Tanana
Leader
One Dollak Pek Month.
TANANA, ALASKA, THURSDAY, MAY 5, 1910.
Two Bits Per Copy
’CON JOSLIN TALKS TO COMMITTEE
If the house committee on territories does not suc
ceed in posting itself on all matters pertaining to
Alaska it will not be for lack of people from the terri
tory who are willing to impart knowledge at first hand.
At last accounts Casey Moran was at the bat— wound
up for three days -and there will probably be others.
When they are all in the statements before the commit
tee will constitute an interesting library.
Though advocating for the territory a legislature
■ with a majority of its members appointive, Falcon
.; Joslin, who was before the committee March 22, told so
many truths, in so logical and straightforward a way,
that his statement is worthy of careful consideration at
Washington and preservation for future reference at
home. Indeed, Mr. Joslin, in answer to the query, ‘‘Is
your suggestion that this legislature ... be partly
appointive and partly elective, one of principle or
one of expediency?” replied: “Expediency, purely ex
-pediency. In principle they are entitled to have their
own government, and nobody can deny that, because
they carry the principle, every white man carries the
principle of self government with him. I know that
congress—and the courts have so held—has absolute
sovereignty and unlimited power over the territory,
not over the men who have the right to govern them
selves. That has been recognized again and again;
this government was established on that principle.”
Here is another point illustrating Mr. Joslin’s in-!
telligent grasp of the situation: “Alaska is so far de- j
tached from the United States and so inaccessible, and
its different districts are so different from each other,!
that it is almost hopeless that we should get any legis-!
lation from congress suitable to us. The territory be- j
ing in that position, being practically a thousand miles j
from the nearest port, should have a greater degree of
autonomy than any territory within this nation. A
territory within the nation is surrounded by other states
or territories and their representatives are here before
congress, and the conditions can be better under tood
than they ever can be as to Alaska.” It will be remem
bered that the reasons given by Mr. Joslin why Alaska
should have a greater degree of autonomy are the same
as the ones mentioned by the President why it should
have less, or none at all. Logically, Mr. Joslin is un
doubtedly on top: he only advocates less .because he
does not hope for more.
To quote again: ‘‘Previous to the discovery of the
Klondike, which occurred in 1896, for some twelve years
or more there were gathered together on the interior
along the Yukon probably a hundred to five hundred
American miners, some Canadians, some Englishmen.
They were a cosmopolite mass, and there was no kind
of government, not even a commissioner or justice of
the peace; but they kept order, they drove out thieves
and administered justice, and did not do it in a harsh
manner either. Those pioneers lived there ten years
and more before there was any govermental authority
and showed that the people have the power to govern
themselves without authority from anybody; it proved
the theory on which this government is organized, that
government comes from the people upward and not
from authority downward.” Again: “I think they [the
people of Alaska] are just as able to govern themselves
as any people on the face of this earth; they are infi
nitely better able to govern themselves than many of
the people of the United States in other communities,
because they have a breadth by travel that inhabitants j
of the ordinary community in this country have not;!
| they are a well-read people and very capable. I firmly
; believe in their ability to care for themselves, both as
| to their own affairs in Alaska and even to manage their
foreign affairs. If this government should withdraw
all authority in Alaska, I believe they could establish a
government there, make it a good one, and keep order. ”
Mr. Joslin went deep into the subject of coal. He
favors fee-simple grants of land large enough to make
it worth while to open coal mines, but not so large as
to permit monopoly. At present, he says, “you be
come a trespasser if you undertake to take it. A man
found some coal lands along my line aud wanted to
locate it. I went over to our lawyer and he looked up
the law and told me that it could not be taken up, that
the President had set aside the law permitting coal to
be located. Such things as that make us indignant.
Coal is needed there. Wo [the Tanana Valley railroad]
are spending about 520,000 a year for fuel; we use
wood.”
About wood: “It seems that the price of wood in
Alaska contained in forest reserves is fixed by the for
estry bureau and sold to the people there, while the
timber not in forest reserves is administered by the
interior department. They fixed the same price as that
of the forestry bureau for the wood in the forestry re
serves; so we are paying 50 cents a cord, and my belief
is that the total payment amounted to about $25,000 last
year. It is a taxation not imposed under any general
law, but by executive order.”
Mr. Joslin does not accede to the proposition that
the resources of Alaska do not belong exclusively to
Alaska but that the whole government has an interest
in the preservation and proper development of the
resources.
WICKERSHAM MAKES STRONG AND ABLE PLEA FOR HIS BILL
A Wa-bington telegram to the
Fairbanks Times under date of
April 22 says:
Urging vigorously the necessity
of a trunk road from either Valdez
or Seward to Fairbanks, Delegate
Wickersham this afternoon for the
first rime was able to inject into
the members of the house commit
tees on territories an intense enthu
siasm on the subject under discus
sion and commanded the most re
spectful attention of all of them.
When they bad been shown the
benefits to be derived from the sug
gested line, most ot the members
practically pledged themselves to
the scheme, and some of them went
so far as to say that they believed
that the keynote of Alaska's great
ness had been struck.
