Pubished every Friday by the Alaska Native Brotherhood Pub
lishing Company at Petersburg, Alaska.
Entered in the Post Office in Petersburg as Second Class Matter.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
Six months, $2.50 Per Year, $4.00
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LOUIS F. PAUL,.
MANAGER and EDITOR
Stopping a Waste of Public Money
■-x
The wasting of public moneys
has been stopped by closure of
the Matanuska agricultural sta
tion which has been operating
under direction of Prof. Alberts.
M. D. Snodgrass for many years
connected with the department
has had active supervision. The
station at Sitka was closed
simultaneously with Matanuska
—to save money.
We are in hearty sympathy
with the effort to save money—
not much it is true, but “many
a mickle makes a muckle.” For
many years the government has
operated the station especially
at Sitka and later the Railroad
station. They expended much
money to show the world that
Alaska is an agricultural coun
try and grain and vegetables
could be raised; that Alaska was
not one great big ice berg. And
Prof. Georgeson and Dr. Alberts
both proved to the world that
Alaska IS an Agricultural coun
try—all the world save the For
estry Department.
Agents of the Forest Depart
ment go about informing pros
pective homesteaders that there
is no agricultural land in Alas
ka; that it costs too much to
dear the lands; that they might
take up five-acre tracts but may
not take up 160 acre tracts. They
make useless and wasteful the
expenditure of the Department
of Agriculture to prove that
Alaska is a farming section and
that waste has now been stop
ped. The agents of the Forest
Department should be proud
that they have plugged up a
financial leakage and saved the
poor tax payer the small sums
of money necessary to continue
those schools.
However, Matanuska station
will be operated in conjunction
with the Alaska College. And
the next legislature will be ask
ed to finance the operating ex
pense. If it is used to produce
supplies for the college, fine—
but as an educational factor, if
the Federal government cannot
make a go of it, how can the
Territory? The legislature will
have other problems more press
ing than financing the experi
mental farm—such things as
balancing the budget, getting
taxes out of defunct organiza
tions and corporations, adding
more taxes on those corpora
tions which will still be operat
ing. It will not have much time
for experimental stations which
cannot produce an agricultural
country with all the 17 million
or more acres of land in South
'eastern Alaska which is none
j different from the Norwegian
climates. And still, Alaska is
“not agricultural country.” Ask
[the Forestry Bureau, they know!
Proving Alaska Suitable For Farming
--x
Much is said of developing |
Alaska. Much more will be said.
But nothing much will be done;
about it.
M. D. Snodgrass, for several
years connected with the Mata
nuska agricultural station has
shown that the potentatial mar
ket for farm products in An
chorage alone is $271,972 annual
ly. Eggs, and beef lead with ap
proximately $52,281 each with
buiter third with $34,254; can
ned milk, $25,590; pork (fresh)
$22,760; bacon, $10,711; mutton,
$17,800; etc.
The Forestry Department a
gents do not take Southeastern
Alaska seriously as an agricul
tural country. In fact, they are
outspoken in their declarations
that “This is non-agricultural
land.” They point to the cost of
clearing the Wrangell Institute
grounds—eight and a fraction
acres for $18,500 and declare
that no farmer could clear land
at those figures.
In the first place the con
tractor in that instance new
nothing about clearing land; in
the second place he spent more
time in his hotel room than on
the job.
We point to the Norwegian and
Swiss mountains terraced into
farming districts and in many
ether countries where the cost
of building farming country ex
ceeds that of Alaska. What has
teen done in other countries
certainly can be accomplished
in Alaska—if the bureaucratic
dumbheads only gave citizens
a chance to develop farming dis
tricts.
There is no better farming soil
than the Wrangell Institute. A
chemical analysis made by the
Oregon Agricultural College
shows it richer than any Oregon
soil—but “it is not agricultural
country.” It did have a few
sticks of timber and a few
stumps standing before cleared
but the unused areas are cer
tainly agricultural soil and of
Hie best Kind.
