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Downtown
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Ordered
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51st Year
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United Pn
-Full Leased Wire
20 Pages
U.S. Commm..ois
Try
To Convince
Public of
K'Xir's not: Following if the first In a series of three artirles on the
rnitWurtMt party In the United States. United Press Correspondent Rob-
ert R Jackson, author of the articles, obtained his information from
O spokesmen -lor the party, from the Justice Department and FBI and
from auuicrHtlea In CVmmunlsm.
CKew York-U P.t The Communist party is trying to convince
you that iris not a puppet of the Soviet Union or a menace to Am-erint.
Tt will itflvell this week end
and-blue" look at the ferst national convention in six years.
The Ameran peegle will be
n;ionger takes ore rs from Moscow, that today it is an maepena
f ent moverrfrrit of "national" Communists, still opposed to capital
ism, but dedicated to debate and Democracy.
"We are American1 Communists patriots," said the 23,000
word draft resolutions, a self-whipping confession of past errors
and guileless statement of future tactics, prepared for approval
by the Feb. 9-12 convention.
O Independence Claimed by U. S.
o Moscow says the American
October, November and again
organs attacked "right wing"
United States.
"Nobody tells me what to think," a Communist official told a
United Press reporter i a cubbyhole conversation which he said
was wire-tapped.
"Nobody gives jis orders," said
Worker.
"There are variois roads to
way," said the party.
Communist) ha denounced
Premier and hero, Josef Stajin.
pression and shooting of workers by Soviet troops in Hungary
r They iave argued with each other.
When aging party Chairman William Z. Foster defended the
"erim necessity" of Soviet intervention to prevent "Fascism" in
Hungarve? Daily Workr r labor reporter Herbert Singer wrote:
"There is a 'grimnecessity.'
understand tnat infjy cannot lane a serious step lowara esiaDiisn
tftg a new basis foi Socialism ... if they condone or justify the
Soviet actions in Hungary."
Crisis No Secret of Party Leaders
()r months behind the forbidden doors of floors six and seven
of a sad;ne building on Manhattans lower west side, party
leaders enve bees painting on the new face which will make no
(jf tempt to disguise their crisis.
jjVitr4tist a mask to avoid further prosecution and to confuse
the public? (3r is it a sincere break from Kremlin domination? Is
it a cban& of jtsVe or .heart? .
That is one of the few secrets the Communists still harbor.
Qutjar ionsiie a mattery f interpretation.
The 1551. the Department of Justice. American labor leaders
and many-specialists on Communist affairs say that the image of
"independence' is marely a carefully-arranged shift in tactics a
O shaifi. Moscow golf calls the signals.
Gone point here is no argument. The party is in bad shape.
Eleven of thg top 12 party leaders were convicted in 1949 and
Jailed in 1951 under the Smith act for conspiring to teach and advo
cate the overthrow of the U.S. government. Chairman Foster es
caped trial due to illness.Five of the 11 are now free.
Under the 1940 Smith act, 145 Communists have been tried in
18 processes, and 103 have gone to jail. The testimony of 27 under
cover agents fif the FBI who penetrated the party sealed the fate
of many. 0
TheOSftiith act convictions, the exposure of 733 Communist
front publications and organizations, the deportation of subver
sives, the campaign against security risks the party itself lists
these as the acts which crippled it.
Undermined ThemieWei by Following Line
,But American Communists, with an able assist from the Soviet
Urrfon, ldermined themselves by'slavishly following the Kremlin
line.
The Communist invasion of Korea, the disclosure of Soviet spy
networks. Oie flip-flop on Stalin, the Soviet cruelty in Hungary led
successively to thousands of desertions. And no new blood is com
ing in. TheQneVwhelming majority of the American public long
ab discredited J?e party.
In this critical situation, party comrades have turned on Russia
ana each other. It may sound like a free-swinging debate, but At
torney General Herbert Brownell warned in a memo to President
Eisenhower:
"The Communists now propose a new change in the party line,
seeking to divert public attention by now claiming allegiance to
the United States and purporting to sever their ties with the Soviet
Union. i
"They will fool no one by this tactic. So long as Communist dic
tatorships threaten the peace of the world, the Communists and
their agents will remain a serious threat to our internal security.
