Heumrd Mile Entoman
MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOLUME XXI, NUMBER 79 1 l
SEWARD, ALASKA, SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 1926.
PRIC1', TEN CENTS
Ritchie Says No Competent Man
Available In the Third Division
Handle His Job If He Is Ousted
ALASKA’S “INFERNAL” POLITICAL SQUABBLES
FURNISHING HUBBUB AND DINNING THE
EARS OF WASHINGTON’S OFFICIALS
RITCHIE PUTTING UP GREAT DEFENSIVE
ONSLAUGHT OF QUERIES RAZED AS RITCHIE
FACES QUIZ COMMITTEE—BLAMES DUGGAN
AND McCAIN STARTING THIS MESS
WASHINGTON, D. C., Mar. 27. (AP).—Alaska’s in
ternal political troubles has furnished the talking point of
the prohibition hubbub which is dinning the ears of Wash
ington and increasing in intensity as adjournment of con
gress draws near.
Judge Elmer E. Ritchie of the Third Division of Al
aska is the center of a quarrel during which he advised
Dr. Clarence True Wilson to drop his middle name, while
sitting opposite from Dan Sutherland, Alaska delegate to
Congress, who is responsible for this investigation. Rit
chie said he would refrain from using ugly words, but
considered Wilson whose veracity was challenged Wednes
day by Representative O’Connor of New York to be not
only a falsifier but a retailer of falsehoods. He resented
the remarks, he said, which Wilson made about enforce
ment conditions in the Territory and in his district. He
denied every charge made concerning the administraton
of hs judicial duties.
Ritchie admitted his conviction in Utah on a crimi
nal libel charge* and stated he had not written the circu
lar letter upon which the charge was based. He said
he never paid the fine imposed, which was $100.
Sutherland wanted to know whether he thought his I
general attitude helped prohibition enforcement. Rit
chie that one or two violations of the law did not indicate
to him a vicious law violator.
A letter from Sherman Duggan, former district at
torney* criticising Ritchie, was read by Sutherland. Rit
chie denied the charge that he reduced sentences imposed
by Commissioners. In all cases, including prohibition,
he declared he never let off a man who had ever been con
victed for the violation of the prohibition law without im
posing a jail sentence, except in one case. Commenting
on bootleggers, Ritchie said some should be prosecuted
for murder. Meeting the charges about continuing cases,
he asserted he never acted in such matters except upon
recommendation of the district attorney. He declared
Duggan was playing in favor with the laboring people,
and denounced him as a demagogue, and stated he did not
know Mrs. Margaret Harris, president of the Alaska W.
C. T. U., who filed the charges against him.
Former officials of the district attorney’s office were
named as responsible for the charges against him- and
asserted Sherman Duggan and Harry G. McCain, who
was Duggan’s assistant are trying to erect a political ma
chine and are doing everything they can to discredit his
court.
Senator Overman asked Ritchie if his nomination
should be rejected and whether there is anyone there com
petent to sit as a district judge. Ritchie replied that ac
cording to his judgment, it might be necessary-to get some
one from ouside the division.
Sutherland criticised Ritchie in referring to those
who wanted better law conditions as being Bolsheviks.
Ritchie insisted he was not doing so, but added those in
Alaska he called Bolsheviks were those opposed to any
one jvho had any property and to corporations and com
panies.
Ritchie denounced John W. Frame* and called him “a
blackmailer, who attacked everyone who would not sub
scribe or advertise in his newspaper.” He stated he “is
utterly disreputable.”
The sub-committee inquired closely as to the dispo
sition of the liquor seized and held by the district attor
ney’s office at Valdez. Ritchie stated the matter was
fully discussed with Assistant Attorney General Lille
brandt, who had given instructions in the matter of the
liquor going to hospitals.
Ritchie said the enforcement of prohibition has given
him great trouble and asserted the belief a dry law viola
tion was not evidence of moral turpitude which some one
read into record. As the statement quoting Judge Ritchie
having declared that members of congress violated the
law, he replied that he knows of men in high standing who
took a drink whenever they got the chance. He said one
Federal judge remarked that it was going to be hard work
to try liquor cases, and said they inquired where they
could get something to “wet his whistle.
Ritchie insisted that he has not upbraided prohibi
tion enforcement, but on the contrary his district was as
clean as any rural American community.
Sutherland read Duggan’s letter, criticising Judge
Ritchie as being out of sympathy with prohibition. Rit
chie replied Duggans remarks in the letter were “mali
cious falsehoods.”
The committee gave Ritchie permission to fill any
written statement.
