The Cordova daily times., 1922-02-25

| discussed. That there is something
 radically wrong with the Territory | is evident. A glance at the cen sus returns of 1920 as compared with those of 1910 will show that the population of Alaska (white) has
 fallen off twenty per cent and more.
 and that there are now less than
 thirty thousand white inhabitants of
 the entire Territory, a Territory ex-
 tending from east to west distance equal to the distance from Calves
 ton, Texas, to San Diago. Califor-
 mia and of an area five times that
 of the state of California. When we
 consider that all the white people
 of the Territory might be placed in
 San Francisco's Chinatown without
 equalling the number of Chinese
 there, one can get a better idea of
 the scanty population of Alaska. A l condition such as this is unprec- edented in the history of the United States. Heretofore the open- ing of a new Territory. has been fol- lowed by a steady growth. First the pioneers and then the opening of the natural resources by capital. But in 1 Alaska at the present rate of de- crease the country will pass back l into the hands of the fifteen or tWen- 1 ty thousand Indians within it's bor- ders in less than thirty years. Those | seeking the reason for this condition have ascribed 1t to various things,
 some to the war, some to business conditions But the Alaskan knows i what is the matter Knows what
 should be done to remedy it. But his voice is a very small one. His repre- l sentative in Congress has no vote.
 He is about as important in Con-
 gross as a member of the committee on Acoustics and Ventilation. His l newspapers seldom reach the states and when they do, are filed in the waste paper basket
 In the hope that the readers of
 the Alaskan Churchman may include
 some who are interested in the vel l fare of this, one of the richest and yet the most backward of all Uncle 1 Sans possessions, we are going to
 outline our position from the stand l point of the sourdough Alaskan.
 In the first place, Alaska is some what in the position of the American 1 Colonies at the time of the Revolu- 1 tion. We are ruled from Washing ton by bureaus and federal appoin- tees. Thirty-eight different bureaus,
 many of them conflicting and inter-
 locking in jurisdiction, appeal to
 each new Congress for money to carry out each it's own scheme of &C.,
 tivity in Alaska. Each of these bur
 eaus is top heavy with departmental
 clerks and officials at Washington
 and very light on the Alaska end.
 It is customary to appoint friends of
 those favored for political reasons to 1 these bureau positions. The civil government of the country is in the
 hands of the judges and United
 States Marshals, all of whom are
 appointed from Washington. Local government is taken care of by Unit ed States Commissioners and Depu-
 ty Marshals who are appointed by the Judges and Marshals. The Vox Pupuli is sounded as the p in ptarm- igan. To be sure, we have Terri
 torial Legislature consisting of six teen representatives and eight Sen
 ators but the Organic Act carefully
 limits powers to taxation for school purposes and a few minor activities
 and permits it to meet for two
 months once in each two years,
 which is more than ample for the
 transaction of such limited business as is allowed by Congress. The Gov-
 ernor of Alaska is appointed from
 Washington for political reasons only. The foregoing paragraph shows that
 the machinery of government is
 in the hands of the Washington polt- ticians.
 1 The greatest handicap under which Alaska labors, however is the tie- ing up of her natural resources, the result of agitation started by class
 of men known as conservationists of
 whom Clifford Pinchot was .he chief apostle. Through this agitation as President, MT. Ballinger, then
 Secretary of the Interior, was forced
 to resign. It was claimed u at cer-
 tain large interests were attempting 1 <o oF <hn oi1