Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-01
los ANGELES HERALD: FRIDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 1909

mission OF fVe members appointed ny
the president, and who would act with
the governor of Alaska.
cit will be observed" he continued
chat this is practically the government
which was given to the Philippine is
lands although the commission there
had more legislative authority than 1t
would be wise or necessary to give to
the Alaska commission. Objection will
be made on the ground that this is
| treating the people Of Alaska, who are
| generally free-born American citizens,
as If the territory were a dependency
of persons unfit to exercise the power
| of self-government.
"I cannot deny that the conditions in
Alaska are such as in my judgment
to prevent the extension of local self
| government safely to that territory.
| 1t is not because of the character OF
the people, if they were permanent
residents, and sufficient in number and
| sufficiently distributed to warrant the
establishment of a representative gov
| ernment but the conditions that exist
are sufficient to put them, for the time
| being, in a position justifying SINH
lar treatment to that of the Philip
pines
Better Than Now
Indeed. 1t would be a great deal
better government than at present be-
cause It would be vesting power in a
local authority familiar with local
needs, and today no such power exists.
In other words, it would be great ad-
vance over present conditions. L do not
know that congress will agree with
me in this view, but a personal ex-
perience in the practical operation OF
such a system of government for the
| benefit of the territory government,
| leads me to feel justified in making
such a recommendation.
"The territory would develop much
more rapidly and the boon of self
government will come much more
quickly under such system than as
government is being carried on at
present
1.-THE future of Alaska is big with
prosperity and great productiveness,
but it needs intelligent legislation 10
! develop it quickly and in the right
wav. and 1 know no better method OF
securing such result than by a prop
erly constituted commission.
"There is an opportunity for con-
gress to aid in the construction OF
certain railroads that will largely de-
velop the territory and which private
enterprise is not able or willing to un-
dertake unless it receives some sort
of guaranty from the government.
''That 1 would unhesitatingly rec
ommend because Alaska is territory
in which private capital cannot be eX-
pected to build the first rallroaus;
! "T am especially interested in Alas
lxa because her development has been
j DELAYED by a lack of appropriate legis-
Iation and because I know something
of the needs of a land so far distant
OF course the laW-making power OF
the commission should be subject 10
the approval of the head of the de-
partment at Washington responsible
/ for the government of Alaska, just as
is provided now by the law governing
the Philippines.
Measure of Justice
"Since visited the coast l am glad
| to say that the Philippines have mad eX-
tended to them in the matter of tar
iff law measure OF justice Wlllcn .a
ought to have been adopted nine years
ago. If it had been made then the
CITY of Seattle, the city of San Fran
cisco and the whole Pacific coast
would have profited by its enactment
Free trade with the Philippines as
now established between the islanos
and this country will develop an eX-
change of business between the Two
countries which will be greatly to the
advantage of both Trade in the Phil
ippines has long had one trend, and 1t
will take some time, perhaps two or
three years, to effect change, even
now that the law is passed; but Ia
miliarity with the situation IN tne
islands makes me confident that the
Pacific coast will come to value more
and more highly the trade from the
Philippines which will fall to it.
There are many industries in the
| Philippines, the products of which will
sell we'll in the United States, now that
the tariff is lifted from them, and with
similar relief from burden in entering
the Philippines, American manufac-
lures will have far wider sale in those
distant islands in the Pacific.
1.-THE Panama canal will be complet-
ed on or before the first of January,
1915, and with it's completion the trade
! between the eastern and western coasts
! of this country will be revolutionized,
| for the carrying of heavy bulk mer-
chandise between the Pacific and the
Atlantic coasts is almost certain to be
by water This will reduce the trans
continental business to the carriage of
| the more valuable classes of merchan-
disc, which can profltably pay a higher
rate of transportation.
| more than this, it will change the
| avenues OF International trade, will
bring the eastern coast of America
closely in touch with the western
coast of South America, and will great
ly facilitate the direct transportation
| from the west coast of America to Eu-
ropean ports.
China Waking Up
China is waking up. She is APP
preaching a period of development that
| cannot but increase her trade and aug
ment her Importance as customers
and as traders with this country, while
Japan and all the other Oriental coun-
| tries are moving onward with giant
steps in the commercial competition of
| the world.
1.-The many prophesies that have been
made that in the next half century the
commercial progress of the world is to
| be seen more decidedly in the Paciflc
than anywhere else are certainly well
| founded; and under those conditions 1t
| behooVes us Americans interested in
pushing our trade into every quarter OF
the globe to take steps to repair con-
| dition that exists in respect to our
! merchant marine that is humil1atlnS
| to our national pride, and most bur
| densome to us in competition with 9TH
er nations in obtaining international
| trade.
1--WE maintain a protective tariff to
encourage our manufacturing, farming
and mining industries at home and
within our jurisdiction, but when we
assume to enter into competition upon
the high seas in trade between inter-
national ports, our jurisdiction to con-
troll that trade as far as the vessels of
other nations are concerned, of course,
ceases, and the question which we have
to meet is how with the greater wages
| - rA,-sv, r,F7f