What matters it to tne roresi
Bureau or any other bureai
what the cost of clearing Alaska
lands? Whose business is it if ii
costs $80 or $8,000 dollars ar
acre?
There are approximately 17,
000,000 acres of land in South
eastern Alaska alone and th<
only homestead acreage tha
anyone can get is of the limitec
5-acre tracts—and on rare oc
casion a few acres over that
but no 160-acre tracts. Wha
benefit to the country to hav<
all that land tied up in unused
untaxable land with the timbe
going to rot on it. What, hurt t*
the country if 160-acre tract
are given and the men of th
soil hew out their homes an<
eke out a living?
When the Forest Departmen
agents view their problem sanel;
and make honest effort to popu
late the territory, there will b
a change in their attitude. S'
long as they try to give the coun
try away; so long as they try t<
give large timber holders of th
states a corner on Alaska’s tim
ber, they will continue thei
dog-in-the-manger tactics am
petard development of the coun
try.
This department recognize
that fact itself. In the Mata
nuska district the farmer ma;
take up the larger tracts of ac
reage and they secure title t
the timber standing thereor
They may sell that timber t
help finance their operation
and thereby get on their feet. 1
is a sane, common-sense policy
The sooner they adopt such
policy in Southeast Alaska, th
better for the country. Let th
homesteaders decide for them
selves what IS farming countr
and let them hew their home
cut of the country and thereb
develop other markets and othe
lines of industry.
-x
The light that shines farthej
shines brightest nearest home.
Are There Enough Irish in Alaska? 1
The Cordova Daily Times 1
heads an editorial “Are There i
Enough Irish in Alaska” which 1
draws considerable interest in 1
some sections. The editorial in i
part follows: 1
“Alaskans, more so than the \
residents of the states, have
been interested in the long bat- ;
tie which Ireland has waged to
obtain a full measure of home
government and self-rule.
“There may be some who feel
that this little country of mighty
fighters has gone too far in de
manding that the oath of alleg
iance to the crown be abolished,
but on the other hand it is ap
parent that they could not take
an oath to a government which
was directly against their ideals.
And on the other hand we be
lieve that the most radical of the
Irish would, in event of necessi
ty stand shoulder to shoulder
with the crown, oath or no oath,*
and fight the world to keep fly
ing unsullied the Britian flag.
“It is much the same as the
Alaskans loyalty to the United
States. None there are who would
hesitate for a minute to de
nounce the policy by which dis
tant Washington rules this ter- !
ritory, but none there are who
would see any other standard
but the stars and stripes float
ing from our staffs.
“And in this regard we are j
wondering whether there are;
enough Irish in Alaska, enough;
men who, like deValera, feel j
keenly their personal rights, and
who, like deValera, are willing to
take the tremendous chance of i
losing and being branded by|
ignomity, against the slim
chance of being chosen head of
a new and successful regime.
“Alaska sadly, has acquired
hat blighting disease known,
•ather informally as “resolu-,
ionites.” Our heated indigna-1
ion at governmental blunders j
inds itself cooled off through!
:raming a lengthy resolution a-j
gainst this or against that, and;
,hen, having given vent to the |
Drotest which was smouldering
n our souls, we go our way in
perfect satisfaction until it is
time to write another resolution
“What AWskan town, civic
crganization or mass meeting
has not heard these fiery words:
‘Mr. Chairman, I move you that
this organization go on. record
as vigorously opposing.
“And what Alaska town has
ever seen more than a ripple on
the water as a result of this
unanimous vigorous opposition?
“We submit that some dif
ferent action is necessary if we
are going to have our rights re
cognized, but we ask, are there
enough Irish in Alaska?”
We point out that the only
consistent opposition to bu
reaucratic domination of the
political affairs in Alaska is by
the Indians of Alaska. For the
past twelve years they have
fought a good fight against in
numerable .odds and without
the support of the general mass
of people. We can say with con
siderable pleasure that more
Irish have been aligned with
labor in this fight than against
it. And their support has been a
source of considerable pleasure
for when the game looks useless
and hopeless, it is usually the
Irish who give that bit of sup
port to win further determina
tion to continue the fight.
