POINT OUT
MANY NEEDS
OF ALASKA
ANCHORAGE. Jan. 14. Formal ac
tion has been taken by the Anchorage
Chamber of Commerce in support of
the proposal that congress should en
trust to the Alaskan engineering com
mission funds for the building of
trails and wagon roads as feeders for
the government railroad. The? Anchor
age chamber does not ask that any
moneys which usually have been ex
pended by either the federal road
commission or the territorial road
commission should be diverted to the
engineering commission. The cham
ber's plan is to obtain the appropri
tion of special and additional funds,
which, it argues, can be handled by
experienced railroad men more effec
tively than by anybody else when the
desired end is the creation and pro
motion of business for the government
railroad.
The chamber's action in the matter
is in the form of resolutions, which
have been mailed to Secretary of the
Interior Franklin K. Lane. Secretary
of War Newton 14. Raker, senators
anil representatives in congress, and
the commercial bodies of cities in
states on the Pacific coast, and of all
places in Alaska. In view of the fact
that the government railroad, with
its proposed tributary trails and wagon
roads, will benefit, directly or indi
rectly, all parts of the territory, the
commercial organization in every
other Alaskan city is expected to in
dorse the request of the Anchorage
chamber for trail and wagon road
funds for the federal transportation
system
Text of Resolutions
The resolutions of the Anchorage
chamber follow:
"To Congress of the United States,
and to the Departments of the Interior
and of War: The petition of the An
chorage Chamber of Commerce and
the people of the Cook Inlet country
respectfully shows:
' 1 That the country along the line
and tributary to the government rail
road in Alaska is rich in gold and
other minerals coal and building tna
terial, which, on account of the want
of roads, can not be successfully
mined.
"2. That there are more than three
hundred homesteads located in the
country through which the govern
ment railroad runs, and on which the
settlers have proved the fertility of
the soil and the practicability of pro
(lin ing crops of vegetables and grains;
that during the last two years large
crops of potatoes, cabbages, rutaba
gas and other vegetables, together
with oats, barley and wheat, have been
successfully raised, hut wore of no
value because there was no means of
getting them to the railroad and to
market Sufficient potatoes are raised
in the valley of the Matanuska river
alone to supply all the towns along
the Alaska coast it there had been
roa Is and ships.
That both the miners and
homesteaders are becoming discour
aged and are leaving the country.
Approve Secretary Lane’s Report
"4. That we heartily approve Sec
retary Lane's report of December 14,
lit Is, favorinig Alaska's development,
and urge its consideration and adop
tion by the congress.
"f>. That Alaska is entitled to the
consideration of her industrial needs.
"During the past she has been treat
ed by congress and the government
like an ill favored stepchild. She has
been denied adequate aids to naviga
tion, and especially lights on her
coast. She has been denied the en
joyment of her own revenues; her In
dustries haye been refused encourage
ment. Not only that, but they have
been smothered by bureaucracy, red
tape and reservations. She has been
denied roads to her mines and her
farms, and her settlers on the public
lands, under the present homestead
laws and industrial conditions, are
obliged to expend $2,000 In money at
the least, besides continuous residence
for three years, in order to get title
to their lands. Nowhere in the States
was so much ever required of the
homesteader.
Exceeded Quota in Men and Money
"In marked contrast to this treat
ment has been Alaska's attitude din
ing the world war, now happily at an
end. The burdens imposed upon her
have been in proportion to those borne
by richer and more favored communi
ties, but In every instance she has
exceeded her quota, whether of men
or money. She has given freely of
her sous and her wealth, giving more
than was asked in every instance, not
withstanding that during the past
three years she has lost at least 50
per cent of her white population. She
subscribed 163 per cent of her quota
to the Fourth Liberty loan, and of the
units of the Twelefth division was the
first to 'go over the top,’ and was first
in the amount subscribed.
"For neglect Alaska has returned
love and loyalty; for indifference,
whole-hearted support.
“Alaska needs many things, but
most of all does she need roads.
"That the development of the re
sources of the country, the success of
the railroad, both financially and com
mercially. and the encouragement of
immigration to the territory, depend
in large measure upon the immediate
construction of good roads connecting
the towns, mines and industrial cen
ters adjacent to the line of 'the rail
road; and this work should not await
the completion of the railroad, but
should he carried out contemporane
ously with it.
Work of Great Magnitude
"That this work is of great magni
tude and importance as to make it
second only to the railroad itself, and
that it is beyond the revenues and re
sources of the territory to finance, to
the ability of private agencies to sup
ply.
"That the government is the only
agency which can adequately and suc
cessfully connect the great trunk line
railroad which it is building through
Alaska with the sources of freight and
traffic in the towns, mines, farms and
industrial renters of this new and un
undeveloped territory.
"Build roads for us and we will
build an empire for you.
“Let the government expend money
for roads to our mines and our fields,
and we will return the outlay a thou
sandfold.
"Wherefore, your petitioners pray
that the congress will, by proper on
actment, give the Alaskan engineer
ing commission the power and author
ity to survey and build roads
throughout the mining and farming
communities adjacent to the line of
the government railroad, and will ap
propriate for such work an adequate
sum of money.
"ANCHORAGE CHAMBER OF
COMMERCE.”
-♦
SOLDIER SAYS
SCANDINAVIANS
ARELOYAL
Editor Cordova Times:
Till' Seward Gateway lias in fact
declared war on the Scandinavians in
Alaska war on the returning Swedish
and Norwegian Americans who fought
and won under the Stars and Stripes
"over there," and who now return to
their homes in the far North to con
tinue the work for the progress and
development of the country, as they
have done for nearly half a century
now.
