The daily Alaska citizen., 1919-10-10
WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH
ALASKA?

yet not 50,00O people in the territory. Either Alaska has no natural resources, it's residents have all been failures or the gov enment of the nation has been at fault Or can it be a rigorous climate which makes it unlivable, impossible of development and barren waste for all time?
 These are serious questions, of interest to every man who has a dollar invested in the country, to every prospectOr and fish erman who has spent any part of his life in the territory, to every mother and father who is raising a child, hoping that that off spring will have better advantages and bet ter return for his life than the majority of parents They are the vital questions. Their answers are simple, known to every Alaskan, but they are not known i'll the na- tional capital. The people of Alaska must start the campaign of education which will bring 1t into its own.
 It is a tremendous task for some 25.- GOO people of Alaska, referring to the whites, to start on the campaign of educa- tion of the 100OOO,OO0 persons or their rep resentatives, but it must be done-and now.
 For tifty-two years the United States of America has made a bhthering, yacilat- ing, idiotic failure of it's management of the Territory of Alaska. That is a strenuous indictment, yet is borne out by the facts. And the most substantial proof is the unde- veloped state in which the territory is to- day, together with the small population
 Everything that Alaska is today it is in spite of the federal government, in spite of the petty politicians, in spite of narrow departmental heads.
 Why do paper mills not spring up ill Alaska with it's wonderful timber resOur- ces? Why do not the mines go ahead in stead of dropping behind2 Why is the fishing industry threatened with eXtinc- tion? Why are there not thousands and thousands of hOmesteaders in Alaska?
 Shout these questions turnout Alaska, and the echo will always ring back from its rich mineral bearing hills, 'shortsight- ed administration.
 The timber of the forests of Alaska, standing as 1t has stood thru the centuries is not worth a cent, mOrsel Of food or a stitch of clothing to anyone in the world. If 1t stood there for the next seven thOus- and years, as during the past seven thous- and, it would profit no man nor mankind.
 For ffty-two years the United States of America has owned that timber and 1t has stood as during the past seven thous- and years. During that time the paper in dustry has developed tremendously turnout the world Forests have been converted into paper, billions of feet of timber have been ground in pulp, yet not foot of AL aska timber has gone into the great indus try:
 For years the paper makers have been searching for material. Investigators have been sent to Alaska and have found the ma terial, the power and conditions ideal, yet at Washington they stop. All ideas of de- velopment for Alaska stop at Washington.
 Let any man appear at Washington with legitimate proposition for the devel- opment of any resource in Alaska and i'm mediately he arouses the suspicion that "Here is someone who wishes to gObble up the territory of Alaska. I must do a heroic service for my country by preventing him from getting any hold.'
 It is disease, a deadly germ for Alas ka that has gotten hold of official Washing ton, down thru administration after admin istration, democrat and republican alike, and up to the present time no serum has been found to kill it.
 No paper mill ever will be established