Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 18, 1954)
Circulated Daily To 90 Per Cent Of Local Residents Battalion Published By A&M Students For 75 Years PUBLISHED DAILY IN THE INTEREST OF A GREATER A&M COLLEGE Number 202: Volume 53 COLLEGE STATION (Aggieland), TEXAS, THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 1954 Price 5 Cents Eisenhower Confidence Voices For Army Secretary WASHINGTON, March 17 eT>— President Eisenhower yesterday de clared his confidence in the hon esty and integrity of Secretary of the Army Stevens. He said he believes Stevens, and believes in him, in the secretary’s blazing row with Sen. McCarthy R-Wis. Sharply calling for an end to what he termed petty quarrels and hysterical reaction to such things as “unwise investigators,” Eisen hower said it’s possible Stevens may be mistaken or misinformed on some points. Hut he asserted with vigor that if he didn’t believe Stevens, the Army secretary wouldn’t be where he is. He underlined it by saying he stands by Stevens so far as his integrity and honor are concerned. McCarthy, off for Chicago for a speech, said only that forth-coming public hearings “will demonstrate who is telling the truth.” Eisenhower, with red-faced irri tation he made no apparent effort to conceal, made it plain he is sick and tired of controversies such as the one in which Stevens accused McCarthy of putting pres sure on the Army and McCarthy accuses the Army of trying to “blackmail” him. The trouble is, said Eisenhower, the world is suffering . from “a multiplicity of fears”-of the men in the Kremlin and of “unwise in vestigators” here at home, among other things. What’s needed, he snapped, is to stop the name-call ing and got ahead with something that is good for the United States •—with “a faith in the destiny of A merica.” The. White House allowed part of the President’s admonishment to be quoted directly. Turning up at his news confer ence in a top-o’-the-inornin’ mood, sporting a green St. Patrick’s Day tie, Eisenhower swiftly was em phatic and often indignant as he declared: 1. The Democrats are in error- he paused as if he’d rather use a stronger word — when they charge his tax program is loaded in favor of rich people. And he said the people who want to cut income taxes now are the same ones who wouldn’t let him raise the national debt limit a few months back. 2. A president should be im peached or even hanged if he fail- Shriners Set Benefit Dance For Hospital In the ball room of Memor ial Student Center on Friday evening members of the Braz os Valley Shrine Club will sponsor a benefit dance with an inspiration which should hold the heart interest of every one. The Ball is given annually by Shrine clubs to boost funds for the Arabia Temple Crippel Children’s Hospital in Houston where pres ently there are fifteen crippled children from this area receiving treatment. The sponsoring club has mem bers from College Station, Bryan, Navasota, Caldwell and Anderson who are working toward making the ball a great success, both so cially and financially. Tickets for the affair may be obtained from any Shriner in the various towns and from conven ient locations in downtown Bry an. Music will be furnished by the Aggieland Orchestra and dancing will be enjoyed from 9 to 12 p.m. Of interest to the community is the fact that any underprivileged child who is under fourteen years of age, regardless of color or creed, is eligible for treatment in the Arabia Crippled Children’s Hos pital. Any one desirous of giving names of children under this eli gible classification or information about the Benefit Ball may call CL W. Schlesselman, chairman of the Benefit Drive. It’s For the Birds CLIFTON, Tex., March 18—<A>> Sheriff Clark Royal said today about $1,000 worth of parakeets were stolen from the home of Lu ther Dyess while he was away from home yesterday. The thieves took about 125 blue and green birds. ed to take instant action to repel any aggression against the United States. It’s up to Congress to de clare war, Eisenhower said, but you can’t wait for a declaration when an attack is imminent. 3. He doesn’t like the “new look” term which has been widely ap plied to his administration’s de fense policy. It’s nothing but a carefully worked out approach to the dangers of the atomic age, he said, and to call it revolutionary or sudden is “just not true—just not true.” 4. Army officials are hurt even when they’re justly criticized, and when the criticism is unjust they feel a mixture of anger, resent ment and sadness. This was in reply to a question about the effect of McCarthy-type investigations on armed service morale. Eisenhower said he’d been think ing of asking this very morning if there couldn’t be one news confer ence without a certain name— plainly he meant McCarthy-com ing up. The President was chuc kling as he left the room. The McCarthy-Stevens controver sy came up when Martin Hayden of the Detroit News asked if the President was “disturbed” about the senator’s charge-termed “fan tastic” by Stevens-that the Army made threats against McCarthy’s investigating subcommittee and tried to switch the