The Chitina Leader
CHITINA, ALASKA.
Entered as second-class matter, November IS, 1910. at the postoffice at
Chitina, Alaska, under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1879.
ONLY NEWSPAPER IN CHITINA
Published every Saturday by
WILL A. STEEL—Editors, Managers and Proprietors—HASHY G. STEEL
Office: Hotel Chitina Building. Cordova Office: Daily Alaskan
Seattle Office: 551 Colman Building.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
One Month .$ .50
Six Months .2.00
One Year .3.50
ADVERTISING RATES
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 Rive; district.
CHITINA, ALASKA, TUESDAY, JULY 29,1913.
THE LATEST BIG PLACER STRIKE
Never in the history of this section of Alaska has the report
of a gold strike caused such an excitement as has the recent
find of rich gold-bearing gravel on the Sushanna river near
the head of the White River, which with the Nabesna, forms
the Tanana. As a result a stampede of gigantic proportions
is now on and from every walk of life in the Copper River
valley has already joined the stampede or is preparing to join
in the rush to the new diggings. The movement of a peopple
in migration is an irresistible force. You can no more stop!
it than you can the receding of the glaciers.
From the information obtainable there are two creeks. •
Bonanza and Eldorado, upon which good pay has been struck,
with numerous other creeks in that section which have not as
yet been prospected. Some exceptionally rich strikes are
reported, and while these may have been exaggerated, those
returning from the Sushanna state that the prospecting so far
done has demonstrated that it will make a good placer camp.
Although the confirmation of the strike was received at
McCarthy but a few days ago, sufficient time has elapsed to
cause a great exodus to the interior. Men are quitting their
jobs on the railroad and at the mines and if they continue to
stampede for another couple of weeks at the same rate as they
have during the past four or five days, there will be not only
a scarcity of labor hereabouts, but many of the industries will
have to close down for want of men.
As the trail from McCarthy, along the line of the Copper
River & Northwestern railway is the nearest and most feasible
route to the Sushanna, all of the travel to the new strike will
necessarily be via Cordova. It is 50 miles from McCarthy to
White River and about the same distance from there to the
placer diggings. In other words those from the states who join
in the stampede can come to Cordova by steamer, go to
McCarthy over a broad-gauged railroad and mush from there
to Sushanna in five or six days. Thus Cordova is not only the
gateway to the richest copper belt in the world and the Bering
river coal fields, but also to Alaska’s latest big placer strike.
U -
FAREWELL, HATCHET AND PENCIL
It is ten years this summer that a committee of United
States senators—Senators Dillingham, Nelson. Burnham and
Patterson—made a journey through Interior Alaska, coming in
at Eagle and going out by the lower river. They made a
careful examination of conditions in the mining camps through
which they traveled, and took a large amount of testimony from
practical miners and residents of the mining camps. When
they returned to Washington, they recommended four improve
ments to the mining laws that applied to Alaska. The first
recommendation was, “that a certain amount of assessment
work be required upon each claim staked out as a prerequisite
to the right to have the claim recorded, and that proof of such
work be required before such record could be made.”
Congress adjourned, met again and adjourned again.
Congress was Alaska’s only legislature, but Alaska might as
well have had no legislature at all. Then congress conferred
upon Alaska the privilege of sending a delegate to Washington.
But the delegates showed little interest in improving the laws
relating to mining, the one industry in which most Alaskans
were actively engaged.
New strikes were made. Immediately the region of the
strikes swarmed with hatehet-and-pencil men. They came
from the towns, equipped with hatchet and pencil and sand
wich, and when they had staked everything within reach, they
returned to the towns and waited for somebody else to demon
strate a paystreak. When the real prospector, who intends to
find a paystreak if there is one, and who must necessarily
equip for a long stay in a new camp—when the real prospector
arrived, he found nothing left. There was no choice for him
except to take a lease from the pencil-miner or to go elsewhere.
The bogus prospector could hold his claims without doing
work upon them during the rest of that year and during the
entire year following. It has been for this reason that so many
of the recently struck camps in Alaska have been so slow in
developing. • , ~ *
Under the new mining law, as passed by the Alaska
legislature this blanketing of wide areas will be impossible.
AVhen a man stakes a piece of placer ground he must proceed at
once to do work upon it. He must do $100 worth of work for
even* 20 acres within 90 days from the date of discovery, and
he cannot record his claims until he has done such work upon
them. Furthermore, he may not stake more than two claims a
month for himsslf, and not more than two apiece for each of
two friends or grabstakers. Fancy anybody staking an entire
creek and doing $100 worth of work for even’ 20 acres within
90 days. The thing is impossible. The dusk of the hatchet
and-pencil man has arrived. It is dawn for the honest
prospector.
