The
ALASKA SOURDOUGH
Published for the Sourdough and Che
chako as well, by
A. B. OALLAHAM
Subscription >3.00 a Year.
Single Copies 10c.
DOUGLAS, ALASKA
Office, Bear Natatoiiuxn Telephone 435
WHY NOT BUILD A HOME?
There are people in Alaska who ex
pect to round out the years here, who
intend to stay until they embark for
the New Jerusalem. There are people
who love this rugged wilderness, and
her white winter wastes of snow. There
are people who love Alaska who know
they love her, and there are people who
love her who do not know it. There
are people who intend to go out, never
to return—they go out, but they come
back—to round out the years.
There never was a frontier to which
*nen as a rule came to . make their
homes, and to live and die. Even to
that California, to which so many
Douglas people plan to move some day;
the early settlers came and lived for
.years with the intention of going back
East—some time. California was onco
s forbidding place—-'/ hell with the
fire put out ’—a tourist said of South
ern California less than fifty years ago.
And yet California is a beautiful spot,
now beloved by thousands upon thous
ands who call California “home.”
Some day Alaska will be beloved—
not by the few, as now, but by thous
ands who will call Alaska “home.”
Alaska will be home to generations of
sons and daughters, who will feel a
pity for the sons and daughters of the
•countries to the south, where the cli
mate pampers its inhabitants.
In the meantime, the vast majority
"Of the citizens of Douglas intend to re
main here for a few' years, and make
a stake and then move to the south.
But wdiile you live here, why not build
a good house!
Numbers of people who have come to
Douglas for a few years only, have
•built a house, and none of them have
«ever failed to sell it at a good profit
<on the investment, beside saving the
rents they would otherwise nave paid.
There is not a workingman in Douglas
or Treadwell "who cannot afford to build
a home, if he plans, for it, and there
is every reason why he should.
THE REVIVAL OF THE TOTEMS
■After a quarter of a century or so of
disuse, the Southeastern Alaska In
dians are reviving the totem as a mark
for graves. At Kake, two large to
tems are being carved for Indians who
were drowned last spring and this .will
be placed , at the head of their graves.
The idea is being encouraged by the
officials of the bureau of education,
and they use good logic and good
judgment in that approval.
Following the advent, of the white
man, the Indians who could afford it,
began to buy expensive marble head
stones for their dead. The marble
headstone, as a rule, is not so artistic
us the old Indian totem, and not half ’
so significant. ,
The carving of the totem ‘ ‘ keeps the
money at home,” and preserves a cus- ,
tom, just as sensible as the white mans ,
way of honoring his dead;.' The time
will come, doubtless, when the white
and the Indian as well, will be edu- ,
cated out of his idea that “flattery
can soothe the dull, cold ear of death,” .
and dispense with both totems and
grave stones, but in the meantime, the
revival by the natives of the custom
v o’f erecting totems deserves to be en
couraged. ,
A REPLY TO VINCENT
The proprietor of the Juneau Hotel
is much disturbed because the editor
■of this paper did not question him
about the trouble in the house before
the fire, and because The Sourdough
stated that he was asleep over the
Douglas Opera House when the fire
broke out.
The Sourdough did not ask Mr. Vin
cent anything about the trouble in~~the
house, because this paper knew that
he was in Douglas at the time of the
dire, and therefore not in a position to
give any information first hand. Pos
sibly The Sourdough was mistaken in
saying that Vincent was asleep in the
Douglas Hotel, but he was in Douglas
in some building on Front street, north
of D street, at the time the fire broke
out. The sound of drunken carousal
on the second floor, the shots which
some of the jpeople on the third floor
thought at the time they were fired
to have come from the second, were
heard by at least a dozen people, not
only people in tho Juneau Hotel, but
by people in the Circle City Hotel.
Lodgers in the Circle City Hotel were
awakened by tfle disturbance in the
Juneau Hotel before the fire broke
out. J. J. McGrath, the owner of the
building, has also investigated, and
he has no doubt about those shots, and
said ,to a representative of The Sour
dough on Wednesday that it was “cer
tainly a mysterious fire. ’ ’ Mr. Mc
Grath would like to know why the low
er rear hall door was locked, and sev
eral other things, which perhaps the
next grand jury will ascertain.
