Dnily Name Ilndugtriäl Markt-H
Published Daily except Sunday
Ml Nome Mine Workers’ Union. Mo. *4(1. Weeien. ► mmaliin <il Miner*.
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"To secure to each laborer the whole product of his labor, or as
aearly »s possible. Is a worthy object of any rood government.”—
kbranam Lincoln
Address all Communications to Dally Nome Industrial Worker,
Box 210 Nome, Alaska Phone. Black 134
All changes Id standing advertisements mu?* reach this office at six
o'clock each evening to Insure insertion In the following Issue.
Advertising rates made known od application.
Entered as second class matter March 1, 1911. al the post office at
Nome, Alasaa, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Nome. Alaska. March 1215, 1010.
The probability that rates woulfl
bo increased on steamship lines to
Alaska has beon looming large be
fore the public for some months,
and now it has practically material
ized.
These are fortunate days for the
ship owners. Tonnage is so scarce
and cargo so freely offers on all
lines of traffic that the supply ot
ships is not equal to tho demand
Rates have therefore gone soaring
and prosperity is a very real thing
for the ship owner.
it might have been reasonably ex
pected that in consequence of this
condition Alaska rates would also
have gone up. No more on this route
than on any other are the shipping
linos operated for pleasure or for
the health of the owners. They are
in the business for dividends, tho
larger the better. Rates however
have been always relatively high in
the Alaska trade. In the first place
it is so situated that foreign compe
tition is to all intents and purposes
eliminated. The patriotic desire to
3oe tho trade under the American
flag always is directed into very
practical channels and coined into
dollars and cents for the benefit ot
ihe proprietary classes. Incidentally
it may be remarked that modern pa
triotism consists in one class sup
r* presslhg Its Interests for thte -beoet#
and profit of another class—at least
to a lr.rgo extent.
Moreover the tonnage !u the Al
aska trade has been restricted to a
certain grade cf steamer which hau
retired from active service on other
waters and spent its respectable old
age stormily enough where it had no
business to be out and about.
llut the freight offered was strict
ly restricted. Limited to the de
mands of a relatively small popula
tion, it did not open a field to any
great amount of tor.r.age and for
that reason many firms did not thing
it worth while going after it.
In consequence those that dhi
were nspired with the very reason
able ideal that precedent has estab
lished for monopoly, ot' charging a1,
tie- traffic would bear and when tin-,
didn’t it was bocim - now r. d then
one (aught glim
parent It u'.-m b;,:i \
(/-rial enough basis in the common
enough desire to uvo'tl a'lling th.
’.oose t! : t laid he golden eggs, IP
they tied the bird up and when they
fattened it .hey did co that Inter
they might enjey when the days ot
golden eggs were past, pate dc foie
gras for their cultured plutocratic
palates.
The Industrial Worker has time
and time again referred to the trans
portation problems of Alaska. Anti
this paper has insisted that those
transportation problems are to bo
solved not by interior railroads but
by oxterior ocean shipping.
it does not matter if the govern
in on t does build a railroad to the
Yukon watershed, that railroad will
not be able to roduce rates to any
serious degree, because of the fact
that those rates will depend still
upon the rates charged from the
ocean terminals in Alaska to the
oceau terminals in the States.
No railroad provides such a con
venient means of reaching directly
the interior as the great river that
pierces into the very heart of the
Territory: the Yukon. River cteam
ers can ply upon those rivors much
more cheaply than could any rail
road trains carry freight across the
Alaska divide into the Interior. But
were not in the hands of a mono
poly would have its advantages
limited by the control of its term.
nals by ocean going steamers.
Very much of the railroad enter
prise that we see, hear apd reau
about Is pork barrel stuff pure and
simple, and will not open and de/
velop the country until transporta
tion to the outside Is made an ad
junct fit any government system oi
This paper is not exceeding.v
kec-n for government ownership.
Conditions of employment are under
government very little better gener
ally, and sometimes very much
worse than under private ownership.
But the fact remains that unless the
people of this country are going to
solve their transportation problem
or (which is much more correct)
have it solved for them, it is to be
solved simply by government pro
viding transportation from Alaska
to outside ports and this should
have been done long before govern
ment thought about using good
money up on a doubtful railroad
proposition.
With a government line of steam
ers to St. Michaels, acting in co
, operation with a government line
of river boats, up to the interior
j points, wo would be provided with
a much quicker and much more sa
i tisfactory solution of the Alaskan
transportation problems than the
government railroad from Seward
to Fairbanks will immediately pro
vide upon its construction. Nor
would the cost be anything so
enormous. Immediately the gov
ernment would obtain an insigh'
into tlie traffic demands of the coun
try and control the situation foi
country's benefit.
