ALASKA RAILROAD Bill DISCUSSED IN TIE SENATE
H
WASHINGTON, 1). C., Jan. 15.—Senator
Walsh resuiiied his debate on the Alaska rail
road bill in the senate this morning. He favors
the construction of two roads as recommended
by Seth Mann, who visited Alaska as a special
representative of President Wilson.
WASHINGTON, D. C., Jan. 15.—Senator
.Norris, of Nebraska, has proposed an amend
ment to the Alaska railroad bill. He not only
wants the government to construct and operate
the railroads but his amendment provides for
a government owned and operated fleet of
steamers from Alaska along the Pacific coast
and to South America. He believes the govern
ment will find it necessary to operate a fleet
of steamers to carry the Alaskan coal to a
market. The colliers could be used to trans
port coal along the coast in times of peace and
would be ready for service for the navy in case
U1 war Uii lilt? r auinv:.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 15.—Representative
Mandell, of Wyoming, lias introduced a bill in
the House providing for leasing the coal lands
of Alaska. His bill is similar to the measure
introduced in the Senate by Senator Pittman,
providing for the surveying of the coal lands
into section tracts and leasing for a term of
years on a royalty basis of the coal mined
after the expense of mining and transportation
to tidewater has been deducted.
WASHINGTON, D. C., Jan. 15.—The sup
porters of the Alaska railroad bill are pleased
with the progress the measure is making in
both houses. The most optimistic believe that
the bill will come to a vote and pass next week.
There has been no opposition to the measure so
far and the debates in both houses are atten
, datively listened to. Alaskans in the city are
£ tireless in their efforts in winning support of
#their friends in the Senate and congress for the
p measure.
m WASHINGTON, I). C., Jan. 15.—Senator
r Walsh, of Montana, in continuing his debate on
the Alaska railroad bill declared that ‘to keep
the resources of Alaska locked up any longer
approaches the gravity of a national crime.”
He said he did not question the wisdom of those
who had withdrawn the coal lands from entry
if it had appeared necessary to prevent a mon
opoly, but lie believed the time had come when
relief should be afforded the people who were
trying to develop the territory. The government
could put a plan into execution which would
prevent any monopoly and protect the peop'e of
the north.
WASHINGTON, D. C\, .Tan. 15.—Delegate
Wiekersham, of Alaska, occupied considerable
^ime in the House this morning in defense of
his railroad bill. He told the House that the
Guggenheims and other railroad interests in
Alaska had been maintaining lobbyists in
I Washington to fight the bill. When the bill
was still in the hands of the committee on ter
ritories, agents of the Alaskan roads had
appeared before the committee and tried to
show that to construct a trunk line through
interior Alaska would be a waste of public
money. The White Pass, although operating
only 20 miles of railroad in Alaska, had claimed
that freight could be delivered to interior
Alaska cheaper via the Yukon river than by
the proposed railroad. The delegate declared
that lobbyists wore still working in opposition
to the measure.
Delegate Wiekersham quoted statistics
showing the mineral output of the territory a^s
well as. its agrieul.turaj possibilities.; I|e stated
that this population b|*t#b‘ fefTitbry.;i%i
during the past few years while t-hercountfiv
was tied up through 'conservation. He believed
some such action,had been necessary to pre
vent a monopoly of the coal but necessity de
manded that the resurces of the country be
developed. He prophesied that the population
of Alaska wrnuld more than double during the
first year afted the government began the
construction of a trunk line to the interior.
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KAGOSHIMA, Japan, Jan. 15.—Thirty
three persons have been rescued from the island
of Sakira. When the Sakurapima volcano blew
they took refuge in a cave at the foot of the
_~untain. Not another living being on the
inland escaped from death. The ashes and
stones thrown up by the volcano covered the
island to a depth of several feet. Hundreds of
uev^oiis perished in their homes when the build
4nigs collapsed under the weight of the ashes.
f
WASHINGTON, D C., Jan. 16.—Senator Walsh,
of Montana, concluded his two-day speech in sup
port of the Alaska railroad bill. The senator was
well posted and brought out many features which
have not before been heard in the Senate regarding
Alaska. He asserts that Alaska will develop
equally as fast as the western states did after trans
portation had been furnished.
Senator Borah, of Idaho, followed Senator
Walsh in the debate. He declared that the Alaska
railroad bill in no way should raise the issue of
government ownership of railways. Alaska was
an outlying territory from which the government
had practically excluded private capital by with
drawing the coal lands from entry thereby shutting
off the only tonnage which would be immediately
available as soon as the roads were constructed.
