Evening star., 1952-02-28
Baekers I;s Pushing Fight
For Hawaii Statehood
Despite Alaska Defeat
By J. A. o'Leory


The fight to get consideration OF
statehood for Hawaii went on in
the Senate today, despite the set.
back suffered by the Alaskan bill
late yesterday.
BY the hairline margin Of IS
to A. the Senate voted to send
the Alaskan bill back to the In.
terror and 1nsular Affairs Com.
l1ittee for further hearings.
This may spell defeat for the
aspirations Of both territories
until next year. but the advocates
Of statehood have not given up.
Spurred on by the narrow margin
OF defeat. they blocked temp0-
rarlly the efforts OF Democratic
Floor Leader Mcfarland TO make
the tideiands oil bill the next order
Of business,
AT his news conference today
President Truman said the fight
IA still OH for both Statehood bills.
He said that when he starts any.
thing he never gives Up Until the
last dog dies He expressed hope
that The Senate viii reconsider Us
action,
f'he Mcfarland motion viii be
The pending question When The
Senate meets Today, and The
baekers NJ statehood fol- Hawaii
nave insisted on h f0ll call Al
600h A thRt vote IA TAKEN no FlatE
ltr h0W " e0esI the friends OF
Hawaii VIII m0Ve M substitute
stateh9eg f9p that Territory "A
the pending business
Reconsideration Nave P0SSibler
There Il still a possibility, alse,
that The bapkePs Of statehaed for
Alaska viii ask faF a FepansldeFaz
,tien Of yesterdays vote They
have two days In which 10 do ser
but the motion to reconsider must
be made by a Senator who was on
the winning side, or by one who
was absent yesterday, There were
seven ahsentees,
1.-THE issue is not disposed of,
and ! aN in this fight for the
duration" said Chairman O'Mah-
oney of the Interior and Insular
Affairs Committee, leader of the
statehood forces.
Senator O'Mahoney thinks there
still is a chance to have the Ha-
waiian bill taken up. He said he
will fight any attempt to side
track it.
The opponents of Alaska could
have nailed down their victory last
night by moving an immediate re-
consideration and then voting to
table their own motion. Since
only one motion to reconsider is {
allowed, that would have blocked
a later move by an absentee. With
only one vote to spare, however,
they apparently were not prepared
to risk another roll cali. a. l.
Parties Split in Vote.
Both parties were split on the
Alaskan issue. The Republicans
had 20 votes on each side, but Is
Democrats voted to recommit,
while "a voted to keep the bill be-
fore the Senate for decision.
Senator Benton. Democrat, OF
Connecticut. supporter Of state
hood. was i'll In Arizona, but he
flew back to Washington with q
fever to record his vote.
Although Senator Taft, Repub-
lican. Of Ohio favors statehood
for Hawaii, he took the floor yes
terday against Alaska He argued
that Alaska. tinder the pending
bill. would remain an economic de-
pendeney of the Federal Govern
tnent. It would not be a free
State, he said. and the members It
elected to the House and Senate
probably would be subject TO the
national administration. no mat
ter which party was In power.
Senator o'Mahoney ehailenaed
The taft contention and sAid The
way 10 release Alaska from bu.
feHuefAtle control from Washing
ton IA 10 slve ID statehood
Senator Russell, Democrat, 0iII
ueorHla also took A leading part
ia the move 10 tee0mlhlt The AlAAs
han BILL
AeeA ESeeAalve Powers,
tip, t00l ArAued that the bill
would HfAht Lhe ihteplor Departs
hleht B0werA 0vep ALASKAN laid
"thAt no bulehuepat Ah0uld hold
ever h sovereign Htale u henaI
l0F RUSSELL Aald N should be 4
htateI bHt n0t Il principally OF
the inteIl9P Department
Senator B0HRlas, Democrat 9f
illln0lsr br9uRht lnt9 the 0pen the
Gharae thai Southern opposition
t9 the RtatehG9d bills WRs based
on feap that The four new Henaz