TANANA LEADER
luued every Thursday.
Sam J. Callahan. Publisher
Subscription—One year, $10; six months,
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Advertising.—Rates on application. Right
reserved to reject any advertisement.
Thursday, August 11, 1910.
WHAT WILL COME FROM
THE ELECTION.
What immediate effect the
election for delegate will
have on Alaskan affairs is a
question. Newspapers that
opposed Wickersham for two
months constantly asserted
that his re-election would
ruin the country because out
of hatred for him the federal
administration would put it
on the bum. Many Orr fol
lowers professed to believe
so. That was a stock argu
ment in the campaign. It
implied that President Taft
had the power to blight
Alaska and would not hesi
tate to use it in order to take
a petty revenge. It amount
ed to a charge so abhorrent
to clean-minded men that it
did more than anything else
to cause Orr’s overwhelming
defeat, because Orr got to be
associated in people’s minds
with the obnoxious ideas of
his boosters.
If it had not been asserted
over and over that Wicker
sham’s election would cause
the administration to turn
against Alaska it would not
occur to the Leader to say it
does not believe there has
ever been a president and
cabinet small minded enough
for a thing like that. The
administration will continue
to hold views that we do not
believe are best for Alaska,
but we have no fear that the
territory will be slaughtered
spitefully or wantonly. At
the same time the thing that
made it possible for the Orr
campaigners to din into the
people’s ears the cry that
federal vengeance is ready to
fall on and crush us is real:
the power IS there—the
machinery is manned and
oiled, and we will not be al
lowed to forget that at the
word of command it COULD
be set into relentless motion.
The election has this sig
nificance regarding the pres
ent and future of the terri
tory: the problems that most
concern Alaska must receive
early consideration. They
cannot much longer be put
off, and that is encouraging.
If nothing else comes of it
WickershanTs election will
force the issue.
THE LOCAL SHAME.
On election day in the
town of Tanana a man un
der the influence of liquor
made himself obnoxious at
the voting place and was
hustled away and locked up
by the deputy marshal. He
was not far gone in drunk
enness and was not violent;
just simply meddlesome and
out of place under the influ
ence of liquor. It so hap
pened that he was an avowed
Wickersham man. Every
man who knew the circum
stances, regardless of parti
sanship, approved the deputy
marshal’s action. The officer
said the offender’s misbeha
vior was morfc deplorable be
cause Governor Clark was in
town, and that view was ap
proved. Perhaps the offender
himself would now say the
marshal did right.
That was all very good and
very decorous. But a short
time before that a far more
disgraceful thing—a thing
that should have scandalized
all decent people the more
because the governor was in
town — seemed to cause no
shock to many of those who
witnessed or participated in
it. The election law was
shamelessly violated. Not
only that: the United States
commissioner openly aided
and abetted the abominable
crime. He was there to in
struct the election officers in
the law, and among them it
was ruled that steamboat
men could vote regardless of
the residence requirement of
the law. Possibly thirty of
these transient river men
were voted before a telegram
authorized a challenger to
represent Wickersham and
the outrage was abated.
As the fraud went on a
reputed Canadian of mixed
blood — a man who notori
ously lives a depraved life, is
Lawless by name and nature
and was at that time publicly
known to be guilty of a
felony—went in and voted
without protest. In the af
ternoon Andrew Kokrine, an
Alaska native of about the
same blood status as Lawless,
having a residence in Tan
ana, supporting a family and
keeping them fairly clean—
Kokrine was challenged, but
with many misgivings was
finally allowed to vote.
Others played a discredita
ble part in the dirty little
crime of Tuesday, but Phil
Gailaher, the commissioner,
was a live example of both
cultus officialism and debased
citizenship.
What subtle essence is there in the
office of United States commissioner
that neutralizes in the holder of the
office all the finer sensibilities that en
able Him to choose rightly between right
and wrong? There is some insidious
microbe common to the office, or else
the higher officials are very unfortunate
in their selections of men to fill the
places. For a long time one J. Lindley
Green held the record as the sorriest
specimen of United States commissioner
Stoddard
Kay
THE
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St. James’ Mission
Holy Eucharist the first Sunday in each
month at 11 a. m. Each following Sunday,
Evening Prayer at 8 p. m. Every Wednes*
day evening, Evening Prayer and Litany at
8 o’clock. WINTHROP PEABODY,
Priest in Charge.
Catholic Church
Every Sunday, mass and sermon at 10:90
a. m. At 7:30 p. m. special service for the
soldiers. Short instruction and benediction
of the Bl. Sacrament.
All are cordially invited.
H. PERRON, S. J., Pastor.
ever imposed on any place along the
Yukon. He lived at Rampart several
years and was under many obligations
to the people. When he was leaving
the country he ribbed up unfounded
charges against many Rampart people
and put them and the town practically
out of business. It was long hoped his
record for the sorriest official on earth
would forever remain unprotested.
Our old friend Abe Collins’s pet say
ing, “Rampart agin the world,” is just
as timely as it ever was. The vote up
there stood Wickersham 18, Orr 6. The
proportion was all right, but there is
a sad deficiency in the bulk.