The Alaska citizen., 1915-11-29

tive departments to minimum,
 and then i~'>~- into such mini mixed portfolios a moderate degree
 of accelerated energy, who can doubt that the exchange would be both economic and salutary from every point of view?
 O-~ United States Government has already committed itself to, and is now engaged in. the construction | of 9 great trunk-line railway that, | in the near future. will reach Fair 1 banks and other points in the Tana ] na Valley. and eventually extend its l lines to the Yukon river and on. i This spl niid economic achieve, meni will greatly reyivify the CT | tire territory, and it is regarded | by rany Of our best minds both in
 Alaska and the States as g wonder | full stride in the right direction | We know that it will bring us in | closer touch with outside markets and very materially reduce the cx pense of transportation. We know l f viii f iitete the deve opment c1 1 our gold and copper and coal de posits but it will do far more thai i this-it will broaden every field ot mercantile endeavor and more thar i likely Guadruple our population ir perhaps five years
 ,T. -g,,Tr ol
 the entire line; good roads will di- verge in every direction; We shall 1 -ers properly begin 10 take grcatar pride in our public highways. and permanent homes vii be the order of the day here, which Is what We need most of all to give
 any stability or character to Alas
 ka as a Commonwealth,
 ! Now to make the most of what
 our central government is doing for us, to realize all our possibili- ties, these expansive conditions
 must be met in an up-to-date. broad. md liberal spirit.
 We must not discourage prospec tive citizens or capital, but rather encourage the investor to feel that
 here is the most promising field | upon the face of the globe today, and we must also learn that this may ba don. without in the least jeopardizing the rights of the citizen or the state.
 In our judgment it can best bC done at the present stage of Alas ka's development by what seems to us an ideal form of commission
 government, suggested by our dis tinguished secretary of the inter
 or. One thing is quite clear-we cannot go on successfully or eco nomiCally while our administrative
 machincry is clogged with such a
 mass or system of useless red tape
 and inefiiciency as it is at the
 present time
 The proposed Alaska Administra ! tive Commission would introduce new and simple methods to sue Cessfully and promptly work out the
 civic problems that lie before us We should have a most carefully organized administration of high eff fjciency in order that the abiding interest of the people of the United
 States in Alaska may not only be i fully protected and conserved, but that the exploitation of our re- sources and industries incident to the opening of the territory may
 be fostered and regulated with jus tice to all, and along lines calcu
 lated to confer the greatest lasting
 good upon the greatest number.
 The new policy is not to invite a favored few to exploit the cream
 of Alaskas riches, but rather to
 develop all the resources of the
 territory harmoniously and for the best interest of both the people
 who live in Alaska, and the people
 who, with us, jointly own this great public domain.
 Such a commission form of gov | ernment would be ideal for Alaska | indeed. It would offer every oppor tunity for the expansion of our own
 wealth and latent power; and in
 addition to this 1t would surely safeguard the wealth and interest of those whom we invite and wei come to come and make their homes among us. A., a matter of fact the
 measure seeks to do for us practi- cally what the Constitutional Con vention that recently met in Albany intends to do for the State of New York
 The purpose of that convention
 was to revise or rewrite the con stitution of that great state so that each and every constituent of the state can receive justice and
 ample benefit of wise legal enact
 ment without delay. and with no
 chance of failure. And this is just
 precisely what an ably constituted Alaska Administrative Commission will do for us.
 It must be clearly understood that