The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1940-03-31
PLAN GAINS
HEADWAY IN
WASHINGTON
Bills Are introduced in Con.
gress-AIdska Opinion
99Perleni Against

On August 9, 1889, there was
submitted to the Secretary Of the
Interior a 94-page report by Under
Secretary Harry Slattery ON THE
Problem of Alaskan Development.
Thus began one of the great ar
guments of the year, as far as
Alaska is concerned. Most of the
argument TO be heard in the Ter
ritory has been bitterly opposed to
the plan advanced in what ha.
come to be known as THE Stat
terry Report"
That plan, stated briefly, is to
develop the great untouched re-
sources of Alaska by BRINGING in
European refugees as colonists and
settlers
Bills in Congress
The last month has seen legis-
lation in aid of this proposal in
troduced in both House and Sen
ate. The bills would authorize the
formation by private individuals
of corporations to develop Alaska,
such corporations to operate un-
der the supervision OF the Secre-
tary of the Interior.
The portion of the pending bills
to which Alaskans particularly OBJ
ject is that providing for the adj
mission to the Territory OF nom
quota immigrants for such devel-
opment purposes. The persons SO
admitted would be required to re-
main in Alaska until they could
be admitted to the balance of the
Nation legally under existing inn
migration quotas.
This, as Delegate Anthony J
Dimond says, would tend to make
a concentration camp" of Alaska
and would greatly Inconvenience
the present residents, WHO woult
be required to pass through in
spection and prove their identity
every time they wished to trave
from Alaska to the States.
Chances Slim
Not ten votes could be mustered
in Congress for such legislation
Dimond stated here last summer
when the plan was new and ne
definite proposal had been formu'
lated in Washington.
But Alaska was aroused. A brief
opposing the refugee plan was pre-
pared by the Juneau and Fairbanks
Chambers of Commerce and mailed
to all Senators and Representa-
tives. 1t urged caution in develop
ing Alaska by any such method
until there appeared a fair pros
pect that the transplanted reiu-
gees would not become a charge
upon the National and Territorial
governments Various specific err
rors and fallacies in the Slattery
study were pointed out.
Lull Before Storm
Meanwhile Slattery left the De-
partment of the Interior to be-
come Rural Identification Admin
istrator. The Chambers brief
brought conciliatory letter from
Under Secretary E. K. Burlew, who
gave the impression the whole
thing had been shelved. Little more
was heard on the subject until
Secretary Harold L. Ickes recently
renewed his advocacy of the colo
nization proposal and cited figures
showing that most national editor
ial comment favored the plan.
Then the bills were introduced,
one in the Senate By Senator
Robert Wagner of New York and
an identical measure IN the House
by Representative F.. r. Haven
her of California
At about the same time, Mayor
Maury Maverick of San Antonio
suggested that refugee Firms be
imported to colonize Alaska. He
was answered by local proposal
that the Firms be settled in Texas.
which has wide open spaces too
and which has a much more ''salu-
brious' climate than Alaska
What Alaskans Think
For many months Alaskans have
been apprehensiye about the colo
nization campaign. There is 10
doubt as to the Alaskan opinion
of it. A preponderance of SO TO
against the plan would be con-
servative estimate. Yet the de-
cision will not be made in Al
aSka, but Outside.