The Chitina Leader
CHITINA, ALASKA.
Entered as second-claw; rriSUter, November 12, 1910, at the postoffice at
Chitina, Alaska, under the Act of Congress of March 3. 1879.
ONLT NEWSPAPER IN CHITINA
Published every Saturday by
WILL A. STEEL, Editor and Proprietor.
Betel Chitlna Building.
Cordova Office: Daily Alaakan
Seattle Office: 551 Colman Building:.
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M»a» known upon application. Tiiey will be found reasonable for the servlc*
given. ’ Official publication for legal advertisements pertaining to mineral landt
of the Capper Rive: Clatrlct.____
CffiTINA, ATiARKA, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1914.
WAR—WHAT FOR?
In these times of gory war and cruel strife which try th
souls of men and women in numbers greater and over a wide
area the world has ever known; in these times when tna
war lords send to ruthless and useless slaughter millions o
their fellow men who have no alternative but to be shot ant
bayoneted by friends of a neighboring country against who;,
they have no grievance, or be shot at home as traitors; in thes
times when treachery and intrigue supersede honor and justic
in dealings between nations, and these war lords declare theii
sacred contracts to be “only worthless pieces of paper;” in
these times when religious fanaticism will cause “the man
behind the gun” of the “Unspeakable Turk” deliberately to
attempt to plunge this nation into the blood bath by
firing on high official representatives of a neutral govern
ment, when they are engaged in a peaceful and humane
mission—in such times as these it is well for the people of the
United States that they have holding the leashes of the dogs of
war a manly man of steady nerve, sterling integrity, true
patriotism and good judgment. President Wilson has
demonstrated his desire and ability to play fair in whatever
diplomatic and political game he has. as head of the nation,
been called to participate in, and we believe the affair at
Smyrna, noted in our cablegrams yesterday, will not be
permitted to draw this government into serious international
complications.
Incidents of far less consequence than the deliberate firing
of a Turkish fort on the cruiser Tennessee or one of her boats
containing her'captain and several men (the two messages are
contradictory as to which vessel was meant), would afford
some men and some governments abundant excuse for fighting;
but it is to be hoped the “schoolmaster” will be able to
suppress his own belligerent “pupils” and find a way of obtain
ing adequate satisfaction from the other fellow and his
incorrigibles without any more gun plays.
To those who believe this nation should don its war togs
and commence shooting, we respectfully offer this bit of advice
from George W. Kirkpatrick, taken from an article in an
eastern publication and entitled, “War—What For?”
Capitalists want wars,. politicians declare wars,
preachers pray for wars and workmen fight the wars. If
the masters want blood, let them cut their own throats.
If war is good enough to pray for, it is good enough to
go to—close up where steel flashes, bones snap and
blood spurts. Thev say “War is hell.” Well, then let
those who want hell, go to it.
NON-PARTISAN IN CONGRESS
————
The growth of independent or non-partisan voting at
municipal, state and national elections has been frequently
remarked during the past 15 years. That growth has been
most rapid during the past two years and is in part due to
steam roller tactics of national and state conventions and the
selection of delegates by the hand-picked method which made
successful operation of the steam roller possible. The fact
that American voters are beginning more generally to believe
a good citizen is a more valuable asset than a good Republican,
a good Democrat, a good Progressive, or a good Socialist,
means cleaner politics and better government in the future.
A review of the voting on the various measures enacted
during the recent session of Congress indicates that something
of the same sort is being reflected in the House and Senate.
Outside the tariff bill and the war tax bill, on which the voting
was strictly along party lines, there was a remarkable exhibi
tion of cross-voting. On the currency and anti-trust legislation
the division while mainly on party lines was marked by many
defections, Republicans, Democrats and Progressives ignoring
party and voting as they pleased. The waterpower bill was
another example of this tendency. Although introduced as an
administration bill, in the end administration men voted
against it, and Republicans and Progressives voted on either
side. The government railroad in Alaska was put through
only by the aid of Republican and Progressive votes. To some
extent this was so also in the repeal of the canal tolls
exemption.
