Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-09-19
LEGISLATION IN ALASKA
Public Sentiment as to Best
Form of Government.
TWO FACTIONS IN A MERRY WAR

One Wants Territorial Government
the Other, Headed by Governor
brady, Opposes It-He Believes the
District Should Be More Tricky
Settled Before 1t BECOMES a Terri
tory or Dons Garb of Statehood.
a special dispatch from Sitka, Alas
ka, to the New York Tribune says:
The spectacle of a horde of statehood
boomers urging the claims of their ter
ritory to sovereign rights in the Union
is common enough, but Alaska pre-
sents the anomaly of not being quite
sure that she even wants to be terri
tory. Agitation there is and of a vOcif
erous kind that the territorial form of
government should be conferred by
congress at once. But there is strong
party, headed by Governor John G.
Brady himself, which believes that the
district is a mere infant still and
should be left for a time longer in its
present swaddling clothes. The knee
breeches of territorial government and
the manly garb of statehood should not
be donned, they say, until their huge
land Is more tn1cKly settled
The committee of the United States
senate which has been looking into the
legislative needs of Alaska this sum
mer has heard a great deal on this
particular subject, and Its recommen-
dation on this point will be received
with great interest The senators have
Travelled many thousand miles In the
interior and along the coast and have
had an exceptional opportunity to
learn public sentiment and to examine
the facts at first hand.
Meanwhile the merry war between
the boomers and the let well enough
alone party goes briskly on. The terri
torialists. had field day at the trans
mississippi congress which was recent
" held in Seattle. Poor Governor Bra
dy had no one to back him up. while
dozen or more men identified with
Alaska went in hammer and tongs for
the change of government.
A. P Swineford, ex-governor of the
district, pointed out some of the abuses
of having the laws all made In Wash
ington. why" he said, "a woman
dressmaker has got to pay a license of
$50 year. l heard of one case where
a man who kept d general store sold
an official a bottle of arnica liniment.
The merchant was thereupon compelled
to take out druggists license at $500
q year"
John c. Green. for twenty eight years
a resident Of Alaska, made these
points:
1--WE feel that we know what laws
are best for us and are capable of
making them. We don't want to be
saddled any longer with the laws Of
Oregon, which now govern us. We
want to elect our own territorial legis-
lature instead of being ruled by cast
off politicians"
Don Fletcher of Seattle told how a
miner in the interior was attacked with
malaria and after much trouble man
aged to get a bottle of whisky. He
paid S. for II. Information of this COM
ing to a government official, he laid
complaint, and the camp of miners
which had sold the stuff had to take
out a liquor license and to forfeit its
whole outfit.
1t was further pointed out that Alas
ka now produced $25, 100000 a year in
metals, fish, furs, etc, while it con-
sumed an equal amount of goods from
the parent country. If the district were
allowed to collect its own revenues of,
say, 100000 year, half would suffice
for expenses and the rest could be used
in the internal improvements which
were so much needed.
Governor Brady of course believes
that Alaska needs more money, but he
thinks congress should appropriate it. |
that by the census of 1900 the popula-
ton was only 1882, of whom only
3O,5O7 were white. These were scatter
ed over 100000 square miles. Most of
them were in a measure sojourners, as
the total number of families was hacd-
ly more than 500 or GOO.
"The only gain" the governor went
on, would be a delegate in congress. |
The expense would be much greater,
and Alaska is not yet prepared to meet
it. Besides, the territorial form of gov
eminent is unsatisfactory to many of
those who live under it."
1t must be said that there is consid- |
cradle support for Mr.. Brady among
business men. One of them, who has
been in Sitka many years, said:
''Of course we should like a delegate
at Washington. He would have no
vote, but we should feel that we were
a little more a part of the country if
there were some one entitled to express
our needs and wishes. But this we
might have without becoming a ter
ritory. The merchants generally want
to have things continue as at present
We believe that in a few years Alaska
will have grown SO in people and
wealth that congress will gladly take
ms into statehood without making US
pass through the purgatory of terri
toriaI government. Some would be pol
iticians are anxious to get offices, and
they want the change.
'Just see how difficult 1t would be to
get representative men to go to the leg
isIature Some of them would have to
travel thousands of miles to the capt.
tall The substantial citizens are too
much occupied to be able to leave their