The Daily Alaska empire., 1950-03-04
STATEHOOD FATE UP TO
 THE 96 MEN
Bifter Fight Is Expected in Upper Chamber Butler
 Main Obstacle

WASHINGTON, March 4-IR- Alaska's bid for statehood, approved in the House and endorsed by Presi- dent Truman. headed today for an uncertain fate in the Senate.
 The House passed a statehood bill yesterday, 186 to l46, after a bitter fight. There were signs of even stronger Senate opposition.
 Senator Butler (R-Neb) predicted last year that neither Alaska nor Hawaii would reach their statehood goals at this session of Congress. The House is scheduled to take up yhe Hawaiian measure next week.
 House members from the more populous states attacked Alaska's qualifications for statehood in yes- serdays debate on grounds that it's population is too small. They pointed out that Alaska, with about 100000 population. would have the iame representation in the Senate IS New York or California. with populations exceeding 10000,000.
 Hawaii's Delegate Harrington. a Republican. retorted that the sys- tenn of equal representation in the Senate was decided upon by the founding fathers of the nation. He said Hawaii and Alaska should not be penaGzed for it.
 After passage of the Alaska bill, Harrington opened debate on the Hawaii measure.
 Truman Urged Both
 Tn Alaskan and Hawaiian bills have been moving hand-in-hand. The President mentioned the two together in urging their approval in his state of the union message.
 Harrington and Delegate Bartlett of Alaska. a Democrat. have teamed up in the fight to get the two bills passed e.s.s.ss
 House passage of the Hawaii bill would dump both statehood mea- sures in the lap of the Senate In- terior Committee. Two years ago yhis committee, then headed by But Ter, but now its ranking Republican member, allowed a House-passed Hawaii bill to die without action.
 If the Alaska bill surmounts the Senate hurdle. the Territory would have to wait year or more before it achieves statehood.
 This would be the procedure dur ing that time:
 l. A constitutional convention would be called and held.
 2. The convention would be ap- proved by the President
 3. A general election would be held to name two Senators and one Representative.
 4. The result would be reported to the President. who then could proclaim Alaska a state.
 Money Came Back
 The Territory was purchased from Russia in 1867 for $7,200.00o. The price aroused considerable opposi- ton and the deal became known as Stewards Folly" getting it's name from President Lincoln's Secretary of War who handled the arrange ments.
 Since then the area has returned it's purchase price to the United States many thousands of times over.
 Alaska became Territory in 1912. the same year in which New Mexico ana Arizona were admitted to the union as the 47th and 48th states.
 During arguments that proceeded the roll call, Rep. Crawford (R- Mich challenged the opposition as unmerited and said Alaska would be more useful as state than a Ter ritory in this country's defense set-up.
 He said the strengthening of US. defenses in Alaska would come through increased settlement and development. and added that now there is no one in Congress who can vote to defend the people of Alaska against the monopolistic powers primarily opposing this bill"
 Crawford defined these powers" as the shipping and fishing in- tereStS.