The Cordova Times
_' ____(Member of Associated Press)_
VOL. IV. NO. 90 CORDOVA, ALASKA, SATURDAY, MARCH 22, 1919 PRICE TEN CENTS
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Writes Sensational Letter Which May
Have Induced Congress to Hesitate at
Passage of Railroad Appropriation Bill
SOME OF THE ARGUMENTS WHICH MAY HAVE BEEN RESPONSIBLE
FOR FAILURE TO PROVIDE FUNDS TO CONTINUE CONSTRUCTION |
In concluding his remarkable letter to Secretary
Lane, James* Wickersham says:
In conclusion, the facts seem to justify me in repeating to you:
(1) That your administration of the government railroad in Alaska
has been a failure through your incompetency and petty political par
tisanship.
(2) That you have wasted and misused the funds appropriated
for construction of railroad, and you are now ready or may be obliged
to abandon the enterprise in a disjointed condition, so that it is use
less as a through line railroad as contemplated by congress in the
railroad act, unless that body shall make further large appropriations
and grant further authorizations.
(3) That you have levied and fixed unjust and unreasonable rates
ever the short completed portions of the road, so high as to be burden*
some on settlers and miners, and such as to prevent settlement and
development along the line.
(4) That you have aided and assisted the Alaska Syndicate trans
portation corporations and those connected with them in unjustly
boosting their excessive freight rates on Alaska shippers, and espe
cially over the government railroad, thereby driving population out of
the region along the road.
(5) That you have uniformly failed and refused to assist in secur
ing relief from unjust and unreasonable rates imposed on Alaska ship
pers by the Alaska Steamship Company and those associated with it,
when it was your duty as administrator of government ownership and
operation of Alaska transportation, and when it was within your power
and duty to give aueh assistance. *
(6) That you have approved their unjust and unreasonable rate
control of the termini of the government railroad, and compelled the
shippers on the railroad to pay the same on your railroad waybills as
advanced by the government railroad and collected on local waybills'*
at the rail delivery.
(7) That you have drawn the Alaskan Engineering Commission
1 *
and the employes of the road into party partisan politics, to the great
injury of the railroad fund, and when they have committed crimes
against the congressional election laws you have approved and con
doned their offenses and advanced some of the worst offenders to the
highest offices in the territory.
(8) You have so mismanaged the administration of the Alaska coal
leasing law in the Bering River coal field as to give the Alaska Syndi
cate its long-desired monopoly of that field, with unlimited control over
the selling price of coal over the Matanuska branch of the government
railroad. ""
(9) You have also leased a strategic control over the Matanuska
coal field to another great corporation, with a practical control of trans
portation of its coal over the Matanuska branch of the government
railroad. £:
(10) In short, your administration of these great trusts, under and
in the name of the President of the United States, is more than a fail
ure. It is a positive injury to the development of Alaska—it is just
what congress attempted not to do.
I am informed you have made -some suggestion of placing Mr.
John F. Ballaine of Seattle in charge of some of the activities of this
road. While it may be conceded that he is a good citizen and familiar
with local conditions at Seward, where he is a large property holder,
he IS not a practical railroad man and ought not to have any official
conneetlon with the management of this road.
Finally, in my judgment, there is no remedy for bringing success
to the enterprise or which can save it from public scandal so long as
frjfyhs-as ■SU administrator. You ought voluntarily tg withdraw
ftwn iw management and ask the President to place It under charge
Of a competent railroad constructor and superintendent, who is himself •?
independent and competent, or make a full and fair statement of its
present condition to congress, so that body may enact further authoriza
tion and appropriation for its completion under some plan satisfactory
to it. It will only result in greater injury to hold the lid on longer, and
will not add to your reputation.
EXTRASESSION
OFCONCRESSTO
BE HELD IN HAY
PARIS, March 22 (by Associated
Press).—A special session of both
houses of the United States congress
probably will be called in the middle
of May, when President Wilson hopes
to return to the United States.
It is said that if the peace treaty
is sufficiently advanced before that
time President Wilson will go home
earlier.
