The Wilmington morning star., 1940-11-29
WASHINGTON
DAYBOOK
BY JACK

WASHINGTON, Nov. 28.-As sure as shoot
ing, steps are going to be taken in the 77th
Congress to bring into the union of 49th state.
In case you haven't heard, it's Hawaii.
TIL flag people already have it figured out.
The present 68 pattern of stars on a field of
blue can be rearranged to a IT spacing OF
the stars without changing the field or max
ing the star pattern look like a crowded sec
ton of the Milky Way.
But the flag people have been prepared for
any contingency for a good long time and
probably are two hops and a skip ahead of
congress-. l doubt if there is a congressman
who isn't fully aware that this ''organized
Incorporated territory and integral part of the
United States" as Hawaiians are fond of call
ing it, isn't about as important as any off
shore chunks of terrain that ever fell into
the lap of Uncle Sam. If there is any doubt,
let one stare for a couple Of hours at the
islands production figures on sugar and pine
apple Ito mention only a coupled or their con-
sumption figure on mainland tourists Ito men,
ton only one).
Nevertheless, this measure to make Hawaii
the 49th state is going to meet plenty of op-
position-or if not Opposition exactly, then
lethargy and Indifference. This isn't my con-
clusion. 1t comes from a score or more of
representatives and senators, some of whom,
to say the least, are supposed to have their
fingers on the congressional pulse.
NOBODY CAN BE SURE
Nobody can be sure of anything that will
happen in Congress until the votes are in
fhe majority leaders in beth houses were SO
wrong about adjournment, for instance). But
this is the way they look at the stakeholder
Hawaii situation:
(There should be here the brief precede
that the Islands, in their recent election, voted
SO per cent in favor of pushing statehood. AS
soon as the Hawaiian legislature meets and
memorializes Congress to that effect, a joint
resolution will be introduced, no doubt, which,
if passed, would clear the way for the 49th
state).
The military powers that be may not favor
statehood at this time. They figure it's easier
to handle a territorial government under even
limited-emergency conditions than a state. And
if anybody doubts the Importance of Hawaii
in Pacific naval affairs, let him get out his
encyclopedia and read up on Pearl Harbor.
When peace is on the world and we're scrap.
ping ships instead of building them, what the
Army and Navy people want doesn't amount
to so much. But in times like these, what
they want makes a big noise under the Capi-
toll dome and all the congressman hear, and
a lot of them agree.
MIXTURE OF RACES
There is also the problem of racial make.
up of the Hawaiian population. According to
the Territorial Board of Health estimates for
1910, the population was made up of 156. $40
Japanese; IS ,291 Hawaiians or part-Hawaii-
ans; lis, 1856 Caucasians; So, 148 Filipines: g..
800 Chinese; 5,761 Koreans; and $50 of other
nationalities. OF the Caucasians, nearly 81 600
were Portuguese; 7,7OO Puerto Rican; and L.
200 Spanish.
The military forces just list them. point to
the So per cent total of Japanese. raise their
eyebrows. Out in the Islands, of course. there
is an entirely different picture. Nearly 80 per