A. N. B P- BUSHIN ; company
HENRY E. PHILUPtt - - --- EDITOR AND MANAGER
SUBSCRIPTION RATES.
The Alaskuii, six 'months,.... $2.50
Ike Alaskan, per year . $4.00
Published every Friday by the N. B. Publishing Go., Petersburg
Entered in the Post Oflic* in Petersburg as Second Class matter.
"WHAT DOES ALASKA WANT?”
By "AHN-KUTJSTYV
The above question, says Mary
Lee Davis in June number of Scrib
ner’s was put to her recently «y
"A cabinet minister here in VV ash
ington.”
Mary Lee Davis gropes around
considerably and covers several
pages iu tlie magazine, but tails to
give much ot an answer. lire ques
tion and Mary Lee Davis’ a-Dcle
seem to have started a sort ot con
troversial ball a-rolling, and wliat j
the lady has tailed to do, in ex
plaining what Alaska wants, seems
to be a bait tor others ro strike at.
We have gone over "What D_-s
Alaska Warn, quite thoroughly, we
think. The first three or lour pa-1
ragraphs touch on a lit ot history
relative to Seward's deal with t ae
Russians bearing on me sale ot
Alaska to the United states. One
is led to believe, by the article, umi
Russia was mighty sick ot Alaska I
and so anxious to get rid ol it that
she just tumbled over herself :u
looking tor someone to relieve n< r
ot a weighty burden. And < Lai
Seward was so bent on getting pos
session, probably on a gamble1.’s
chance, that he roused a deal of
ire at the time and came near ex
posing the details of the “big deal.
Some of the inside dope' on the
purchase of Alaska is still hidden
in musty record, but it is no par
ticular secret tllfit Russia’s fear of
England taking Alaska by force was
the great big move toward colony
reduction and, eventually, the GIFT
of the territory to this country.
Let s go rearward in years. >» e
were warring at the time. Dad
against dad. brother against broth
er and elouds of battle so oppress
ive and dark that the future at the
United States looked gloomy, in
deed. England was mixed up in the
strife, as one of her many sidelines
in “She Stoops to Conquer” and was
aiding the Confederacy in every inr
direct way possible. Long before
the Civil War, Russia and England
strutted around, looking ugly out
of the corners of their eyes at each'
other and each with chips on
shoulders and aching for a sc -ap.
In fact there had been a mix-up or
two. However, in a general flare
up, Russia was afaid she’d lose
Alaska. • The territory was distant,
difficult to cover and next to impos
sible to protect. As the war of the
rebellion, progressed drearily, Rus
sia noticed the gloved hand of En
gland in the melee. Promptly she
assembled the flower of her navy
and bunched it in one big fleet in
New York Harbor. Outwardly,
this was an official visit of war
vessels. Inwardly she was building
up protection for herself while un
officially.- saying to her old enemy:
“So far-and no farther.” She was
in hope. that England would keep
on butting, into our affairs until a
declaration of war would result,
then she’d make herself a party
to the .conflict, England would be
soundly thrashed and all danger to
Alaska shoved high and dry in the
bone yard. But things didn’t turn
out quite as Russia planned. Eng
land was too cute to be caught, in
this triangle of affairs.
With the close of the Civil War
there came a delicate s ituation.
England was forced to pay to the
United States fifteen millions and
odd dollars for her interference,
but her ambitions, nor her power,
wrere a might injured. Alaska was
in greater danger than before.
In the settlement of things, we
recognized the “visit” of the Rus
sian fleet and desired to pay for it
in some ,way. Here was Russia’3
apportunity. To keep England out
of Alaska she’d give it . to this
country and we’d pay seven mil
lions for her show of force when
uur hours were rather uncertain
and looked badly. On record we
paid tne seven millions for Alaska
uud gave Russia thanks for her
timely call in New York Harbor.
Much of the argument auent the
undesireability of “purchasing”
Alaska in those days was just so
much diplomatic dust.
So the truth is that Russia wasn’t
ured of Alaska. She considered it
of value, albeit the minerals of the
land and the fish of the seas hadn’t
been looked into as of great im
portance at that time. There’s real
tragedy, a streak of luck and the
essence of wholehearted gift in the
getting of Alaska.
WHAT DOES ALASKA WANT?
And what does Alaska want?
She doesn’t want anything that is
n't fair, and what is fair that she
wants she’ll get. It may be slow
iu coming because the country is
big and the population small and
utten we view the same things from
diiferent angles and we talk as we
see.
Sure enough we have our
troubles, but they aren’t so ter
rible when laid flat on the table
and studied carefully. A country
so ruthlessly exploited, as Alaska is,
finds it a heartbreaking task to hold
enough of the wealth of its produc
tions to build up on and make itself
secure.
