The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1927-05-09

President HO,Uard Reuie,us
Action of Legislature On
Many Important Questions


the Legislature, for statement re-
garding certain important issues thai
were considered during the recent !
session, particularly the Controller |
Bill, President Baitley Howard of
ICED the issuance of the following
statement: /
THE session of the Legislature just |
closed has been in many respects a !
very important one. Perhaps the most
important measure considered by the |
Legislature, because it was the one
that aroused the most bitter and
persistent contest, was the so callel |
Controller Bill. or Controller Bills. |
Upon my arrival at Juneau to at
tend the session of the Legislature |
| was informed that Controller
Bill would be introduced early in the
session, and Immediately stated |
that | was in sympathy with the !
principal of self government and
that principal as | understood il was
the one which would under-ie the |
Controller Bill But when the bill |
was introduced | found that instead !
of being a bill such as | had in mind
to expend the powers of Alaskans |
expansion could be under the pro- !
visions of the Organic Act, that the |
bill was something of a political
job.
Governor on Board
"In the first place, realizing the |
necessity for the fullest cooperation !
with the Federal Government ami |
its officials i'm order to promote the
s.,tA of En
il highly advisable and, therefore
insisted that the Governor be made
member of the Board of Control.
thus establishing liaison with the adj
ministration at Washington. but ! wa.
perfectly content, and in fact strong
1 iyf insisted, that the two elective I
members of the Board of Control
should actually control the local adj
ministration in Alaska II they shonli
decide with the Governor upon any
matter
"In the second place it seemed
vital to me that the elective men,
bers of the Board of Control should
not take office until the next gen
eral Territorial election. In these
respects differed widely from the
proponents of the original Controlle~
they could compel us to vote TO.
any kind of bill which they saw
fit to introduce, and therefore resist
ed all attempts to amend | attempted
earnestly and sincerely to amend the
bill in the Senate in conformity with
the views just expressed, but the
other gentlemen who had caused the
bill to be introduced vigorously OPP
II ont nH
was obliged to vote against the
bill and il was killed.
House Bill Next
After Senate Bill No. /, the Con
troller Bill. had died, similar blll
introduced in the House was brought
out of committee. | then went to the
proponents of the measure, who were
the sponsors of the bill in the House.
and told them that | would be GLAD
TO support the bill il it was amended
to meet my views, and they rpelied
that was what they wanted to do,
that is amend the bill to conform
with my opinion on the subject, but
further stated to them that in the
event that they insisted upon having
thA Controller appointed by the
Legislature at the present session
in order to keep the matter out OF
partsan politics it would be neces-
sary to provide that the Controller
he elected by a two-thirds majority
of both houses.
"This was quite satisfactory to
them at the time talked with them.
III further stated, of course, that
thought Ii was better to have the
first Comptroller elected at the gen
eral Territorial election OF 1928, but
the gentlemen who controlled the
House permitted no amendment to
be made of the House bill, except
that the Governor was substituted !
as a member of the Board OF Control
instead of the Attorney General. No
effort was made to meet the views
of the members of the Senate like ,
myself who were heartily in favor
OF a real democratic form OF gov |
ernment, and therefore when the
bill came to the Senate it was in !
all substantial respects identically |
the same bill that had been already |
passed upon and had been defeated ,
by the Senate, and therefore | was
Obliged to sustain the point of order
made against it by Senator Pratt.
An appeal was taken to the floor
of the Senate, the point of order
was sustained, and the bill again !
died.
Third Bill introduced
Later on Senator Steel introduced
another Controller Bill containing
the same provision as was contained /
in the first Controller Bill with
regard to the election of the Con-
troller by the House and Senate
jointly, and for that reason when
this bill came to vote ! voted