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Our Political Text
-o
Wo unto them that call evil
good, and good evil; that put
darkness for light, and light for
darkness; that put bitter for
sweet and sweet for bitter!
Isaiah.
WE DO NOT BLUSH
-o
We came in for a bit of con
demnation from the versatile
Jack the other night because we
had the temerity to publish the
condition of the cityts affairs
and to thereby bring undue
publicity, and unfavorable, upon
the good name of our city.
Reminds us of the little fei •
low who fell in the dung heap
—he cried not because of the
nauseative aroma, but because
others told him of his condition,
others told him of his condition.
ANOTHER JOLT
-o
XXI Idol/ VYUlIi O XOOUU, VV K-s ^ailV,VX
attention to some of the finan
cial problems facing the next
council. We repeat it again for
the benefit of the voters and tax
payers who eventually must foot
the bill.
There are outstanding $150
000 in bonds with which was put
up the first unit of the hydro
electric plant and the school
house—minus the annex. The
annex was virtually put up from
revenue from the hydro-electric
There is a payment of $10,00C
due very shortly on this bond is
sue-plus interest. Who is going
to pay it and HOW if we whisper
around the corner about it anc
not air it before the taxpayers'
In order to put the electric
plant on a basis where every bit
of revenue obtainable from thai
source may be utilized, a new
pipe line, direct to extra unit
must be installed and without
doubt, the dam raised. Where
is the wherewith going to come
from to meet this necessary im
provement? Must the plant be
compelled to operate at a lower
capacity than possible and its
revenue continue to be limited
to its present 420 kilowatt? Whc
is going to foot this bill, how and
when?
Before the new council can dc
a lick of work, more than three
fourths of its tax revenue i
mortgaged; and in order to ge'
street repairs in it will have tc
continue to take from the hydro
electric to pay other city bill?
and then continue the scratch
around to meet other -obliga
tions.
The tax payers up on the hid
do not get half the water for
which they pay—the capacity of
the intake at the dam is not
sufficient to more than take care
of Front street. With present in
debtedness, how is our contem
porary going to meet the prob
lem without stepping on the ten
der corns of the city council an '
make them pull in their number
nines?
The street condition is worse
than we have seen it at any time
since we came here seven year.:
ago. And with next years tax
es mortgaged up to the hilt, how
is the city going to get in an;,
necessary street improvment''
(We suggest Ed Nelson take hi.
hammer and nail up every street
in poor shape until such time a
they can be made safe).
THE KING CAN DO NO
WRONG
So say some men. But others
have shown that he can do so.
To sit idly by and acquiesce in
every extravagance and ill-ad
vised expenditure is to be a party
to that expenditure. The law of
compensation is immutable and
it will be—it must be paid. To
bow down to any interest be
cause of its position in society
or finance is wrong, un-Ameri
can and it is the right of every
freeborn citizen to demand a
change.
THE RIGHT TO VOTE
The right of every American
citizen to vote these days seems
to be held in light esteem. That
right should be forfeit to those
who. having that right, refuse to
register and to vote. Then will
they learn how valuable that
privilege is—then only will they
learn to use it.
-'
SCHOOL BUILDINGS AND
STROLLER WHITE
Senator A. J. Dimond, of the
Third Division, is asking the le
gislature to give the city of Ta -
nana $7,500 for a school build
ing. We don’t know about the
local need there except that we
presume that the city of Tanana
cannot itself build such a. build
ing. If this is true, we favor the
bill.
Last year, the Legislature gave
the town of Yakutat $7,000 fo^
a school building to accommo
date over 75 kids, a much largei
group than Tanana. This too
was good.
But Stroller White condemns
the Yakutat project and ap
proves the Tanana project.
Isn’t it time for our legisla
ture to treat all its childrer
alike and disregard such mer
as the Stroller?
ELECTIVE OFFICIALS
-o
It looks as if the Legislature
will pass bills providing for the
election by popular vote of ar
auditor (to take over the duties
of the secretary of the Terri-1
tory), a treasurer, and a com
missioner of education.
Hon. Joseph Murray of Cor
dova who voted against ad
vancing the elective treasurer’s
bill in 1927 and thus prevented
its passage, now says “I am nou
and always have been a believei
in the election by popular vote
of all our officers: Treasurer
Commissioner of Education, etc.
but I was and am still opposed
to the Controller Bill.”
Well, Honorable Joseph has
advanced quite a bit. and his
support will mean much to these
elective measures.
THE CONTROLLER BILL
-o
This bill is a scheme to place
all governmental affairs in Alas
ka (except those given by the
federal government to federal
employees), in the hands of of
ficers elected by the people ol
Alaska.
