The Chitina Leader
CHITINA, ALASKA.
Entered as second-class matter, November 12, 1910, at the postoffice at
Chitina, Alaska, under the Act of Congress of March 3. 18.9.
ONLY NEWSPAPER IN CHITINA
Published every Saturday by
vm A. nm—Editors, Managers and Proprietors— TI11T S. STEEL
Office: Hotel Chitina Building. Cordova Office: Daily Alaskan
Seattle Office: 551 Colman Building.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
One Month .V|2
ADVERTISING RATES
Made known upon application. They will be found reasonable for the service
given. Official publication for legal advertisements pertaining to mineral lands
of the Copper River district.
CHITINA, ALASKA, TUESDAY, AUGUST 6,1912.
THE WEALTH OF ALASKA
The Territory of Alaska lias an area of 590,884 square miles,
being something over six times as large as the State of Oregon,
nine times as large as the six New England states combined and
12 times as large as the State of New York. By the census of
1910 the population of Alaska was 64,356, or one person to each
nine square miles, approximately. If its population was as dense
as that of New York it would have over 110,000,000 of people;
if as denslev populated as Oregon it would have practically
5,000,000.
Nobody maintains that our northern territory could maintain
a population as dense as that of New York or even Oregon; the
figures are" given so that the reader who has not closely studied
the matter may have an idea of the immensity of “Seward,” as
a great many people are in favor of calling Alaska. Since the
opening of the territory under the ownership of the United
States gold, silver and copper have been sent out to an amount
considerably over $200,000,000, and the surface of the mines
has as yet scarcely been scratched. The coal mine values of the
territory are almost beyond computation. Compared with the
Pennsylvania mines they are more than likely as fifty to one.
The marble and slate quarries but await their opening to pro
duce as fine materials in those lines as there are in the world.
About the furs of Alaska we know that they are of a value
greater than that possessed by any other country. The same
can probably be said of the lead, tin and zinc mines. But it is
of the fishing industry of Alaska that we wish to speak, for
greater development has taken place in the Alaskan fisheries
than in any other branch of commerce there followed.
The first salmon were packed there in 1878, the output be
ing 8,159 cases (each case containing 48 one pound cans). In
that year the total pack of the Pacific Coast amounted to
629,191 cases, of which 476.634 cases were packed in Oregon.
In 1889, 10 years later, the Oregon pack had fallen to 388.685
cases, and the Alaska pack had reached a total of 719,196 cases,
and the entire coast packed 1,614.966 cases. In 1911 the entire
pack of the coast was as follows: Washington, 1,644,550 cases;
Columbia river, 543,331; Oregon coastal streams, 153,828; Cali
fornia, 11,746; British Columbia, 948,965. Alaska packed 2,820,
066, or almost one-half of the total output of the coast. The
total pack, 1878 to 1911, inclusive, was 36,389.737 cases, valued
at $147,000,000.
Just how many more canneries there will be put in opera
tion each year it is difficult to estimate, but those best informed
think the industry will gain as rapidly the coming decade as it
has during the past. In due course of time, depending upon the
way Congress treats our northern territory, the coal mines will
be opened up, and then we shall have a wondrous story of evo
lution. It is one of the crying sins of the times that practically
all of the coal now consumed by the Alaskans comes from
Japan. Sending coals to Newcastle was as nothing compared to
tying up the mines of Alaska and compelling the good people
of that section to ship their coal thousands of miles.—Portland
Oregonian.
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I NEW AND STRANGE GODS
t __
Last night, probably the most disagreeably surprised man
in the Eastern states was James Wiekersham, delegate from
Alaska to Congress, when the messenger boy brought him the
message from the Alaska coast asking him to get out of the
delegate race—that message being signed by practically all his
leading suppox-ters on the Alaska coast. The nomination of
Gilmore has lost the Seward peninsula to Wiekersham, and
nobody knows that better than does Wiekersham. Now, Gilmore
visits the Southeastern Alaska towns and captures the Wicker
shamites en masse, to the point where they spend their money
to wire Wiekersham to get out of the race while he can do so
with honor. It must have been a surprise.
Some time since we had decided that, come what might,
we woxxld not further attempt to sink the harpoon into our
fellow townsman, and we do not propose to take advantage of
this discouragement of his to say mean things about him. His
hold upon a considerable number of Alaskans must remain
undisputed, for the results of the past two campaigns show for
themselves. We confess that we are not able to predict what he
will do in every condition that may arise, but we imagine that
he will quit in this campaign, and very soon, because of the
telegram. He has profited from his tenure of office, but he has
lost in other ways. He is not exactly the most beloved man in
Washington, and he is almost the best abused man in Alaska.
