TAIMANA LEADER
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Published Every Thursday at Tanana, Alaska.
SAM J. CALLAHAN. EDITOR
Oso. M. Arbuokle. Manager
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MURDER AND INDIVIDUALITY
According to Hugh C. Weir, writing in The World
Today not long ago, 10,000 persons are murdered in the
United States every year. There are four and one-half
times as many murders for every million of our population
today as there were twenty years ago.
In endeavoring to point out a reason for this Mr. Weir
lays the blame at the door of the American police. He in
timates that they fail to catch the murderers. The Denver
Post, defending the police, seeks other reasons, and says:
“The fault is a national one, and it lies in the contempt of
the American people as a whole for restraint of any kind.
Born of a revolution and taught from the days of 1776 that
defiance of authority is a cardinal virtue, the American
fairly worships at the shrine of individual liberty — for
which he often mistakes unbridled license. All the laws
are made to safeguard the ' liberty ’ of the citizen, and to
accuse a man of crime and attempt to inflict the prescribed
punishment is to raise an army in his defense. . - With
the exception of the foreign quarters in our large cities,
we venture the assertion that very, very few murders are
committed in this country where the murderer is not ar
rested. But punishment—that is another matter entirely,
and the failure of conviction must be laid at the door of
legislation, of the lawyers, the courts, and, above all, of
the American people at large.”
If Mr. Weir laid the blauie for the increase in the crime
of murder at the Throng- door—and lie assuredly did —the
Post in criticising him went wider of the mark. In twenty
years, if murder has increased four and one-half fold, then
to bear out the Post’s contention the sentiment of individ
ual liberty must have increased in no less degree during
the same time. It has not done so. On the contrary, the
last twenty years have seen more powerful forces set in ac
tion against individual liberty than in all the preceding
years of American history. The doctrine that individuals
have no rights except such as are granted them by persons
authorized to act for the mass today has more adherents in
America than perhaps in any other country. There is
scarcely a postoffice in any of the states or territories where
publications are not regularly distributed whose avowed
purposes are to create “solidarity,” to eradicate patriotism
and to destroy root and branch everything that partakes in
the ^lightest degree of individualism.
Whatever the direct cause may be for the increase in
the crime of murder, it is not a growing spirit of individual
liberty. Perhaps the provocation has increased more than
the crime: the belief that the kicked dog ought not to bite
may cause many more kicks, but the dog does not always
share in the belief.
Seriously, there is one phase of this murder business
that deserves sober thought, and it has to do with individ
ual responsibility. It is only too common for maudlin
public sentiment to blame society when some unusually
hideous crime has been committed, on the ground that the
perpetrator has drunk whisky, smoked cigarettes or opium,
or through evil associations become morally weak and de
praved—the theory being that society ought to have made
and kept him strong and undefiled. The logic of the idea
is as false as its effect is demoralizing. Society must derive
Its strength from the individual, and to reverse the process
is to preserve the weak at the expense of the strong.
“Asa result of the congressional discussion, Repre
sentatives Foster, of Vermont: Kitchin, of North Carolina;
Wood, of New Jersey; Latta, of Nebraska, and Sisson and
Collier, of Mississippi, are going to maice the trip to Alaska
this year and personally investigate the conditions in the
territory,” says a newspaper paragraph. If the gentlemen
take the time and trouble to become acquainted with Alas
kans and their affairs their own views will undoubtedly be
broadened and their minds made clearer regarding the
things upon which they have been trying to inform them
selves. Their presence here ought also to mollify our keen
disappointment over the decision of the President not to
pome to see ns this year.
Warrants were recently sworn out at Nome charging
four Eskimos of the Arctic coast, two men and two women,
with living in adultery. The law’s penalties extend to
them, but its privileges do not reach quite so far.
BEAVER TRAPPING
IN CANADA
Not many years ago it was con
sidered that the beaver, as anything
more than an emblem, was almost
as nearly extinct as-tfie buffalo, and
in order to preserves far as possi
ble the few which were left and to
perpetuate the species stringent
game laws were enacted by the va
rious provinces of the Dominion
forbidding the hunting, shooting
trapping, wounding or killing of
any animal of the species for an al
most indefinite period.
It was thought that in this way,
even if the useful animal should
never again increase sufficiently to
become an asset of any intrinsic
value to the Dominion, a sufficient
number would at least be preserved
for park and natural history pur
poses. This plan succeeded beyond
the fondest imaginings of the game
guardians for the beaver, left un
molested, has incteased to such an
extent throughout the various prov
inces as to become quite numerous
Indetd, complaints are being re
ceived by the various game guar
dians, says the Field, to the effect
that the enterprising little engineer
is doing damage to drains and
lands in the vicinity of the dams.
