ALASKA FORUM
(OFFICIAL PAPER)
FORUM PUBUSHIM
James B. Wingate, Editor and Manager
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SATURDAY, JANUARY 21, 1905.
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The skagway alaskan in comment
ing upon “Investigator” Day’s recom
mendations, says: “Day was sent to
Alaska by President Roosevelt as his
personal representative, and he report
ed directly to the president. No one
should complain of the action of the
president in sending a personal repre
sentative to Alaska, and that he should
follow the recommendations of that
representative is natural. That is all
Congress has left him to do. How else
can he get information from this dis
trict? He can talk with Alaskans at
the national capital, it is true, but they
disagree. Whose word is he to take?
Is there anything else for him to do,
but to send some one whom he knows
personally, and who occupies a respon
sible position of trust, to make the ex
amination? He cannot come himself. ’ ’
The alaskan is right in a portion of
the above argument, but is entirely 'off
its feet, ’ if it means to uphold Day’s
actions and mode of proeeedure in pro
curing data on which to report the true
status. We do not attempt to criticise
the president in sending a personal rep
resentative. Every .one knows that it
would be impossible fcr the president
to personally visit the interior of Alaska.
This was not expected, and when the
people of the ^interior learped that a
special investigator had been appointed
to personally investigate judicial affairs
in all parts of Alaska, the general cry
was heard; "Justice has come at last!"
We do claim that Day betrayed trust
reposed in him by the president, and
took advantage of his high position to
protect a gang of corrupt, grafting
- Federal officials. He thus attempted
to belittle our people in the eyes of the
nation, and stamp us as a disreputable
community. We ate satisfied that the
president himself would not have acted
as did this man Day.
If Day was looking into the moral
turptitude only of our Federal officials,
he might just as well remained at
Washington, and saved the government
the'expense of his junketing trip. If
he was investigating in the interests of
good government—equal rights and
justice to all—when he arrived at this
stronghold of illegal graft and official
corruption: why did he refuse to hear
testimony:—"I have not time to hear
you.” Had he remained in Rampart a
few hours, it would have demonstrated
to the people that he was the personal
representative of a justice-loving presi
dent, and who would execute the trust
reposed in him without fear or favor.
We differ with the alaskan and hold
that such a man’s recommendations
should not be considered by the chief
executive in preference to the repre
sentations of the better class of Alas
kans who visit Washington in the in
terest of good government for Alaska.
The President is a man of the world as
a statesman, and can judge for himself
as to the caliber and well-meaning of
those Alaskan representatives who
visit the White House. The majority
of these men certainly pride with more
respect for the confidence of their con
stituents, than did Day for the trust
reposed in him by the president.
Une thing is sell evident; Day was
betrayed by some one in whom he had
placed confidence in, during his junket
ing trip, or he himself willfully betray
ed the trust reposed in him! If Judge
Day had stopped at Rampart a few
hours, and reduced to writing the tes
timony existing at this place, of actual
facts relative to the corruption of the
Federal officials of this division; and
presented that evidence to the presi
dent along with his recommendation
for Wickersham’s reappointment, the
president could not have thought other
wise than his ‘personal representative’
had become deranged. We do not
mean to criticize the president for fol
lowing the reoommendationsjof his rep
resentative, unless it can be shown be
yoni doubt that the representative was
acting with a biased mind^ aud was
misrepresenting the true status of facts.
This being done beyond question, all
parties connected with the fraudulent
manipulation should immediately receive
their just punishment—irrespective of
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their official position. There is no doubt
that the deeper this thing is gone into
the more complicated the affair will
become. The guilty are the only ones
who shirk a thorough and rigid investi
gation. If these accused officials are
innocent of charges hied against them,
and which have caused the tying-up ef
reappointments for over seven months,
why don’t they throw open their doors
and court a clean and impartial investi
gation? Far from it. They have used
their official power to protect and shield
their corruption! '
•_
r
The efforts of the Nome officials to
have the present law regarding the In
dian whisky traffic repealed, ano the -
substitution of another making it a
felony punishable by a term in a pen
etentiary, is most commendable. This
paper has advocated such a law for the
past five years. It is the only method
by which the hellish traffic can be ef
fectually stopped. We are satisfied as
regards Rampart, that very little, if
any whiskey, has been sold to natives
this winter. The principal source of
whiskey in this camp at the present
time, is from men who use it as means
to debauch the native womens’ virtue.
We may say, however, for the sake
of the judiciary in Alaska, says the
Nome Nugget, in which we all ought
to feel interested in maintaining a high
standard of purity, integrity and ability
we hope that the appointment of Judge
Wickersham yill be rejected by the
senate, and that the applicant will be
returned to the oblivion from whence,
by one of those frequent and inexplic
able turns of political fortune, he came.
Up in a balloon boys;—Wickersham.