The Ketchikan miner., 1907-09-14


 ed, and The Miner will therefore un- dertake to disahuse the public mind of the error into which it may have been led to some small extent by the gover nor's unsupported assertions as to the probable cost of a territorial form of government, intelligently and eeono mically administered.
 The governor has asserted that the expense of maintaining a territorial for of government in Alaska would amount to nearly, if not quite, one million dollars annually, leaving it to be inferred that the whole burden thereof would necessarily be imposed upon the people, and in support of that assertion and inference states the cost of maintaining the courts In 1906 to have been $5S7, coo. Not stopping to remind his excellency that the court expenses constitute by far the larger half of the cost of administering the bastard government we now have, it may not be amiss to remind him that the larger half of the court expense, aside from the salaries of judges, mar shals and chief clerks, are paid by the people themselves, in the shape of fees in civil cases, and in fines and | forfeitures. It is safe to assert that two-t thirds of the business of the dis trict courts is embraced in the trial of civil cases, the costs in which are all paid by the ltigants. The emolu- ments of the commissioners are re- stricted to the fees earned not in eX- cess of three thousand dollars annual ly, the bulk of which, again, are paid by the people. If, therefore, as it can be conclusively shown, the ex- penses at the courts constitute the larger half of the entire cost of ad- ministrating the bastard form of gov ernment we now have, and which the governor seeks to prolorg, and if, as can also be shown, the larger half of the court expenses are paid by the people themselves, what becomes of the extraordinary assertion of his eX cellency that change to the territor ial system would involve an annual expediture of nearly, if not quite, one million dollars, all of which, he leaves the people to infer would have to be raised by taxation.
 Now, what would probably be the cost of administering territorial form of government as compared with the present regime? The additional cost to the people, to be paid out of the territorial treasury, would be the expenses of arrest and trial of persons charged with violation of the criminal laws of the territory, the detention and safe-keeping of such persons when convicted, and the care and mainten- ance of the insane. All other expens- es-salaries of all federal officials-and the per diem pay and mileage of mem- bers and officials of the territorial leg isature. together with necessary in- cidental expenses of that body, includ- ing the printing of the laws, would be paid by the general government. Again, his excellency, the governor is espectfully requested to favor the public with statement of the eslti- mated facts and figures upon which he bases his extraordinary assertion that the administration of territorial form of government would cost the people of Alaska nearly, if not quite, one million dollars year; or that the maintenance of the courts cost the government $5S7, GOO in l006.
 His excellency would have people not accustomed to doing their own thinking believe that territorial or ganization would deyolve upon the small property holders crushing weight of taxation and that to save them from the threatened burden he is intent upon having the present re- zine indefinitely prolonged. To those who think for themselves, however, is plainly revealed a different method in his madness. It is not the mer- chant and tradesman, the miner and the small property holder he is anXi ous to serve and save from the disaster he himself, without cause or reason, predicts, but the ''solid interests which he has taken into his special keeping, and whom he would save from probable inauguration of q just and equitable system of taxation cal- ulcated to relieve the merchant and tradesman from a part at least of the burden now imposed on them, rather than to increase that burden.
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 The Miner is in receipt of literature from the secretarty of the Southeast ern Alaska Homeseekers' Information Bureau, at Douglas, setting forth at some length the object and purpose of that organization. A perusal of this literature indicates an intention on the part of this newly organized bu- reau to pursue a good work along lines best calculated to result in great good, not only to it's homo town, but incl dentaiy to the whole southeastern sec tiOp and baUipr, that r1oif1 cbipot i,,