r
Vol. 5.
Weekly; Rampart, Alaska, Saturday, November 7, 1903.
'• SKAGWAY AS IT IS
Federal Officers Step In—Municipal Of
ficials Prefer Boodle—City Fathers
At Nome Repudiate City’s Debts—
Skagway, Sept. 24.—U. S. Dep
uty Marshal Snook made a raid on
a number of houses on Seventh
street this afternoon and arrested
eleven womei of the under world.
They were brought before Commis
sioner Rogers and pleaded guilty as
** charged and fined $20 and costs.
This leads one to ask, where are
* we at ? Is it our municipal author
ities' business to arrest and try
those civil cases or is it the govern
ment's business? What are we
* *
paying a city marshal and other
municipal officers for ? Are our
many ordinances that we have
passed and are passing conflicting
s and invalid? There are a g eat
many people in town who want to
know.
* There should be some way out of
^ this difficulty and a thorough un
derstanding arrived at. If this
business belongs to the city the
city should do it and reap the ben
efit. If it belongs to the govern
ment authorities then let us get rid
of our unnecessary municipal of
ficers and proceed in the future as
in the past. The business either
belongs to one or the other, and
the wuole of it.
Tney tell us our ordinances that
have been passed since July are
invalid and conflicting with the
district code and would not stand
trial. So here you are. Where
are we at ?
Congress has allowed the princi
pal cities of Alaska to incorporate
- and run their own business, giving
them the whole of the license I
money on which to do it with. The !
conditions were that they were to
elect their own officers, build suita
ble jails and be under no expense
to the federal government what
ever.
Has Skagway s local govern
ment made any move in this direc
tion ? If so, where ? The only
thing the city council has done was
to pass a feiv ordinances, which,1
"we are told by the federal officers,
will not hold water, and one of
which was violated by one of its
own members before it had got
cold on the records. It has not
provided any place for the safe
keeping of prisoners, or made any
attempt to govern its municipality
in any way other than to help the
salaried officers receive their month
ly pay.—Skagway Guide.
Nome, Sept. 19.—At Monday’s meet
ing of the city council that body, with
but one dissenting voice, refused to take
up outstanding warrants, iu any amount,
issued last winter in payment to mer
chants, mechanics and city employees,
under the promise that such warrants
would be honored as soon as the city’s
finances would justify. Under these
promises business men accepted these
warrants from the city and her employees
foi goods purchased. Under the resolu
tion offered and defeated it was proposed
to call in these warrants and make them
payable for city taxes. A short time ago
this same body issued warrants in pay
ment for the old broken-down fire engine
which take precedence over old er out
standing warrants and can be used in the
payment of taxes, thus giving them a
greater market value than those issued
to business meu and employees of the
city who came to her rescue in her hour
of need. This action on the part of the
council differs but little from past expe
riences whenever the ring ruled.—Gold
Digger.
DECLINE TO SERVE
Nominated Against Wishes-Attempt
Made to Use Prominent Opponents
Names As Bait To Catch Voters—
* J. W. Duncan: My duties with
the N. C. Co. take up all my time.
If this were not the case I would
not serve on the council, as I do
not believe in men working for
nothing.
Kr. Falkenburg: I went to the
meeting for information. I am now
against incorporation aud must de
cline to run on the ticket for coun
cilman.
P. Kaffenburgh: I never author
ized the use of my name as a pros
pective councilman. I am against
incorporation aud will not serve or
allow my name t© be used in that
manner.
Iy. Iverson: l am against incor
poration first, last, and all the
time, I cannot consistently allow
my name to go before electors as a
school director. I must respect
fully decline all such honors.
S. E. Heeter: Serve? I guess
not. The idea of expecting men
opposed to incorporation to al ow
their names to be used to give iti
corporationists strength is pr pos
terous This is a new kind of pol
itics I am unfamiliar with. I never
will serve as councilman.
A1 Mayo: I certainly refuse to
allow my name to be used as bait
to draw votes for incorporation. I
was not consulted and will not
serve on an}y such council. My
name must be withdrawn; I.will
never consent. I am against all
such jobbery.