Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-05-29
Tougher Fight
Seen in Senate
On Alaska Bill
6. o. P. Set to Tie
Huwuii Measure
To House Version
BY ROBERT X. WALSH
Star stan writer

star stan writer
Alaska's drive for statehood
ran into Senate obstacles to-
day, even tougher than those
it overcame in the House.
Republican Senate leaders
indicated they will demand
that Hawaiian Statehood legis-
lation be tied to the Alaskan
measure passed late yesterday
by a 208-166 House vote.
House leaders said they
have no plans to bring ap
a Hawaiian Statehood bill I'M
til the seth Congress convenes
next year.
Sources close to Senate DEM
ocratic Leader johnson Of
Texas said they are confident
the Alaska bill would come to
the Senate floor by mid-June.
But Senator Eastland, DEM
ocrat Of Mississippi, an avowed
opponent Of statehood for
Alaska or Hawaii, said that If
an attempt is made to consider
either bill in the Senate he will
offer as an amendment an
equally controversial bill to
limit review powers Of the SUI
preme Court. Opponents of
the Supreme Court measure
have indicated they would talk
at length against it.
Speed Sought
Senator Murray, Democrat of
Montana, Insular Affairs Com
mittee chairman, said he plans
to 60 before the next meeting
of the Democratic Policy Com
mittee and insist that the
Alaska bill be scheduled for
floor action without further
delay.
Senator Republican Leader
Knowland of California ex-
pressed belief there are enough
votes in the Senate to pass
both an Alaska and a Hawaii
bill.
The House roll call approx
ing the Alaska bill yesterday
showed almost the same mar
gin for Alaska Statehood as
did a House vote of 186-146 in
1850. The Senate that year adj
journed without considering
the House bill. In 1854 the
Senate took up an Alaska bill
and passed it, as to 43, after
including Hawaii. The House
refused to act on the combined
bill.
Sponsors Confident
Sponsors of the present bill
nevertheless voiced confidence
despite its narrow escape in
the House and the certainty of
a hard fight in the Senate.
When a test vote Tuesday
temporarily knocked out the
measures enacting clause. they
warned that House defeat this
year would set back Alaska's
Statehood hopes for another
generation.
House passage of the bill
followed a series of opposition
moves to kill the measure or
return it to the Interior and
Insular Affairs Committee for
burial during the remainder
of the 85th Congress.
Soon after the House con-
vened yesterday afternoon. a
199-174 roll call defeated a
move by Representative Rogers,
Democrat of Texas to recommit
the bill. On a voice vote. the
House also refused to strike out
1.-THE measures enacting clause,
as had been tentatively done
Tuesday on a teller vote
Finally, after acting on several
amendment proposals, the
House turned down another at
tempt to shelve the bill in COM
mittee. The motion by Repre-
sentative Pillion, Republican OF
New York. lost 201-172. Then
came the roll call for passage
Alaskans Watch
Opposition votes were main
lily among Republicans and
Southern Democrats. In the
House gallery the most inter-
ested spectators were Alaska
Senators" Ernest Gruening
and William A. Egan and Rep
resentative" Ralph j. Rivers.
They were chosen in an Alaska
election in october, 1856, to
See ALASKA, Page "A