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• «<>•&_FAIRBANKS, ALASKA, DECEMBER 20, 1913_ __
1
Jack Wade Alaska, Nov. 25, 1913.
Mr. A. Knowles,
. Fairbanks, Alaska.
Dear Comrade:
The issues of the Al
aska Socialist of Sept. 29tli and Oct. 1st
received and contents noted. I wish to
congratulate you on the start you have
made, and, while you will no doubt im
prove right along, it was all that could
be expected considering the handicap
under which you were working.
There were many who came into the
party during the last campaign who did
. not* belong there. But, of course, that
was to be expected. We should always
make them live up to the constitution of
tl -iarty, for we want no political trad
eis in our midst and we have no secrets
in our party, for secrecy breeds corrupt
ion. Those who are guilty of irregular
ities we must get rid of as quickly as
possible.
I was one of those that for twenty
years was a political derelict. I was
looking for the road that the workers
must travel in order to emancipate
themselves from wage slavery, for the
working class must emancipate them
, selves leaders will never do it. Many
years I had imagined that I was a social
ist but until I took up the study of Marx
, I did not know for a certainty where I
was at. Before I tackled Marx I thought
referendum, recall, in fact reform issues
were Socialism. The true basis of Social
ism I knew nothing of. I never read of
Socialism except from the pages of the
capitalist press evidently written for the.
' purpose of distorting the real facts.
If you have a little space to spare it
will be appreciated as I havs nothing
' but best wishes for the success o f the
paper and the emancipation of the work
ing class.
I subscribe myself,
Fraternslly,
A. A. Mc.Candless.
The First Coat
ever made in?Fairfcanks now
On Exhibition
MARKS THE TAILOR
Now open for business
first AVENUE Opps. NORDALE
Repairing. presssng?& cleaning.
All kinds of furs remodeled,
Ladies and Gents.
ALL WORK GUARANTEED
Phone 113 B
PALACE
Barber Shop
& Baths
JULIUS HOFFMAN, Prop.
CUSHMAN STREET
'
______ I
I
ARCADE
TAILORING
Sec. Avenue opps.. The Pirate
Suits sponged & pressed
. only $1. Eurs repaired at
short notice, and low prices.
K T
V-afcscribe for The Alaska Socialist.
LANDLORDISM IN TANANA
THE REASONMANY WORKING MEN IN THE
TANANA LOSE MR WAGES
Of the many ills from which the work
ing men of the Tanana valley suffer none
have brought such distress and misery
to them in this bedrock cursed mining
camp than loss of wages caused through
landlordism. Few countries or peoples
have felt the iron heel of landlordism
more oppressively than the workingmen
who have been obliged, through ecoo
nomic necessity, to work for wages in
this camp. Although the workingmen
may not have rented his houses or his
lands, yet they are victims of his exploit
ation just as directly a s though they
were his real tenants. Where mining
ground is operated under a lease, as the
greater part of it is in the Tanana Valley
his rent or royalty,under the law, is a
first lien on the product of the wage
worker’s labor.
Through some means or other the
landlord has secured possession of the
mineral lands of the Tanana Valle}', But
in few instances does he develop amine
or take any of the risk of mining. Under
existing laws where the owner does op
erate the mine himself he is responsible
for any indebtedness incurred through
such operation. But by having his
property worked by a lessee he evades
all responsibility, and has a first grab
for his royalty on all mineral product.
Therefore, where the value of mining
ground is in any way doubtful he will
refuse to operate it himself but will en
deavor to have it operated under a lease.
It is estimated that there is at at the
present time about $800,000 worth of un
paid wages due to workingmen in the
Tanana, time checks that are absolutely
worthless, the exact figures not being
available. But it is a fact that the maj
ority of workingmen who have remained
any considerable length of time in this
camp are carrying around in their pockets
unpaid time checks, usually issued by
persons operating mines uuder the lease
system ; and gave those whose labor pro
duced the gold the short end of the deal.
