The Wrangell sentinel., 1945-11-30

the property of the United States
 situated in the Territory of Alaska
 used in connection with conserya-
 tion and protection of the fisher 1 ies and of the fur and game Of l Alaska. except technical and re- search plants and establishments and appurtenant property. are hereby trau0fered and conveyed to the State of Alaska. should be clarified so that it may be under stood what property is included. Does it include boats, etc. of the United States now used in enforce ment of the fisheries and game laws? Does it include quarters now used and occupied by these federal agencies?
 --tS) The claim of aboriginal rights to lands. adjacent waters, and exclusive rights of fishery. etc by the Natives of Alaska should be extinguished by the federal govern ment. otherwise the public lands. adjacent waters, the fisheries. and the game to be turned over to the State of Alaska. would be burdened with these claims. Congress has al ready provided for suits in the Court of Claims for satisfaction of any proved rights claimed If pro vision was made in the Bartlett Bill that this remedy should be ex- elusive, and that payment by the federal government of any rights established in that Court would extinguish such claims, this troub- lesome question would be answered; and a constitutional Convention know where it stands with respect to the subject. The Bartlett Bill fails even to mention it.
 Other matters of serious import to the people of Alaska, which ought 10 be settled in an Enabling Act, occur to your Legislative Com mittec. We have mentioned only few of them in order to point out the inadequacy of the present Bartlett Bill. They are pointed out in hope that the Bartlett Bill will be amended and these important matters settled in it. so that a Constitutional Convention called to form a Constitution and State government will know it's powers and limitations. Statehood for AL aska, could be a blessing or a bur den, depending upon what Con- gress gives or withholds in an En- abling Act.
 Your Committee is not disposed. as THE WRANGELL SENTINEL seems to be, to disregard facts and speculate and hope that statehood for Alaska will be all blessing and no burden We believe that flask ans are not unready nor unwilling to assume the burdens and respon- abilities of statehood. if they can only learn what those burdens and responsibilities are, and that they will be reasonable in comparison with the blessings. We deplore the Johnson Committee report that AL aska is not ready for statehood. Nevertheless. the Johnson Commit tee expects the proposed State of Alaska to operate successfully as a state with unlimited federal reser- vations within it's boundaries; with the burden of maintaining, educat- ing, hospitalizing etc, without federal assistance, the Natives wards of the federal government: with the burden of maintaining the highways in Alaska without fed eral assistance; with large areas of it's lands and adjacent waters set aside and reserved for the use of the Native Indians, Eskimos and Aleuts of Alaska; without the tidelands being turned over to the state; without any use per mitted of existing public buildings and quarters: without any boats, quarters or other facilities being turned over with the fish, fur and game; and the whole burdened | iginal rights to all lands, water sheds, rivers, streams, shores and tidewaters of Alaska, and the as- sistance of the Department of the Interior to press them.
 On the other hand, We believe Alaska is ready for statehood now, 1 if Congress will loosen it's strangle- hold on Alaska and give us an Enabling Act which will make it
 possible for the State of Alaska 1 to become a sound and solvent State. worthy of being admitted in-
 to the Union on an equal footing
 with the other AS states.
 1 That the Johnson Committee and
 our Delegate to Congress will get together and work out such an En-
 abling Act is the hope of your Legislative Committee.
 IMP0P PTANT M FEE TIN G
 Firemen's Meeting Monday night