More Than 1000 People Jam
Hall; 500 Others Turned Away
By FLORENCE DOUTIIIT
In simplicity and solemnity, with more than 1,000
Alaskans looking on, the proposed constitution of the State
of Alaska was agreed upon by 54 of its makers Sunday and*
duly signed,
* Exactly at 2 p.m., as an estimated 500 persons were
turned away from the crowded gymnasium on the University
oi Alaska campus, delegates to
the constitutional convention re
sponded to their final roll call
and then individually answered
“aye” to this question:
“We now have before us the
proposed constitution of the State
of Alaska in its final form. Shall
it he agreed upon?”
At the front of the gymnasium
on a slight !y raised, carpeted
platform sal the president of the
Constitutional convention, Wil
liam A. Kean Seated on his right;
was Frank Peratrovieh, Indian
delegate from the village of Kla
v.oek, the convention’s first vice
president. On Egan’s left was
Ralph Rivers, Fairbanks attorney,
second vice president.
Small Platform
On a small platform below
Egan was a plain office table. In
the center of it was a series of
14 parchment pages, each 13 by
18 inches in size. This was the
constitution.
On the table was a bottle of
India ink and a heavy lamp of
Alaskan jade presented for the
occasion by Col. M. R. Marston,
delegate from Spenard. The
shade, made of a thin layer of
jade, cast a single shaft of light
upon the document.
Seated in two and one-half rows
of chairs stretching the width of
the building were the 54 dele
gates assembled to adopt the con
stitution. During the three roll
calls taken during the ceremony,
the name of K. E. Robertson was
included. Robertson returned to
bis home in Juneau on the eve
of the ceremony, refusing to sign
through dissatisfaction with cer
tain articles adopted inlp the con
stitution.
No non-convention dignitaries
were seated on any of the three
platforms. Governor B. Frank
Heiiitzleman. present to address
the ceremony, was sitting on an
end chair two rows behind the
delegates on the main floor. As
sembled in the corner to the right
of President Egan was the Uni
versity of Alaska band. The left
corner was filled by members of
the Ladd Choral group, dressed
in long grey robes with Blue
sashes.
Stand at Hear
An estimated 200 persons
stood at the rear of the auditor
ium as the ceremony was opened
with the Star Spangled Banner.
After the session of the 74th con
vention day was called to order
and an invocation delivered, the
roll call was taken. j
The delegates were completely
absorbed as they separately at
tested to their presence at the
historic • occasion they had cre
ated.
Praised Delegates
Gov. Heintzlcman then praised1
the delegates for making “a great
stride toward ultimate self-gov
ernrnent and self-determination.”
He warned the constitution-fram
ers of the job ahead.
. . as framers of the docu
ment. each of you will be expect
ed and arc conscience-bound, to
follow the lead of our forefathers
and carry to the general public
of Ihe area you represent your
interpretation of the underlying
fundamental principles and the
definite terms of this document
which you have proposed as the
governing foundation of the
state.”
Charges Expected
Charges of “imperfection” will
perhaps come, said the governor.
They can arise, he said, “from
special interests, regional points
of view and the frequent propen
sity of people to consider one fea
ture of a proposition with refer
ence to how it influences or is
HISTORIC SCENE—With William A. Egan of Valdez presiding,
standing center background, the proposed constitution for the
State of Alaska was signed in the gymnasium of the University
of Alaska before more than 1.000 of the delegates’ fellow Alas
kans on Sunday afternoon. On a desk directly in front of the
presiding officers is the product of the 55 delegates’ 75 days of
work, ready for the signatures which complete the historic docu
ment.
influenced by other features of
the proposition.”
Quoting Alexander Hamilton,
Gov. Heintzleman said: “f never
expect to see a perfect work from
imperfect man."
Compliments Delegates
The governor complimented the
i delegates for showing a "fine
1 willingness to hear and consider
the views of Alaskans of all
shades of opinion and to work for
acceptable compromises, on im
pending deadlocks and, above all,
to work hard and conscientiously
to produce something that will
promote the social and. econom
ical welfare of Alaska.”
A silence fell over the assem
bled body as the roll call began
for signing of the constitution.
Katherine Alexander, chief clerk
and Juneau resident, called the!
roll in a clear; steady voice. j
First to Sign
First to sign was Egan. A short!
greying man in his early 40fs|
carrying an aura of quiet dignity,
Egan stepped down from his po
dium and, with difficulty, signed
his name. He was visibly nervous.
Then, alphabetically, the names
came. Each delegate seated him
self in front of the document and,
with his own pen, signed his
name in one of four rows follow
ing this statement: “Agreed upon
by the delegates in constitutional
convention assembled at the Uni
versity of Alaska, this Fifth Day
of February, in the Year of Our
Lord One Thousand Nine Hun
dred and Fifty Six, and of the In
dependence of the United State's
the One Hundred and Eightieth.”
music from recorded chimes were
the only sounds audible through
out the signing ceremony.
