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.