The President is keeping in close
touch with home sentiment regarding
the league of nations through his
secretary," Joseph Tumulty, and Sec
retary of the Treasury Glass.
Discussing Constitution of League
The conference of the neutral na
tions is discussing the league of na
tions constitution, with especial refer
ence to the articles providing for co
ercive measures against any state
breaking off relations with the league
without submitting its grievances to
the league.
The conference has recognized the
principle that armaments should be re
duced to the minimum.
Borden Is Doubtful
LONDON, March 22 (by Associated
Press).—Robert Borden, the Canadian
premier and delegate to the peace
conference, has expressed the opinion
that the British dominions should not
take the responsibility of participation
in the difficulties of European nations
where Great Britain is not directly
” involved.
i —
[ SEATTLE WILL I
! DEPORT NINE !
! ANARCHISTS.
SEATTLE, March 22 (by Associated
Press).—Nine anarchists, including
Margaret and Janet Roy, have been
sent by federal officials to Ellis island,
New York for deportation.
Margaret Roy attempted to evade
deportation by marrying an alleged
American citizen recently. His citizen
ship was not proved, however.
Some Specimens at San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO, March 22 (by As- '
sociated Press).—Four Russian Bolshe
vik! have been arrested here and are
being held on vagrancy charges pend
ing deportation. I
MACKAY IS FIRED \
BY ONE BURLESON I
WASHINGTON, March 22 (by As
sociated Press).—Postmaster General
Burleson has ordered the removal of f
Clarence H. Mackay as president of ii
the Postal Telegraph Company. 1>
IRMY AIRMEN
FLYING OVER
WILD SIERRAS
SACRAMENTO, March 22 (by As
ociated Press).—Three army aviators
ift here today in an attempt to fly
ver the Sierra Nevadas to Reno.
Making Progress
RENO. March 22 (by Associated
■ress).—The army airplanes have ar
[ved at Carson City without mishap,
hey reported that they had eneoun
ired no difficulty in the flight over
re Sierras. They expected to pro
Bed here late this afternoon.
-♦
The Admiral Farragut will be here
•om Seattle at 1 o’clock in the morn
ig and remain in port four or five
ours loading crude oil for Kodiak.
...1. ,
RELYING ON PRESIDENT WILSON
TO FIND SOLUTION OF DIFFICULTY
PABIS, March 22 (by Associated Press).—The Italian ulti
matum regarding Dalamtia is causing much concern among
delegates to the peace conference, but it is believed that a fa
vorable sqlution wilLbe worked out. It is believed that Presi
dent Wilson will take charge of the whole question for consid
eiation and solution.
Must Choose Between Claimants
HALIFAX, N. S., March 22 (by Associated Press).—Gen.
Gugliehnotto, Italian military attache accredited to the Italian
embassy at Washington, speaking here last night, said the
allies must choose between Italy and the Jugo-Slavs. He said
Italy expected France, the United States and Great Britain to
back up her claims for the Dalmatian coast.
•
llie failure of congress to pass the appropriation bill for<
the carrying on of construction work on the Alaska govern
ment railroad before its adjournment on March 4 last has been
a. severe blow to the territory, and more particularly to the
communities most interested in the work—Anchorage, Nenana,
Seward and Fairbanks. Statements have been made to the
effect that funds may lie forthcoming to continue the work
until a special session of congress can be called and the appro
priation bills rushed through. But there is no assurance on
this point, and the residents of the railroad towns, and espe
cially the business interests, are, in a sense, “up a tree.” No
plans can be made for future business until something more is
known as to the fate of the project, and the resulting situation
is likely to cause great loss to individual business men and
citizens generally, and is more ihan likely to cause suffering
and privation among those dependent upon the railroad work
for their daily bread.
It is not a pleasant situation to reflect upon, and the mut
terings of dissatisfaction with those responsible for the out
rage—for such it is—are more than justified. A government's
duty is, of course, to protect its people. It is felt that in this
instance, instead of protecting them, it has allowed them to
become the victims of misplaced confidence in the government.
