Iditarod pioneer., 1916-07-15
MUCH.TALKED-OF MEASURE DISCUSSED BY COMMITTEE
 AND SOMEWHAT MODIFIED

The bill recently introduced in congress to give greater powers to the Alaska engl neering commission, in charge of govern ment railway construction and aganst which Delegate Wckersham protested, has been modified, according to a copy of the report of the hearing before the senate committee which the Seward Gateway has received direct from Mir. Wickersham.
 At the opening of the hearing Chairman Edes of the commission declared there was no objection to having taken out of the bill any mention of 'polce' authority, but MT Wickersham, while stating that the elimination of the word ''pohce' modified the bill in an important particular and that while other notifications were made, the bill is still objectionable because 1t inter feres with powers granted to the governor of Alaska by bills previously passed to make rules and regulations for sanitation and to enforce them Mir. Edes read a statement which he had received from the solicitor of the department of the interior, in which it was said that the governors powers were given for matters connected with quaran- tine, but MT Wickersham strenuously de nied this contention.
 Edes and Wicl<ersham differed on many questions Mir Wickersham pointed out that in the original railroad bill an inno- I cent little sentence crept in which turned out to mean nothing else than that the authorities along the line of railroad coulj take away from the people the right to establish municipal governments. During the discussion MT Edes declared that i've nfl to be the keynote of the whole discussion. MT. Wickcrsham apparently was afraid that such motives really did exist
 Senator Nelson of the committee inter posed to suggest that the government ought to have power to control whisky peddlers, gamblers and bad men,
 Nr Wickcrsham replied rather warmly that "probably our civil government iS q failure and we have to turn the whole control of our municipalities over to some lone man who thinks he Is more competent to run the government than the people,
 Senator Nelson agreed that giving the commission police power was going too far" The phrase was stricken out of the bill giving the commission power to en- force sanitary rules during the operation
 
 with the construction.
 MT Wickersham stated that two-thrds of his time last winter had been spent trying to prevent bureaus passing bills taking away power from the representatives of the territory, such is the bill providing for the collection of fish taxes by the bureau of fisheries.
 Can Incorporate but Not Levy Land Tax
 One of the most interesting facts brought out in the hearing was that Anchorage can incorporate if it so desires. Senator Nelson declared this could be done but DeIaEate Nickersham did not believe SO Clay Tall man, commissioner of the land office, made | statement and in answer to Mr. Wick er>ham said there was no doubt that An choYage could incorporate but could not levy land tax Mir. TaIlman believed a license or personal property tax could be levied to raise money. Mir. TaIlman also said that at meeting of the board of trade of Anchorage it was decided not to incorporate. To this Wicker ham an ! swered:
 You say the people preferred this pa ternal system of government. As a mat ter of fact nobody was there except persons who had signed one of those contracts to be found
 T don't suppose there was. They would not be interested" answered MT. Tallman
 Then they were bound by it, came bacl, the delegate Mr. Edes wound up the de csion with a statement that the commis sion would be glad to leave the matter tc 1 the governor of Alaska if he has the power but he pointed out how necessary it was | to have sanitation.
 The marshaIs sale over the last sad re mains of the once-popular Iditarod hoteI took place last Wednesday afternoon at , o'clock in a drizzling rain, The bidding was not very vigorous, and the place wa: knocked down" to Manuel GuIarte fol $50.