ritories shows that there was
eternal conflict between an ele
ment of citizenship that would
preserve and make effective
those ideals of free government
expressed by Congress in their
enabling acts and another ele
ment that insisted upon exalt
ation of the officials appointed
by the Federal Government to
administer Federal affairs but
not Territorial affairs. There
was a minority element in Co
lonial America that did not be
lieve in the theory that govern
ments should derive their just
powers from the consent of the
governed, as evidenced by the
departure from our shores by
the so-called Loyalist element.
And so to-day we have a small
minority in the northern Terri
tory that upholds and exalts bu
reaucracy in its symbolism of
the divine right of kings. This
minority element in Alaska, as I
presume it did in pre-Revolu
tionary days in the American
Colonies, represents a class of
citizens that is usually fearful
of the people. This class may
always be depended upon to up
hold the theories of a Mussolini,
even though his theories of gov
ernment are as remote from
the American ideal as are the
poles. They are afraid of popu
lar government largely for the
reason that their little class can
not rule, and in Alaska this lit
tle class has the influence to
prevent legislators from exercis
ing the rights of autonomy
granted in comparatively small
degree by Congress.
In The Senate,
In The Legislature of The Terri
tory of Alaska
Ninth Session.
Senate Memorial 1 (By Senators
Anderson, Benjamin, Frame,
_ Steele, and Sundquist ....
To The President of the United
States, Senate, the House of
Representatives, and the Dele
gate from Alaska:
Your Memorialists, the Terri
torial Senate oi' tiie Territory of
Alaska, in ninth cssion assem
bled, hereby mo.si earnestly and
respec t f u lly re it rose n ts:
1. That by tiie act of Con
gress of August 24, 1912, entitled
“An act to create a Legislative
Assembly in the Territory of
Alaska, to confer legislative
powers thereon, and for other
purposes,” 27 Statutes at Large,
page 912, the people of Alaska
were organized into a Territory
and given power to create an
American Territorial form of
government therein, based on
the principles of the Constitu
tion of the United States, after
the type heretofore organized in
the Territories of the West
which gave their people a full
Territorial form of government
and lifted such Territories to
later form and adopt State con
stitutions and be admitted into
the Union.
That it was the purpose of
Congress in passing the organic
act of August 21, 1912 .aforesaid
said, to give the people of Alas
ka an equal opportunity with
other American territories.
2. That notwithstanding the
power and authority thus given
to the people of Alaska, their
Territorial legislature, from
session to session has given the
power of government and the
control of the Territorial affairs
into the hands of the governor
and other Federal officials,
whereby the present Territorial
government is not in any sense
responsible to the people of
Alaska, and has become and
nowr is a Federal bureaucratic
government, with the appoint
ed governor, the secretary of
the Territory, other Federal of
ficials, and Territorial appoint
ive boards, filled by appoint
ment by these Federal officials,
in full charge, while citizens,
electors, and taxpayers of Alas
ka are practically excluded
from any participation in the
management of their Territorial
affairs.
3. That many patriotic citi
tizens and members of the Ter
ritorial legislature have protest
ed, from session to session,
against the growth of Federal
bureaucratic organization in our
Territorial government, where
by slowly but surely the entire
power and control has passed
and is now lodged, in the said
Federal official';, who contest
< :Vorts on the part of our mem
bers or citizens to regain any
part of it for the public good.
4. That to aid the efforts of
citizens, electors, and taxpayers
of Alaska, to stop the Federal
appointive officials in holding
and extending their autocratic
and unlawful control over our
own Territorial government,
certain citizens and taxpayers
•n Alaska, some two years ago,
immediately after the adjourn
ment of the legislature of that
session, brought suits in the
United States District Court of
Alaska, First Division, against
the Territorial treasurer, who is
also appointed by the Governor
of Alaska, to restrain him from
paying out Territorial funds to
the secretary of the Territory
and to other Federal officials
and employees, in violation of
specific laws of the United
States, and such proceedings
were had in such suits that the
court declared such payments
were illegal and void, and that
such Federal officials holding
said Territorial offices were
acting therein in violation of
the said United States statutes.
5. That Congress thereafter
passed an act entitled “An act
to authorize the payment of cer
tain salaries or compensation to
Federal officials and employees
by the Treasurer of the Terri
tory of Alaska,” which was ap
proved by the President of the
United States on February 18,
1929, whereby various salaries
and compensation so held by the
said court to be invalid and void
were validated and ordered to
be paid; but, well recognizing
the evil in said matters, the said
act of Congress concluded with
a warning to the said Federal
officials in Alaska and to the
Territorial legislature not to
continue said evil and unlawful
practices; that reference is
hereby made to said act of
Congress, and reference is also
made to Senate Report No. 1048,
Seventieth Congress, first ses
sion, by Senator Pittman, and
the House Report No 2172, Sev