The Cordova daily times., 1920-01-08
THURSDAY, JANUARY s, 1920
ALASKA AND THE PHILIPPINES

Only when one carefully considers the matter does it appear obvious that
 there is a vast difference between the Alaska and the Philippine isles, both outlying possessions of the United
 States. Since Alaska was purchased from Russia, in the sixties, it has
 been difficult to secure adequate gov ernment recognition. Indeed, for thirty years after it's purchase Alaska was left to drift along as best it could, those in authority in governmental af- fairs knowing little and caring less about it. During this period practi- cally nothing was done to find out anything about, the natural resources of the vast Northern domain Tn the nineties the discovery of gold in the K1ondike, in the Yukon territory, led many thousands of hardy, adventurous spirits to enter Alaska in search of the precious metal, founding settle ments and mining camps throughout the territory. Then the federal gov ernment began to take reluctant mo- tice of the potential possibilities in the matter of resources in the precious minerals, the valuable metals, coal and oil, the fish and furs and other wealth producing products native to the Northland Possessed of this knowl
 edge, the government extended some little aid to Alaska. But the aid has been altogether too meager; alto gether too inadequate.
 How different is the situation in the Philippine isles. This group of islands came into possession of the United States as a result of the Spanish-Amer ican war. No sooner had we gained possession of these islands, inhabited by a people not of our kind, than we
 
 of dollars in development work to open the natural resources of that railway project was started in Alaska the United States government had a thousand miles of track age in the Philippine islands. As feeders to the railway lines good wagon roads were built A construc- tion program covering a period of ten years was laid out by the road-build ing department of the government in the Philippines. Plenty of money was available for the purpose. Indeed, the work was rushed to such an extent that the ten-year program was com pleted in six years.
 How different in Alaska! In a cOun- try nearly as large in area as half of the United States paftry $10O,O0O is appropriated each year by the con- gross about enough to keep hte Rich ardson highway, leading from Valdez to Fairbanks, in fair state of repair There is no plan or program for road or trail building in Alaska.
 An intelligent, constructive policy was laid out with respect to the de- of the natural resources of the Philippine isles, and plenty of money has been available for provid- ing adequate transportation facilities The government has never had a we'll defined, constructive policy with re- spect to Alaska. Alaska has been the object of enough policies such as the conservation" of it's natural wealth for future generations, timber re- serves, game reserves and the like, but there has never been an applica- ton of the constructive policy that has been adopted in the Philippine islands.
 One would naturally suppose that Uncle Sam would look with more fa- vor upon Alaska, peopled by first-class American citizens, than upon the Phil ippine isles, inhabited by people with which we have nothing in com mon It is presumed that Uncle Sam intends to hold on to Alaska, while it is generally understood that the Phil ippine isles will be turned over to the