Zodiak Mit-rat
Published every Saturday at Kodiak, Alaska
■ Yearly Subscription Rate $5.00
Entered in the Postoffice at Kodiak, Alaska as Second
Class matter under act of Oongress of March 3, 1878
THE ISLAND PUBLISHING COMPANY
• > Sig J. Digree, Editor and Publisher
I’otha Digree, Executive Secretary
MEMBER OF ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Associated Picks is exclusively entitled to the use or republica
£ion of all news dispatches credited to it or not otherwise credited in
Shis paper and also the local news published herein.
£H.eta>s of cAmeric&s Lust frontier
The Voter and Voting
mere is a full battery of candi
dates for seats in the Territorial
government that you, as a voter,
will have to choose from. Else
where is this issue we have at
tempted to give you their names
and whatever we know about them
a pre-study of this information
will help you on voting day.
The Democratic Club is furnish
ingiab and" baby-sftting service to
the .busy housewife and mother so
that she may take time out to go
to the polls and cast her vote. You
as 3 voter are urged to take ad
vantage of this.
Without a doubt there will be
a larger vote than ever before.
You, too, will want to join your
fellow Alaskans and as an Ameri
can, too, exercise your franchise.
Voting is an American’s duty,
and a privilege, too, that should
be held dearly.
fiatify Alaska’s Constitution
By Donald R. Mobtrg
iJE-anor s Note: This is the sec
ond part of a series of articles by
Dr. Donald R. Moberg, head of the
University of Alaska’s Department
>t tiistory and Political Science,
urging Alaskans to ratify the pro
posed constitution by an over
whelming majority. Here he ana
lyzes specific articles of the Con
stitution. It is printed in part.)
Part II—Specific Provisions of the
Constitution Considered and Con
elusion.
Demonstrating an amazing de
gree of sincerity and earnestness,
•oupled with real hard work, the
fifty-five delegates created an able
constitution of fifteen articles, bas
ed on the necessary spirit of com
promise. In fact, several articles
are particularly outstanding.
Among these are the Declaration
of Right, the legislative apportion
ment article, the natural resources,
and finance and taxation articles.
To prove practically the worth
>f this Constitution it is quite sig
nificant to note that no organized
group in the territory, and per
haps more importantly, no organ
ized group of Outside “vested in
terests” have made any concerted
drive to defeat the ratification of
this Constitution.
Executive Article
However, many individual Alas
•cans and several organizations are
apprehensive about several sec
tions of the Constitution, Almost
all of the criticism of the Consti
tution is centered around the ex
ecutive branch. Fears that the del
egates created too strong an execu
tive, investing too much power
and control in the hands of the
governor. It is feared that he may
become a little dictator. They are
disturbed that <^}y two officials in
She executive branch are elective—
the governor and the secretary of
.State—with all other department
heads being appointed by the gov
ernor.
• Keeping firmly in mind the six
•general considerations mentioned
previously, the rebuttal can show
that these criticisms have not
carefully balanced other articles of
,lhe Constitution with this one.
As head of the state government,
the governor is responsible to the
oeople for the execution of the
caws of the state. To faithfully ful
fill his duties in our modern com
plex government he should be al
lowed to choose his chief staff of
ficers—people loyal to him, ones
he can trust and control. An apt
analogy is iound in the business
world where stockholders do not
elect all the company officials.
The followin' are important
limitations on the governor, found
in other articles’of the Constitu
tion.
t. The govenor can only appoint
and remove the heads of depart
ments, and even these are subject
to confirmation by a majority of
both houses of the legislature. All
other department officials will be
selected on a merit system.
2. The legislature has effective
control over the executive depart
ments through the use of a non-po
litical auditor who post-audits the
books of each department.
3 The governnor can only serve
two successive terms, an eight
year maximum.
4. The governor can be impeach
ed by the legislature, or recalled
by the people.
