The Alaska daily empire., 1915-01-23
sE ARD PAPER SEES
 DANGERS IN COMMISSION

Che or ilpdt lltlAeNt N'Hl
 banpencd yesterday in tho Douglas Island News was read on article from ihe Alaska citizen of Baireanka iei' ine Inc GaloWcy 10 tosk ior saving anything against the proposed AlaasA Development board phe Douglas News IWelf seemed to endorse one views ol the citizen as 1t reproduced he Cidzon robule 10 the Gateway on lts gront page and headed the article. with the words "A Misunderstood Mea- sure" The coincidence lies in me fact that within an hour after tho reed. .ne of lhis rebuko telegram arrived at the Gateway office telling that ot its annual moetiug the American Forestry association protested against placing tHe forests under tho control Of amy such Bureaucratic body.
 Now, the Citizen as quoted oy tne News. says iu the course of its repri-N maud
 sAmong the duties of Che proposed development board will Do those oi giving patents to mining ciaima and to other lands The board will also take
 he place of the present road commis' sion sin Alaska, and Will direct the ed- ucadonai facilities for the people liy. lug outside of Incorporated towns and cities
 According to prosont plans ihe board win have the authority to mon- age oll the teiographic lines in Alas ka. and wiil act in advisory capacity to the President and to Congress- m regard to routine matters here
 Previous 10 this statement the citi- zen says that the Development Board wiu "have noting to do with the mak- Ing Of laws for Alaska but will the Citizen or the News tell us ihat il Che Board will have charge of the patents l 10 mining claims and other lands con ,rol Of the schools. the roads and Che i telegraph. what in Che name of Heaven shall tho rest of the people haye2 The ' Federal government now has control o5 most of the other things. We can. not elect judges. We can only tax cer. ] tain industries to limited extent. We have been unable even to collect tax es. Many doubt our ability to pass mining laws or even suffrage for wom- en. Our legislatures power is, in- deed so limited that the Lord knows whether we can pass anything at all or not
 But the neatest little joker of an l sticks It's naive head above the sur | lace when the Citizen tells us that the ! Board "will act in advisory capacity to lthe President and to Congress in re- gard to routine matters here. So. ihere you are. We have Q Governor D Delegate to Congress, a legislature. conventions. political leaders of all kinds and yet we must have someone else Go tcll the President and Congress what they ought to do about the Terri .ory while the Governor. the Delegate, tho legislators ct hoo genus omne sit put on the back steps at Washington scratching their heads in the perpleN- ity Of thought as to what they were elected for Why the Delegate has 10 vote in Congress right why and what in the names Of ali that's holy wag tho position of Delegate catab' hshed for f. it was not to express the opinions of tho people of the Terri -ory as to what they wanted
 Be careful, ye Citizens and Nowses
 bat you are not swallowing the old commission form of government bu- .eacuracy pin whilo lt is innocently coated with the sugar of the Develop ment Board. Be careful. ye lnnocents. chat you arc nor placing yourself un- der @ bureaucratic tyranny that vio- lates the chief principle of che Ameri. can constitution which anticipated hln- coin by ordaininG that government 5houid only be for the people. OF the. people and BY THE PEOPLE
 Whether the Secretary of the inter for has really a beneficial proposal in this respect Co make or not Che people of Alaska themselves should be care ful. for once give TOUT unroseryed con sent 70 the establishment oi such board and 1t win last for many long days on the excuse that the people of tue Territory themselves endorsed it.
 The people oi Nome in mass meet Ing have already gone on record as opposed to ghe proposal and 1t be- hooves us an to be wary, for, good as a development board might be in some respects. any man worthy of the name believes that governing himself badly is better than to be governed well by others Anyone who thinks otherwise deserves to be slave
 Secretary Lane is splendid friend of this territory and he will do noth. lng that would not bo for our benefit according as he sees 1t, but surely the people Of Alaska must see danger in Che proposal to appoint board that would alone have the ear Of the Pres ldent and Congress; board that would be Independent of the people who made the Territory. lf President Wil- son and Congress want advice why do they have to pass law for it. If the people of the Territory and their elect cd representatives cannot give that adyice can they expect that five indi- ylduals viii be able to supply the de. aciency?
 Already the Forestry Association sees danger in ihe proposal and will it remain for AlasSans themselves to accept this pig In 9 poke without at least taking one little look into the interior to see something more than can be seen on the suriace2- Seward c-fe,,-rr.3