In tomorrow's article. Jackson discusses the possible menace
of the Communist pary in the United States.
Oregon House Vetoes Plan
For 3 Per Cent Sales Tax
Salem U.R) The Oregon
House of Representatives voted
54-2 today to kill the three per
cent sales tax bill proposed by
the Interim Committs on Tax
ation, o
The vote came after two Re
publican movespto refer the bill
back U corriittce and delay
final vote until leb. 15 had
failed.
House action supported
committee report recommending
"do not pass" from the House
Taxation committee.
Democrats, led by taxation
committee chairman Clarence
Barton, Coquille. called the sales
Tax a vicious and regressive"
tax.
Republicans, led by Taxation
Committee Member Wayne
Giesy. Monroe, argued that the
bill should be retained in com
mittee until House members had
had a rhance to study it and
until Gov. Robert D. Holmes'
budget requirements were
known.
After moves to delay vote on
the measur had failed, many
Republicans voted with the ma
jority to kill the bill. They ex
plained that they had voted not
in favor of a sales tax but in
MEDFO
Change
in New York a new "red-white-
asked ,f.o believe that the party
Communists
Communists are out of line. In
last Saturday, Soviet Communist
and "national" communists in the
the party newspaper. The Daily
Socialism not just the Soviet
the brutalities of the late Soviet
They have assailed the bloody re
It is that American Communists
favor of further study of any
possible revenue source that
might be required.
Voting in favor of retaining
the sales tax bill were Reps. Ed
win E. Cone, Eugene; Wayne
Giesy, Monroe: E. A. Littrell,
Medford: and Fred Meek, Port
land. All are Republicans.
Arthur Fleming Quits
aAs Defense Mobilizer
Washington (U.PJ President
Eisenhower today annonnced
the resignation of Defense Mobi
lizer Arthur S. Flemming.
The president announced at
his news conference that he
would nominate Gordon Gray,
now assistant secretary of de
fense and former president of
the University of North Caro
lina, to succeed Flemming.
DOW-JONES AVERAGES
New York U.R) Dow
Jones final stock averages: 30
industrials 470.81, up 0.85: 20
railroads 146.38, up 0.12; 15 ut
ilities 70.90. up 0.03, and 65
stocks 167.57. up 0.22. Sales to
day were about 2.110.000 shares
compared with 2,610,000 shares
Tuesday
WTribune
.-rvUARY 6, 1957
PATRICIA LEEK
Medford High Winner
Two Youth Leadership
Winners Announced
Miss Patricia Ann (Pat) Leek,
a senior at Medford High school.
and Richard E. (Jim) James, a
senior at Phoenix High school,
won the annual Medford Elks
lodge "Youth Leadership" con
test. Exalted Ruler Dick Wood
cock announced today.
Miss Leek is the daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. A. L. Leek, 1530
West Main st., Medford, and
James is the son of Mr. and
Mrs. Ernest H. James, 209 Fifth
St., Phoenix. Ernest James is
superintendent of Phoenix
schools.
Runners-up were Sara Joanne
Funeral Services
Scheduled Thursday
For Edith Beck ..,
Funeral services for Mrs. Ed
ith M. Beck of Medford and
Jacksonville who died of a heart
attack Sunday, will be held in
the Conger-Morris chapel at 1
p.m. Thursday. The Rev. George
R. V. Bolster of the St. Marks
Episcopal church will officiate.
Committal will be in Siskiyou
Memorial park.
Mrs. Beck was born April 23,
1898, in Willow Springs, Mo.
On Nov. 27, 1915, in Tacoma,
Wash., she was married to
Michael Beck who survives.
Club Membership
She was a member of the
Zuleima Temple No. 13, Daugh
ters of the Nile, who will partici
pate in the service; Adarel Chap
ter, Order of Eastern Star, Jack
sonville; Medford Neighbors of
Woodcraft and Mistletoe Camp,
Royal Neighbors of America;
Lady Elks; Lady Lions and Poc
ahontas lodge.
Survivors, besides her hus
band, include a son, Alfred M.
Beck, Medford; two daughters,
Mrs. Gerald Note, Medford, and
Mrs. James Farrar, Central
Point Market rd., a brother,
Claude L. Payton, Medford, and
five grandchildren.
