For 51 years Hawaii has been petitioning Congress for statehood. Last month, when a statehood bill passed by the House reached the Senate floor, Hawaii's chances seemed better than ever before. But last week the 49th star faded again.
The problem, as in the past, was largely politics. If admitted to the Union, Hawaii (pop. 499,794) is expected to send two Republican Senators to Washington. Most Democrats in the Senate want to cancel that prospective G.O.P. gain by granting statehood to Alaska (pop. 182,000), which would be expected to elect Democrats. Some Southern...
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