The Alaska daily empire., 1918-02-15
Interesting Article by An drew Davis Appearing in the Sitka
 VerStOvIan.
INFLUENCE OF CHIEFS
In Place of the Old Rule by One Man the New Plan Considered
 Better.

 ern Alaska stand in need of politi- cal organization. The inhabitants of native communities are not controll- ed by a system of laws, and as a consequence, undesirable conditions nave arisen. AS an illustration, a nan may build house near some body else in such way as to cause crowding. There is no law in some of the villages to prevent this. By crowding and lack of arrangement families often haven't place to build l woodshed Because of this they hop or saw wood right in front of heir homes and make piles of chips md litter.
 Again, there are no rules govern ng sanitation Scraps from tables Ire thrown out the front door with put thought as to the filth that re sults Dogs are permitted with nc estriction as to numbers. They car y bones and partially decayed meat from place to place. This makes 1t impossible for the people to keer heir villages neat and clean, and lealthful.
 Formerly, Native chiefs ruled theil respective communities although, ev en at best, the power of a chief was insufficient. Chiefs governed towns but they did not have the power to keep out strangers or to make them follow their laws. A chief did not have the right to gc nto anothers clans matters. He could only govern the people of his own clan; although the chiefs in yillages tried to work together, on matters of common interest, nothing resulted but talking.
 The old customs of Natives are lept by chiefs as far as possible These customs give a chief many ad yantages, and he naturally does not to property affords an illustration f a married man dies and he hap pens to be a relative of the chief he chief often takes the dead mans property, the widow being left with 10 means of support. Moreover, the widow pays the chief money for con Iucting her husbands funeral. i. Sometimes the chief does not spend Ill the money given him for this purpose but keeps part of it.
 Now that even the unsatisfactory control which the chief had is gone is evident that something must De done The remedy lies in organ zation similar to that used in white communities The following sys em of government has been sug ,ested. A council of twelve men shall be elected which shall have he power to make rules for regu ating it's own proceedings. A May )r, secretary. a treasurer. and a municipal magistrate shall be elected )y the people. The officers shall 3erve without pay. The organized illage shall h embrace more than Iix hundred 2 forty acres. Any 3ne who comes inside this district shall come in as a member of the organization and shall be compelled live according to laws passed by he council.
 With an organization like the fore going, regulations could be enforced ,eauiring a man to build his dwell ng according to definite plans. Rules governing sanitation also could be put into operation. Not only would hese advantages be secured, but personal troubles and property diff ,ulties which now are a source of much disputation, could be easily settled.
 Further benefits would come from organization; for improvement, such IS water supply, fiEe protection, and light could easily be provided. The public health and relief of destitutes llso could be looked after.
 Doing away with chiefs and put ting q group of men elected by the people in his place would cause ev cry one in a village to take a per sonal interest in building up their community. Old customs and abuses would be done away with and the coming generation would be able to look into the future with new hope New times demand new measures
 and new men;
 The world advances. and in time
 outgrows
 The laws that in our fathers days
 were best;
 And. doubtless. after us. some purer
 scheme
 Will be shaped out by wiser men
 than we,
 Made wiser by the steady growth
 Of truth"
 -(Andrew Dayis.)