SEATTLE GETS ANOTHER SHOT
Apparently nowhere in Alaska has
the Seattle “Square Deal League” any
frineds. In a letter to its president,
Governor ('lark this week says:
“Mv Dear Mr. Piggott: I have re
ceived in the mail a copy of a circu
lar letter bearing date of ‘December,
1911,’ which bears the facsimile signa
ture of Rufus R. Wilson as secretary
of the Alaska Square Deal League. It
is not usually worth while to reply to
a circular, but in this instance there is
a specific invitation to offer sugges
tions in regard to the aims and pur
poses of the Alaska Square Deal Lea
gue, and, moreover, I am deeply inter
ested in the letter and the printed mat
ter which acompanies it.
“Since I am invited to offer sug
gestions, it is a fair inference that I am
invited to express whatever opinions
I may have in the premises. To put it
rather bluntly, it is my opinion that the
organization which is sending out this
-circular letter is not exactly worthy of
its name—if we are to judge by the
contents of the circular which accom
panies it. The subject which is most
prominently mentioned in the circular
and its accompanying printed matter
is that of an elective legislature for
Alaska, Now, there are a great many
people in Alaska who do not believe
at all that it would be a square deal to
give this territory an elective legisla
ture at present. These people honest
ly believe that the territory would
lose more than it would gain under
what is commonly called “home rule.”
Ostensibly, the Alaska Square Deal
League is trying to do something bene
ficial for Alaska..
“How was it determined that just,
such things would be. beneficial for that
territory, and just what things would
not be beneficial? I observe that near
ly all of the officers and the members
of the executive committee as printed
on the letter head of the league, are
residents of Puget Sound and not of
Alaska. Can you assure me that all of
these men who are prominent as of
ficers and committeemen in you? league
are fully informed as to the conditions
in Alaska, and whether these condi
tions warrant at the present time the
establishment of an elective territbrial
legislature? I am among those who ap
preciate the great interest shown by
the people of the whole Pacific coast
in the development of Alaska; but the
members of your league will certainly
be exposed to much just criticism by the
people of Alaska, and your efforts fail
to be appreciated, if you champion
measures which are essentially politi
cal in character, and upon which the
people of Alaska are themselves divid
ed. The most important question which
eoneerne Alaska’s progress today are
not political questions at all, and are
not those upon which the people of Al
aska are seriously divided in opinion.
If the Alaska Square Deal League
wishes to accomplish something bcaei*
ial and useful, would it not, in your
opinion, entertain a better chance of
success if political questions were let
alone and the efforts of the league di
rected towards securing for Alaska those
things which are not maters of politi
cal discussion at allf
I observe that there are two organ
izations in Seattle whose names indi
cate that their purpose is to secure a
square deal for Alaska. Yet I hear
that the two organizations are not en
tirely in harmony with each other. The
question naturally arises, since they
are not in harmony, which organiza
tion proposes really to get for Alaska
a square deal; and if both are going to
get a square deal for us, does one prom
ise any greater degree of squareness
for us than the otherf”
(Signed.) WALTER E. CLARK.
AN ALASKA OCTOGENARIAN
There is, probably, no country on
earth whose inhabitants possess person
al histories of such absorbing interest
as Alaka. The Sourdough presents this
week a thrilling story of a sourdough,
and it hopes that it will be the first of
a long series of live stories of the men
of Southeastern Alaska. This is the
story of Anton Marks, as told by him
self, at the request of this paper:
"I was born in Malada county, Aus
tria, in 1830. It was custaomory in
Austria in those days that all young
men of the age of eighteen years should
serve the government from ten to
twelve years in the army. As my bro
ther was a general in the army, 1 got a
passport from the governor for a three
years' cruise. 1 sailed along the coast
of Austria for some time, then along
the coast of France; from. France to
England; from England to Turkey;
from Turkey back to England; then to
Spain, and from there to the Philippine
islands. I ran away from the Austrian
ship and went to New York. From New
York 1 made trips to England and then
back again to New York. I quit the
ship at New York and went ashore. 1
watched for a chance to go to Califor
nia.
