Evening star., 1953-12-20
Butler Is Confident
His Committee Will
Back Hawaiian Bill
By J. A. o'leoN

House early this year, but-struck
a snag when the Senate COM
mittee voted, 8 to 7, to add
Statehood for Alaska and or
dered new hearings for both.
Senator Butler appeared con-
fident yesterday he will have
the votes to "unscramble" the
two bills and bring out Hawaii
alone. He may need some Dem
ocratic support. however. to
achieve his goal.
In the test vote last summer,
one Republican, Senator Malone.
of Nevada. Joined seven Demo-
Gratis to tip the scales in favor of
combining the two bills and
holding further hearings. Since
then more hearings have been
held.
Opposes Off, Shore States.
Senator Malone said yesterday
he has never approved of State
hood for any off-shore area, be-
cause he believes if any nom
contiguous territory Is made a
State, it will pave the way for
four or five others, and that
eventually noncontiguouS States
| might hold the balance of power
in Congress.
The Nevada Republican said
his objection applies to Alaska
as well as Hawaii Asked if he
would change his vote to bring
out Hawaii alone, Senator Ma
lone said:
I'm still listening to the evi-
dence."
He indicated he would expect
more testimony to be taken be-
fore the committee acts.
The Democrats also have
asked for another hearing to get
the views of Associate Justice In
gram NJ Stainback of the Ha-
waiian Supreme Court, a former
Governor of the territory.
Senator Butler said he favors
statehood for Alaska eventually,
but he jants to limit action to
the Hawaiian bill at this time
because he thinks it is ''imprac-
tical, if not impossible" to have
statehood in Alaska as long as
so large percentage of the en-
tire area belongs to one land
lord who doesn't pay taxes" The
Senator was referring to the
Federally- -owned land.
The Nebraskan said the time
may come when Alaska will be
one of the richest States in the
Union, and he suggested that
one way to prepare it for state
hood would be to turn some of
the public lands over to the pro-
spective State, just as Congress
gave coastal States control over
submerged tidelands this year.
If that were done, he said the
government of Alaska would see
that the land was put to uses
that would get it on the tax
rolls.
One of First Measures.
If Senator Butler can get the
Hawaiian bill out of committee
it may be one of the first meas
ureS taken up in January, along
with the st. Lawrence seaway
project, which has already been
reported from the Foreign Rela-
tions Committee.
Even if the pending Hawaiian
bill become law, it will have
to be followed by another bill
approving the constitution
adopted by the people of the
islands. Friends of Statehood
believe, however, that if Con-
gress acts by June, there will
still be time to arrange for con-
gressional election in Hawaii
next November.
The close division between the
two major parties in the Sem
ate, and the fact that they will
be battling for control in next
years election may become q
factor in voting on the Hawaiian
bill. The admission of Hawaii to
the Union early next year would
raise Senate Membership to SO.
1t would make SO seats neces-
Sary for majority, and it would
raise the number of Senate con-
tests next year to 81.
Until last year, Hawaii was re-
garded generally as Republican
territory, while Alaska leaned
Democratic. In the 1852 elec-
tion the Democrats made signi-
ficant gains in the Hawaiian
legislature, while the Republi-
cans made even more surprising
gains in Alaska.
Despite these trends, the Re-
publican leadership has pushed
only the Hawaiian bill through
the House. and it remains to be
seen whether the Democrats will
want to see the Hawaiian bill
enacted without simultaneous
action on Alaska.