Terk To Nation's CKristmas Tree Today
Will Be 30th Visit To Giant Sequoia
Sanger (U.R) The "world's
oldest living thing" will be the
scene this u'-cekend for a gath
ering of pilgrims dedicated to
the Christmas message of "Peace
on earth, good will toward men."
The nation's Christmas Tree,
which sprouted from a. seed
while men toiled to build the
ramids centuries before the
birth of Christ, once again will
play the symbolic role for world
peace throah Christian ideals.
The 30th annual "trek to the
ree" is scheduled Sunday vth
about 3,000 persons expected0 to
make the 54 mile journey from
Sanger to the famed General
Q Grant Tree in Grant . Grove of
Kir Canyon 'National Park.
There will be choral -groups and
an address by Dr. Stuart L. An
derson of Beeley, Calif., pres
ident ofacuic scnooi oi re
ligion. q The worship services at 2:30
p.m. (PST) also will be included
in a nationwide rad9 broad-
cast.
Unique Servic
Walker Lundberg, chairman of
this year's trekoto the mighty
sequoia redwood, believes the
V. pilgrimage is unique. He pointed
u out civic and service groups,
enureses and "just plain" citi
zens in the small Central Cal
ifornia community participte.
"However," he added, "the
project wasn't easy in the be
ginning. It took a lot of 0 hard
work-before the treks began and
more to keep them going year
after year."
In 1923, the idea was con
ceived by the late Charles E.
Le, secretary of Sanger's Cham
ber of Commerce. He overheard
a small girl ask her mother how
many lights It woud require to
decorate the General Grant Tree.
Lee knew the lights would be
almost impossible, but thought
an annual re-dedication would
do just as well.
It has since been estimated it
wouldQtake 3V4 miles of trim
ming and tinsel plus 3,000 light
bulbs to create enough radiance
from the tree to penetrate the
darkaess of mountain night.
Starred 30 Yean Ago
Lee went to a friend, R. J.
Senior, and they mapped 'out a
campaign to interest the citizen
ry. On Christmas Day 1925, the
firs hardy band of pilgrims
far services at the base of the
267.4 Toot high sequoia.
The following year, the U. S.
Department of Interior formally
dedicated the tree as the nation's
Christmas Tree.
Snow around the tree in the
early treks sometimes exceeded
a depth of 20 feet and the sturdy
pilgrims used shovels- to dip
trails through which worship
equipment and organs were
hautei. Now there is an all
year highway to the grove, mak
ing the trip from Sanger a sim
ple one. Q
The,; GeneraP Grant. Tree,
topped at the trunk with rugged
and gnarled mass of limbs
which in themselves are larger
than most trees, is the second
tallest redwood in the world
Twenty five miles, away the Gen
eral Sherman Tree stretches
272 feet into the air from the
base at the 6,500 foot level of
the Sierras.
Fires in past ages have dam
aged and scarred the Grant Tree,
but is majestic artistry still is
an inspiration for the proof of
the teachings of the Prince of
Peace.
Kefauver To Enler
Oregon Primaries,
Newspaper States
Coos Bay (U.R) 'Sen Estes
Kefauver (D-Tenn.), who Friday
announced he was a candidate
for the Democratic presidential
nominatio'n, will enter the Ore
gon primaries next May and the
California primaries next June
the Coos Bay Times reported
Saturday In a cropyrighted
story.
Not only will Sen. Kefauver
enter these two primaries, but
he will campain in both states
with vigor, according to Coos
Bay Times News Editor Forrest
Amsden. Necessary sums to sup
port his candidacy have been
underwritten, and the basic out
lines of his campaign organiza
tion in each state have been ar
rived at, the newspaper said.
Guarantee Expenses
The story released in advance
exclusively to United Press, said
California friends of the senator
have subscribed a minimum of
$100,00 to guarantee that neces
sary expenses will be met. The
money is expected to come from
thousands of individuals, many
of them in the ranks of labor.
In Oregon, sums of money run
ning into five figures have been
likewise guaranteed by friends
of the senator who expect the
fund to be raised among thous
ands of the senators followers
who have urged him to make
"the good fight in 1956."
The Times said Lyle Cook,
Berkeley attorney, will head the
northern California Kefauver
committee. Southern California
campaigning will -be headed by
lom t-arreu, San Fernando bus
inessman who earlier this ' fall
spearheaded the Kefauver drive
among former supporters of the
Tennessee Democrat.
Serve As Advisor
Langdon W. Post, erstwhile
head of federal housing in the 11
western states, will serve as ad
visor to Kefauver for the entire
state, with Harvey Hise of San
Francisco expected to be treas
urer of the California group.
In Oregon, Kefauver's cam
paign will be headed by William
L. Josslin, Portland attorney
and secretary to the late Gov
ernor Charles H. Martin. Josslin
directed the senator's primary
campaign in Oregon in 1952.
The Times said Kefauver was
"totally disinterested in any
'deal' to confine his efforts to
the vice-presidency, which bait
was held out to him by the pro-
Stevenson party machine in Cal
ifornia." He did indicate that the
post of secretary of state was
Mrs. Robert Peary
Reported 'Gravely "
Portland, Me. (U.R) Mrs.
Robert E. Peary, 92-year-old
widow of the discoverer of the
North Pole, was reported "grave
ly ill" at her home here Satur
day. Her daughter, Mrs. Edward
Stafford who was born in
Greenland and nick - named
"snow-baby" by the famed ex
plorer, was at her mother's bedside.
