The Alaska daily empire., 1920-10-18
ALASKA'S BIRTHDAY AND THE FUTURE.

Alaska became American territory 53 years ago today, when the American flag was raised at Sika the staff that formerly had flown the emblem of all the Russias and Gen. Rousseau in the name of the United States, tock formal possession of the country It is in honor of that event that today is being observed throughout Alaska holiday
 lot of water has gone under the bridge since that occurrence at Sitka which started a complete change in the of Alaskan history. The United States still then in the midst of reconstruction after the Civil War which had terminated little than two years before, and to devote almost another decade to the readjustmens caused by that strife And that fact causes to recall that, in spite of the mpatience and irritableness of these times making far speedier progress in the establishments after the World War than made after tha conflict of the last century. Alaska be- American Territory during the turbulent ad- minstration President Johnson. The transfer was be Followed by eight years of Grant, continued Civil War readiustments and the settlement of the American frontier country along the middle reaches of the Missouri River. The resumption of specie payment, than decade after the acquisition Of Alaska, may be said to have ended the Cvil War period s and then gcame the prosecution of Western railroad constructions begun decade earlier, and development of the West from the Missouri to the Pacific Coast. The discovery of gold in Alaska a decade eand half after the acquisition of the Ter iitory brought the first considerable number of set tiers to Alaska But another decade and the Klondike strike of 1896 necessary before real Northern .
 Nearly quarter of a century has elapsed since that time. It has been a period of development in the United States unprecedented in the bigness of the accomplishments, terminating in the greatest war cf all history in which the United States performed a part that would have dreamed possible at the beginning of the period. It has the Pacific Coast States become empires in population and product ,eness The great industrial ard financial strength of the nation has been extended to Alaskas door To expand further it must invade to Alaska and with i. must population.
 Alaska has the necessary to become one q the greatest of American commonweaths. She has room within her borders for immense population. Fae resources and the virgin soil of Alaska await coming capital and population, and the capital .nd population for which they await within strik law of development of the westward march of Irnpire has required that the undeveloped regions civilization and organized industry and trans 4rtatcn facilities be developed first Step by step continent has been conquered by enterprise and
 grating peoples. The next step will bring them Alaska
 The central fact in Alaska this birthday an ntrersary is her to period of development unprecedented in her history The forces which have iapeed American development during the years that ! ve and gone since Alaska became Amrcan not satiated They must have further eonquests and they already have glimpsed Alaska the next sfsld for their operations