inquiry to the Navy and Air Force. Frowning, Eisenhower said of course he is disturbed. He went on to say he has to plead constantly for positive ac tion to get people’s minds off pet ty quarrels—off the negative re- (See ARMY, Page 2) FOR PINALLE—Miss Corland Thurman will sing tomor row night for the Rue Pinalle show. Miss Thurman is a student at Stephen F. Austin high school in Bryan. Baker, Boriskie Named Battalion Co-Editors cat wells, was killed early yes terday. His car collided with a trailer- truck on U.S. 287, about a mile west of here. Burns was rteurn- ing home from one of his leases in Clay County. Henry Powell, 39, Dallas, em ploye of Red Ball Motor Freight Lines, drove the truck and escaped injury. Powell said he saw Burns’ car edging over the center stripe of a curve as if the driver had gone asleep. The car hit the rear part of the trailer. Burns’ associates said he prob ably had drilled more wildcats than any other man in the United States. Harri Baker and Robert (Bob) Barisike were elected yesterday acting co-editors of The Battalion. They were elected in a special election called by the Student Life Committee to fill vacancies left when the former co-editors resign ed Feb. 22. The balloting was as follows: •Corps: Baker, 151; C. C. Neigh bors, 135; Non-corps: Boriskie, 71; Jon Kinslow, 52. The newly elected men will take Oil Driller Dies in Car, Truck Mishap HENRIETTA, March 17— UP) — L. T. Burns, Sr., 60, Wichita Falls oil operator who drilled more than 5,000 wild-[Texas A&M School of Agriculture Shcpardson Leads Deans Meeting Dean C. N. Shepardson of the will preside at a meeting of agri culture deans at North Carolina State College, Raleigh, April 2-3. Dean Shepardson is chah - man of the organization of Deans of Agri culture of Southern Land-Grant Colleges. During the southern regional meeting the group will pay special attention to standards of training in agriculture, particularly as re lated to non-land-grant colleges of fering agriculture subjects. Another subject which will come under consideration will be the de velopment of a study of employ ment opportunities for agriculture majors, and development of vo cational guidance material. office Monday, said Carl Jobe, present acting editor and assistant manager of student publications. “This will give the men time to choose their staff,” he said. Baker has been a member of the Battalion staff three years. He is a junior journalism major from Memphis, Tenn. He has serv ed as city editor and campus edi tor. Boriskie, also a junior journal ism major, has worked for The Battalion two years. He is from Bryan. Last year he was sports editor, and he served this year as sports editor and news editor. The acting editors will serve un til editors elected in the spring election take office in May. About 50 ballots were mutilated, said Pete Hardesty, advisor to the election commission. Only 409 votes were cast in the election. Commiltee Raises For Approves HP 1 I eaciiers Fee Deadline Is Friday Third installment fees are now payable at the fiscal of fice. The deadline for payment is Friday. Students paying fees after this date will be charged one dollar for each day after the deadline that they pay their fees. Fees must be paid by 5 p.m. Friday to avoid penalty. Fogaley Conducts Training Courses A. J. Fogaley of the Texas En gineering Extension Service, a part of the Texas A&M College System, is conducting area fire prevention schools in four Noi’thwest Texas towns for 54 firemen. The schools began February 22 and will con tinue through March 22. The firemen will receive 15 hours of training. Schools ai’e being conducted in Cedar Hill, Duncanville, Cockrell Hill and Irving. Not To Be Found Alice Left Without Judge ALICE, March 18—<A>)—“Where’s the judge?” The question buzzed thi-ough this South Texas town yesterday after the Supreme Court removed 79th District Judge Woodrow Laughlin. Laughlin, 48, wasn’t to be found in his chambers or at his home. He had been due in court at 10 a.m. but failed to appear. The only indication that the chubby Laughlin might be around somewhere came at 11:15 a.m. At that moment an order to jui - ors in a civil case — bearing Laughlin’s signature—was delivered to Sheriff Halsey Wright. His Last Order The oi’der told jurors to report back in court at 2 p.m. tomorrow. It was believed Laughlin’s last of ficial act, since the court ruled he must step down as of noon today. Laughlin got elected in 1952 with the support of South Texas politi cal boss George Pari*. His term was to expire in 1956. Asked about the Laughlin case in his office at nearby San Diego, Parr said: “I’d rather not com ment urftil I know more about it.” Asked whether he might back Laughlin again for district judge, ! Parr said, “That would be up to I the people to decide.” People around here appeared surprised by news that the Su preme Court had held Laughlin unfit to hold office. The ruling was not unexpected. Still, ordinary townspeople and political leaders Most Texas Areas In Need of Rain AUSTIN, March 18—CP)—Eve rybody in Texas needs rain except in a few local areas of East Texas and the