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A necessity for immediate legislative relief exists in the Territory of
Alaska. Substantially the only law providing a civil government for this
Territory is the act of May 17, 1884. This is meager in its provisions,
and is fitted only for the administration of affairs in a country
sparsely inhabited by civilized people and unimportant in trade and
production, as was Alaska at the time this act was passed. The increase
in population by immigration during the past few years, consequent
upon the discovery of gold, has produced such a condition as calls
for more ample facilities for local self-government and more numerous
conveniences of civil and judicial administration. Settlements have
grown up in various places, constituting in point of population and
business cities of thousands of inhabitants, yet there is no provision
of law under which a municipality can be organized or maintained.

In some localities the inhabitants have met together and voluntarily
formed a municipal organization for the purposes of local government,
adopting the form of a municipal constitution and charter, under
which said officials have been appointed; and ordinances creating and
regulating a police force, a fire department, a department of health,
and making provision for the care of the insane and indigent poor and
sick and for public schools, have been passed. These proceedings and
the ordinances passed by such municipalities are without statutory
authority and have no sanction, except as they are maintained by the
popular sentiment of the community. There is an entire absence of
authority to provide the ordinary instruments of local police control
and administration, the population consisting of the usual percentage
of lawless adventurers of the class that always flock to new fields of
enterprise or discovery, and under circumstances which require more than
ordinary provision for the maintenance of peace, good order, and lawful
conduct.

The whole vast area of Alaska comprises but one judicial district, with
one judge, one marshal, and one district attorney, yet the civil and
criminal business has more than doubled within the past year, and is
many times greater both in volume and importance than it was in 1884.
The duties of the judge require him to travel thousands of miles to
discharge his judicial duties at the various places designated for that
purpose. The Territory should be divided into at