Senator Borah added that there was one single mine
in Alaska which had blocked out its ores on the
different levels and had sufficient ore to keep the
the mine running for 100 years with a production of
12,000 tons per day. He was referring to the Tread
well mine at Juneau. The ore was low grade but it
was returning a net profit of 1.00 per ton. “We
have the statements of the United States Geological
Survey, the best authority in the world, that there
are thousands of acres of placer ground in all parts
of the territory which never can be made to yield up
their treasures if cheaper transportation is not fur
nished. Private companies will not build the roads
for the benefits of the claim owners. They are in
the mining business themselves and would want to
command the situation. It is the duty of the
government to construct and operate the railroads
in Alaska and I hope the issue of government
ownership will not be raised,” concluded the Idaho
senator. -•«, m A
WASHINGTON, Jan. 16.—The report of
Admiral Griffin, who had charge of the work of
testing the coal from the Bering river fields in
Alaska, was reported in the house this morning by
the naval committee. The tests made so far have
been discouraging as .the coal did not come up to
expectations. Another test will be made from coal
which will be washed and screened.
WASHINGTON, D. C., Jan. 17.—It was agreed
in the senate this afternoon that the Alaska railroad
bill would be allowed to come to a vote on Thurs
day, January 22. This agreement was reached after
a conference held this afternoon wrhen the amend
ments to the bill were considered. The friends oi
the bill are optimistic that it will pass with little
opposition as the threatened government ownership
issue has not been raised during the debates.
Another conference will be held on Monday after
the report of the committee on territories of the
house have considered the Poindexter amendment.
WASHINGTON, D. C., Jan. 17.—The efforts
of the friends of the Alaska railroad bill to have the
measure come to a vote on Tuesday next in the
house have proved unsuccessful. Many of the mem
bers of the house declare that the measure has not
been debated as yet and that many more amend
ments will yet be added before it is ready to come
to a vote. The senate committee of territories will
hold a meeting this afternoon to consider the
amendments which have been made to the railroad
bill. Several bills have also been introduced provid
ing for the opening of the Alaska coal lands and
these will also be considered at the meeting.
"W ASHINGTON, D. C., Jan. 17.—Senator Poin
dexter has introduced an amendment to the Alaska
railroad bill which it is feared \rill raise opposition
from the anti-government ownership feature of the
measure. , His amendment would .practically create
IS .gf>y£rnumtmonopoly .the- transportation ;bffsi-'
nUsf. Qf the north. The amendment- would empower
the: president to establish, a complete system of rail
roads In Alaska, to place'steamers ' on the inland
rivers of the territofy to connect with ocean liners
to all parts of the Pacific coast. Those who are
fostering the railroad bill oject to having the issue
clouded by the interjection of any new features.
WASHINGTON, I). C., Jan. Ip.—The track is
repox*ted all clear for the passage of the Alaska
railroad bill in both houses and it is sure to pass
the Senate and House during this week. At a joint
conference held on Saturday it was agreed that the
bill should be permitted a speedy passage and that
the government ownership feature would mot be
raised. The bill is recognized as an administration
measure and the conference committee decided that
nothing would be gained by delaying its passage as
was done in the case of the administration’s
currency measure.
The measure will pass the Senate when it
comes to a vote on Thursday next and will pass
the lower huse without opposition in practically
its original form. Many of the amendments which
were attached to the measure have been withdrawn
by the senators and congressmen who were respon
sible for their introduction. It was pointed out in
the conference that the position of the bill was
different from other measures. The Alaska railroad
bill was drafted by the House committee on terri
tories from the three bills introduced by Delegate
Wickersham of Alaska, Representative Lafferty of
Oregon and Representative Anderson of Minnesota.
It provides for appropriating $35,000,000 from the
treasury and empowering the president to build
railroads in Alaska to be owned and operated by
the United States. The bill also makes an appro
priation of $1,000,000 immediately available for
the purpose of carrying out the provisions of the
act.
Since the senators and congressmen have
returned to their labors here after spending the
holidays in their constituencies they evince a desire
to get through with the regular session as soon as
possible. Many of them have discovered that new
factions have developed in their constituencies
during their long absence caused by holding over
the special session which was made to run into
the regular session through the opposition to the
administration’s tariff and currency reform meas
ures. Other important measures await action and
it is largely due to these facts that the track has
been cleared for the Alaska railroad bill.
WASHINGTON, D. C., Jan. 19.—Senator
Jones, of Washington state, spoke on the Alaska
railroad bill in the Senate this afternoon. He
favored the construction and operation of the
trunk lines by the government but strongly opposed
the government steamship amendment as intro
duced by Senator Poindexter. He declared that it
was not. tl*e intention of sbe government to create
a monopoly but to provide transportation which
would develop the territory.
WASHINGTON, D. C., Jan. 20.—President
Wilson told a number of reporters who called at
the White House by appointment that the Alaska
railroad bill would soon pass both houses and that
it would afford him much pleasure to sign the
measure. He considers the Alaska measure one of
the greatest which will be enacted during the pres
ent term of congress.
WASHINGTON, I). 0., Jan. 20.—Senator
McCumber, of North Dakota, attacked the Alaska
railroad bill this morning, declaring that it was the
“first step towards paternalistic socialistic govern
ment.’’ He was opposed to the government owner
ship of the roads and believed that it would have
been better to guarantee the bpnds of private com
panies if it was necessary to do so. The govern
ment could still protect the private interests in the
territory from exorbitant transportation charges
through the Interstate Commerce commission.
