Evening star., 1948-05-16

6S6lll 6IlQ dSdlu W p1d&uC tAOobA
filled with constant attack against t
ment, can we afford to turn down
our territorial policy open to doub
The answers to these questions
unless the Senate acts
promptly and favorably upon
already passed by the
House Of Representatives, statehood
will be denied to a long-patient
people for at least two more years.
and our Government will be doing
more than any alien subversive force
to undermine our prestige in the
islands.
Up to now, the whole of the Sem
ate has had no opportunity for
action on the admission of Hawaii
into the Union as the 49th State.
The bill for statehood (known as
House Resolution 49,, has been Ian
in the Committee for In
terror and Insular Affairs. This
committee, by vote of Z to S, finally
tabled the bill after several previous
delays. The reason given for the
committees action: The need for
further on-the-scene investigation.
Surely, the long record shows
conclusively that there is no further
need to investigate the fitness Of
the Hawaiian people for statehood.
Since 1885, five congressional COM
mittees have inquired into every
conceivable facet of the statehood
question. In 1888, joint committee
found the Hawaiian people qualified
for admission, but postponed action
in view of the rising crisis in the
Pacific. The committee, however,
recommended the holding Of a
plebescite which, in 194o, resulted in
a two-to-one vote for statehood. In
these exhaustive congressional in
quiries, more than $50 witnesses
filled more than 5000 pages of testi-
mony-so overwhelmingly support
ing admission that the committees
of 1946 and 1947 unanimously rec
commended legislation granting i'm
mediate statehood.
House Acted Promptly
On January 3, 1947, the opening
day OF the Eightieth Congress, the
Hawaiian Delegate. Joseph R. Far
rington, introduced the pending
resolution, authorizing immediate
admission of Hawaii and action
came swiftly in the House Of Rep
resentatives. Within four days, the
House committee opened its inquiry.
On March "a, itssunanimously rec
ommended immediate passage Of H.
r. 40 and on June 80, the House
approved the legislation, 1877 to 133.
On the Senate side, it was origi-
nally anticipated that the full Com
mittee on Territories and Insular
Affairs would visit the islands some
time during November or December
for an on-the-spot investigation,
but these plans were Cancelled with
the call for the special session OF
the Eightieth Congress to consider
the emergency legislation Cd for
aid to European recovery and CD
for control Of the mounting inf1a-
ton crisis at home.
Consequently, Chairman Gordon
OF the Senate subcommittee was di-
rected to make his own investiga-
ton in behalf of the full committee,
In which he was most capably as
sisted by Judge Carl e. Winberly
of the Circuit Court Of the second
judicial district Of the State OF
Oregon.
On March Is Senator Gordon re-
ported exhaustively and eloquently
in behalf of statehood, urging i'm
mediate approval by the full COM
mittee Of the Senate Of H. r. 40
However, the full committee felt it
best to order an additional subcom-
mittee hearing in Washington to
offer opportunity for any last
minute opinion that might wish to
present itself from the mainland o1
the United States.
No Opponents Showed
On April IS this hearing was held
in Washington and no appearance
was entered by any opponent OF
Hawaiian statehood. On the same
date the Gallup poll, in its third
national survey on the subject, re-
ported that the American people
favored admission of Hawaii to the
Union as the 49th State by more
than 4 to /. The tally showed: Fol
statehood, 66 per cent; against, Il
per cent; no opinion, 10 per cent.
Certainly, on the record up to this
point, there was no apparent reason
for further delay. But If Hawaiian
hopes were high, they were dashed
when, on April 10 and again on May
4, the full committee held CLOSED
sessions without any action, ane
finally, on May 7, when it votee
against recommending statehood al
this time, announcing that it wantet
time to make another on-the-spo
investigation.
One Of the ardent champions o1
statehood, Senator Knowland Re
publican, Of California; at once in
troduced q motion to force the bill
out of the committeeman upon tn
success Of this motion, and subse'
quent favorable action by the Sen
ate, rests the hopes Of statehood II
this session. I am well aware o
the crushing pressure OF other legis-
lative business. But I also know
that national security rests upor
moral as well as economic and mill
tary strength, and I join the many
Americans who feel that the gooc