Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-10-13
OF INTERIOR MAY
LOSE CONTROL OF TERRI
roRIAL GOVERNMENT.
LATEST SCHEME CONCENTRATES
CHANGE TO COMMERCE BUREAU
President Hears From ENJOYS Sent to
Investigate Conditions in Far North
Friction and Scandals Call For
Change in System Of Dealing With
Complicated Questions.

washington, Oct. 13.-As prelmi-
nary to smoothing out the irritating
Alaskan situation and solving a prob
| lem complicated by scandals and
charges of corruption, the scheme or re-
| moving the territory's affairs entirely
| from the department of the interior
| and of concentrating the government
| under the direction of the department
| of commerce and labor is being dis
cussed in administration circles.
The discussion has followed the re-
turn to washington of Attorney Cen
eral Wickersham and Secretary Of
! Commerce and Labor Nagel. from a
summer trip of inspection in the great
| empire that constitutes the possession
| Of the United States in the far north
west.
| AS the legislative bill-drawing ex-
pert Of the administration, Mr.. Wicker
sham is expected to confer with COM
! mittees Of congress relative to obtain
| ing reorganization legislation for Alas
ka at the coming session.
| Conferences Hold.
/ Informal conferences on the situation
already have taken place between
| President Taft and the members of his
cabinet who have been making a per-
sonal investigation "on the spot" and
later the attorney general and the sec
| retary Of commerce and labor will pre-
sent formal reports and suggest details
| for the use Of the executive In making
| recommendations to congress.
1t has been feared that one great
obstacle to securing an adjustment of
political and industrial affairs in the
big territory with its boundless re-
sources would be the popular distrust
| growing out OF scandals that have
| brought interior department officials
/ into an unpleasant limelight.
| Popular approval is regarded as an
essential. under the circumstances, in
laying plans for the reorganization OF
| the territorial government. The ad-
ministrafion's reorganization measure
had to be abandoned at the last session
Of congress because OF the opposition
that developed in the senate to the
commission plan OF government urged
by the president even before the bill
was placed on the calendar
| There would be no more chance for a
commission bill the coming winter than
there was before. so that the adminis-
|
ing relief from existing conditions, is
put to other expedients.
Several Plans Discussed.
Aside from the commission plan of
government to which the objection of
strong progressive influences has been
that it would lead to even greater ex-
ploftation and looting Of the territory's 8
resources by corporations than has
been possible in the past, two schemes
have been pointed out as possible.
! One is to divide the great Alaskan
empire into two or three territories,
each with a separate government; the
other is to concentrate the present gov
ernment under the direction of q sin
gle department and give the governor
greater power than he now has, so that
he could suspend general laws or modi-
| fy them to meet the needs Of sections
having diverse interests.
The first Of these plans meets with
TO favor for jmm ediate application, be-
cause while the country is big the pop
ulation is so scarce that 1t would not
warrant division into more than a
single government. The other plan is
the one that is being seriously discuss
ed, and the one likely to be urged upon
the consideration of congress the COM
ing winter.
| Interests Diversified.
| 1t has been pointed out that the in
terests Of the people in southeastern
Alaska are entirely different from those
of the people in the Tanana River coun-
| try of the Interior In the former sec
! ton the fishing industry is the great
thing. with bit of quartz mining. In
| the interior section it is placer mining
mainly, and agricuHsre to consider
able extent. in the Nome section, far
remote from the other sections it is
| beach and dredge mining
| The inhabitant Of one section of the
vast territory has no more interest in
either OF the other sections than a res
ident Of New Mexico would have ordi-
narily in the affairs of North Dakota,
to cite the case in a manner to show
more plainly the problem that is pre-
sented.
| 1t is proposed to have a governor and
perhaps a council, with more power
than now is vested in the executive, so
as to apply laws according to the needs
| Of the different sections, as stated. And
| it is proposed that the other machin-
| cry OF government be concentrated
At present the governor and the
schools come under the interior de-
partment. The department OF Justice
has charge Of the courts and all that
pertains to them. The fisheries, pelagic
sealing. lighth ouse service and steam
boat inspection on the rivers, all come
under control OF the department of
commerce and labor. The latter de-
partment, having the most interests in
hand. is regarded as probably the best
among the executive branches of the
government to take complete charge Of
Alaska.
A Popular Move.
And there further is the important
and Significant suggestion that It
might popuaarize the administSation's