STORY
■ ■ —. ..I ■ " ' ■■ ■ '
WRITES AN OPEN
, LETTER TO ED
RDSSEL, JDNEAD
I
Cordova, May 6, 1916.
Mr. Ed. C. Russell,
Editor Juneau Dispatch,
Juneau, Alaska:
My Dear Ed.—Since you took the
opportunity at the late "Love Feast”
held at the Hippodrome in your city,
to tell the people of Juneau and the
First division all the inside workings j
of the Republican convention at Sew
ard on April 19, and just why it was
Judge Wickersbam was not nomi
nated: and as you have seen fit to j
connect my name with the fiasco in
such a way as to make it appear that |
the Copper river valley blocked the j
game and was responsible for Judge
Wickershant not receiving the nomi -
nation, 1 feel, in justice to the people
of that valley, where Judge Wicker
sham has many friends, I should ad-1
Htis open letter to you, giving
tyie other side of the question.
1 am sorry that I could not have at
tended the “experience meeting" at
the Hippodrome, for you must have
had a real nice time, judging front the
“loud and prolonged applause” (?) so
frequently accorded, but i could not.
In fact, did not know it was coming
oft, so will have to content tnyself
bylcongratulating you on the splendid !
sil%-ess of the meeting and the clear J
and explicit explanation as to why |
Judge Wickershant did not receive the ■
nomination, as recorded in the paper
of which vou are editor. J
The paragraph which refers to the
Copper river valley and myself, reads
as follows:
"Mr. Russell said that when the
delegates entered the Seward eon
vention practically all of the delegates
mine not in favor of Wickersham. The
Nome, or Second division, delegation,
was opposed to Wickersham. Thomas
Lloyd, of Fairbanks, with forty five
votes, was opposed to Wickersham,
and half of the delegation from the
third division were opposed to him.
But in the interest of harmony all of,
these, save tJeorge Hazelet, of the
Copper river valley, were wilting to
swing their votes to Wickersham.”
Now Ed. if that is true, why was he j
not nominated? The convention con- j
sisted of 220 delegates. If 60 dele
gates from the Second division. 45
from the Fourth, and 30 from the
Third were all willing to nominate
Wickersham in the interests of har
mony, to say nothing about 60 from
the First, which, according to all re
ports sent out from Juneau, were
elected with the express and only ob
jedwo bring this about and make Mr.
Shfmkleford delegate to the national
convention, how, in heaven's name
was it tha't he did not receive the
nomination? You give the Copper
river valley and myself too much
credit, my dear boy. We had nothing
whatever to say about it.
1 can tell you, however, in no un
certain language, why it was not done.
Hfcv^s not done because Judge Wick
jKham would not stand to have his
ids and feet tied and a gag put
his mouth. That was the reason,
|HT.ml the only reason, and you know it.
^HP and trying to shove the blame onto
tw Hazelet and the Copper river valley
will not do.
Did you not walk the streets of
Seward, with the Resurrection river
winds blowing through your long
Ugcfes, hour after hour, waiting to re
ceive cables from Wickersham? Did
you get them? No.
Bid you not come to me on Main
ctreet. in front of the Overland hotel,
about 8 p. in., of the night of the con
vention. during one of the maViy re
cesses taken for no other purpose
than to hear from Wickersham, and
ask me what the Third would do if
you could rustle 70 votes for Wicker
sham, and did I not say I could not
answer for all of the Third division,
hut I believed we could throw enough
votes to nominate him, provided you
could find 70. Did you not teil me
a half hour later that you could not
find them? Was not Harry Thlsted
present during these talks? Did you
not get up in the convention when
nominations for delegate were called
for, and with tears in your voice, say
that you had hoped to place the name
of Judge Wickersham before the con
vention. but had been waiting to re
ceive answers to certain telegrams,
which answers had not been received,
and therefore you would not propose
his name to the convention? Did
you tell us the nature of the telegrams j
that went to Wickersham, or what sort J
of an answer you expected? No. you ■
did not.
But it was well understood by the
delegates present, that In order for
the judge to receive; the nomination
from the powers that coni t olled the
convention, he must agree to have
nothing to say relative to federal ap
pointments, This was the reason, and
the only reason, he did not receive that
nomination, and no one knows it bet
ter than yourself.
Now, l*ld, you know, and every
thoughtful man in the territory knows,
who lias watched the trend of events
that the fight lias -been waged in
Alaska between what is known as the
Wickersham faction and the Shackle
ford faction, over political matters, is
the greatest menace the territory lias
had.
It was the direct cause of tying up
(he resources of the country. It
caused the withdrawal of the coal and
pil lands from entry. It was respon
sible for the formation of forest re
serves. The withdrawal of the coal
and oil stopped railway building and
new enterprises of all kinds, and
brought about general stagnation in
the territory. it was the primary
cause of the Ballinger Pinchot contro
versy. which almost wrecked the Taft
administration. Taken in its entirety,
it has injured the territory to an ex
tent that cannot be repaired in the
next ten years.