He doesn’t need the money, and it does not look as though he
will fight the fight, with the majority of all his old leaders
against him.
We look for the Wiekersham witdrawal. He has been repxi
diated by the Republican National party, which refused to re
cognize his delegates at the Ch'cago convention. He has been
superceded in the field by his old political general of Nome. He
is now retired by the old Wiekersham leadera of Southeastern
Alaska. He is not on good terms with the administration. It is
not good sense of any kind for him to go into the fight this
year, and today we do not belive that Judge Wlckersham will
be a candidate for delegate at the coming election.
Still, we may be wrong.—Fairbanks News Miner.
--oooo
Colonel Harvey has resumed the support of Governor Wil
son. Is this to get even!
RAILWAYS REAL DEVELOPERS OF COUNTRY
Railway managers throughout the country must be gratified
to know that the efforts which they have been putting forth
for quite a number of years past to hasten by every means with
in their power the full development of the country, are at last
being fully appreciated and duly acknowledged by government
agriculture has brought to light the fact that about three
fourths of the railway mileage in the United States is operated
by companies which are making organized efforts to develop
agriculture. In carrying on this work, the railways have been
at enormous expense. They have sent their agents to every
country in Europe with the idea of conducting emigration cam
paigns and inducing people there to leave their over-crowded
and poverty-stricken conditions and seek happiness, prosperity
and wealth in this land which offers these blessings to many
hundreds of millions of people and is capable of supporting
this number in comparative comfort and even luxury. In this
regard the efforts of the railways have been attended with the
utmost success and to them is largely due the fact of the phe
nomenally speedy settlement of large sections of country in all
directions.
But the railways have not been satisfied with getting the
people here. They have used their utmost endeavors to make
the prosperity which they offered these people as an induee
mnt to come absolutely certain and have done so at enormous
expense to themselves. They have been carrying on for years
past campaigns of education in connection with which they
have furnished ocular demonstrations of how the most may be
made of the agricultural possibilities which exist on every side.
They have sent out instruction trains carrying learned profes
sors of agricultural colleges to impart instruction as to the
different crops for which the varied soils in the different sec
tions of the country are best suited. They have maintained
demonstration farms of their own, in which practical instruc
tion has been given as to the best manner of raising these
crops, they have provided experienced agents to co-operate j
with the settlers in securing the largest returns for the efforts j
which they put forth, and they have used other means equally
efficient to create and encourage general prosperity.
Their efforts have not been confined by any means to the
agricultural industry. They have been equally energetic in
placing manufacturing industries throughout the various sec
tions of the country where there seemed to be the best reason
for believing that their location would result to advantage to
all concerned. In fact, the railways of the country have been
the greatest promoters of general prosperity and the debt the
country owes them for their enterprise in this direction can
never be repaid. Of course, in doing what they have done they
were but exercising the soundest wisdom and adopting the sur
est possible method of bringing about their own prosperity,
but what may be called the selfish interest they had in view in
the exhibition of the enterprise they manifested does not
detract in the slightest degree from the benefits conferred upon
the country through their efforts, nor should it take away from
the credit due them in this regard. The American people owe
to the railways, despite the popular hostility frequently mani
fested to railway interests, a debt which cannot be measured
and which can never be paid.
-oooo
ALASKA AT WASHINGTON
Introduction at Washington, with the approval of the
Alaskan affairs committee of the American Mining Congress,
of bills for the leasing of coal lands and the construction of a
government railway, marks a distinct step, says the Mining and
Scientific Press. It is an open secret that neither Alaskans
generally nor the leaders in the American Mining Congress are
predisposed toward either a leasing system for the mineral
lands or government ownership of railways. Those concerned,
however, are practical men. They are seeking a workable me
thod of ending the present intolerable conditions and they re
cognize the force of public opinion. There can be no doubt that
the ruling public opinion of the country is opposed to any more
land grants to railways and to reopening the coal lands on the
old basis. At the same time, as Mr. Falcon Joslin has forcibly
shown, it is foolish to impose conditions that compel such com
munities as Fairbanks to burn 60,000 to 80,000 cords of wood
per year, doubling the fuel bill for its citizens, while valuable
coal beds are within easy reach. It should be entirely possible
to safeguard every proper public interest without any such
extreme result; and it will be possible, when the various per
sons concerned make a genuine effort to get together in any
spirit of fairness. Mr Joslin, who knows Alaska thoroughly, is
opposed to the leasing system but has stated that he is “not
certain that a leasing bill may not be drawn that would be a
workable and just law, and the committee of which he is chair
man has shown good faith by proposing a leasing bill. Xow let
others show equally good faith by co-operation in securing the
passage of a bill modeled on the one offered. We believe that in
changing from fee to leasing system the details of the new law
should be modeled as elosely as possible to the wording of the
old. We wish also to state again our conviction that from the
national standpoint revenue should be the smallest consider
ation: If there is any considerable income from the leasing of
the land it should go to the state or territory in which the land
is situated. This is especially important in the case of Alska,
where the need of public works is great and the sources of rev- j
enue are few. In the resolutions passed at Cordova, April 3.