WASHINGTON D. C., Mar. 27. (^)l
—Judge Elmer E. Ritchie, before the
Judiciary sub-committee probe said it
is difficult to meet the charges made
against him because he is not con
fronted by witnesses. He said he
wanted to cross examine Delegate
Sutherland and denounced the charges
as hearsay. He declared Sutherland
only made a few charges within his
own actual knowledge, and said an
attempt was made to bolster up the
charges against him by declaring emi
nent citizens of Alaska supported
them. Referring to the charge that
he wrote a letter libelling John W.
Frame, he testified a person asked
him to give such information con
cerning Frame.
He dictated a letter to a stenogra
pher stating what he knew about
Frame and insisted he had a right to
do so and said ninety per cent of the
people of the Third Division will sup
port the accuracy of his statements.
Ritchie said the election of Frame was
obtained through the votes of a thou
sand illiterate Indians.
Ritchie declared Mrs. Chase had a
good character wrhen Senator Means,
asked him if he thought the knowledge
of Frank Foster of Cordova and Mrs.
CJhase had a good
Chase drinking cocktails helped the
enforcement of prohibition. Ritchie
also replied it was not generally
known.
Senator Overman asked whether
Foster was appointed after the hotel
escapade. Ritchie replied the appoint
ment was made two years later. Rit
chie said the business men of Cordova
requested Foster’s selection.
The committee several times re
minded Ritchie of his conviction in
Utah. Ritchie insisted he was a vic
tim of shyster lawyers and that the
jury verdict surprised everybody.
CASE IS LIKELY TO
ASSUME GREAT
PROPORTIONS
SEATTLE, Wn, Mar. 27. (^—In
spector Joe Mason and Policeman
Prince went to Prosecutor Colvin’s of
fice yesterday because of the Japan
ese who was hailed before the Police
Court here on a liquor charge, who
said “Joe Mason has been fixing things
and I shouldn’t be here.”
Mason and Prince denied this and
Prince explained he collected, sixty
dollars monthly from the Japanese on
a debt due former Policeman E. Wor
sham, who is in prison, but said in
stead of paying the sixty dollars to
Worsham’s family he had held out $35
monthly because Worsham owed
Prince money.
Mason said this looked all right.
Feek and Kimsey said they had the
monthly pay for the police depart
ment fresh in their pockets when they
were nabbed. This was seiezd with a
I
SIBERIA TOO MUCH
FOR HIM TO
DIGEST
EVERYTHING WAS ROSY UNTIL
SOVIET GRAFTERS HORNED
IN ON THE DEAL
SEATLE, Mar. 27. (JP)—Dan Aston,
Alaskan sourdough, arrived after four
years spent in Siberia where he has
been mining for the last seventeen
months. The Government engineer de
clared the Soviet rule is rapidly stamp
ing out the last vistage of initiative
in Siberia and the working class is
crying for “the good old days when
Nicholas ruled.”
Aston took out $50,000 in gold placer
fields on the upper Aldan river, 2000
miles from Vladivostok and was al
lowed only a hundred dollars when he
sailed from Ruissan soil.
He said: “I still have a bank account
at Vladivostok and was promised by
the government that I can draw a
hundred dollars a month as long as the
account lasts, but that was only a So
viet promise. I arrived at the Aldan
field six months before the govern
ment learned about it. The soil is sim
ilar to the Yukon, paydirt running 25
feet deep and averages about two
pounds of gold a day, working a shov
el and rocker. When the Soviets
came every man was made to exchange
his gold for paper. The Government
took charge and hired men at two
dollars a day, who pocketed the prof
its. Life in the gold field was worse
than anything I ever saw during my
twenty years in Alaska. Murders are
daily occurances; the men lived like
animals.
“WTiat am I going to do you ask
me? Why, I’m taking the next boat
home to Alaska,!”
APPROPRIATION IS
ASKEDFURTHER
PROSECUTIONS
WASHINGTON, D. C., Marfl 27.(£>)
—President Coolidge yesterday asked
Congress to appropriate an additional
hundred thousand dollars to continue j
the prosecution of oil suits arising
from the report of the Elk Hills leases.
Budget Director Lore, in transmit
ting the request said it was impossi
ble to complete litigation this fiscal
year.
___________________________.
j.
number of keys. Lieut. Comstock, head
of the dry squad, demanded the return
of their possession, but Colvin in
structed his subordinates to “keep
everything.”
PROPOSED EXTENSION OF ALASKA
RAILROAD WOULD BE TREMENDOUS
FACTOR DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES
Would Open Mineral Wealth Outrivaling All the Eldora
dos and Golcondas of Fact and Fiction.
STORAGE VAULT OF THE WORLD’S COPPER ORE
The Alaska Railroad Should Be Extended to the Arctic
Oil Fields, Upper Tanana and Copper River R. R.
