The Ketchikan miner., 1907-10-19
THAT HINT

pertinently at all, what it means by the suggestion of s'Just A Hintn to l those 'solid interests that base their opposition to popular home govern ment for Alaska on professed fear of burdensome taxation. When it is re- membered that those who. make this contention ... vpposition to a wholly i just cause insist further that Alaska is already supplied with decent form and administration of government at practically no cost whatever to her people, those who read the "hint" should have no trouble in accurately Interpreting the meaning it was in- tended to convey. It meant that those who present the bugasboo of taxation and assert the financial inability of the people of Alaska to support a government of their own on one hand while on the other they exhaust their eloquence in boasting of her wealth. insisting at the same time that Alaska is receiving much for practically nothing, are running a grave risk of invoking upon the ''solid interests" the very burden of taxation they seem to so greatly deprecate in behalf of interests supposedly not nearly so solid.
 If it be made to satisfactorily appear to congress that Alaska, with all her boasted wealth, is really a beneficiary of the general government to large extent, what is more likely than that congress may conclude that something more is due from Alaska in the way of self-support, and proceed to legis late accordingly? For it is just principle of taxation that all shall be required to contribute their just share of the revenues requisite to the sup port of the government which affords them protection, and it matters not whether that government is general or local-administered at home or from abroad. What would be more natural, therefore, than, if made to believe that Alaska is paying practi cally little or nothing for the support of the local government now vouch- safed her, that congress should make inquiry in the premises in order to determine the real truth in that re- gard Should that event occur, and it is due to arrive at any time the con- l hp in hot mi ho the answer of the ''solid interests to the query of about what proportion of the existing unequal and discriminat- ing system of license and occupation taxation falls upon them. It has been shown, and cannot be disputed, that the maintenance of the courts consti- tutes the bulk of the cost of adminis- tration of the present regime in Alas ka, and that aside from any question of license and occupation taxes very large proportion of that cost is paid by the people themselves in the shape of fees, fines and forfeitures. It will, therefore, be wholly pertinent for the congress to make inquiry whether Alaska is paying all she should be re- quired to pay, if it be concluded that the assertion of her inability to main- tain local government of her own is a true one, for being governed from a distance, and if not, what, if any, par ticular interest or interests are being permitted to escape their proportion ate and just share of the burden that ought to be imposed, whether it be under the present regime or under some form of popular home govern ment.
 It should be remembered that the | power of taxation now rests exclusive ly with congress, which may tax these so-called "solid interests'' much or little, at its own discretion. It has been truly said that the only things that can be counted upon as absolutely cer- tain is death and taxation, and that we will have the latter in some form or other, whether the present regime is continued or territorial form of government obtains, is matter of no doubt whatever. The question, there- fore, for those who assert that Alas ka is the recipient of much for prac- tically nothing from the general gov ernment toconsider is whether they are not protesting too much and aiming boomerang in a direction whence it is likely to return with force that will bring dismay to the so-called ''solid interests in whose behalf they affect so much concern.
 In the present temper of the con- gress and the people, this hint to those most immediately concerned should need no interpretation,