THE CHITINA LEADER
CHITINA, ALASKA
Entefftl ^ second-class matter. November 12, 1910, at the postoflice at
Cltitina, Alaska, under the Act of Conbreas of March 2, 1*79.
ONLY NEWSPAPER IN CHITINA
Published every Tuesday by
HARRY G. STEEL, Editor and Proprietor.
Office:
Hotel Chitina Building.
Cordova Office: Daily Times.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
One Month .*
Six Months . 3W
One Tear .. • 3 50
ADVERTISING RATES
Made known upon application. They will be found reasonable for the service
Eiven Official publication for legal advertisements pertaining to mineral lands of
the Copper River District. «
CTmylTALASKA, TUESDAY, AUGUST 31, 1915.
CHUGACH FOREST RESERVE.
Practically half of the Clmgach forest reserve has boon re
turned to the public domain. More than a third of the reserve
■when oruinally created contained water, and another good per
centage, according to the reason given for elimination, “did
not contain sufficient timber.”
Whi-n private capital was trying to build a railroad and
develop the mines and settle the country it was charged a tim
ber tax and had to deal with redtape forest regulations. But
now that the government is building railroads and locating
townsites and wants timber for its own purposes and wants to
see the country developed so that it will produce tonnage for
the "overnment railroad, the restrictions are removed. In fact,
the executive elimination is a striking lesson emphazing the
truth of the complaints of pioneers against former restrictions.
In the interior where there are really large areas of good
timber, and where the weather is dry and there is constant dan
gers from forest fires, there are no timber reserves. But most
of the scrub timber on the coast of Alaska in the rain belt is
included.
The Dispatch has no quarrel with the present forest offi
cials. It believes they are really trying to make the burdens as
light as possible and aid legitimate development which would
allow the timber, no matter what its value, to fall into the hands
of a few spculators.
On the other hand, anyone who wants timber for pulp mills,
or for building purposes, or for mine timber or for any other
local development, that person should be allowed all the timber
he may need. Those locating farms should also be allowed to
sell the timber on their places when they have furnished evi
dence of good faith that they intend to really farm, and not lo
cate a homestead for the value of the timber.
There is a common-sense middle course by which the tim
ber might be used to aid local development. Even if two-thirds
of the timber along the entire Alaskan coast was used in the
next few years there would still be enough left and a second
growth of much better timber would grow for the needs of the
coming generation.—Juneau Dispatch.
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“UNCLE JOE’S” ODD POSITION.
Uncle Joe Cannon may occupy an anomalous position in the
coming congress. He may be known as “the member without
a committee.”
Owing to the fact that Uuncle Joe is bumping around 80
years of age (he was 79 on May 7 last) his friends are going to
insist that he shall not take service on any committees, thus in
curring the hard grind of committee drudgery, but shall reserve
his energies for action on the floor and thus become a sort of
congressman-at-large.
Whether Uncle Joe can be made to stand hitched to this
program remains to be seen, but it is considered not unlikely
that in the end the views of his friends may prevail. His long
committee sendee in congress was on the committee on appro
priations, which is one of the hardest-worked of committees.
Uncle Joe was first elected to the 43d congress and served con
tinously to the 51st. He was defeated for re-election to the 52d,
but when he came back in the 53d Speaker Reed jumped him
over the head of David B. Henderson of Iowa and made him
chairman of the appropriations committee. Henderson never
forgave Reed for this, alhough Reed made Henderson chairman
of the important committee on the judiciary. Now when Can
non “comes back” the second time he finds the democrats in
power and there is no chance, of course, of him being restored
to the chairmanship of the appropriations committee. The
ranking republican member of the committee is Frederick H.
Gillett of Massachusetts, and there is no visible indication that
Gillet intends to step aside with an Alphonse-like wave of the
hand and the cherry invitation, “After you, my dear Uncle
Joe.”
So the outlook is that if Uncle Joe should go back on the
appropriations committee he would become a tail-ender on the
minority side, which would' mean oodles of work and no particu
lar glory.
Cannon’s friends say that he has no business on any com
mittee—that he ought to leave hard committee work to the
younger bloods and perform his sendee to the country by tak
ing part in the floor debates, which is as easy as it is agreeable
to him. He has a very comprehensive general knowledge of
the workings of the governmenat and nothing pleases him more
than to participate in a rough and tumble floor fight. Among
those who will urge Mr. Cannon to abstain from committee
work is his secretary and close personal friend, L. White
Busbey.
