Idaho's Republican Senator Henry C. Dworshak last week performed an odd trick: he passed himself on a merry-go-round. Just a few days before, Dworshak had shifted away from support of Hawaiian statehood unless it was coupled with statehood for Alaska. His switch produced an 8-to-7 vote by the Senate Interior Committee to report Hawaii and Alaska together. Dworshak thereby helped set up a combined target on the Senate floor for those who are 1) against Hawaiian statehood, 2) against Alaskan statehood, and 3) against statehood.
Since Hawaii's admittance is an important Eisenhower (and Republican
Party) pledge, Dworshak was treated by many...