-o—o—o
RUSSIA PROPERLY REBUFFED
Unofficial reports from Washington are to the effect that
President Wilson and Secretary Bryan have promptly and
emphatically declined Russia’s request for a renewal of the
Ireatv of commerce between that nation and thd United States,
except on the absolute condition that American citizens of the
Jewish race shall be permitted to enter Russia as freely as all
others.
The abrogation by the United States of the treaty of 1833
was based upon Russia’s persistent and arrogant refusal to
recognize American Jews, native born or naturalized, as
American citizens. President Wilson has no other course open
to him but to decline to negotiate any treaty which does not
fully recognize the rights of all American citizens, without
discrimination of any kind whatsoever.
Russia must make the next overture. If the Czar and his
advisors and ill-advisors do not understand that no American
can be treated differently from any other American without
causing trouble, are due to learn a lesson in political and civil
liberty and equality of which they apparently stand
in need.
-u-u—u
THE ALASKA RAILROAD BILL
The bill for the construction of a government railroad in
Alaska is making progress and there are strong hopes of its
passing at the present session of Congress. As reported out
of the committee on territories in the Senate it leaves entire
control in the hands of the President and rejects the commis
sion of five plan. This is good and will make for directness and
efficiency. The President will probably select one experienced
and efficient man, let us hope another Goetlials, to put the thing
through.
The house committee having the matter in charge began
hearings on July 9th and is anxious to expedite the matter all
they can. Secretary of the Interior Lane is anxious to get it
through if possible and is lending his influence to that end.
All friends of the bill are working hard to get it passed by
both houses this session. They feel sure of substantial
majorities in the house and Senate when it comes to a final
vote.—The Pacific Mining Journal.
-o—o—o
LIGHT ON “LAME DUCKS”
—
For many years members of congress who have been
defeated for re-election have been making their homes in
Washington instead of returning to their various states and
| districts. The explanation usually has been that they liked the
life in Washington and found that they could do well there,
| practicing before the departments arid looking after the
I business interests of their former constituents.
The disclosures made thus far in the investigation of the
lobby how that most of these “lame ducks” have remained in
| Washington because they were being liberally paid to do so by
the trusts and special interests they served while professing to
| serve the people.
-o—o—o
GO PREPARED
Too much emphasis cannot be placed upon the advice to
those joining the stampede to the Suslianna diggings to take
plenty of grub. Those who anticipate rushing to the diggings
with barely enough food to last them in and out are going to
be badly disappointed if the diggings are one-half as rich as
they have been reported. Food supplies of all kinds will be at
a premium if they can be obtained at all. and it is extremely
doubtful if. for several months to come, a pound of food can
be bought at any price. Under the new mining law $100 worth
| of work must be done on a claim before it can be recorded, and
the work must be done within 90 days from the date of staking.
Therefore the man who rushes to the new camp, if he is
fortunate enough to locate a claim before his food gives out.
will have little or no time to prospect it to find whether it i<
worth his while to return and outfit for a long stay, and if he
does not do so within the required 90 days the claim is open
to relocation. In any event the man without a food supply
is at a decided disadvantage over the man well prepared,
though the latter may be several days later in reaching the
scene of the strike. Don’t go unless you have provisions to
| last you at least three months. If you don’t use them you can
find a market for them at good prices if there is any gold in
the camp at all.
-o—o—o
Publicists and statesmen in foreign capitals are showing
no inclination to underestimate the significance and possible
meaning of the Pan-Slav movement, a movement which seems
to have had its origin in increasing sentiments of antipathy
and hurtful dislike for Russia, the home of the bulk of the
Slav population.
Russia is not popular with the peoples of more enlightened
and more progressive countries.
Russia’s treatment of the Jews, which caused the United
States to break with the St. Petersburg government, is every
where regarded as a bit of criminal injustice wholly out of
harmony with the precepts and practices of civilization.
The Pan-Slav movement involves about 160,000,000 people,
and the bulk of these people, probably 115,000,000, are in
Russia, and it is because of this fact that so much importance is
being attached to a movement which is seeking to solidify the
Slav population of the world. In the United States we have
a Slav population of about 4,000,000, our Polish population
constituting about one-half of this total. On a population basis,
therefore, our interest in the Pan-Slav movement is nominal.
But for America that is not the real question.
Our openly expressed pro-Japanese sentiment during the
struggle in Manchuria, our denunciation of the treaty with
Russia on account of the Jewish passport controversy, and our
almost constant assault upon Russia, Russian institutions and
Russian policies, put us in a position to invite and probably to
receive the full weight of Russian enmity in any sudden
posture which might call it into play; and it is for this reason
that we have a more or less intimate, and possibly vital,
interest in the Pan-Slav movement.
It may be worth while for our statesmen at Washington to
carefully study the possibilities of the present situation, with
respect, particularly, to our Russian relations.—Seattle Sun.
-o—o—o
Europe wants to know what Uncle SamTis going to do
about Mexico. Well, for one thing, he is going to keep Europe
out of Mexico.