upper coast counties. The U. S. Department of Agri culture said Texas had everything last week to hurt crops—high tem- petartures, strong winds and no rain, and then low temperatures. Dry weather and blowing sand hurt wheat but the report said only a small aci-eage has blown out so far. Cotton planting was slow, wait ing on rain and warmer nights. Peach and plum prospects were hurt by freezes. Nothing was good for vegetables. Livestock were in fair to good condition, but feeding continued in West Texas. Most of the state has ample stock water. showed surprise. Mrs. Laughlin patiently answer ed telephone calls at her home here. The emotional strain showed on ly in her voice. She told callers simply, “The judge is out. I’ll take your number.” Chon Pena of San Diego, court interpreter appointed by Laughlin, bade goodbye to District Clerk J. L. Carlisle Jr. and left the court house here just befoi’e noon. “If the judge goes, I go,” Pena said. In Alice and Duval County, “No comment” about summed up pub lic statement of Laughlin parti sans. Dist. Atty. Raebui'n Norris, who entered office on the same Parr-backed ticket with Laughlin, smiled but said nothing. Feeling was reported general among Laughlin’s friends that he will seek re-election. The- court interpreter said, “The judge will be re-elected.” Floyd Sees Justice Mrs. F. H. Canales of Benavides, chairman of the Old Party Parr Assn, of Woman Voters, would not say whether the removal might af fect plans of her group to visit Qov. Shivers in Austin Friday. The Bill Would Increase Minimum Pay to $402 AUSTIN, March 17 UP)—A bill to raise the minimum pay scale of Texas school teachers $402 per year won unanimous approval of the Senate Education Committee yesterday, with out a word of opposition. The special Legislature’s main issue, teachers’ pay raises and revision of public school finances, thus won its first test in effortless fashion. Senators questioning sponsors of the bill appeared chief ly concerned because the bill does not guarantee a $402 in crease to every teacher. Sen. Ottis Lock, Lufkin, co-spon- sor of the bill with Sen. A. M. Aikin Jr., Paris, said the com promise group which worked out the measure did not attempt ♦to set a salary scale but only to raise the minimum $402. Sen. Jimmy Phillips, Angle- ton, most persistent question er on who will get raises and how much, told Lock: “There are, I understand, in ex cess of 5,000 teachers in Texas who are not going to receive the $402 increases, and not all of them know that.” “The general public, including me.” Phillips continued, “is under the general impression every teacher is going to get a $402 in crease. If there are teachers who are not going to get the $402, that fact ought to be made known and explicitly explained.” The House Revenue and Tax ation Committee also scheduled a meeting to set hearing dates for a flood of tax bills offered to pro vide the $25,600,000 needed to raise teachers’ and public employes’ pay. House Takes Rest The Senate held a fast morning session and recessed until tomor row morning. The House voted it self a long weekend rest, adjourn ing until Monday morning. Seven of the first 18 bills sent to House committees were tax measures. The latest ones included a bill by Rep. Grady Hogue, Martins Mill, to place a levy on one-tenth of a cent per gallon on all liquified petroleum products and a product ion tax on a half cent per 1,000 cubic feet on natural gas. Hogue estimated it would raise 40 million dollars a year. Rep. James Yancy, Houston, in troduced a bill to reduce the amount of gasoline tax refund given to non-highway users, such as farmers who get tax money back on gasoline bought for tractor- use. Yancy would limit the refund to that three-fourths of. the state gas oline tax which goes to the high way fund. No further refund would be made on the one-fourth ear marked for the available school fund. A bill to set a minimum price of seven cents per 1,000 cubic feet on natural gas at the wellhead was introduced by Rep. Robert Patten, Jasper, and was sent to the oil committee. Though not a tax measure, Pat ten’s bill would mean greater rev enue for the state because it would force the average price of Texas gas upward. Gas is now taxed a percentage of its wellhead value. Ready for introduction by Rep. A. D. Downer, Center, was a bill to double the rates of gross receipt taxes on telephone companies. The Texas Legislative Council, which prepared the bill at Downer’s re quest, estimated the increase would have added better than four million dollars in 1953. Anti-Red Bills Also awaiting introduction were two anti-Communism bills by Rep. Marshall Bell, San Antonio. One would permit certain officials to secure search wari-ants for use in ascertaining Communist activities. The other would prohibit pay ment of state funds to any person seeking refuge behind the Fifth Amendment when questioned on Communism by a court, grand jury, or legislative committee. A resolution to create a five- member house committee to in vestigate un-American activities in Texas was introduced by Rep. William Miller, Houston. Rep. Cernon Smith, Fort