Valdez daily prospector., 1912-08-21
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 2I, 1912
THE GOAL NOT YET REACHED

when congress accorded tO Alaska delegate in 1896, Alas kanS were led to believe that the many hindrancos to the develop mcnt of the territory were at an end. That the conflict in inter- csts, or, better said, supposed conflicts, would be of the past.
 The demands of Alaskans were simple, reasonable and fair; we asked but the opportunity of de- rcloping our rich storchOuSr to our own and tO the cOuntry'S ben eft, just as other raw territories had been developed since the f"undaIin of inc government. We were led to Believe the laws we needed would bc given Us for the asking. We had every reason lo suppose lhal congress would ac- cord i0 Us what she had given other territories since the union of the original thirteen states.
 Six years have elapsed since then, and what have we to show for those six years of effort and waiting? During that period, when so much should have been accomplished, our population has barely held it's own. The same obsolete laws are on our statute books and congress has become suspicious of every request we make 10 emancipate ourselves from the results of the sOphomor- ic legislation and departmental orders issued for our government and the control of the natural re- sources of the country.
 There can be no doubt but that congress has been willing to help us out of our dilemma, and would have done so had they been shown the way. They have just given ns quasi territorial form of gov crnmenl, but have so restricted our powers of Legislation as to leave Us as helpless as before, save on few minor matters. We have no power to regulate our mining affairs, our fisheries. wild game, liquor traffic and what not.
 Much of this condition nf af- fairs is due fO the theories of Theodore Roosevelt, Clifford Pin rhOt and our delegate to con- grcss, who has devoted by far the greater portion of his lime in Washington in putting stumbling blocks in Tn" way of capilaliStic enterprise in order to avengc him. self upon some supposed or real enemy and thus has retarded eco rumiC bcttcrmcnt which might have started the territory well on- L." Inc road prosperity.
 day our principal resources are either conserved OF assigned tO thc hands of great and waste Ful corporations placed, beyond our reach.
 New and strange rulings are be- ing made by which if is becoming more and more difficult to acquire a title in fee simple IO mining prop rIy and water rights, and ab- soluIcly prohibits the opening and exploitation of our fuel beds. Un- trained, and We may even say un- balanced, minds are attempting to evolve q new system of property rights for Alaska, and while we arc undergoing this experimental stage capital refuses to be made a party to the vagaries of Inc in competent theorists who have control of our public domain.
 We may anticipate much relief from our local legislature, but, like our delegate, it will in Inc end prove but an empty dream. Soon CT or later the people will discov- CT that our territorial legislature is Circumscribed in it's powers to taxing what little property we have accumulated and drawing their own salaries. The real re- lief needed iO build up this terri tory has been reserved to congress and the departments in Washing ton and they arc far from hav- ing completed their experiments in regards to Alaska.