the clnsine down
of manv sawmills in the West
frilip tn pxlrpmo pnlrl wpnfhpr
made lumber a scarce item."
Agriculturists are some-
what pessimistic over crop pros
pects, feeling that considerable
damage was done during the low
temperatures of last January to
tree and cane fruit. Estimates
from some sources place the
prospective walnut crop at 20
percent of normal.
SOCE Enrollment Up
Ashland, Ore., April 12 (U.R)
Enrollment at Southern Oregon
College of Education totaled 715
for the spring term, Registrar
Mabel Wilson said today. The
number was 13 percent higher
than for the 1949 spring term.
Ex-Communist Could
Name 400 Com
munists But Won't
Midland, Mich., April 12 (IP)
Ex-communist Louis Budenz,
who may have an answer to the
Sen. McCarthy-Owen Lattimore
dispute, says that he could name
400 "concealed" communists in
the United States.
But I won't do it," he de
clared here last night. "I can't
afford libel suits."
The former managing editor
of the communist Daily Worker
was in Midland for a lecture.
While here, he was notified of a
subpoena to appear before a sen
ate sub-committee investigating
McCarthy's charge that Latti
more is a Soviet agent.
I Budenz, named as McCarthy's
"mystery witness," would offer
no comment on the dispute. But
he did say that he had never met,
talked with, or given documents
to McCarthy.
Policy of Reds
In justice to the investigat
ing committee," he said, "I can
not say anything further."
McCarthy has indicated that
he hopes Budenz's sworn testi
mony will show the committee
that Lattimore is a communist.
Testimony given before such a
group cannot be used as a basis
for libel charges.
(Concluded on Page 5, Column 6)
Tydings Rejects
Spy Hunter
Washington, April 12 tfP) On
grounds the man is a republican
office seeker. Senator Tydings
(D-Md.) refused today to ac
cept a GOP-nominated aide to
the senate committee investigat
ing charges of communism in
the state department.
-Tydings said he is holding up
the appointment because be be
lieves "every effort should be
made to keep politics out" of the
inquiry.
The man in question is Fred
erick Ayer, Jr., on nomination
of Senator Lodge (R-Mass.) he
was named yesterday as an as
sistant counsel to the senate for
eign relations subcommittee
looking into charges from Sen
ator McCarthy R-Wis.) that
Reds infest the state depart
ment.
Tydings, chairman of the sub
committee, said he had learned
that Ayer is a candidate for the
republican nomination for at
torney general in Massachus
etts.
Therefore, Tydings said, he
was holding up the appointment
and advising Ayer not to come to
Washington until he could put
the matter before the full com
mittee. Coafes Aparlmenf
Bids Opened in Week
Portland, April 12 W) Bids
on a balem apartment house
planned by Robert Coates, Port
land builder, will be opened in
about a week, Coates said today.
They are the second bids on
the job, the first having been
rejected as too high.
Coates said he had not opened
the bids now at hand because
another contractor still is pre-.
paring estimates.
Pearson Hints Flegel
Withdraw Candidacy
By JAMES D. OLSON
State Treasurer Walter J. Pearson has no intention of withdraw
ing from the democratic primary race for governor.
State Senator Austin F. Flegel
step out of the race, contending
Governor McKay could appoint
prevent democratic control of
the board of control
There is just as much sense
in Flegel stepping out of the
governnor's race as there is in
my withdrawing," said Pearson
Wednesday.
Pearson said that he was con
ducting his owr campaign and
wasn't paying .any attention to
any statements made by his dem
ocratic opponents.
"I'm not running against Fle
gel or Wallace,'' he declared "I'm
running against Governor Mc
Kay." It is Pearson's contention that
if nominated and elected gover
nor he would be able to appoint
his own successor to the treas
ury post and thus break the long
republican control of the state.
13 Die in Fiery
Crash of B-29
Albuquerque, N. M., April 12
(P) Thirteen airmen died last
night in the fiery crash of a B
29 bomber into a secret area of
Sandia special weapons base.
Deaths of all aboard were con
firmed this morning with offic
ial announcement of their
names. Authorities said a search
crew finished recovering the
mangled bodies only a short
time earlier.
The big ship from Walker
base at Roswell, N.- M. Crack
ed up near the crest of the Man
zano mountains three minutes
after taking off from Kirtland
base here.