The solution of the Alaska Railroad problem is more
railroads—-to get more freight. The extension of the
Alaska Railroad into the Arctic will get the coal and oil
there; up the Tanana Valley, and the Chisana Valley, and
thru the White River Valley to connect with the*Copper
River and Northwestern Railroad at McCarthy, will open
up those three wonderful resources, and agricultural pos
sibilities.
H. R. 9391, A Bill, to further railroad construction
in Alaska and to secure the government the use of the
same for postal, military* telegraph and other purposes,
was introduced to the House on February 17 by Congress
man Perlman, Republican of New York. The expendi
ture is proposed of one hundred thousand dollars for the
purpose of making permanent surveys in connection with
future railroad construction in Aalska. Editorial com
,ment will be found on the following page.
The Bill in its entirety is published intact herewith:
Be it enacted by the Senate and'
House of Representatives cf the Unit
ed States of America in Congress as
sembled, That the president is hereby
authorized to extend the Alaska Rail
road from Fairbanks to the Yukon
River, thence through Chandalar Pass
to the Arctic; also from Fairbanks
thru the valley of the Tanana to the
Chisana Valley; thence around Sco
lai Pass to the terminal of the Cop
per River and Northwestern Railroad
at McCarthy, in order to give trans
portation to those parts of Alaska;
and the right of way through the pub
lic domain for such purpose is here
by granted for the survey and con
struction of the same, and for tele
phone and telegraph lines in connec
tion therewith.
Sec. 2. That the said Alaska Rail
road shall keep the telephone lines
and telegraph lines, and their equip
ment, in good repair and continuous
use, and shall at all times transmit
messages and dispatches over said
telephone and telegraph lines, and
transport mails, troops, munitions of
war, supplies, and public stores upon
the said Alaska Railroad for the Gov
ernment whenever so required to do
by any department thereof; and that
the Government shall at all times have
the preference in the use of the same
for the purposes aforesaid.
Sec. 3. That the said Alaska Rail
road is hereby authorized and em
powered to take over and operate any
of the railroads in Alaska now owned
by any person or persons, company or
companies, which, in the judgment of
the President is necessary for its pur
poses; and also any private lands or
premises that may be necessary for
the said Alaska Railroad for depots,
sidings, houses, or any other struc
tures required in the construction and
operation of said Alaska Railroad,
either by purchase or by the right of
eminent domain; and if the owner
or owners of such railroads, or of such
lands or premises, and the President
can not agree as to terms, the value
of same shall be determined by a
judge of a court of record in the said
judge is hereby invested with juris
diction and shall forthwith upon appli
cation by the said Alaska Railroad
appraise the value of such Railroad
or lands or premises, with their equip
ment or improvements, at what, in his
judgment, is the fair and reasonable
value thereof, and' upon filing with the
clerk of the court of the said apprais
al and upon the payment to the clerk
of said court of the amount so award
ed By the said judge, the said rail
road and equipment, or the said lands
or premises, shall thereby become in
law and in eqity the property of said
Alaska Railroad, which shall then be
Invested with full title to the same for
SENT BACK TO HOME
LAND TO GET
MURDERED
KELLOGG SCORES AUTHORITIES'
METHODS IN DEPORTING
ALIENS FROM U. S.
WASHINGTON, D. C., Mar. 27. (Jp)
—In consequence to the deportation
of Colonel Manuel Torres, Revolution
ary leader, who was slain shortly af
ter his delivery to Mexican authori
ties, Secretary of State Frank B. Kel
logg wrote Secretary of Labor Davis:
“I sincerely hope that in a case of
this character that every possible con
sideration be given the desirability of
deporting Mexicans to any other place
than Mexico.”
The letter went Into the Senate Im
migration committee for record yes
terday.
COOLIDGE WILL RETAIN HOME
LEFT BY DECEASED FATHER
WASHINGTON, D. C., Mar. 27. (>P)
—President Coolidge intends to retain
the home and farm which Colonel
Coolidge deeded over to him on the
eve of his death. The tract is one of
the five farms of the President’s great
grandfather, Captain John Coolidge.
i_
all purposes.
Sec. 4. That the said Alaska Rail
road shall have the right to cut, re
move, ai$ use trees, dirt, rock, or oth
er materials that might by falling en
cumber its roadbed though standing
or being more than two hundred feet
therefrom; and the right to connect
its railroad and branches with the
railroad and branches ,of any other
railroads in Alaska, and to transport
its cars over safce, upon such terms
as the Interstate Commerce Commis
sion shall prescribe as to rates and all
matters in connection therewith; and
the said Interstate Commerce Commis
sion shall have the same power over
the railroads in the Territory of Al
aska that the said commission now
has by law over the railroads in the
United States.
Sec. 5. That the sum of $100, or
so much thereof as may be necessary,
is hereby appropriated, out of any
money in the Treasury not otherwise
appropriated, to carry this act into ef
fect.
Section 6. That this Act shall take
effect immediately.