Honorary pallbearers will in
clude Major Franks, Sandy San
derson, Carl Wiltermood, Gene
Ferrell, Lynn Robertson, Mel
McGrew and Charlie Reames;
active bearers will be Lou Bittle,
Carl Pearson, Earl Scripter,
Louis Bashaw, George Wimer
and Ed Pease.
(In the United Press story
Monday reporting Mrs. Beck's
death, her name was incorrectly
given as Elizabeth, an error
which Mail Tribune staff writers
regretably failed to catch and
correct).
Two Attorneys Named
City Pro Tern Judges
James Redden and A. E. Piaz
za. Medford attorneys, were ap
pointed pro tern municipal court
judges last night by the Medford
city council.
The appointments were ap
proved at the request of Muni
cipal Judge Noreen A. Kelly
that pro tern judges be available
in the event of illness and vaca
tion period.
Redden is a member of Rob
erts, Kellington and Branchfield
and Piazza is a partner of Harb
ison and Piazza.
Airing of Troubles
Asked by Afro-Asians
United Nations, N.Y. (U.P.)
The Afro-Asian bloc asked the
United Nations today to "invite
France and the people of Al
geria" to start immediate nego
tiations to settle their North
African troubles.
Price 10c
United Press Full Leased Wins
No. 273
RICHARD JAMES
Winner at Phoenix
and Robert Elden, daughter and
son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Elden,
route 1, box 487, Central Point,
and seniors at Crater High
school: Bruce West, son of Dr.
and Mrs. D. K. West, 52 Ross
court, Medford, a senior at Med
ford High; and Dorothy Bean,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert
J. Bean, 2194 Houston rd., Phoe
nix, a senior at Phoenix High
school.
Brochures Forwarded
Local winners of the Youth
Leadership contest will have
their prepared leadership bro
chures forwarded to the Oregon
State Elks' association for judg
ing at the state level and pos
sible entry into national com
petition. Awards will be made by the
local Elks lodge to the six win
ners from the jurisdictional area
of the lodge which includes seven
high schools. They will be made
Mav 2 at the local observance of
National Elks Youth Day.
Student entries were judged
on their outstanding leadership
records as developed in their re
spective high schools.
Southeast Medford
Areas Rezoned
Ordinances rezoning two por
tions of southeast Medford were
adopted last night by the Med
ford city council. The action was
taken following two public hear
ings in which no opposition was
voiced.
Rezoned from class IA (single
family) to class II (multiple fam
ily) was the area between Mur
phy rd. and the east city limits
line from Barnett rd. to a drain
age canal.
The other was rezoned from
class IA (single family) to class
IB (two family), and is the area
between Murphy rd. and the
east city limits frmo the drain
age canal to Alameda st.
George Fields, one of the de
velopers of the area, said the
zoning ordinance was intended
for future needs of the area and
no foreseeable structures were
planned there.
A petition from seven prop
erty owners on Barnett rd. in the
recently annexed area request
ing tjie area be rezoned to class
III ( limited commercial) was re
ferred to the planning commis
sion. Wilkes Appointed to
Budget Committee
Roy P. Wilkes, 1863 Crater
Lake ave., Medford, was ap
pointed to the citizen's budget
committee last night by Mayor
John Snider. The appointment
was approved by the city coun
cil. Wilkes replaces Stanley Stark
on the committee. Stark resign
ed last Jan. 11 due to business
pressures, he said.
Wilkes vas one of the leaders
in the successful Kenwood
Grandview annexation campaign
last fall.
$ v m i - L I
mm t(
Ike Sees Talks as Help To Mid-East Peace
Washington (U.R) President
Eisenhower said today he be
lieves his talks with Arab lead
ers will help keep the peace in
the Middle East.
Eventually, he said, the talks
may result in unity of all peo
ples in the troubled area.
Mr. Eisenhower discussed re
sults of the talks at his news con
ference as he stepped up his fast
moving drive to win Arab sup
port for his doctrine of using
Government May
Impose Controls
Over Inflation
Move Would Be
Odious, Ike Declares
Washington (U.PJ Presi
dent Eisenhower said today that
if inflation gets out of hand the
government will have to impose
controls which he considers
cdious.
