The Chitina Leader
CHITINA, AIiASKA.
Entered as second-class matter, November 12, 1910,_ at the postoffice at
Chitina, Alaska, under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1879.
ONLY NEWSPAPER IN CHITINA
Published every Saturday by
TILL A. STEEL—Editors, Managers and Proprietors—HABIT O. STEEL
Office: Hotel Chitina Building. Cordova Orfiee: Daily Alaskan
Seattle Office: 551 Colman Building.
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Made known upon application. They will be found reasonable for the service
given. Official publication for legal advertisements pertaining to mineral lands
of the Copper River district.
CHITINA, ALASKA, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1912,
HAZELET AND GRAY THE CHOICE.
(From Friday’s Cordova Daily Alaskan.)
The voters of Cordova had a splendid opportunity today
to express their free and unprejudiced choice for one man to
represent the Copper river country in the Territorial Senate
and another to represent us in the House. Various names
were suggested as persons competent and best suited to fill
these various offices, but when the friends of Geo. C. Hazelet
and E. F. Gray got busy in the effort to learn the sentiment
in the community, it was found that these men were in such
high and universal favor that it was determined to present
their names before the primary today. This conclusion was
reached without the knowledge or desire of either Mr. Haze
let or Mr. Gray, the former being in Seattle and the latter
at Copper Mountain, superintending his extensive mining in
terests. The primaries were conducted under the direction
of the town council, who appointed as judges and clerks of
election competent and representative men, who gave every
one a fair deal. Every man who is a voter in Cordova or sur
rounding country was invited and urged to cast his ballot
at the primary. It was absolutely non-partisan, but the senti
ment that early developed in favor of Messrs. Hazelet and
Gray was so overwhelming that other “favorite” sons with
selfish and ulterior purposes in mind, realizing that they would
be overwhelmingly defeated, passed the word around among
their few followers not to vote thus preventing display of the
weakness of the selfish individual who subordinates princi
ple and all else to an inordinate greed for public notoriety
and office.
The majority of the voters of the community, in a peace
able and straightforward manner stepped up to the polling
place and cast their ballots for two of the straightest, most
competent, and certainly most popular men, in the Copper
river country. The expression upon the part of the voters,
was positive, convincing and overwhelming, demonstrating be
yond question whom the majority favor as the candidates
from this section. The people have again won a victory, and
given an expression that does credit to their good judgment
and again demonstrates that when the best interests of the
town are at stake the voters can he relied upon to fairly, in
telligently and honestly meet an emergency. The back biters
and selfish egotists will no doubt always continue to be a dis
cordant element, willing to wreck the peace and best inter
ests of the community, but the PEOPLE will rule and self
constituted bosses will have to take their medicine, howeve’
bitter it may be.
A "PECULIAR” OFFICE SEEKER
He who lias ever lived in Seattle of course is familiar,
with the name at least, of "Judge” John E. Humphreys. Foi
lo, these twenty years or more, the Judge has been known af
a consistent Republican,—and a persistent office seeker. He
is an amiable, good natured, roly poly kind of a man, who h
admired for many exceptional qualities. And notwithstand
ing his many years of political discouragements Judge Hum
phreys retains an abiding faith in his own worthiness, and
has an ultimate hope that the dear people must eventually
awaken to the fact that for all these long, patient years, ht
has been, and is, the real Moses to lead a bewildered peoph
into the great arena of peace and betterment. The Judge if
a fairly good lawyer and has always been able to extract untc
himself a sufficiency of this world’s dross to afford his small
family all the ordinary comforts of life, and yet at the same
time have a surplus for the periodical education of the voters
Judge Humphreys knows beyond all question that his
principal mission in life is to serve the dear people. They
don’t yet realize it, but with more than the patience of Job
he is fully determined that they shall, even though he has to
live two hundred years. At various times his "inspiration”
has prompted a sacrifice of greater ambition and usefulness
to accept the ordinary city or county office, and in some
years had inspirations at the Spring election and again at the
November election. But all to no avail. Not in one instance
have they accepted the sacrifice that he is willing to offer.
