The Alaska daily empire., 1914-01-15
Both Houses Now
 Debating Alaska Bill
STATE PARTICIPATION
 IN GOVERNMENT

STATE HAhllOlK A1IO
 IN GOVERNMENT
 -E--
 Discussing what 1t with considerable enthusiasm characterizes as the "con structive" report of Secretary of the Interior Lane, and particularly that portion of the report which recon mends that there should be "treatry agreements" between the separate States and the Federal government as to the management of the public do main that lies within those States, the San Francisco Chronicle says:
 There is but one sovereign in Amer ica and that is the whole people. The Federal government represents the sovereignty as to certain functions and the State governments as to other func' tions. The term treaty" is therefore an appropriate name by which to des' ignate an arrangement between State and Federal government in respect to disputed claims of authority.
 "The report of Secretary of the In terior Lane both in it's conciliatory language and in Its statement of the issues opens the way to such a settle ment. With most of the proposals of Secretory Lane the West will be found in hearty accord.
 "In the States the Federal govern ment. except as to functions expressly delegated to it, represents no sover- eighty whatever. It represents pro prietorship, and nothing else, with re- spect to the public domain,
 And one thing which the West ought to insist on with no compromise what ever is that the Federal government shall cease right now to make any attempt to use it's rights as proprietor to in any way affect or modify the operation of the general laws of the State. When, as a proprietor, it grants easement there should be no strings to them, and. like other prOprietors. it's land should be subject 70 the State law of eminent domain.
 But there is a twilight zone growing out of the Federal proprietorship in re- spect to which representatives of the State and Federal governments should negotiate a treaty.
 "The enactments which resulted in Federal proprietorship would be tenn porary. It was expected that the Fed eral government would sell the land, making use of the money as 1t deemed best It was not imagined that any public land would remain permanently in public ownership. and therefore that contingency was not provided for It has to be provided for now.
 "The people of the West will insist that this provision be made in the spir- it of the enactments under which Fed eral title was obtained and not in the spirit of recent Federal executive and to some extent judicial-assump' tion of Federal supremacy to the State.
 "The States concede that under their own agreement they cannot tax the public domain, but they protest against any sucl interpretation O. the law that great areas of land within their boundaries-in this State about one third of the area-shall be forever re, leased from obligation to contribute to the States revenue. Nor will Federal dole of a portion of the revenue sat isfy the States.
 "The Federal proprietorship is recog nized. If extinguished compensation must be made. The object of the sug gested treaty should be to determine on what terms Federal proprietorshir shall be extinguished, in so far as to permit the States, having made due compensation to the United States, tc obtain revenue according to their owr judgment from the public lands, sev eral plans could be suggested which would be just to all.
 with the spirit of Secretary Lanes address the West is in hearty accord It ought from the beginning to have been made impossible for any one tc acquire land except to be immediatel! put to beneficial use or it's resources conserved for the future under well-de fined obligations. There is no West ern objection to applying that prin ciple to what remains of the public do main. Both as to conserving public rights and encouraging private enter | prise the West is in accord with Secre tary Lane.
 And. above all, the West will mos heartily assent to Secretary Lanei suggestion that the public domain should be. as to a small extent it nov is. administered under co-operativ, agreement and participation between Nation and States.
 Let us have peace"