The Cordova daily times., 1922-06-14
PERPLEXING ALASKAN PROBLEMS

Sherman Rogers contributor to the Satur- tIav Evening Post, Outlook and other publica- lions, who is on his way to make trst-hand investigation of governmental affairs In Al aska is reported to have sad that President Harding informed him that he was very much perplexed on account of the conflicting reports that come to him from this Territory. There is no doubt of it, and if Mr. Rogers makes a conscientious investigation of conditions for two or three weeks, or months, and writes of things as he sees them and President Harding reads what he writes, the perpleXlty will be- increased.
 If President Harding had to run New York or Colorado or Minnesota or South Carolina he would be very much perpexed on account of the conflicting reports that would come from them and his perpeXity would be only increased by reports made by special lnvestl- gators.
 And the perplexing reports will continue to come from Alaska as long aas the Terri tory is governed from Washington just as they would come from them if the other politl- cal divisions mentioned were being governed from there. The reports will be conflicting in the future as they have been in the past as to what people would have done with all governmental problems that concern distant people but that must be decided at the Nation al Capital.
 That is one of the main reasons why We are supposed to have self government ln AmerIca. We have state and counties and municipalities so that people concerned may ascertain the will of the majority about these perpeNln@ problems and translate that into definite ac- ton. There is always division of sentiment and conflicting reports abroad about every community and practically every problem that comes up for governmental solution. That IS what has given us Democratic, Rebubllcan, Prohibition, Socialist and other political Uarties If there were agreement among the people as to the facts and problems which concern governmental matters there would be no need for all the discussions and political campaigns and turmoil that we have through out the United States over them.
 The conflicting reports that come to Wash ington and the perpleXities concerning them do not by any means all come from Alaska They come from Muscle Shoals, from Wyom- ino and California oil fields and from every where else that the Federal Government IS required to solve local problems that are long way off.
 If the government at Washington wants to be relieved of many of the perpleXities that come to it from Alaska it should give the people of this Territory the American right to solve them without taking them to the Naional Capital The perpleXities at the Na- tional Capital will continue to multiply until the problems that rise in the separate States are sent back to the States for settlement by people who are familiar with them.
 The thing that is doing more than anything else to consume time that the Government at Washington should be devoting. to general matters that concern the whole people, there by contributing to general inefficiency, IS the centralizing process that has been going on in this country. The National Government will never reach its highest point of efficiency un- til it again recognizes the principle of local self-government in America.-Juneau Empire