The workingmen too often blame the
layman for the failure and overlook the
landlord. They are usually barking up
the wropg tree. Those sacred rights of
landlordism are the same in the Tanana
as they are in Ireland or Russia. Where
in do they differ ? The Irish or Russian
landlord takes his rent although the
peasant and his family may starve. The
Tanana landlord takes his royalty just as
heartless though the Tanana working
j man may- starve. And the loss of wages
in Tanana has made many- an Alaska
widowo n the outside.
If the Tanana workingmen would do a
little quite reasoning for themselves and
look back to the places where they had
lost their wages they- would find that if
the royalties that had been paid to the
landlord had been applied to the pay
ment of wages, that the loss to the
laborer would be insignificant compared
with what it is to-day. If any person
should be obliged to take the short end
of the deal, in justice, it should be the
landlord. He is the speculator. But un
der the lease system he has the cinch,
the workingmen are the speculators.
Let the workingmen just reason out
the advantages of the landlord. When
he locates what is supposed to be min
eral ground its value is an unknown
quantity, it is in the problem. Nothing
but labor will demonstrate its value. If
performs that labor himself he is entitled
to all he finds. If he incurs any indebt
edness his claim is liable for it. But if
he should decide to have it developed
under the lease system, how then? He
selects some person as lessee that has
some capital and the reputation of being
a good miner to go upon the ground.
And as is customary the lessee employs
laboring men as it is not possible to
carry on mining extensively without em
ploying labor. And as mining is one of
the blindest business propositions in the
world men are kept working for long
periods o f time without any accurate
knowledge of v/hat their labor is produc
ing, hoping sqme day to find pay. And
during the winter season’s work when
the greater part of mining indebtedness
is incused they are unable to tell just
what their labor is producing by reason
of their not being able to wash up. In
the spring season they discover that the
work lias not paid. Now during the win
ter they have done a great deal of pros
pecting for the landlord, as well as tak
ing out gold to pay themselves. When
the cleanup comes Mr. landlord is al
ways on hand to grab his royalty and
give the workingmen the short end of
the deal. Altnouge he working
men have not only paid the landlord’s
royalty but they have prospected his
ground for which he is not responsible
With the forfeiture of the lease he re
gains possession of the ground unincum
bered by the failure with all the improve
ments made by the workingmen on the
claim for which they have not been paid.
Now that bombastic man that has been
thrice sent to Washington by the voters
of this Territory, first, by hypnotizing
the voters of this district into supporting
his candidacy for delegate to Congress
chiefly, by pledging himself if elected to
secure the passage through Congress of
a miner’s lien law that would secure to
the mine workers protection for their
wages. And Wick labored to bring forth
a lien on the dump, kuowing full well
that in the majority of cases that was no
security for wages. In nine cases out of
ten where the dump is good security for
wages there is no need for a labor lien
on the dump the wages will be paid with
out any recourse to law. But lo and be
hold you, when the learned judge inter
preted the law it meant the lessee’s in
terest in the dump that was holding un
der the lien ; the sacred royalty of the
landlord was exempt. Royalty first if
you please. Do the miner realize what
such„a lien means ? If you take out your
wages after paying royalty, you may be
able to collect^them by law, but if you
do not, what then ? Are you as wage
workers consulted as to what ground
will pay to work ? Or have any say as to
whether it will pay or not ? If you take
a pan and attempt to prospect what will
happen ?
Why should workingmen take the risk
of mining through the mistakes or bad
judgment of their employers, the maj
ority of whom have everything they pos
ess mortgaged or placed in safekeeping
beyond the reach of any workingman in
case of a failure, the landlord secure a
gainst all liability by reason of his notice
posted on the claim.
There is little mining ground left in
this camp that will pay wages and roy
alty, and until the laws of this Territory
recogniz that a partnership exists between
landlord and tenant there will be ho sec
urity for wages, and we must endnre the
curse of landlordism.
