The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-02-10

The second request 10 for authority.
now lacking, to organize municipal
government. On this point Mr.. Curtis
says:
Towns Of 100 and 1000 people already
exist by sufferance. and they are gov.
erncd by officials elected without the au-
thority of law. II II another Illustration
Of American manhood, Their authority
IL respected and obcyed without uues.
tion, although everybody knows that the
exercise OF power is unlawful and au-
thorized only by public sentiment. There
are no county. township or municipal or
gani7ations In Alaska: no school dis
tricts. no police, 20 fire departments, no
power to make ROADS CT streets or TO en-
force order or sanitary conditions. except
by common consent, and where money is
needed for these purposes 1t Is raised by
subscription. This cREnot go on mucn
longer. however. Before June 1t Is ex-
pected that the town Of Cape Nome will
contain a.0o0 Inhabitants. and 1t Is
scarcely possible that SO large q COM
munity can be governed without law or
formal authority. Already the sanitary
conditions are said to be dreadful Be-
fore the last boat left an epidemic OF
typhoid fever had broken out and there
Is no telling how far 1t has extended.
There Is no sewerage. no method OF dis
posing Of garbage and offal, and the
water Is bad naturally Most of the sup
ply used for drinking and cooking is
taken from u river which flows through
Mt least two mining camps and receives
nearly all their filth and refuse. There
is no other source of supply, and no
power to protect this water from pollu-
tion. The epidemic Of typhoid fever Is
traced directly to its use. and unless
something Is done Immediately upon the
mani inc s,f iua tnn ~, htC
water or to furnish distilling apparatus
by which the salt may be extracted from
sea water the results will be fearful II
the bubonic plague. which has already
reached the Hawaiian islands, should be
communicated to Cape Nome the sltua-
tion would he desperate and thousands
Of lives would ray the penalty Of me-
glcct.
The Alaska delegation also asks ap-
rropriations for the construction of
roads. for the support Of schools, post
offices. mail service. prisons. and for
necessary for new community. There
is. says Mr.. Curtis. plenty of money
for this purpose. "The United States
government now collects a revenue
Of from $25o.o to $50O,000 a year by
taxation. which goes into the treasury
at Washington, and only a part of it.
not more than one half. IL expended
for the benefit of the people who pay
these taxes. The only way to get It
out Of the treasury is by an act Of
congress. The congress OF the United
States. sitting in Washington. Is the
only legislature or common councN for
the government of this territory from
5000 to 1000 miles distant, and with
an area of 579.S9O square miles, larger
than twenty states of the union east
of the Mississippi river. Not a dollar
of the taxes collected in Alaska can be
expended for any purpose without an
, exact and specific appropriation by the
senate and house Of representatives
OF whom, 81 per cent have never been
within 5000 miles of the territory, and
most of them have only a vague idea
| of the conditions existing there"
| It is clear from these brief extracts
| touching only few of Alaska's politi-
! cal needs that the experiment of terri
/. tora, government as administered by
: tie congress at Washington hc not
/ been calculated to entitle congress tc
| q certificate OF merit. The less that
congress takes upon itself to do for the
Philippines until there has been put
before it the results of careful study
and Of experience among the Filipinos
the better will be the chances OF a sue
cessful outcome of American sover'
| eighty in the archipelago.