The Cordova daily times., 1920-11-15
FORMER ALASKAN URGES
 DIVISION

Burt M. Mcconnell, at one time the Youngest Operator" in the Nome mining district, writing in the New York Times, urges the division of Alaska at the Yukon river, the erection of the State of Alaska in the territory south of that waterway and the organization of the Territory of North Alaska in the country be- yond.
 MT. Mcconnell bases his remedy for Alaska ills on the contention that Alaska needs lf-government more than any other one thing. He says:
 'The question then arises-What can the United States do for Alas ka in return? Surely the Territory has some needs which, in it's iso- lated position, it has been unable forcefully to bring to the attention of Uncle Sam-interested as he is in the welfare of small nations. Alas ka has dozens of needs, the most UT gent of which is government of Alas ka by the people of Alaska, instead of by bureau chiefs at Washington, most of whom have never visited the Territory, know little of conditions, and are not vitally interested in either it's future progress or pres ent welfare.
 Alaska is an asset; a valuable one, not a liability. It is an empire that pays several hundred per cent year on it's cost, which was lit tie over seven millions. That part lying below the Yukon, with jus tice to the people of Alaska and profit to the United States, could we'll become the State of Alaska, while the northern portion could be- come the Territory of North Alaska, with the seat of government at Nome. As things are, Alaska is the most unfairly governed land on earth; it has the worst mail service, and only about tenth of it's coast has been charted, as against about sevent-tenths of the Philippines. As a direct result of this sort of ne- glect the Princess Sophia last year struck an uncharted reef and sank with $50 persons on board.
 "The urgent needs for home gov ernment in Alaska is further shown in considering the appalling results of the latest scourge of influenza. Whole villages of Eskimos perished, just as they perished twenty years ago from the scourge of measles. Children froze or starved-or were killed and eaten by the fierce, half starved native dogs. The bureau which has charge of Eskimo affairs and which is directed from Washing. ton, found itself powerless through lack of funds, and the governor might have been rendered powerless to deal with the situation had he not considered it grave emergency and therefore drawn on government funds that otherwise would not have been available.
 Bills for relief were introduced ir Washington, but failed to pass the house, although at the same time congress was considering the ap propriation of millions for the desti ute of Europe, and million dollars for fighting influenza in the United States. The upshot of the situation was that the governor of Alaska per suaded the legislature of Alaska to appropriate from it's lean treasury seventy thousand dollars for the re lief of the Eskimos although they are just as much wards of the fed eral government as the Indians are Twenty thousand dollars of this amount was spent in burying natives who had succumbed before assist ance became available.
 The people of Alaska, despite gov ernmental neglect of past years, re sponded as nobly to the call of duty during the World War as did the