Evening star., 1921-07-17
Bl G. GOULD LINCOLN.

|HCEwARD's FoLLY"-does it
~ convey anything to your
mind today? Fifty-three
years ago Stewards folly"
or Stewards iceberg. had very real
meaning to the American public. 1t
was the appellation given to Alaska.
the purchase Of which from Russia
retary of State.
But though the wisdom OF the pur-
chase of Alaska-for the paltry sum
of $1,000. .000-has long ago been dem
onstrated, Alaska today still presents
a problem of considerable dimensions
to the administration and the people.
And the new administration is set
lem. Scott c. Bone. newly appointed
governor of the territory. has recent
ly gone to take over his duties there.
embued with a determination to aid
in the situation.
Proposed Legislation.
Secretary Fall of the Interior De-
oughly into the Alaska situation and
to prepare a bill for Introduction in
the Senate and House-probably not
at the present session of Congress.
but at the opening Of the regular ses-
sion in December. Two bills dealing
| with Alaska already have been in
| troduced-one by Representative
80 90 ,t, ~
| House committee on territories. and
the other by Senator Cumnins of
| Iowa. The House committee has held
a number of hearings on the Curry
I, bill already. and Chairman New Of
| the Senate committee is authority for
the statement that legislation for
| Alaska is to be given consideration
| December-though probably not until
that time.
l. Alaska is one-fifth the size of con-
! tinental United States. The area of
| the territory is 59o.sS4 square miles.
| The population of this vast territory
however. is only 54.S99. about equally
divided between whites and natives.
/
over. the population in 1920 was more
than 10000 less than it was in 1910,
| a decade earlier.
| A Neglected Territory.
| Representative Curry put the matter
tersely when he said: I'VE have pos
sessed this great territory for fifty
three years. There has been small
effort to settle it with people who will
make it their home. There has been
little encouragement for those who
are there. There has been no broad
helpful policy. There has been no
plan for the rational utilization of the
vast resources. There have been neg
lect, reservation, hindrance and OBJ
struction."
One Of the principal difficulties. ac-
cording to those who desire to have
Congress enact legislation to help the
development Of Alaska. lies in the
fact that the affairs Of Alaska are
handled in Washington very largely
! over 1000 miles from the capital OF
Alaska. Juneau. What is more-the
affairs of Alaska are not cared for by
one or even two of the governmen mt
departments or bureaus in Washing
ton, but by upward of thirty diff
ferent bureaus and agencies of the
federal government. The territory is
helpless. and hopelessly involved in
official red tape, it is said. The re-
suit has been to stop the settlement
of the territory and to cause many
of the people who had gone there to
leave. The natural resources OF
| Alaska, which are of untold value
belong still in great part to the ma
| tional government, or rather to the
nation. Though it is proper that these
resources should be conserved and not
exploited for the benefit of a few,
nevertheless they have been locked
SO fast by law and regulation that
| pioneers have been discouraged and
| turned back.
In the fifty-three years that the
| United States has owned Alaska, 1t
has produced a total wealth of ap-
proximately 0S.356,422 Compared
with the purchase price paid Russia
for the territory. the returns have
been enormous. And yet the re-
sources Of the territory have scarce
ly been touched.
So far away as Alaska is, with
transportation problems existing. it is
realized that the development of the