TEDDY WANTS WAR AND NOTORIETY.
Theodore Roosevelt is again in the spotlight. According
to our telegraphic report yesterday he made an address at a
State Militia encampment in which he excoriated President
Wilson and he is neutrality policy, by the use of language that
was neither fitting or becoming a man of his intellect and posi
tion when directed against the chief executive of the United
States. Teddy has been peeved ever since the European war
broke out because the United States did not interfere and’ take a
whack at Germany. He wants us to resent the attacks made
upon vessels on which American lives were lost, but his princi
pal object in belching forth at this critical time is to gain a
little cheap notoriety. Similar tactics were adopted by this
lour-flusher some time ago, but his rantings met with very
little encouragement by the consevative and patriotic people of
the United States.
Failing in this Teddy started on a tour to the Pacific coast
to confer with the remnants of the Bull Moose party. He ad
vised his followers to hold together, but did not confide in them
what for.
Until he makes another contract with the Democratic
chiefs to elect for them another president year? or until he
can make a dicker with the Republicans to be tiieir leader next
year? He should have added to his advice to hold together the
words, “until I can make arrangements to minister to my own
desires, fro then I shall need all the dupes that I can gather
under my standard.”
He declares that he is a most peaceable and domestic man
but in the event of a war he and his four sons would enlist.
We believe that, for we believe that he and his sons possess
physical courage. But they would all have to go as officers.
In that respect he is not a bit above the mongrel chiefs, that
have been raising hades in Mexico for three years past. Teddy
is rather a winsome fraud.
-:o:
MORE COAL DISCOVERED.
Anthracite coal of a quality much superior to the finest
product of Pennsylvania totaling more than three billon tons
has been found in Whatcom County, Wash., owned by Alexan
der Poison, near railway communications, according to the
Seattle Times.
Should this prove; it serves in emphazing the rabid “con
servation crime” visited upon Alaska. Even the small pros*
pect of supplying from Alaska the part of the American navy
which still burns coal, goes glimmering other than what might
be furnished by the government through government agencies.
In other words the most attractive bait now held out to
private companiees on leasing coal lands in Alaska is the possi
bility of a market created- for naval coal. The mines wjll neces
sarily have to compete with California oil even in the local mar
ket which will be limited at the beginning.
Therefore, it is likely that the government in order to se
cure naval coal fro mAlaska will have to not only build a gov
ernment railroad, but will have to mine its own coal.
Again we are reminded that even when the Pinchot craze
was at its height, and when figures were juggled by alarmists
to try and prove that coal was rapidly disappearing from the
face of the earth, it was known that Alaska was practically
underlaid with coal from Ketchikan to the Arctic all along the
coast and throughout the great interior. Still Alaskans were
denied the use of that coal. They were compelled to bum a
cheap grade oftimes from Canada at almost prohibitive prices.
They were not allowed even to bum timber from the forests
without paying a tax. Railroads and steamship lines running
to Alaska changed from coal burners to oil burners because they
coud not secure Alaskan coal.
It was also shown the so-called conservationists that water
power was being rapidly developed to take the place of coal
for fuel and heat, but they continued to raise the cry that Gug
genheims w'ere trying to steal all the coal in Alaska, and as
a result industrial enterprises planned on a large scale which
would have given employment to thousands of men were para
lyzed.
Though there is no use in now “crying over spilled milk”
the fact must be brought home to our representtatives in Con
gress that the great need of the Pacific Coast is cheap fuel.
Every encouragement should be given to those who desire to
open coal mines in Alaska or any part of the Northwest. All
kinds of factories and payrolls depend upon getting the coal
opened. To allow it to reman in the ground will not benefit this
nor any succeeding generation. No doubt many other coal
deposists will be found in both Washington and Oregon, as well
as in Alaska.
•n *.
EDITORIAL COMMENT
Something like $100,000,000 is on its way from England
to New York, to be added to a gold surplus whose glimmer is
beginning to hurt Uncle Sam’s eyes.
It is said to have cost England $67,000,000 to take those
little German possessions in South Africa. Real estate men
should perk up. Land is selling high.
