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Still on the job in Juneau is
Llewellyn Morris Williams who has
been Secretary of Alaska for going
on seven years and who, it appears
How, will complete at least his
present term in the office. Earlier
this year, about the time the Leg
islature went into session and
when political caldrons were bub
bling with more than customary
violence around the capital, there
was doubt that he could long hold
onto the job.
Lew Williams, who was born in
South Dakota 56 years ago, hasn’t
yet the residence requirements tor
membership in the Pioneers of
Alaska but has been here long
enough to put down some extensive
roots and to get a pretty good idea
of the Territory’s history, geog
raphy, problems and politica'-es-'
pecialiy politics.
After serving in the Navy dur
ing World War I and before com
ing to Alaska, Lew put in a leng
thy stint as police and political
reporter for daily papers in Ta
con.a, Spokane and Olympia, Wash
ington, and ran his own weekly j
paper in Oregon.
lie came tG Alaska in 1915 to join
the staff of the Daily Alaska Em
pire at Juneau, then owned by the
late Governor John W. Troy. Four
years later he moved to Wrangell
with his family and took over the
weekly Wrangell Sentinel, now the
oldest continuously published news- j
paper in the Territory.
Lew served as postmaster r.t
Wrangell and was also elected-'
mayor of the town, and alter Bob,
Bartlett left the office of Secre- j
tary of Alaska in 1944 to run for]
Delegate in Congress, Lew return-!
ed to Juneau and became the Sec-'
retary.
The Secretary of Alaska is re
sponsible for recording and pre
serving the laws enacted by the
Legislature and sending copies of
them to the President and Con
gress. He also forwards copies of
resolutions and memorials passed
by the Legislature tc the proper
persons, issues commissions to no
taries public, is a member of the
Territorial Canvassing Board, and
has a number of other routine du
ties.
The most important function of
the Secretary, however, is set forth
in the U. S. Code: “In case of the
death, removal, resignation or ab
sence of the governor from the
Territory, the secretary shall exe
cute all the powers and perform
all the duties of govt;nor during
such vacancy or absence.”
As the years of his governorship
_I
have rolled by, Dr. Ernest Gruen-1
ing has been increasingly absent'
from the Territory for ode reason j
and another and during one cal
endar year he was out of the Ter
ritory for at least 50 percent of
the time.
During the Governor’s absences
Lew Williams was, of course, in I
the saddle. For a long tim? it j
seemed to make no particular
difference which of the two was!
running the show and whrn people j
thought about the matter at all
they thought of Williams as a I
Gruening man. j
It became evident as time went
on, however, that when Williams:
was acting Governor he frequent-;
ly actr^l in what he no doubt con- j
idered to be the best interests of I
the Territory of Alaska and in!
ways that did not necessarily co- j
ineide with the views and inter
ests of Dr. Gruening.
Seme sort of an open rift would
no doujrt have developed eventu- j
ally in the ordinary course of >
events, but it was hastened by the j
death, in mid-December of last
year, of Frank A. Hoyle, longtime
auditor ol Alaska.
Auditor Boyle and Governor1
Gruening had not been pulling hi
the same direction for a lor.g time,
and Boyle’s assistant, deputy Au- j
ditor Neil Moore, was a particular
vexation of the Governor's.
Under those circumstances, when
Lew Williams as' acting Governor,;
Attorney General J. Gerald Wil- j
liams and Treasurer Henry Roden;
named Moore as Auditor, it was j
a little like waving a red flag be
fore Senator Joe McCarthy.
Action followed almost at once..
Governor Gruening returned and
James P. Davis, director of the
Office of Territories, arri cd »n
Juneau on the business of his de
partment When that business had j
been concluded, Davis made a i
trip to Wrangell, where Lew Wil
liams had been called, owing to j
serious illness in the family. Dur
ing Davis’ brief stay in Wrangell i
he saw Williams and asked for !
his resignation.
The ensuing conversation was;
not recorded but what Williams j
had to say was to the effect that i
since he had been appointed byj
the boss himself, a man named
Truman, and confirmed in office
by the U. S. Senate, he did not
propose to be fired by any of the
hired help. He offered, however,
to give respectful consideration to
jyiy request that might come dir
ectly from the President.
