The Daily Alaska empire., 1941-06-14

that time Nome had six in the Legislature or one for every 260 residents of that town while the City of Ketchikan sent one member to the Legisla- ture. He represented 4,695 persons.
 hearing on the Dimond bill is to be held June 24 by the House Committee on Territories. Mean- while here is a sample of what is being said about it pro and con
 Fairbanks News -Miner-"It is ill-advised to make any change now, fixing apportionment the basis of decennal census already out of date, and providing no of relief from the situation for another 10 years"
 Ketchikan Chronice-"It is a long-needed step in the right direction. Under the plan, there could be repetition of this years ridiculous situa- tion in which the Ketchikan- -Wrangell- Petersburg with 16 percent of the population had only four percent of the representation in the Legislature"
 Northwestern Alaska Chamber of Commerce Nome-"This bill would give the narrow strip of Alaska known as the Panhandle, and geographically segregated from the great body of the Territory unfair membership and voice in the Legislature"
 Delegate Dimond-"The fairness and the justice of proportional representation according to popla- tion, in the Legislature, obvious and so con- vincng that large majority of the people of Alaska when they have the plain facts to the bill, will wonder how anyone can possibly oppose it on any but selfish grounds"
 Juneau Chamber of Commerce-"The present system has always worked well and in the best in- terest of the people of the Territory"
 Fairbanks Mine Workers Union Local No 444 and Allied Trades Local Industrial Union Local No 1032-"Present provisions undemocratic and un- just and controlled and used by the special in- erest against progress and the welfare of the people of Alaska"
 Northwestern Alaska Chamber of Commerce Nome-"This bill would upset the established system in the Territory
 Delegate Dimond-"I know how prone men are to keep and exercise any power which they possess. They often quite reluctant to part with it and in many become volubly indignant when it is suggested that any measure of power authority be taken from them"
 Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce (to Delegate Dimond)-'Would it be asking too much of you to tell us whether this proposed legislation originated in Alaska in Washington and whose ax needs grinding The hum of the grindstone has a very familiar ring"
 Delegate Dimond Gin reply)-"The bill is my bill.
 not only accept but assert full responsibility for it. Of course, the original idea is not mine. That goes back to the founders of government"
 Fairbanks News -Miner-"Now that another ag- gravated question touching on the Organic Act has come up, why not again give the people ample time to study matter so vital to them, and before dis posing of a matter so fundamentally vital to the Territory Tampering with the Organic Act, the constitution of the Territory is no small matter, and any change in the act should be made only by careful and seasoned process and not by any steam roller process"
 Wrangen Sentnel-"Only opposition to the bill comes from the Big Four-Juneau Fairbanks, Nome and Anchorage-big towns of the respective four judicial divisions. Smaller towns are raying to support the bill which will give them representation from their respective districts. Their combined strength is far greater than the big towns United they can make the big brothers pull in their horns Political bigwgs like to refer to the outlying pre- cncts as canoe districts" There is growing in- dication the canoes paddling in wholeheartedly to the support of the Dimond reapportionment bill.
 There you have fair sample of the argument You'll be hearing more before it's settled