The Alaska daily empire., 1921-06-04
TRYING TT ON THE DOG.

Interest in the Curry measure for an Alaska De- yelopment Board is apparently confined to Alaska and the Pacific Coast states. has attracted some attention New York and severe criticism has been made against it. One such is contained in a communication signed by J. Holbein Smith ap- pearing in the New York Herald of May 16 MT. Smith has undoubted right to object the meas but he should stick to facts in attempting to make the points in his argument.
 His main criticism apparently is that to take away from the bureaus the absolute they exercise most of the natural resources of Alaska and besow it on committee board, such as was proposed by MT. Curry would result in gut ting Alaska of it's resources and rob the people of the United who are not residents of the Ter ritory of something valuable they possess
 The argument is advanced that the board will be subject to all of local demands and pres sure, and this will result in swift destruction by local people, of everything that be into money" The first portion of that statement is un- doubtedly true The board will be subject to local demands That is the main reason for the creation ot such an orgamzaton--to have some responsible body with authority take necessary action in re- sponse to demands of Alaskans who live in the Ter ritory who have all of their interests here who have not only invested their savings here but have devoted substantial part of the years of their lives to the vital task of creating a producing and self-sustaining unit out of wilderness and ad- ding it to those 4S other such units which compose ithe United States.
 MT. Smiths assertion that the board by yieldine to local demands will insure the swift destruction by local people of everything that be turned into money, shows not only deep ignorance the his tory of the development of the United States but also a woefu lack of knowledge of Alaska and it's people. He and others of his kind cannot be con Ninced by argument of the falsy of their position What they fail to realize is that Alaskans do no. only desire the utilization of the natural resource of the Territory, but they demand the power tlI prevent the destruction of such resources
 Mir. Smith in support of his argument charge that "their fisheries which ought to have been per manent for many generations, failing, and in some places have already failed.' Alaska does no now nave nor has never had any control over ta nsherles It has protested against practices ben permitted that they realized would wipe out the nsheres industry, but their protests being made to bureau 4ooo miles from the of depreciation naturally were futile Our forests grow up and g. to waste Our coal fields, tied fast for decade for the most part are lying untouched while we pay rulnous prices for fuel to generate power to turI the wheels of industry. The Federal Governmen taxes the revenue from the seal industry and uses to aid in defraying it's general expenses Our gam IS under the administration of another bureau 4 00 miles away which, while creditng it with homes ehort makes but miserable showing in enforcn unjust laws and foolish regulations. The Curry bil may not contain the remedy, but it is sincere '' deiender cannot claim to have approached success
 The argument is also advanced that "the citizen or the United States have as great an interest ii AiasKa as the Alaskans themselves" Such an argu meht IS fallacious based on the threadbare theory that Aiaskas natural are something prec- ious Ill the nature of sacred heritage to be handed to iuture generations yet unborn. It is the theory "hch resulted in locking the doors on all the
 most valuable resources of the Territory in 1910 ant saused the absolute cessation of much real develop iheht work The residents of Alaska are citizens O. the united States. The citizens of the United State nave only such direct interest in Alaska as they choose to come here and make their own There E Ho other method Of acquiring interest The public oohaih the precious and semi iprecious minerals coal OIL forests and other tangible assets of Alaska be- ohg' II IS true to the people of the United States Iu' they cannot be realized upon by the man ir New York, Pennsylvania any other commonwealth | lhese assets cannot those states nor to inc cizens thereof and these citizens can never be bene htted Dy them in their form Only after they nave been transformed from the crude state into hnshed product are they valuable Alaskans on inc ground ask the opportunity govern themselves and their affairs and deyeIon nrosner ous state
 This they cannot do long as faddsts with in | genfous ideas for this and that pet scheme are al owed to try it out Alaska. Alaskans have no ambition to govern New York's zoo nor regulate he number of coal mines that shall operate in [