Men who have invested their all, including the labor of years,
in building up business institutions, on the government’s prom
ise to build a railroad to interior Alaska, are not likely to hold
very friendly feelings toward those who are responsible for the
almost inevitable closing down of the work for an indefinite
period, and the consequent loss of their hard-earned holdings.
And now the question is being asked, Who is responsible?
The first answer that is heard is that Senators Lafollette
and Reed, by their filibuster in the final hours of the last ses
sion of congress, are the guilty parties. But while it is true
that these “patriots” were responsible for the blocking of
business in the final hours, the Alaska railroad appropriation
had been before congress for months, and had been recom
mended for passage by the committee of the senate several days
before final adjournment. What and who caused the delay?
and what was the object in view? .The answer to these ques
tions will be the answer to the indignant citizens of the Alaska
railroad towns and to the citizens of the territory generally.
An Interesting Document
A most interesting document has juBt been received from
the States by the Daily Times which seems to answer beyond
possibility of a doubt the above questions, and to place the re
(Continued on Page Three)
)
BRITISH BOYS
ARE REVIEWED
BY MONARCH
LONDON, March 22 (by Associated
Press).—-The first triumphal march on
a large scale of the British forces who
fought in France and Belgium oc
curred here today, when fourteen bat
talions of guards representative of all
the units of England’s crack troops
accompanied by bands, marched from
their barracks to Buckingham palace
where they were reviewed by King
George.
Great crowds assembled to cheer
the troops. Many of the marchers be
longed to the old “contemptibles,” and
fought throughout the war.
-♦
BELGIUM’S LIABILITIES
FOR WAR ARE LARGE
BRUSSELS, March 22 (by Asso
elated Press).—Belgium’s liabilities
total 9,900,000,000 francs, 8,000,000,000
franc of which was due to war expen
futures.
(MURDERER
BREAKS DOWN
BEFORECOURT
SEATTLE. March 22 (by Associated
Press).—Ruth Garrison, the self-con
fessed murderer of Grace Storrs, has
been removed from the jail to the
Home of the Good Shepherd, a Cath
olic institution, the sheriff saying that
"she shouldn’t remain with those old
hags at the county jail.”
Prosecuting Attorney Brown ob
jected to the removal, saying she
should receive the same treatment as
other women prisoners.
Storrs, the husband of the murdered
woman, is being held on a charge of
abduction.
Ruth Garrison was arraigned yes
terday on a charge of murder in the
first degree. She was) given a ’week
to plead. She broke down and cried
when facing the magistrate.
-♦
INDICT MAYOR
OFLOSANGELES
FOR BRIBERY
LOS ANGELES, March 22 (by As
sociated Press).—Mayor Woodman of
this city today entered a plea of not
guilty to an indictment charging that
he solicited and receivjd bribeB. The
.specific chars# Is that fin agreed to
accept $25,000 in installments for per
mitting negroes to operate blind pigs
and other resorts. He is charged with
having accepted an installment of
$2,000 of the bribe.
Mayor Woodman is a candidate for
re-election, and has demanded that his
trial be concluded before the primary
elections take place.
WILL OPPOSE
POLESLANDING
AT DANTZIG
_
COPENHAGEN, March 22 (by Asso
ciated Press).—-The Berlin news
papers protest in strong terms against *
the reported allied proposals to give
Poland a corridor to the sea through
Germany to the Baltic.
They declare that the Germans will
oppose any Poles landing at^anzig.
CLEMENCEAU DENIES
REPORTED RESIGNATION
PARIS, March 22 (by Associated
Press).—Premier Clemenceau brands
as absolutely false a published state
ment that he had offered his resigna
tion to President Poincare because of
questions relative to the Rhine and
Austria.
CHALLENGE TO SENATOR REED
TO TEST CONSTITUENTS WISHES
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo., March 22 (by Associated Press).
.—Fifty Democratic members of the Missouri legislature have
offered to resign if United States Senator Reed would resign.
iThe legislators propose then to run for re-election, as they sug
gest that Reed should do also, in order to force a popular vote
tin Missouri on the league of nations plan.
Senator Reed has been particularly prominent in his at
tacks on the proposed league. i