The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1950-09-12

statehood illegally
| If he did not lobby, why he paid for the
period between March IS and May 2?
The financial side of Washington lobbying is some
what revealed by Delegate Bartletts statement. Mr.
Fetus Bartlett says, proposed salary of $4,000
month"; with another $4,000 month for "a first class
! job"
| 1t would seem, then, that at $500 month the
Statehood Committee bought fourth class job of
lobbying
The truth of this is apparently borne out by the
testimony at the hearing in Washington. AS far as
could be learned there Fetus had not spoken about
Alaska statehood to any member of the Senate Com
mittee Interior and Insular Affairs
In other words he had not talked to the Senators
who presently most concerned with Alaska state
hood
If he not talking to Senators about statehood
what was Feltue doing to his pay?
This is explained by Mr. Baker Feltus, he says,
has analysed the personal traits of the 96 senators
He knew how to get next to senators, which
thing few Alaskans did know"
Feltus job, then, not to persuade the Sen
tors that Alaska deserves statehood that statehood
would be beneficial to the Nation and Alaska. No
his job to get next to the through his
knowledge of their personal traits
Now, having hired Feltus and put him to work
| getting next 10 une senators, why QlQ the state
hood Committee fire him? Or did the committee fire
1im?
Delegate Bartlett says that Fetus former asso-
,ation with the cause of Soviet Poland came to his
attention sometime in July"
Mr.. Baker says, THAT Mr. Feltus had worked fol
the republic of Poland altar it under Russian
influence was not known to Alaskans until (Septem-
Der g."
Mr.. Bartlett told the hearing at Washington last
week that he did not think Fetus would press for the
$500 month bonus if the statehood bill now be-
comes law.
Il want to state most emphatically that no one
has ever brought any proof to me that Mr.. Feltus il
anything but good American" Delegate Bartlett
told the Senators.
And may we ask what chance did interested
parties have to protest furnish proof? Alaskan
we're not informed of the connection between Fetus
and the Statehood Committee.
Both Delegate Bartlett and Mr. Baker have it is
true asserted that there nothing about the
business that the entire thing open book
1t was, believe, the same type of open and
aboveboard deal as the recent Palmer airport deal
The Palmer business was, according to Governor
Gruenng "a highly conservative and intelligent piece
of work" But it remained for what the governor has
termed the axis press to reveal that conservative
The truth Of the matter is, Delegate Bartlett and
certain others of the Statehood Committee who were
directly involved in the deal with Feltus attempted to
keep the matter quiet possible II realized very
fwell," Delegate Bartlett said, that spending money
for lobbying activity, or cait what you will might
not meet with universal appreciation in Alaska"
When the delegate learned, sometime in july
that Fetus might become an embarrassment to the
Statehood Committee he dropped him like the we'll
known hot potato and hoped that nothing would
be heard of it.
In attempting to sidestep the remarks of Senator
Schoeppe about the handling of Territorial funds by
the delegate Delegate Bartlett falls into anc
attempts to involve the Territorial Board of Admin
stration in the transaction
The Delegate quotes a telegram from Governor Gruen
ing as follows: BOARD OF ADMINISTRATION UN-
ANIMoUsLY VOTED TO RELEASE TWENTY FIVE
THOUSAND DOLLARS TO STATEHOOD COMMIT
TEE IN FIVE THOUSAND DOLLAR MONTHLY IN
STATEMENTS BEGINNING MARCH FIRST. WAR
RANT TO BE SENT YOU"
The wire was quoted for two reasons, said Dele
gate Bartlett First, because it demonstrates tina
lit was the intent of the Board of Administration thai
funds to carry on the statehood fight should be sen
directly to me-" he said
1t may have been the intent of Governor Gruen.
ing that the warrant should be sent directly to Dele
gate Bartlett, stated in his wire An examination
of the minutes of the meeting of the Board of AID
ministration on March 8, 1850, when the statehood
funds were released fails to reveal any such intent
The Board of Administration with all member
present. unanimously approved the release OF the state
hood funds Period The minutes make no mention
of how the money was to be handed or expended TIT
Board of Administration is apparently in the clear
/ Who else is in the clear on the Feltus deal? W.
NAV learn in time And who got the double cross
to the tune of $4,000? We suggest that it was the tax
payers of Alaska.