^ ALDEZ, Jan. 20.—Angus McDougall, the
well known Fairbanks miner returned from tlie Nel
china diggings today and reports that the camp
will be a big producer. He has been developing
ground on McDougal and Flat creeks with good
results. He has ordered an Empire drill, five-inch
core, to prospect the wet ground on his claims.
He reports that there are 250 men in the camp,
with only three women. Guy Birch, the Seattle
attorney, who went in recently secured some good
ground which was thrown open on January 1. The
ground had been staked but had not been recorded,.
brQ.th.ers, of .Fairbanks, have taken fin
■option, on. three claims on'Crooked creek with an
option to buy for $9,000. They have a drill working
with a‘ 9-inch core. The" property belonged to par
ties living at Knik. A new discovery has been
reported from Dublin Gulch, about 18 miles from
Crooked creek. There are only four claims of
Dublin but the ground is shallow and rich. Eigh
teen inches of pay dirt on bedrock pans from 25
cents to $1.00 per pan.
A negro, Erwing, Avas the first to reach bed
rock on Shovel creek. He had a iiole down 40 feet
and found good coarse gold and was drifting with
pay increasing when he was drowned out. Much
of the ground is wet and will have to be worked by
open-cut method. The new finds haAre encouraged
the mhlers and they are preparing for next sum
mer’s operations. There will be several drills in
the district before spring to prospect the we£
ground. Teams are leaving with supplies for the
diggings every day and freighters are preparing
for a rush toward the end of the season.
NEWS BY WIRE
LONDON, Jan. 21.—Lord Strath
cona, High Commissioner from Can
ada to England, deid this morning.
He was 84 years old and was known
as “the grand old man of Canada."
He was one of the pioneers of west
ern Canada and amassed an im
mense fortune with the development
of the western territories.
NORTH YAKIMA, Jan. 21.—
General Eugene M. Carr, an attor
ney who has been practicing in
Seattle, and prominent in state
politics for years, died at the home
of his son here last night, from
cerebral hemorrhage.
TACOMA. Jan. 21.—Mrs. J. F.
Thomas, wife of a train dispatehc
suicided this morning while her
husband was asleep in another
room. He is employed at night and
because the children disturbed his
slumbers he scolded his wife. She
sent the children to a neighbor’s
and while the husband slept tied a
rope around the gas fixtures and
stepped off a chair. She had been
dead for several hours when the
children returned and gave the
alarm.
LOS ANGELES. Jan. 21.—Wilson
E. Davis, a veteran of the Union
army, hag charged William Gardi
ner, his business partner with mur
der. He has sworn out a warrant
charging his partner with burning
the residence of Wheeler, the aged
millionaire recluse, In order that he
could collect insurance on the build
ing. Wheeler and his aged wife
perished in the flames. v
KATALLA, Jan. 21.—The Alaska
Coal Company has been compelled
to close down its operations on ac
count of the high price of coal. The
only other available fuel is green
wood and as it costs $23 a day for
this fuel the company was forced
to suspend operations for the pres
ent, at least. t -
WASHINGTON, D. C„ Jan. 21.—
It will be necessary for congress to
enact five different laws in order to
carry out the suggestions contained
in President Wilson’s message to
govern the trusts.
KATALLA, Jan. 21.—The three
year-old boy of Mrs. Erussard fell
from a chair and broke his leg. As
there is no one here to set the
broken limb the mother left on the
Sampson this morning for Cordova
with her son who will be taken to
the railroad company’s hospital and
treated by Dr. Council. Mrs. Erus
sard is the widow of one of the old
timers of this section and is caring
for seven children.
WASHINGTON, D. C., Jan. 21.—
After reading his trust message be
fore the Joint session yesterday,
President Wilson visited the Alaska
exhibit in the Senate buiding. Mr.
McPherson and several other
Alaskans took great pleasure in
showing him the display. The
president was very much interested
in the mineral and agricultural dis
plays.
PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 21.—Wil
liam Eberwin, a feeble old man who
is more than 80 years of age. was
sentenced in the court here this
morning to serve seven years in the
penitentiary for the murder of his
wife.
Eberwin, who appeared to be in
his second childhood, confessed to
the crime and told the court that
his wife had begged him to kill her.
She was afraid that he would die
and that sh,e,woul,d b^.left aUyia in
the Wofld.' ' He ‘graphically^ ex
plained how- he had taken a board
and beaten her to death. His wife
had been an invalid for several
years and was 80 years old..
TOKIO, Jan. 21.'—'Japanese For
eign Minister Makino announced to
day that Japan regards as unsatis
factory the replies of the United
States government to Japan’s pro
test in connection with the Califor
nia land legislation which bars Jap
anese subjects from owning land in
the state.
Minister Maklrno said: “The Jap
anese government recognizes the
necessity of elaborating other plans
for the solution of the California
land question. Plans are under
ccnsideration but I am not at liberty
as yet to state their nature. This
government will however, accept
nothing less for its subjects when
they are living abroad than this gov
ernment is willing to grant the
subjects of the country where the
controversy arises.