Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-01-21
The Political Min
Statehood for Hawaii
Still Likely This Session
Plenty Of Time Remains
To Permit an Agreement
By Gould Lincoln

e.
ability at the present session Of Con.
gresS, outstanding the unexpected
vote In the Senate Interior and Insular
Affairs Committee on Tuesday, tying
proposal Of statehood for Alaska to
the bill. In the first place, the action
came early. leaving plenty Of time to un-
tangle 1t and arrive at some agreement
which viii be satisfactory to the sup
porters Of Alaskan statehood. Such
an agreement might take the form of
a pledge to bring Alaskan statehood
to the Senate calendar and a promise
to seek vote on it.
The House has passed the Hawaiian
bill, but the Alaskan bill has received
no action and is still in committee.
Whether the House could be prevailed
upon to accept the proposal for Alaskan
statehood, If the Senate should send
back to the House a combination bill.
Is questionable. II President Eisen-
hover and the administration leaders
at the Capitol should decide It was
wise to agree at this time to Alaskan
statehood and put strong pressure back
OF q combination bill passed by the
Senate. they might be effective.
Dill otIOuB In HOUSE.
There is no question, however, that
the Hawaiian proposal for admission to
the Union is stronger in the House and
can command more votes than the
Alaskan. The House put through the
Hawaiian bill early last year by a vote
Of 274 to 1873. Also five years ago the
House passed bill for admission of
Hawaii to the Union.
Delegate Joseph r. Farrington of
Hawaii, who for years has led a fight
Tor Hawaiian statehood in Washington,
has no fight with the advocates of
Alaskan statehood. He has made that
clear on many occasions. What he hopes
for. however. is a chance for the Ha-
waiian bill to come to a vote in the
Senate-belieWng it will be passed.
The differences in the situations of the
two territories and of the legislation
proposing statehood are marked. In
Hawaii there is no problem of size of
population. or Of financial resources to
maintain State. In Hawaii, a con-
stitution has already been adopted sat-
lsfactory for statehood. Opponents of
Alaskan statehood at this time have
expressed fear that vast territory would
not be flnanc ally able to meet the costs
OF State government, if the hand and
purse Of the Federal Government were
suddenly withdrawn. They have pointed
out that the total population of the
huge territory is small-approximatel
$4,000 in the 1850 census, of whom
many are Eskimos. Further, the Fed
eral Government owns 97.4 per cent of
all the land in the territory. i
moi iY hxy
have been completed on the Alaskan
proposal as well as the Hawaiian. But
the committee has not. yet whipped into
shape the Alaskan bill, writing in all
the necessary provisions and safe
guards. A subcommittee has been
handed the task of perfecting the leg
islation for Alaska. 1t should not take
over two weeks at the outside. it is said,
to conclude this work Then the full
committee will have to vote the state
hood bill to the floor and the Senate
calendar.
Opposition Explained.
Opposition to the Hawaiian bill comes
from Senators who are against making
a State Of non-contiguous territory and
from Senators who dislike the idea of
with a population so racially mixed,
Senator Dworshak of Idaho, Republic
can. who shifted his vote In committee
and so prevented an immediate report
OF a separate bill for Hawaiian state
hood, insists he is for Hawaiian state
hood. He says he is also strongly for
Alaskan statehood and his vote to join
the two in one bill was to make sure,
if possible, that the Senate would
have an opportunity to vote on
the Alaskan proposal at this time.
Whatever his purpose by his vote he
did delay for time favorable report of
the Hawaiian bill-a measure which
administration leaders had hoped to
bring up in the Senate following dis
posal Of the st. Lawrence Seaway bill
and the Bricker constitutional amend
ment. There is still time. of course. to
get the statehood bill out of commit
tee by the conclusion of the Bricker
amendment debate-which threatens to
be protracted-provided the Alaskan
title is promptly handled.
President Eisenhower, in his state-of-
the-Unlon message, confined his rec
ommendation to statehood for Hawaii.
believing it should be disposed of now.
He is not inimical to Alaskan state
hood, but convinced that statehood for
Hawaii can be voted quickly in time for
the Hawaiians to elect members of
Congress next November. Partisan poll
tics raises its head. Hawaii is supposed
to be Republican, and Alaska Demo-
cratic. But politics will not stop Alaskan
statehood once Congress is convinced
that the territory is financially stable.