TO THE VOTERS OF ALASKA
More than 500 legally qualified voters of the Territory of Alaska
have nominated me for Attorney-General. I accept the nomination.
The office of Attorney-General of the Territory of Alaska was
created by the Second Legislature in 1915, and the first Attorney
General is to be elected next November. The same Legislature au
thorized the Governor to appoint a Chief Counsel to do the work of
the Attorney-General until the office should be filled by election.
I entered upon the duties of the office of Chief-Counsel, July 1st,
1915. In addition to being legal advisor to the Governor, the Secre
tary, Treasurer, Banking Board and other Territorial Officers as de
sired it, (of which work it is obviously inappropriate for me to
speak), I was also charged, under the law, with the duty of enforcing
the Revenue Laws of the Territory. At that time—July 1st, 1911—
the treasury of the Territory was practically empty, and the last
Legislature had made appropriations of over $200,000.00 Today the
Territory has all the appropriations paid to date; it has upwards of
$215,000.00 cash in the treasury; and I have judgments directly and
indirectly, against the large mining and fishing interests in the favor
of the Territory, for back taxes aggregating upards of $300,000.00
more; these judgments were all affirmed by the U. S. Circuit Court
of Appeals, on September 5th; and by far the larger part of the taxes
for 1916 are yet to come in. The next Legislature should have a
cash balance on hand March 1, 1916, of upwards of half a million
dollars available for such public purposes as the Legislature in its
wisdom, may determine to apply.
The big interests which are paying the bulk of the Territorial
taxes out of the profits from Alaska’s natural resources, fought the
law through all the courts, and I defeated them. Under these cir
cumstances of course I cannot expect any support from the party
machines or organizations. My nomination came directly from the peo
ple, and it is up to them to make the nomination good.
The issue, as far as the Attorney-Generalship is concerned, is
very simple and clear cut.
Do you want to elect a man who has worKed soiei> tor tne
public good, has forced the big interests to pay more than half a
million they owed the Territory—in short has made good—or do you
want to elect some one else, who, to say the least is wholly untried?
The work I have so far done as temporary Attorney-General,
or Chief Counsel, has not only filled the Treasury with money, but
it has established by decisions of the court of last resort, the right
of the Territory to tax her resources as she sees fit, and has proven,
that she can, without laying any appreciable burden upon the people,
raise a revenue equal to that of many of the States, which proof is
an important step in the long fight for complete self-government.
If elected Attorney-General, I shall continue the good work I have
so far accomplished as Chief Counsel, with the same zeal and diligence,
and whatever ability I may possess, aided by the experience I have
obtained. These are my sole qualifications for office, and which those
who nominated me thought entitled me to be my own successor.
JOHN H. COBB.