Officials reported it had
climbed little more than 1,000
feet, unaccountably failing to
gain appreciable altitude or
bank sharply to avoid the peak.
Witnesses at Kirtland saw
flames leap high into the air mo
ments later.
The scene of the crash was in
a remote area of .Sandia base,
which assembles the atomic
bomb. Tight secrecy regula
tions were invoked
Newsmen were barred from
entering the area, a spot 7!000
feet high in the Manzano moun
tains. The scene is some five
miles east of Sandia headquar
ters and 17 miles east of down
town Albuquerque.
Wipe Out Reds
Invading Hainan
Taipei, Formosa, April 12 (IP)
Nationalist China today an
nounced it had wiped out ace
Red Gen. Lin Paio's 258th regi
ment in this odd climax:
Three junk-loads of crack
troops were the only survivors
of the 258th's quickly smashed
attempt to invade Hainan. The
nationalists said earlier they
killed the other 1000 Reds.
The survivors were afraid of
stern punishment, for failure, if
they returned to their Luichow
peninsula basing point only 10
miles away. So they cruised in
the Gulf of Tonkin until yester
day. Then they tried again to land
on Hainan presumably to op
erate as guerrillas.
Nationalist warships sank two
junks. Seventeen men were pick
ed out of the sea. The others
drowned.
The third junk ran up the
white flag. Seventy-eight offi
cers and men, with arms and am-
Imunition, were captured.
suggested that the state treasurer
that if Pearson was successful,
Pearsons successor and thus
But Flegel, together with a
number of lawyers in Portland,
dispute Pearson's theory, con
tending that when Pearson re
signs, in the event of his elec
tion, McKay would be free to
make the appointment before
Pearson could be sworn in.
Sen. Flegel has been ' critical
of the senate voting record of
both Pearson and Wallace, par
ticularly pointing to their votes
in favor of the Ox Bow dam on
the Snake river. Flegel contends
that the two men favored private
power interests over public pow
er.
Pearson had no comment Wed
nesday on Flegel's criticism of
his senate voting record.
Debate Team Feted Salem high school's state champion de
bate team coached by Miss Amanda Anderson was honored
Tuesday night at the Salem Chamber of Commerce by local
speech clubs for their team's recent accomplishment in win
ning the state title. Shown above are the team members.
Left to right are Miss Anderson, Frank ViTaris, Eugene
Poindexter, Eunice Peckenpaugh, Jim Humphrey, John Bone,
Paul Ward and Gilbert Bateson.
State Champion Debate
Team Fete J at Banquet
By DAVID BLACKMER
Several scores of persons turned out Tuesday night to wit
ness the testimonial banquet honoring the state champion Salem
high school debate team held at the Salem Chamber of Com
merce sponsored by the combined Toastmaster and Toastmistress
Urges Action
On Crime Probe
Washington, April 12 (IP) 1
Senator Kem called on Presi
dent Truman today for action
to wipe out what the Missouri
republican called an "unholy al
liance" between politics and
crime in Kansas City.
Kem said in a speech pre
pared for the senate that unless
the federal government acts be
fore May 27 to bring indictments
in the 1947 theft of ballot boxes
there the statute of limitations
will bar prosecution.
"After that date," Kem said,
"the president of the United
States, the attorney general and
the department of justice will
be powerless to act."
He declared "the recent bloody1
killing" of Charles Binaggio.
leading figure in Kansas City
politics, and his henchman.
Charles Gargotta, were not iso
lated crimes.
Kem said both had been al
lied with the Pendergast political
machine in former years but that
Binaggio recently "has operated
his own political organization in
opposition to that of Pender
gast." Kansas City is Kern's residence
and is a short distance from the
president's home town Inde
pendence, Mo.
Senator Brewster (R Me.),
ioia reporters earlier that vi
olence in Mr. Truman's home
state had forced democratic sen
ate leaders to approve a $150,-
uuu crime investigation.
Woman Catches
Bank Robber
ot. Louis, April 12 (IP) A
62-year-old man captured by a
woman bank teller has been
involved in bank thefts amount
ing to more than $1,000,000, the
federal bureau of investigation
said last night.
William R. Evans was charged
yesterday with larceny of
bank. Miss Audrey Lorenzen,
blonde bank teller, captured
Evans with the help of a passer
by Monday.
