ALASKA FORUM
(OFFICIAL PAPER)
FORUM PUBLISHING COMPANY
James B. Wingate, Editor and Manager
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SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 1905.
Washington dispatches quote Sena
tor Penrose, of Pennsylvania, chairman
of State committee, and leader of the
delegation opposing the reappointment
of Brady and Wiekersham, as saying:
“Wickersham is corrupt, and not fit to
rule.” This is where Senator Penrose
hit the nail square on the head. It is
gratifying to know that leading states
men are interesting themselves in the
welfare of Alaska. Our people well
know that Judge Wickersham has, for
the past two years, fully demonstrated
his corrupt principles, by casting off his
judicial mask of justice; thoroughly ex
posing his true character—that of an
unscrupulous politician, whose aspira
tions-are limitless. His policy of rule
or ruin is antagonistic to the principles
of a free and independent government.
Senator MeCumber stated in the sen
ate that, “Wickersham gave an unjust
decision in Alaska copper case at Val
dez.” Many instances are known in
this division where he unjustly used his
judicial power to satisfy his personal
desires, thereby preventing justice from
being properly administered. At the
July, 1903, term of the District court
at Rampart,-in the criminal action of
the United States vs Jesson, the pros
ecuting witness, realizing that the dis
trict attorney was not doing justice to
the prosecution’s side of the case, em
ployed an attorney to assist the govern
ment—at his own expense. When the
request was made to the court to allow
this attorney to assist the prosecution,
Judge Wickersham scornfully refused
to grant the request. Similar action
was also taken at the same term of
court, by Judge Wickersham, in the
criminal action against Jack Mennus,
charged with robbing the Eagle Mining
Co. Both these defendants, through
official manipulations,, were declared
not guilty.
Judge Wickersham’s policy of graft
and corruption has been thoroughly ap
plied and executed in this precinct, by
his local representative, Commissioner
J. Lindley Green, who has made no
secret of the fact that he was out for
the money. He has plainly demonstra
ted the illegal action of practicing as
counsel in matters at issue in his own
court, and detrimental to the interests
of litigants therein. Many instances
areJtnown where he used his judicial
power to shield parties charged with
criminal offenses, to gratify his own
personal desires. He is known to have
illegally uoed his judicial power to bull
doze and coerce subjection to his finan
cial and political desires. The regime
of these orriciais in this division will be
long remembered as the reign of cor
ruption and graft. Stili •’Investigator'
Day has recommended that our people,
and the government treasury, be forced
to their illegal manipulations and dep
redations for another four years. But
thanks to the oalioi-box system in the
United braces, there is a few honest men
at the head ox out government who are
not afraid to taxe a stand against such
disgraceful actions, and publicly an
nounce that such work must stop.
Dispatches also state: ‘ ‘ v ery serious
charges have been filed with the senate
committee against Wickersham.”
There must be merit to these charges;
else the senate would not take cogni
zance of them! If these charges are
not true, the reappointment should
have been confirmed at once, and if
true the accused is unfit to remain in
power, and should have been summar
ily dismissed and severely punished.
If, by Day’s misrepresentation of facts
the president and senate committee
cannot arrive at a satisfactory conclu
sion, a just and impartial mode of pro
ceedure to investigate the matter,
would be to temporarily suspend these
present officials and draw a Federal
grand jury from the body of the divis
ion, according to the provisions of the
statutes,
access to
Give this body unrestricted
all the records and evidence
pertaining to the matter, and then let
the president compare their final find
ings with the report of Judge Day.
This would relieve the president from
the embarrassing position of acting on
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one man's recommendation, contrary to
the protests of thousands—particularly
when that one man has been proven
biased and unreliable.
The people ask only justice in this
matter, and that they must have! *
The reported scarcity cf nails in the
Slough city, considered even by the men
freighting them to be erroneous, has
resulted in cleaning out every nail in
Rampart. Should nails to any extent
be required by the miners in this camp
next spring they can go without. The
Fairbanks miner is a superior animal,
and his future wants are catered to.
The local
political
excrescence, who
is attempting to mislead the people by
his “explanations” of proposed legisla
tive measures providing* for govern
ment administrative functions for Al
aska—as advanced in the president's
message—is about as competent to en
lighten the public on the subject as he
is to administer justice. Go 'way back
and sit down,
J
We have noted many attempted ab
breviations for the word, ALASKA; but
as yet, none has been formally settled
upon. The FOiiUM would suggest that
in view of the past treatment of Alaska
by congress, officials, henchmen, and
lastly “investigators, ’’ the people adopt
the following: “alas!” For is it not
Russia-in America?
“One can never tell wbat a Day will
bring forth.”—NOME nugget. On the
Yukon night is sometimes as clear as
Day;-but, however, one cannot tell
what will happen to Day.
‘ *WHERE will I light?” — Wickersham.
I