The daily Alaskan., 1910-04-08
AN ARMY OFFICERS VIEW.

An army officer now connected with the Twenty-secoud Infantry. who has been in Alaska for two years and wh 1 has made the trip down the Yukon to St. Nuchaels to Nome, stopping at all points en route, and who has had ample opportunity to thoroughly sound public opinion among Alaskans and to become conyersant with the exist ing conditions in the territory, recent ly told the editor of the Pioneer Press that he firmly believed Alaska was entitled to home rule and that the Eeveridge bill was nothing short of an outrage.
 ~I suppose. said this officer who's name for obvious reasons we will not mention. that I. as an absolute out slider. without property interests or a vote in Alaska. am better qualified .5 observe and to judge conditions in he north than you are, or any other man who has interests here; for such interests naturally tend to prejudice ones point of view.
 ally tend to prejudice ones point of view.
 ~I. on the other hand. have no pre- mdices. or no interests to be affect ed one way or the other. l look at The whole matter from an abstract viewpoint. My good judgment is not affected in any way.
 Yes: I certainly believe that Alas Alaska want home rule. Everywhere have been l have found an over- whelmtng sentiment in favor of home rule: while, on the other hand. the proposed Bevertdge bill is being bit erly objected to. I recently talked to one of your residents concerning the Beverfdge bin.
 We'll fight. sir he assured me. before we win submit to that meas ure. And this man was yoicing the sincere sentiments of himself and his netgbbors. When people are willing to fight a proposed system of govern ment there must be something radio, ally wrong with that system. And I have found this sentiment everywhere along the Yukon. at Nome. and through Southeastern Alaska.
 In the second place the people of Alaska are entitled to self govern menL They have come up here under dtscouragtug conditions and have de- veloped the country and revealed it's riches. Surely by every law of right. they are entitled to a voice in it's future conduct; and must say. right now in my opinion the people of Al aska average better as to character and intelligence than the people in the States. The standard of citizen ship is very high up here. It has been a case of the survival of the fit test and only the Httest have remain ed. Certainly the future of Alaska would not suffer if it were entrusted to the votes of your population; nor would there be any danger of cOrpor- ate control
 Tn the third place the proposed ! Bevertdge bill is absolutely un-Amer- fcan. The American system of gov ernment guarantees self government and think it would be a dan gerous precedent to establish a pureI l colonial form of government over such a people as reside in Alaska Why, ] the FiIippinOs have a representative l
  government and the Filtppinos can not in any way compare with the peo | pie of Alaska.
 Tt has always heretofore been the policy of the United States to grant ] native born Americans the right of 1 home rule just as soon as conditions warranted such a step; and I firmly believe that the conditions warrant such a step in this case.