Last Delegate
When the last delegate—Ada
B. Wien of Fairbanks—had sign
ed, Egan was asked by a delegate
to step down from his seat as
president to address the conven
tion, The president of the con
vention outlined the history ol
Alaska in its striving for self
government. The words, “We will
never have true peace of mind
until we are a state,” brought
loud applause.
Approximately one and a half
hours after being called into ses
sion, the gavel was rapped and
the proceedings came to an end.
Tears were on the faces of more
than half the delegates as the
The calling of the names and
Given Thanks
The chaplains who assisted at
the Constitutional Convention
were not forgotten by the dele
gates. Before adjourning, the del
egates passed a resolution of
thanks to them. Here is a portion
of the resolution:
... be it resolved by the Alaska
Constitutional Convention:
1. That the convention hereby
express its appreciation to the
Chaplains of all faiths who have
rendered this great service.
“Alaska Flag Song” was sung by
the choral group.
While the public moved quick
ly away from the scene, the con
stitution-framers stood around
the signed document, silently
looking at it.
Voters Have
Choice in
Ratification
Alaska voters* will be asked to
ratify the Alaska Constitution,
and in addition, they will be giv
en two ordinances which they
may or may not approve as por
tions of the constitution.
Citizens of Alaska will vote to
ratify the Constitution, or reject
it.
Then they will cast another
ballot on whether to include the
Alaska-Tennessee plan in the
Constitution, or reject it.
Then, they will cast a third
ballot as to whether to include a
ban on fishtraps in the Consti
tution. Voters may approve this
ban. as a part of the Constitution,
or they may reject it.
The Constitution itself may be
ratified separate of the two ord
inances. Or, voters can include
the two ordinances in the Con
stitution.
If the Alaska-Tennessee plan
and the fishtrap ban are both re
jected, this still will have no ef
fect on the basic Constitution. It
can be ratified separately.
The Alaska-Tennessee plan is
simply the process of electing
two senators and a representative,
giving them credentials as duly
elected representatives of the
i citizens of Alaska, and sending
them to Congress to seek seats.
Even if they are refused seats,
delegates to the Convention felt
that the attention focused on
Alaska by this dramatic action
will have a beneficial effect on
the statehood cause, and the Ter
ritory’s welfare in general.
Seven other states that had
been denied statehood by Con
gress used this method of ob
taining their goal. In every case,
this plan brought statehood to
the state in question within, two
years.
T h e elected representatives
have never been seated immed
iately. But they remain in Wash
ington, pressing for their rights
and personally contacting mem
i berst of Congress.
Press Had
Role in
Convention
Through joint cooperation of
Associated Press in Alaska, the
News-Miner set up a teletype
circuit from Constitution Hall to
the News-Miner editorial offices
in downtown Fairbanks. This en
abled constitution convention
news to flow from the University
of Alaska, three miles north of
this city, to the Associated Press
circuit which services virtually
all of the newspapers and radio
stations in Alaska,
Reporting in Convention Hall
was done primarily by Florence
Douthit. At various times she was
assisted by Charles Hoyt and pho
tograpner Jim
Douthit M r s. <
Douthit was the
only press rep- j
resentative i n
l Alaska who fol
. lowed the con
vention contin*
uously, day and
night She kept
Mrs. Doiitbit
moving on the
a constant flow
of news from
Convention Hall moving on
Associated Press circuits.
Mrs. Dout hit's reports fre
quently appeared all over the
Territory in afternoon newspapers
the same day they appeared in
the News-Miner, thanks to the
leased wire circuit maintained by
AP members in Alaska.
Long Journey
No doubt, the representative of
the press wno
came the long
est distance to
report conven
tion events was
Lawrence E.
Davies, West
Coast bureau
manager of
the New York
Times, The New
L. E. Davies York Times was
the only newspaper published in
the United States to send its own
representative to the convention.
Davies is no stranger to Alaska,
having visited here previously on
newsgathering junkets for the
Times.
Many other reporters from
Alaska, w ho included Edna Foster
of the Anchorage News, Don
Bullock of KFAR and others cov
ered various portions of the con
l vention.
1
Constitution of the &tatc of aiaefea
PREAMBLE
******
„ ,a,m W mil, W «'«'»» **
State of Alaska.
Inhere"!