The President made this state
ment at a news conference in
which he also said the United
States must step up oil ship
ments to Europe and that pros
pects for peace in the Middle
East have been improved. '
Not American Way
If inflationary pressures con
tinue, Mr. Eisenhower said, the
United States would have to
move in with controls which he
finds not only odious but not
representative of the present
American way of life.
The President's discussion of
inflation was touched off by a
reporter's reference to his State
of the Union Message. In that
message, Mr. Eisenhower urged
business and labor leaders "to
think well of their responsibility
to the American people" before
demanding price and wage in
creases. Loss of Freedom
Failure "to discipline our
selves" would produce pressure
on the government to "redress
the failure" and "by that pro
cess freedom will step by step
disappear."
Today he added that if busi
ness and labor do not exercise
economic self discipline, the gov
ernment would have to move in
with controls. In that event, he
said, this would not be the
United States we now know.
(Continued on page 12)
Gold Hill Couple
Fined in Court
Thomas K. and Phyllis Hall-
wood of the Sportman's Tavern,
Gold Hill, were fined $50 each
in district court Tuesday after
pleading guilty to a charge of
possessing, displaying and oper
ating a game of chance.
Confiscated at the tavern were
five punchboards and an electric
pan, according to district court
records.
A warrant has been issued for
another tavern owner, according
to District Attorney Thomas
Reeder.
Other merchandise had been
confiscated earlier in the week
by sheriff's officers and state
police, officials said.
Reeder said confiscation ol tne
merchandise and resulting ar
rests are a "follow-up" of state
ments he and Sheriff Howard
Gault jointly issued recently to
police chiefs in six Jackr- -
county cities. The notices called
to the attention of police chiefs
reports of gambling devices in
general, and punch boards in
particular, being operated in
taverns.
Merle Oberon To Wed
Mexican Fiancier
Hollywood (UP.) Actress
Merle Oberon. 46, announced
Tuesday night her engagement to
wealthy Mexican financier
Bruno Pagliai, 54. and says they
will be married within two
months.
The dark-haired film beauty-
revealed the engagement short
ly after Pagliai returned by
plane to Mexico City following
a brief visit here. It will be Miss
Oberon's third marriage and
Pagliai's second.
Weather
FORECAST: Generally cloudy
tonicht and Thursday with a
rhance of a few lUht showe'S
Thursday. Low tonight 28-30.
High Friday 48.
Our Skies Tonight
Temp.
Highest Yesterday 51
Lowest this Morning - 2
Sunrise ':20 a.m.
Sunset 5:32 p.m.
Moonset Thursday 12:38 a.m.
First Quarter Feb. 7
PROMINENT STAB
Aldebaran, high in
south T:1 P-m.
VISIBLE PLANETS
Mars, near the Moon, is now
about as bright as Aldebaran.
Jupiter, rises 9:2' P "-
Saturn, rises 3:34 a.m.
U. S. troops, if necessary, to com
bat any overt Communism ag
gression in the Middle East.
He already had discussed the
proposal thoroughly with King
Saud of Saudi Arabia and Prince
Abdul Hah of Iraq and con
ferred with Foreign Minister
Charles Malik of Lebanon about
it after the news conference.
Malik said afterwards that his
nation would try to convince
ether Arab states to agree to the
Eisenhower doctrine.
"Where Do You Suppose They Get
Idea Like That?"
?-m.lHuoe.tc
Mike Stearns Elected
Student City Mayor
Mayor John Snider last night
announced that the mayor of
Medford for Student Govern
ment Day Feb. 19 will be Mike
Stearns, Medford High school
senior.
Snider announced winners of
the Student Government Day
elections held recently at Med
ford and St. Mary's High
schools. Students elected will as
sume duties of the mayor and
eight city councilmen at one
meeting.
Elected to student council po
sitions were Jane Barker and
Scott Phillips, ward I; Joyce
Gregory and Bob Glover, ward
II: Diana Russell and Wayne
Zimmers, ward III; and Dan
Chairmen Named
For Pear Festival
Five com' littee chairmen to
organize the fourth Annual Pear
Blossom fest val this spring were
named at a ireakfast meeting of
the Pear I '.ossom organization
this mornin ,.