Either that was the week the
helling,
GHinefHng
CioseonSepl. 29
■All commercial fishing in South-.,
csftern Alaska closes Sept. 20, ac- j
cording to Doug Swanson, assist- 1
ant law enforce ment supervisor of ■
the Fish and Wildlife Service.
Swanson returned yesterday from
the Yakutat area where, with pilot
Bob Bain, he made an aerial sur
vey of Killnetting in that area.
They flow as far west as the Kal
ikh River where small gillnetting
operations are carried on.
Gillnetting and trolling both ,
close Sept. 20 at 6 p.m. Trolling .
for king salmon will re-open Oct. 11
1. Trolling for cohoes, which is in i
progress now, remains closed from ,
Sept. 20 to July 1. .
l
writing wagon or something else !
occurred to block the resignation
request. At any rate, it never came
through from the head man.
Word of the happenings at | (
Wrangell reached Juneau about as :
quickly as a Grumman Goose can i
fly the distance. Territorial Sena
tor Howard JLyng, who is Demo- j 1
cratic National Committeeman for ]
Alaska and who had roundly crit- i
icized Governor Gruening and his;
policies after the October elections, ]
got on the telephone and talked
to William Boyle, Jr., chairman ol
the National Committee, and to ■
Delegate Bartlett. Several others I,
who have remained staunch Demo- |
crats without becoming Gruening- {
ites also talked to •Washington.
There was a feeble effort to ]
blame the whole thing on Senator
Leverett Saltonstall, Massachusetts | j
Republican who had visited the j
rerritory a few months previously. |
but there is no evidence that Sen- |
ator Saltonstall gives a hoot about
who is Secretary of Alaska.
Observers close to the political
ctne put the whole thing down j
as another attempted Gruening
purge, less successful than some
of his other purges have been.
The entire affair has now pret
ty well simmered down and blown
over, but although it fizzled in its j
main purpose it stirred up some |
:lceper undercurrents.
During the past several months,
it has been noted, the absences of I!
Governor Gruening from the Ter
litory have been few and brief; he'
is retaining the reins as firmly as
possible in his own hands.
And The Periscope, a regular de-j j|
i ailment of the Wrangell Senti
nel, has recently been unusually j
interesting. The Periscope has long '
teen one of the most informative j
political columns in an Alaskan
paper and in recent mqnths it has j
hurled a number of sharply bar
bed darts at one or another of
the administration wheelhorses.
The Sentinel is now managed
and edited by the Williams’ son. |
Lew, Jr., but constant readers ol
The Periscope believe they can dc- |
tect the master hand of the “old
man” in many of its scannings.
• .i
j 1 1 \ i
"How about a little donation for
yours truly?” he sez!
"Loojdt,” I sez, “I never talk donations before
breakfast, see! Besides, who's this yours truly
you’re talking about?”
‘‘He’s you,” he sez. “Old No. 1, Stanley B.
Jones, Esq.”
“That’s me,” I comes back, “but what about
this donation stuff? I give to a lot of worthy
organizations, but I was never asked to donate
to myself before!” *
“That’s just it,” he replies. “Lots of people
don’t know how important it is to make a little
donation to themselves, regularly. They don’t
even know how easy it is!”
“You mean putting something aside for the
future?” I ask.
“I mean saving the modern, streamlined,
sure way—by signing up for U. S. Savings Bonds
on the Payroll Savings Plan where you work,
or, if this plan is not available to you, the Bond
A-Month Plan where you bank!”
“Listen Pally,” I interrupts, “I know all
about U. S. Savings Bonds! I know there’s no
safer, surer investment a guy can make! Fur
thermore, I know that Bonds pay 4 dollars for
every 3 dollars invested, in ten years!”
“Well, ain’t you the one!” he sez.
“And to go you one better," I continues,
“I’ve already signed up for one of those auto
matic plans! Now I don’* have to worry
about saving. It’s done for me, regularly every
month!”
How about you?
Automatic Saving is Sure Saving—U. S. Savings Bonds
EMPHSE PRINTING COMPANY
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Telegraphic Bulletins
The Senate today debates the pro-*
posed increases in the nation's post
il rates. These increases would mean
t cents for first class letters and 2
;ents for a postal card. The Senate
Post Office Committee has tucked
nto the bill a provision directing
Postmaster General Jesse Donald
;on to go back to a two-a-day deliv
ery schedule. There’s a possibility
his provision will delay Senate ac
ion on the w'hole bill.