R.#H
Sam»t« ot
Go*f rnme«*
C.«>t f
Ftcedom of
Rel.gion
f recdo""
Speech
A*«f wRI».
f #♦
Duf ?«*.«•*
^fon-iS Jw^y
ARTICLE *
declaration of rights
-r. -institution Is dedicated to the
SECTION l This corsnu^ # nghl t0
principle* that all f,oi*0’ . ‘ ne:,s> and the enjoy
M»r.y. W K“* X' ,;,i„s,rv. th». .«
?zzzs2~'«**vcr£t'2r*
^w mc p"p"
end to the State
«w > « ’
ptopl- A" oW“ .nsuluvri »'*■>»
LUrf»P<«
for the good of 4tc P
e rrT I ON > No person ts to be ^omed the _ ^
SfcCTlOo » • » ... nfihl because ot ra •
ru nt of any e.vd 01>he legislature shall
€„ior. erect!. or national origin
implement this section
v. u.L .hill be made respecting *«
SECTION 4 No h‘ v *h. the free ei
publishment of religion, or prOubu
•rose thereof.
_ freely speak, write,
SECTION t> t'W I*”V responsible for ln«
abuse of that fight
JE£*J
be abridged,
uatl be deprived of life.
SECTION T No pen* «JJ *cJ o{ Uw The
liberty, nr properly, *• treatment in the
^“'<n«PSu“ .nd ««uuve i»**“W* sb»U
cot be Infringed.
-Van be held to answer for
SECTION 8. Nofers“ „l0U> cnme, unless on a
. capital, or otherwise mfa‘l0U* d jury, except m
presentment or indictment oi^ ^ ^ of war or
cases nrisingt ua the arm a ^ wMVed by the ac
public danger Indtctmer shaU be by in
cused In that ease the P» comlst of at least
formation The a ndjury uhoni concurring owy
< n’v ci*fa«n». ; *uuortty o( grttld juries to
rAb.rn an JSidatiow fining th.
investigate »nd make m wver ** suspended
public welfare or *a!Cl*
Jeopo'dy
ofid Self
Incnminot'0*
Treason
Right* c,t
Accused
£xce«iv®
Punishment
Maim* C«rp«*
SECTION 9 No P«son
V^ng to be » -tness
against himself.
SECTION 10
only m levying war mfort No person shall
rm.es giving them a'd*nf(n"n the testimony of
be convicted of treaso , confession
uvo witnesses to the same overt ad
ir open court
SECTION U 1.
coiled shall have the nghUo - lh#t the iCg».
h> an impartial jury o *f nol more than twelve
lanirr may provide for a ] Y The accused
no, less than six in courts Ml a„d cause of
in entitled to be informed • except for cap
the accusation, to be re eased on tal.pmump.
ttal Offenses "ben , P ' ^ lh(J wlt,nesses against
,l0n great, to be conf on for obtaining wit
'"m' ,0,nhahl,Tav„Pr “d U »>™ t» ““““ 0'
nesses in nis
counsel for his defense.
section n
nor excessive fines imposed r imstraUon .shall be
^formation and upon ^
need for protecting the public
, ... T. privilege of the writ of habeas
SECTION Id 1he P™™?* jnks5 When in cases
rnipus shall not be suspend. . ml0n the pulv
If Uellion or actual or imminent mvasio
Uc safety requires it
Seortbei
Scaur**
prohibited
State Action
SECTION U The
in their persons, houses aJ J s^arches and sei
and effects. warrants shall issue,
zures, shall not supported by oath or af
but upon Proba^ Xly describing the place to be
{irmation, and particular^ seued
searched, and the persons or things
SECTION 15- No bill Shigation
taw shall be passed No ^ ‘^‘^ocable grant
«» contracts, and no W V * ed No
t
C-,1 Swift;
Tfol by Jury
I'npritrtnmtnt
for Debt
Eminent
Domoin
R.ghf To
8cor Armi
Quortering
Soldier*
Conrfruclio**
SECTION IS fn clvij eases v.here the amount in
rontTuveixv exceeds tw0 hundred fifty dollar* the
nght of trial by a Jury 0f twelve is preserved 0 the
shtur ^ 3S “ CXiSted a! wmmoS law Th ° "
h at. re may make provision for a verdict by not
tha" th^ ^rths of the jury and, m courts no,
or mCo°re ih"nytwrellf * JUry °f n0t less tha»
SECTION 17 Thoro shall ho
ri/ hr 'Ti * rre snail be no imprisonment for
sj; ssdoes “ p'oh'b'1
or^dtZ? h !8 PriVate Property shall not be taken
lion. ‘“>kn °r pubtJC use ",lhout Just compensa
sE™?SSI3S5
ewept as prescribed by law The MV,”"'
ih.ll be in strict subordination to the civil po^r^
shall nofC e"Umeratl0n of ri?htS m this
by the people ,mpaU' 01 den* <>,h"s rained
Legislative
Membership
Members'
Quolifieorion*
Election
And Tcrmj
Vacancies
O'squaM.cation*
Immunities
ARTICLE i‘
the legislature
ve^'d "°aN .1 ,The leS,sla"ve power of the Stale is
Si.( J ION 2 A member of the lepkbunr* cu n u
elected for L ^ °‘ 'h° d,s,n" *h,ch
one^r^Z eprM,VCSt kM
elechons ° Their Sf!,0” SMI be ek< ,pl‘l Al general
of the January followmg^decUo!.11
provided by law tk-> . , V unle^ otherwise
^ two vears ard Z ° W^-thves shall
One half «r VI erm of senators, four years
yelrs! " "" !fni,“ri sha» >* *l«l.d ever, .’V
*,£ V°Z 4 A wiWy in lh> legislature shall be
lied for the unexpired term as provided bv .
