The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-25
ruE I.rssoN or ALAsKA.

= HI tskANNOF w tAANeNAs
Those who are urging that the United
States annex all of the colonies of Spain
Porto Rico. the Philippines and the La
drones at once. and Cuba as soon as it
can he conveniently done-declare that the
problem of the government Of the col
onies" VIII be solved easily and speedily
enough when 1t is reached. They say that
we have heretofore measured up to all re-
quirements, and that we should do so
again if we were put to the test by en-
barkation upon a policy of expansion.
Have we, indeed, measured fully up TO
all of our national responsibilities? Leav-
ing out of the consideration our treatment
of the Indians an alien race within the
borders OF our own territory, let us glance
for moment at Alaska. Prof David
starr Jordan, the distinguished scientist
aud government commissioner to Alaska,
tells IN an article in the Atlantic for No
vember of our careless, wasteful incom-
petent government of that territory. If
we cannot stablish, or have not estab-
hshed clean and efficient government in
Alaska, which is only a few hundred miles
away from our borders and whose natives
are peaceable and tractable, what good
reason is there for thinking we should do
better with the Philippines, on the other
side of the world and peopled with fierce
semi-savagcs?
According TO DR.. Jordan's view, there Is
no department of the government of Alas
ka that is adequate The army has in
the territory certain nI-defned duties
which have been worked out mainly in
futile and needless relief expedition, with
opera bouffe accompaniment of dehorned
reindeer" Legal proceedings are extreme
ly slow and uncertain; important matters
must await the action of Congress; the
Governor has large duties and little power;
jury trials are farcical; many of the minor
officials are not above reproach. Taken al
together, DIR. Jordan concludes that under
the present system of government Alaska
is like an orange which will be thrown
away when it has been sucked dry. And
who is doing the sucking? Private par
ties and corporations The federal gov
eminent in 1867 paid Russia 100000 in
gold for the territory. 1t has not yet got
its money back, and the probabilities are
that 1t never will. Alaska is rich in min
erals, timber, fisheries and other natural
resources, but with the exception of the
seal lessees no corporation or individual is
required to pay royalty toward the main
tenance of the government. The revenues
of Alaska are meager, because the gov
eminent does not levy and collect royal
ties; and a better government is not pro-
vided because Congress is not willing to
take money out of the federal treasury to
pay the cost of il.
1t is upon the matter of the cost of
governing colonies that DR.. Jordan makes
a very strong point. He says: I'VE should
count the cost before accepting colonies
1t is too late to do so when they have
been once annexed. If we cannot afford
to watch them, to care for them, to give
them paternal rule when no other is pos
sible we do wrong to hoist our flag over
them. Government by the people is the
ideal to be reached in all our possessions
but there are races of men living under
our flag as yet incapable of receiving the
town-meeting idea. A race of children
must be treated as children, a race of
brgands as brgands, and whatever au-
thority controls either must have behind
it the force of arms.
alaska has made individuals rich, but
the government has yet>to get its money
back. But whether colonies pay or not
it is essential to the integrity of the United
States itself that our control over them
should not be source of corruption and
waste"