GUGGENHEIM BUGABOO WORKED
TO THE DETRIMENT OF ALASKA
•U _ .
_
"Isn’t it true that the people of
Alaska are up in arms against the
domination of material and political
Alaska by the Guggenheims?” was
asked Fred Heilig, the Fairbanks
newspaper man, by a reporter in
Portland.
‘‘The Guggenheim bugaboo has
been overworked, with not a little
harm to Alaska. Except for a small
section of the territory, the Alaskan
knows nothing of the Guggenheims,
and has seen nothing of their activi
ties. There is room in Alaska for a
thousand monopolies such as the
Guggenheims are reputed to be, and
the people of Alaska would like to
see them come. All the misinformed
and misdirected agitation against the
capitalists who are pouring money
into the development of the resour
ces of the Copper River basin has to
some extent had the result of scar
ing other capital, and the average
Alaskan resents such a campaign.
The Guggenheims have paid hand
somely for everything they own, and
deserve commendation and encour
agement, and at the same time keep
ing watchful control of activities that |
might lead to oppressive monopoly."
"How does the coal question af
fect interior Alaska?”
“The people of me rnterior never
see coal. They burn wood, for which
they pay from $9 to $15 a cord, and
stumpage to the government. Fuel
is a big item in the expense of op
erating gold mines and in the cost
of living on the Arctic circle.
“Railways are what Alaska needs
most now. The check to the rapid
development of Alaska during the
last two years has been coincident
with the check to railway building,
and this in turn has been caused
by the obstacles in the way of ob
taining fuel for the operation of the
railways. . Some Alaskans blame con
servation policies, while others ac
cuse rival railway interests, with
Alaska politicians lined up on one
side or the other. Whatever the
answer the keynote to future pro
gress and harmony in Alaska is coal.
“Too often the real danger to the
healthy development of Alaska is
none other than the ‘hardy prospec
tor.’ I have known a group of eight
honorable citizens to stake and claim
a valley 100 miles long. They do it
by virtue of the power of attorney
and the association claim, and are
entirely within their legal rights. If
the abuse of these two privileges is
remedied, as it well might be if Con
gress, Alaska’s only legislature, de
voted a few minutes to its ‘non-con
tiguous possession ’ Alaskans would
be generally satisfied with the fed
eral government, and the develop
ment of the placer resources would
take a fresh impetus. At the present
time, vast areas of prospective plac
er ground are tied up in blanket lo
cations.”
“Taking Alaska as a whole,” says
Mr. Heilig, "it cannot be said truth
fully that there is any strong de
mand for home rule, or any well
defined policy that the people insist
upon. A few politicians, for doubt
ful purposes, are endeavoring to give
the people of the states that impres
sion, but a call for a mass meeting
on the subject, in Fairbanks for in
stance, would meet only feeble re
sponse.”
Washington. March 1.—Secretary of Interior Ballinger has made the emphatic declaration that
patents will be issued to lawful claimants of Alaska coal lands and the fraudulent claims will he
cancelled. He does not say just how soon this action will be taken, but the general impression is
that it will not be deferred longer than the latter part of this month, by which time all federal
investigations of these claims will have been completed. Those interested in the opening up and de
velopment of the Alaska fuel feel very much elated over the turn affairs have taken, and many be
lieve that the failure of Congress to act has hastened the administration in this proposed step.
Ballinger says that the only final receipts thus far issued have been to the thirty-three Cun
ningham claimants at Ivatalla and to W. G. Whorf for a sixty-five acre strip at Port Graham.
MONDELL JUSTIFIED IN CALLING
DELEGATE WICKERSHAM A LIAR
Seattle, Marcn 3.—The many Alas
kans here waiting to take steamers
for the North are indignant at the
unwarranted resolutions passed at
Valdez, and telegraphed to the states,
in which Congressman Mondell is
criticised and brawler Wickersham
lauded in connection with the recent
disgraceful scene enacted on the floor
ol the House of Representatives,
when Alaska’s delegate so far for
got himself as to attempt to precipi
tate a fist fight, and the speaker was
compelled to call on the sergeant-at
arms to restore order.
Wickersham, in his debate against
the Alaska coal bill, deliberately mis
represented the facts and after mak
ing all manner of accusations against
practically everybody he went so tar
as to state that the land office at
Juneau was surreptiously issuing pat
ents and final receipts to coal claims.