Judge Wickersham and 1 discussed
every phase of this question when he
dined with me at my home last year,
and he practically agreed with all 1
said. He expressed a very strong de
sire to end this fight, and for all fac
tions to work together for the good
of the territory. He even went so
! far as •> say he would step down and
out if tliis would bring peace.
Men of all classes and in every
section of the territory have begun
I to feel that this fight should be stop -
j ped. Almost a year ago a very promi
nent gentleman, whose name 1 am not
j it liberty to use. but who has stood
] high in the councils of the Republican
1 party and been honored with high of
! fice, suggested to a number of us
j that if some old line Republican who
had not been Identified with the
Shackleford faction (for there are
such), could be chosen national com
j mitteeman, matters would straighten
out. He said that in his opinion Mr.
K R. Ritchie, of Valdez was such a
man. To many of us in the Third di
vision, this looked like a solution of
the question, and we advocated his
election. But when we arrived at
Seward we found the “Steam Roller”
so fully equipped that we did not
think for one moment of presenting
his name.
Results, however, might have been
different if the wishes of a majority
of the Republicans of the Second and
Fourth divisions had been carried out
by the men holding the proxies at the
convention from those divisions.
It is a matter of common knowledge
that tlie mass of the Republicans In
those divisions are opposed to Shack
leford domination. In fact, it is stated
by men of standing that live in the
Second division, that the delegation
from there was elected to oppose any
thing Mr. Shackleford wanted. Why
their wishes were not carried out will
be a matter for future reckoning.
It is no excuse to say that voting
for Mr. Murrane for national commit
teeman was not voting for Shackle
ford, because all realize that Mur
rane will be national committeeman
in name only.
To my mind, two colossal blunders
were made in the conventions which
will result in keeping the Republicans
of the territory as far apart as they
ever were. One was whan the matter
of nominating Wickersham had gone
as far as it had. it should have been
carried out. regardless of the fact that
he would not stand to be gagged. This
very act alone wiil insure'his election
by a thousand majority greater than
lie has even before received. The
other blunder was of a more serious
nature.
When the very foundation of party
organization is ruthlessly torn away
! to gratify the vindictiveness of a party
, boss it is difficult to see how a party
lean be built up. This was done when
the convention refused to allow each
division to report the names of its
j central committeemen back to the
i convention for ratification, but de
cided to elect them by the entire body
I submit that no one ever heard ol
such a procedure in the history of po
j Utica I parties. The convention a few
moments before had elected Judge
Murrane national committeeman. The
I convention stood, as a whole, tn the
i same relation to the national organi
zation that each voting precinct en
titled to a committeeman stood to the
Seward convention. Can you imagine
the howl that would go up from cer
tain Intereste 1 parties in Juvemi I
'lie- national convention would tukr i
Continued on Fagc Three.)
tAr ..
“c
WASHINGTON, May 9. — United
States Consul Frost, of Queenstown,
reports the Cymric, the steamship
yesterday reported sinking, as having
been torpedoed without warning and
as having sunk in five minutes. Five
of the crew of 107 were killed bv the
explosion. The survivors were landed
at Bantry, Ireland.
Although the Cymric was without
Americans or passengers and was
carrying munitions, the state depart
ment is investigating her exact status
and whether she was divested of her
rights as a peacufttl merchant ship.
W. S. Clark, president of the Clark
Graham Cannery Company, is a pas
senger on the steamship Mariposa.
«
V
PARIS, May it. — After a violen
bombardment of the French position!
on Hill 304, the Germans this mornini
attempted to advance, but were sue
cessfully repulsed by the defender
with h'*avy losses.
French counter attacks east of th'
Meuse drove the Germans from posi
tions recently captured by them north
west of Thiaumont.
It is asserted that the latest des
perate attempt by the Germans t<
force the French at Verdun have hat
the same result as those of tiie pas
six weeks. Outside of the gains tnadt
by the Kaiser's army in its first on
slaught of the French stronghold, flit
gains made have been of but sligh1
importance, and every foot of groutu
taken lias cost the Germans a life.
The new German assaults at Verdur
have demonstrated the high effieiencj
of the French machine guns. The
front trenches contained machine gum
with comparatively few men. Aftei
forty continuous bombardment
the Germans stepped from the
trenches for the charge. The French
machine guns thinned the German
j ranks before the advance had fairlj
| begun. The losses to the German!
| were greater proportionately than it
I any other action since the waf began
One Prussian division lost over hall
its strength.
The battle shows every sign of con
tinning with unabated fury. Artil
lery preparations foreshadows fresl
1 attacks on both banks of the Meuse
The Germans apparently are trans
ferring large forces from other sec
tions of the western front and fron
the Russian front for their attac-ki
on Verdun.
GERMANS CLAIM GAINS.