These facts remainv tW same: The
origin of the fire is still a mystery, ab
though on ,both the first and the sec
ond'floors men wens awake, at thq time
the fire broke out. There was a drunk
en carousal on the second floor> and so
much noise was made that men in the
Circle City Hotel were awakened by it.
Shots were heard which were thought
to have been fired on the second floor.
Assistant District Attorney Folsom
heard them for one, although he be
lieves that the fire was already in pro
gress and the shots were exploded by
the heat, although the alarm had not
been turned in.
In view of the well known character
of the hostelry conducted by Mr. Vin
cent he shows much more courage than
discretion in having anything at all to
say. He will probably have an oppor
tunity to do more talking than he
cares to do, before the next grand jury.
GOVERNOR CLARK
The story of Walter Eli Clark, gov
ernor of Alaska, is the story of a news
paperman who has developed a sine
cure into an important public office.
It is, also, the story of a man who has
made good, and who has won the con
Sdence of a people.
When Governor Clark was appoint
ed, it was a rare case of the office
seeking the man—a custom in our pub
lic service wrhich has become almost
obsolete. In May, 1909, Walter Eli
I’lark was a newspaper correspondent
it the capital, and when, one morning,
President Taft informed him that at
i meeting of the cabinet held that
same day, it had been decided to ask
tiim to accept the governorship of Al
iska, it was/a surprise for which- he
tvas totally unprepared, and it was a
week before he" consented to accept
die position.
The resignation of his predessor did
lot take effect until the following fall,
ind it was October before he came to
\laska to begin the performance of
lis duties. He came, however, with
die absolute backing of the adminis
tration, and much of his success is due
;o the fact that he has enjoyed the
ever growing confidence of the govern
ment at Washington. The confidence
>f the people of Alaska, however, was
if slow growth. Alaska has not al
ways been well governed, and until
he advent of Clark, the office of gov
ernor of the nation’s most northern
erritory has not . been as important
is it is today. The duties of the of
Ice, as defined by the code, is a reci
;ation of permissable authority. Ac^
joi’ding to the terms of the statute a
governor of Alaska has authority to
see to the enforcement of the laws,
md he may require the faithful dis
charge of duties by other officials. He
s also clothed with the power of eall
ng out a non-existent militia. But no
ivhere in the code is he charged with
;lie responsibility for the acts of other
ifficials in definite terms nor does the
code say how he may provide for the
Faithful discharge of the duties of of
ficials scattered through the thousands
if miles of sparcely settled country.
Because of this, nearly all of the
governors of Alaska, have had little
ir nothing to do with the discharge of
luties by the officials throughout the
district. And there is no question but
that, in times past, Alaska has been
very badly governed. Washington is
far away, and more than one dffieial
in Alaska has been an irresponsible
despot. Governor Clark, however, has
taken the exercise of the authority to
require the faithfuj discharge of the’
duties by officials seriously—^practic
ally all the appointments have been
upon his recommendation, and Alaska
has never been as well governed nor
have government officials been so well
respected by Alaskans as they are to
day. Thanks to the administration of
Governor Clark, and the support which
he has received from the president, a.
new feeling has grown up in the dis
trict towards the government.
Perhaps no better illustration of the
serious manner in which he has taken
his responsibilities can be found than
in his successful efforts to obtain light
ing of the dangerous passages on the
Alaska coast. Governor Clark spent
months of his first winter in Alaska in
the pilot house of a revenue eutter, se
eh’ftng first hand the information
which would enable him to make
recommendations fbr the installation
Ofnhese lights. Fortified with the per
sonal knowledge thus obtained of the
needs and conditions of the coast, he
received practically all that he asked
from the department of commerce and
labor, and has earned the lasting grat
itude of the mariners who ply the wat
ers of these wreck strewn shores. The
erection of the lights already secured
by the governor, will, when they are
all in operation, undoubtedly cause a
reduction in insurance rates, and there
by in freight charges, and ultimately
in the cost of living in Alaska.
Through the efforts of the governor
and at his special request, the Alba
tross is engaged in a task which will
do nearly as much for the Alaska fish
erman, as the installation of the new
lights will do for the mariners. The
Albatross is surveying the bottoms
near Alaska shores to discover the
depths, and the nature of the ground.
The governor of Alaska has charge
of the administration of the school
funds, and during his term of office
the expenditures of money in this de
partment has been reduced to a system.
