The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-12-06

Substantially the only law providing
 CIVIL government for this territory is q
 act or May F, 1881. This is meagre in i
 provisions and is fitted only for the al
 nRhlstration of affaIlrs in d countr
 spafsely inhabited by civilized people ar
 unlmportant in trade ana production,
 Was Alaska at the time this act WE
 passed The increase in population
 lmnlsfatlon during the past few year
 consequent upon the discovery of golt
 mas produced such a condition as cal lor more ample facilities for local sel government and more numerous conver
 fences of civil and judicial administrs
 ton. settlements have grown up in vs
 rlous places, constituting in point of poI
 uiation and business cities of thousand
 oh eo,, innapltants, yet there is no .proyi
 can be organized or maintained
 Tn some. Localities the inhabitants hay
 met together and voluntarily formed
 municipal organization for the purpose
 of municipal constitution and charter
 under which said officials have been ap
 polnted, and ordinances creating ant regulating reg Ia police force, fir Sephe Septh and making dspaHt%snf proVision for tho care or the insane and indigent poor ant sick and for public schools, have beer passed. These proceedings and the or dlnances passed by such municipalities are without statutory authority and have no sanction, except as they are maintained munity. There is an entire absence ol authority to provide the ordinary instru ments of local police control and admin. the usual percentage of lawless adven- turers of the class that always flock tc new 1elds of enterprise CT discovery, and under circumstances which require more than ordinary provision for the mainte- nance of peace, good order and lawful conduct.
 The whole vast area of Alaska com prises but one judicial district, with one torney, yet the civil and criminal busi~ ness has more than doubled within the past year, and is many times greater both in volume and importance than it was in 1884. The duties of the judge re- quire him to travel thousands of miles to discharge his judicial duties at the various places designated for that pur- pose. The territory should be divided into at least two districts and an addi- tional judge, district attorney, marshal and other appropriate officers be pro- vided.
 There is practically no organized form of government in the territory. There is no authority, except in congress, to pass and the difficulty of conveying to the congress an adequate conception and un- of the various needs of tho people in the differnt communities is easily understood, l see no reason why l more complete form of territorial or ganization should not be provided. Fol owing the precedent established in year 1f 1895, when temporary government was provided for the recently acquired erritory, then known under the name of Louisiana it seems to me that N would 1e advantageous to confer greater ex- ,cutive power upon the governor and to establish, as was done in the case of the erritory of Louisiana, legislative
 
 which shall extend to all the rightful ubjects of local Legislation such ordi- lances not to take effect until reported o and approved by the congress if in ession, and if that body is not in ses- ion, then by the President In this man. Ter system of laws providing for the and government of towns nd cities having certain population, lying them the power to establish and nairtain a system of education to be To- ally supported. and ordinance providing anitary and other such purposes could e speedily provided. l believe provi- l ion of this kind would be satisfactory l . the people of the territory. It is prob- ble that the area is too vast and the | opulation too scattered and transitory | overnment of Porto Rico. The time is rovide for an elective legislative body, | ut the conditions calling for local self overnment will undoubtedly very soon | xist, and will be facilitated by the ieasures which I have recommended. | recommend that legislation to the ime end be had with reference to the ovrnment of Porto Rico. Th time is pc for the adoption of a temporary form government for this island, and many lggestions made with reference to Alas l are applicable also to Porto Rico. The system of civil jurisprudence now lopted by the people of this island is miliar with it, as thoroughly modern Id scientific, so far as it relates to mat rs of internal business, trade, produc- on and social and private right in gen. ned under charters which probably re- lire very little or no change.
 So with that relation to matters of To- l concern and private right, it is not obable that much if any legislation IS sirable; but with reference to public and the relations of the and to the federal government, there e many matters which are of pressing gency The same necessity exists for ,islation on the part of congress to es- blish federal courts and federal juris- ,tion in the island as has been prev1- sly pointed out by me with reference :
 Hawaii Besides the administration justice. there are the subjects of the ] mt of rivers and harbors; the control the waters or streams not navigable, I ich under the Spanish law belonged to e crown of Spain, and have by the T
  ates; the immigration of people from eign countries; the importation Of 1tract labor; the imposition and col ton of internal revenue; the applica- n of the navigation laws; the regula- II n of the current money; the establish t mt of postoffices and post roads; the p ,ulation of tariff rates on merchandise V ported from the island into the Unit u States; the establishment of ports h ersry and delivery; the regulation of 8 nd 1nPSP | I other subjects which rest entirely tt hin the power of congress, call for O. eful consideration and immediate ac- n must be borne in mind that since b. cession of Porto Rico has been de- m the principal markets she had long al oyed and our tariffs have been con in Jed against her products as when ci was under Spanish sovereignty. The m rkets of Spain are closed to her, her pro % nl ,merce of all nations is subjected. , island of Cuba, which used to buy hl cattle and tobacco without customs W les now imposes the same duties upon re se products as from any other country of ,ring her ports. She has therefore lost co free intercourse with Spain and Gu Al without any compenSatlng benefits in W. market. Her coffee was little known us not in use by our people, and there 1u there was no demand here for this be of her chief products. The markets G he United States should be opened up go her products Our plain duty is to in fish all customs tariffs between the tn ted States and Porto Rico and give pc products free access 10 our markets. an
 a result of the hurricane which pt over Porto Rico on the Sth of Au- DO , 1899, over 100000 people were re- SD ,d to absolute Restitution without us es, and deprived of the necessarles Of tic To the appeal of the war depart fol f tho peonle of tn United States made pls