Mondell, amazed at the audacity of
Wickersham in declaring for a fact
what he knew to be a positive false
hood, called the delegate a liar and
i further investigation into the matter,
if it were needed, has demonstrated
that the epithet applied to Wicker
sham was deserved.
It was this bold and untruthful
statement of Wickersham that caus
ed Secretary Ballinger to announce
that no patents have as yet been is
sued, but that they would be to all
legal claimants and the fraudulent
entries cancelled. The only final re
ceipts issued have been tor the Cun
ningham claims and the Whorf claim
at Port Graham.
Galveston, 'lex., Marcn 3.—For the
first time in the history of Texas
a jury of which half is negroes is
trying a white man for his life. The
six negroes and six white men must
eat and sleep together for perhaps
ten days or two weeks. The jury
cannot go to a restaurant for its
meals, for the white restaurants will
not serve the negroes, and the jury
cannot be separated.
The case on trial is that of Earl
McFarlan, an ex-policeman, charg
ed with the murder of Deputy Police
Chief Yill Murphy, of Houston, last
April. There are 45 witnesses.
As a precautionary measure against
the perpetration of a battle the court
ordered that no weapons would be
allowed in the court room during
the progress of the trial. Every man
waB searched at the door, and the
six-shooters in temporary custody
would fill a large sized barrel.
The Masons are strong in Fair
banka.
THE TUNDRA.
Vivid and bright in its wealth ol
green,
In the tender light of sunset hours,
The tundra gleams like a velvet
lawn,
Flecked here and there with its
golden flowers;
But woe to the careless foot that
dares
To tread at night time its pools
unseen;
Beware of the clutching, stifling
death
That lurks ’neath that velvet coat
of green.
They suck you down like the slums
of men,
Where lust and murder and hat.
red hide,
Though gilded lilies may float above,
The ghostly pools where the mam
oths died!
The tiny flowers are but sordid
thoughts;
No trees spring up with their
branches wide,
To shelter the harbinger of Spring
To scatter their perfume far and
wide.
From a sodden soil and sodden brain;
Neither gorgeous flowers, or
thoughts afire
With dreams of beauty and love oi
men
May spring from their stagnant
depths of mire!
Would you see them fling to a
watching world,
A glorious fruitage of flowers and
men,
You must drain their depths of the
lifeless blood,
That clogs the veins of both slums
and men;
Furrow them wide with both pen
and plow;
Let in the sunshine to each dark
cell;
Give air and warmth to the dying
roots,
And time will show you have la
bored well!
—R. H. STRETCH.
Cordova, Alaska, Feb. 23, 1911.
The Skagway Alaskan wants to
know of the Douglas Island News
what they do with the ice worms that
come out of the big icebergs that
float up from the Taku glaciers. The
Douglas Island News answers that
question easily. The natives down
there dry them, punch the pith out
of them and sell them for pipe
stems. Well, maybe the demand for
corncob pipe stems is very great down
in that section of the country, but
up here on the Copper River, where
nearly everyone smokes cigars and
the ice worms are so long that the
natives have to catch them with
shark hooks, they dry them, punch
out the pith, as on Douglas Island,
and fill them full of concrete and sell
them to the railroad company for re
inforced piles. Can you beat that,
Douglas Island?
If you nave good furs and want
to realize 100 cents on the dollar for
them, see Perry Jacobs. He will give
you a square deal. 12-17-tf
«
Local News
I
—
Bert Slavin, who has a wood con- ■
tract at mile 146, was In town this j
week. He and J. W. Wood have
done well the past few months, cut
ting something over 200 cords of
wood, which, at $5 per, soon counts
up into a nice little nest egg.
E. P. Grey, of the Great Northern
Development Company, is in town
and will leave on the Alameda on
a business trip East. He expects to
be back not later than April 1st,
at which time he may have some
thing for publication which will be
of great interest to our readers. Mr.
Gray informs us that he has put a
gang of men at Iron mountain ear
lier this year than usual, and that
he now has about 60 men employed
at the mines.
Tom Williams, the well known old
ttmer, took a run up the line this
week as far as 149 in company with
Bert Slavin, the wood contractor, re
turning Thursday afternoon.
Johnny Dykes was a Chitina vis
itor this week. Johnny is at the
material yards at camp 146, and says
the big camp is at times practically
abandoned, since the construction
work is going on so rapidly at the
front.
Owing to the severe storm on Wed
nesday night, the Chitina fortnightly
card club postponed its meeting to
a future date, to be decided upon
by the members.