One "scheme would make the
Board of Control comprise the
Treasurer, an Auditor and one
other (perhaps the Commission
er of Education if he was elect
ive;. These men would have
duties like this—the Controller
might exercise the duties now
handed over to the Governor,
the auditor might replace the
secretary, and the treasurer of
course keep his own.
Those who oppose the scheme
do so to protect the Governor
who now performs many terri
torial duties not given him by
the federal government but by
the territory—among these are
appointment of various boards,
trustees of the Pioneers’ Home,
publicity, etc.
“We still believe that the peo
ple of Alaska should govern
themselves thru their own elect
ed officers. This belief should
“
not start a controversy about
the federal governor, an office
for which the people of AiasKa
are not responsible, whose duties
have been prescribed by Con
gress, and who will remain the
Governor regardless until Con
gress itself commands other
wise.
THE DEAD LINE
-o
Freedom to choose his faith,
his politics, his friends, his call
ing, his ethicsical standards—*
and to take the consequences of
such choice—is the inalienable
right of every American citizen.
Through his influence, if he has
any, and through his vote if he
has not, he can without re
straint help to frame the condi
tions under which he desires to
live.
He can express his personal
opinion about laws he imagines
to be unfair or oppressive, he
nan combine with others to get
those laws modified or repeal
ed. But admitting his right to
object to laws he does not like
—“still, while they continue in
force, for the sake of example,
they should religiously be ob
served.”
These are the words of a
greater than any present living
man. To them there is no re
strictive clause. When we come
to the observance of law we have
reached the dead line on per
sonal liberty.
The man who crosses this
:iead line does so at his own
peril. And when he is one en
trusted with a public office and
sworn to see that others respect
and obey the laws, without ex
ception. he is also a peril to the
whole community.
To disregard the obligation to
abide by the law is to cross the
dead line; to flout the sworn
duty to enforce it is to cut off
every avenue of return.
THE MILLS THAT I LOVE
By James R. Little
Sourdough of ’97
“I’m tired of the rustle and
hustle,
T’m sick of the racket and din,
I want to cut loose from the
bustle ,
Go out where the rivers begin.
“ ’Mongst the spruce and tall
tamarack;
I want to make camp on a lake
shore;
In an old tumble down log
shack.
| “I’m tired of the pomp and
grandeur,
I “T’m sick of the falseness and
bluff;
; I want to get up where the j
country
Is virgin and wooded and rough.
I long to wake in the morning
And pull on an old flannel shirt
And cordaroy pants that are j
mended
And mocasins covered with dirt, j
•
! I care not a cuss where the place
j is,
!Nor how far it may be,
| So long as its up in the open
‘Where I can unleash and be
free.
Where the odor of pine and '
hemlock
Will greet me whene’er I awake, j
And the moon casts its shadows |
at nightfall j
On the pine on the wind rippled j
lake.
“Just give me my pipe and to
baco,
Some coffee and bacon and then
Turn me footloose away in the
forest, !
Far off from the pathways of *
men.” i 1
40 PER CENT INCONSISTENT i
By James R. Little. «
-o
Most drys are ridiculous. They ♦]
vote dry and drink wet, 40 per »j
cent of the money spent in the »j
country to enforce the law could 1 j
be saved if the drys would stop j
drinking and observe the law.
Not that the drys drink 40 per
ent of the booze, consumed, |
ut the example of sincerity i
rom the small but conspicuous J
roup of drys who lap cocktails |
,nd such would be worth 40 per
ent of the enforcement fund in
irying up America. There is no
ense and no earthly use of be
ng a long-nosed killjoy. The
vorld is full of fun, and it does
lot take a highball to dig it out.
Ls soon as friends of prohibition
>egin to observe the law it will
:ease to be ridiculous and a
oke. Putting the same thot in
lifferent words, it is not the boot
eggers and the wets who are
seeping this country wet, it is
Jhe drinking drys.
MELLON’S SENATE FOES JOIN
IN ATTACK
A prelude to the approaching
Hoover Administration w a s
leard in the Senate on the 2nd
af March in opposition voiced
against Andrew W. Mellon, who
bas served eight years as Secre
iary of the Treasury and is about
to be re-named by the Presi
dent-elect (n o w) President
Hoover. Old foes of the Treas
ury head led the attack, and for
the most part their criticism
and charges yent unanswered.
