Seward daily gateway., 1925-08-05
ALASKA FROM
 THE INSIDE IS
 STORY IN POST
FORMER GOV. SCOTT C. BONE WRITES ENLiGHTENiNG AR
 TICLE ON TERRITORY.
In Saturday Evening Post
Will Be Read By Over One Million People, Bringing Much Publicity
 To the Northiand.

In the August issue of the Satur- day Evening Post appears lengthy article on Alaska by Scott c. Bone, A former governor of Alaska. The arti- cle called, Alaska from the Inside" is a gem of its kind and undoubtedly ranks first in attracting the public's eye to the Northland. It follows:
 Alaska is land worth working for and living in. A country of such in finite possibilities and resources and such sterling American citizenship cannot fail to progress. Slowly, labo- riously, surely it is going ahead. Bet ter known and understood, it's natur- al handicaps gradually being over come, its outlook is bright with pro- mise, and the next decade should rec ord substantial growth and develop ment.
 Serving 4OO0 miles from base, with a maze of governmental bureaus in dependently operating about him; on excellent terms with each. but a po- tential part of none; with manifold departments at Washington figuring in the overorganized equation and often functioning at cross-purpOses, gov ernor's sphere of Federal usefulness is somewhat circumscribed and limit ed. Alaska is but speck on the na- tiOnal horizon that comes into the ad- ministratiye and legislative mind in- termittently, and then quickly gives place to commonweaIths closer at hand. Thus it has ever been. Yet at the end of four official years I am just as sanguine of A1aska's destiny as in the beginning. Nine-tenths of a governors performance of these, be- cause of the simplicity and conse- quent efficiency of system that per mits things to be done, he finds useful and engaging occupation.
 Under a limited form of self-gov- ernment, granted in 1912, Alaska has handled it's affairs prudently and dem Onstrations fitness for increased To- cal powers. Radicalism asserts itself v&eontinually and noisily, but common sense has prevailed in every serious test, and profiting by the experience of states the territory is building it. self aright Resisting the creation of useless offices, it's administration is economical. In ability and person mel it's lawmakers quite measure up to legislatures in general. The bien- niaI session of 1925 gave evidence of a true progressiveness by refusing to increase taxes in any direction Real izing that Alaska's paramount needs are capital and people, this course was wisely adopted byway of invit- ing both. A trend toward too liber- al paternalism is the one disquieting phase of the self-governing situation.
 Uncle Sam in recent years has dealt generously with Alaska. The annual appropriations for the main tenance of Federal Court system fin four judicial divisions; the opera 4ion and upkeep of the Alaska Rail- road; the building of roads and trails; the supervision and regula- tion of the fisheries, in which the governor has an advisory connection; the schooling and hospital care of Indians and Eskimos; the transpor- 4ation of the insane to an outside institution under the contract sys- tem, and the support of multitudi- nous bureaus charged with diversi- fled responsibilities mount high into the millions Such a complicated I1system necessarily involves heavy overhead costs, but in the main these millions provided by Congress are usefully expended, with minimum