In the Senate the real division in debate and voting
seemed to be on conservative and radical lines rather than
Republican and Democratic. There were insurgent Demo
crats and Progressive Republicans, as well as stand-pat
Republicans and stand-pat Democrats. What real fighting was
done during the session was in the Senate, largely due to this
alignment. The Honse, despite its quota of independent voters
who disregarded party on occasion, was more easily controlled
by the administration leaders, due no doubt to the House
rules and practices making it more susceptible to orders.
The advice of the president of the Southern railroad to
the Southern farmers to raise less cotton and hore horses is the
opposite to Horace Greely’s counsel to raise more cotton and
less hell. Still, we do not think Greeley would have been
particular about what they raised so that they stopped raising
the infernal regions.
“UNPREPARED FOR WAR"
Every little while some statesman discovers that Uncle
Sam is not prepared for war, and proceeds to sound a clarion
call to arms. General Wotherspoon, president of the board of
ordnance and fortifications, is the latest alarmist." Congress
man Gardner of Massachusetts introduced a resolution in the
House, shortly before adjournment; calling for a military
inquiry by the national security commission.
“A public investigation," he said, “will* open the eyes of
'mericans to a situation which is being concealed from them.
The United States is totally unprepared for war, defensive or
offensive, against a real power.
“The time has not yet come," he added, “when the United
States can afford to allow the martial spirit of her sons to be
destroyed, and all the Carnegie millions in the world will not
silence those of us who believe that bullets can be stopped with
!bombast nor powder vanquished by platitudes."
It’s eloquently and sincerely set forth, but it’s an old
story, says the Hoquiam Washingtonian, Congressman Albert
Johnson’s paper.
“Unprepared" are we? Of course. When in all history
has this nation ever been prepared, except in the closing
months of the civil war? It is our chronic predicament, and
the result of our fixed policy.
The “martial spirit” which Congressman Gardner wants
preserved has never existed. We are not a military nation.
We have fought when we had to, and fought well; but there has
never been a time since the Cavaliers landed in Virginia and
the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock that we went around looking
for a scrap, or were eager for war if there was any other
honorable way out of the trouble.
We refuse to bewail our present pacific plight. All they
powers that might threaten us have their hands full already.
Nobody is going to bother us until this war is over, at any
late; and then both victors and vanquished will be so
weakened that they’ll be glad of a chance to recuperate. The
terms of settlement may make future wars unlikely. At least,
we can decide then, calmly and intelligently, whether it'
necessary to change our policy.
If what the congressman really aims at is military
efficiencv. rather than enormous strength, the country is with
him. We want our army and navy to be as fit and ready as
money and brains can make them. It is a part of our national
plan, too, to maintain a reasonably strong navy. Any impor
tant wars we may be drawn into will presumably be defensive;
and until rival powers consent to limit naval armament we
had better keep a fleet to guard our shipping and our
seaports, increasing its strength consistently from year to year.
But with that, and with an effective but small army, and
the proper training and equipment of our national guard under
our present rational system, we may stand pat. We want no
big army, no great military class. The European imbroglio
shows how excessive preparedness for war invite - war. We
are a peaceful nation, and proud of it.
IS ALASKA IN DANGER?
General Wotherspoon may have private information from
the war zone which is inaccessible to Mr. Plain Citizen and
which justifies him in expressing the belief that “Alaska may
be lost in the very earliest stages of an impending conflict;”
and that an army is needed to defend it; but we have it from
several reliable old Sourdoughs that the territory is in greater
need of men and money to open farms, build roads, mills,
factories and smelters and develop our wonderfully rich
natural resources. These men have been taking a correspond
ence school course in strategy and they also ought to know
something about these “impending conflicts.” It is possible
the general has been feeding on a diet that causes him to
see red.
EDITORIAL COMMENT
Tlie Pacific Fisherman offers this bit of sound advice,
which will be duly appreciated by merchants and mill and
factory owners of the territory: “Salmon canners and fish
packers operating in Alaska do well to extend all possible
patronage to the merchants, saw mills, box factories, etc., of
the territory. The differential in favor of ‘imported’ goods
has rapidly decreased, and in some cases entirely disappeared.
