tANANA LEADER
Published Every Thursday at Tanana, Alaska.
Vt! 2 SAM J. CALLAHAN, EDITOR
Cao. M. Arbuekla, Manager
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WICKERSHAM
In the absence of any authorized announcement that
Judge Wickersham will be a candidate for re-election as
delegate from Alaska, this paper has taken the view that
a discussion of his claims and qualifications for the
honor would be premature. It has been deemed specially
desirable to avoid all things whatsoever that might in the
least tend to weaken the delegate’s efforts at Washington
while matters of such deep concern to Alaska are pending
in congress. No suspicion of dissension at home was
wanted.
It is of no use. The two influential daily papers of
Fairbanks have seen fit to dissect the delegate’s pi*e-election
record, and to compare his services to the territory to those
of self-appointed, or federal-designated, “friends of Alas
ka,” and to draw a balance whereby they may declare th
elected representative outweighed. The Times professes to
have found cause why Wickersham should be repudiated;
the News-Miner, says it will be just to him, but intimates
that the justice will be milk when it calls for commendation
and acid when there is cause for blame.
So be it. If Wickersham makes the race—and a large
number of Alaskans hope he will—there is nothing in his
past to indicate that he will shirk the record. But we shall
see what we shall see. Meanwhile, it is unfortunate for
Alaska that he was not for a little while longer considered
only in his capacity of representative, and not as a candi
date for office.
A JUST CONTENTION
One of the righteous ends that James Wickersliam has
long and consistently contended for—as judge, lawyer, cit
izen, and now as congressional delegate from Alaska—is
the acknowledgment, of the rights of United States citizen
ship provided for Russian subjects in the treaty of cession.
Judge Wickersliam has stood almost alone in his plea for
justice for these people. About four years ago a news
paper—the Sitka Cablegram, which soon went out of exist
ence—championed their cause with vigor and considerable
ability; but it possessed insufficient influence even to pro
long its own life, and its efforts availed nothing. The
paper pointed out that the discoverers of the mines at
Chicagof Island—just then coming into notice — had to
divide the property, having it. recorded in the names of
others, in order to secure to themselves any benefit from
the find. The Cablegram also cited the fact that people
of education, refinement, good morals and independent
means, some of them successful business men, were by the
machinery of the law treated as incompetents, having
neither the privileges of citizens nor the rights of aliens.
In the “territorial” bill introduced by Delegate Wick
ersham was a provision for carrying out by congressional
enactment what should have been done under the treaty
and the common rules of justice. Before the senate com
mittee on territories, citing his objections to the “commis
sion” bill, Delegate Wickersham said:
I want now to call the committee’s attention to another gen
eral objection. We got Alaska by a treaty of purchase, by which
we paid $7,200,000 for it. The third article of the treaty of 1867.
by which we acquired Alaska from Russia, provides:
The inhabitants of the ceded territory, according to
their choice, reserving their natural allegiance, may re
turn to Russia within three years; but if they should
prefer to remain in the ceded territory, they, with the '
exception of uncivilized native tribes, shall be admitted
to[the enjoyment of all the rights, advantages, and immu
nities of citizens of the United States, and and shall be
maintained and protected in the free enjoyment of their
liberty, property, and religion. ~
There are probably 5,000 or 6,000 of those Russian people in
Alaska—they and their children. Whether or not they were nat
uralized by that treaty is a very serious question.
• Senator Dillingham: How does that language compare with
the language of the treaty of Paris, under which we took over the
Philippines?
