The Alaska daily empire., 1919-09-02
ALASKA NEEDS
 PEOPLE MORE
 THAN ANYTHING
Attorney General Murphy Favors Immigrant Rates to Get the
 Population

If Alaska is to get population there should be special immigrant passen- ger rate to the Territory, is the be. lief of Attorney-General J. c. Mur phy, and it is MT Murphy's belief that Alaska needs population worse than she needs anything else.
 MT. Murphy was reared in Dakota and is familiar with the struggle of the west for population. In support of his argument in favor of low immigrant passenger rate he points to the great results that followed the cooperation of the railroad con- panies in the early days when they made an especially enticing westward rate for passengers. This action of the railroads in encouraging the westward movement of population began early in the development period ,f the country west of hesMississippi river, and continued until all the Territories between that great wa 'erway and the Pacific ocean north If the so-called Southwest became prosperous and populous states. Transportation Companies Should Aid
 MT. Murphy thinks the transpor-' ation companies operating to Alas '1a should exhibit the same fore sight the railrDads showed becau se more people in Alaska will mean more future business for these trans. portation companies, just as increased ,I,% ,,, greater railroad business and greater railroad systems.
 People Can Find Room.
 "I have heard it suggested that there would be nothing for a large population to do," said MT. Murphy, but the history of the western states loes not warrant that conclusion. can recall when there were very few thousands of people in each of he territories of the northwest ex- ending from the Mississippi river to he Pacific, and I saw the people come lntil Washington had her million md the United States their hundreds ,f thousands, and the per capita of wealth and prosperity increased with he coming of the immigrants.
 "As far as finding something to do Is concerned, those who come will attend to that here as they did there The people always take care of them selves There was no suffering when thousands-many more thousands than the apparent need-came north r. ;rt,o oply ond Nnn1A stampedes.
 Would Give Us Prospectors.
 of people could be brought to Alas ka as they were to the Dakotas. Washington, Montana and other west ern commonwealths, the shortage Of orospectors would soon be supplied, md the localization of the fisheries industry would care for itself. There would soon be many more mining camps, and there would be resident fishermen and farmers all along the coast from Dixon's Entrance to the far-fung Aleutian Archepelago, and there would be sawmills and stores md all the other enterprises that flourish when there is population There would be farming commuunl- ties hand in hand with every mining fishing and numbering town"
 Government Should Act.
 MT. Murphy believes that if the transportation companies do not meet this demand for low immigrant trans portation rates. the federal or terri torial governments, or both. should take the matter in hand and provide 1t in some day.
 Mir Murphy has presented his views on this subject to the Terri torial Shipping Board.