Solving 20th Century Problems
E. S. HUNGERFORD
-v
Did you notice the press dis
patches from London quoting
the fourth of July propound
ments of Andrew Mellon and the
nasty slap that Dr. Nicholas
Murray Butler took at the plati
tudes he uttered before the
American Society in that city?
I am no doubt prejudiced; I
will admit that I have never had
a great deal of respect for An
drew Mellon’s ideals since I read
an article, credited to his auth
orship and published in the
4 Saturday Evening P o s t” a
couple of years ago, in which he
made the assertion that his con
ception of ideal conditions would
be to see every man in the Unit
ed States working for a corpora
tion.
In his recent outbreak Mellon
is credited with “Today we are
suffering from a lack of confi
dence, not as regards fundiment
als but only as regards the best
means of overcoming the diffi
culties immediately ahead. These
difficulties we shall overcome in
time. All resources of our na
tional wealth is still there. We
still have our vast natural re
sources, our great industrial or
ginizations with its complete and
modern equipment, and as effi
cient laborers as any to be found
in the world.”
Dr. Butler comes back at him
thusly: “We can no longer solve
the problems of the Twentieth
Century by reciting the maxims
cf the Eighteenth Century or
shibboleths of the Nineteenth
Century.”
It is interesting to listen ta
the Boom! Boom! of the big
guns but when we analyze them
we find that they are merely re
petitions of what we hear on the
streets every day, uttered by men
whom Mr. Mellon classes as effi
cient laborers. Considering the
mess that Mr. Mellon and his
coparceners have made of things
in striving to satisfy an inor
dinate appetite for profits, it
would seem logical to discount
his councils and not hold too
sacred the institutions he and
his kind have built up, also it
would seem logical to consider
the laborers opinion as being as
worthy of consideration as his.
The great industrial organiza
tions of which Mr. Mellon speaks
so highly are to be held directly
responsible for most of our pre
sent troubles—they and the
greed of man. The great indus
trial organizations have included
In their modern equipment the
direction of government acti
vities. Steady pressure has been
applied to change the character
of our government from one
looking first to the interests oi
thq people, to a government in
terested, in altogether too many
instances, in helping the ac
cumulation of dollars for the
vaults of those in commanding
positions.
The pitiful part is the ease
with which they have accom
plished their ends. The tools
they have used have not even, in
most cases, been well paid. Most
Of. the instruments they have
used have taken their pay in
terms of a little brief authority
and patronage. Our standards of
values are warped. We have seen
man after, man quit politics in
disgust, even to the point where
they would not even vote. Until
we are able to rectify this condi
tion we can look for no peacable
solution to our problems.
The chief blame of this con
dition I have always laid to the
press of the country, which has
ir. the interests of greed, too of
ten sought to discard the efforts
of any earnest man or publica
tion, who sought to strike at the
roots of the trouble.
r In Alaska, under Bureaus, the
country and people have been
suffering from the manipulation
;Of particularly vicious big busi
j ness machines and have had for
t defense an almost unanimously
jvbservant and traitorous press.
The remedy for this is quite
simple if the people can be made
i to see it and act on it. Merely
quit patronizing the advertisers
who do not support the papers
whose editors are actively car
rying on the peoples fight
against the manipulations of big
business. By this I do not mean
for the people to subscribe to
communistic magazines and in
dulge in long range blanket
criticisms. I mean for the people
to look around them and clean
up their own front yards. It has
long since passed the day when
a politician dare take the plat
form in defense of bureaus.
When we force the same atti
tude on all of our papers we will
have won our battle.
There is no organization or
political party necessary for this
purpose; no bloodshed is called
for. For the timid at heart not
even a public declaration of in
tention is necessary. Merely a
quiet perusal of editorial col
umns noting of advertisers.
