CHAPTER XI

CONCLUSION

THE task to which we have addressed ourselves has now been about completed. There remain only one or two points requiring brief mention before we close. All European nations that have embarked upon the policy of holding and administering colonial possessions have found the necessity for creating under the home government special departments or other services to have charge of colonial matters. The functions of these departments are the twofold ones, on the one hand of providing a means through which the supervision and control over the colonies possessed by the central government may be enforced, and, on the other, of furnishing a service through which action can be taken for the development of the material welfare of the possessions. In the United States, notwithstanding the magnitude of its interests in dependent territory, only a beginning in this direction has been made, and that only within the past three or four years. As regards the territories on the mainland, the only administrative connection between them and the central government consists in the obligation imposed upon their governors to make annual reports to the secretary of the interior. In the case of Alaska, as we have already seen, the different interests of the Territory that are not directly cared for

by the governor are looked after by the different administrative departments to which such interests seem most nearly to appertain. The result is that there is no one service at Washington whose duty it is to keep fully informed regarding the progress of events in the different territories and actively to intervene with a view to securing needed action. The need for such a central authority to have charge of the interests of the Territories and dependencies is excellently brought out by President Jordan in his article on "Colonial Lessons of Alaska, appearing in the Atlantic Monthly for November, 1898. After presenting a statement of the extent to which the population and interests of Alaska have suffered in consequence of the failure of Congress and the United States government to give adequate attention to its needs, he concludes:

In general, the waste and confusion in Alaska arise from four sources-lack of centralization of power and authority; lack of scientific knowledge; lack of personal and public interest, and the use of offices as political patronage. In the first place, no single person or bureau is responsible for Alaska. The treasury department looks after the charting and patrol of its coast, the care of its animal life, the prohibition of intoxicating liquors, and the control of the fishing industries. The investigation of its fishery and marine animals is the duty of the United States Fish Commission. The army has certain ill-defined duties which have been worked out mainly in a futile and needless relief expedition with an opera-bouffe accompaniment of dehorned reindeer. The legal proceedings within the Territory are governed by the statutes of Oregon unless otherwise ordered. The department of justice has a few representatives scattered over the vast territory whose duty it is to enforce these statutes, chiefly through the farce

of jury trials. The land in general is under the control of the Department of the Interior. The bureau of education has an agent in charge of certain schools, while the President of the United States finds his representative in his appointee, the governor of the Territory. The office of governor carries large duties and small powers. There are many interests under the governor's supervision, but he can do little more than to serve as a means of communication between some of them and Washington.

Fortunately, the need for a special bureau or department to have general charge of affairs relating to the dependencies proper, now that such interests have become so much greater in extent on account of the recent acquisitions of territory, has at last been realized, and a beginning has been made toward the creation of such a service. Immediately upon the acquisition of Porto Rico and the Philippines, the secretary of war found it necessary to create in his department a division to take charge of the correspondence in relation to the civil government of these possessions, and the management of the many matters in relation to them that had to be attended to in the United States. This division, which was designated the division of insular affairs, demonstrated its usefulness to such an extent that it was transformed into a permanent bureau by the act of July 1, 1902, which provided for the government of the Philippines. This bureau may thus be said to correspond in a measure to the colonial departments of foreign governments. Through it, the President, secretary of war and Congress are able to keep in touch with occurrences in the dependencies that are under the supervision of the War Department. It, moreover, has

important administrative functions, as upon it falls the duty of looking after such matters as the making of contracts relative to the purchasing and forwarding of supplies, the floating of loans, the transportation of employees to the islands, etc. It should be noted, however, that this bureau falls short of being a full department of colonies and dependencies, as it has jurisdiction in respect only to that territory which is under the authority of the secretary of war. Thus it has no function in connection with either Porto Rico, Hawaii or Alaska. The need of a bureau to have charge of the interests of these possessions is scarcely less great than in the case of the Philippines. All of these territories have constantly pending matters concerning which action in the United States has to be taken, and they are often seriously embarrassed through having no service at Washington to look after them. Prospective investors or persons intending to locate in these territories are all the time complaining that there appears to be no one connected with the central government to whom they can appeal for information or advice. Finally, the President and Congress often seriously feel the want of some authority other than the governments of the possessions themselves to which they can appeal for information, when doubts arise as to whether affairs are in all respects being properly conducted. The most serious danger to good government in the dependencies that the future offers is, on the one hand, that after the first novelty and enthusiasm for a new work has worn off, less care and attention will be given by Congress and the people of the United States to the conduct of

affairs in the distant territories, and, on the other, that the persons appointed to the higher positions there will not be able to put into their work that peculiar interest and energy that is felt by those engaged in the organization of a new régime, and which counts for so much in respect to the results accomplished. As time goes on, therefore, the need for a central department with the special function of keeping in immediate touch with all that takes place in the dependent territories will increase rather than diminish. It is much to be hoped, therefore, that either the scope of the present bureau of insular affairs will be broadened so as to embrace all dependent territory or that provision to the same end will be made in some other way.

Before concluding this study emphasis should again be laid upon the fact that has been frequently alluded to, that the problem of the government and the administration of our dependencies has by no means been solved by the enactment of a constitution or organic act for each dependency, or even by the creation and putting into operation of systems of local government. It is one thing to construct a machine and another to ensure that it will, under all conditions, run smoothly. Students have a tendency to lay too great stress upon the mere enactment of legislative provisions regarding forms of government. Important though this work is, the efficient administration of such governments is still more important. This is particularly so when conditions such as exist in the insular dependencies have to be met. The problems of the future then are ones of administration rather