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Panana Magistrate
In Bad Predicament
It is a law of Christendom that the
laborer is worthy of his hire.
It applies without distinction to all
efforts requiring the increase of the
physical, spiritual and mental powers.
' 3^1 an is duly bound to follow some
fyonest pursuit for a livelihood for
which his natural adaptability and train
ing qualify him, and is entitled to com
pensation for compensation from man
kind for the services he renders.
Having asserted a general principle,
I will not dwell on the merits of differ
nt callings.
i It is the duty of every man to defend
his public and private rights, and ex
pose the abuse or neglect of duty by
those who are delegated to maintain law
and order.
t h
Order is the first law of heaven and
ekrth, and to obtain justice courts are
e stablished on earth to govern by fixed
Iqws for the general good,
kts action should be uniform and con
tent, rendering with equity and tem
pering justice with mercy: maintaining
itself with honor and dignity by expres
sing the highest power of reason. Not
that mankind ever attains perfection:
it
his progress is marked by degrees of
excellence, but there is a certain stan
dard of law which must be maintained,
otheswise it falls into contempt and re
jjroach.
* A case in point is that of our local
ommissioner or justice in Tanana, Mr.
. Bathurst, whom the authorities have
raised to the position of commissioner
or Justice of Tanana; but have made no
provision for the office they have call
Finto being.
I |The present incumbent as minion of
Istice, according to his own published
atements, has to defray the expenses
public office out of his own private
eans, having repeatedly tendered his
signation, which will not be accepted
id he is still forced to act in the po
tion to which he has been appointed,
• suffer the penalty for disobedience
id contempt.
The position which should be one of
pnor has all the appearance of slavery
Educing him to delinquency by the bur
ns and expenses it imposes on him,
cing him in the position of a vagrant
by not securing him a visible means of
support, according to his own state
ment, not even allowing him to reim
burse himself out of money collected in
court. Surely the position is not one of
profit when the law compels him to
expel others from the community for
not having visible means of support,
when the law for which he is acting
fails to give him a visible means of sup
port, forcing him to vacate building af
ter building from his inability to pay
even an installment of the rent due for
past use; but with the persistence
worthy of a better cause, making en
trance into private property through
other means than the doors; to impose
fines and dispense justice without even
the sympathy of the community he
serves! vowing the law mnst be main
tained, though by poverty reduced to
primal conditions, he has to convene his
court and act in the open air, under the
broad canopy of heaven on the banks of
the Yukon.
Returning to the keynote of the sub
ject that the laborer is worthy of his
hir*\ I do not wish to blame the pre
sent officials for the present state of
things, bnt is it not a little bit of in
justice that the challenged juror, who
does no work, should receive his fee in
tact, while the juror who stays, maybe
the limit, should have more than his
fee amounts to piled up against him?
—John Kehoe in Yukon Press.
J. Wilbur Ward Will Publish
Live Newspaper in Fairbanks
J. Wilbur Ward, proprietor of the
Fairbanks Timas, and J. H. Wyatt, at
one time connected with the Ketchikan
Mining Journal and later editor of the
Seward Gateway, were passengers on
the steamer Power for Fairbanks.
On the same boat consigned to Mr.
Ward was a new Mergenthaler tpye
casting machine, presses, tpye and a
large shipment of printing materials.
This will replace the old Times plant, a
large portion of which was destroyed
in the late Fairbanks fire.
It is the intention of Mr. Ward to
enlarge the Times, and place it in the
front rank among Tanana publications.
In this he will be ably seconded by Mr.
Wyatt, who comes in to accept a posi
tion on the staff. Mr. Ward is a strong
advocate of the cause of the miner.
it
Third Judicial District
In Deplorable State
From Juneau Transcript
The people of the Third judicial div
ision are certainly in a deplorable con
dition. Wickersham, the judge of that
district, has been back in Washington
since last September trying to get
another four years. The court com
missioners have scattered and gone,
some of them left the territory, and
yet Wickersham is hastening back to
draw down his $6500 for a years ser
vice on the bench.
The people up there are getting des
perate. There is no way of settling
matters by litigation and cases already
in the court are lying in statu quo. No
writs of habeas corpus can be issued,
and men are lying in jail in direct' vio
lation of the constitution of the United
States. No bills of exceptions can be
settled. No citations on appeal or
writs of error can be issued and no mat
ter how erroneous the judgment no ap
peal can be perfected. The whole ma
chinery of equity is completely idle.
And all this because one certain man •
wants the office when it is as obvious
as anything well can be that his use
fulness has been so impaired that his
future services are absolutely worthless
so far as justice is concerned.
DR. C. D. CARTER
DENTAL WORK IN ALL BRANCHES
Will remain in Rampart four weeks. Prices
Moderate and all work Guaranteed.
Office: Cabin west of Telegraph Station.
HOME OFFICE: CIRCLE, ALASKA.
Alaska Forum
Established 1900.
$1.00 The
per Miners’
month. Paper