The Daily Alaska empire., 1947-07-30

proponents of statehood of relying on the that Alaskans voted for statehood and therefore should have it.
 Said the Richmond TimeS-D Dispatch in part:
 Last october the voters of Alaska expressed themselves 9630 to 6822 in favor of statehood With statehood the ultimate hope of every Alaskan tired of control and bitterly resenting the appoint ment of 'carpetbaggers' to high administrative and executive positions it not reasonable suppose that the 1922 who voted against statehood-at this time had a potent for doing so?
 That large minority comprises the intelligent contingent of Alaskans who realize that, deprived of large Federal appropriations State of Alaska simply could not make both ends meet. Opponents of House Bill No 2O6 providing for Alaskan statehood estimate that the moneys which would have to be raised by revenue in addition to sums now annually expended bv the Territorial government would total $153596l4 per year.
 They point out that the little man simply could not supply even sizabe fraction of this and that increased taxation of Alaskan corporations fshng, mining, canneries etc. would drive them out oi tile Territory and deprive the population of it's Livelihood
 "Alaskas wide flung ports of entry are connected with the United States only by boat and plane' all freight and most passenger transportation IS oy water Even under Federal wartime control however Wth expense no object shipping disrupted by strikes to
 point where the people of the Territory were threat ened with starvation Alaska is not self -suflclent area It must import practically all It's 1000 except nominal quantity raised near Anchorage and In the much ballyhoced but vastly over-rated MatanusKa 
 munst- dominant strikes State of Alaska vltlated by confiscatory taxation would be drained of all or most of its white population"
 Urging Alaskans to follow up the advantage of the House vote on Hawaiian statehood and press for similar action at this session of Congress the Star maintained that Tn the matters of area, natural resources and eventual ability to support large population Alaska is cleary superior to Hawai- Ac- cordng to the Star: Last years advisory vote by Alaskaus; the memorial adopted by the Alaska Leg ;clo+, Tho Of Gruenng Delegate E. L. Bartlett and the great majority of Alaska chambers of commerce all snow how residents of the Territory feel about the issue It is already quite obvious that Congress isn't particularly interested in how residents of the Ierrl- tory feel about the issue nor how much, from theoretical standpoint, Alaska deserves statehood Neither Congress interested in the fact that at least
 dozen States have been admitted to statehood when they had smaller populations than that Of present day Alaska.
 If Congress eventually passes on the matter as It should be passed upon that is, in minded non- political manner it will be basis of whether or not the Territory finance itself State, whether statehood will promote development and whether or not statehood would add to detract from Alaskas value from national defense standpoint The dif- ficulty facing proponents of statehood is that all those vital points are and must remain In the realm of conjecture and are, to say the least somewhat controversial The opponents can marshall facts and figures while all the ammunition available to the pro- ponents is hope and the historic justification for such hope.
 Certain Republican Congressmen have been re- ported as opposing statehood for Alaska now because it would mean two Democrats in the Senate" !" In commenting that report the Seattle Times said: That seems un-American point of view. If Alaska is entitled to statehood it should have it. If it's people vote for Republicans Democrats the choice is their American privilege" That is true and we do not believe that it will be such narrow basis of partisanship that the issue will be resolved. Iocf poarto of optiO mt he Congress will at least give large group of Con- gressmen vacation trip to Alaska at government expense to inquire into the statehood question-a much pleasant manner of acquiring information than the study of the 451page report of the recent hearings