The Alaska citizen., 1915-11-29
Phone 262 Phone
AN IDEAL FORM OF GOVERN
 ffeNT FOR ALASKA.

introduced ut our last session of Congress by Delegate James Wick ersham.
 This bill was not acted upon at the last assembling of our national lawmakers, owing to the great pres sure of ether and, as they thought, Ir ir purtart legislation. It will, however, be taken up again at the next session and forced to an is sue.
 It does not matter what political faith We may incline to. this partic- ular mea sure and it's provisions should be given careful thought and consideration by each and every resident of our territory
 The object of the bill is to create aD h'2ska Administrative Commis- sion, the purpose of which shall be to establish in Alaska a com mission form of government
 The Administrative Commission as the measure now reads will con sist of five capable officers The governor of Alaska will be one member and ex-officio chairman of the commission; the surveyor gene ral shall be one member and the President of the United States shall by, and with the advice and con sent Of the senate, appoint three other members, and these five shall constitute the said commission At least two of the five members at the time of appointment shall have heen bona fide residents of Alaska for at least two years prior to date of appointment, and not more than three of said members shall belong to the same political party The term If office of each member shall be four years. unless sooner re moved by the President, and each member during his term of office shall reside in Alaska, and shall not engage in any other vocation CT employment.
 The above in general terms, IS the idea conveyed by the preamble of the bill, and in any considera- tion We may give it. we must re member it is not a cunning scheme of some political boss-it has no taint of graft or of private gain but most of it's wise provisions found inspiration in the counsel Ct Hon Franklin K. Lane. and it was drafted along lines suggested in hi1 last annual report
 We must also bear in mind that Hon. Franklin K Lane is a very highly esteemed member of the of ficial family of the President of the United States, and a statesman of fine attainments, of unusual and high ability. AS a thinker and po- litical economist of progressive views. and as an administrative officer it is conceded that he has no superior in our country today, and all his splendid talents are supplemented by a sterling integri- " of character that lends addition al weight to anything he may ad- laws or to facilitate their enforce ment.
 Many of us believe the next two years will be the beginning for Alaska of an era Of wonderful eX pansion. Erery avenue of trade and development will be thrown wide open to welcome numerous legitimate enterprises of varied character, and our laws should be so wisely and justly administered that capitalists or anyone who wish es to engage in mining or some com mercial pursuit, will not fear that any form of government we may adopt will unfairly hamper or re- strict their efforts along lines that gre intended to benefit both the investor and the community at large
 ''diCiy' liltit ID ltOul anu OppoI tunity in this vast territory for the exploitation of our latent wealth by individual and corporate inter- est, whether large or small, and also for many innovations and ex, periments by our central govern nent that will, perhaps, lead to a perfect solution of the problem of government ownership of public util- ities
 It would seem there can be no question as to our having suffi- ciently comprehensive code of law to beneficently govern any country having even five or ten times our population.
 It is not our wish to be harshly critical. nor to belittle the earnest efforts of our Alaskan legislative body, but we have heard many times the emphatically expressed opinion and have concured therein, that our territorial legislature was just one Of two things: Either a fail, ure or superfluity." For is it not quite plain that more law is not what we especially need, but rather the prompt administration Of