Owing to the general gratifica
tion felt, however, by the guar
dians, as well as by sportsiren and
others over the excellent results of
the close season, little attention has
been paid to these complaints, as ii
was felt that the alleged damage
done by damming the streams and
thereby flooding the neighboring
lands will be obviated when the
projected drainage work has been
completed.
It is asserted that the complaints
were largely originated by persons
who desired the season opened for
killing beaver, so that they could
make a profit from the furs. In
Manitoba the close season for
beaver is indefinite, and there is no
intimation that a date will be fixed
when they may be trapped or killed
in any way. There are many colo
nies of the animal in the province,
on the Ochre river, in the Swan
River district, in the neighborhood
of Lake Dauphin and along the
Souris river, beaver dams being
very plentiful.
In Saskatchewan no one may
trap or kill beaver in any tnannei
until December io, 1910, nor may
any one during that lime destroy a
beaver dam. In Alberta the sea
son is closed until December 31,
1912, while in British Columbia
the beaver is immune from destruc
tion until August 1, 1911. In On
tario, as in Manitoba, an indefinite
period has been fixed for the pro
tection of the heaver, and the re
sult of the closed season for the last
few years is appreciably apparent.
While in most parts of Ontario the
weaver is practically exterminated,
in Algonquin park they have mul
tiplied very rapidly.
As instauciug difficulties encoun
tered through the darns being con
structed by the animals, a member
of the McLacklan Mill Company,
on making one of his periodical in
spections of the company’s remain
ing limber at a point where portag
ing was necessary, found that the
beaver had dammed the river. He
decided to cut a portion out of the
dam in order to relieve the flood,
and did so, placing a uet across the
cutting. This he found on his next
trip repaired and the dam is beiore.
He then placed two cross cut saws
with the teeth pointed up the river
at the gap, which also was inefieo
tual, and he then placed a revolv
ing wheel against the aperture
which he had recut in order to pre
vent the rebuilding of the dam.
On his return the wheel was
completely built in. and the labori
ous portage bad to be repeated. In
sheer desperation be played his last
card, and, knowing the timid na
ture of the beaver, be constructed a
figure in the shape ot a man and
placed it in the centre of the aper
ture. where it remained a grotesque
object for several days. On his re
turn to his amazement he found
only the head and shoulders of the
figure remaining sticking above
the completed dam. After this he
gave up endeavoring to clear the
portage.
Charles P. Taft, brother of the Pres
ident, has denied that he will maintain
at great cost a private telephone line
between his home in Cincinnati and
the White House.
Two ladies, previously unacquainted,
were conversing at a reception. After a
few conventional remarks the younger
exclaimed: “I cannot think what has
upset that tall blonde man over there.
He was 90 attentive a little while ago,
but he won’t look at me now.” “Per
haps,” said the other, "he saw me
come in. He’s my husband.”—Phila
delphia Inquirer.
Arrangements will shortly be made
by the Austrian government for the
public sale of radium for medical and
experimental purposes. The total
quantity of radium which has been
thus far recovered for scientific use
throughout the world is estimated not
to exceed a quarter of a pound.
Many a man’s good reputation is
due to what isn’t found out abofit
him.
GOLDEN NORTH CAFE
Carrying the Best Supplies on the Market
OYSTERS, FISH AND GAME
IN SEASON
Centrally Located. In Connection with Grand Hotel.
ED Y. LEE, PROP.
HEADQUARTERS FOR TRAVELING PUBLIC!
Pioneer ■»< Tower Houses
Two First-Class Resorts
Stables for Horses and Dogs. Warm Buukliouse where
you can dry your clothing and sox.
Joe Anlcich, Prop. Tanana, Alaska
Santa Fe
When You Go to California Where Every Month
is June, Travel on the
CALIFORNIA
LIMITED
Only Train in Southern California, via. Any Line,
Exclusively First-Class Travel
HAS A PULLMAN CAR FOR GRAND CANYON
EAST OR WEST
THE COMFORTABLE WAY IS VIA. THE
Great Northern
Railway
CLOSE CONNECTIONS
To All Points East or West, With Two Modern Over
land Trains in Either Direction Daily.
FOR FULL INFORMATION ADDRESS
F. I. Whitney, Passenger Traffic Manager, St. Paul, Mino.
-OR
SJ. Yerkes, Assistant Gen. Pass. Agent, Seattle, Wash.