And there are some things we
surely don’t want. We don’t want
those who vote in the States to
come up here and run, nor attempt
to run, our elections. We don’t
want to be dictated to by outside
BIG BUSINESS. We don’t want
salmon traps blocking our fish runs ■
and commanding entrances to bays, i
inlets, canals, sounds and lagoons :
wherein all other kinds of salmon
catching gear are prohibited. We
don’t want our herring shoals de
stroyed, nor our young herring
ground into fertilizer. We don’t
want our timber to go (into the |
hands of pulp and paper monopolies
in any speculative way, nor do we,
see any advantage in allowing the
forests to be stripped here and the j
manufacture of paper to be carried j
on in the States. Since we may j
supply the raw product, why not1
have some of the payroll? We don’t
want so much of this cheap labor
importation. We don’t want those,
ice and snow pictures so generous
ly circulated as to give the impres- j
si on that Alaska is generally ice-j
bound, snow covered and, literally, I
a frozen north. To circulate pic- ’
tures of the glaciers and snow t
packs of Mount Tacoma as repre-j
senting the all-over climatic condi-1
tions of the State of Washington
would be as untrue and unfair. We 1
don’t want to be bossed by the bu- j
reau heads at Washington, D. C., ‘
.°»,000 miles away. We don’t wrant
to be lied about by junketing poli
ticians from the States. We can
stand being spit on once in a while,
but we don’t want anything of the
kind rubbed in. We don’t want the
treasures of our territory to be
sneaked out and into the laps of
non-resident rich folk while those
who try to make homes here are
obliged to wear dungerees and eat
clams and goose tongue greens to
live. That’s that! i
“As earnest seekers after spirit
ual truths, we would like to know
how long after church must a base
ball game take place before it be
comes a baseball game and ceases
to be an act of blasphemy.” Wil
liam Allen White, replying to a
clergyman who attacked his paper
for placarding world series baseball
score right after church hours on
Sunday..
Talk happiness. The world is
sad enough.
You Can Save Money
AT OUR
CASH And CARRY COUNTER
Look These Prices Over:
Sweet Com - 2 cans 35c
Peas 2 cans 35c
Stringless Beans 2 cans 35c
Cling Peaches - 2 for 45c
Bartlett Pears - 2 for 55c
Appricots - 2 for 55c
These are only a few Samples of Higher Grade Stuff.
There are many other Bargains. Compare these Prices
with what you are accustomed to pay and get the habit
of trading at cur CASH And CARR Y COUNTER.
Genuine...
A western greeting and
a cup of Hills Bros Coffee
No one forgets a western welcome. It’s so
honest — whole-hearted and enthusiastic.
Likewise no one can forget the irresistible
flavor that only a cup of Hills Bros. Coffee
has. You marvel at its richness—its “life.”
It is Controlled Roasting, Hills Bros.’
patented process, that produces this inimi
table, uniform goodness. Ask for Hills
Bros, by name and look for the Arab on the
can. Send for a free copy of “The Art of
Entertaining.” Address Hills Bros., 2 Har
rison St., San Francisco, Calif.
HILLS BROS COFFEE
Fresh from the
original
vacuum pack.
Easily openea\
with a key.
01927
f
Quality
and
Quantity
For less at
The
Modern Grocery
3 mar-": wmmmmBmmmmmmmmmm.
Buy at Star Bakery and Save Mo < /
Fresh Doughnuts, Cup Cakes, 1 oo’-ji'A
and Cinnamon Rolls
Always on Hand Fresh
STAR BAKERY
AMERICA FIRST arrives in Pe
tersburg Friday morning, leaving
for Juneau via Kake-and way ports
about noon.
HAHOW TRANSPORTATION
COMPANY
JACOBITZ TAXI
DAY & NIGHT SERVICE
Stand at Arctic Hotel
Phone 35.
ALASKA CAFE
George Kim, Proprietor
Meals at all Hours
Good Services, Fair Prices
We Solicit Your Trade
When in Town Stop at
ARCTIC HOTEL
First Class Rooms
Reasonable Rates
CARL ROGER, Pro.
ia8nnt»»mummffl»wnnn»n»»iff
Home Service Mending
of Laundered Goods
We give full value for your
money.
H. OYAMA, PRO.
Sanitary Market
A Roast you’ll like
The Very Choicest Beef
Mutton and Pork
Vegetable in Season
8wtfflt8fflffl8n8ffl»»wntmnm»m8
SITKA HOT SPRING
HEALTH RESORT
Rate $3.00 per
day and up
Dr. Goddard, Pro.
X
Built ^
Attractively
You cat £rt
the laten de
signs. in
Sash, Doors
& Millwork
diiectfroathe
manufact trer
at ir.onej sav
ing price,
If'ritt aday
for FIMI' H
lustratod tat
L“MILLWORK«
1 SUPPLY CORPX \ J