During the past twenty years the voters of Seattle, King
County, and the state of Washington, have denied themselves
of the usefulness of Judge Humphreys. He has been willing
to serve them as Prosecuting Attornev, as Superior Judge,
as corporation Counsel, as Mayor, as United States Senator,
as Judge of the Supreme Court, as Governor. And not only
once, but at various times for the same office has he sought to
impress upon the voters their need.
This Spring the Judge decided not to accept the office of
Mayor, and even to forego the Supreme Court Judgeship, for
Jie knew that the people wanted him for a Superior Judgeship
in King County. But alas, alack, he has had another rude
shock, for the primary voters on Sept. 10th said him nay. Of
course this of itself would not be distressing to the Judge. He
has known the people to have been mistaken before. But a
few days prior to the primary he was distressed and shocked
at the ingratitude and lack of discernment and appreciation
evidenced upon the part of an organization of preachers.
The Ministerial Association of Seattle issued a circular ad
vising against the election of certain men as judges And
strauge to behold, in that list appeared the name of the per
ennial and faithful candidate.- Was he vanquished or dis
heartened? Ye gods, no! The Judge is made of sterner
stuff. He addressed a public letter, and demanded of the mis
guided teachers a bill of particulars. He wanted to know
“why atn I unworthy of support?” and “why, if I was of
such vile character and such standing that I deserve to be de
feated for Judge?” and “what immoral, illegal or disreput
able conduct I have been connected with?” etc. And then
he furnishes the Association and public his own estimate of
himself, as follows:
I am the only candidate upon the ticket for
judge who has a record of continuous practice in all
the courts for forty years.
I am of the most exemplary habits of any man
upon the ticket.
I never took a drink of intoxicating liquor in
my life.
I do not use tobacco in any form.
I do not bet or gamble upon any game.
I never have visited disreputable places.
I have never played a game of cards in my life.
I have, all my life, attended strictly to my busi
ness and been a dilligent student of the law’.
I am a member of the First Presbyterian Church
of Seattle.
My father and my father’s family for generations
were leading members of the Presbyterian church,
occupying the responsible position of elders.
My mother and my mother’s family for genera
tions were strict members of the Methodist church.
The father of my wife was the Kev. Dr. Fresh
man, of Canada, a Methodist minister.
My brother-in-law is Dr. John Pierson, former
presiding elder of the Methodist Church of Cincin
natti.
I don’t know a man in the state of Washington
of cleaner habits and of more exemplary moral life
than myself.
I stand A-l in the legal profession.
I am a member of nineteen different fraternal or
ders in this citv.
But even after the Judge took the Association and the
dear public into his confidence he failed to inspire any great
er degree of confidence and again, and for the steenth time,
he went down to an ignoble defeat. But he will arise again.
And the peculiar thing about it is that Judge Humphreys is
just about all those things that he says he is, and the people
know it. But the Judge closes his eyes to other things that
the dear people see with clear vision. While he is regarded as
fairly harmless, yet they know that in his political manipula
tions he does not fail to resort to the tricks of the trade; they
know that he poses as the champion of the people in order to
get their votes; they know that he tries to inflame the populace
against their more favored neighbors; they know that it is his
ego and vanity that prompts him to his frequent candidacy;
they know that at times his sincerity can be questioned; they
know that there has never been a popular demand for him:
they know that such little support as ho receives is because of
his profuse advertising in trying to work up a sentiment foi
himself.
In other words the voters know a lot more about the Judge
than he knows about himself, and he is like many anothei
man, he won’t learn. But he is only a type that is found in
''very community, including Alaska. During the former days
>f convention the Judge thought the other “bosses” were al
ways conniving against him. But since the Australian ballot
system permits him to submit his name to the people direct
lie knows that the fault is with them, yet hoping that some
day they will have an awakening. And at the same time he re
mains time to his party principles and after every personal de
feat turns in and contributes by voice and money, to the suc
cess of the man who has defeated him. And again we sav that
Judge Humphreys is a man of many excellent parts—and pe
culiai’ities—but he is the kind that the people don’t want fox
public office.
