they should continue they can
not ask relief from the Congress.
Mr. TAYLOR of Tennessee.
Will the gentleman yield?
Mr. Sutherland. I yield.
Mr. TAYLOR of Tennessee.Are
there other Federal officials
diawing salaries from the Ter
ritory?
Mr. SUTHERLAND. Yes.
Mr. TAYLOR of Tennessee.
What class?
Mr. SUTHERLAND. Secretary
to the governor of the Territory.
I can not enumerate all who are
receiving a salary, but I know
the secretary of the governor of
the Territory is receiving addi
tional salary, and I am assured
by lawyers in the Territory that
it is absolutely illegal and ought
to be stopped.
Mr. TAYLOR of Tennessee.
This does not apply to the judi
ciary, the judges, or the district
attorney?
Mr. SUTHERLAND. No; pre
sumably they would not be per
mitted to receive it. Here is the
situation. The Federal officials
in Alaska are a very powerful
influence politically, and they
have been able to dominate the
legislature. They are aided in
that by the press of the capital
city of Juneau. The press seems
to be under the domination of
the Federal officials, and when
any measure along the lines of
establishing a better American
ideal of government, comes be
fore the legislature the press of
Alaska is opposed to it. Perhaps
I should qualify that by saying
the press of the capital city.
These men coming down to the
capital are naturally afraid of
the press. I think there is a
general fear of the influence of
the press among statesmen of
greater standing than those of
our local legislators in Alaska.
That is the whole trouble. The
press and the Federal officials
combined to place the control of
Territorial affairs in the hands
of the Federal officials, and
that control is lodged there now.
Mr. RANKIN. Mr. Speaxer, will
the gentleman yield?
Mr. SUTHERLAND. Yes.
Mr. RANKIN. My experience
with the Territory of Alaska is
that those people up there have
been clamoring for a good many
years for a greater measure of
self-government—not only the
people of the Territory, but the
legislature and even the press
itself. How do they expect the
American Congress and the Am
erican people to grant them a
greater measure of self-govern
ment than they have now, when
they attempt to surrender what
they already have as they are
doing, it seems to me, to a large
extent by asking for the passage
of such legislation as this.
Mr. SUTHERLAND. I have to
admit, although it is somewhat
humiliating, that the gentleman
from Mississippi raises a good
point; but I say that it is not the
will of the people of the Terri
tory of Alaska that these con
ditions exist It is simply weak
ness upon the part of our le
gislators in contact with the
strong influence of Federal offi
cials and the press of the Capi
tal City.
Mr. LAGUARDIA. If by the
passage of this Senate bill now
before the House we establish
ed a precedent, what protection
will the people have if some of
these Federal job holders man
age to be elected to the Territor
ial legislature and then come
here and say they were duly
elected and served as legislators
and want an enabling act so
that they could draw two sal
aries? Is not the gentleman
risking turning over his whole
local government to these job
holders he complains of?
Mr. SUTHERLAND. I hope
not. I think I can assure the
gentleman that if this practice
continues after March, when the
legislature sits, the whole mat
ter Will be taken to the courts,
and that there will be no relief
ior these fellows if they accept
these salaries and go through
with it.
Mr. LAGUARDIA. Would the
gentleman be very unhappy if
we were to defeat this bill?
Mr. SUTHERLAND. I feel that
I owe it to this man who has giv
en his services and who has not
received a cent, who is not re
sponsible for the situation, to
do what I can to get the relief
for him, and I think that the
instruction in the bill to the le
gislature ought to be sufficient.
Mr. DOWELL. And does not
this bill legislate that we do not
approve of that practice and
will not continue it?
Mr. SUTHERLAND. It express
es the disapproval of the Con
gress.
Mr. LAGUARDIA. Eliminating
the personal equation, the per
sonal relation between the Dele
gate from Alaska and the partic
ular individual involved in this
bill, the gentleman will state
that he is opposed to the prac
tice?
Mr. SUTHERLAND. The prac
tice of relief in cases of this
kind?
Mr. LAGUARDIA. Yes.
Mr. SUTHERLAND. Yes, I
think the practice is wrong,
when this thing is done deliber
ately. I have to admit that the
practice of granting relief by
Congress is wrong; but, at the
same time, I reassert that this
man was not responsible for it,
that it was the legislature.
Mr. LAGUARDIA. The gentle
man is acting out of the whole
someness and the bigness of his
heart rather than being actuated
by the usual acute intellect that
he displays in this House.
Mr. SUTHERLAND. I thank
the gentleman.
Mr. RANKIN. Mr. Speaker,
will the gentleman yield.
Mr. SUTHERLAND. Yes.
Mr. RANKIN. If this bill
passes, will it not be establishing