VALLEY SET!LER
'Published once a week in Palmer,
Alaska for the Matanuska Valley
Farmers' Co-operating Ass'n, for
the purpose of giving news of the
Association's work, problems and
ac c onplishraents •
$1-75.per year
10(^.per copy
FRIEDOS.
tcdav
LHEIT
l3, lo morrow
One of the strangest things about
human nature is the fact that peop
le who are considered our friends
today, and with whom we generally
agree on most things, may, and fre
quently do, disagree with us over
some matter and the friendship cnd3
pronto. Then again some people
with whom we have never a-rood be
fore, suddenly get our point of
view, and v/o become friends. This
is true in all conditions of lifo.
-oliticians, financiers, and busi
ness men, as well as many other
groups are subject to this law of
nature. Perhaps v/e should net take
thi3 fact too seriously, because we
ran't do anything about it. It has
always existed and probably always
v Despite the progress of civ
i.'lsod man in many ways, he still
s .orts to have, a pretty thin veneer
v it com'es to getting along with
his fellow men, when they disagree
wi- a him. Each one of us tries to
irr: v ourselves believe that we are
"lV 'irl ruind r nnurrh tn qurmnunt1 -t-.Vi I
obstacle, but it usually isn't true.
Mesi of us are still a great deal
o bileo and have the same opinions,
tv: we usually hide, to fool our
selves and our fellow creatures.
One of the things that usually
distinguishes the pioneer from his
folks back in the homeland, is his
independence and disregard for what
most people think. Alaska is like
that. '7e doubt if there was ever a
group of people who regard personal
freedom with as much respect as the
average Alaskan. Most of U3 came
to Alaska to get away from regiment
ation and the thousand petty things
that annoyed us in the States. Hot
that we didn't have the proper re
spect for law and authority, but
just a feeling that too many of the
little indignities were totally un
necessary. There was a time in 7*
xaska when nearly everyone was judg
ed by what he did or intended to do,
regardless of the outcome. True,
there were some unscrupulous people
but they couldn't last long, because
they wore soon found out and avoid
ed, if their crimes were of a petty
nature. If they were really danger
ous, they wore taken care of in the
frontier manner.
This brings us down to the present
time, and wo note the change in
people, with regret. Alaska is be
coming so much like the States that
we arc beginning to wonder just
where wo can find another frontier
like this usod to bo. Today, it ap
pears that tho man who gots tho app
lause of tho people is the man who
can make tho greatest number of
"PAST BUCKS". Honesty and charity
seem to be on tho wane, and the
straight talking, realistic minded
pioneer, is losing ground and has
become almost obsolete. There was n
time when people co-opcrated with
one another with little thought of
personal gain. Money was not im
portant, but the good will of his
neighbor was l'ighly regarded. Now,
most people think only in terms of
their own personal gain, or at
least of the small group that ho
runs with. The more civilized a
country gets, the more its jicople
aro inclined to return to the prin
ciple of the wilds, where everyone
is for himself or his pack, and all
jarc eager to devour everyone else.
These people use the church to hide
their real intentions and statesmen
use demagoguery to put themselves in
office. The money changers come in
to the temple and make no apologies
for it.
The more complex civilization be
comes, the more difficult it is to
understand each other and to settle
bur differences. A few intemperate
and malicious people' can frame an
opinion in the minds of many people,
that something is right or wrong,
and make the people believe it. Many
public officials who wore very humb
le before they were elected, become
would be dictators and regard them
bolves as a thing apart from the
rest of the mob. They seem to feel
,that due to their office they have
suddenly become very much smarter
than their fellow citizens, who c
lcctod them to office.
We read a lot about the need for
unity in a community, and we know
that it is a good and necessary
thing. But it can nev^r be accomp
lished if we refuse to consider tho
view point and needs of our neigh
bors. In the little city of Palmer
wo need unity, but wo also need
sound reasoning about the needs of
all segments of our community. Any
little selfish group can destroy
much more progress that the whole
mass can accomplish, if thoir in
tent is to destroy a part of tho
community that is necessary for its
’success. The idea that anyone can
"SOAK" a major part of the people
of any community and escape without
harm to themselves, is foolish and
in the long run, it won't work.
C.R.R.