TH S NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
Nome, Alaska
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Box 618
$1.50 PER MONTH $16.00 A YEAR
w. A. and EMILY BOUCHER ..Editor*
Entered as second class matter October 14. 1943. at the postoffice at
Nome. Alaska, under the Act of March 3. 1379.
Wednesday, August 7, 1946
THE ARGUMENT
AGAINST STATEHOOD
IT IS ALWAYS ADVISABLE for a man of prudence
to pause in his everyday life and try to understand
how the other man thinks. We read that somewhere.
We are pausing today to try to understand how the
opponent to statehood for Alaska thinks. We are seek
ing the line of reasoning that must go through that
man's head in coming to his conclusion that state
hood which is merely selfgovernment) would be a
bad thing for the American citizens living in Alaska.
Many discussions of statehood have filled these
columns from time to time. They have all held to
the conclusion that statehood would be a very good
thing. But at the same time, we find there are those
who are not of the same mind. They have declined
to give us reasons for their decision except to say that
“we aren’t ready for it yet.”
Which brings to mind that every time another
morning rolls around we find that we “aren’t ready”
to get up yet. But we usually get up anyway and
usually get through the day fairly well.
Be that as it may, we shall attempt to outline what
must be the reasons that opponents to statehood use
to support their contentions that statehood would be
bad:
1. Alaskans are not fit for self-government. They
should undergo a period of further tutelage as a ter
ritory.
2. Government is so admirably run from Wash
ington that we could not possibly improve on it.
3. Economic control from Seattle is highly de
sirable. Washington state senators and representa
tives are so objective in their attitude toward Alaska
that it would be a pity to confuse the situation by hav
ing two senators and a voting representative of our
own.
4. It is going to cost us more money. Obviously
if it is going to cost us more money we should not go
ahead with it.
5. Our population is too small. We had only
72,000 at the last census. While it is true that many
states were admitted to the union with less popu
lation, that was many years ago. It takes about 300,
000 people to rate one congressman in the states. We
should wait until we have that many.
6. Alaskans have not yet determined that they
consider Alaska a place of permanent abode. In 80
years under the American flag the white population—
that is the newcomers—have totalled only 40,000.
/Those six reasons are all that we can think of
supporting the conclusion that statehood would be bad.
We would be pleased to have more reasons added to
the list so that we can have a more thorough under
standing of how the mind of an opponent to state
hood works. Can you help?
(Anchorage Times) i
THE AGONY PROLONGED
WJRESIDENT TRUMAN has signed the compromise
* bill which reestablishes the Office of Price Ad
ministration.
It is virtually the same bill he vetoed a month
ago.
The inherent weakness of the bill is in the fact
that it still provides too much price control and pre
serves the bureaucratic powers which are offensive
and injurious to the American people.
The new price control bill is better than the orig-'
#
THE BARS ARE DOWN
I
inal law under which the OPA operated because it
removes some of the objectionable and harmful powers
and restricts a few of the arbitrary practices.
But it is an inescapable fact, now fully apparent
to American people, that the basic theory of bureau
cratic price control is incompatible with free demo
cracy’.
Price control is reprehensible to those who believe
in democratic processes—and is justifiable only in an
extreme emergency, and should be abandoned at the'
earliest possible time permitted by the easing of the
emergency.
The American people have had an agonizing ex-1
perience under the always arrogant and usually incom
petent OPA and the renewal of that offensive agency’s
powers prolongs theoir agony.
The only real beneficiaries of price control re
newal are the bureaucrats who retain their arrogant,
powers and lucrative employment— and the black mar
ket operators who will be enabled to resume the taking1
of their usurious and iniquitous profits from the de
pleted resources of the people.
Federal price controls have never been the means
of giving the people either a sufficient or a reasonable
supply of essential goods.
They have only created shortages of essential
goods, accompanied by the fiction of reasonable prices
arbitrarily established and incapable of meeting the
costs of production or of supplying the people’s needs.
Another year of federal price control can only mean
more of the same things—more shortages, more pro
fiteering in the black markets, and more exercise of i
arrogant and arbitrary bureaucratic power.
(Seattle Post Intelligencer)
NEWS LETTER
i
Pacific Case Decision
Northwest Airlines, In- j
corporated is now official
ly certified as the only car
rier to engage in air trans-,
portation from the States
through Alaska to the Or
ient. Northwest will fly
two routes: one route will
have co-terminal points
New York, Chicago, with
intermediate points Minn
eapolis. Edmonton, Anch
orage; the other will have!
terminal point Seattle, and!
intermediate point Anchor- ■
age. Both routes will go
from Anchorage through
the Aleutians to the Kur
iles and thence to the Or
int.
Pan American Airways
has been certified for a
route designating Seattle
and Fairbanks as terminal
points and Ketchikan, Jun
eau, Whitehorse, Burwasl
Landing and Tanacrosf, a;
intermediate points.
Pacific Northern Air
lines has been certified tc
operate from Anchorage,
to the terminal point Jun
eau, via intermediates Cor
dova and Yakutat.
Alaska Shipping ^
As a result of the enact
ment into law of the Third
Deficiency Bill the Mari
time Commission will be
empowered to continue op
eration of Alaska ships un
til March 31, 1947.
It is expected that this
will allow ample time for
Congress to have determin
ed upon a permanent policy
with respect to
shipping.
Alaska Maps
A supply of maps includ
ing the new map of Alaska
just issued by the Geolog
ical Survey has been allot
ed to Delegate Bartlett by
that agency for distribution
without charge.
Since the supply is ne
cessarily limited these will
be sent out at the request
of interested persons on a
“first come first serve" ba
sis.
Delegate Leaves for Alaska
Delegate Bartlett if*
Washington this week for
Alaska with the Jackson
subcommittee of the Mer
chant Marine and Fisheries
Committee. Following com
pletion of the scheduled
hearings Delegate Bartlett
plans to make an extend^
trip through the Territory.
Coast Guard District
In Alaska
Following reports from
Alaska that the 17th Coast
Guard District with head
quarters at Ketchikan may
be abolished and its activi
ties placed under the juris
diction of the Seattle Dist*
rict. Delegate Bartlett took
the matter up with Admir
al J. F. Farley, Command
ant of the United States
i
Coast Guard. Admiral'
Farley assured the Dele
gate that no such action is
contemplated and any re
ports to the contrary are
without foundation.
Manning Lake
Honoring the memory of
Private Ned Manning who
lost his life in the battle
of Attu, when the Ameri
can army recaptured that