The Daily Alaska Empire

Want to Make "Perfect" Bill-This Session Won't Get to HR 331

By ALICE FREIN JOHNSON

Special to The Empire

WASHINGTON. May 1 - Statehood for Alaska soon, but not this session of Congress - that is the consensus among Senators who after a week's concentrated consideration today closed hearings on the House-passed statehood measure.

Senators who attended the hearing agreed Alaska deserves its long-sought place in the union without protracted waiting. Furthermore they agreed Congress should take immediate steps to iron out plaguing questions and should not allow administration top-priority measures to push into the limbo of "after a while" the writing of necessary amendments.

"I think we can report out a measure, either this bill with amendments or another bill before Congress adjourns," Sen. Clinton Anderson (D-NM), acting chairman, said. "But if we do, I doubt there will be time to debate the bill as it deserves to be debated, because of its importance. Time is getting short and controversial, must bills will have the right of way, I believe." Of the 13 committee members, three did not attend any session of the hearing.

Senator Anderson said he believed the bill, as drawn, would have a very rocky road to get through the Senate, whereas a better bill might pass easily.

"I'm going to take an awful long time before I vote to do anything which would break up the Tongass National Forest by giving sections to the state, because it would mean conflicts between three agencies-- the State, and the Departments of Agriculture and Interior, and the conflicts between the two government departments already are unfortunate without adding a third party," Anderson declared.

In order to keep the Tongass forest intact, Anderson suggested the new state well might be given huge tracts, such as the Tanana Valley, to use as it wishes regardless of the fact that most of it remains unsurveyed. There must be some better mechanism for granting land than this bill contains, he added.

Sen. Joseph C. O'Mahoney, Wyo., chairman, was present only at Saturday's final session. He has been ill.

Sens. Eugene D. Millikin, Colo. and George W. Malone, Nev., were at two sessions for short periods. In constant attendance were Sens. Anderson, Hugh Butler, Nebr., Glen Taylor, Ida., and Zales Ecton, Mont.

Questions which most trouble Senators revolve around the need for settling natives' claims to land in the Territory, the amount of land which should be given the proposed state and limitation of bureaucratic control.

The matter of working out a balance between federal and state control of North Pacific fisheries is considered capable of an easier solution than the other questions which have national implications. In matter of policy and jurisdiction, following are comments of Senators who participated in the hearings.

Anderson: "As any Senator from the Far West knows all too well, the fact that that state has representatives in both Houses of Congress does not provide a cure-all for troubles with government departments and agencies. We know what we're up against and we'd like to spare Alaska some of the headaches we would have avoided if our Organic Acts had contained safeguards.

"We're trying to give Alaska the benefit of what we learned the hard way."

McFarland: "I think this bill should be voted up or down at once so that Alaskans may learn what's ahead. However, the bill must contain-in black and white-provisions which will prevent Alaska from bureaucratic domination and unexpected decrees regarding land withdrawals for Indian reservations.

Personally, I'd like to see Congress appropriate a billion dollars for roads, airfield, port facilities, surveying and title clearance. Then the country up there would attract and could support a big population.

That's the best kind of insurance against the advance of Communism and any moves of aggression across the Bering Straits."

Butler: "It's going to take some time-not years, but certainly weeks--to amend this poorly-drafted bill to the point where it will have some chance of passing. If the committee majority passes the bill, there will be a lengthy minority report, pointing out its many defects and ambiguities. However, I think the committee will agree to work out amendments before issuing a report on the bill, in any event. I think time is too short to obtain passage before the end of Congress."

Ecton: "I'd be a poor Senator if I let that bill by without trying to help solve the Indian claims question on which the whole future of Alaska as a state will depend. It seems to me Alaska deserves statehood but it doesn't deserve to be forever stuck with title litigation which would stifle development of new industries."

Taylor: "I'm for statehood and the bill which can be subjected to some clarification without much delay, and then got to the floor in time for action this session."

Legman: "I heartily concur that Alaska should have its right to statehood and without more years of waiting. However, I can see no justification for rushing the bill through, because it would be an aid to national defense. That contention seems extraneous to me. I question there is time to pass this bill."

Cordon: "Statehood- yes - but not until we work out an equitable adjustment of land and clarify the survey question."

Most of the party of Alaskans which flew here for the hearings headed for the Territory shortly after the close of the session. Several, however, will remain here on business for some days.

Governor Gruening urged that small tracts be subtracted from the Tongass National Forest- to allow suburban development of Juneau, Ketchikan and Sitka. all within the area and to stimulate the tourist business by allowing resort construction.

The Governor urged immediate passage of the bill, with a commission to be appointed immediately thereafter to make a scientific study of how federally owned land best could be allotted to the state since it would require several years to effect statehood. There is not immediate need of the lands. he said.

Gruening suggested several points on which the bill could be improved by so-called technical amendments. Among them were:

1. Clarification of the language giving the state control of all fisheries. other than the Pribilof, seal islands, from which the state would derive part of the profits.

2. Provision for royalties to accrue from oil taken from federal reserves. (Anderson said this should apply to all minerals, as well).

The Governor also suggested several minor amendments, and suggested Congress might grant a special appropriation to speed up land survey, as it did for Oklahoma at the time it was admitted.