-o—o—o
FAILURE OF WOULD-BE DOCTORS.
It has just been announced as one of the results of exam
inations held in June by Pennsylvania Medical Board that 30
per cent of the applicants failed. This is assui'edly a pathetic
“mortality.” But it is nothing like the mortality, as one doc
tor l’emarked, that would probably have occuri’ed among their
patients if all of these applicants had been admitted to prac
tice. One explanation of the large percentage of failui’es is
that the standard inquired is much higher than it was a few
yeai's ago. Another, that many of the applicants were per
sons from other states who had been graduates from medical
schools of an indifferent character, or the standards of which
wei’e lower than in schools of the better class. Dr. Baldy, pres
dent of the board, said of the applicants from a school oxxtsixje
the state, a majority of whom failed, that no student of that
school would ever again be permitted to take an examination
in Pennsylvania. “It is nothing but a diploma factory,” was
his characterization of this institution.
-o—o—o
EDITORIAL COMMENT.
The report from Seattle today would indicate that the
Alaska Railroad Commission is not working under direct in
structions from Secretary Fisher. The latter’s pet harbor at
Seward and his faorite railroad from that point are apparent
ly to be ignored. The news states that the commission will
proceed to Knik, which is way up the head of Cook’s inlet,
and go into the Matanuska coal fields from there, returning by
way of Chitina and Cordova. Secretary Fisher should have
remained here instead of going off to Honolulu. But then
the commission may take up the Seward end of it later.
That delightful little city should certainly be visited. It is
well worth it, even if it may not have the best route into the
interior.
• •__ _
Federal Judge Clinton W. Howard lias not been confirmed,
owing to the hostility of Senator Miles Poindexter. Never
theless he goes on the bench though the medium of a “recess
^appointment.” There is ample precedent for such a course.
When James Wickersliam was judge for the District of Alas
ka, President Roosevelt kept him steadily in the place by
adopting that course; and Wickersham never was confirmed,
although he sat on the bench for years.—Seattle Times.
“Christmas Island, southwest of Hawaii and the reputed
original Louis Stevenson’s ‘Treasure Island,’ has been sold,”
is a current statement. As the story of “Treasury Island”
very strongly indicates that it was located in the Atlantic,
this characterization is evidently in the same class as that
which made Juan Fernandez in the Pacific “Crusoe’s Island,”
while the story of Robinson Crusoe put his island oil the
mouth of the Orinoco River.
The owners of the Alaska Northern railway better get
busy and scour up the two streaks of rust so that everything
will appear spick and span when the railway commission comes
to have a look.—Seward Gateway. The commission are evi
dently familiar with those two streaks of rust, and so they
don’t propose to lose any time in walking over them. They
will steam around to Knik Arm and ride horseback from there
sixty miles into the Matanuska coal fields.
Alaska’s new party doesn’t seem to need any platform of
principles, in fact some of the Cordova bosses wouldn’t recog
nize a principle if they saw it. And they don’t even think it
accessary to give it a name. They just properly designate
themselves as “Wickersham’s men.” And yet this is a free,
land, and men don’t have to be tagged that way unless they
so prefer, and real courageous, manly men, don’t ever so pre
fer.
—
In a dispatch from Washington, which appear in a recent
issue of the Seattle Times, Delegate James Wickersham is
quoted as saying: ‘‘When I return to Washington in Decem
ber, I propose to introduce a bill providing for the fortifica
tion of the harbor at Katalla.” But the delegate really needn’t
mind. Nature has attended to all that.
The latest John Jacob Astor has no room in his small
mouth for all the gold spoons he is born with; but superser
viceable adherents want to start a suit to provide him with
several millions more.
