The Wrangell sentinel., 1952-02-29
THROUGH THE SENTINEL PERISCOPE
Statehood Out

Alaska. s chances for statehood at this session Of Congress went glim- mering this week as the Senate by a margin of one vote sent the pres ent statehood bill back to eommit- tee for further study. This means that there is little or no chance of it being brought to the floor a. gain this year. lSee news story elsewhere in todays papera
 The southern bloc is credited with defeating the proposal on grounds that giving Alaska and Hawaii two senators each would upset the southern balance of DOW CT in the Senate That. of course. is hinged on the fear by southerns that the proposed Senators would support Harry Truman's civil rights bill, of which they want no part This is the measure giving equal status 10 all races and natur- all involves the Negroes in the south. Many southerners hold the Negro problem is one for the south to handle in it's own way under is segregation tradition.
 Actually. there was considerably more to the side-tracking of state hood at this time. Many Alaskans of long standing opposed the pres ent bill because it failed to assare the new state enough of it's natural resources to support statehood. There was just too much Interior 1aH q throughout the measure One of the reasons. perhaps. that Gov. Gruening and Delegate Bartlett gave it SO much vocal support. a. side from their burning ambition to be the first two Senators from AL aska.
 In referring the bill back to committee on motion of Senator Smathers of Florida. the Senate gave instructions to Senator O. Mahoney Of Wyoming and his In-I terior and IneuIar Affairs commit tee. which handled the measure. to study the possibility of a consti- tutional amendment to give "com- monwealth status to Alaska and Hawaii This is the long sought proposal of Alaskans to a1a@t their own Governor. IL also includes the election Of other local officials, would allow participation in presi- dential elections and n-nvide for a voting Representative in the House and one non-voting Senator Gruen- ing and Bartlett have long opposed the elective Governor idea oa grounds that such a step would de- lay statehood indefinitely. Now. with statehood delayed. il will be interesting to see what the new ap- preach will be in this campaign year when Bartlett needs a lot of votes if he wants to stay in Wash ington representing the Interior Department in the guise of being Alaska's representative in Con- gress.
 Property Tax Appeal
 As anticipated, the one per cent Alaska property tax has been ap- pealed to the circuit court. Dis triet Judge George ". Folta last week upheld the act (see story on page 9, reversing a decision made by Judge Pratt in the Fourth Di- vision and which had been referred back by the circuit court on grounds of procedure It probably will be months before a decision is forthcoming from the circuit court Meanwhile, property owners outside of incorporated towns can continue to pay their taxes under protest. while the Gruening-spon- sored law is kicked around in the courts.
 There Must Be A Name For It
 The record reveals that in the closing hours of the last Legisla- ture a measure known as the Re- organization bill was pu h through both houses and sent to the Governor. After a written leg al opinion from Attorney General J. Gerald Williams that the act was unconstitutional. Ernest, who could have vetoed it on legal prem ise, signed the measure into law. This is the nifty that would have eliminated the office of elective Auditor and made it appointiye by the Legislature with, of course, the old formula. advice and consent of the Governor"
 At the present moment there are four persons seeking the elective