One of the pastimes of the silly season is the construction
of an imaginary munitons trust, to be knocked down, trampled
and spat upon at the next session of congress.
The state of Pennsylvania evidently is still living ’long
about 1835. The Pittsburgh Chronicle-Telegraph employs
half a column in denying that there is such a serpent as the hoop
snake.
The solicitor of the Department of Commerce is said to
have found a defect in the seamen’s law passed by the last con
gress. Any old tub owner can point out a dozen more, more
serious.
The story of modem war, with its digging in its wire en
tanglements, its machine guns, bombs and gases, was told when
the British commander deemed it worth while to tell the world
of advance along a 1,200-yard front.
The slowness of the coming of the railroad, the disappoint
ment, the unexpected delays, all of these things are seemingly
the inevitable obstacles which prevent the securing of quick
possession of all things that are worth having. Have you ever
expected anything that you longed for eagerly and have you
ever got it without some disappointments or delays? Isn’t it
curious?
With the arrival of the collier Prothemus and the flotilla of
five torpedo boat destroyers next week there should be con
siderable activity in town. The lighthouse tender Kukui is
now here and with the addition of a couple of large freighters
and a passenger steamer*this fleet of naval and merchant vessels
would certainly make a creditable showing for a photograph,
showing the facilities of the Cordova harbor.
There is money coming. the date is fixed tor its arrival.
You go to get it and, alas, you are told that there is a hitch.
Wait around the corner for the best girl. She promised to be
there at 8 sharp. Does she show up on time?. Nix. You
have property sold at a good figure and the time is appointed
for the transfer but at the last moment the other side finds some
flaw in the title. You strike a rich paystreak and next day yon
have a lawsuit on your hands. Such is life.—Seward Gateway.
The New' York Sun thinks the years of “fatuous, inconsis
tent,unconstitutional, disastrous trifling” with Mexico have
about ended; the “mistaken judgment” and “ inefficient diplo
macy” of the Washington administration to be succeeded by a
new chapter. Forward! Let the make-up man carry the old
ag! Those who have been reading the New York pagers on
Mexico and Europe in recent months are convinced beyond
doubt that for calm, deliberate and efficient action w'ith lasting
results, the thing to be done is relinquishment of international
into one and it still can scarcely surpass a one day’s issue of the
pencil, one more extra edition, one more blatantly bellicose
editorial, and, presto! peace, pork and publicity in protuberant
bales for a distraught public. It is an American habit to ridi
cule the “country press;” but roll all its year’s wildly sopho
moric utterances, its half-digested theories and’ its radicalisms
into one ande it still can scarely surpass a one-day’s issue of the
New' York newspapers.
GRATEFUL TO ALASKA
FRIENDS FOR ASSISTANCE
Very favorable reports have been
received from “Mick" Mikkelson, who
broke his leg while hunting near
Horsefeldt (Chisana) last December
and who was taken to Seattle for treat
ment and an operation the first of
April, where it was found that the doc
tor who had been in attendance had
failed to make a joint. Under the
X-ray it was found that the ends of the
bone were overlapping two inches.
An operation was performed, the ends
of the bone being set in place and held
there by the screwing on of a vana
dium steel plate. Mr. Mikkelson was
released from the hospital on July 3rd
and is now able to be about on
crutches. Mr. Mikkelson wishes to
extend his thanks to the many friends
who were so kind and unselfish in
their assistance to him while at Horse
feldt and enroute to Seattle, he also
wishes to thank the residents of Chis
ana for their very kind financial assis
tance which was sent to him through
H. S. Cooke. »
LMTSlll'S
COMPANY OUT
OF BUSINESS
SEATTLE, Aug. 27—The Great
Northern has determined to discon
tinue its trans-Pacific steamship ser
vice, and the big liner Minnesota has
been sold to England. The action of
the officials in leaving the field of
ocean transportation is due to their
inability to operate their ships in con
formity with the Seaman's law passed
by the last Congress, without losing
money.
TO!
