The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-07-30
LET THE GOVERNMENT DEVELOP
ALASKA.


The Indianapolis News thinks that
the Presidents message 10 the Senate
on the Controller Bay matter Ought to
have great influence with fair-minded
people," and that mfr. Taft is not a
dishonest man; on the contrary. his in
tesrity is above suspicion" That is
the View generally entertained ny hon.
est men of all parties, we believe; but
the feature OF the statement made bv
our Indiana contemporary upon which
we should like to make few remarks
Is this:
There is no occasion for alarm over
Alaska The land is not going to get
away What is needed, as the Presi
dent says, is legislation that will make
II possible to develop the Territory and
TO give to 1t the use of Its resources.
without permitting the monopoIists and
syndicates 10 get hold of it. The Pres
ioent speaks strongly; but the facts
justify him In so doing"
Easier said than done. Alaska IL
there TO stay. The glaciers may change
the face of some parts of the country.
fires may destroy large areas Of for
est, poachers may get in and carry off
some of the whales and seals, and The
storms that rage in that region may
MI up some of the channels that are
now available for ships. and blow off
the mountain tops; but. speaking gem
/ orally, In the words of our contempo
| rary. the land is not going to get
away. What is needed. indeed. is
legislation that will make ii possible TO
develop the Territory and TO give If
me use of its resources; but If monop-
ohsts. so-called, and syndicates. which
mean combinations of capital contrib
uted by individuals. are not TO he per
mitted to get hold OF anything in
Alaska. how is the Territory to be de-
veloped and its resources made avail
able for the use Of the Territory and
the world?
These resources have remained prac-
tieally untouched for thousands Of
years millions of years, speaking
as the biologists would say. Alaska
has belonged to the United States since
1867, when, for the sum of 81 900 ooo IN
gold, all that territory reaching from
10 degrees and IS minutes west 10
! 172 degrees and % minutes east longI-
tude and from 81 degrees to II degrees
IS minutes north latitude, and embrac-
ms an area of $4,000 square miles was
ceded by Russia to the United States
,,.t-
/ The country had been known in way
/ since 1879, and there 1t lay. without anv
monopolists or syndicates TO make it
/ afraid. until a few years ago. when IT
! was discovered that II contained rich
! deposits OF gold and coal and other
P. things to tempt the cupldlty of man:
but 1t is so far away and the Difficult
ties OF transportation and the hardships
OF living there are so great that 1t now
has a population OF $3.50 gain of 7ej
In the course of the last decade. The
white population OF the Territory is
now about 10000. and the land is NOT
going 10 get away" That much &c
certain and sure 1t IS not going to be
developed either unless Congress shall
adopt some reasonable plan looking 10
INC true conservation OF the resources of
the country. There is not man among
me crowd who are preaching agains,
t"e syhd'cates which have taken
chances in Alaska who would nut a
doisar OF their own money into enter.
priacs in that land; but from carly morn
TIL devfN ave ,bo,. ar. ...,,,.