(JPfcurMy"'U is obvious that any Spe
culation as to the traffic which will
i follow the opening up of the rall
I road will be more or less conjecture
But what is not conjectural is that
the portion of the territory tribu
tary of such railroad Is so restricted
and so limited and the development
that will follow of necessity Is also
limited and so restricted, that it Is
not impossible it may result In re
tarding the entire territory at the
expense of a very small section in
deed.
It is confidently felt in Fairbanks
| that the construction of the railroad
I would also result in the reduction of
the rates on the river, which no
doubt is correct. But, it is not prob
able that this would benefit tile si
tuation much for taking away from
the railroad traffic, during the busy
umin'.r season, freight which would
i d to assist in paying cpov; i.!cn ox
; ponses throughout the year, would
also mean that during the winter
i months the railroad to recoup itself
would have to insist upon higher
| rates.
In this it is pro-supposed that the
j management of the government rail
road would endeavor to at least
come near making the venture a
profitable proposition.
The railroad for a very consider
able time would face a condition
that steamer transportation does
also face: the fact that its freight Is
carried only one way. This is far
more detrimental to the finances
of a railroad than to the finances of
a steamship company for the reason
that the operating expenses being
directly proportional to the trains
run, are also so much higher than
over an ocean routo.
Now it is quite certain that hav
ing embarked upon the government
railroad there will be no thought
for a considerable time at any rate
of solving the other and more im
portant end of the Alaska trans
portation problem: over the oceaD
In the absence of any effort In this
direction, and It’s why we have con
sidered the matter at such length.
It is to be pointed out that slowly
but surely and steadily with the rise
in rates will also the coot of living
expand Itself. Now no men in Al
aska want to spend all thoir savings
on coal and grub and clothing. No
men in Alaska propose to remain
here for the Immediate benefit the
country gets from their presence.
But in the fact of tho declining pur
chasing power of the wages paid,
what else aro they going to do un
less their wages rise in proportion
to the cost of living?
Wages which prevail now are in
most Instances actually less In dol
lars and cents than paid ten years
ago. And those dollars and cents In
any event purchase from 25 to H't
per cent less than they did ten years
ago. Each year sees one or more
new plane of high cost and expand
In flight far beyond the purchasing
power of the Individual miner.
Either of two things must therefore
happen. Either the cost of living
must come down or the workers
must demand more wages to main
tain the same standard as that
which they have been receiving.
Now the standard of living in
Alaska is low enough. The workers
living here deprive themselves ot
practically all the more enjoyable
fruits of civilization and human so
ciety. These may be more or less
sentimental or esthetic things, buv
in life they mean much to all of us
The pleasant human associations
outside may be no pleasanter than
they are in Alaska, but environment
that nature and man provides out
side are much better and mean a
whole lot to the worker.
They mean more to the worker
than they mean to anyone else. The
beauties of nature: flowers, fields
and, streams, songbirds, parks, gard
ens, these things are very real in
their appeal to the human heart.
But we are denied the benefits of
public libraries, the live literature
of the world, a competent mail
service and other things that are as
common to all outside as one's ev,ery
iday meal.
| We dont live by bread alone. And
! many things that are essential to a
! full enjoyment of even the simplest
j life are denied the workers in a1
I aska. These things have to be eon
| sidered in the rate of remuneration
which is established and to make
that rate any less is to discourage
the workers here beyond measure.
This is why the transportation
problem is a serious one for the
workers to consider. The higher
costs of living press heavily enough
on them now. They have had their
standard of living reduced quite con
siderably by the higher costs and un
less they endeavor to keep up the
wage scale to a scale commensurate
with its diminished purchasing
power, the workers will be actually
worse off than ten years ago. And
they will continue to go down the
line* just as the cost3 of living in
crease.
A man who had the iWntation
self said that most of the art ot
politics consisted in the art of
fooling the public. The people re
fuse to accept such a cynical view
and all that it inevitably entails, buv
recent disclosures as to lobbying and
the influence exerted by the monied
interests have given some pungency i
to the truth of that saying. The! I
other day in a full page adventise- (
ment boosting its circulation and {
telling that it had four correspond- ]
dents at Washington in order to
keep in touch with tho session of
Congress which could be regarded
as the most important and moment
ous held in over a score years, the
Chicago Tribune thus proceeds:
“These special Tribune Corres
pondents will not merely tell what
members of Congress say, but the
motives behind the things they say.
They will not merely tell you what
members of Congress do, but will
show you the motives, the secret in
fluences that make them do it. They
will not merely tell you the obvious,
the apparent, from the front of the
stage, but will take you behind the
scenes and will show you the wires,
the stage tricks and the devices,
and the stage managers who control
them”.