BERLIN, May 8. — Several Frenc
trenches south of Haueourt were eaj
tured in an advance made list nigh
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I
i
j WASHINGTON, May 9. — Bids fo
; the aerial mail service in Alaska, fo
which proposals were recently aske<
by the postmaster general, will b
I opened here May 12 by the depart
ment. A number of bids have bee
received, and inquiries indicate tha
' there will be several other bids re
ceived before the date of openin
j them.
The call asked for bids for carryin
j the mail between the coast and Fail
banks, stopping at intermediary point!
practically on the same lines as th
present winter stage service, whlc
under the present contracts costs th
government about $250,000 per yeai
It is anticipated that the aerial ser
! vice can be secured for a much lea
cost, and the postmaster general wl
jask congress for an appropriation (
! $50,000 to conduct the aerial exper
1 ment. The plan has been endorsed b
the Aero Flub of America, which d<
dares the plan Is perfectly feasible.
1 OTVVM
STATE SOLDIERS
MUST DEFEND
BORDER CITIES
WASHINGTON, May 9. — President Wilson today called
out the militia of Texas, Arizona and New Mexico to deal with
the border situation. They will be assigned to stations along
the border for patrol duty. Two additional regiments of in
fantrv of the resrular armv also have been ordered south.
EL PASO. May 9. — Citizens of the
border states are indignant of the in
sufficient protection given them by the
t government. The raid on (Teat
1 Springs yesterday, they say, is onh
a forerunner of many similar exctir
1 slotis by Mexican bandits unless im
mediate steps are taken by the gov
i eminent to prevent such happenings
SEATTLE SOLDIERS GOING.
WASHINGTON, May 9. — The bat
talion of the 14th U. S. infantry, sta
tioned at Seattle and Spokane, has
been ordered to the Mexican border
by the war department. This battal
ion was preparing to sail to Alaska
in June. Three regiments of regu
lars and the state militia ordered to
the border will give Funston an ad
ditional 7,000 men.
CARRANZA ACCEPTS. r ‘
' WASHINGTON, May 0. TiL
Mexican ambassador today notified
*
the state department that Carranza
had indicated his approval of the ten
tative border protocol drawn by Gen
erals Scott and Obregon.
WASHINGTON, May it. The atti
tude of General Obregon is not at all
satisfactory to the government, and
there is now danger of a break in fur -
ther negotiations. It is now assumed
that Obregon wants a fixed date for
the withdrawal of American troops,
which is something U) which the
United States will not agree.
I1ERICAN NOTE
to :
J IS 1
WASHINGTON. May ». — In the
• note dispatched yesterday to Berlin
i the government accepts the declara
1 tion tiy the Kaiser of the abandonment
of the former submarine policy. It
is specifically stated, however, that
the United States "relies on the scru
t, pulous execution of the altered policy
|. to remove the principal danger of an
interruption of the good relations ex
isting between the two countries."
With the acceptance of the German
note is a formal notice to the German
government that the United States
■Icannot entertain, much less discuss,
j the suggestions that the rights of Am
erican citizens on the high seas should
I in the slightest degree be made con
I tingent upon the conduct of any other
j government affecting the rights of
1 neutrals and noncombatants.
The reply of the American govern
! ment, when made public today, cre
mated much comment among foreign
r ^diplomats. It is pointed out that while
I the German answer is accepted by the
*! United States, the reply i-s brief and
i permits of no further correspondence.
1 i it is now conceded that upon Germany
• I alone rests the responsibility for the
future relations between the two
' countries.
;
WELLINGTON BUILDING SOLO.
• The Wellington building yesterday
B was sold by Mrs. M. A. Snyder to B.
1 W. Ferrell. The consideration men
B tioned in the deed was $3,500.
-:o:
s Sidney Anderson, of the Bank of
1 Seward, at Seward, is a through pas
f senger on the steamship Northwest
I ern. The full equipment and office
y supplies for the new bank which he
- is starting at Anchorage will follow
on the steamship Admiral Farragut.
STEEL STRIKE K1
IS'
I
t
PITTSBURG, May i*. — Fifteen
thousand workmen of the Westing
house company, who were out on
strike, today stampeded for their old
places at the same wages. Yesterday
a few of the men began to drift back.
This became known, and today the
strike was given up and the men
I scrambled for their old jobs.
ALASKA BEATS ALL
SEATTLE, May t>. — The exports
from this port to Alaska for last
month, April, 1916. amounted to $3,
863,115, which means a record. The
largest figure previously was in June
of last year, but the April figures
are greater by $1,319,437. The ex
ports for April last year were $2,453,
161. Fifty-nine vessels cleared for
Alaska last month.
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CASEMENT’S TRIAL WILL
BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
LONDON, May 9. — The trial of
Sir Roger Casement, on the charge of
high treason, will be public. He will
be arraigned tomorrow.
■ "to:
Dr. C. L. Hale returned on today's
train from a trip to McCarthy and
Kennecott.
-:o:
Mrs. J. W. Forrester came down
from Chitina on this afternoon's
train.
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