The Seward Gateway has declared
war on the many soldiers here who
have Scandinavian blood in their
veins. They were ready to go when
Uncle Sam called them (with the nos
dhle exception of a few ignorant men
who really did not know why or for
what reason the United States and
the allies were fighting they found
out later, these slackers.
In the Seward Gateway of Dec. 18
i is a communication entitled "Move
On, Ole," signed “An Alaskan." sub
! stantiated and approved by the editor
! of that paper, an open declaration of
I war against all Scandinavian-Ameri
I cans here in Alaska, and the article
1 is also an insult told in the face of
tin' numerous Scandinavian-American
| soldiers here at Fort Liscum who re
! speeded without hesitation to the call
of the colors, anti stood ready to sae
j riflce everything in this world for the
Stars and Stripes.
We all know that there were a few
slackers among the Swedish and Nor
weglan citizens o in Alaska, but
what about thoc_ -• other nations—
those who were behind you (or the
walls), praised the Hun and muttered
"To hell with England," or those whe
said "This is a Wall street or busi
ness war"?
The statement made that Sweden
was pro-German before and during
the war between the United States
and the Hun is a lie, a lie circulated
in America by no other people than
the Gennan-Amerlcans and Germans
in this country, who, finding them
selves despised and friendless
throughout the world, again Invented
a lie a He that the Swedish nation
sympathized with them and the llohen
z.ollerns thus trying to make the
Americans believe that the highly
civilized Swedish people stood on the
side of the Hun and Justified the Hun
cause. Like a drowning creature who
will try to catch hold of a straw, so
the Hun as many times during the
fierce struggle attempted to get
Sweden ipto the war. thus trying to
force a civilized nation to join the
dirty gang known as the central
powers.
The Scandlnavlan-Americans have
fought, generously contributed to the
Red Cross, bought bonds and helped
Uncle Sam in every way. as loyally
as any other true Americans; but the
Seward Gateway is branding the Scan
dinavian as an enemy.
What has the editor of the Seward
Gateway, who is comparatively a
young man, or the ignorant party who
signed himself "An Alaskan." done to
help along the war? And what will j
they do to help in the future? Enlist i
or criticize? The Scandinavians have
proven themselves to be true friends
to Uncle Sam and to Alaska, but these j
men who are so quick to brand all
Scandinavians as enemies will not ;
gain anything by such conduct among ■
those who know the true value of the j
Scandinavian as a citizen and home- J
nutnier. ;
“Ole" litis many friends the world I
over, and we count the Alaska sour- ]
dough one of their number. The Gate ]
way and "An Alaskan" are worrying !
needlessly about the soft Job that j
"Ole" always gets There is not an |
"Ole" in Alaska that has as soft a j
snap as the editor of the Gateway |
"Ole" is ready to dig in and is not j
afraid of a hard, lotlgh or rough job. j
Now, suppose that "Ole" and the I
rest of the Scandinavians should get j
tired of Alaska -give up the city fori
Its progress and welfare, and leave
for some other place where his work
and skill are more appreciated? How
would his going affect Alaska and the
Seward Gateway? A few facts will
be enough to prove that “Ole" is one
of Alaska's real live wires At least
?n per cent of Alaska's citizens en
gaged in the fishing trade on this
coast are of Scandinavian blood, and
"Ole" has made the trade one of the
most flourishing industries of the ter
ritory today. andtlMs is known all
over the United States. The money '
made by these fishermen around the
coast pays for much of the bread and !
butter the Gateway consumes and the 1
money also helps to pay the men from ]
| Nippon or China (mentioned in the I
Seward Gateway) a fair wage. "Ole"
| is also No 1 when we go to take a
look at Alaska’s mining industry.
About fit) per cent are Swedes, Nor
wegians or Danes, and “Ole's" skill
and work are appreciated by every
red-blooded American in Alaska Wo
I could state a few more facts about
“Ole" anil his work, but it’s known all
| over the United States what part
"Ole” had and has in the making of
an industrious and prosperous country
out of a once stubborn Alaska wilder
May we at least remember that fill
per cent of the first Alaska drafted
boys for Uncle Sam's service were
Scandinavians, and at the present
time there is about .10 per cent of
Scandinavians among the soldiers of
Fort Giscurn. every man anxious to
show Uncle Sam as true loyalty as
the best American and the editor of
the Seward Gateway that the heart
of "Ole" never was or never will be
a "yellow" heart, nor a coward's heart
when it comes to protecting and light
ing for the Stars and Stripes, or to
j fighting for the civilization of the
j world.
Get us forget that we are Irish.
English, negroes, Jews or Swedes. Get
us be Americans! True Americans,
and always Americans Get us stand
by Uncle Sam in every way and work
for the whole world's civilization,
freedom and liberty. Get's pray to
God that the now year may bring us
peace, and that He will help us to
work for high and noble things.
O. RICHARD MAGMHORG.
Fort Giscutn, Alaska.
--4—
If you change your address, do not
notify the carrier boy report your
new address to the office.
!;!•
%
Mr. Business
Man
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•A
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always RIGHT. |
Cordova Daily
Times
V
Rocks—Sulphurous Waters—Oils,
—just as they come “Ili
Press” takes them on and
beats them. There never
outwear the st^el itsel. ^
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