The Daily Alaska empire., 1930-10-16

Count Ivan Tolstoy grandson of Leo Tolstoy world renowned author and great commoner him. self student of the science of government and economies said in an interview with The Empire:
 In Russia the Bolsheviks are endeavoring
 to educate the people in order that they
 may the responsibilities of govern
 ing themselves In Alaska, where you have
 people already educated and capable of
 governing themselves, the right to do so
 is largely denied to them, and the Gov
 ernment is centered in Washington long
 distance away the governing done by men
 who lack knowledge of local conditions
 instead of being done at home by those
 informed of such conditions.
 To me, it seems evident such system
 eventually will produce citizenship that
 is not desirable. Assumption of reSponsi-
 blites in government well as in other
 directions broadens the outlook and creates
 capacity Denial of it, conversely lessens
 capacity and narrows vision. In the end,
 I believe, it will create a spirit of grasping,
 of selfish exploitation without true develop
 ment resulting in footing of the best Of
 the country leaving the country to hold
 what remains. And that is not the true
 American spirit.
 If the United States is based upon sound prn- ciples if the American theory of government is right Count Tolstoys observation on the condition in Alaska and his attitude toward self-government sound in principle and right.
 Alaska has not got elfgovernment, and self government is necessary if the Territory is to de- velop American commonwealth and progress along lines that are just and fair.
 In making a full Territorial form of govern ment the main issue in his campaign for Delegate to Congress George B. Grigsby is absolutely right. Until Alaska gets that all other things of gov- ernmental nature are trivial and transient.
 Alaska has never had self government and there is not chance that she will acquire it if former Delegate James Wickersham is sent back to Con- porter of sef-government. The abortive govern ment under which Alaska is trying to function, the government that Count Tolstoy had in mind when he criticised the lack of self-government in the Territory, Judge Wickersham's idea of self government. The platform which he and those the ticket with him have adopted for the present campaign does not mention the subject at all The personal advertisements which Judge Wickersham is running in the newspapers at the Westward point to the abomnable governmental scheme under which Alaska has been operating the evidence that he favors home rule. It really is proof of the fact that he does not believe in self govern ment
 The only home rule have in Alaska is in the towns. which authorized by Congress years before Judge Wickersham Delegate, and in the school system And the school districts in the municipal corporations were likewise created before the advent of Judge Wickersham in Congress.
 Alaska should have the same measure of self government that the other Territories had before they became States and that Hawaii has. That is the sort of selfgovernment that Count Tostoy had in mind when he spoke of Alaska's greatest need It is the kind of self-govern- ment that MT. Grgsby favors.