Senator McKellar, Democrat,
of Tennessee, gave notice that
he would not vote for confirma
tion of Mellon if he were renom
mated by Hoover. He declared
Mellon an “unfaithful public
servant” who “should have been
discharged for inefficiency yearn*
ago.” He was complaining of
the amount of tax refunds al
lowed by the Treasury.
Senator Couzens, Republican .j
of Michigan, supporter of Mr. >
Hoover, took up the attack
along with Senator Wheeler
Democrat, of Montana. Couz
ens and Mellon have been at
odds for more than six years and
engaged in a wordy dispute by
mail over administration of the
Treasury five years ago.
The Michigan Senator des
cribed Mellon as “either dishon
est or gullible” for resisting re
forms in the administration of
taxation and particularly in re
gard to tax refunds
Senator Wheeler recalled the
bituminous coal strike of last
year and said a Pittsburg coal
| company policeman had caus
ed the death of John Bereski, a
Tyre, Pa. farmer-miner. Wheel
er added Mellon was interested
in this company.
“The country,” Wheeler de
clared, “ought to know the kind
of man it is going to have as Se
cretary of the Treasury for the
next four years. Hideous crimes
are continually being committed
by these iron and coal police,
many of whom are working for
Mellon in the Pittsburg region.”
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4^Sjrl*y Satisfaction Always
^ 5§P || Guaranteed
Ig#' A complete line of men’s
furnishings for work or
dress. A fine line of
Goods for women
Oanoiintans’
AT TENTION !!
Boat Owners
We can take care of general repair in wood and caulking
and all the blacksmith work on any boat up to 100 feet in
length at
Petersburg Marine Ways
J« C. Holton & Ed. Walwick
For Durability 1 nsist On “TONCAN” Metal
wttanmgnnni
IMS
Model BaKery
All Electrical Equipment
Ihe home of Fsr.cy Cakes and Pastry
A Complete Line of Bakeiy Gccds always on hard
^(Utcst S\\x&vos>
portreits *l9sk«
Lgnascapes \Ikws
C OPYING AND ENLARGING
TINTING AND COLORING DONE IN OIL
FRAMING DONE TO ORDER
Service first
Oxo-Acetylene - Pipe Fitting And
Cutting & Welding Sheet Metal Work
GENERAL
BLACKSM1THING
Johe R. Kolstrand.
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Front Street. - Petersburg, Alaska g &
While the discussion indicat
ed that a contest would be wag
ed against Mellon’s confirma
tion, there were many in amo
tion that Mr. Hoover might nuo
give the Senate that opportuni
ty. There are some who hold
that the new President wo aid
not be called upon to forward
to the Senate the nominations
of those Cabinet officers who are
continuing in office.
The discussion began with an
attack by Senator McKellar on
the compromise in the defi
ciency bill by the House and
Senate conferees on his amend
ment to provide for public hear
ings on tax refund cases involv
ing more than $10,000.
The bill carried $75,000,000 for
tax refunds and McKellar’s
amendment was modified to al
low for hearings by committees
in the internal Revenue Bureau
on refunds involving more than
$20,000,000 and providing that
the decision be made a public
record.—New York Times.
Thomas B. Rhone, M. D.
Physician and Surgeon
Office Resident
Dsnves Bldg. Arc tic Hot«l
John Panning
1 SHOE STORE
Dealer in
Complete line of Silk Hosiery
Best grade of Shoes for men,
women and children.
Best Duality Goods
at very low price.*
!
Shoe repairing neatly done.
x
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<^x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~:~x»s»
Buy at Star Bakery and Save Money
Fresh Doughnuts, Cup Cakes, 1 oo
and Cinnamon Rolls
Always on Hand Fresh
STAR BAKERY
AMERICA FIRST arrives In Pe
tersburg Friday morning, leaving
lor Juneau via Kake and way ports
about noon.
HAHO TRANSPORTATION
COMPANY
|fflmnt?mmim»t:wwn»n»»nnm»
: DRS. f. V. & R. L. CARLiCN |
Optometriste and Opticians 2
218-19 Commercial Building j
| KETCHIKAN, ALASKA j
Advertise in THE ALASKAN.
£ c- coco o oooooo:o_acaatc«B»»»»>c»
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5
Home Service Mending
of Laundered Goods
We give full value for your
money.
H. OYAMA, PRO.
nao'oo»ooo.o<o<>ooo^ooooi
Sanitary Market
A Roast you'll like
The Very Choicest Beef I
Mutton and Pork
Vegetable in Seaton
1 Built
Attractively
You car eet
the lates de
signs in
Sash, Doors
& Millvork
diiectfro uthe
manufact -er
at none? «a»
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ff'ritt mj t
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