it will be noted that staking by power of attorney is condemned
and in this Alaskan public opinion coincides with informed
public opinion everywhere. Reasonably to reward the man on
the ground is one thing, but to permit the excesses that have
obtained in the past is another and entirely different one. There
are obvious faults in the old laws. These should be corrected
and the way kept clear for still other changes as the need arises,
but Alaska should be developed, and to accomplish that it is
necessary to open the coal and other lands to use, and to build
railways. We have already stated ous conviction that, there
being no sufficient inducement for private capital to enter into
railway building there, the United States government should
assume the task. Alaskans have made proper concessions to
Eastern public opinion. It is now up to the East to “make
good” by providing the needed legislation,—Fairbanks Times.
SENATOR SMOOTS |
LEASING BILL
Following is the text of the coal
leasing bill introduced in the United.
States Senate by Senator Smoot, of
Utah, as amended and favorably re-:
ported by the Committee on Terri
lories:
A bill to provide for a permanent
supply of coal for the use of the
United States Navy and other
Governmental purposes, to
provide for the leasing of
coal lands in the Terri
tory of Alaska, and
for other purposes
Be it enacted by the Senate and
House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress
assembled. That, subject to the rights
of any settler or other claimant un
der the public land laws, the Secre
tary of the Interior is hereby author
ized to lease to any person above the
age of twenty-one years who is a citi
zen of the United States, or to any
association of such persons or to any
corporation organized under the laws
of the I'nited States or of any state
or territory thereof, any of the lands
of the United States in the Territory
of Alaska which contain deposits of
coal or lignite and associated miner
als which, for the purposes of this
Act. shall be called coal, or the coal,
lignite, and associated minerals
therein, under such restrictions and
upon such terms as in his discretion
will best serve to develop the fuel
resources of Alaska, and which shall
protect the interest of the public in j
such resources, together with such !
easements in the public domain for |
entering, dumping, transportation,
and such other purposes as may be
necessary to the proper operation of
of such property. And all such coal
lands in Alaska are hereby reserved
from entry, location, occupation, or
use except as provided in this Act and
except as to other forms of entry, lo
cation, occupation or use not incon
sistent with coal leases, which shall
be subpect to such conditions and
reservations as may be prescribed by
the Secretary of the Interior to pre
serve the paramount use of such land
for the mining of coal or lignite and
associated minerals.
Sec. 2. That no lease shal be for
more than three thousand two hun
dred acres of land, such land, if sur
veyed, to be described by the subdi
visions of the survey, or, if unsur
veved, by permanent monuments so
placed as to effectively describe said
location: such lands to be in not
more than two compact bodies, the
length of neither of which shall be
more than two and one-half times its
width: Provided, That no person, as
sociation, or corporation shall be per
mitted to take or hold any interest,
as stockholder or otherwise, in more
than one such lease under this Act,
any any such interest held in viola
tion of this proviso shal be forfeited
to the United States by appropriate
proceedings instituted by the Attor
ney General for that purpose in any
court of competent Jurisdiction, ex
cept that any such ownership and in
terest hereby forbidden which may
be acquired by descent or will may be
held for one year and not longer af
ter its acquisition.
sec. d. mat ror the privilege of
mining and extracting, with the privi
lege of disposing of the coal in the
lands covered by his lease, the les
see shall pay to the United States
such royalties as may be specified in
the lease, which shall be not less than
two nor more than five per centum
of the value of the coal for sale at
the mine on all coal mined, and an
annual rental at the beginning of
each year on the lands covered by
such lease, such rental to begin at !
such time as may be fixed in the
lease and to be at the rate of twenty
five cents per acre for the first year
lie purposes: Provided, That the Sec
retary of the Interior shall designate
from time to time the nature, ex
tent, and location of such easements,
and as a part of such designation
shall fix the compensation for any in
jury which may be done by such ease
ments, respectively, to any improve
ments upon the lands affected by
such easements, and before suca
easements can be used such damages
shall be paid to the owners of such
improvements, respectively, by the
parties to whom or for whose bene
fit such easements are granted, re
spectively.
