The weekly Alaska citizen., 1919-09-15

| worth as men rather than upon accidental circumstances. It has been we'll said that a new land attracts all that is best as we'll as much that is worst. Alaska is young enough to have eliminated, in great measure, the worst. It's population, gathered from all parts o1 the United States, made up of those whose energy and ability were such that they dared cut those roots which attached them to their old home and to begin life anew, naturally possesses breadth of view and an originality usually to be found among the older and more not usually to be found among the older anC more settled inhabitants of the East
 Portland canal, that long, narrow glacia cut between the high mountains running along the border between the British dolninions anC Uncle Sams possessions, is now witnessing the formation of what promises to be grea mining camp. The little towns of Stewart B. C., and Hyder, U. S., almost touching one another over the frontier, have become during the summer, bee-hives of activity Old pros pectOrs from all about the West, lllred by the wonderful tales of the Premier mine, com mercial people looking for new opportunity travellers desrous of seeing the beginnings o a mining industry, and occasional adventurer or adventuresses of indifferent repute, seek ing to thrive upon the weaknesses of those whose daily task holds them under the earth arc Hooking together in these little comm,lni ties Roads are beginning to be constructed where nothing but devious mountain trail existed and soon the slow-going pony ano Mexican saddle will be superseded by the ha NI longer will the valuable ore of the Premier mine have to come over the mountain in sacks but perhaps by next summer wagons or motor cars will bring 1t to tide water and land i upon a great dock soon to be constructed One is impressed with the law and order and on the whole, the decency prevailing in these communities and perhaps little bit disap pointed that they seem so different iron those mining camps of romance where the ences are settled in summary fashion; yet on' feels that the day for that has gone by ii Alaska and that the men who are developing this latest mining camp and especially th' capable head of the Premier mine, are seri ous creative business men who rel gard min ing as great industry to be carried on witt all the modern resources of science and or ganized on the soundest basis as to produc tivity and labor conditions. It is indeed promising district and one in which invest ment values rather than speculative pros poets, will, I believe, soon be the order of th' day.
 From what one sees of the Industries O this great land, its vast fisheries, its fur mar kets its endless timber and its valuable ore, i is evident that it is the great American store house of the future; that its chief need is al intelligent and unified administration A little. knowledge of the workings of its gov ernment, or rather governments, conveys th' impression that the system of checks and bal ances has paralyzed, rather than protected Alaska and that our public policy has beer one rather of sterilization than of conserva ton. The department of the interior, the de partment of agriculture, the army, the nav, and the territorial government combine t( create bureaucratic system admirably adapt ed to check activity and hamper development Intelligent thot for the morrow is not incOm patible with the development of presen resources, and exclusion of capital by reason of onerous regulation ol inadequate protection, will not lead to healthy industrial development or to attraction of { population in some degree commensurate witl the resources of the territory. From wha one sees of the people of Alaska, one car easily believe them now capable of attending to their own affairs, not only from the mer, standpoint of law, order and personal profit but as trustees for the generations of Amer cans to come. They are too intelligent te interested in the future of the territory, too