■j . iiig uao iu
disapprove executive orders con
cerning the administration of the
various departments of the state.
d. The legislature has strong
powers of its own It is not the
.emasculated body that the present
territorial legislature represents.
Transitional Article
The delegates held firmly to
their belief that the Constitution
should contain basic fundamental
law only—to indicate broad, but
elastic principles of government.
Therefore, to insure smoother
transition from territorial to state
government, Article XV provides
a needed schedule of transition
measures.
Ail organizations, such as sever
al education, wildlife, and sport
men's groups, who feel that the
Constitution did not satisfy their
needs by more specific inclusions,
should most emphatically make
their problems and desires known
to that first legislature.
Alaska-Tennessee Plan
Much interest is being shown in
the Alaska-Tennessee Plan, Ordi
nance No. 2 of the Constitution,
both in the territory and in the
United States. This plan provides
for the election of two senators
and one representative to the Un
ited States Congress in October’s
general election, and the elected
officials would then present them
selves for seats at the opening of
the U. S. Congress in January 1957.
The pertinent question here is
Adlai Stevenson, candidate for
presidential nomination by the
Democratic Party, is a strong ad
vocate for Statehood for Alaska.
He is entered in the primaries to
be voted on Tuesday.
Among outgoing passengers this
week were: Laverne Wakefield,
Lloyd Hardin, Ralph: Shupp, Dar
rel Chaffin, Clarence King, W. R.
and Leon McLinn, Glen Robinson,
Nick Stark, H. F. Beck and family,
Evelyn Asher, Herbert and Verna
Asher, Ray Coffin,, Tommy Lev
shakoff, Jean and Luke Foley,
Moses and Iver Malutin, James
Pruitt, Chris Paulson, Bob Hall,
Dr. A. Holmes Johnson and Bill
Harvey.
Rebbie Klockenbrink and child
ren left this week for the States.
Her husband will remain here un
til after the fishing season.
incoming passengers include: W.
P. Brouilett, Jean and Joan Poland,
Clarence Fry, .Robert Keefer, Iver
and Moses Malutin, Frank Hardin,
Jess Breckenridge, H. E. Dawson,
and Dr E. E. Bach.
The Fire Department was called
out Monday morning to Ed and
Dorothy Cummings house. A por
tion of the stove pipe became hot,
and there was danger of fire.
Young Billy turned in the alarm.
No damage resulted.
POLICE SLOGAN
Better have your brakes checked
often or they may check you per
manently.
GRIFFIN HOSPITAL BIRTHS
Bonnie Jean, 9 lbs. 11% ozs,
was born on April 16 to Katherine
and Verne Arthur Fannin.
Deborah Ann, 7 lbs., was born
on April 18 to Rebecca and Vein
William Fathke.
NEW SKI CHALET HOURS
ANNOUNCED AT STATION
Captain W. M. Drane, Naval Sta
tion Commanding Officer, announc
ed this week that the station’s Ski
Chalet will be open on Mondays,
Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thurs
days from 1 p. m. to 4:30 p. m. He
also announces that the ski tows
will be in operation during these
periods.
There wll be no change in the
Ski Chalet’s weekend schedule.
what will be the value of this step?
The idea behind the plan is that it
will be a most dramatic special
plea to end Alaska’s colonial stat
us by hurrying up statehood
chances. It is not a revolutionary
or untried step. At least seven ter
ritories have successfully used it
in the past.
Certainly, the American public
and the American Congress would
have their attention focused on the
Alaskan issue. The plan could
have no harmful effect on Alaska.
Instead, it would greatly aid in
better judging the statehood cause
of both Alaska and Hawaii on the
merits alone, and not on internal
political considerations within the
American Congress as it now is.
C it ol Destiny
“V »t«” Soys Wood
Barrie Wood, in a speech before
a group at the Elks Club, Tuesday
night, told his audience: “We need
to control our own destiny. There
is no substitute for a vote. We
have been going to Washington
for many years, and will continue
to go through miles of red tape
there until Statehood is achieved.
