The Alaska daily empire., 1913-09-03
MEETING OBJECTIONS TO GOV
 ERNMENT CONSTRUCTION
O-o

ernment construction of railroads in Alaska is to meet the objections of those that are opposed to having the National government enter into the business of running railroads. Some people are afraid that the construction and operation of railroads in Alaska by the National government would be used as a precedent for further in ,asion of the world of commerce and industry by it.
 Careful students of the American government must admit that there is danger that the advocates of federal ownership. operation and control of everything under the sun may get the government into too many things that wisdom dictates that it should eschew. It Is not consistent with local self government that the National govern meut should enter the field of com merce or industry. Property held by the National government does not con- tribute to bearing the burdens of local government. It contributes nothing to the schools, hospitals, the up-keep of parks or any of the other institutions of civilization in the separate com muuities: and industries conducted by it are not subject to the laws made by those that live in their vicinity. Op- eration by the national government means management by alien bureaus and special agents that are in no wise responsible to the peOple-men that too often seek to make records for the effect they will have on those that live on the other side of the continent, and who answer criticisms made by those that live in the vicinity of their operations by accusing the people with being subseryient to some sinister in nuence.
 However. there are particular reas- ons why the federal government should build railroads in Alaska. Chief among them is that the Interpretation Of the policies of New Nationalism in the affairs of the North during the ad miuistration of President Roosevelt stayed progress. The bottling up of Alaskan resources by executive or ders prevented the development of the Territory Done in the name of con- seryation, it has caused men to disi- pate the earnings of decades and to waste seven or eight years of their lives. The waste of time, opportunity and money that has been caused to the thousands that live in Alaska and the many times that number that could have benefited themselves by coming here, if conditions had been normal, by President Roosevelt's criminal foolish ness and President Taft's hesitating policy of inaction and cowardice has been ten thousand times greater to the country than all that has been saved by Pinchot and all the hired men of all the bureaus of the Nation. This terrible waste and hardship has been forced upon the people of Alas ka and the West over their protest, and it is the duty of those that creat- cd it to make good a part of the loss. That can be done only by building railroads and affording the facilities that will enable those that have been able to hold on to prosecute the be- lated development of the Territory.
 The building of railroads in Alas ka by the government, under the cir cumstances, would not serve as a pre- cedent for the exercise by the Nation al government of functions that should be performed by private, municipal or State enterprise. The construction of the Panama canal, the building of locks and dams in rivers to make them nayigable, and various other under takings have been performed by the National government because of pecul far conditions that made it the fitting agency for the purposes. There are peculiar conditions that make the Ma ton the proper agency to do this great ly needed work in Alaska.
 Those train wrecks yesterday were impartial in the choice of locations. n Al