The Nome nugget., 1924-05-10
TANGLED POLITICS SHACKLE
 ALASKA, IS OPINION OF
 HEARST ECONOMIC WRITER

|
 utng editor of the Hearts publica-
 tions. and internationally known au-
 thority on world economics and f.
 nance. recently visited Seattle for
 the purpose Of making d survey of business conditions. That he fully appreciates AlaSka's enormous pos abilities and recognizes the vital place the Territory holds in the de- l vtlunnent Of the commercial life of the Northwest is apparent in the fol- lowing article which appeared in all the Hearst newspapers.
 By GEORGE WHEELER AMMAN
 This city and state have ever be
 fore them celebrated case of cross
 el wires and evil consequences in politics and business. It is the case ! "f Alaska
 Most persons i'll the United States seem to have forgotten Alaska. Not 80 the people of Washington: not so 1 tht people of Seattle They know what they know, and their know ledge is not of the kind 10 let them forget the past nor neglect the fu- tUre.
 The Northwestern Senator or Rep rcsentative in Congress who would
 gu out and settle the Alaskan prob lem, instead of wasting his time on Fsthonia would win power and pres ltige hereabouts for the rest of his life.
 Here in few words is the case Scf Alaska and its meaning today for business and politics along the North west coast.
 Alaska is the last frontier of the West. Especially is it the last from tier of Washington and Oregon It
 i.i a grand frontier with more wealth t5 be developed than is to be found { ir all Southeastern Europe. more trade to be developed than can ever |" built up, for instance, with France: more maritime and indus trial and agricultural occupa ton and tnroft than can be found for Ameri- cans in half d dozen Austrias or dozen and d half Armenias. Five times the size of California, six times the size of Oregon and eight times the size of Washington,
 with enormous resources of coal. oil and wheat land. forest and unmined
 ores. with the tides of business and migration setting northward to her ,coast, and a sea-bourne commerce rising rapidly betwoe her south we stern ports and the ports of this
 particular coast Alaska was once becoming a treasurehouse of busi- ness both for Washington and Ore gon. but especially for Washington, and most especially for Seattle
 With only 6o,OO0 white persons in Alaska. the trade of Alaska com tbt tplhS. NNouIO l" dlHOSt $20O 900 900 year, and most of this trade must belong to Seattle" These are the words Of big busi- ness man. who, before doing bus-
 ness here. did business on a large scale in Alaska. The figures seem incredible, but he stands by them. "There would be many kinds Of re- sources to keep the trade at this fig ure." he added. and as many more
 to build up the trade almost indetin- iitely."
 This is proved even today by the sta tement of Seattle retailers. This city has not only its wholesale GUS toners in Alaska. It has any num- Der of shopping women who buy hats and clothes by mail,
 women who come down from the AL aska coast towns periodically to buy their hats and gowns and knick- knacks, women who run charge ac- counts at Seattle department stores as if they were suburbaniteS and
 whose husbands pay the monthly bills with checks on running ac- counts on Seattle banks.
 So it is and so it was. A closer relationship between a, prosperous
 frontier and a prosperous commer-
 cial port could hardly be imagined.
 Then came the great political blow. Alaska must be conserved; Alaska
 must be reserved for posturity; AL
 aska must not be developed, because
 development and exploitation meant
 enrichment of this generation of Am lericans still unborn-whatever that
 may mean when brought down to
 earth.
 So at the demand of little group
 of distant "conservatists," who knew