The Daily Alaska empire., 1949-12-12

The Bureau of Indian Affairs is an agency that is supposed to work itself out of job by preparing the Indian to take his place in American civilization. Segregation would work in the opposite direction.
 If these three proposed reservations become rea- ties we can expect dozens of similar ones to be created among the Indian groups throughout the Territory. In the aggregate they would embrace millions of acres In Southeast Alaska alone, the proposed Hyda- burg reserve has 100000 and would serve $50 persons There are 10 l2 groups with than 1000 Indians in the southeast region for whom yations might be sought and the to be reserved here would doubtless extend to more than 2900000 acres most of it extremely valuable for its timber and the control of fisheries. In northern Alaska the proposed Barrow has 48OOO for 36O persons and the Kobuk area-147O0OO acres for population of only 15O.
 One-thrd of our present population might be seg regated on these reservations wards of the gov ernment The lands and products of the reservations can not be taxed for the support of the Territory Added to facts the creation of the reservations would not dispose of all or even majority of pos sessory native claims.
 Many native individuals (as distinct from native village groups who are living in Juneau Ketchkan, Sitka and other cities, claimants of possessory rights each covering thousands of Their claims would still be pending after the reservations are established, and in many cases, these claims would conflict with such reservation areas.
 No one can know with any certainty the status of any piece of land in the entire Territory until the whole question of Indian rights had been clearly up by legislation and court decisions.
 It takes no economist to determine that Alaska progress will continue to be severely hampered until the above situation remedied No prudent capitalist and no ambitious young from the States can be cEo tO i,,uec Or ito grow up with the country in this state of uncertainty.
 The Territory be totally stymed by it. We are hopeful that in Southeast Alaska, at least, the attempt to set up reservations will be found to be illegal on the grounds that only Congress can convert the extensive National Forest lands here into Indian reservations do not believe Congress will do this if it is given the facts.
 We believe the best interests of the Territory in cluding that of the natives demand that all of the possessory Indian claims be investigated by an lm- partial agency of the Federal Government and n the event they are found valid all of them-except for lands actually occupied or used-be appraised paid for and cancelled.
 Only in this way Alaska proceed unfettered great majority of Indians themselves would doubt less be satisfied with such methods of disposal In any event Alaska values it's Indian citizens too much o consent to their segregation the general com
 
 munity and being held under Federal wardshp. AS free agents they are now contributing and will con- tnue to contribute much to Territorial development These reservation proposals should meet with determined opposition the part of the Ierrltorlal Government Alaska Delegate to Congress, local re- lieious and educational groups, Chambers of Com merce private citizens and in fact a including the Indians themselves, who are interested both n keep ing open the avenues of equal opportunity TOT our native people and making our natural resources avail able to all who are prepared to developed them
 The Government agencies concerned with Indian matters should be thinking of ways to make the na- lives more self-reant and encourage them to take an increasingly active part in community and territory affairs rather than try segregae them from their neghbors
 Every worthwhile white Alaskan, will cooperate with the Federal agencies wholeheartedly in pro- gram of this kind. They have the strides made by the Indians of Alaska in the past 25 years and know that progress far better than that made by reservation Indians in the States.
 The right to progress further should not De taken away from the Alaska natives made more difficult for the Alaska whites Reservations would be highly detrimental to both; fact would be ruinous to the Territory.
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