vacanerr?” “ made< ,he «overrw shall fdj the
vacancy by appointment M ue
SEC riO\ 5 No legislator may hold any n,h«. ,r
elected, or appointed to any Jher o(tL
>"•'» -•»* has been cr°LiS 1
uments of which have been increased whu L
a member This section 1 d' hllc he uas
snn from seekmg 0r Jd,£ ui°^
secretary of * ou,ce 01 governor,
£^:iyuj:Tzz z xzsj;
"■* «*•* asitjsscsr* *
Salary orj
txpenica
Regular
Smuan*
Special
Session*
A<fj ournmeM
Interim
Committee*
Role*
? LegU,af0r* ,haU ««iv* «mual sal
ll« whrf reee‘Ve a per diem «Uowance for
«nl^ W " ,ession *ad are entitled to travel
«pena« going to and from lessions Presiding olfi
»er. may receive additional compensate? °ff‘*
yttar'on'th^fourth m ^gLsIa’ure shalJ ^nven, each
' ’.n the fomh Monday in January, but the mon'h
and day may be changed by law. *
SECTION 9 Special sessions may be called by
Ihe governor or by vote of two-thyds of the legislator?
til or u prescribed b, law Al special sessions called
by tam Sp'“al
SECTION 10 Neither house may adjourn or re
ss loricmge,-than three days unless the other con
“ * lf tne tu,° hou*e* cannot agree on the time of
LntT?? 4nd flther house certlf>es the disagree
"* ‘° the governc)r- he may adjourn the legislature
c/and^he ll *haU be 3 leglsIat‘ve couh.
• and the legislature may establish other interim
leTrvetmc2eb7nCl1 ind °ther -tenm cotm"
tZl n»l l een legisla!lve sessions They
rpp or? du,ttes a"d employ personnel as provS
*d b ; ,he leglsJat«« Their members may ret ,
an allowance for twerne* urhiu ,• rete •
duties. penses whlle Performing their
SECTION 12 The houses of each legislature shall
choose^of!” n,leS °f procedure Each" house may
choa-e $ officers and employees Each is the judge
of the election and qualifications of «ts members and
may expel a member with the concurrent o,^
Ztd,nlS Tbm “«P • mmJrtZ
, C ' irv> A majority of the membership of each
h0U f constitutes a quorum to do business but a
smaller number may adjourn from day to" day L]
?■* *'"»'<•"« °< ab,e„t member! TheVeis*
Irfture shall regulate lobbying. 6
form of
8.Hi
Pottage of
Brill
Veto
Action Upon
Veto
JlalunV\ ,fry bil1 ShaI1 be COnfin^ *0 «.
ojec, unless it u an appropriation bill or one codj.
for S'n Slng' 0r rearra!1«in§ existing laws Bills
or appropriations shall be confined to appron*
ons The subject of each bill shall be expreEd,»
;V!£ t [he enactins «la«« shall be -Be i£ enact
by the Legislature of the State of Alaska.»
SECTION 14 The legislature shall establish the
procedure for enactment of bills into law jj£ bu»
may beCOme law Iess |t hai passed three
* * h°use on ’hree separate days, except that ai
bill may be advanced from second io*h*rf m,Z
on the same day by concurrence of three-fourths of
the house considering it No bill h ‘ "J,
passage shall be entered In the journal,
bySfheTI!e^lat5ureTHe80Vern°hmly ^ blUs passe<J
J e legislature He may, by veto, itrike or r*.
uce items in appropriation bill*. He shall return
*"» bi"' '"lh * «««"«> «f 6U Obj«Non,
to the house of origin. wojecuons,
SECUON 16. Upon receipt of » veto message,
the legislature shall meet immediately m Jmn sel
fi K l . revenue ind appropriation bills or rtems
although vetoed, become law by affirmative *
three-fourths of the membership of the legislature
Hcer vetoed bills become law by affirmative »nt* r
t^o thmds of the membership of'the 1^^° The
^reVlrSTn!!,dtr,n0n °f * **t0*<, b!^ tteU be e»
»#r«d on tho Jeuniel* of both fccuie* „