Mr. Wickersham: I have not compared the two. Senator. But
this treaty is the supreme law of the land; and it is a colemn obli
gation upon the part of the government of the United States to
give these people the rights, privileges, and immunities of citizens
of the United States. For forty-two years they have been waiting
for something to be done which would give them those rights,
privileges, and immunities. They are now debarred from taking
land; they are even debarred from acting as officers on boats and
everything of that kind, because it is claimed that they are not
citizens of the United States. I have examined the matter some
what at length, and I am persuaded that this is not their true
f tatus. I am 'persuaded that they have been naturalized by the
treaty itself. But that is a very serious question. I am not sup
ported in that view by a great, many people, and probably not by
the courts. But it seems to me that is an obligation which the
committee ought to consider in the passage of this [Beveridge]
oill. It is not provided in this treaty that they shall have all the
rights, privileges, and immunities of citizens of Alaska, but those
of citizens of the United States. The supreme court of the United
States and congress, iu one or two instances, have called attention
to that particular matter, but it has never been corrected.
POSSIBILITIES IN QUARTZ
In these days of many stampedes and high hopes for
the development of new placers, there is another movement,
less pronounced but still very important, which is fraught
with great possibilities for the future of this country. Ti
those who are disposed to look far ahead, it is the part of
wisdom not to lose sight of the interest that is centering it
quartz. After years of almost total neglect, at Dawson, in
the Fairbanks district and in the Chandlar the question oi
1 aying quartz mines is apparently about to be settled af
firmatively. If quartz mining becomes a profitable industry
in the places named, then it is not visionary to predict that
interior Alaska and the Yukon Territory will become tin
greatest gold-producing region in the world.
Already prospectors for placers have learned theii
business so well that haphazard work is almost eliminated,
and, as an exchange truthfully says, win re they now apph
their labors the only question to be determined is one of
richness. From knowledge gained by experience they know
to a certainty the natural conditions that, invariably aeeon -
pany deposits of placer gold. With quartz veins fully
explored and outlined in a few localities, it will be hut ;
short step to fix the relation between the placers and th
lodes from which they have been weathered, and thei
quartz development as a paying investment will become a
safe as most other industrial enterprises, and vastly mon
profitable.
While the work so far accomplished in quartz develop
ment is far short of what is required to establish the exact
truth, it clearly indicates possibilities so great they art
almost startling, and justifies an optimistic state of mind
regarding the country’s future.
Thoughts
on Science
When Dr. Cook returned with the
statement that lie had been to the pole
lots of people disbelieved him; but they
didn't know. It was Science, sittinjr
by the fireside, that figured out to the
fraction of a mile where he had been
and fixed the metes and bounds of his
gigantic falsehood. The scientists
made figures, which, unlike the doctor,
couldn’t lie. This accomplishment has
given science a considerable boost; and
we hope to see the day. when some
authorized body of learned men, sitting
at Tanana or some other central Alas
kan point, will turn the searchlight of
knowledge on each reclining report of
rich gold strikes and give out informa
tion that will make t the business of
stampeding a less uncertain industry.
It is true by such means the wild rush
for wealth would be robbed of much of
the joy that ever goes with taking
chances; but it is money we are all
after, and scientific knowledge is gol
den. By all means let us have a royal
gold locating society.
o o o
As far back as 131 B. C. astronomers
were occasionally rewarded by what is
called a nova, or new star, which sud
denly Hares up in the heavens and
fades away again, aftci a lapse of a few
hours, days, weeks or months. Such
new stars are not altogether rare.
Since the fifteenth century no less
than sixteen have been recorded. In
our own time they are discovered with
fair frequency. On Feb. 22, 1901, for
example, a new star blazed wonder
fully in the constellation Perseus and
was first seen by the Scotch astronomer
Anderson. It grew brighter, faded,
and then regained something of its
former brilliancy. The constellation
Perseus is so distant that the light of
its stars, flashed through space at a
speed of 186,000 miles a second, reaches
the earth only after a lapse of 120
years. What the Scotchman really
saw, therefore, was light that suddenly
flared up in 1781, while the American
colonies were establishing a political
principle by force of arms analogous to
one sought by Alaskans to have re
asserted at the present day. Some of
these new stars are of such magnitude
and brilliance as to be plainly visible
at noonday. Their fitful gleaming is
accounted for very simply by the mod
ern astrophysicist. Two giant suns,
chilled to black cinders, but still im
prisoning within their frozen shells a
fierce heat and compounds of terrific
explosive energy, crash together in a
celestial head-on collision. When the
catastrophe occurs each sun is rushing
through space at a rate of 400 miles a
second. The impact develops such
tremendous energy that the arrested
bodies glow with a light compared to
which our sun is as a frozen candle in
comparison to the concentrated capac
ity of the Tanana Electric Company at
Fairbanks before that concern went
out of business and left its workmen
in impenetrable gloom. The remain
der of the suddenly generated energy
is spent in twisting the fragments
around a common center at a speed of
hundreds of miles a second, so that a
huge celestial pinwheel is created,
which finally cools down and goes into
business as a single large sun insteu<
t wo smaller ones, al mi percep't ible in
crease of expense over what it took t
fun one before the merger took |)lace
The temptation is great to godeepe.
