The daily morning Alaskan., 1903-03-04
WHY NOT THE LONG TRIED
PLANT

dltlons prevailing In Alaska and can realize
that the country and It's people are govern
"a bv the same natural laws that prevail
10 svsry othsr portion Of the Union. The
Seattle Post-ln,sillgsnesr Of the 24th ult',
voices It's well taken championship Of the
people Of Alaska, In the following 'pIsn-
did lssdlng editorial:
"Ths Washington correspondent Of the
Post-lntslllgsncer, considers Il extremely
doubtful whether the bin granting to Alas
ka delegate In congress will pass at the
present. session. The failure Of the bill 10
pass, II Il does fall, will be due entirely 10
the fast that the senator's have no fair con-
esp,lon Of the conditions which p.evall 10
Ahsl<i or Of the development which the
district has witnessed within the past few
YEARS. The senator's Who oppose TIE
proposition seriously doubt the practiea-
billy OF possibility Of holding an election
10 Alaska, and Give that as a reason for
opposing the Dill. SOME Of them advocate
the Impossible and utterly un-Amsrlean
projset Of having a delegate In congress
from Alaska selected by the federal Office
holdsrs Of the district, themselves appoint
% by the president, and the majority Of
whom made their frs, visits to Alaska
with their commissions In their pockets.
"Ths objection Of these senators Is urged
In ignorance. There arc no more difheul-
ties In the way Of holdlLg an ELECTION In
Alaska than were encountered 10 holding
slsetlons In svsrv one Of the territories at
the time they were originally organized.
The means Of communication between the
various parts Of Alaska are actually better
today than thew were in any Of the thir-
teen original states at the time Of the
formation Of the Union. During six
months Of the year Il Is as easy to reach
Washington elty from the Interior Of
Alaska today as twas to reach Washing
ton city firm Tennessee at the time that
state was admitted into the Union. In
fact, the journey could be made without
tlths Of the discomfort attending jJunels
Of few hundred miles In length in the
early DAYS Of the country. From South
sas,Sm Alaska thsrs are steamers FIVE or
six times a week to Seattle.
"ln addition to this, Alaska Is peOplsd |
bY nearly one hundred thousand American
el'lzsns Of the very bss, type which the
country affords. They are Infinitely better
qualified to exercise all Of the privileges Of |
sslf-gOvsmmsnt than tie foreign born peO-
pie who really dominate and control the
political life Of the great cities Of the East.
"But Il seems almost impossible to force
a knowledge Of these facts upon the menu
bars Of the senate. They psrslst In regard
log Alaska as an Isolated region In tie
frozen North, without any population save
few nomadic adysntursrs Of doubtful
character, not 70 Be trusted 10 exercise any
Of thsilghis Of citizenship. They gravslv
point to some scsndils In the sdmlnls,r1t-
loo Of Justice 10 Alaska as proof Of this,
forgetting or Ignoring that such scandals
hive touched merely federal appoIntsss,
sen, In from the outside, In whose selection
the resident population Of Alaska have had
10 yoles. And vet thew l,mnly propose
that these outsiders, these federal officials
ssnt In from abroad, should be entrusted
With the duty u slsctlng delegate to con-
Ersss to represent the people Of Alaska, a
people who have had up to this time no
opportunity to select for themselves the
pstllsst II psttY officials.
"Thsrs Is but one practical method Of
dealing With Alaska and that Is BY giving |
TIA territorial government. Such form
Of government, was good enough for two
thirds Of the prsssn; states Of the Union
for considerable lsng,h Of time. III
good enough for Alaska until Alaska Is |
ripe for statehood. Il Is a. system thor.
ouEhly understood. Its details have all |
been worked out. In form Il corresponds /
very nearly with the form Of state gov
eminent Be which Il will sooner or later
Be succeeded. The people Of Alaska are
thoroughly eompstsnt to administer such .
govsmmsnt And thew should have Il. "