The Alaska daily empire., 1923-07-09
PRESSING NEEDS.

The three most pressing Alaskan needs are CD wider of self-government, (2) the utiliza- ton of the natural of the Territory and
 the preservation of fisheries. There many other needs, but all of them depend upon
 Alaska should have full Territorial form of gov ernment. recommended by President Taft and Prcsi- dent Wilson, by most of Alaskan conventions re- cent years and by the Legislature of Alaska That is. Alaska should have the of Territorial government that the other Territories of the United States have had nt the past. The Territory should have full powers over the levying and collection of taxes and the expenditure of the proceeds should have counties CT similar minor political organizations in the settled parts which could for local mat ters collect and expend local taxes provide for local improvements, etc, counties in other Terri tories have done and counties in States do. She should have power to legislate the fisheries game and other matters. Control of everything that would be possible and be consistent with strictly Federal interests in the Territory should be placed in the hands of the people of the Territory. No people are SD well qualified to govern Alaska--or any other country--as the people who live in it and to whom the problems are matters of direct and vital per sonal concern
 If it should be decided that portions of Alaska are go sparsely settled and undeveoped that full territorial form of government for all of would be mpracticabe then the Territory should be divided It would be asking too much those sections of the Territory that sufcinetly developed to maintain 1uli Territorial form O. government compel them to continue to forego the advantages that are their right and to continue putting tho proceeds of their large tax accounts into common fund for the de- velopmcnt of vast that dependnet upon aid fIom outsde their regions. The conditions in South eastern Alaska and along the are those of the frontier It will tax them heavily to care for thcm- serves. II IS too great task for them to carry the burdens Of the scattered population of sev1 al hun dred thousand square miles of hinterland who bave equal representation in the body which controls the eApehdiure of the revenues raised from on their sections
 sources of Alaska the Federal Government should he moved by the same principle that caused statesmen of the past to place low price the public lands and "hich inspired the Homestead Act. It should get away rom the idea that the Government may profit rom the ownership of the resources The Govern "eht proht and that of the country generally can only come from their development Unused resources are incapable of producing profits to the owner The puohc lands of the United States never yielded the cost Of surveying and administering After the title .tc them passed into private ownership the perod or utilization began and they gave employment to people gave markets to sections of the countrv yielded revenues through the various forms of taxa tion and added to the power prosperity and glory of the Nation
 me Empire believes, and it believes that if rem resents the prevailing and the thought in Alaska when it says 1t. that the fisheries problems of ,ha1 Ierrtory could be better solved by the peope of Aaska through their Legislature than by Congress The solution of these problems must come through experience. Laws must be tested and amended to meet the needs that experience discloses from lima to time The need. therefore legislation by tbose wno are constantly studying the question observing he, results of the laws, situated so they may act uickly and who are viially concerned in the per e.<1ss aAsa ''