Worth, offered the house a plan to give teachers and state workers a raise if everything else fails. Smith introduced a bill to give teachers a $402 raise and state workers $120 more per year from the general revenue fund’s $11,900,- 000 surplus. Rep. Joe Burkett, Kerrville, in troduced a bill to abolish both the minimum pay scale for public school teachers and the Gilmer- Aikin Laws on school financing. El Paso Pap er Plans Motion On Libel Suit EL PASO, March 17—UP) The El Paso Herald-Post plans to file a motion to set aside a District Court jury’s $25,000 award in Mayor Fred Her- vey’s $125,000 libel suit. The jury awarded $20,000 actual and $5,000 exemplary damages Tuesday. The suit was based on a report on the city’s 65-year-old retirement rule. The verdict held the ai-ticle was “substantially” untrue and thqt publication was indicative of “ma lice” toward the mayor. R. E. Cunningham, the news paper’s attorney, said “if a judg ment is entered on the basis of the verdict, we will appeal.” He said “conflict” of jury answers, commenting on asserted adverse ness- of the articles, “were of such nature as to make entry of a judg ment in favor of the mayor im possible.” Gentry Traps Bobcat A bobcat was trapped and shot by Bob Gentry early Tuesday morning on the Texas A&M Poul try Farm. The cat, about the size of a fox, was the first bobcat found in the histoi'y of the Poultry Farm, ac cording to Mr. Gentry. {group has announced it will tell the governor he has been misin formed about conditions in Duval County. Jacob Floyd Sr., Alice attorney whose son was slain in his garage in 1952, said: “I feel now that the people in this county will get justice and a great deal of the trouble we have had will be ironed out. In regard to the tragedy that happened in my family, I think now that it will be brought out in the open and the guilty party brought to justice.” The 11 South Texas lawyers who asked that Laughlin be removed from the bench had accused the judge of interfering with the inves tigation of the death of Jacob Floyd Jr. John Rutledge, Benavides ranch er and chairman of the Executive Committee of the Freedom Party which opposes Parr, predicted a sharp rise in party support among Duval County residents. “This will remove a lot of doubts and a lot of fear from the minds of people who have not supported us for fear of reprisal,” Rutledge said. Laughlin, former Jim Wells County judge, defeated Sam Reams for district judge in 1952. Representative Asks for Report Publication AUSTIN, March 17 GT9 — An El Paso representative de manded today full publication of the report of an investigat ing committee on allegations of misconduct among certain El Paso officials. Rep. Anita Blair told the House “political chicanery” had been used to keep El Paso newspapers from publishing the report. “We’ve got some public officials out in El Paso who are afraid to have their records scrutinized,” she said. The House authorized appoint ment of the investigating commit tee last year after an El Paso wo man in prison made affidavits al leging gambling payoffs of certain officials. The woman, Mrs. Pearl Johnson, was convicted of murder in the death of her infant child. A committee headed by Rep. Joe Pool of Dallas made the investiga tion and recommended that the district attorney of Walker County, where Mrs. Johnson is serving her prison sentence, look into the charges. Miss Blair said she contended Judge Roy Jackson of El Paso was biased and “trying to retaliate against the publicity given to those conducting the invest!agation” in his disposal of a libel suit in El Paso. A resolution commending the legislative i-ecord of Rep. Stanley Caufield, El Paso, was introduced by Rep. A. D. Downer and others. It was referred to the State Affairs Committee. Downer’s resolution said Cau field is now ill in Memorial Hos pital at Corpus Christi with a se rious heart ailment and unable to defend himself against attacks by “certain people and groups of peo ple and certain publications.” The committee which investi gated Mrs. Johnson’s charges adopted a resolution, separate from its main report last Decem ber, asking the El Paso Bar Assn.’s Grievance Committee to explain its actions in investigat ing Caufield. McIIroy Addresses Several Meetings W. W. McIIroy, member of the Agricultural Education Depart ment, at Texas A. and M. College, who recently returned from India, spoke to several groups during the past two weeks while visiting in vocational agricultural depart- ments where sutdent practice teachers were working. He talked to the Independent Dairymen’s Association of Tyler on the Point IV Program as it oper ates in India, and to the Wills Point Rotary Club on the same subject, to Future Farmers at Bowie and Whitesboro on the op portunities for young men in the field of agriculture and also on the foreign aid program of the United States. A series of slides showing re sults of technical aid to India were used in the talks on the Point IV Prograrri. Weather Today OCCASIONAL RAIN Light rain showers and thun derstorms today and tonight. Clearing tomorrow. High yester day 60. Low this morning 54.