If there was a dry cabin in Chitina
during the heavy rain storm this
week it wasn’t reported. The roofs
in this country weren’t, made to stand
webfoot conditions, and the warm
rain soon soaked through the dirt,
poles and canvass, with a result that
the occupants were soon hustling
ts.rpaulins and canvass to keep dry.
Mine Host Breedman left for Cor
dova on Thursday’s train. Oscar said
he had “plenty of water and six bar
rels over” during the rain storm this
week, and will take a few days oft'
and get dried out at his steam-heat
ed apartments in the MacCormac be
fore returning to Chitina.
John King, formerly in charge of
the yards at Tiekel, had charge of
the extra gang which left on Thurs
day’s train.
Mickey McMullen left on Thurs
day’s train to cook for the extra men
taken along to work in case of more
slides or delay on the road.
D. Hedican, the well known fore
man for the construction company,
who has been at the front continual
ly for the past year, has resigned
his position and left on Thursday
morning for the states. He will
spend a couple of months with his
brother in Spokane before seeking
new fields of labor.
F. L. White and C. McCray arriv
ed in town this week from Gray’s
Copper Mountain properties, and left
on Thursday’s train en route to Val
dez.
Mr. and Mrs. F. W. Wood are
guests of Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Martin
this week, having arrived with the
government party from Valdez over
the trail.
R. J. Barry and Engineer Wer
necke were two busy railway offi
cials arriving in Chitina on Thursday
morning.
It is rumored on good authority
that two steam shovels will begin
work next month at a gravel deposit
near mile 153. Many of the low
places along the road are badly in
need of ballast, and must be or
should be graveled before the frost
leaves the ground, so the shovels
will get busy as early as possible.
Chitina
Pharmacy
TOILET ARTICLES,
AND DRUGS
CIGARS, TOBACCOS, and
MAGAZINES
PRESCRIPTIONS CARE
FULY COMPOUNDED.
A. G. MOREY, Proprietor
Chitina, Alaska.
I. J. ST. CLAIR T. W. CLONINGER,
Proprietors
THE WORKINGMAN’S RESORT
LOG ABINBAR
WINES, LIQUORS,
AND CIGARS
Solo, Pool and Billiard Tables. Comfortable Chairs
and Reading Room up stairs.
£££ | {Restaurant and Assay Office in Connection
I'I I H-I"H 11 I
CORDOVA S BIG STORE
S. BLUM & CO.’S
WE SOLICIT YOUR ORDERS
We Carry a I.urge Stock of :
General Merchandise
Of Every Hesrription
Having been in the outfitting business for many years, we are
particularly well equipped to furnnish your outfit, whether large
of small.
We have reduced the price of hay & oats t $50 per ton (in ton lots)
Prompt Attention to Mail Orders
We Will Save You Money Cordova, Alaska.
DR. LjJElU
. . PHYSICIAN and SURGEON
MacCORMAC HOTEL, CORDOVA
Telephone 29
Pete’s Lodging
House
AND
SECOND HAND STORRE
CHIiiNA HEIGHTS
llunks 25c; Beds 50c.
PETER CORDES. Prop.
OSBORNEi
I
THE ;
PRACTICAL '•
Jeweler
<
CORDOVA. - ALASKA I
Watches and Jewelry at !
0j:>1 de Prices j
✓ «
Leave Your Work at the Leader
Office !
FRED M. SCHAUPP
Manufacturer in
Sheet Metal
STOVES,
RANGES
and
HEATERS
« »
< ►
RED CROSS DRUG CO.
MRS. C.|M. KING
Drugs, Stationery, Fruit
Tobaccos, etc.
Mile 133
SAVOY
< >
RESTAURANT jj
< •
- ..
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Opposite Chitina Trading Co. « >
II
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The Only First-Class Cafe in \ J
Chitina jj
American and European l’lnn • ■
_____ ■ «
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««
Dinner 75c up :
A la Carte all day \ |
• •
- 4 »
4
Cater to special dinner parties. ■ >
THE GHITINA HOTELi!
____ - ►
»■« ———« ►
- p
Warm, Comfortable Beds
4 P
HOME BAR
in connection 1 ►
1 ►
> 4 ►
4 ►
Here is where you will find - ►
your friends.
GOOD BEDS
GOOD LIQUOR
GOOD CIGARS ”
4 *
^s < ►
< ►
GEO. BLOUEN, Proprietor o
< t
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