DAN McCABE
VAULT, ALASKA.
I
WHAT ABOUT YOUR EYES
Do you not think they need attention ?
¥/e. test them free of charge and wiU
guarantee our work on fitting glasses.
Red Cross Drug Store.
The Rexall Store.
FAIRBANKS ALASKA
6
Socialism stands, uot for better wages,
but for the abolition of the wage-system.
Subscribe for The Alaska Socialist
ADVICE FROM A COMRADE
Dear Comrades:
Y cur paper is a won
er. Keep after the capitalists our com
mon enemy and keep u s posted o n his .
troubles and his tricks but keep our own j
troubles in the dark. If you see a social
ist doing dirty work don’t advertise it to
the world but proceed to remedy it by a
secret session.
Yours Fraternally,
A Comrade.
READ THE DISCUSSION ON
THE RECALL OF JUDGES AND
FIND OUT WHY THE LAWYERS
ARE OPPOSED TO THE RECALL, >
j
l
ELECTION RETURNS
From late papers.
Socialist Defeats Fusion
Shelby, Ohio.—Daniel Howe, Socialist,
elected mayor with one hundred maj
ority over fusion candidate.
Victory in Coshocton
Coshocton, Ohio.—Election for mayor
resulted as foleows : McDonald, repub
lican, 818 ; Heffelinger, democrat, 691 ;
Staats, Socialist, 854. Staats elected by
36.
Gain in Schenectady
Schenectady. N. Y.—Socialists lost
heads of tickets in city by fifteen hun
dred against fusion of democrats repub
licans and progressives. Elected sheriff,
assemblyman and five alderman and con
sider it a magnificent victory for the
working class. Vote increased by two
thousand over election of last year.
S. L P* Vote in New Jersey*
Newark, N. J. Nov. 10.—According to
the canvass made by the County Board
of Elections, John Butterworth, Socialist
Labor Party candidate for governor re
ceived 395 votes in Essex County. Reilly
Socialist party candidate, polled 2310.
S* L. P* Vote in Boston Rises*
Reimer, candidate of the Socialist Lab
or Party for governor of Massachusetts,
received 277 votes in Boston, according
to the Boston Post. Last year Reimer, as
Socialist Labor Presidential candidate
had 176 votes. Wrenn, Socialist party
candidate, had 1,311 votes
DEBS TO GO INTO COUNTRY
FOR HIS HEALTH
It is reported that Eugene V. Debs
will begin a three months’ effort to re
cover his health by living the .life
of a ranchmen forty miles from
Denver.
Pie has returned to Terre Haute, Ind.,
from the Battle Creek Sanitarium and
declares that the lounging and lying a
round process was ineffective.
—NEW TIMES
CRIME
Crime being a morbid emanation of
capitalistic conditions, tends to interfere
with their normal functions, and the
punishment of crime is thus the legal
means employed to consolidate and pro
tect these same relations. Penal sanct
ions have, accordingly, followed the al
ternate prevalence of the different forms
of ownership and favored the entire ev
olution of property. Thus an agriculture
state metes out its heaviest penalties to
crimes against landed property, while
a commercial state punishes most severe
ly the crime of issuing false money. Sev
erity against theft, again, is an indic
ation of ths prevalence of movable over
fixed property. P'or this reason primitive
Roman law proceeded with great severity
against thieves, while under the code of
Justinian the rigor of the early law was
considerably modified. And in general
each state proceeds most severely against
the crimes that injure i t s Dredoininent
interests.—From ECONOMIC FOUND
ATIONS OF THE LAW.
It is reported that a sabotager visited
one of the local hotels and on his bill
being presented under the door request
ing payment of his room rent escaped
through the window. The last that was
heard of him he was discussing the
length of time that would elapse before
the Socialists were ready to take over
the industries as he was ready to take
them over now, especial!)- the betels.