The Alaska prospector., 1904-07-07
MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT.

To read over the arguments ad- vanced by some of the Alaska papers in favor of territorial gov ernment, is like reading the pros- pectus of some fake enterprise. It 'is very glowing in print but the scheme will not stand investiga- tion. There arc along the coast of Alaska some desirable sites for a city where the permanent popula- ton consists of about ono individ- ual. That individual would be just as much justified in demand ing a charter for full fiedged city as the permanent population of Alaska is justified in demanding a territorial form of government for this district, where there is about thirty square miles for each one of the white population. Our district is very new and the population is increasing, when it gets sufficient ly large let us join together in carving out few states, and avoid the curse of territorial government where the people are humbugged into the belief that they are govern ing themselves. We know the weakness of territorial legislators of the present day, and we also know the strength of combined cap ital, between the two peopl. who have other than political business to at tend to would get the muddy end of the stick. As to law let us take Arizona as an example. There the court of appeals consists of the judges whose judgements are ap- pealed from; they sit in body ex- cepting the judge whose judgement is being reviewed. As no judge likes to be reversed there is scarcely ever a reversal of judgement as they do not dare to turn down a judge who will later have a chance to do likewise when their respect i've cases come up. So notorious has this practice become that the court is known as the affirmative court" there having been in the past but two judgements reversed, and they were 50 rank that it was impossible to sustain them. Do we want such state of things in Alaska? we believe not. We are not suffering here for lack of law; there are many things we need far more. First of all a good, perman- ent population, and that we are surely getting. Young folks are marrying and establishing homes, and the birth rate i. gradually in- ereasing. These are the conditions that we must look to to build up our future states, and not to the enthusiasts who rush in in the spring and out in the fall. These latter serve good and useful pur- pose in exploring and opening the country for the coming settler, but they cannot be relied to bear the burden of political change. Their political affiliations are in the states, and they hurry out in the fall to exercise their right to a vote at home. (for proof see the outgo- ing passenger lists.) It might be said in contradiction that such would not be the case were they allowed to vote in Alaska, but the argument won't go, for it is safe to say that fortune favored those now resident here, and gave them the big roll, or what is known as a home stake, that they came after, at least eight out of ten would hike for home. It is one of the wise dispensations of providence that we do not always succeed as we would like to, otherwise this great addition to the worlds grand future would not be populated un- til nearly stripped of vast stores of wealth.