UNCLE SAM IS
WASHINGTON, Aug. 27—For the
first time in its history, the United
States leads all the countries of the
world in the value of its exports. The
total value of exports for the fiscal
year ending June 30, 1915, was $2,
768.000,000. Two years ago the ex
port of the United States ran to about
billion and a quarter, so that they
l.ave increased wonderfully the last
/ear, despite the staggering shock
to trade that was administered when
war in Europe was first declared. •
-:o:
WASHINGTON, Aug. 27—General
Carranza has dcideed to move his capi
tal from Vera Cruz to Mexico City, and
thei transposition will take place next
Sunday. Carranza is in full control
of southern Mexico and his troops oc
cupy the capitol, Villa having determ
ined to enter upon a guedilla warfare.
Carranza plans to establish his gov
ernment in full swing in the govern
ment buildings in Mexico City, and
will at once ask the United States for
recognition.
-:o:
VALDEZ CIUNCIL TRIES
TO CORRAL WHARFAGE
The Valdez city council has passed
an ordinance providing for the ap
pointment of a wharf master and that
no ships or boats of any kind can land
at' any other wharf or dock except
that owned by the city unless this
wharf master gives his consent. The
ordinance is due to the fact that the
council wants to put the Valdez
Wharf or Dock company out of busi
ness. The ordinance also provides
that no goods from any vessel land
ing at any other wharf without per
mission may be hauled through the
streets.
:o:
NEW YORK, Aug 25—The easing
of the diplomatic tension between
Washington and Berlin today resulted
in spectacular advances of war stocks
on Wall street. The rail rod a stockg
Joined the rise later and the market
closed strong.
TEXT OF DECISION
ON FOREST
Judge Jennings upheld the action
of the Territorial Legislature in distri
buting the money from the Forest
Service throughout the four divisions
of Alaska when he refused to issue an
order enjoining the Territorial Treas
perer from paying over the money
to any but the First Division.
Decision Read.
The decision was read recently by
Judge Jennings to an audience which
filled the court room. A notice of
the filing of an appeal was given by
John G. Heid, attorney for the plain
tiffs in the suit and he was granted six
ty days to file his exceptions to the de
cision.
The suit was entered and a tempor
ayr restraining order was issued some
time ago. Later a demmurrer was
filed by John H. Cobb, acting as at
torney for the territory, and the ar
guments were presented. The matter
was taken under advisement by the
court. ,
No Counties.
The decision as rendered follows, in
part:
“In support of the demurrer it is
urged that there are no counties in
Alaska or rather that all of Alaska
must be taken as a county, and there
fore that the disposal of the fund was
entirely in the discretion of the legis
lature; in support it is urged, that al
though there are no subdivisions in
Alaska by the name counties, yet the
judicial divisions of Alaska are to ail
intents and purposes the same ae
counties and that inasmuch as the
Congress aforesaid provides that the
money shall be turned over to the
Territorial Treasurer to be expended
as the legislature may prescribe, for
the benefit of the public schools and
public road of the county or counties
in which the Forest Service is situat
ed." The legislature had no power
to divert this fund to any other pur
pose than to that expressed in the act.
It is said that for the legislature to
appropriate for the benefit of roads
and schools in the territory at large
that money which congress evidently
meant to be appropriated for local
benefit is to betray and flout the trust
which Congress reposed in the legis
lature and that the court ought to in
tercede to prevent what is avowed to
be a palpable diversion of public
funds.
“Of course there is no magic in the
word county. If there ars subdivi
sions of the territory of Alaska pos
sesing the substantial attributes of
what are called counties, the name of
the subdivision would not be impera
tive.
Are Analogue.
“The judicial divisions of Alaska
are in a great measure analogous to
counties—they are subdivisions of
Alaska both for judicial insomuch as
each division elects members to the
members to the legislature. It is
true that the divisions have no fiscal
entity, no county commissioners, no
county government, no county insti
tutions and neither raise nor expend
funds provided by local taxation, but,
for all that they more nearly analo
gous to counties than anything else we
have. It cannot be gainsaid success
fully that Congress meant the money
to be appropriated to the needs of
roads and schools 1n that part of the
state or territory where the forest re
serves are situated.
Reason* Given.
“It seems, however, to the court
that whether or not the Judicial Divi
sion should be held to be a county,
(and the court expresses no opinion
on this subject), there are three very
substantial reasons why this action
cannot be sustained, to-wit:
“a. Even conceding that this divi
sion should be considered a county,
yet a county is only a quasi corpora
tion, which exists only for public pur
poses connected with the administra
tion of the state government and its
revenues are not the property of the
county in the sense in which the rev
enue of a private person or corpora
tion is regarded. ,
“The whole state has an interest In
the revenues of a county and for the
public good the legislature must have
the power to direct its application.