We in Alaska are so placed
that we are powerless to sway
National legislation on most sub
jects, but by consistently and
unitedly insisting that our coun
try’s resources be handled in
such a manner as to cut out
special privileges we will be
creating jobs for from three to
ten times as many people as are
at present employed, and doing
our bit to restore normal condi
tions.
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1,000 Sockeye
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Democratic candidate for the
territorial legislature Joseph
Baronovich of Ketchikan, re
cently brought to his home port
1,000 sockeye salmon. The can
ners had indicated that they
would purchase sockeye salmon
but no other. He peddled his fish
from one canner to another and
finally accepted 10 cents per fish.
Joe is now tied up to his dock—
he managed to pay for his oil
and grub. Another trip and he
would be in debt to the cannery
—they would go to court and
grab his boat in admiralty in
rem. He would be thrown up on
the beach a bit of wreckage af
ter his years of effort to build
up a business.
In plain English—the canners
of Ketchikan are damned fools
Joe has every possibility of being
elected to the legislature. He has
the support of Ketchikan; he
should have the support of the
Empire and the democratic ma
chine; he is related to the citi
zens of the towns of Ketchikan
Hydaburg, Kasaan and is known
up and down the coast to Yaku
tat—he has many schoolmates
in the different towns. If we mis
take not, he will probably run
stronger than any other man on
either ticket. And the canners
i refuse to give him even kindly
treatment.
I
It
The canneries will not em
ploy any considerable amount of
Alaska labor declared Commis
sioner of Fisheries Henry O’Mal
i ley. The canners are curtailing
their packs by limiting opera
tions to fewer canneries and
fewer traps but they are not ac
tually curtailing packs. At the
1 same time they are not employ-.
ing Alaska labor except where
they cannot help themselves.
This is as it should be. A fev
summers ago, O’Malley was ask
j ed; “As between conservation of
salmon and conservation of
j Alaska’s population, what would
you conserve.” His reply was “To
i hell with the population.”
Any person rising to the de
'fense of the O’Malley system in
Alaska should now declare him
| self and point out the benefit
j under the system. No employ
ment—no earnings. Employment
Jof foreign labor—no'employment
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Is Just Too Bad
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of Alaska labor.
Where are those commercial
clubs which were supposed to be
working for the employment of
Alaska’s labor in the canneries
this summer? Where are those
officials who promised Alaskans
labor in the various canneries
this summer? Virtually the only
employment Alaskans are get- j
ting is from those independent!
csnners who are not allied with
the large corporations or with
the allied brokers.
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Taxes
The problem before the next I
territorial legislature will be1
Taxes—Taxes and More Taxes to
cover the appropriations which
exceeded the revenue and which
was not balanced by passage of
a revenue bill. In Oregon there
will be no state property tax—in
Alaska we will venture to say
that there will be a property tax,
—for homesteaders, for property
holders, for canners, etc. Just
think of the thousands of acres
of land owned by a few corpora
tions in the Bristol Bay section
whereby other corporations are
prevented from entering that
district—thousands of acres
which mean nothing to the com- :
panies—to the territory—a r e
non-productive and will remain
so. A tax on such lands will make
a different story. And in what i
State is property of corporation's |
exempt from taxation? The more j
we think on these property taxes j
—the more we like the idea of;
boosting them up.
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F. D.
x
Governor Roosevelt deserved
better from his party than the
awkward, ill-willed launching
his candidacy was given Friday
night. John W. Kelly tells us in
his dispatch that California,
under McAdoo’s direction, was
ready to start the swing for the j
governor in the early hours of |
Friday, but that Roosevelt’s son;
looked at the empty galleries I
and said no. His father had not!
yet had a real demonstration'
and he deserved one—to quicken ,
his heart as he listened in Newj
York and to show the unanimity’
of the party.
So it was Friday night, with
20,000 persons in the galleries,
that McAdoo, wreaking a strange
revenge upon the Tammany,
that defeated him in 1924, rose!
and announced the break of
California from Garner to j
Roosevelt.
