(OFFICIAL PAPER)
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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1905.
y - •
Pres ident roosevelt, in his signed
statement to the public of Nov. 4, 1904
in which he denounces the malicious
charges made by Judge Parker as false,
concludes as follows: “If elected I
shall go into the presidency unhamper*
ed by any pledge, promise or under
standing of any kind, save my promise
made openly to the American people;
that so far as in my power lies, I shall
see to it that every man has a square,
deal—no less and no more. 7 Now Mr.
President, we take you at your word,
and desire to hold you strictly to the
point at issue—this Wickersham matter.
We claim that your personal repre
sentative did favor one man more than
another in his investigation of charges
made against Federal officials of this
of this division. We hold that thfer
“Investigator/' wilfully shielded cor
rupt officials to the detriment of those
seeking justice. Last summer the
president, in referring to corrupt of
ficials, said: “Not only will I turn the
rascals out, but, if after rigid examin
ation, corruption is disclosed, the of
fenders will, be vigorously prosecuted
.to the full extent of the law/’ The
fact that Day ignominiously neglected
to make a rigid examination, does not
make these accused officials any the
less guilty.
Now that the senate is making- the
examination that Day should have made
while in this division; the finite
doalif. will be such as to convince the
president that Wickersham is not the
'proper man for the place, and he will
not insist on that body confirming the
been published in these
columns, are certainly of sufficient
V
magnitude to cause the president to
i'
hesitate. • The reasons for Day not re
porting them to the president are best
known to Day himself. Day refused
—absolutely—to stop at Rampart and
allow these charges to be proven to him
beyond a doubt. This fact alone would
should lead the president to realize that
something was wrong. It now becomes
the investigation of the * ‘Investigator’ *
and we now look to the president to
make good those promises made to the
people before election, for the presi
dent has never yet dealt in campaign
fire crackers.
The fact Day has not acted fair with
the president, is no ^reason why the
latter should be unfair with the peo
ples The interests of the people have
been so shamefully sacrificed, and the
welfare of Alaska so long neglected—
merely to satisfy the personal desires
of a handful of Federal officials with
strong political aspirations—that pa
tience has almost ceased to be a vir
tue. Judge Wickersham took advan
tage of the good nature, and apparent
unconcern of the residents of this pre
cinct, as well as their lack of know
ledge as to his true character, by caus
ing one of his henchmen to cumulate a
petition asking the president to re-ap
point Wickersham, judge of the Third
division. This henchman was H. L.
Hedger, foreman of the last Rampart
Federal grand jury.
This action alone was sufficient
grounds for those opposed to his re-ap
pointment, and who were cognizant of
his corrupt, illegal and unjust acts to
publicly oppose such action and enlight
en the people as to the true status,
thereby showing the disqualification of
the Candidate. It is a well recognized
fact that persons seeking office by ap
pointment are subject to the same
searching public investigation as to
their qualifications as though they came
before the people for election through
the ballot box
. Judge Wickersham could easily post
pone the convening of court at Ram
part in 1903, for fifteen days, so as to
enable him to have plenty of. time in
which to make his pleasure trip to Mt.
McKinley, and • also, that it would be
beneficial to his political aspirations to
have the senators, present at the open-,
ing of court; while- it would be detri
mental to his personal desires to..have
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them present at the latter end of the
session. Still he could not spare time
to finish up the business before the
court, nor grant the demand of Idleman
for an immediate re-trial, while all the
witnesses were present.
It was apparent: that this extreme
haste to adjourn court was to enable
him to overtake the senate committee
before their departure from Nome.
Thus the inconvenience to the people,
and the sacrificing of their financial
and other interests were naught, when
they conflicted with the personal and
political interests of Wicaersham. He
lias said: ‘'No one has the right to
criticize the actions of a judge:” If
that judge enter* the political arena as
a candidate for public office, we ciuhn
the right to show his disqualifications.
The people of Alaska are beginning
to realize that the country at large is
not progressing as it should. Many al
leged reasons have been offered. Gov
ernor Brady would probably give his
as: “Agricultural possibilities over
looked.” Alaska is an “organized ter
ritory;” but not a territory in the sense
which the-term ordinarily implies. In
every territory in the United States,
the inhabitants therein have a voice in
the government. The American citi
zen who comes to Alaska is disenfran
chized—the “great American preroga
tive” is not his. Until Alaska receiv es
justice, all progress of a permanent
character must necessarily be laggard.
■ The “hoss” poet’s parody on “The
wearin’ of the green,” can soon be ap
propriately transposed to a parody on
“John Brown’s body lies a mouldering
in the grave. ’ ’ It will then fully and
truly “express the sentiments of the >
miners across. the divide. ’' .