The House committee version called for 182 million acres to be selected by the new state from the public domain within a twenty-five-year period. The Senate version was similar except that its number was 103 million-plus acres. Then Bartlett was approached with four amendments to the House version. Decrease the land grant acreage to the Senate’s number; hold a statehood referendum; permit federal regulation of Alaska’s maritime commerce with the other states to continue; and, oh, by the way, let the federal government retain jurisdiction over Alaska’s game and fish interests. Wasn’t the last
...more

