Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-30
ny WILLIAM A. MILLEN.

o1 WILLIAM n. NuIAAGsah
Closely bound up with the question
OF reapporticnment Of the House 81
Representatives. which is to be taken
I'D in the coming Congress and VIII
. again loom large as a closeup on the
screen OF public affairs. is that inter-
o. estiEg inquiry: When will the forty
ninth and succeeding States be added
TO the Union?
Students Of geography in Washing
ten see the forty-ninth and succeed
ing States fashioned from the Nation ;
, territorial and island possessions or
carved out Of States that through pres
ent density of population may point
the way TO creating additional sover-
eien States--just as West Virginia was
created out OF the old State Of Virginia.
To gauge more accurately the drift
toward statehood end to assess the
possibilities. The Evening Star ad-
dressed inquiries to those best in a
position to know.
Hawaii Speaking.
The Delegate in Congress from
Hawaii. V. S. K. Houston. has this to
say about the Paradise of the Pacific:
Broadly speaking. may not remind
you that territorial form of govern
rnent has always in the past led to
statehood. Alaska and Hawaii are the
only two territories in the Union At
the present time.
Speaking for Hawaii. can assure
you that We are looking forward hope
fully TO the time when the people at
large in the continental United States
will feel that Our aspirations in respect
to reaching statehood may be granted.
IWhe11 that TINA vtr@
we will in every respect be ready fol-
statehood. The difficulty appears at
the present time to be that we have
a large portion Of our population which
Is OF Asiatic parentage, and that many
people in the continental United States
have doubts as to the thorough Amer
icanizatton Of those citizens of ours.
Those OF us who have seen the result
OF cur American system of education
are not in the least in doubt. We be-
leve that our young citizens are as
good, thorough and. sound citizens IS
those OF any other part of the country.
There is nothing whatever in COM
mon between the form of government
OF Porto Rico and the Philippines. and
the Territories of the United States.
We have had on more than one oc-
casion to find fault with the confusion
that appears to exist in the minds Of
many people because of the fact that
they class Porto Rico and the philip-
pines with Hawaii and Alaska. Except
for the fact that we are islands as
they are, there can be no comparison
as between the two groups
Tax Is Burden.
Hawaii pays and has paid the Fed
eral income and corporation taxes. and
in the past can assure you that the
1919 per cent corporation tax which
We pay has been very heavy burden.
Neither Porto Rico nor the Philippines
have to pay this tax and yet their prod
ucts are received into the United
States in competition with ours. Hawaii
pays into the Federal Treasury also the
internal revenue taxes and the duty
levied upon products imported into
Hawaii. No such taxes or duties are
paid over to the Federal Treasury by
Porto Rico or the Philippines.
THE territorial Legislature at its last
session passed no resolution asking for
statehood, but it has done so on two
previous occasions" Delegate Houston
concluded. ~ feel myself bound by
the action Of the last Legislature and
feel that under the circumstances
cannot actively urge statehood in Con-
gress until a succeeding one may again
pass such a resolution"
Alaska not Anxious Now.
Alaska's ambitions are not actively
directed at this time toward statehood.
Dan Sutherland, Delegate in Congress
from Alaska, points out.
"For the past 20 years there has been
more or less talk of statehood. and my
predecessor in Congress, Hon. James
introduced a bill to that
effect" Delegate Sutherland declared.
1.-THE serious decline in Alaska's popu-
lstion brought about by the World War
has handicapped the Territory material
~ and I feel that it would be useless
to ask for statehood for the compare
lively small population We have at
present.
THE principal issue in Alaska at the
present time is bureaucratic domination
and We are asking to be relieved of this
condition to the extent of legiSlating
on our fish, game. etc. feel that under
the present administration of our fish,
cries, the supply has rapidly declined
and I believe the local people would
restrict fishing operations for the pres
ervation OF the general supply.
Secs Future in Paper.
1.-THE pulp wood contracts that have
recently been given in the Alaska for
est reserves by the Bureau of Forestry
encourages us to believe that the paper
manufacturing industry will be one of
the stable industries of the Territory
In the northern section of Alaska
the grazing of reindeer is becoming a
large. important industry and there are
now about three-quarters of a million
of these animals on the plains Of north
ern Alaska About 1000 reindeer were
consumed in the States during the past
Winter and it is expected that fifteen
thousand or twenty thousand will be
marketed this Fall This reindeer in
dustry will in time be a boon to the
native people of northern Alaska as it
will give them employment in herding
the deer and will furnish them de-
pendabIe source of income which will
not fuctuate as the trap fishing in
dustry does" Mr.. Sutherland con-
Cluded.
Porto Rico Is willing.
The attitude of Felix Cor6cva Da-
vile, Resident Commissioner of Porto
Rico in Congress, is this: IF you grant
us statehood, l am sure Porto Rico
will accept 1t. That is my opinion. but
according to the views of prominent
Americans. statehood is perhaps not the
best solution for the United States or
for Porto Rico, but an autonomous gov
eminent. However, IL you grant us
statehood, it is my honest belief that
Porto Rico will be glad to accept such
great honor in spite of the financial
difficulties that We will be bound to
meet
We do not want to separate from
the United States. II independence is
granted to Porto Rico, we will accept
independence. but we are not asking
for separation. What we want is an
autonomous government under Ameri-
can jurisdiction and under the Ameri-
can flag. If the American people be-
lieye we are good enough to be their
fellow citizens. We would be glad to be
CONSIDERED as such on the basis of strict
equality. but if you do not feel that
way. the only honest and ffir course
r. L.. 1erfz Inn