Maass Hits Tidelands Legislation As Phony, Influenced by Lobbyists

Four features of the newly passed bill giving the states control of their tidelands "clearly brand the act as a phony", Arthur A. Maass, assistant professor of Government, said yesterday.

Maass said he wondered why 47 out of the 48 state attorney generals and 50 senators out of the 85 who voted were in favor of a bill that would benefit only Texas, Louisiana, and California. He suggested that one reason could he the large Texas lobby, which he termed "the smoothest organization Washington has seen in a long time."

The second phony feature is the name of the bill itself, a "tidelands" act. The tidelands are the land exposed by lowtides, and these are clearly state controlled. But the areas affected by the now legislation are those from the lowtide line to the continental limits. The Supreme Court ruled in 1947 that these areas are entirely under federal jurisdiction.

Another evidence of the falseness of the bill, according to Maass, is that it is called "quitclaim" legislation. But quit claim is legal terminology for a grant of a piece of property by one party to another when each party has clear interests in the ownership of the property. "The new Holland bill no quitciaim," Maass said. "It is a clear gift by the federal government of lands in which the states have no interest whatsoever."

False Argument

The main argument used by the oil interests in killing the O'Mahoney-Hill bill of the Administration, which provided that federal government retain control of the "tidelands" and give revenue from oil leases to education, was that this would give the government control over rivers, harbors, and other inland waters.

But their bluff was called when sponsors of the Administration program agreed to insert a clause in their bill stating that control of rivers and harbors was, and shall be, not intended. "The opposition Congressmen had their hands called when they refused to allow the amendment," Maass said.

The new Holland bill will be killed, he said, for Truman will veto it and its proponents will not be able to muster strength to over-ride it. Maass said the only way opponents of the bill have been able to get as many votes as they have is by their "oil for the lamps of learning", program. With the O'Mahoney-Hill plan, they have gotten every school teacher in the country behind them.

"I do not question the motives or the intelligence of the three states which will benefit by the bill," Maass said, "but I cannot understand why the others voted for it. It is a masterpiece of special-interest legislation".