The Alaska daily empire., 1913-03-11

in.advised or vicious Legislation, and while some of them were forced into the bill over my objection, it is my judgment now that they are wise re- 5trictions and they are generally com. mon to all other territorial organic acts.
 What Legislators Can Do.
 Having now considered these re- strctions. it may be worth noting what the legislature can do. First, it can all ter, amend, or repeal all that body of law known as the Alaska Codes which provide laws for the safety of the pub lie from crime, control Court proceed ure, both civil and criminal, impose road and poll tax, and generally leg islate in the wide field necessary to protect the civil and religious liberties of the citizen. In his report to the Secretary of the Interior for 1911, the Governor of Alaska discussed certain needed legislation for Alaska, and then it as follows:
 ''The following is q summary of legislative measures discussed herein, which in my oDinin are most urgently necessary. They are about the same as were recom- mended in the 1910 report:
 CD Coal lands.
 (2) Fisheries.
 (3) Mining law amendments.
 (D Quarantine.
 (5) Sanitation and public
 health.
 (6) Supervision of banks.
 GO Registration Of births, mar
 riages and deaths.
 (S) Compulsory school attend
 anCe.
 C9) Relief of Restitution"
 Of these nine laws which the gov ernor of Alaska deemed the most i'm portant to the development of the territory, this legislation has practi, callv unlimited power to legislate upon the last six, and wide and beneficial range over the second and third. In his message to your body the Governor has recommended that you pass legls lation touching quarantine, sanitation and public health. vital statistics reg istration, compulsory shchool attend ance. relief of deStitutiOn, labor lier laws. mining law amendments, labor laws and code revision. He did that be cause he is aware that the legislature has power over those general subjects If the legislature will do what It ma! do. it will have sixty days hard labor and do much to forward the develop ment of Alaska,
 The Governors Message.
 There are many commendable sug gestions in the Governors message but there are two at least with whicl I do not agree and since they refer t' matters with which l have had mucl concern for four years and Will nave for two years more, l do not hesitate to express my views thereon.
 Taxation and Revenue.
 The first of these is that relating tC taxation and revenue. 1t was at tempted in the preparation of the leg islative bill to so place the burden O. maintaining government in AlaskS that no part thereof would fall on tho people of the territory and that neith or taxation nor revenue would nave to he raised from them in its support For that purpose it was provided tha the executive and judicial departments of government in Alaska should, az heretofore, be supported by the gen oral government by Congressional ap propriations. Secs. and : of the ac also put the burden of the entire eX pense of the legislature, including sal aries of members and employees, upol the general government, The act doet not create single obligation to be me by taxation or the raising Of loca revenue. Unless the legislature shaI create some obligation to be met b! local taxation, there will be no neet for the enactment of any law making assessments or levying taxes upon tho citizen, and I strongly urge that nc such burden be made nor any suct levy of tax be authorized at this ses sion. If a proper use is made of tho power in Sec. to levy additional tax es upon trade and business. the same to be collected by the clerks of tho courts and paid into such treasury as the legislature may designate, for the use of the territory, a fund can be gathered by the date of the next ol subsequent session sufficient to en able that legislature to successfully launch a general scheme of taxation and revenue. but in tho meantime Il ought not to be attempted.
 Code Revision.
 The Governor points out that the codes of Alaska are insufficient, anc then says:
 q recommend that at the pres
 ent session no acts be passed
 amendatory of the codes with the
 single exception of an act to re-
 wise the list of trade and occupa-
 ton licenses"
 The suggestion that an act to re- wise the list of trade and occupation licenses be passed is a good one, but the recommendation that no acts be passed amending the codes is not. The Alaska codes were passed the crimin- al code in 1899 and the civil code in 1900. They were then copied from the codes of Oregon in large part. So far as they go they are generally well drawn and suited to our conditions. In the twelve years since their enact ment, some errors and omissions have been discovered and many progressive