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The Cordova Daily Times
Entered at the Postoffice at Cordova, Alaska, as second-class matter.
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H. G. STEEL, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
MEMBER OF ASSOCIATED PRESS.
The Associated Press Is exclusively entitled to the use for republicatlon
of all news credited to it or not otherwise credited in this paper and also
the local news published herein.
All rights of republication of special despatches herein are also re
served.
CORDOVA, ALASKA, THURSDAY, DKCKMBER 27, 1917.
Whose House Is Burning?
(By Meredith Nicholson.)
Civilization may he likened
to a house where a ‘‘amily live
in comfort and ease and the
enjoyment of the privileges
and security that represent
thousands of years of labor.
When a house is on fixe it
becomes the instant duty of the
neighbors and of the govern
ment immediately responsible
for the protection of the house
holder to render aid—not to
day or tomorrow hut the mo
ment the flames become visible
and it is known that the home
and its inmates are threatened.
House on fire! We hear cries
in the street, the rattle ami jar
of fho engines and hose carts
as they hurry to the scene of
conflagration. The fire is
spreading; not one but a ban
died homes are threatened!
W hen the kaiser began his
war for world domination he
applied a torch to that House
of Civilization I have visualiz
ed as a home, the repository of
•very good and perfect gift
that has been won for human
ity, the very freedom that is its
foundation and the peace that
is its corner stone. |
i The kaiser is a mad incend-j
iarv He stole upon the House
of Civilization in the night and
tossed a bnmin.o'’ brand
through an open window. Like
a thief who applies a match to
the rear of a house to stam
pede the inmates and distract
their attention while he plund
ers, the kaiser expected to sat
isfy a long nondered scheme of
robbery and conquest. Civili
zation slant the sleep of peace
to awake in terror.
The kaiser’s army, perfect
ed throu-h years of stern train
ing to aid the pyromaniac lord
of the Ilohenzollerns in his
malign purposes, has resorted
to every conceivable atrocity
to terrorize civilization—not
merelv to destroy its house but
to murder the inmates or re
serve them for a more hideous
fate than death.
When we say that this is a
war to make the world a safe
place for democracy, we mean
also that it is to preserve that
House of Civilization in which
democracy is the altar and
sanctuary.
House on fire! Tt is not for
you and me to stand outside
and sav that it is only a neigh
bor’s house that is menaced.
The first Herman soldier who
set foot on Belgium soil threat
ened vonr home and mine. He
flourished his brand at the
House of Civilization in which
vou n”d 1 live. He attacked
law. liberty, mercy, justice—
everything that strengthens
and adorns that proud house in
which we of America have liv
ed in contentment and peace.
There are things in the
humblest home that the owner
would not lose without a strug
gle. W11en the house gets afire
the inmates spring to protect
and save those things.
We of America are in this
war to nrotect and save the
House of Civilization and the
proud trophies that represent
not only our own struggles and
;re:LL.’s hut those we inherit
ed from sires who shed their
blood for them.
I’ut out the fire! The more
quickly we realize that it is our
house that is burning the more
quickly we shall be free to cut
away the blackened walls and
make the house habitable and
secure. We want to see the
firemen disperse, the police
hustle the incendiary to the
lockup, and the adjusters come
in and settle the damages!
The way to hasten this con
sumation is bv aiding our fire
men—our army and navy—in
every possible way. If we can’t
carry water or wield the ax on
burning timbers, we can stand
back of the men who are doing
the work—our work, yours and
mine. We can pour out our dol
lars to help them. We can see
that the fire fighters are fed,
and clothed while they are on
the job; we can take care of|
them when they fall injured in
our cause.
House on fire! Civilization'
on fire! The man who says'
this is not America’s war is
asleep in a burning house and
does not deserve to be saved
by the splendid valorous fire-!
men who are fighting to rescue
him. « “
< . Ik
:-0-1
THE WALSH BILL.
On account of the great fuel
shortage on the outside the'
government is taking strenu
ous action to increase the pro
duction of coal to such an ex
tent that the supply will equal
the demand.
One of the measures design
ed to increase the production
of coal and fuel oil, is the.
Walsh bill, drawn, it is said,j
along lines of great liberality;
as regards the government coal j
and oil fields of the United j
States. For some reason the.
coal and oil fields of Alaska
were not included in the bill.!
and every chamber of com-1
morce on the coast of Alaska j
has petitioned congress to al
low the fields of Alaska to be
taken up under the same terms
as are permitted in other parts
of the country.
Probably one reason the
lands in Alaska were not in
cluded in tin* Walsh bill is be
cause we now have in force a
leasing law under which coal
lands may be mined. This law
it is claimed by some, is all that
is to be desired, and it is assert
ed the fields tributary to An
chorage will reach their maxi
mum development under the
terms of this law.
The law as it stands may be
.just, it may be liberal and it
eventually may allow the full
est development in this terri
tory. The fact remans, how
ever, that although it has been
in force for two years and the
nation is facing the greatest
emergency in its history, the
gravity of which is greatly in
creased by the scarcity of coal,
there now is working in the
Matanuska coal fields only one
lease, and no coal from that
lease yet has appeared on the
local market
Tin* great curse of Alaska
sire * its first attempt to em
erge from the wilderness, has
been the conservation of its na
i
tural resources. It always has
been the expressed fear of
those in charge of the disposal j
of its public lands that the
great treasures of the territory
would fall into the hands of j
the predatory rich. So careful
have they boon, and so strict,
the laws and regulations en
acted, that the development of
the country has been stopped
almost entirely.
The leasing bill under which
it now is possible to operate Al
aska coal lands is the most lib
eral yet in force in the north,
vet il apparently is not liberal
enough to attract the attenion
of big capital, or there would
he more leases in operation or
at least more applications
would have been made.
1 he \\ alsh bill is supposed
to be more liberal than the
laws now in force. The Times,!
to date, however, has not had!
the opportunity of reading the!
terms of the bill, and until such j
an opportunity is afforded, is,
unable to form an opinion as to
its desirability. However, lib -
era lit v is what is wanted, and
if it can be shown that the
\\ alsh Hill is more liberal than
the terms of the law now in
force, every effort should be
made to have the hill when it
becomes a law apply to Alaska.
Anchorage Times.
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 27.—Cap
tain Takiichi Wakazawa of the Japan
ese army, who was takemprisoner by
the Germans on the Ry». >? front and
later released, said herV'v^'A'tfAy tfmt
Germany is starving- but Austria is
fairly well fed. The Austrian sol
diers, are praying for peace, he stated.
Captain Wakazawa said that des
pite the enemy status of his country
he was merely treated as an observ
er in Germany, and was told by Ger
man Red Cross women that he could
have anything he wanted in the way
of food.
His request for meat and coffee,
however, brought only an apple, about
150 grams of bread and a cup of the
desired beverage. “It was the best
they could get,’’ he stated.
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* You’re Invited
To attend the Fireman’s Ball
To conserve certain articles of food
To join the Red Cross , j
To pay numerous war taxes !
A necessity for the common good is back of each.
Banks have consistently asked during peace and war time
what our government now requests: that YOU become
thrifty (not stingy).
1917 required your best efforts to live.
1918 requires the aid of a fully equipped bank to insure I
your success.
You will not be embarrassed in securing information from !
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I ^ * * NORTHERN LIFE District Agent, Cordova I