Sec. 3. That no lease shall be as
signed except with the consent of
the Secretary of the Interior. Such
lease shall provide that the lessee
shall exercise reasonable diligence,
skill, and care in the operation of
said property; that such rules for the
safety and w-elfare of the miners for
the prevention of undue waste shall
be observed as may be prescribed,
and for such other requirements as
are usual for the protection of the
interests of lessors in the operation
of similar property; and the Secre
tary of the Interior is authorized to
prescribe the necessary and proper
thereafter, fifty cents per acre for
the second, third, fourth and fifth
years, and one dollar per acre for
each and every year tnereafter dur
ing the continuance of the lease, ex
cept that such rental for any year
shall be credited against the royal
ties accruing for that year. Leases
may be for periods of not more than
fifty years each, subject to renewal,
on such terms and conditions as may
be authorized by law at the time of
such renewal.
Sec. 4. That any lease, entry, lo
cation. occupation, or use permitted
under section one of this Act shall
reserve to the Government of the
United States the right to grant or
use such easements in, over, through
or upon the land leased, entered, lo
cated, occupied, or used as may be
necessary or appropriate to the work
ing of the same or other coal lands
by or under authority of the Govern
ment, and easements for other pub
rules and regulations contemplated
in this Act.
Sec. 6. That any such lease may
be forfeited and canceled by appro
priate proceeding only in a court of
competent jurisdiction whenever the
lessee, after reasonable notice, as
prescribed in the lease, shall fail to
pay the rental or royalties provided
for in such lease, or where such les
see shall fail to operate such proper
ty in such manner as will supply the
reasonable demand for coal in the
neighborhood of such mine, or shall
refuse, neglect, or fail to comply
with any provision of the lease; and
the lease may provide for the en
forcement of other appropriate reme
dies for breach of specified conditions
thereof.
Sec. 7. That the President of the
United States is hereby authorized to
reserve from time to time, subject
to the rights of any settler or other
claimant under the public land laws,
such tract or tracts of coal lands in
Alaska as he may deem proper to
meet the requirements of the Gov
ernment of the United States for the
use of the Army and Navy, and for
other public purposes, and to provide
for the mining of coal in such lands
for such uses and purposes.
Sec. 8. That any person, associa
tion. or corporation qualified to oe
come a lessee under this Act and
owning or claiming an interest in
any pending claim under the public
land laws to any coal lands in Alas
ka. may within one year from the
passage of this Act. enter into an ar
rangement with the Secretary of the
Interior by which such claim shall be
fully relinquished to the United
States: and if in the judgment of the
Secretar yof the Interior the circum
stances connected with sucu claim
justify so doing, the moneys paid by
the claimant or claimants to the
United States on account of such
claim may. by direction of the Sec
retary of the Interior, be returned
and paid over to such person, asso
ciation or corporation as a considera
tion for such relinquishment, or in
lieu of such repayment the Secretary
of the Interior may execute and de
liver to said person, association, or
corporation, in preference to any
other lessee, a lease under this Act
of the land so claimed or any part
thereof within the limitations of
area and location fixed by section two
hereof, and the said moneys may be
credited upon the royalties to be
come due under such lease; Provided.
That if the land so claimed be within
a reservation made in pursuance of
section seven of this Act other coal
lands in Alaska of substantially equal
value may be substituted in said
lease for the lands so relinquished.
See. 9. That seventy-five per cen
tum of all the moneys derived from
leases granted under the provisions
of this Act shall be paid into the
treasury and constitute a part of the
Alaska fund provided for and created
by the Act approved January twenty
seventh. eighteen hundred and nine
ty-five, entitled “An Act to provide
for the construction and maintenance
of roads, the establishment and main
tenance of schools, and the care and
support of insane persons in the Dis
trict of Alaska, and for other pur
poses."
eec. id. Any quannea person un
der this Act may, with the consent
of the Secretary of the Interior, lo
cate and operate for local use upon
any of the public coal lands of Alaska
not otherwise appropriated an area
not exceeding ten acres, the length
of which shall not exceed two and
one-half times its width, in such
manner and upon such terms and
conditions as the Secretary of the In
terior may prescribe; but no permit
for such location shall extend beyond
the year nineteen hundred and twen
ty. If any such location shall be in
cluded in the area covered by any
subsequent lease granted under this
Act, it may be taken over by the
lessee of sucn subsequent lease if. in
the opinion of the Secretary of the
Interior, it is necessary to the effi
cient and economic operation of such
lease and on payment of such just
compensation as the Secretary of the
Interior may determine.
