The daily Alaskan., 1907-01-23
THE COST OF IT AGAIN

ing upon the Daily Alaskan support or territorial government, says:
 .'Iu is heat it calculates not on the cost of such government to Alaska. Il forge,s the enormous expense of county organization, of legislative assembly of transportation for the legislators, Of time consumed by the legislators in transit, of the hundred aud one inci- denrals that would put a crushing bur den Of taxes upon the taxpayers.
 The Daily Alaskan has accused the Record-NIiner of oad faith iu it's fight ou territorial government. It might be that there is something else wrong with it. The foregoing paragraph would indicate that ignorance dense, dark, dauk iguorsnce-is what troubles the Juneau tory.
 Briefly let us look into that cost oi territorial governmeut.
 Ia the first place the cost of the legislative assembly. of transportation for legislators, Of time consumed by the legislators in transit, together with the contingent expenses, the Lay Of clerks. the cost of the publication Of the laws and the stationery consumed by the legislature -in short, every item of expense ia connection with the legis- Iative sessions ina territory is borne by the federal government.
 The salary and expenses of the go7 ernor. of the ais,ric, judges, of the secretary of a territory, the salary Of the clerks of the district courts and other items are borne by the federal government.
 All the cost of the federal business in a territory, including every item Of expense in connection with the Indians and the achievement of the laws agains, providing them with lntoHicauts, is borne oy the federal government.
 So far as the county governments are concerned they could oe made lust as inexpensive as.the people would have them. The sheriff recorder, clerk Of the county board and other officers could be paid for work actually done. We pay for the services such officers would have to perform now in fees 10 federal officials. There need be no salary for a county officer at all. The people would have to pay for just what they want in the way Of government, and that IS all
 The writer has iu mind a county eS- tending for loo miles east and west and having an area of 25OO square miles in 8 mountainous section of Washington territory which had been organized 30 wears before it had 10 people or an a sessed valuation of S!5O.oOO. At no time in those three decades was the tax Iavy for ,erriforiaI. local and school purpose over two per cent. Al the end of that 3o years the county had no in- debtedness.
 Ita couuty were organized to include the North end of Lynn canal, for instance. the taxes could be reduced from the amount now paved in license fees, and the county would have enough money let: 10 pay for more than the people are getting iu the way of public improvements at the present time. To illustrate. The White Pass pays s2,OOO taxes annually % i'> mileage outside the incorporated limits Of this city, which goes in,o the federal treasury. The saloo-s o' Haines pay s2,UO0 more. The canueries in the vicinity of Eaines pay 5000. other business houses pay sI,Ooo, or whereabouts. making 3IO,OO0 in all, From this sum the people get a -c.ooi at Hsines with Zone teacher, and that i> all. \ county government. covering this Eterrltory, need no, COS. oue-ftth this amount.
 Or. Young will have an opponent 10 the A,Iin district worthy of his best steel. Capt. John Irving is one of the most popular men in all the West. His