New schools have been organized, and
he has done much to improve the op
portunities for education in the dis
trict. He has obtained a liberal ap
propriation for government buildings
in Juneau, and these structures will be
erected this year. The game law, mere
That the gang is always loaded
We are very much aware,
As we catch the ample breezes
Of the superheated air.
Jake Hice can tell a story,
That would put Old Nick to shame
And Sharp and Jimmie Dempsey^
Are princes at the game.
Thorndyke, he often* leads
Acard that can’t be beat
And Ingram follows with a suit
Of something quite as neat;
But when the game is ended,
You’d better all believe,
That Geoige Kice carries off the pot
With a trump from up his sleeve.
Very pleasant is the murmur
Of their smooth and chatty chin,
And their line oi conversation
Is to take ehechakos in,
Very cheerful are the stories
Of these truthful sinners all,
And we marvel at the mightiness
Of their abundant gall.
They will tell you quite sincerely,
That the ancient sourdough,
Is a marvel of perfection.
As they sit there in a row;
They are quite disinterested.
But if you wait a spell,
You will mightly soon discover,
That they have “bull-con” to sell.
The non-conversants sit around,
And list with jaws agape,
At this hot air combination—
By MSSC
or less of which formerly furnished
the Alaskans with much amusement,
although it worked unnecessary hard
ships, has been mneh improved through
his recommendations. Provision for
the destitute ih Alaska is about to be
made through his efforts. Besides
thehe, this busy govern'd**' has worked
unceasingly for the opening of the coal
lands to development, for government
aid^ for railroad eonstrdcti'on, for con
tinued appropriations for wagon roads
and trails, for modification of the laws
relating to salmon hatcheries, to the
end that the fisheries may be more ful
ly protected, laws regulating sanita
tion and the public health, to the reg
istration of vital statistics, for com
pulsory school attendance and for re
leif of destitution among the white in
habitants. Much, indeed, is yet to be
accomplished for this hitherto neglect
ed country. The need for law for the
registration of vital statistics is an
instance of an apparently very small
piece of legislation very badly needed.
There is at least one instance where a
young girl lost an inheritance through
the failure to prove birth by records.
What the governor has obtained for
Alaska‘' has been' through the admin
istration. Unlike the district’s dele-4
gate he lacks the power of initiating
legislation. Incidently, however, it
may be remarked in passing that dur
ing the two years that Governor Clark
has been in office, the delegate has ob
tained but two pieces of legislation for
the territory—a labor lien law which
has been denounced by the miners be
cause it compelled the miner to look
to the dump for his security, and pre
vented him from recovering upon the
property itself, and a bill providing for
the erection of an insane detention
station, as yet unavailable because the
measure failed to provide for the pur
chase of a site.
The difference in the bulk of the mail
which comes to the governor’s office
since it has ceased to be a sinecure and
became an important function makes a
profound impression on the postmaster.
The volume of it is many times greater.
The people of Alaska hope that Gov
ernor Clark will remain in office for a
long time yet. Received two years ago
with a lack of interest if not actual
distrust, the friendship for him
throughout the district is well nigh
universal. The people of Alaska real
ize that he is a hardworking, con
sciencious servant and that he has done
yeoman service for their long neglect
ed cause.
iiMiffid &<
E MCE
Unwilling to escape;
O’Neal and Beany ponder
At all their idle chaff,
Dave Martin approbates the gang
With his prehistoric laugh.
At last a man comes on the scene
And Synder is his name,
A new and curious tenderfoot
Who butted in the game—
With serious face and vacant smile,
This is just what occurred:
He broke the combination
With a frozen Buffalo bird.
Tho’ we know it is all “bunko,”
Meant to capture such as we,
And to bore us good and plenty,
Do we face about and tlee?
No, we listen to their stories,
And about the second call,
At the gaff we! take a nibble,
And we swallow hook and all.
DENNY ORFANUS’ BARGAINS
Denny Orfanus, as will be observed
from his advertisement in this issue
is selling out his stock of goods. Or
fanus has a small stock, but one of
the best selected in Southeastern Al
aska. He offers some rare bargains
which the frugal will do well to take
advantage of.
PAID CIRCULATION, 2ND ISSUE
Regular Subscribers . 169
Sold by newsdealers . 25
Sold by newsboys . 137
Total
331