Alaskans have always been noted for their strong spirit of
co-operation, and it is more than worth while to meet them
half way.”
Just as everybody was getting “all het up” over the
Tennessee incident, and Captain Lathrop was about to call out
the Cordova marine reserves and offer their services to Uncle
Sam to help get satisfaction from the Turks, along came a
cablegram today and put the lid on by stating the shooting
was not intended as a hostile act.
The Daily Alaskan is unofficially authorized by its pleni
potentiary at the national capital to statt^that the rumor
President Wilson will revise his Thanksgiving proclamation
because of recent Democratic reverses is a base canard origin
ating in the camp of the allies—the Republican-Socialist-Bull
Moose combination.
Politics became so fervid down in Seattle during the last
days of the recent campaign, a returning Sourdough declares,
that when an opponent shook hands with any members of
“the court house crowd,” said opponent would count his
fingers to see if they all came back from the hand-clasp.
. On ground that had been tramped over ever since the
town was started, rich gold ore has been discovered in the
suburbs of Tonopah, Nevada. More than 20 leases have been
taken on the claim and sacking and shipping is in progress.
One lessee milled four tons that returned $40 a ton.
President Wilson proposes to spike cannon with treaties—
which is very desirable, provided it is done before the cannon
blow the treaties into “scraps of paper.”
The European powers are missing a great opportunity in
not hiring some of those Mexican rumor mongers to furnish
our official bulletins.
It is the vote of the world’s primaries that the censors of
the European war movements should be called the nonsensor*
Why Not Invest?
* ' r -
With the building of the government railroad from
Chitina to Fairbanks, the future of the Town of Chitina
is assured.
Lots are still offered at attractive prices and there
are many desirable ones remaining.
A few months later lots in Chtiina will be held at
largely increased values. Why not invest NOW f
GEO. C. HAZELET,
Agent Chitina Townsite Company.
TIN SHOP
IN SHUSHANNa
So more need to carry
STOVES and TINWARE
over the lon<j trail to the
interior, as we are pre
pared to till all orders in
our tin shop.
W. H. CARSTENS & GO.
SHUSHANNA - - ALASKA
(Mina GRILL
Hood Eats lor Particular People
Prompt Service. Popular Set vice.
Next to Chitiaa Hotel.
CHITINA : : : ALASKA.
0. ADRIAN NELSON
U. S. Mineral Surveyor
CHITINA ; - - ALASKA
CHITINA: BAKERY
AND
Coffee House
HENRY GESSXEK, Prop.
FRESII BREAD, CAKES AND
PIES ALWAYS ON HAND
Chitina
Pharmacy
♦ ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦▼♦■*•♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
DRUGS.
STATIONERY,
CANDIES,
KODAK SUPPLIES
CIGARS & TOBACCO
If you cannot call, write
us. MAIL orders our
Specialty.
A. G. MOREY, Prop.
ELet Lewis Help ^
era for Amateur*” will help you to better
i-—it** free. Send ua you** films for develop
ing and printing. Enlarging. Developing 10c roll,
any *ize; printing. 1c up. Cash with order. You’ll
find oar work better. Photo lupplict. Dept. S.
=r-1 -■ ""1 1 £ SB
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
Look House, in connection.
CHITINA HEIGHTS
C. A. SIMONS & CO.
HAY, BRAN, OATS, CHOI'S,
ROLLED BARLEY
We can make prompt ship
ments to points on the rail
road. Our feed is the very
best quality.
0. A. Nelson & Co.
CHITINA
HOTEL
WASHINGTON
ANNEX
8KATTLE
New, modern and fireproof.
All outside .oomf
The most conveniently located
hotel in the city.
Rooms and suites are particu
larly large.
Very desirable for families or
parties traveling together.
RATES MODERATE
Auto-bus meets *11 boats ami
tretne. Write for booklet. !
.H. DAVIS, Prop j