The Daily Alaska empire., 1946-02-08
BARTLETT
 WANTS NO
 REFUGEES
Delegate Declares Plan Will Nof Get to First
 Base in Congress
By c. D. Watkins

posal by Interior Secretary IckeS to settle selected European immigrants i'll Alaska will never get to first baseN in Congress Delegate E. L. Bartlett of Alaska predicted today
 In recent statement Ickes ad- vocated setting up Alaskan Devel- Qpment Corporations to finance through commercial channels the bringing of European immigrants to the Territory. Under Ickes' pro- posal they would receive aid of the corporation in getting settled and they would have to remain until they became naturalized citizens.
 Ickes predicted his plan would bring screams of protest. Bart lett replied he was not going to scream because he knew there was no chance of Ickes' proposal being approved He said it was about the same proposal that the Interior Secretary made before the war and that Alaskans had hoped it had been "decently buried long since" Territory Locked Up
 Ickes complained the United States was slow in developing AL aska, which the United States pur- chased from Russia inSl867 for ST. 100000 Bartlett replied that was because the government, starting thirty years ago, had locked up the { Territory's natural resources with ] government regulations which still keep the door of opportunity lock- ed.
 Bartlett continued in state ment.
 Bureaucratic Control 'If the refugees which the Sec retary would take to Alaska have as much difficulty in obtaining homestead land as few Americans settlers have experienced, they would insist on going back home if they had to walk all the way. Bu- reaucratic control. long range gov . ernment from Washington, sub stantial denial Of local self-govern- ment--these are the things in the forefront of the impediments in Alaska's development. Once remov- ed, my prediction is that Alaska will progress in the normal Ameri- can manner"
 Vets Settlement Bartlett recalled that last year Ickes had sent to Congress propo- sals for settlement of war veterans :. in Alaska
 w hile thoroughly approving such settlement Congress did not subscribe to the manner in which the Interior Department intended ito do the job" Bartlett said, "and my personal opinion is that the House Appropriations Committee acted wisely in refusing to grant any money"
 l Refugee Idea ! The Delegate said that now that i the Interior Departments plan Tor settling veterans in the Territory was oyerruled by Congress. Ickes had returned to "the refugee idea" ! "The basic fault of the Secre- tary's argument is that it is di- vorced from reality.' Bartlett con tinued. "He assumes that Ameri- cans are no longer pioneers and since that is true all economic problems of Alaska can be solved overnight by importing plenty of people from Europe That simply is not so. American labor will cer- tainiy go anywhere under the Ann erican flag where opportunity for work is found. Alaska is no excep- ton to that rule"
 Rigid Control Bartlett said the Secretary stated the pulp industry is awaiting de- velopment in the Territory But, the Delegate asserted. everyone knows the pulp is there and that there is plenty of private capital i in the United States awaiting the opportunity to establish pulp in dustry in the Territory. : He said rigid enforcement of gov ernment controls over Alaska. er- forced by the Interior Department. made orderly development out of the question.
 :; T salute Secretary Ickes for his interest in the development of AL aska but I deplore the manner in
 which he seeks to accomplish it." [ Bartlett concluded