Jet Plane Shears
Off Automobile Top
Twin Falls, Idaho (U.R) An
Air Force jet pilot, attempting
to land his T33 jet trainer on
a highway near here Friday
night, sheared qff the top of an
automobile then crashed in a
nearby field.
The pilot, First Lt. Clyde Seil
er of Williams Air Force Base,
Ariz., was not injured. Mr. and
Mrs. Clarence . Smith ' of Twin
Falls and their daughter, Nancy,
12, occupants of the car, were
hospitalized for observation.
Attendants said Mrs. Smith
suffered shock but otherwise the
family was not believed to have
been hurt.
The plane was on a flight from
Williams AFB to Mountain
Home AFB, Idaho. Seller said he
crossed over Twin Falls at 8,000
feet in a driving rainstorm with
both his radio and compass gone.
He said he spotted the highway
and decided to try for an emer
gency landing.
Seiler reported when he saw
he wasn't going to make the
landing safely he started to pull
up but the plane veered and hit
the Smith vehicle.
The plane lost its undercar
riage and. a wing fuel tank in
the impact and subsequent crash
in the nearby field.
Korea, Japan Resume
Trade Afler 4 Months
Seoul, Korea (U.R)The Re
public of Korea government
Saturday authorized full re
sumption of trade - with Japan
after a four-month boycott.
Kim II Hwan, minister of
commerce and industry, an
nounced that trade with Japan
would be reopened Jan. 1.
President Syngman R h e e
halted all exchanges between
the two nations Aug. 18.
more important, to him, than
the vice-presidency, the Times
said.
2
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Man Held On Charges
Of Threatening Ike
Albuquerque, N. M. (UK
Federal authorities Saturday
held a New York City man on
charges of writing President Eis
enhower a "threatening letter."
The U.S. Secret Servicenan
identified the man only as John
Burns, and declined to disclose
contents of the letter which
agents said will be made public
at his arraignment.
Burns signed a waiver of re
moval Friday to face charges
in New York, where he ap
parently mailed the letter. He
will be arraigned and tried there.
Fire Destroys Eugene
Grocery, Residence
Eugene (U.R) Fire of unde
termined origin last night de
stroyed the Gillespie Corners
grocery store on the Lorane high
way about 16 miles west of Eu
gene. Also destroyed was the ad
jacent residence of Mr. and Mrs.
Robert Pew, proprietors of the
store. The Pews and their, two
children escaped without in
jury. There was no immediate
estimate of the loss.
SILENT THEFT
Half Moon Bay, Calif. '(U.R)
Thad L. Graves complained to
police Friday that a burglar
took 50 pounds of hamburger
from his deep freeze and fed it
to his kennel of wolfhounds to
keep them quiet while he stole
75 parakeets , from Graves'
aviary.
Circus Parades on
TV Closing Season
Sarasota, Fla. (U.R) The
circus, with all its color and
excitment, thrills and buffoon
ery, paraded across TV screens
throughout the nation Friday
night before folding its tents
for another season.
It was circus in its best tradi
tion, featuring the top acts of
1955, complete with everything
but the traditional circus smells.
CBS, which flashed the ex
travaganza to 140 stations across
the land, described it as the
biggest remote control produc
tion in television history. It cost
the sponsors, General Foods, an
estimated $300,000 to $400,000.
More than 8,000 persons wit
nessed the show live from the
three ring circus of Ringling
Bros, and Barnum and Bailey's
winter home here.
With movie actor Charlton
Heston introducing the -parade
of talent to TV viewers, the
circus opened with its tradi
tional blaring circus march.
Then came the inevitable clowns,
with their laughter and buf
foonery, led by mournful Em
mett Kelly, the wild lions and
tigers roaring in their cages,
aerialists somersaulting and
swooping high, the horses trot
ting in unison, elephants lum
bering heavily. These and many
other acts synonymous with the
big top.
It ended on a Christmas note,
with the entire cast in the main
Sunday, December 18, 195S
MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBU&S-QINE
May Pay Less Than
Billion In Taxes
Portland U.R) The Oregon
Voter magazine estimates that
Oregonians pay just a little less
than $1,000,000,000 a year in
federal, state and local taxes.
The issue of the magazine
published Saturday said the
state's tax burden is about one
third of its total income. Oregon
income was set at $2,910,000,000
and the tax take from that is
$975,200,00Q."
The Voter reported that prop
erty taxes throughout the state
were 7V& per cent higher than
last year and accounted for $144,
822,391 of the tax bill.
Goodell Appointed To
Finance Committee
Portland (U.R) E. Stanley
Goodell of Portland Saturday
was appointed chairman of the
Budget and Finance Commit
tee of the Republican State Cen
tral Committee by Stalg) Chair
man Wendell Wyatt of Astoria.
Goodell, a lumber and ship
ping executive, succeeds Ralph E.
Williams, who recently resigned.
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Four Women Die In
Pre-Dawn Texas Fire
Beaumont, Tex. U.R) Four
elderly women were burned to
death Saturday in a pre-dawn
fire that swept a two-story con
valescent home in a quiet resi
dential section of North Beau
mont. Six other residents of- the
home were rescued by firemen
and neighbors.
The fire was believed to have
been caused by a defective heat
er in a small room at the rear
of the nursing home.
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and bidding farewell until they
hit the road next April.
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