The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-10-01

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Alaska should elect representatives and
legislate for the enormous territory
reaching from British Columbia clear to
the Behring sea and the Arctic ocean.
eIf-Government.
Local self-government or home rule in
country so large as Alaska with scat
tered nomadic population, intense local
and sectional feeling should not be given
serious consideration until the population
and developed resources of the country
have increased to such an extent as to
warrant the division of the territory into
more limited areas, where the inhabit-
ants of each would have an opportunity
of becoming acquainted and where there
would be some degree of similarity OF in
terests. Before such an experiment an
earnest effort should be made to secure
a larger percentage of permanent resi-
dents and endeavor to attach some OF the
population to the soil.
My own Judgment is that the only way
properly to develop Alaska for the bene-
fit of everybody in it is to bring the ter
ritory under the management of one bu-
reau and department in Washington, so
that all the officials in the government
shall have response to one head
President Taft suggested that local leg
islation be vested in a resident commits
sion of five or more members to be APP
pointed by the President and to act in
conjunction with the governor of Alaska.
.I cannot deny that the conditions in
Alaska are such as in my judgment to
prevent the extension of local self-goyern-
ment safely to that territory" continued
the President.
Great Future.
1.-The future os Alaska is big with pros
pect, prosperity and great productiveness,
but 1t needs legislation to develop 1t quick
ly and in the right way and / know no
better way to secure such result than
by a properly constituted commission.
There is no opportunity for Congress TO
aid in the construction of certion rail-
roads that will ragely develop the terri
tory and which private enterprises IL
not able or willing to undertake unless
1t receives some sort of guarantee from
the government. That l would unhesi-
tatingly recommend, because Alaska is
territory in which private capital cannot
be expected to build the first railroads.
''Since 1 have last visited the coast
am glad to say that the Philippines
have had extended to them in the matter
of a tariff law measure OF justice Whlcn
ought to have been adopted nine years
ago If it had been adopted then, Sc
attle San Francisco and the whole Pa
cific coast would have profited by It's en-
actment.
Free trade with the Philippines, as
now established between the island and
this country will develop an exchange OF
business between the two countries winch
will be greatly to the advantage of both.
Trade in the Philippines has long had
one trend and 1t will take some time,
perhaps two or three years, to effect
change, now that the law is passed, put
a familiarity with the situation in the
islands makes me confident that the Pa
cifiic coast will come to value more ana
more highly the trade of the Philippines
which will fall to it.
Panama Canal.
1.-The Panama canal will be completed
on or before the first of January, 1919,
and with its completion the trade be-
tween the eastern and western coasts OF
this country will be revolutionized this
carriage of heavy bulk merchandise be-
tween the Pacific coast and the Atlantic
coast is almost certain to be by water
This will reduce the ans-continental
business to the carriage of the more
valuable classes of merchandise which
can profitably pay higher rates on trans
portation. Also it will change the ave-
nues of International trade. will bring
the eastern coast of America closely In
touch with the western coast of South
America and will greatly facilitate the
direct transportation from the west coast
of America. to European ports.
'+China is waking up. She is approach
ing a period of development that cannot
but increase her trade and augment her
importance as a consumer ana as
trader with this country, while japan
and all the other Oriental countries are
moving onward with giant steps in the
| commercial competitor of the world.
1.-The many prophecies that have been
! made that in the next half century the
| commercial progress of the world is to
| be seen more decidedly in the Pacific
| than anywhere else are certainly well
founded, and under these conditions 1t be-
| hooyes us Americans interested in push
ing our trade into every quarter of the
| globe to take steps to repair condition
| that exists in response to our merchant
marine that is humiliating to our nation
| al pride and most burdensome to us IN
competition with other nations in obtain
| ing international trade.
Sea Competition.
1--WE maintain protective tariff to en-
| curage our manufacturing, farming and
| mining industries at home within our
| Jurisdiction but when we assume to en-
! ter into competition upon the high seas
| in trade between international ports our
| jurisdiction to control that trade as far
/ as the vessels of other nations are con-
| cerned of course ceases, and the ques-
| ton we have to meet is how with the
| greater wages that we have to pay, with
the more stringent laws that we enact
! for the protection of our sailors and with
the protective system making difference
in the price of the necessaries to be used
in the maintenance of merchant ma
rine, we shall enable that merchant ma
rine to compete with the marine of the
rest of the world.
.eThis is not the only question either
FIR II will be found on an examination OF
the methods pursued in old countries with
respect to their merchant marine that
there is now extended by way Of sub
sides by the various governments to their
respective ships upwards of $35000.0O0 and
this offers another means by which III
the competition the American merchant
ship is driven out of business and find:
itself utterly unable to bid against its
foreign competitors.
Inadequate Service.
mot only this, but so inadequate is the
American merchant marine today that r
selecting auxiliary ships with which II
make our navy an instrument of Of
Tense or defense or indeedfi in sending i
around the world as a fleet. we have tt
call on vessels sailing under a foreign
flag to carry the coal and to supply ths
other needs of such a journey. We're W.
compelled to go into war today our mer
chant marine altogether lacks the SUI
! f1cient tonnage absolutely necessary *
the proper. operation OF the navy and