The Wrangell sentinel., 1943-11-05

! bove our desires to exercise our own sovereignty. We don't ask for any political privileges. We will pay
 you l50 billion dollars if you won't t interfere with Us, other than take away our right of suffrage. Don't
 you think Germany and Japan
 would have accepted the proposition?
 do.
 But, would you or 1 be willing to
 accede to it? No, a thousand times
 no We would rather risk our for
 tunes and our lives and the lives of our sons. yes and of our daughters.
 than to agree to no longer be a sovereign people. We still shout
 with Patrick Henry: Give me lib erty or give me death"
 Except for the District of Colum- bia. Alaska has remained a territory longer than any possession of the United States so far as l recall Al aska has been a mere dependency of the United States since 1s5T.
 Thus some Of us probably for all of our lives. many of Us for all or the greater part of our adult lives. have never been able to exercise the full rights of citizenship. We have never and We cannot vote for the President. nor for a Senator or Con gressman to represent Us in Con gress. All We have is a delegate
 IL is small wonder after 50 many years of dependency upon the gen eral government We view with ap- athy and lethargy and efen pes simism the possible requirement of the political rights of a sovereign people
 Alaskans should be stimulated by the prospect, though only a pos sibility not a probability. of one day exercising suffrage and the other full rights of citizenship of a soy ereign nation.
 Money cost should not destroy that stimulation. l don't pretend to prophecy where new sources of tax. revenues may be found. but. l do contend so long as Alaska remains a territory We Alaskans can do nothing to aid in curing the evils already prevalent and so rapidly spreading throughout our national policies. We gain statehood-then assuming we have the will and the disposition We can play our part in curbing those evils. We will then have the voice of actual votes in Congress. We do ! not now have it.
 Speaking of resources which will be gained by the State of Alaska: i The immense tidelands, in use in . every Alaskan coastal city will be- come Alaska's property upon her admission to the Union as a State. ! point them out as a resource, not as something to bel taxed. Personally, l maintain, other than for those necessitated by act alu national emergency, taxes can. | taxes must, and taxes will be lower i ed il our nation is to survive.
 speaking of taxes let me remind l you We now have taxation without representation. Our only representa- tive in Congress is a delegate with limited functions and with no vote
 Congress is the all powerful leg islature of Alaska. It can repeal any law the Alaska legislature enacts. | It can abolish the Alaska legislature itself.
 Congress can and does levy taxes upon Alaskans and their property which it levies upon no other Amer ican citizen. I cite you the federal occupation taxes levied since 1899 by Congress. l make no complaint . against them other than Congress cannot legally levy such taxes a. gainst other American citizens, ex- cept those also living in other Ter ritories. Inasmuch as the power to tax is the power to destroy, Con- gress at its whim can destroy Alas ka. Congress can levy taxes upon Alaskans and their property with out uniformity of class or object. Tomorrow, if Congress saw fit, it could levy 20 per cent or any other
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