NEWS LETTER
By MARY LEE COUNCIL
Secretary to E. L. (B< b) Bartlett. Delegate to Congress from Alaska
COMMONWEALTH STATUS
FOR ALASKA
Four opponents of Alaska and
Hawaii statehood in the Senate
have offered an amendment to
the pending combined statehood
bill designed to extend common
wealth status to the two incor
porated territories.
In speaking this week in favor
of their proposal, Sens. Smathers,
Daniel, Monroney and Fulbright
declared that their amendment
wo'j!d grant self-government un
der commonwealth status and
would eliminate the payment of
federal taxes by the people of
• Alaska and Hawaii in the same
manner as accorded the residents
of Puerto Rico.
“I think,” stated Oklahoma’s
Sen. Monroney, “that regardless
of how fine, how progressive, how
loyal may be the citizens of these
two offshore distant territories,
they are asking too great a price
in expecting the Congress to con
fer the rights of full statehood
' upon them. To alter our basic
concept of union within one land
mass is a decision of greatest con
sequence, far surpassing in im
portance f e qualify of the resi
dents of These dis'ant areas, or
their norma! and natural desire
fc.v full st dehood status.”
Sen. Lehman of New York point
. ed out the difference between
commonwealth status granted to
Puerto Rico, which never has
been an organized territory under
the American flag, and common
wealth status for Alaska and
Hawaii, the two remaining incor
porated territories.
“I do not believe,” he declared,
“that the people . . . will be se
duced by an offer to allow them
to retain the taxes they now pay.
They want citizenship equal to
» that held by the Senator from
Oklahoma, by other members of
the Senate, of the House, and of
all the people of the 48 states of
the Union. I do not believe they
would feel they were honestly,
fairly, and equitably treated if
we should say to them, ‘You may
retain your income taxes and cer
tain other taxes, but you cannot
< become states.’ ”
A study of the commonwealth
amendment discloses:
1. No provision spelling out
self-government but rather an
expression of the intent of Corn
gress, thus leaving the degree to
future Congresses;
2. No language taking away
from Congress the right to con
tinue to legislate forever in the
matter of local laws and no ban
against discriminatory actions of
future Congresses;
3. No provision granting one
square foot of land to the resi
dents of Alaska now held by the
federal government;
4. No provision suspending fed
eral tax laws but merely a de
claration of intent that Congress
would do so, leaving this matter
up to future Congresses;
5. No provision turning over
Alaska’s fish and game to local
control;
6. No extension of the Federal
Highway Aid Acts to Alaska;
7. No local control of any kind
which the residents of Alaskans
do not already possess; and
8. No voting representation in
the Congress.
Opponents of the amendment,
in declaring that commonwealth
status is a backward step in the
j direction of independence while
the two incorporated territories
1 have passed the tests for the final
i step toward statehood, have point
ed out that although some future
Congress might provide freedom
from federal taxation to Alaskans
and Hawaiians under common
wealth status that the tax burden
probably would remain the same
because local taxes would have
to be increased. Local taxes in
Puerto' Rico, according to the best
! estimates, almost equal what the
j Puerto Ricans would pay under a
i federal taxation system.
Delegate Bartlett has expressed
his opposition to the common
wealth amendment and has said:
“The fact is that establishment
of commonwealths, not the crea
tion of two new states, would
bring about a radical change from
the pattern of the past. Hawaii
and Alaska are incorporated ter
ritories. There is none other. They
are integral, essential parts of the
Union. There is only one step for
them to take—in a forward direc
tion. That is statehood.
“In our constitutional process,
the commonwealth status would,
politically, be retrogression and
not progression. By way Of legal
association with the United States,
these two areas would then have
R A D I O P R O G R A M
ARMED FORCES RADIO SERVICE — NOME FIELD
. .... . . ----,
. , Wednesday
5:00—Junior Miss
5:30—Bud’s Band.wagon
6:00—News
6:15—Sports News
, 6:30—Revemiers’ Romp
7:30—This Is the Story
8:00—Cinema Music Hall
8:30—Red Skelton
9:00—The American Way
9:30—The Big Story
10:00—Requestfully Yours
11:00—News
11:15—Don Cornell
11:30—One Night Stand
12:00—Music from the Nite
1:00—News Headlines
1:05—Sign Off
. Thursday
6:28—Sign On
6:30—Bill Ring Show
6:45—Rise and Shine
7:00—News
7:15—Rise and Shine
8:00—News
8:05—Rise and Shine
8:30—Morning Devotions
J8:45—Ronnie Kemper
; 9:00—Tennessee Ernie
9:15—Dave Garroway
9:30—Coffee Concert
10:00—Fred Waring
10:30—Bob and Ray
11:00—Lucky U Ranch
11:15—Morning Melodies
11:30—Piano Portraits
11:45-—Strike It Rich
12:00—At Ease
’2:15—Today’s the Day
12:30—Platter Parade
i :00—Curt Massey
1:15—Hillbilly Jamboree
2:00—News
2:15—Nat’l Guard Show
2:30—Music a la Carte
4:00—Sports Answerman
4:15—You and the World
4:30—Remember
4:45—Lum and Abner
5:00—Our Miss Brooks
5:3fl—Bud’s Bandwagon
6:00—News
6:15—6ports News
6:30—Revenuers’ Romp
7:30—Mr. President
8:00—Jane Pickens
8:30—Bob HfTjje Show
9:00—What’s My Line
9:30—Gunsmoke
10:00—Requestfully Yours
11:00—News
11:15—Sammy Kaye
11:30—One Night Stand
12:00—Music from the Nite
1:00—News Headlines
I 1:05—Sign Off
Friday
6:26—Sign On
6:30—Bill Ring Show
6:45—Rise and Shine
7:00—News
7:15—Rise and Shine
8:00—News
8:05—Rise and Shine
8:30—Morning Devotions
8:45—Ronnie Kemper
9:00—Tennessee Ernie
9:15—Dave Garroway
9:30—Coffee Concert
10:00—Fred Waring
10:30—Bob and Ray
11:00—Lucky U Ranch
11:15—Morning Melodies
11:30—Music from S. Araer.
