Evening star., 1952-06-07
The Veto on Offshore Wealth

In yetoing the bill to "quitclaim" to the
States part of the undersea wealth of their
shores, President Truman has employed language
that seems almost apologetic when contrasted
with his recent statement that this legislation,
3 II put into effect would be robbery in broad
daylight-and on a colossal scale"
Apparently, since making that grossly ex-
travagant remark in political speech the
President has come to appreciate the wrong
ness of it. The bill in question, after all, has
been approved by vote of 247 to 80 in the
House and so to 35 in the Senate. To describe
it as wouldbe robbery therefore, or as steal
ing" from the American people, is to suggest
at least by indirection- that most members of
Congress, in supporting It, have connived in a
kind of felony against the Nation. Such sug-
gestion is so absurdy unjustified its face that
Mr. Truman has done well to back away from
it in his veto message
As for the message ITSELF besides being tenn
perate in tone, it makes one rather persuasive
point. The point is that the bill Cd deals only
with submerged lands within the traditional
seaward boundaries of the States; (2) does not
specifically recognize national ownership of the
resources in the continental shelf beyond those
boundaries; and 90 provides no statutory au-
thority for the resumption, under Federal
supervision, of exploratory and productive op-
erations within that area-operations from which
the private companies have been enjoined by
the Supreme Courts 1947 and 1850 decisions
This deficiency in the legislation, though readily
rectidable, is undeniaby serious weakness, and
the President is on solid ground in emphasizing it,
In other respects, however, the main argu-
ments Of the veto message are less than i'm
pressive. Thus, to cite but one, Mr.. Truman has
refused to sign the bill on the ground that it
would make "a free gift OF immensely valuable
resources" to few States principally California
and those on the Gulf of Mexico) by "quitclaim-
ing" to them the oil and gas deposits within
limited offshore region-a marginal belt that
extends seaward three marine leagues (10h land
miles, from the low-tide mark off the coast Of
Texas and the west coast of Florida, and three
nautical miles (3Ka land miles, off all other
coastal areas" But the States directly concerned
far from thinking in terms of "a free gift"
cogently maintain-with heavy congressional
support-that the vetoed legislation would merely
confirm them in the possession of property
rightly belonging to them within their long
recognized traditional boundaries.
In answering this clanl-a claim based on
the principle of States rights and on old legal
conditions bearing upon entry into the Union
the President has been very much on the de-
fensive, especially as regards Texas. Further,
he has made the curious point OF asserting that
the National Government in the disputed mar
ginal region, does not consider itself the owner
of FISH, shrimp, kelp and other marine animal
or plant life. Yet it does consider itself the
owner, in the same region, Of the oil and gas
deposits. Why3 If Florida and Louisiana, for
example, own the fish and kelp within their
seaward. boundaries, why do they not also own
the oil and gas within those boundaries? In
effect Mr. Truman has offered the remarkable
reply that the oil and gas are worth much more
and ought therefore to be Federal property.
Considering the weakness and inner con-.
tradction Of such arguments, 1t Is quite possible
that the Senate-if enough members are present
when the issue comes up for vote-win over
ride the veto, with the House quickly following
suit. If that happens then the way will be
open to put an end to this long standing and
complicated controversy with additional legis-
lation clearly establishing Federal ownership
and control over the vast area beyond the sea-
ward boundaries-an area containing between
70 and 80 per cent of all our offshore wealth.
Despite the Presidents views, it is difficult to see
why the interests Of the whole Nation could
not be served by compromise settlement
along that line.