Alaska Party Pooper

When Alaska Governor Walter Hickel was elected last November as the candidate of the Alaskan Independence Party, nobody expected him to do much to further its secessionist platform. Nobody, that is, except a vocal faction of the tiny fringe party. Angry that Hickel has not done enough to detach Alaska from the U.S., the group is mounting a campaign to have Hickel and Lieutenant Governor Jack Coghill recalled from office, charging that their nomination was illegal.

Hickel joined the Independence ticket just minutes before the filing deadline for last fall's election and signaled throughout the campaign that he did not share its views. Though Hickel has been ignoring the campaign, Coghill has not. As head of the division of elections, he has refused to give the recall committee any information about what legal steps must be taken to eject an official.