11:45—Dude Martin
12:00—At Ease
12:15—Today’s the Day
12:30—Platter Parade
1:00—Curt Massey
1:15—-Hillbilly Jamboree
2:00—News
2:15—-Johnny Mercer
2:30—Music a la Carte
4:00—Inside Track
4:15—-Behind the Story
4:30—Remember
4:45—Lum and Abner
5:00—Great Gildersleeve
•> (AFRS program schedules subject to change without notice.)
Junior Red Cross
To Enroll Members
Here April 19-23
Plans for a Junior Red Cross
Enrollment campaign of one
week, April 19-23, were endorsed
by William Angell, superinten
of city schools, at a faculty meet
ing Monday afternoon.
Mr. Angell approved the cam
paign as a whole, but stated that
the action in each classroom is
contingent upon the decision of
the individual teacher.
During the enrollment week,
money from personal earning
may be contributed by the chil
dren of a classroom, but a con
tribution is not required for mem
bership.
Membership consists in indica
tion of the desire to serve as a
member. The campaign is not pri
marily for funds, but for mem
bers.
Fifty cents from each classroom
will entitle the room to a sub
scription to the Junior Red Cross
News, a pictorial magazine of
readers. The same fifty cents does
double duty as an enrollment fee
for the whole classroom on a na
tional basis.
Other than the fifty cents per
classroom, the balance of the
money donated by the children
themselves will be kept in Nome,
and will be banked by the Ameri
can Red Cross local chapter.
According to Mrs. Helen. Olson,
treasurer of the American Red
Cross in Nome, the local funds
available for use by members of
the Junior Red Cross now amount i
to $8,657. Funds donated by the
children during the campaign will
be added to this sum. The fund is
reserved exclusively to buy mat
erials for use by the children in
the schoool, and, again, only, upon
the request of any individual
classroom teacher.
Projects must be of an educa
tional and also of a service nature.
Projects such as the making of
favors to brighten trays at the
hospital may be undertaken by
elementary grades.
The object is to offer children
experience in a service organiza
tion.
less than they now possess. If this
nation were to diminish rather
than to enlarge the political re
sponsibility of Alaska and Hawaii,
then indeed our external relations
would be affected. It is my con
tention they would be affected
adversely.
“The people of these territories
seek with a desperation and a
longing no resident of a state can
comprehend, the opportunity to
exercise the privileges as well as
to bear the responsibilities which
would come with statehood. Going
along with the act of incorpora
tion of a territory is the implied
promise of statehood. In every
case before that promise has been
fulfilled. If it is broken now, will
not in some measure or other the
prestige of the United States be
hurt in a world whose adherence
we seek for our way of life? I
should think that would inevit
ably follow.”
The delegate continued, “Every
western territory which sought
entrance to the select circle had
in and out of Congress the same
minority, but vocal, opposition
which confronts Alaska and
If the advice of the, doubters of
those days had been followed
there never would have been a
state west of the Mississippi; in
deed, the 13 states would never
have been increased in number.”
1
Legal Blanks at The Nome Nugget
I
DUTCH
AUCTION
STARTS SATURDAY
NOME HARDWARE
Nome’s Complete Hardware Store
f - ■ ■ ■' ■■ .—i
N \
PAN AMERICAN PRESENTS . . .
A N E W SCHEDULE
FOR THE NOME SERVICE
EFFECTIVE APRIL 1. 1854
Flight 901 — DC-6B
Lv. Seattle TUESDAY & FRIDAY 7:30 a.m.
Ar. Fairbanks TUESDAY & FRIDAY 11:30 a.m. !
Flight 911 — DC-4
Lv. Fairbanks TUESDAY & FRIDAY 12 Noon
Ar. Nome TUESDAY & FRIDAY 2:00 p.m.
Flight 912 — DC-4\
Lv. Nome TUESDAY & FRIDAY 5:00 p.m.
Ar. Fairbanks TUESDAY & FRIDAY 9:00 p.m.
Lv. Fairbanks TUESDAY & FRIDAY 10:00 p.m.
Ar. Seattle WEDNESDAY & SATURDAY 8:0Ca.m. ;
All Times Above Are Local Standard For The City Indic«*ed
Please note that this new schedule was designed to extend
to the Nome people the advantage of DC-6B Super Six service
between Seattle and Fairbanks. It is unfortunate that under
the present circumstances it is not possible to provide this
same service south-bound.
ONLY THE SCHEDULE HAS BEEN CHANGED
The Quality of the Service and the Fares Remain Unaltered
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WE CARRY A LARGE ASSORTMENT OF
FINE LIQUORS, BEER AND WINE
OUT-OF-TOWN ORDERS CAREFULLY HANDLED
ARCTIC OIL DELIVERY
__ STOVE OIL FURNACE OIL
Ben Young
We Check Your Tank Regularly
WE SERVICE ALL MAKES OF BURNERS
Office Phone: BLACK 76 Residence: MAIN 52
> .. i. <<
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