into this subject, but limited space ant
more prosaic duties compel brevity.
The impelling cause of treating on tin
astral bodies in the first place is, by
briefly exhibiting some of the beautie
of scientific knowledge, to create a lovt
of learning in its higher and more en
nobling sense. If will only be addei
here that it is not enough for ou
people to idly wonder what became . .
the comet that excited our more rt
fined emotions but a short while ag. .
let them proceed to find out.
o o o
As was intimated, it is hard to breal
away when thought gets to running i.
the scientific groove; but with a brie
story of success in medical researe
this treatise will close. By a French
man an infallible cure for rbeumatiso
has been discovered, and, as often bap
pens, the formula is so simple it i
strange it bad never been thought o
before. The doctor, by patient r«
search, found that bee keepers arc
universally immune from rheumatism'
He set industriously to work to ascer
tain the underlying cause of this, with
the result that the racking disease is
conquered at last. He has invented ;
little trap that catches and holds urn
bee. The bottom of the trap is per
forated. A spring when ti uclied e.v
er.s a gentle pressure on the bee
which drives its sting in an effort n
induce its captor to ease the oppres
sion. The doctor locates the seat o
pain in his patient, places the inno
cent-looking trap on the' bare flesh,
touches the spring, and the afflicted
one bounds into the air with a gla
cry, entirely cured. A second applica
tion of the remedy is never called for.
It is the formic acid injected by tin
bee, which, acting on the diseusei
blood corpuscles, effects the cure.
There is room for experiment by local
scientists in the discovery of a substi
tute for the honey bee, which does noi
make its home in these parts. There
are bumble bees in plenty, but it Is
unknown whether they carry formic
acid in their labortories or not. Ap
plication of the bees to rheumatics
would settle the question; but it is
doubtful if it would be safe for any bui
a regular practitioner to undertake
the operation.
The I endev is on sale at the
postoffice lobby.
ABOUT THE MAILS
ARRIVALS
From Outside, Valdez, Fairbanks,
and Rampart-Hot Springs, every Tues
day.
From Nome, St. Michael and lower
Yukon, every Friday.
From Dawson and Eagle, every other
week, Saturdays.
From Coldfoot, about the 12th of
each month.
DEPARTURES
To Outside, Valdez, Fairbanks and
Rampart-Hot Springs, every Saturdaj'.
To Nome, St. Michael and lower
Yukon, every Wednesday.
To Coldfoot, the 15th of each month.
Registered Mail and Money Or
der Business will close every Friday
at noon and not open before departure
of Outside mail.
GOLDEN NORTH CAFE
Carrying tire Best Supplies on itie Market
OYSTERS, FISH AND GAME
IN SEASON
Centrally Located. In Connection with Grand Hotel.
ED Y. LEE, PROP.
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STAGE LINE
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fist-Class Restaurant
Frank . S anl j, Prop
CAMP GIBBON NO. 25, Arctic Brothir
heod, meets every Monday night
in A. B. Hall, corner Second st.
and I'umpliell ave. at8:30o’clock.
Visiting Arctics cordially invited to at
lend ilie meetings of the Camp.
Phil Gallaheu, Arctic Chief.
J. Russell Walle, Arctic Rec.
anta Fe
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