Chairmer appointed were Lyle
Kinney an 1 Cliff Lovejoy, fi
nance and nerchants committee;
Lowell Iv -rson, floats; Elliott
Becken, j arade judging; and
Russ Jam ion, publicity.
A repi esentative from the
Medford police department to
head tlv traffic committee will
be narrd later, according to Jay
Pierc ., festival president.
Chairmen of the parade, gifts
arj awards, and queens com-
littee will be announced at a
meetiiig Wednesday, Feb. 13, at
the Holland hotel. A date for the
festival has not been set but
festival officials indicated the
weekend preceding Easter Sun
day is under consideration.
Pierce has invited interested
clubs and groups to delegate rep
resentatives to the next festival
meeting, Feb. 13, to assist in
preparation for the festival. '
Cave Junction Talking
People's Utility District
Cave Junction !U.R) A citi
zens committee was authorized
here last night to make a study
about the feasibility of establish
ing a Josephine County People's
Utility District.
About 75 persons attended a
meeting addressed by Ken Priest
of Coos county. It was expected
that a series of meetings would
be held throughout the county
before action is taken.
Little Wonder Girl,
Lost Overnight, Found
Grants Pass (U.R) Two-year-old
Dorothy Brown, missing from
her Wonder, Ore., home since
yesterday afternoon, was found
about noon today and rushed to
a Grants Pass hospital still alive.
The child was the daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. E. A. Brown. She
was last seen yesterday playing
barefoot in the yard of her home
near the Redwood highway. Tem
peratures in the area dropped
to about 20 degrees last night.
At least 400 persons partici
pated in the search for the girl.
On other Middle East prob
lems, the President:
1. Said he believes Israel will
withdraw her forces from the
Gaza Strip and the Gulf of
Aqaba in response to the U.N.
appeal. But he avoided any di
rect mention of U.S. support for
possible U.N. sanctions if Israel
should refuse, saying only that
this country is committed to
support, the world organization.
2. Said he would deplore any
delay by Congress, just for the
Christenson and Jack Birming
ham, ward IV. "
Defeated Candidate
Birmingham is a senior at St.
Mary's High school, the rest are
Medford Senior High school sen
iors. James Boyd, of Medford
High school, was the defeated
candidate for mayor.
Elected officers will name stu
dents to appointive offices later.
The council adjourned its
meeting last night to 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 19. The meeting
was set ahead an hour so the
regular council could transact
business before the Student
Government Day sessions be
gins at 7:30 p.m. Student mayor
and councilmen attended the
meeting last night.
Student Government Day is
sponsored by the Medford Elks
club, and includes schools in the
Elks jurisdictional area. In addi
tion to city positions, elections
are held in county high schools
for a -county judge and commis
sioners.
The project was started sev
eral years ago to acquaint high
school students with election
procedures and knowledge in
government.
Michel Scheduled
To Enter Plea
Clarence Edward Michel III,
23, of Dillard, was to appear in
circuit court this afternoon to
enter a plea on charges of as
sault with a dangerous weapon.
Michel waived counsel and
prliininary hearing earlier in dis
trict court and was bound over
to the grand jury with bond set
at $10,000.
Michel was arrested by state
police Jan. 26 near the Eagle
Point junction of Highway 62,
and admitted shooting Burse H.
Cathey, a highway maintenance
crewman, with a 22 caliber re
volver about nine miles north
of Tiller on the Tiller-Trail high
way, state police said.
Cathey, who was taken to
Rogue Valley hospital by state
police after the shooting, was re
leased Sunday hospital officials
said, and is convalescing at
home.
Pan American Pilots
Postpone Walkout
Chicago (U.R) A scheduled
worldwide strike by about 1,500
pilots against Pan American
World Airways was postponed
Tuesday night pending the out
come of renewed negotiations.
The Airline Pilots Association
called off the walkout, sched
uled for ' midnight Friday, and
accepted an appeal by the Na
tional Labor Mediation Board
for emergency talks.
The new talks in the lengthy
dispute over wages and fringe
benefits were set for this after
noon in Washington.