“I could not got passage on a ship
for a month or two. 1 did not know
what to do, as I could not speak any
language except my own. 1 thought I
would join the American navy. I went
several times to enlist, but each time
turned back. 1 then made up my mind
to go to California and dig gold. I
sailed on an American vessel.
It took us six months and eight days.
I stayed in San Francisco three weeks,
going from there to Santa Clara where
I stayed over a year, and then decided
to go to Nevada City.
I rolled my blankets and started on
foot with my blankets on my back.
At Stockton I stopped three days to
take a rest. From there I walked to
Nevada. How long it took 1 cannot re
member.
I made money in Nevada, working
underground and speculating in min
ing ventures. I was there a year and
two months, and at the end of that
time 1 had so much money I did not
know what to do with it. Then I roll
ed my blanket? again, walked to Sac
- > at from there to
San Francisco, and from there to Port
land. From there I went to Boise.
1 took up a placer claim at Bannock,
and did very well there. I also went
into the hotel business there. Still re
taining my interests at Bannock, I
went to Montana prospecting. T took
up a claim there and sold it for $11,
000. I then returned to Bannock, and
remained there until my hotel burned
down.
After the fire I went to Silver Ci
ty, Idaho. I stayed there for two
years. I did well there, too.
I was in Silver City when the In
dian war broke out, and with a lot of
miners I went as a volunteer to help
General Crooks.
We were with General Crooks for
two months and participated in a
number of engagements. We did not
like his way of fighting, however, so we
left him before the war was over. We
continued to fight in our own way, how
ever, and we were corralled once by
Indians for fourteen days. Then we
broke out, and a hot fight followed.
We fought steadily for three months.
During the trouble, the Indians tor
tured many men and women. I helped
to bury many poor unfortunates who
had been cruelly murdered. We all
took scalps in that war, and I came out
with a bunch of fourteen. .
I passed the following winter at
Walla Walla, and on my waj back to
Silver City in the spring, we passed
about 67 or 70 Chinamen. After we
were about a quarter of mile ahead of
them we heard them yelling. The In
dians killed them all but one. We went
to the nearest fort and reported the
occuranee to the U. S. officials and then
accompanied the officials to the scene,
and helped them bury the dead China
men. The Indians were taken to the
fort, where they were kept a while and
then turned loose.
About three month safterward I left
Montana for British Columbia and
went to the Frazer river. Here I met
a man named Dennis Cane, who was ta
king passengers up the river, charging
for the services and employing Indians
to carry the freight, of which we had
about a thousand pounds each. We con
tracted with him, and he told us that he
had Indians coming down the river to
take us up. We waited for some days
for the Indians to appear, and when
they did not appear he told us to pole
up the river half a day and we would
meet the Indians at a village there. We
did this, but the Indians were not
there, and we were told that we would
(Continued to Page 6)
SLIPPERYSTUFF
When drawing your pay, if you wish
to avoid spending all, lay aside just
enough for present needs; then bring
the balance to this bank and deposit
it in a savings account. We pay inter
est on such accounts, compounding
semi-annually and accept any sum from
ONE DOLLAR up.
OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS:
Henry Shattuck, Pres. J. E. Beale,
Cashier. F. W. Bradley, John Reck, P.
H. Fox, Geo. F. Miller.
FIRST
NATIONAL I
BANK 1
JUNEAU, ALASKA i
♦
♦
For Dainty and Beautiful
Christmas presents the
stock of
0mer €♦ Smith
Douglas Alaska
is without a rival on Gasti
neaux Channel. Silver Toilet
Articles—the handsomest sets
ever brought to Alaska. Cut
Glass dishes and vases, and
many other articles people of
taste choose as gifts for their
friends and relatives at Xmas
“ESTATE”
OAK HEATING STOVES CANNOT
BE BEATEN
One cannot be too careful in buy
ing a store in this climate. After
yean of experience, I bare come to
handle the ESTATE OAK because
it is peculiarly adapted to the Al
aska winters. They axe little giants
to heat, and cannot be beaten for
economy.
A Good Stock of Heating
STOVES
Always on Hand
MCS
JenSon
Corner Second & D Streets