She chased Evans through
downtown streets and stores
after more than $1,500 was
taken from her bank.
FBI Agent Gerald B. Norris
called Evans a notorious "stick
man" one who puts chewing
gum or sticky paper on the end
of a stick to help grab money
in tellers' cages.
Norris said Evans has a crim
inal record dating back to 1907
including involvement in :
$590,000 bond theft from the
bank .of Manhattan in 1936
Claims Mindszeniy
Taken to Russia
Vatican City, April 12 UP)
The weekly "Sunday Osscrvatore
Romano" said today that the
firmest opinion in Vatican circles
is that Josef Cardinal Mindszen-
ty has been taken to Russia.
The Vatican weekly said a re
port to that effect last October
was never denied by Hungarian
authorities.
clubs of Salem.
The seven speech students and
their parents were the guests.
The students demonstrated their
talents which brought them the
state speech crown several weeks
ago on the University of Oregon
campus.
The event was sponsored by
the Salem Toastmistress. Salem
roastmasters, Willamette Toast-
masters, and the Capitol Toast-
masters. The Toastmistress club
of which Miss Amanda Ander
son, the debate coach is a mem
ber, worked out the deta if for
the celebration.
Miss Anderson praised her
team, highly for its record
throughout the year. The Vik
ing debaters won sweepstakes
honors at a Pacific university
invitational meet and took sec
ond place at the Linfield col
lege tourney and then went on
to cop the state berth title.
Other honor guests present for
the event were Mayor R. L.
Elfstrom, School Superintendent
Frank B. Bennett, Principal E.
A. Carleton, Assistant Principal
Gurnee Flesher, and members of
the school board.
Testimonials for their speech
accomplishments were voiced
from the four sponsoring speak
ing clubs by Loraine Meusey,
Robert A. Forkner, and George
R. K. Moorehead. Mrs. MarionJ
Curry presided and Richard
Schmidt was toastmaster for the
affair.
Moorehead spoke on "Value of
Speech Training in the Schools"
and Forkner spoke on "Better
Citizens Through Trained Lead
ership."
Each of the seven debaters
gave his or her winning speech.
Celebrities for the evening
were Gilbert Bateson, Paul
Ward, Jim Humprey, Eugene
Poindexter, Eunice Peckenpaugh
John Bone, and Frank ViTaris.
Filth Year End
Finds Truman Fit
Washington, April 12 (IP) Pre
sident Truman ends his fifth
year in office today in what his
friends describe as a confident,
happy-warrior mood.
The sun-tanned president,
fresh from a vacation in Florida
apparently is ready to carry to
the people a counter-offensive
against republican attacks on his
secretary of state and other
GOP assaults.
Picturing the president as in
vigorous health, Senator Lucas
of Illinois, the democratic lead
er, gave a reporter this descrip
tion of Mr. Truman:
'He is confident and in f
happy frame of mind. He thinks
conditions throughout the coun
try are good. He thinks world
problems are not insolvable. He
is ready to fight for his pro
gram.
A republican reaction to Mr.
Truman was expressed by Sena
tor Brewster of Maine, chair
man of his party's senatorial
campaign committee.
"We wish Mr. Truman but
not his program a long life,
Brewster said.
"We think it is obvious that
he is going to campaign for a
Truman congress, since the
democratic 81st congress has
been no better, from his stand
point, than the republican 80th
Of Plane Battle
Russian Protest Likely
To Be Rejected and
Angry Notes Follow
Washington, April 12 (IP) A
hot war with Russia as a result
of an airplane shooting scrape
or any other single incident is
regarded by American diplomat
ic and military authorities
highly unlikely.
At the state department and
Pentagon, there was no inclina
tion to treat lightly an official
protest from Moscow that an
American B-29 type bomber had
violated Soviet territory in the
Baltic area, fired on Russian
fighter planes and been fired up
on in return.
But neither was there so much
as a suggestion that either
country might want to go on
from there to knock chips off
shoulders.
Probably Shot Down
U. S. officials indicated yes
terday that the truth of the mat
ter may be that an unarmed
American navy patrol plane,
missing since Saturday, was shot
down by Russian fighters.
White House Press Secretary
Charles G. Ross was asked at his
news conference today about the
Russian protest.