That is written by a great paper, i
It is written by a great capitalist |
paper. It is written by a great ca- j
pitalist paper that prides itself on j
its patriotic respect for the great i
men and great institutions of the j
country.
Yet take those lines and say if j
you can that it could be possible to j
write a severer indictment of Am- J
erican public life, if it were possible j
to expose in any clearer language i
the conception that public life in the j
United States was hopelessly vicious, j
deceitful and insincere: if it were j
possible for any paper however ra- ,
dical to write in so terse yet express- ]
ive sentences the fact that Congress, j
the legislative body, was not acting i
as it appeared to act; was not an j
independent but a body controlled; j
that its members were marionettes
controlled by the stagy managers
who pulled the strings and that
what we saw in the reports and the
records were no real unfolding of
the actual operations and that it
required expert inquiry and analysis
to discover the real motives behind
the operations of the United States
government. It is simply impossible
to say in plainer language that po
litics is a lie; that the sayings and
doings of the politicians were meant
and did deceive the people. That
j behind what we heard and read and
| saw were ulterior motives it was ex«
1 pressly intended should not be seen
or heard and read.
WHEN IN TOWN
l>rop into the
MERCHANTS CAFE.
The Home of Good Eats.
wish”,*, -
YOU ARE SAFE
IN BUYING
ft
y;
ft
I *
- ft
ft
Lowney’s Gandy
ITS PURITY KEEPS IT FRESH.
RECOGNIZED SUPERIORITY
T \STKFlTi PACKAGES
DELICIOUS CHOCOLATES
AND WE GURANTEE EVERY BOX.
11
ft i
ft, I
HILLS PHARMACY
LOWNEY AGENTS.
ftftftftKRfWftftWftftftftftftftftftftftftftlRftfi Kftftftftftftftftftftftgf ftfteftftftftPJftftBBftftiftj
THE NOME INDUSTRIAL WORKER
is prepared to handle
all kinds of
1
I
JOB PRINTING
Let us figure on your
work. Call up Black
134 or call at
THE INDUSTRIAL WORKER OFFICE
v ♦ ‘
| NOTICE
We have been appointed agents
j for the
| Dodge Automobile
The popular, fully=equipped,
pleasure car that satisfies all
I ALASKA LIGHTERAGE & COM’L GO.
!»aag>aggB«gBBBBBg|gBBWaggBIMi
POR YOUR
HATS, SHOES,
MEDDLICOTT AND COOPERS UNDERWEAR AND GREEN
HOOD SHIRTS
AT CHEAP JOHN’S STORE.
OUR PRICES ARE THE LOWEST IN TOWN.
Cheap John Store
Kent Transfer Co.
General Transfer & Freighting
(Qoal & Q//
Phone Main 139.
For Summit and Greenhood
Shirts, Midlicott and Stady Un
derwear and Sox, the best ever
sold for the money.
MURPHY HAS THE GOODS
PHIL MURPHY
Hi
w
ARTIC SPRING
Always at your Service,
j Prompt delivery— Ullzzard or
WATER
Hi
Hi
Hi
S
Shine at usual Rates 16
Buckets $1.00. 50c. a Barrel.
A. D. POTEET.
Phone Red 126.
I INDEPENDENT
MEAT MARKET
Wholesale and Retail Dealer
In Beef, Pork, Mutton, Veal,
Ham, Bacon Poultry and Fish
Game in Season. All fresh
Stock. No old or damaged.
W. H. Webb prop. Phone M.15
A FEW SPECIALS
ON OUR BARGAIN COUNTER THIS WEEK.
QUAIL BRAND, BERRIES, Gal. Cans, 05c. per can.
QUAIL BRAND PEACHES, Gal. Cans, 45c. per can.
QUAIL BRAND APRICOTS Gal. Cans, 45c. per can.
QUAIL BRAND, RHUBARB Gal. Cans, 40c. per can.
SEA PORT PEACHES .$4.00 per case.
FORCE..8 Pkgs. for $1.00.
SHEEDED WHEAT BISCUITS. 8 Pkgs. for $1.00.
MOLLER’S GROCERY
*ii ;ron* mm
PHONE MAIN M
UtE YOU SEEKING A PATENT?
If so It will pay you to investigate
rates of the Industrial Worker on
publication of application therefor.
Srlng your forfeiture notices to the
Industrial Worker.
tot as estimate ea yen M Week
WE CAN DO IT.
For first class work ml proa pi
delivery ph me Main lrtt and ttss
People’s Steam Laundry srUl ol
and get yonr laundry.
W. J. WILLIAMSON Prep,
ara THE NEWS RIGHT* "ff
THE WOKKER.
■ - * •* <