President Truman's brother and
ir.st counsin say they haven't any
dea whether he will run for re-el-,
ction. Mr. Truman’s brother, Vivian
aid at Grandview, O.. today that
he President hasn't told him any
hing about throwing his hat in the
ing. And the President’s first eou
in, retired Maj. Gen. Ralph Tru
aan of Springfield, Mo., said he was
Iso in the dark.
DIVORCE FILED
Clara Glascow filed suit for div
rce in U .S. District Court yesterday
gainst Ora William Glascow charg
ng incompatibility.
The couple was married Sept. 24,
949 at Fairbanks. No children or
iroperty rights are involved in the
ction.
The plaintiff is represented by
lobert Boorhever, attorney. <
- EMPIRE WANT ADS PAY —
United States authorities in Berlin
reported today that an American
Idier was shot by a German Com
niunist policeman when his ear
r.ished into a barricade at the Rus
■ .n zone border during the night.
Die extent of his injuria arc not
known to the American authorities
•ause hr was taken to the Russian
ac and i believed still being held
here. Authorities are trying to ob
ain his release. His name was with
held.
Romania todny accused Yugoslav
ia provoking a border clash last
A'i'dne day when a Romanian front
or guard wa.< killed. The east Ger
nnn news agency at Bucharest
' imed that the Yugoslavs crossed
he border and opened fire. But. the
i'i e.oslnv radio at Belgrade claimed
hat 60 Romanians started the 20
ninute gun battle by firing across
he border at Yugoslav peasants.
1NJD S100 ON D. I*. CHARGE
Frankie Olson Jr., was arrested
terday on a drunk and disord
trly charge filed against him in
Inly by Mnrv E. Lee of Douglas.
Because Olson had been out fish
nu ince the time of the complaint
he arrest was not made until yes
erday. '
He pleaded guilty before U. S.
Commissioner Gordon Gray and was
ined $100 and given a 60-day jail
entente which was suspended. I
Miss America Hopefuls
lifty-one prcltv Kiris from all parts of the United Stales and a few of her possessions pose for a pie
Hue on Atlantic City boardwalk to signal the start of the annual Miss America contest. Miss Sweden.
Mis; Atlantic City and Miss America of the past year are in the group but are not eligible for the title.
I/P) Wirephoto.
There is no subsiiuie for Newspaper Advertising!
Loy's Jewelry & Gift Shop
Retires From Business
Ami Disposes Entire $35,000 Stock of
Watches, fSiiigs, Silver, Gifts and Fixtures at
AUCTION
COMMEMCIMG
MONDAY, SEPT. 10th I
AFTERNOON 2 |i. im. — EVENING S |i. in.
•And Continuing Twiec Dully at the
Same Hours Until Completely Sold
m. ms
EVERYTHING GOES - NOTHING WITHHELD-BUY AT YOUR OWN PRICE
9
Famous brand Watches, Diamonds, Rings, Costume Jewelry Engagement and Wedding Rings, Sterling and
Plated Silver Flatware, Crystal, Biriksione Rings, Necklaces, Brooches, Pen and Pencil Sets, Lighters and
Cigarette Cases, Silver Tea Sets, Trays, Candelabra and Assorted Holloware, Figurines, Dinner Services,
Bene China, and many other line items too numerous to list!!!
SELECT ANY ITEM-NO OBLIGATION-NO DELAY
' ' " " _ ' ." " ' *
I <, '
This is a Once^n-a-Lifetime Opportunity, to Buy
High Quality Jewelry at Your Own Price
, . ■— ■ — 1 1,1 1 -■■i* ■'?■■■■ — ' "
FREE! 39.50 Wrisiwaich Given Away Tuesday Nile—Gifts Al Each Sale FREE!
J. GREENFIELD & J. HYMAN, Auctioneers Lor
Loy's Jewelry & Gift Shop
PETERSBURG, ALASKA
-:-— —.-==a=^_= -—r-Tr"———Tr,-—-fr-nod
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