(Concluded on Page 5, Column 6)
Bishop M'Grath
Of Baker Dies
Baker, April 12 (P) The Most
Rev. Joseph F. McGrath, D. D.,
bishop of Baker City, died early
this morning at the age oi '(.
His death, which came after
three-week illness, followed
by less than two weeks that of
the Most Rev. Leo Fabian Fahey,
bishop coadjutor of the Roman
Catholic Baker City diocese.
Bishop McGrath was installed
bishop in the Cathedral of St.
Francis de Sales here on April
1, 1919.
He was born March 1, 1871,
in County Kilkenny, Ireland,
where he began a philosophy
course in St. Kieran's seminary.
He completed philosophical and
theological courses at the Grand
Seminaire, Montreal, Canada.
He' was ordained a priest in
LIXXX 1895 and had been on
the west coast since 1906, when
he became pastor at Tacoma,
Wash. Previously he had served
at Adams, Mass., Portland, Me.,
Scranton, Penn., San Antonio,
Tex., and Seattle. During his
term as pastor in Tacoma a new
church was built there. In 1910
he was appointed va diocesan
consultor to the bishop and in
1915 was made dean of the
counties of Pierce Thurston and
Gray's Harbor.
Funeral arrangements have
not been made yet.
Oregon Counties Get
$142,500 from Liquor
Oregon counties got $142,500
in state liquor privilege taxes
today, and another $47,500 went
to the state general fund.
The money was collected in
the first three months of this
year.
The counties also got $4,393
today from amusement device
taxes, with another $6,590 go
ing into the state public assist
ance fund.
Magnuson
Cordon Raps Basin Bill
Washington, April 12 (IP) Senator Magnuson (D., Wash.), con
tinued today his fight for an amendment to add $413,000,000 of
Columbia basin reclamation projects to the $1,800,000,000 house
passed waterways authorization bill.
The senator yesterday smilingly fought off opposition of
nearly a dozen senators to put-
ting irrigaton projects in a rivers
and harbors and flood control
measure. Today he planned to
direct much of his attention to
another phase of the amendment.
? "hough the bill contains proj
s in every part of the coun
try, action is rtot expected on
any other features now until aft
er the Columbia basin amend
ment is disposed of.
It would provide for the set
ting up of a Columbia basin ac
count for government power,
reclamation and flood control
projects in the Pacific northwest,
All power revenues would go in
to the account and all expendi
tures come out of it
A new scheme would permit
interest paid the government on
Pres. Gabriel Gonzales Videla
of Chile
Truman Greets
Videla of Chile
Washington, April 12 (IP)
President Truman welcomed
President Gabriel Gonzalez Vi
dela of Chile today as a leader
of a nation devoted to the "de
mocratic principles we cherish
here."
Mr. Truman met Gonzalez Vi
dela at the airport on his arrival
in the capital for a 21-day visit
to this country.
He said the visit symbolizes
the "warm friendship" between
the two countries which he said
are motivated by the same
concern for individual freedom
and human welfare."
Mr. Truman said in part:
"I am happy to welcome you
as the chief executive of a sis
ter republic whose citizens have
constantly been inspired by de
votion to the democratic prin
ciples that we cherish here.
Your arrival symbolizes the tra
ditional and warm friendship
that has long existed between
out two countries. . . .
"Welcome, Mr. President!"
The department of defense
detailed crack troop units and
12 of the fastest U.S. jet planes
to take part in the reception.
Military bands, armored cars
and some 2000 foot soldiers
were ordered along the line of
march from the airfield to his
toric Pennsylvania avenue.
The keys to the city were rea
dy for presentation. President
Truman had a welcome address
prepared, a state dinner sched
uled for this evening and an
apartment set aside for the visit
ing president at Blair house.
Streets of the city were deck
ed out with the single-starred
red, white and blue emblem of
Chile and placards reading
"Welcome to Prcsidente Gabriel
Gonzalez Videla."
Mr. Truman sent his personal
airplane "The Independence" to
Santiago to bring the Chilean
executive here today, the fifth
anniversary of the day Mr. Tru
man became president following
the death of Franklin Delano
Roosevelt.
The American president has
been invited to repay Gonzalez
Videla's visit later this year, pos
sibly for the opening of Chile's
first big steel mill.
