The Alaska daily empire., 1916-08-25
JUNE EAU HAS "A
 GREAT FUTURE
 SAYS AN EDITOR
Erastus Brainerd Says that Capital of the North Must Become
 a Big Center.

That Juneau is getting to be quite city, and will be a bigger one in the near future, the center of an important industrial and populous section of the country and that Alaska. though treated as an adopt ed orphan, is one Of America's most important assets, were declarations made yesterday to The Empire by Erastus Brainerd, for many years one of the leading Journalists and politicians of the State of Washing ton.
 Mir. Brainerd has been touring AL aska for a month with A. E. Sims, the Puget Sound and Alaska can neryman. and himself one of the strongest factors in Washington State public affairs. Mr. Branord and Mir. Sims left for the South on the Admiral Farragut but expect to return to Juneau on the Admir- I al Watson, sailing from Seattle Sep tember 8.
 Mir. Brainerd spent most of the time for four years in Alaska shortly following the Klondike discovery, but before that time had taken a ceep interest in Alaskan affairs, and had written articles advancing the con- tention that 1t would sometime pro- vide habituation for l5,OOO.OOO people. Ter have never changed that esti- mate" said Mr. Brainerd, referring to his early developed enthusiasm for Alaska.
 Suitable For Farming
 "The time will come when the agricultural products of Alaska will exceed her mining or fishing out put" said Mir. Bfanerd" and the eX- perlmental work in agriculture and the pioneering in farming that is now under way are among the most important of the many things that are being done in Alaska
 "The National government and the people of the States should do more for Alaska than they have done. The people of the country should under stand better the opportunities there are in this country. and the invest ment of capital here should be cn- couraged. The possibilities Of deyel- oping commerce and trade in Alaska, are far greater than anything of fered in South America, where our people are nUg being urged Co invest their money Money invested in AL aska to develop trade and industry develops them under the American flag where it will always be Ameri' can trade and industry. Patriotism and self-intercst should dictate more attention to this Territory.
 "One of the things that must be overcome in Alaskan development is the inertia of the bureaucracy that centers at Washington city. While the government has been do' ling some things of late that will count for the development of the Territory, more may be done with profit to all concerned. There should lbe a systematic movement toward the development Of all the resources and encouragement for the invest ment of capital in the north.
 Your city of Juneau has a great future and should profit greatly when the time comes that all the resources of the North shall be sys- tematically and intensely developed .'
 Erastus Brainerd is one of the few editors of the first magnitude ever to be associated with the his tory of the Northwest He was editor of the Seattle PostIntelli- gencer for many years after that paper was purchased by the late Sen ator John l.. Wilson and before 1t was sold to the present owners He was succeeded by Scott c. Bone.