How much better it would be to
go to Juneau, to our own seat of
government.”
Wood, at the conclusion of his
talk, touched on the Tennessee
plan, and advocated it as a means
of securing desirable publicity,
and as showing where Alaska
stands on the Statehood question.
Under this plan, two United States
Senators and one Representative
would be elected immediately to
represent Alaska in Washington,
D. C. Both Wood and Hinckel
strongly advocated their immedi
ate ratification, by voting “Yes”
for the Tennessee plan. Wood stat
ed: “There would be no question,
then, as to whom they represent.”
Hinckel remarked: “Elected repre
sentatives get more consideration,
they will listen to them.” He based
his belief, he said, on his trips to
the U. S. Capitol, as Mayor of Ko
dak.
Wood, who was a delegate to the
Constitutional Convention, gave a
short resume of the historic meet
ing, and outlined the various steps
whicn led to the final drafting.
Following Woods talk, the arti
cles of the Constitution were tak
en up one by one. The Bill of
Rights were first discussed. Wood
stating they were based on the U.
S. Constitution, which he thought
was a good model to follow.
The Constitution provided for a
strong Executive, according to
Wood. This was necessary to put
government on a business basis. In
answer to a question, Wood said
is was provided that the Governor
and Secretary of State were the
only two elective officers, but, he
said, they were elected jointly, so
there was no clash of policy be
tween the two, as would occur as
members of two parties. He also
stated the Governor chose the vari
ous boards, and approved the men
chosen to head them.
The various articles of the Con
stitution were taken up in turn,
such as legislative apportionment,
sessions of the legislature, natural
resources clause, taxation, local
and borough government, educa
tional provisions of the Constitu
tion, the voting age, the judiciary
and other phases.
On the subject of boroughs and
municipal government, Mayor
Johnson mentioned a criticism
that there would be an overlap
ping of taxation in the two. Wood
stated the functions of the iwo
were so divergent, there was .10
fear of that. He said the object of
establishing boroughs, (includin'?
organized and unorganized) was to
provide every inch of Alaska with
local government.
The Educational provisions of the
Constitution came in for some dis
cussion. Wood stated, in answer to
a question by Iver Schott, that
the State government controlled
the school system. He said there
would be no more Independent
School Districts as now exist, but
Boroughs would have to see that
education is provided in outlying
districts as well. There would be no
disruption, he said, in the transi
tion from the present system, to
State and Borough control.
Wood stated that high officials
in government, throughout the na
tion, newspapers, and experts in
the field of government, lauded
the Constitution in its present
form. He asked that all those eli
gible turn out to vote, and to vote
“Yes’’ for ratification, for the
Tennessee plan and abolition of
fish traps.
Republican* Elect
Convention Delegates
A Republican Party caucus was
held Wednesday evening at the
Charles Edris residence. A Com
mitteeman, Committeewoman, del
egates and alternates to the Con
vention in Anchorage May 11 and
12, were elected.
Jack Hinckel was elected com
mitteeman and Mrs. Edris Commit
tewoman. Delegates chosen were
Jack Hinckel and Leon (Ole)
Johnson. Alternates were Ernest
Harding and Betha Digree.
Marion T. Howe was elected sec
retary. All received the unanimous
vote of those present.
The meeting was conducted by
Charles Edris, acting chairman,
who served in that capacity in the
absence of Emil Knudsen.
ALONG THE WATERFRONT
Continued from Page 1)
early bird will get the clams. At
6:25 Tuesday a -1.2; 7:05 Wednes
day, -1.4; Thursday, 7:44, -1.4 and
Friday at 8:22 it will be -1.2.
have bugs in your budget ? ?
A growing SAVINGS ACCOUNT
here is the perfect exterminator.
Incidently, we have some very fine
F amily Budget Guides which are
free upon request.
Our phone number is now 3401
Rank of Kodiak
KODIAK, ALASKA