The Alaska daily empire., 1920-11-18
HOME RULE AND THE DEVELOPMENT
 BOARD.
BOARD.

Full Territorial form of government
 means government of Alaska by Alas
 kans through Alaska ballot boxes ana
 not by appointive officials who owe
 their allegiance to Washington. Dele
 gate Grigsby favors full Territorial form
 of government. Mr. Sutherland does
 nc '-Tuneau Empire
 The fo. egoing, appearing before elecuoh day is i'll part truth. In part also It Is Ill error and in practice it would be far rom what it is pictured by the Juneau paper
 In the first place Mir. Sutherland sald openly in Ketchikan that he favored a full Territorial Government, but said 1t would De impossible to get it. He did not say he was not in favor of it. However. Delegate Grigsby did say fatly that he favored it and that he would attempt to secure the passage or d bill providing for Home Rule if returned to Congress for another term. And he was re- jected at the polls by an overwhelming ma jority and after he had said that that was the issue The inference may be taken then that the people did not wish this full Ter ritorial form of government so strongly adyo- cated by MT. Grigsby and by The Empire.
 The Chronicle now as in the past stands irrevocably opposed to the full Territorial government at this time advocated by The Empire, but does favor strongly the bill ad- vocated by Congressman Curry of California. CnalrmaD or tie ltiIIlolIcS NoHAHAAtcS' III which provision is made for a resident con- mission, under Presidential supervision, with full power to handle all questions pertain ing to the natural resources, such as the fisheries, the furs, the minerals, the land the timber and other things under the regu- lation of bureaus at Washington.
 Alaska today covers too much territory, it's means of transportation too limited, and it's population too sparse to permit its inbo to ha fuIlv informed all questions before it. Furthermore, the inter- csts are so diversified that no greater good could come of it in having man from an Interior mining camp regulate its fisheries than could a present bureau chief in Wash ington. He might have more sympathy but his understanding of the problem would probably be not as great. Nor would a fisher man be likely to handle or make helpful regulations and laws or rules regarding the reindeer industry which is proving so prom ising on Seward Peninsula and parts of the Interior
 Alaskas population today is II per cent less than it was ten years ago. This fact and the loss of its industry in many parts con- demns the present system of management of affairs It bespeaks a change, but that change if it is to be beneficial, need not be full Territorial government.
 development board with the head of each department expert and with power to act is what is needed in Alaska, not lot of political jobs, the natural result Of full Territorial form of government. Only last week the Treasurer of the Territory nounced that Alaska is facing a deficit How much worse would it be if there were more departments and bureaus and other channels of expense in the Territory. How much more would be the taxes of every man and woman in the Territory?
 Senator Sutherland was right in saying that Congress is not going to give Alaska any more power of home rule at this time. He also was correct in urging that all get behind the Curry bill that il may be passed and that all the Northland may benefit thereby.
 Forget the Home Rule and work for something feasible and practical (Ketchi- kan Chronicle.)
 In the first place The Empire is just as stro favor f,he Lane-Curry Development Board the Chronicle. There is absolutely no con wcen the Development Board plan and full T. ial form of government for Alaska The Deve mt Board plan would not touch the Territ, vernment at any place Gov Riggs. Mir Gri all friends of self-goyernment in Alaska are Development Board.
 The trouble with the Chronicle is that it does derstand the operation of a full Territorial government full Territorial form of gov mt need not mean the creation Of any I itical offices than We have now. They could uced It need cost no more than our present ment costs. It could be made to cost less W ton Territory had a full Territorial form Of ment when she had fewer people within her T al borders than are now resident on Gastil nneI and when she had many counties with T 500 population. The census of 1880 gave W on about double the number of white people in Alaska according to the 1920 population fig'