Spokane s'U.R) John J.
Burke, Butte, Mont., has been
elected president of Pacific
Northwest Power company.
sake of delay, in considering his
Middle East doctrine. But he
would not quarrel with the
rights of Congress to investigate
important issues.
3. Officially confirmed that
talks are under way with Brit
ain on a possible meeting be
tween himself and British Prime
Minister Harold Macmillan. De
tails are not completed so he
would not comment on London
reports that the meeting will be
held soon in Bermuda.
Jittery Workers
Report Smell of
Gas in Buildings
Damage at $3 Million
Following Holocaust
Reno (U.PJ A section of the
downtown area near the scene of
a series of propane gas blasts
Tuesday that destroyed three
buildings was ordered evacuated
today after jittery workers re
ported they smelled gas in two
buildings.
Fire Chief Karl Evans ordered
the evacuation of all buildings
on the west side of South Vir
ginia st. between First and
Second sts., a block east of tfie
scene of the disaster which killed
two persons and injured 42
others.
The dead were identified as
Mrs. John Du Pratt, 60, Reno,
and Frank Spina, 48, owner of a
shoe factory that was gutted in
the blast. Spina apparently was
blown under a parked car that
was nearly - leveled by falling
walls.
Missing Persons Located
Police reported five persons
missing but United Press contact
ed three of these. A friend of
another said his shaving kit was
missing from his residence, indi- '
eating he had left town briefly. O
A report of a fifth missing per
son was sketchy and officers be
lieved he had been found since
no further inquiry had been
made.
Police and firemen prevented
anyone from entering the evacu
ated area at 10:45 a.m. (PST)
but Evans reported no trace of
gas had been found.
City officials estimated the
damage at $3 million.
Casinos Remain Open
Reno's famed gambling casinos
remained open for business dur
ing the holocaust. One witness,
Margaret Jones, an airline stew
ardess, said patrons in the River
side hotel "were still gambling
and didn't seem concerned at
all."
But a block away across the
river was a fearful scene. Flames
spouted from the windows and
roofs of buildingst broken glass
littered the street and scores of
men and women , lay in . the .
streets. Many screamed in fright
or agony or both.
After it was all over, firemen
were thankful that the toll of
dead was not worse. The odor of
escaping gas had served to warn
many persons away from the
area. Scores of Dersons evacu
ated several buildings momenft
before the accident.
Guardsmen Stand By
Firemen were unable to search
the rubble immediately for more
bodies. Early today, it was still
smoking, such was the intensity
of the flames wlien they ragedQ
at their height.
The scene of the holocaust was
First and Sierra sts., one block
north of the Truckee river.
Nearly 150 Nevada National
Guardsmen were ordered tdthe
scene to evacuate an eight-
block area and to prevent loot
ing. Eventually, people were al
lowed back into the area except
for the worst damaged blocks.
Police said the blast ewas the
result of a leak in an under
ground gas main. The leak had
gone on for at least aTi hour and
a half before the first explosion,
allowing a dangerous quantity
of natural gas to collect in the
area.
Mrs. Emily Erickson, owner of
a Reno building at or near the
first explosion, is the sister of a
Medford man and mother of a
Medford woman, it was reported
today.
Tom Reed, route 1, box 429F,
now employed at HuDbara
Brothers, said Mrs. Erickson, his
sister was away from her build
ing at the time 6T the blast, and
for a time there was fear she
had been killed.
Mrs. Erickson is the mother
of Mrs. Marjorie White, also ol
route 1, Reed reported.
District Obligations
Assumed by Medford
An ordinance providing for
the payment of the bonded in
debtedness of the Kenwood-
Grandview water districts and
providing for the disposition of
the district s assets was adopted
last night by the Medford city
council.
The city assumed all obliga
tions, liabilities, assets and func
tions of the district when the
area was annexed last month.
The Medford water commis
sion assumed $179,769.58 in as
sets from the districts and $151,
000 in liabilities, according to
Robert Lee, water superin
tendent, The secretary of state's office
notified the city last week that
the annexation became effective
Jan. 28.
Oregon City KU.R) Wallace
R. Telford, Boring, died in a
Portland hospital today. He was
former Clackamas county Judge.