The power conferred upon a county to
raise a revenue by taxation, for in
stance, is a political power and its ap
plication, when collected, must neces
sarily be within the control of the leg
islature for political purposes.
“b. The trust expressed in the act
of Congress is a trust personal to the
United States, and this suit is not
brought by the United States,
“When Congress directed this money
to be turned over to the Terrtorial
Treasurer to be expended in such a
way as the Legislature of Alaska
might prescribe for the benefit of roads
and schools in the counties where the
Forest reserve was situate, it created
only a personal trust. The money
was derived from the sale of forest
lands belonging to the United States,
and the United States had the power
to give it to whomsoever it pleased,
and to make any person or body, its
agent to distribute the funds. The
United States in considering the Legis
lature of the Territory as its disburs
ing agent, invested it with a large
amount of discretion. The Territorial
Treasurer is but the safe in which the
money is deposited. Congress said to
the Legislature, ‘we grant this mor.ev
to the Territory for the benefit of
roads and schools in that part of the
Territory which produced the money,
and we trust you to supply it, no one
can complain but the donor, i. e. the
United States.
"c. The plaintiffs have shown no
equity in themselves for injury—the
court is asked to hold this action of
the legislature to be in violation of the
Organic Act—i. e_, unconstitutionally
(and it is asked to do this at the suit
of individuals who show no injury to
themselves. That this cannot be
done, I do not think admits of a doubt
‘‘The demurrer is sutsained.”
FULGONY COPPER
CLAIMS BEING EXPERTED
E. D. Reiter, a mining operator of
Spokane, and A. G. Stahl, a mining
engineer have been investigating the
Fidalgo-Alaska Copper Mining Com
pany's claims on Fidalgo Bay, which
Mr. Reiter figures on purchasing and
developing.
Mr. Reiter is an attorney at law and
has made mining law his specialty.
He plans to locate in Valdez and spend
his efforts opening mines, as he has
behind him a large number of Wash
ington and Idaho operators who are
seeking investments in Alaska, and
especially on Prince William Sound,
which is looked to as the coming min
ing district of Alaska.
"I have been greatly surprised at
the amount of development done on
the Sound, and am favorably impres
sed with the country,” said Mr. Reiter.
"The mining operators in the United
States are looking to Alaska and
especially to Prince William Sound
for big copper properties and many of
them will make investigations and in
vestments here if the reports of the
district are borne out by thorough in
vestigations.”
WIFE Hill) THREE
SAS FRANCISCO, Aug. 27—Mrs.
John J. Pershing, the wife of Brigadier
General Pershing and her three chil
dren were suffocated at their home in
Presidio last night when a night lamp
in the library exploded. The accident
occurred shortly after the family had
retired from the dinner table, Mrs.
Pershing at the time being engaged In
reading some letters from her husband
to their children. The explosion
started a fire and in some account
able way the stricken woman was un
able to escape from the room, when the
firemen came the four corpses were
discovered in the room hardly touched
by the flames. They had evidently
been suffocated in the thick smoke
of the fire or been overpowered from
gas generated when the lamp ex
ploded. General Pershing is in com
mand of the United States troops sta
tioned at El Paso, Texas, and was im- ’
mediately notified of the terrible catas
trophe. Mrs. Pershing was the daugh
ter of United Senator Warren of
Wyoming.
-:o:
LOTS SOLD FROM FIFTY TO
EIGHT HUNDRED DILLARS
The sale of lots last Monday In An
chorage resulted in prices that ranged ,
from fifty dollars to eight hundred
dollars, according to Dan Saunders,
who arrived last evening after having
left the new railroad town last Tues
day morning. In the whole Mr.
Saunders is inclined to believe, the
lots brought nearly double the price
received for similar lots at the first
sale. Most of those sold this time
were outlying residence lots but the
[ones that brought the highest prices
were close in. Mr. Saunders has been
in the Matanuska country during the
summer, around Matanuska Junction
and the coal fields. He says many
settlers have arrived in the district
and are putting in crops. The En
gineering commission is building a
bridge over the Matanuska river.
Everything looks fine in that section.
—Seward Gateway.