West Berlin Symbol
Berlin, April 12 (IP) West Ber
lin adopted the slogan "F" for
freedom today as the symbol of
this year's May Day celebration.
Anti-communists have made the
letter "F" irritating in the Sov
iet zone by splashing it on walls
wherever possible in recent
months.
Champions,
construction money advanced
for army engineer dams to be
applied to the account. It would
be used as is interest on rec
lamation power dams to subsi
dize irrigation projects the wa
ter users are unable to pay for
Senator Cordon (R-, Ore.), if
expected to follow Magnuson in
the senate debate and continue
his opposition to the Columbia
basin account, which he yester
day termed "a ghost account."
Cordon told a reporter that if
the proposal becomes law it may
forever prevent the Pacific
northwest states from forming
an intcr-state compact and tak
ing over the hydro-electric proj
ects in that region.
Life Raft Clue
To Lost Plane!
Pilot Search for Lost
Naval Privateer j
Sights Debris Also "
Wiesbaden, Germany, April S'
12 (IP) The crew of an Amcxi- ,
can search plane today reported
the sighting of an oil slick and
what appeared to be a life raft,
in the Baltic sea area where a
U.S. navy plane is missing.
The searching B-17, piloted
by Capt. Banta M. York of Ra
leigh, N.C., scanned the seas off
Bornholm island, Denmark, for
six hours and returned to Co
penhagen late in the day when
its fuel ran low.
Air force headquarters here
quoted Sgt. Winthrop Maddox of
Griffin, Ga., a member of York's
crew as saying:
"It looked like a life raft to
me. It was partly submerged in
the center of an oil slick. The
yellow color showed up, and it
looked like it might have been
equipment off an airplane."
No Sign of Life
York said he saw debris but
no signs of life.
An oil slick is left on the wa
ter by sinking planes or vessels.
The plane sought is a four-engine
privateer, which left Wies
baden Saturday for Copenhagen
and may have been disabled, air
officers here fear, by Russian
gunfire.
The search plane's reports did
not raise much hope for the miss
ing crew of 10. A Danish pilot
who went to the scene said he
believed the American pilot
might have been misled by a
buoy placed by the Russians to
mark dumped mustard gas.
York told the Associated
Press:
Fuel Ran Low
"I dropped everything except
the kitchen sink into the sea to
keep flying as long as possible,
but at last I had to give up be
cause fuel was running low.
An Associated Press corres
pondent flew out from Roenne,
Bornholm island, and saw noth
ing but water, other searching
planes and vessels.
(Concluded on Page 5, Column 8)
Soviet Press
Protests Search
Moscow, April 12 (IP) Moscow
newspapers published a scries
of dispatches from abroad today
protesting that the American
search for a missing U. S. patrol
plane is being used as an excuse
to conduct maneuvers near Sov
iet territory.
Among those published was a
report from the Copenhagen cor
respondent of the Soviet News
Agency Tass declaring that the
"Danish public is more and more
inclined to view the report of the
loss of the American plane as a
pretext for American aviation
maneuvers."
The report said these maneu
vers are "designed to acquaint
American pilots with the Dan
ish airdrome of Kastrup."
The newspapers at the same
time displayed prominently yes
terday's official Soviet protest
to the United States against the
reported appearance of an Amer
ican Super-Fortress over the
(Soviet-held) Latvian republic.
A Tass dispatch from Stock
holm quoted the liberal Swed
ish newspaper Expressen as
saying the missing patrol plane
was to have flovn a special mis
sion to the Estonian shores of the
Baltic.
Another Tass report from
Stockholm said the Americans
have concentrated "significant
military air forces" in the region
of the Baltic sea.
Sweden Sends Mild
Protest on Air Search
Stockholm, April 12 (IP) Swe
den sent a mild protest to the
U. S. embassy here today against
violation of her territory by U.
S. rescue planes searching for an
American navy patrol plane.
The foreign office said that
some rescue planes had passed
over "the forbidden area around
Karlskrona," Sweden's biggest
naval base on the Baltic.
(U. S. Air Force officers at
Wiesbaden, expressed surprise at
the reports. Capt. D'Jack Kling
cr, directing the Baltic search,
said American planes have been
instructed to fly only over the
sea. Search flights over land are
being made by Swedish planes,
Klinger said. The sea search
carries some American planes
near the southern tip of Sweden
where the base is located.)