THE NOME DAILY NUGGET
GEO. S. MAYNARD, Editor
RUSSELL G. MAYNARD, Manager.
Published every evening except Sunday by The Nome
Publishing Company, Nome, Alaska.
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MEMBER OF ASSOCIATED PRESS
UNICAMERAL PLAN
ALASKAN MENACE
A bill was passed by the re
cent congress and signed by the
President providing for a refer
endum by the people of Alaska
on the proposal to abolish the
two-house form of legislation and
substitute the one house—or uni
cameral plan.
The matter soon will come be
fore the people, and deserves most
careful consideration by every
Alaskan who has the rights and
welfare of every individual and
district at heart.
Just what was the origin of this
unicameral movement or what
inspired it is a mystery to the av
erage Alaskan. It is yet to be
learned that there ever was any
spontaeous demand among the
people of the territory or any
general discussion indicating that
there is a need or any advantage
in adopting a one-house legisla
ture.
On the other hand it appears
there is grave danger that exist
ing rights and protection to dif
ferent district of Alaska will be
menaced if the two-house form
of legislation is abolished.
The bi-cameral, or two-house
form of legislation, dating back
centuries under the most demo
cratic and representative forms
of government, was founded on
the theory that greater safety is
thus guaranteed against hasty
and ill-advised legislation and in
sidious forces htat might seek tc
control or influence legislation.
The second house also was deem
ed a wise provision by the found
ers of th? present form of gov
ernment in various nations—in
cluding America—on the ground
that the smaller states or dist
ricts have equal rights in one of
the houses, based on geograph
ical divisions, regardless of size
or population. Without such eq
uality the rights of the smaller
division would be nil or negative.
The bi-cameral plan, as in oth
er most democratic and progres
sive nations, has become decid
edly an American institution safe1
guarding the rights of the peo
ple and the many as against the
few. By the same token the uni
cameral plan may be branded:
as positively un-American.
Random articles in certain news |
papers of late have revealed that1
the last-mentioned danger exists
in Alaska in respect to the uni- j
cameral plan. Already the sug |
gestion has gone forth in some j
such articles that there be a re
apportionment under the unicam j
eral plan, should it be adopted 1
in Alaska. It is suggested that
certain portions of Alaska be al
lowed more legislative seats than
at present—giving them, when
the situation is analyzed, control
of the legislative measures aff
ecting every division of the Ter
ritory.
Interior Alaska under such con
trol would find itself out-voted
and at the mercy of the larger
coastal groups. Under the pres
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ent plan the smaller divisions
have equality in the senate, or
upper house. Based on the large
geographical areas and their vast
productive areas, these interior
i regions are entitled to the two
house form of legislation.
An article appearing recently
in the Daily Alaska Press, pub
lished at Jun: au. refers to the
plan for redistricting and redist
ribution of Alaskan representa
tion under the unicameral plan
—and reveals the danger that con
fronts Interior Alaska. The artic
le appeared under a standing
heading of a feature column bear
ing the heading: “Concentrates
and Tailings—Being a Column
of Occasional Values and Fre
quent Worthlessness.-’ The arti
cle follows:
Portland, Ore.—An obscure
news item in the Morning Ore
gonian relates that President F.
D. Roosevelt signed a bill pro
viding for a referendum in Al
aska on the question of a one
house legislautre. This column
early this year predicted the mat
ter would come up soon. When
this comes up for a vote, as it
apparently will, we hope that at
the same time something can be
done to distribute representation
according to population. States
have been re-districted to ac
complish this, but Alaska retains
the same setup with which it
started. The First Division, with
something near half the popula
tion, has no more representation
than the Second, whose popula
is a small fraction of the total.
Apportioning representation
according to population totals of
the various districts is the first
method which comes to mind
and would adequately meet the
problem. But the Concentrator,
in view of other phases of Alask
an governmental structure, be
lieves that in addition to this—
or possibly in lieu of it—re-dis
tricting is also advisable.
The First Division should be
divided into two and a “Fifth
District” court set up at Ketchi
kan. This would relieve the con
gestion which has grown in late
i years and has required lengthy
sessions at Ketchikan after the
yearly grind at Juneau. Also, it
would go a long way toward ev
ening legislative representation.
Both these new divisions would
be heavily populated, compara
itively speaking.
Alaskans of the Interior, es
! pecially of Second, Third and
i Fourth Divisions, will find plenty
i in the foregoing to put them on
their toes and steel them to ac
tion against a unicameral or oth
er scheme which might concen
, trate the legislative powers of
i the Territory in one group or
region to the disadvantage of the
other.—Fairbanks News-Miner.
? .jRget's Comment
The danger of such a system
of unicameral legislation, is well
known to the Second Division.
In its present form, a unicameral
legislature in Alaska would vir
tually do away with any voice!
which the S.cond. Thi-rd or Four
th Divisions have under the bi-1
cameral system. Representation!
according to population is un->
doubtedly the basis for demo
cratic or representative govern
or nt. but the American system
of legislation—and it has weath
ered many trials suecessfuly—
is designed on a foundation of
checks. The checking of powers
is not designed primarily to lim
it any district or section of the
United States, but as a safeguard
to prevent ill-advised and detri
mental legislation being enacted
either for the benefit of certain
sections, or the detriment of
others. In well developed sections
of the U. S., representation ac
cording to population is entirely’
feasible and practical, but in a j
pioneer country such as Alaska,
it should serve the purposes of
the country as a whole, as well
as the people in it. With no pro
per check such a system would
abolish and leave unprotected
the less-populated districts, to
the disadvantage of the Territory!
as a whole.
The End Of Oil
Supply May End
Wars Is Said
(By The Associated Press)
VIENNA. Oct. 12—Worry about
anotl*er World War will be over
—within three or four general
tion. Exhaustion of the world’s
oil supply will see to that, thinks
General Edmund Allexin of the
Austrian general staff.
He quotes experts’ estimates
I that 1.000,000,000 soldiers in the
future war would need about 300,
000 tons of iron and steel, 4,000,
! 000 tons of coal, and 20,000 tons
of oil. But he thinks that motor
ization of armies would boost
those figures considerably.
The world’s yearly production
of minerals he puts at two billion
tons. The most important is oil,
of which he says, America pro
duces 80 per cent, and which may
be nearly txhausted in about 50
to 70 years.
Colonel Allexin minimizes the
importance of efforts to produce
synthetic oil or gasoline because,
of the expense and the necessity
of having great plants,vulnerable
in war time.
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;an alone in a small yawl. It’s a
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questions the passengers didn’t
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Marconi undoubtedly earned all
those tributes he has been receiv
ing as a benefactor of mankind.
He not only invented the radio,
but also that little gadget for
turning it off.
Cockroaches were originally
confined to the tropics. They
spread,however.with the increase
of commerce.
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PRINTING BLANKS CARRIED
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several forms of printing blanks
: for your convenience — Dredge
Logs, thawing and drill reports,
I Mining Deeds, Placer and Lode
Location Notices. Vouchers,
Special Power of Attorney forms
Thus. R. Lyons Ira D. Orton
Lyons & Orton
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Seattle, Washington
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—ORDER—
. 1937
Publisher, Nome Nugget:
Nome, Alaska.
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