The play was arranged. The
pledged delegates and those who
had broken, began the parade of
victory. j
But those of us who were
listening over the radio heard
the boos of the gallery drowning
out the staged triumph of the I
majority delegates and through'
the melee it trickled in that the I
Smith delegations sat tight.
Then when the shouting stopped
and McAdoo sought to complete
Ibis speech, he was booed to the
rafters in a sudden revival. We
can only imagine the heart
break of the son. Governor
Roosevelt, we repeat, deserved
better from his party.—Portland
Oregonian.
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By Arthur Brisbane
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On Pennsylvania R. R. ‘Rain-;
bow,’ eastbound from Chicago,
July 3.—Sunday after the con-'
ention, calm after the storm.;
Many Americans will read care-j
fully Governor Roosevelt’s ad- i
dress to the delegates, outlining!
his plans. Those that do noti
read that address, as well as
statements by President Hoover
and others in both parties, will
make a mistake.
“Prove all things, hold fast
that which is good,”
-x
A recent title to a story in an
Oregon paper says: “Rainfail
suddenly breaks dry spell.” We
in Southeastern Alaska might
well head a stpry: “Dry spell
suddenly breaks rainfall” con
sidering that we have had five
flays of sunshine weather in
fifty.
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IGNORANCE IS RELATIVE
-x
Down in San Francisco Bay on
the 5th of July seven person^
were sent to the doctors for
poison cure while one had died
and another was making a
strong bid for death as a result
of eating mussels.
The Natives of Alaska do not
eat mussels “when the growth of
spring makes itself evident.” The
reason being that after the sun
brings forth to life the verdure,
mussels become poisonous. Had
the San Francisco people not
been ignorant they would not
have died nor had to see the doc
tor.
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ORIGINALITY
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“Americans should realize that
American Indians give us a cul
ture unlike any in Europe. Their
art is individualistic, they have
no competition except that of
imitations.”—Mrs. Henrietta K.
Burton, head of Home Extension
Work, U. S. Bureau of Indian
Affairs. In other words according
to Mrs. Burton, the Indians arc
not immitators—but are very
much immitated. We even re*
member the Boston Tea party
wherein the Colonials dressing
as Indians made the first phy
sical protest against the Stamp
Tax of King George III.
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THE OUTSTANDING ORATION
OF THE G. O. POLITICIANS
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The recent convention of the
Republican Party in Chicago was
not noted for its forensic contri
butions—except for the speech
by Roscoe Conklin Simmons
Negro. We quote the closing
paragraphs for it is a gem of
thought and worthy of a place in
the minds of every American:
“Not long ago I stood before
the tomb of Lincoln. I sought a
word from him for times that
trouble and for the struggle that
often almost overcomes me. As
I stood there I was heavy no
longer. I saw Lincoln every
where, in all the brightness of
his immortal state. It was even
ing and the beauty of the two
light fell upon the grandest
sarcophagus among the tombs of,
the great.
“He seemed to speak. He seem
ed to say: “I died that you might
be fleet of foot. Go. go and speak
t» those who still gather in my
name. Say that I dwell in spirit
about the stout and burdened
heart that now wears the Nation
upon it. Say to Hoover, if by
chance you see-him, that once
I traveled the path now trod by
him. Say to him that that path:
was cleared by time only for the ;
few brave enough to walk along!
toward these immortal fields i
where you sought and found I
me.”
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NO SUBSIDY
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The Arctic Transport Company
announces the, receipt of ad
vices from Governor Parks to the
effect that there will be no sub
sidy for the coastwise service for
the Seward Peninsula, owing to
the depletion of territorial funds
To protect their mail contracts
the company has entered into
negotiations with Howard Lyng
to handle the mail between
Nome and Kotzebue. Lyng has
chartered the M.S. New York to
ply between Nome and St. Mic
hael and the gas schooner Bozo
to ply between Nome and Kotze
bue.
