The Cordova daily times., 1919-10-28
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2S, 1919
AN AlL-ALASkA AGENCY

me upDulldlng Of local industries Of the North and bringing people to Alaska is very much to be desired And the fact that congress is being brought to a realization that a con structive policy is needed to bring this about, as told by MT. McPherson on his arrival at Seattle, will revive the confidence of the people of the North, who believed in it's future when the years were fat and who have not abandoned either hope or residence in the 'lean" period that has come upon it.
 Under the present form of govern ment that the territory has, congress alone can adopt such a policy. Sit ting thousands of miles away from the land for which it must pass laws that will make development possible, most if not all of it's members almost totally ignorant of what manner of land it is they legislate for, it's knowledge of conditions obtained by hearsay, and it's information about resources and the obstacles which must be over- come before they can be utilized at best but secondhand, unless the peo- pie of Alaska have an audible voice in the establishment of the new pol icy, and hand in the method of it's application, nothing less than a mir acle will be performed if any more material benefits are obtained from it than under the policies which have been pursued in the past. And this is not necessarily a reflection on either the sincerity or the desire of congress to enact helpful legislation or the in- telligence of it's members. But no body of men, unless it be infallible, which congress is not and does not claim to be, can enact laws that will meet conditions about which it's knowl- edge is limited.
 It is absolutely necessary for Alas kans to be intimately and directly con- nected with any ''policy of develop ment" adopted by congress. This fact is realized by the officials of the de- partment of the interior under the present administration, which depart ment initiates practically all Alaskan legislation at the present time. That it does so realize it was stated posi- lively by John White Hallowell, who, as assistant to Secretary Lane, has charge of Alaskan affairs. In meet ing with representative business men of Fairbanks MT. Hallowell declared that it was the desire of the depart ment to cooperate with Alaskans for the upbuilding of the territory, and wanted to receive suggestions from Alaskans as to how this could best be accomplished.
 It is out of the question for the de- partment to work with Alaskans as individuals. In individual suggestion, however, may rest the solution of many problems. There should be some manner of getting such sugges- tions and transmitting them to Wash ington. MT. Hallowell, in the course of his remarks, intimated that a cen tral Alaskan agency of some kind could best perform this task, acting as a clearing house between the de- partment and the entire territory.
 Undoubtedly the establishment of such an agency would facilitate mat ters. The formation of an agency of this kind also has it's problems. It must be able to keep in close touch with all parts of the territory, to re- ceive and transmit without delay any information it receives that is re- quired by or that can be used by the department or congress; it must be strictly an Alaskan body and thor oughly representative of all Alaska. Its establishment entails a certain ex- penditure of funds for which there is no immediate provision. If estab lished as a central chamber of com merce, as suggested by MT. Hallowell, a kind of super-bOdy to the present commercial organizations in the vari- ous Alaska towns, it would make it