• • I f • ' ► I
NOTICE TO PAY POLL TAX
Notice is hereby given to all whom
it may concern that by the provisions
of Chapter 54 of the laws passed by
the first legislature of the Territory
of Alaska, entitled. “An act to impose
a poll tax upon male persons in the
Territory of Alaska and providing
means for its collection,” approved
May 1, 1913, and ineffect from and
after said date, an annual tax in the
sum of four dollars ($4), designated
as a poll tax, is imposed and levied
upon each male persons (excepting
soldiers, sailors in the United States
navy or revenue cutter service, vol
unteer firemen, paupers, insane per
sons and territorial charges) within
the Territory of Alaska or the waters
thereof, over the age of twenty
one years and under the age of
fifty years, to be paid and collected
in the manner provided in said act;
and it is further provided in and by
said act, among other things, that j
the commissioner of each precinct I
in said territory shall collect said poll I
tax from each person residing within
his precinct subject thereto. That
said tax shall be paid between the
first Monday in April and the first
Monday in August in each year, that
it shall be the duty of every person
liable to pay said tax to pay the same
to such commissioner within the
time in this notice below specified,
that it shall be the duty of the com
missioner to receipt to each person
(by a receipt from books thereof
with stubs, supplied by the terri
torial treasurer) upon payment of
said poll tax, which receipt shall be
the only evidence of payment, that
every person indebted to one who
neglects or refuses, after demand, to
! pay a poll tax, becomes liable there
! for, and may deduct the same from
such indebtedness, that it shall be
the duty of the commissioner to col
lect and enforce the collection of all
unpaid taxes by giving notice to each
delinquent, personally or by mail,
and each delinquent shall pay a pen
alty of one dollar in addition to such
tax, that the commissioner, after de
mand and refusal of payment must
collect said tax, with said penalty in
addition, by seizure and sale of any
personal property owned by such de
linquent person, in the manner pro
vided by law for the sale of personal
property on execution, and that any
person who’shall violate any of the
provisions of said act shall be guilty
of a misdemeanor and upon convic
tion thereof shall be fined in a sum
| not more than one hundred dollars
1 nor less than five dollars, or impris
joned in the federal jail for not more
j than thirty days nor less than one
day.
And notice is hereby further given
by the undersigned, to each and
every person subject to said tax ac
cording to said provisions of said act.
that said poll tax is due and* payable
between the date of the first publi
cation of this notice, to wit, the 29th
day of July 1913, and the first Mon
day, to wit, the 4th day of August
1913, that payment thereof on or
before said last named date is hereby
demanded by the undersigned from
each and every person in the Chitina
precinct subject to said tax, that the
payment thereof will become delin
quent as provided in said act. to wit,
on the expiration of the last named
date, that in case of failure to pay
same, penalties, as provided in this
act will be imposed, and that it is
the duty of every person liable to
| pay said tax to pay the same, within
the time in this notice above speci
fied, in person or by mail to the
undersigned commissioner at his
office, on Main Street, in Chitina,
Alaska.
PAUL d’HEIRRY,
U. S. Commissioner, exofficio Poll
Tax Collector, Chitina Precinct,
Third Division, Territory of
Alaska.
-o—o—o
A new vessel to replace the steam
ship Yukon, which was wecked on
Sannak Islands June 11, will be pur
chased by the Alaska Coast Co., dur
ing the present year in time to begin
service to the North early next spring.
On account of the difficulty in pro
curing a vessel suitable for the
Northern trade and the time required
to make the necessary changes, it
was found impossible to replace the
Yukon this year in time to care for
the trade to the westward which is
served by the Alaska Coast Co.
C. W. Wiley, manager of the com
pany, says, however, that by the time
the season opens next spring a new
vessel capable of meeting all the re
quirements will be • ready to enter
the service of the company.
Chitina GRILL
Good Eats for Particular People
Prompt Service. Popular Setvice.
Next to Chitina Hotel.
CHITINA : : : ALASKA.
Chitina
Pharmacy
DRUGS,
STATIONERY,
CANDIES,
KODAK SUPPLIES
CIGARS & TOBACCO
If you cannot call, write
us. MAIL orders our
Specialty.
A. G. MOREY, Prop.
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
C. A. SIMON'S & CO.
HAY, BRA\\ OATS, CHOPS,
ROLLED BARLEY
We can make prompt ship
ments to points on the rail
road. Our feed is the very
best quality.
i
0. A. Nelson & Co.
CHITINA
HOTEL
WASHINGTON
ANNEX
SEATTLE
New, modern and fireproof.
All outside rooms
The most conveniently located
hotel in the citjr.
Rooms and suites are particu>
larly large.
Very desirable for families or
parties traveling together.
RATES MODERATE
Auto-bns meets all boats and
trains. Write for booklet.
J. H. DAVIS, Prop