Delegate Wickersham made a
very strong and able plea in favor
of his bill and called attention to
the fact that the one thing ueeded
for the interior of Alaska was a
railroad from the coast. Before this
toad would be built by private cap
ital there must at least he the cer
tainty of government aid to the ex
tent of a guarantee of the interest
on the bonds for a limited term.
Mr. Wickersham called attention to
tlie fact that the Guggenlieitns con
trol three of the railroads of Alaska
and that if there is no private roads
to give them competition the price
of copper will be kept up by them
until such time as they are com
pelled to reduce it. He pointed out
to the committee the feasibility of
construction of a road from Seward
to Fairbanks and mentioned many
of the difficulties under which Fair
banks merchants at present labor
for want of winter transportation.
All of the members became in
tensely interested in the argument
and many questions were asked
front time to time. A full investi
gation of the subject was ordered,
and it is believed that a favorable
report on the bill will be made.
Delegate Wickersham wants ail
Alaska papers, chambers of com
merce and other organizations to
wire him to the effect that they in
dorse his effort to secure a road
from the coast, so that lie will be
able to keep the committee in the
same frame of mind it is in at pres
ent. He feels very much enthused
at the result of this afternoon’s
session.
Now that the weather conditions
are favorable for out-door work, the
construction of Williams & Van
Horn’s new steamboat is going
steadily forward.
The River and the Mail
A rumor in circulation here that the
Yukoo broke at Dawson la6t Tuesday
was false. The rise in the Yukon at
Tanana is small, although there has
been some water on the ice near the
6hore for three days.
The Tanana ice is reported to be
flooded everywhere.
There is nothing to indicate that the
Yukon will break inside of twelve days.
The mails so far have arrived on
time, continuing the fine record main
tained all winter.
Soldiers in Summer Clothes
Orders became effective May 1 for
the officers and men of the garrison
to wear their handsome olive-drab
summer uniforms. The change is very
noticeable and the fine appearance of
the soldiers is generally commented
upon. _
Capt. “Hootlanana Kid” Miller, last
year captain of the Little Delta, may
go out as master of one of the new
boats building at Fairbanks.
To Take Goods to Iditarod
C. R. Peck and associates will carry
a stock of goods to the Iditarod closely
following the Yukon ice. Mr. Peck is
having a scow built at Rampart which
will be taken in tow by his launch,
formerly the Helen Gould.
The launch is in her winter berth on
the Yukon above Tanana. As soon as
the river clears she will go to Rampart
for the scow and at once depart for the
lower country.
Degs killed the second and last of
Judge Gallaber’s yaller cats. The
kitties were admired by all visitors to
the judge’s office.
Thomas A. Forsyth, a Boston
millionaire, died and left $2,000,000
to defray expenses of attending to
the teeth of children.
A good many geese are going tc*
ward the Iditarod.
The Leader is on sale ai ' the
postoffice lobby.
THE PLACE TO EAT
Kentucky Restaurant
BEST OF EVERYTHING SERVED
BenJ. Green and J. A. Frederlckson, Props.
Mystery Solved by Skeletons
Telluride, Col., April 17.—Two skel
etons found in the mountains have
been partially identified as the remains
of two boys, Frank Jane, 14 years old,
and Ernest Donaldson, 9, who mysteri
ously dropped out of sight June 1, 1908,
and whose disappearance has since re
mained a mystery. The discovery was
I made by two miners from the Smug
gler-Union, who were prospecting in
the hills north of Pandora. When last
seen the boys were on the road to
Tomboy mine, where the Donaldson
boy’s father was employed. It is pre
sumed they had endeavored to climb to
an eagle’s nest, about which there had
been considerable talk, and had slipped
down a precipice to their death. The
parents of the boys were miners and
have moved away, their present where
abouts being unknown.
Closes Barber Shop
Bert Williams closed his barber
shop and bath house early this
week and is now devoting his time
to the installing of the machinery
in the new steamboat now under
construction for himself and W. A.
Van Horn.
New Orleans women are clamor
ing for babies. A carload of the
little one received from the New
York Foundling and Orphan Asy
lum was besieged by eager women.
Another carload has been ordered.
The steamer Minneapolis is to leave
Fairbanks with early passengers for
the Iditarod. a *60 fare being named.
Jim Blodgett to Go, Too
A telegram was received by a Tanana
friend last night saying that James
Blodgett is building a big scow at Hot
Springs and will move his entire
outfit to the Iditarod. Mr. Blodgett is
one of the best known freighters ia the
country.
Fairbanks papers call it “the pre
vailing malady,” but we think “the
grip” the more definite term. George
Vautier, Joe Anicich, David Kay and
Jack Cavanaugh have it.
Plenty New Pictures
| During the past ten evenings the
, men about town have enjoyed a
series of new moving pictures at
the Pioueer bar. Mr. Anicich re
\ cently secured several thousand
| feet of film which had never been
i exhibited in Tatiana, and the at
traction has proved a good drawing
card. _______
| The Loader is delivered by carrier to
: all parts of the city—$1 per month.
SEASONABLE GOODS!
House Lining,
Windows,
Dressed “Outside”
Lumber,
Corrugated Iron,
FISH NET AND
FISH-WHEEL WIRE NETTING
NORTHERN COMMERCIAL CO.