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WATCH HOW THIS IS SPENT
Passing a $300,000,000 relief
bill, congress hands out $200,
000,000 to various states on a
population basis, arfti gives an
other $100,000,000 to the presi
dent “to use as he sees fit.”
We cast no shadows upon the
reputation of the president, but
we don’t like the idea—especial
ly in an election year, with the1
president running for re-election!
The president may be honest j
as the day is long, and we will
credit him with that. But, ob
viously, he cannot know jus;
where this huge sum is most
needed.
He will have to rely on his
political henchmen, who will not
be backward in telling him
where the money will do the
most good—for the Republican
party.
We will trust a president, but
we shall have to be shown before
we will trust partizan politicians
with the distribution of $100,
000,000 in a campaign year.
It is our formal prediction,
here and now, that these mil
lions will be distributed with one
end in view: Votes.
And, if we’re wrong, you can
wire us collect and tell us about
it.”—Seattle Star.
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CALIFORNIA’S DEER
SAVED FROM LIONS
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California still has plenty of
wild life—but not of the night
blooming variety.
It is estimated by the state
fish and game commission that
there are 400,000 deer roaming
"he mountain ranges of the
state.
The fact the state has main
lined its deer population is at
tributed mainly to its fight
against the mountain lion. It is
estimated one mountain lion
kills an average of one deer a
week during his lifetime of ap
proximately 12 years.
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CARCROSS MAN SUCCESS
FULLY RAISES LYNXES
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George Simmons, a fur farmer
at Carcross, Y. T., who raiser
mink and foxes, has branched
out in his biological research,
and is now successfully raising
lynxes. Mr. Simmons now has
six lynx pups, the first ever rais
ed in captivity, and his experi
ments with felis canadensis is
awaited with considerable inter
est by other fur farmers.
The little felines are quite
playful and know their owner as
well as any other young pup
would. They are very shy around
strangers, but respond readily to
their master’s call.
Despite no previous experience
with the propagation of lynx,
Mr. Simmons believes that they
ore as easily raised as mink, and
that their fur can be made tO'
produce an added lustre bp prop
er feeding.
Mr. Simmons is one of the
largest and most successful fur
farmers in the Yukon territory
cr in Alaska. At one sale several
years ago, he sold almost $20,000
worth of fine breeding stock to
Swedish mink breeders.
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Judge’s $1 Sets Defendant Free
Judge Harry H. Porter in
Evanston, 111., police court ac
cidently fined himself $1.
Harry Hoople, 2423 N. Racine
Ave., was assessed a fine and
costs totaling $7 by Judge Port
er. Hoople had ony $6.
To prevent Hoople from going
to jail for lack of a dollar. Judge
Porter reached into his own
pocket and made up the deficit;.
“I trust you to return the dol
lar,” the judge said.
■-—x
HOLY CATS !
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Many doctors were enroute by
automobiles to the town of Ba
cacay, Brazil, to confirm reports
that a 28-year-old woman had
given birth to ten children.
The dispatch said that the
woman, Senora Espinosa Nunez
c'e Antunes was in good health
but the infants had died. There
were eight girls and two boys.
Monte Bay Fool Hall
-X
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A place to meet your friends
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R.C.A.-Victor
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Mail orders promptly filled
Sales FORD Service
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Draying
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Erick Oslund - - Proprietor
Carl Bjornstad
General Merchandise
Groceries
Shoes - Gents’ Furnishings
Haines - - Alaska
Hollywood & Beach
SHEET METAL - HEATING
PLUMBING - STOVE REPAIR]
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Dentist
Sitka
- Alaska
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SVmerkaw liea.\xV$ T&tVot
(Mrs. Jack Wilson)
SPECIALIZING insr
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| Valentine Building, Juneau, Alaska
PIANOS FOR SALE OR RENT
-x
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Band Instruments, - Vfusical Merchandise
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