Iditarod pioneer., 1916-02-19
AT LAST

Wickel:ham papers still asking What is full territorial ovun of rscrncn?" Of they know They know that President Wilson, President Taft and others who under stood the proper of English who are }r and eonveSan with history and American ucn have made no mistake using the They know that tuH territorial form government complete local se government such as other territories have enjoyed and in nearly all cases where gov the people, complete that which obtains the separate states They know that practically the only m between full territorial form of government and state government that the cannot participate in national affairs title to ude and granted lands The frequency with which they the question only indicates how hard pressed they say something They fooIng nobody Juneau Umpire
 Al last the Empire has broken its shell and has an swcred in its way the query so often put to II ard the few organs that set up the tul territorial form of government issue, What IS full erltona! form of goyernment?' And that answer IS that 1t IS statehood without the obligations of statehood Rec orc3 are not at hand bat 1t IS sae to say that no such territorial form of government as the kmpre sug- sests ever has existed under tkc sanction ot the United States congress. Such territorial enabling acts as are avaiIabIe indeed, show remarkable similarity to that adopted for Alaska. in no case, we believe, has there ever been instance where Complete local self-goNernment existed m terrl- tory of the United States. In most cases the sbpu- gaton was made that all legislation was subject to notification by congress- and where 1t not eX- grossly stipulated ii was implied by inc requirement that all acts of the territorial legislature must De sub mtted to the speaker of the national house of rep resentatyes and the president of the senate In some instances, as in the enabling act of Alabama terri tory, passed in 1917, the President of the United States even named a stipulated number of members of the upper chamber of the territorial legislative body.
 The statement sometimes has been made that AIaska's government was comparable 10 that pro- vded for Porto Rico and Hawaii yet it will be found that the restrictions placed upon those outlying pos sessions of Uncle Sam are far more onerous from 'self-gove1nment" standpoint than IS the govern 1nent of Alaska It will be found that the legislatures of those territories are composed of certain Der of natives, and that others are appointed by the President of the United States instead of being elected by the inhabitants. The enabling act of Utah territory passed in 1850, provided that all the laws passed by the legislative assembly and gov ernor shall be submitted to the congress of the United States, and if disapproved shall be null and void
 But in reality no such restricting clauses were nec essary, as in instance has sovereignty ever been granted to territory The very term itself n1- plies dependency.
 The general rule has been laid down in the Cyclo- pedia of Law and Procedure that territories of the United States have complete authority 10 e8lslate within the scope of their organic acts, subject to the power of congress to annul their acts.
 The agitation conducted by certain newspapers and politicians for full territorial government fo. Alaska bears all the earmarks of insincerity. If there be need for extended powers, by all means let the public know what those additional powers are to be- The guleIess statement of the Juneau news paper that practically the only difference between full territorial form of government and state gov- ernment IS that the territories cannot participate m national affairs is misleading. The very fact that the territorial executive is presidential appo;ntee is refutation sufficient for that statement As he IS vested with the power of veto, how can complete lccal seIf-government' be achieved under such cir cumstances?
 This whole squabble concerning full territorial government and statehood for Alaska savers of child play It had its inception in the desire to cle- ate an issue with which to fight Wickersham. That asute politician saw the ante and went one better There IS just as much sincerity n one as ln the other But Wckersham is not dishonest enoug to endeayoI to arouse the hope that there is any immediate pros pect of statehood.
 I IS about time to throw both Issues" in the dis card and devote attention to the problem of making better use of the means of selfgovernment already achieved
 A STRANGE RECANTATION