Each section of the Third division has a different idea
about a non-partisan Legislative ticket, but the Wickersham
ites refuse to be drawn into it. The Judge likes a fight and
when he can’t be in it directly himself he issues orders for his
lieutenants to buckle on the armor. Peace is not a word that
he conjures with.
A citizen of Valdez wants the people of town to subscribe
a fund to subsidize a stage line over the Valdez trail. What’s
the matter with the Alaska road commission! They might be
induced to provide this little luxury.
The departments at Washington are beginning to believe
that the existence of the average Alaskan in this southwest
ern section is not as rosy hued as some dreamy eyed oonserva*
tionalists paint it.
Gifford Pincliot’s declaration that Roosevelt will carry
Pennsylvania by 300,000 is an ambitious effort to rival Secre
tary Hi lies’ roseate estimate of the Taft electoral vote.
Another Paris doctor announces that he has found the
cancer microbe. Some of these days somebody may find it
and have the greatest difficulty getting anybody to believe it.
Some of the “ Wiekerslmm’s men” little bosses in Cordova
don’t like publicity. They prefer screens and dark lanterns.
And if they could so decide there would be no newspapers.
A mere man broke the window in a London police station
as a protest against some imaginary injustice and was prompt
ly sent up for 21 days, being denied woman’s rights.
Even Teddy would be ashamed of the way some of his
stray Bull Moosers tried to bull things through at a “Wicker
sham” meeting last night.
Guess its about settled that when a railroad is built into
the Bering river coal fields it will have Cordova as its coast
terminus.
Full investigation confirms the belief that it takes more
than a rumor to kill Dr. Sun Yat Sen.
’■zrrsm
(From Tuesday’s Cordova Daily Alaskan.)
Chief Clerk Alvah Fames, of the Railway Mail Service,
has issued an order that the last dispatch of mail on ruote
No. 78191, Valdez-Gulkana, will leave Valdez on September
16. This means that after the above date all mail for Willow
Creek, Copper Center, Taslina, Dry Creek, Gulkana and Pax
ton’s will go via Cordova during the winter months, as has
been the custom during the past two years since Cordova was
made the distributing station.
The first interior mail for Fairbanks, Nome and all way
stations, going via Cordova, leaves Seattle on the steamer Mar
iposa September 24 for this port. Here it will be assorted and
800 pounds dispatched over the Copper River & Northwestern
railway twice a week, beginning October 1. This service con
tinues until November 24 when three mails a week, of 1,600
pounds each, instead of 1,200 as erroneously reported in yes
terday’s Alaskan, will be sent to the interior.
The discontinuance of the service from Valdez to Gulkana
after September 16 is another verification of the fact that the
winter routing of mail to interior Alaska will continue to be
made through Cordova postoffice, notwithstanding the reports
to the contrary which have been freely circulated at other
places.
Chitina I
4
A
Pharmacy j
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Drugs ^ :
Stationery
Magazines
Candy
Fruit
Cigars
: A. G. MOREY, Prop.
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GROCERIES, HARDWARE
======== AND =======
MEAT MARKET
We have a big line of Sec
ond-Hand Goods, and can
save you money on your out
fit. Bunk House, with free
Cook House, in connection.
CHITINA HEIGHTS
Conies & Simons
TTTtt,rtfrTTV,fTttTfvvvv,rv*iM,' v
PUBLIC LAND AND MINING
CASES.
If you are interested in any content
or any matter before the Interior De
partment, write to Clark & Wright,
registered land lawyers, Q02 F Street
N. W. (opposite Gen'l Land Office),
Washington, D. C. Free information
about contests and where to obtain
scrip, locatable upon public lands,
without residence or cu!tivration.
Feed, Fuel
and
Lumber
HAV, BRAN, OATS, CHOPS,
ROLLED BARLEV
We can make prompt ship
ments to points on the rail
road. Our feed is the very
best quality.
0. A. Nelson & Co.
CHITINA
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