The Alaska daily empire., 1922-01-02

We often hear 1t contended that Alaska has not sufficient population maintain county organizations such the States have and such had the settled portions of the Territories which operated under full Territorial form of government prior to their admis sion States Those who support the proposition shat Congress should confer upon Aaskans their right ta full Territorial form of and authorize the organization of counties when the people may desire to do dispute this contention and they have consistently pointed to the history of the Territories justify their contention bulletin recently issued by the Census Bureau, showing the population of the United States by counties relieves the advocates of the fuller measure of sef-government from the cessity of relying history to argue their They may point to conditions they exist in various States
 There in the United States 26 fully organ ized counties each with less than 1000 inhabitants. They include counties California, Colorado, Kansas, Texas and Utah. i* f fH .f..s
 There S2 counties with less than 2,OOO popula- tion each, situated in the States of California, Colo rado, Idaho, Kansas Massachusetts, Minnesota Mon tana, Nebraska, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas and Utah.
 There 13o counties having a population of less than 5000 each, located in the States of California Colorado Florida Idaho, Kansas, Massachusetts Mich- gan Minnesota Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Ore gon South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas Utah and Washington.
 The list of counties containing less than 4 900 inhabitants numbers POT. and the counties in the
 
 Kansas. Kentucky, Louisiana Massachusetts Mchi- gan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota. Okahoma Oregon, South Dakota Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont Wash ington, Wisconsin and Wyoming
 There 2S7 counties having population of less than 5000, located in the States mentioned diana, North Carolina and Virginia
 There half dozen counties in the States hav- ing less than 100 inhabitants Crane County Texas, contains but 37 people, and Cochran County. in the State, has 67. One of the oldest counties in California, Alpine contains population of 243
 The number of counties having 5000 and less than 5000 is very large.
 The fact is, and those who have lived in oth er Territories and those who have carefully studied situation know it, that County organizations may be mGintaned cheaply the voters and taxpayers
 The census of 1880. the last before the admisse n Df Washington Territory to Statehood, taken when t Territory was knocking at the doors of Congress for that boon there only five counties in the Ter Iitory with 5000 more population. There equal number which had less than 1000. The oth 16 counties contained between 1000 and 5000 each. In 1860, years after the organization of Was Territory that had in of 2000 inhabitants, it had only 2,384. There were only three oth r counties having over 1000 population, and Is h. I less than 1000. One, Wahkiakum had but AZ. A dozen had less than 500.
 Washngtons record is similar to that of 9 other Western Territories and States. Twenty yeas fter Iowas admission to Statehood for instance s had 27 counties with less than 900 habitants each
 The Sulzer Bill giving full Territorial form If government for Alaska provided that the people cou not force the formation of county unless there more than 2,000 population within of e , than 2.5O0 square miles The Legislature could ganize counties of less population if it should f.