We do not condemn the rest of
the citizenry—but Alaska does
need more Irish!
“Judging the Future by the Past”
-x
' Is the title of an editorial in [i
the Empire. Really, Mr. Pegues, (
who is evidently the daddy of i
the potpourri, should be given i
1 credit for his most recent brain 1
■ storm. i
He declares that political cap- {
[ ital is sought to be made in <
this Territory by the so-called !
Alaska plank of the Republican i
Party, and by a general plank ]
relative to “American Indians” ]
.: in that same document. Ho j
| writes as follows: ;
“In so far as the Alaska In
dians are concerned, they now <
„ ienjoy every protection for pro- <
jperty rights that any other i
| Alaskan does. The courts are j
‘ open to them to redress any in- ;
} jury to either person or proper- i
, |ty. Therefore, that section is :
/mere surplusage, and is neither :
j harmful nor helpful.
Educational facilities and pro
t vision for care of health are not :
adequate to meet conditions ex- ,i
listing among the Alaska Indians!
[(today. They have not been fori
years, a fact that was and is
known to the present and pre
ceding administrations. There
has been some improvement in
the recent past; and there seems
J to be a willingness to expand
. i these services on an even larger
i! I
;scale. * * "This is not a parti-*
|zan question and any attempt
i to make it one will be a mistake,
3 properly a serious mistake for
‘,tne Indians themselves.”
^ I And that comes from the pen
jCf Mr. Pegues, the daddy of
1 many diatribes against the In
• dians’ effort to secure a co-equal
*11
‘ ; educational opportunity; who
S| aided in raising the race ques
tion by .refusing educational op
portunity in the “white schools”
^ j of Alaska support of which is
e j contributed by a large propor
tion of the Indians themselves.
"j We point out to Mr. Pegues
yiand every other reader that any
progress within the past fifteen
y | years has come through the ef
r forts of the Indians themselves
and against the opposition of
the Empire, Mr. Troy its editor
t and Mr. Pegues its chief re
porter. We point out that de
pite the fact that the Bureau
if Education system was woe
ully, criminally inadequate, de
pite the pleas and prayers of
he Alaska Native Brotherhood,
hese good men and Democratic
governor to be of Alaska not
nly refused to give assistance
o these people, but they stirred
ip the racial question in a
nanner that has retarded the
:indly assimilation and friendly
ntercourse as citizens for many
rears.
In order to establish the rights
)f citizenship, the father-in-law
'f Louis Paul was arrested on a
charge of illegal voting; the
nother of Louis Paul and Wil
iam Paul was arrested for pro
mring “an illegal vote.” The ar
rest of this good woman whc
aas served for fifty years as s
nissioner and is called “Mother"
Dy virtually all Southeast Alas
v-> natives was one of the crimes
jf the Juneau politicians that
will not be soon forgotten. Thf
[ndians have their rights, but
they got them only over the op
position of the degenerated poli
tical parties of Alaska.
That Mr. Pegues should believe
that the Indians will be hurt bj
tne Republican plank which onlj
promises to help to protect the
property rights of these people
and to give them adequate ed
ucational and health facilities
we very much doubt. For in the
same breathe he states thal
‘educational facilities and pro
vision for care of health arc
NOT adequate to meet condi
tions existing among the Alaska
Indians today.”
Those good people are fulls
aware of this fact and they arc
not stopping any effort to se
cure co-equal educational op
portunity. And that opportunit;,
does not come through the seg
regated, tribal and racial schoo
systems. If it did, we would have
schools for the Norwegian peo
ple; schools for the French peo
ple; schools for the Germar
people; schools for each racia
entity. And if anyone believe:
that the Indians of Alaska arc
going to be smothered by re
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