The Nome Nugget

Opponents Stall Alaska Bill to Postpone House Consideration Until Too Late to Pass Senate

WASHINGTON, (AP) - Alaska statehood legislation was "down" on the agenda of the House Rules Committee today—way down.

The statehood bill, which chairman Howard Smith (D-Va) is frank to admit he's filibustering, was listed sixth and last on the committee's program for today's consideration at morning and afternoon sessions.

The Alaska bill went to the Rules Committee last June but gathered dust until late March when the committee held a half-hour hearing. Another session was held last Thursday.

In the two sessions the committee heard only two witnesses. Chairman Engle (D-Calif) of the House Interior Committee accused the bill's opponents last week of "stalling" in an effort to postpone House consideration until too late to obtain Senate action at this session.

Meanwhile, news media in the nation's capitol received over the weekend a copy of a letter sent to Smith by O. E. Darling, head of a Seward commercial company and a leading advocate of Commonwealth status for Alaska.

In it, Darling said the firm which he now heads has written off more than a quarter million dollars worth of accounts receivable during its life in the territory "because it would not stand by and see Alaskans go hungry and cold."

He continued:

"Many thousands of veteran Alaskans and their issue now scattered widely over the entire territory remember and appreciate this and look to us for guidance on Alaska's economic and social problems.

We feel paternally obligated to give them leadership for Alaska now on two basic grounds:

"First, Alaska is not ready for Statehood because it does not have a self-sustained economy and cannot afford to support the added costs of statehood.

"Second, and of paramount social importance, the Constitution that has been written for Alaska in preparation for statehood is not an instrument of democracy but one of oligarchy that would impose a vicious slavery on the rank and file of politically naive and immature Alaskan citizens."

Darling asked that Smith have a thorough study made of the proposed state constitution—which he called an "invidious instrument"—before the Rules Committee acts on the statehood bill.

The proposed state constitution was drafted by a 55-member constitutional convention authorized by the Alaska legislature in 1955. It was approved by Alaskan voters on April 24,1956, by better than a two to one margin, 17,073 to 8,060.