The daily progressive-miner., 1916-01-06

@'p ~~Ne~A Oi@
 Knowing your loyalty to our Ter ritorial interests to be beyond ques- tion, your influence correspondingly helpful, 1 am writing you with a view to ascertaining your individ- ual opinion touching the admission of Alaska to statehood; and, so far as you have observed, the general sentiment of our fellow citizens in your section of the Territory with reference to that issue Also, of course, any opinions or suggestions you may care to advance in respect to the other matters and things touched upon in this letter will be highly valued.
 There appear to be many good and sufficient reasons for believing that the time is at hand when the agitation for statehood should be intelligently and comprehensively be- the chief reason for which, it seems to me, is that to further delay the matter will correspondingly delay the acquisition of material, rolitlc- al, and social benefits which state hood would bring; and which it is idle to suppose or hope We will ever enjoy until statehood is attained.
 We all realize of course that a very considerable period of time will certainly elapse before we can secure the passage of an enabling Act, even after all are convinced and admit that We possess every necessary qualification for state hood.
 Then more time must pass be- fore we could expect to agree upon provisional constitution acceptable to Congress.
 In other words, to become a state at all We ourselves must take the initiative, and under the most fav- orable conditions statehood cannot be attained until long after we de- serve 1t.
 Furthermore, if the agitation be not soon commenced, and maintain
 with vigor. it is inevitable that a Development Board, Administra- tive Commission, or some similar contrivance will be foisted upon us; the adoption of which will most as- surely tighten the claws of bureau cratic government upon our people and thus postpone self-government indefinitely.
 Indeed, it seems to me, this is the most pressing danger of the moment, and expediency would sug- gest that we continue a little long CT to bear the ills We have, intoler- able as they are, rather than fly to others We know not of.
 l feel entirely confident that the American people our brothers, our kindred, our friends, will not long deny us the right of freemen; but should We sit still now, and com placently submit to some new, vn- tried experimental device being yok- ed upon us, you may be sure that the people of the Republic will re- quire of us that we give it what it's sponsors will speciously desig- nate 2 fair trial.
 ITS would mean simply a con- tinuance for an indefinite number of years under a new name and form, but in the main under the same men-of the administrative ineffic- iency, industrial stagnation, and pol itical dependency from which we now suffer and have suffered un- til our hearts are sick. The odor of a skunk is not improved by changing it's name; and we may be sure, no governmental makeshift will materially improve our inter- est until the agents who govern us are answerable directly to us. For my part 1 refuse to be deceived into
 cepting any other solution of our problem.
 Now, to give effective impetus to statehood agitation it has occurred to me that convention of repre- sentative citizens favorable to the idea could be arranged and a perm anent orgniztion be effected under some such name as Alaska State hood League, or other designation indicative of it's object and purpose, and provision be made for securing the cooperation of all Alaskans in sympathy herewith.
 If you favor this idea please in- dicate your preference as to time and, if your name may be signed to a call for such convention.
 When 1 shall have received your answer, and the answers of a sub stantial number of the other in- fluential citizens throughout the Territory to whom 1 am sending a similar letter, 1 shall mail you a detailed summary of the responses