Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-12
Final Statehood Vote
In Senate May Be
Delayed Two Weeks
By ]. A. o'Leoy

A final Senate vote on State
hood for Hawaii and Alaska may
be delayed for two weeks or
more now that the two bills
have been tied together.
The administration lost it's first
major battle of the session late
yesterday when the Senate voted
Is to 43 to add Alaska to the
Hawaiian bill. The administra-
ton has been working to make
Hawaii alone a State at this
time.
The vote generally followed
party lines. but two Democrats
Joined the Republicans, while
three Republicans voted with
the Democrats to combine the
bills.
Republican leaders fought to
keep the bills separate on the
theory that combining them
would defeat statehood for
either territory this year. The
House passed the Hawaiian bill
q year ago. but has been bottling
up the Alaskan bill. And House
leaders predicted today the Sem
ate's action puts Hawaiian state
hood in jeopardy.
Not Dead Yet.
It is too early, however, to
bury the combination bill. Sem
ate Republican Leader Knowland
will press for its passage later
this month, and the final test
will be whether the friends of
one or both territories outnum-
Der those who oppose statehood
for either territory.
On yesterdays roll call, the
opponents of statehood for either
territory Joined hands with the
hackers of Alaska, presumably
because they believe this will
kill the bill.
But Senator Anderson. Demo-
crat. of New Mexico. who made
the combining motion. insists
that there is now a better chance
for both territories than before.
He said he has seer efforts to
pass them separately fail for
eight years.
If the Senate passes the COM
bined bill. it will then be up to
the administration to decide
whether it would rather have no
statehood bill or let both terri
tories enter the Union.
One possibility would be for
the House to send the combined
measure to conference and de-
pend on the conferees to knock
out the Alaskan amendment.
Delay Is Possible.
If that happened, there would
be another stiff battle in the
Senate on the conference report,
and it probably would come in
the closing days of the session
when opponents of Hawaii would
find it easier to block the con-
ference report in the closing
rush.
The debate will go on in the
Senate today. with Senator Rob-
ertson. Democrat. of Virginia
prepared to speak against state
hood for Hawaii at this time.
But for the next two weeks.
other urgent measures may force
an armistice in the fight.
Senator Knowland plans to
call up on Monday a wool bill.
to which members of the farm
bloc may attempt to attach a
general extension of the 80 per
cent parity formula for all basic /
crops.
BY Wednesday. the Senate
may be debating the contest over
the seat of Senator Chavez.
Democrat. of New Mexico. whose
election was challenged by
Patrick j. Hurley, his Republican
opponent in 1852.
Tax Bill Is a Must"
The week beginning March %
probably will find the Senate de-
batting the excise tax bill. which
must be disposed of by April /.
Senator Knowland will then
60 back to the statehood bill
and press for a final vote.
The two Democrats who OPP
posed combining Alaska with
Hawaii yesterday were Senator'S
Long Of Louisiana and Holland
of Florida. The three Repub-
licans who supported the Demo-
cratic motion were Senators But
Ter of Maryland, LANCER of North
Dakota and Malone of Nevada.
Senator Morse of Oregon, the
lone independent. also voted to
combine the bills.