Sec. 11. That no person, associa
tion or corporation owning or hav
ing any interest as a stockholder or
otherwise in any railroad, steamship
or other common carrier by which
the products mined under any lease
authorized by this Act are transport
ed in Alaska or from Alaska to any
other part of the United States or a
foreign country shall own or hold
any interest as a stockholder or
otherwise in any such lease. Any
such ownership or interest acquired
by descent or will may be held for
one year and no longer after its ac
quisition. Any ownership or interest
In any lease held contrary to the
foregoing provisions of this section
shall be forfeited to the United States
by proceedings instituted by the At
torney General for that purpose in
any court of competent jurisdiction:
Provided, That the Secretary of the
Interior may grant any lessee un
uer the provisions of this Act a right
of way over the public lands in Alas
ka from the land leased to any navi
gable waters or railroad for the con
struction and operation of a railway
or tramway (including serial wire
rope tramways) for thetransportation
of coal and such other articles, ma
terials and commodities, and of per
sons as may be necessary or proper
in connection with the operation of
coal mines upon the express condi
tion that such railway or tramway
shall be operated as a common car
rier under such regulations as may
be prescribed by the Interstate Com
merce Commission, and that when
ever in the judgment of said com
mission the public interest may re
quire such action the said commis
sion shall make and give public no
tice of an order fixing a reasonable
time within which the lessees or own
ers of any interest in any lease un
der this Act specified in such notice
shall sel or otherwise dispose of any
and all interest which they may have
In any such railway or tramway speci
fied in such notice, and any lessee
or owner of an interest in any lease
under this Act who fails to comply
with such order of the Interstate
Commerce Commission shall there
upon forfeit to the United States all
his right, title, and interest in or to
such lease, and such forfeiture may
be enforced by appropriate proceed
ings instituted by the Attorney Gen
eral for that purpose in any court of
competent jurisdiction.
Sec. 12. That all statements, rep
resentations. or reports required by
the Secretary of the Interior under
this Act shall be upon oatn. unless
otherswise specified, and in such form
and upon such blanks as tne Secre
tary of the Interior may require; and
any person making a false oatn. rep
resentation or report shall be subject
to punishment as for perjury; ami
any person not a lessee or otherwise
authorized to do so who shall mine
and appropriate coal or associated
minerals the property of the United
States shall be deemed guilty of a
misdemeanor, and. on conviction,
punished as provided by section fifty
of an Act entitled "An Act to codify,
revise, and amend the penal laws of
t.ie United States." approved March
fourth, nineteen hundred and nine:
Provided, however. That prospecting
for coal upon the vacant public lands
in Alaska is not forbidden hereby.
Sec. 13. That the sum of two hun
dred and fifty thousand dollars is
j hereby appropriated and shall be
available until expended as the Sec
retary of the Interior may direct for
the return to elaiinantts under sec
tion eight of this Act of moneys paid
by tuem to the United States.
Sec. 14. This Act shall take ef
fect and be in force from and after
ninety days after its passage.
|j Chitina !
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j Pharmacy i
t Drugs f
* Stationery *
|f Magazines f
If Candy t
f Fruit j
if Cigars f
f f
f A. G. MOREY, Prop, f
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jjj GROCERIES, HARDWARE ::
j" —and--= ::
|!i MEAT MARKET jj
• • « i
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i ■ > We have a big line of See- ■ •
|<» ond-Hand Goods, and can •>
:< ■
j<« save you money on your out
, , ,,
ii> fit. Bunk House, with free ,,
I,, Cook House, in connection.
i • •
;<» _ ..
CHITINA HEIGHTS
■ ■ ,,
■ * Conies & Simons ,,
♦
++++++**+++++*++++**■1 ■H- l' !■ 1
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PUBLIC LAND AND MINING
CASES.
If you are interested in any contest
or any matter before the Interior De
partment, write to Clark & Wright,
registered land lawyers, 902 F Street
N. W. (opposite Gen’l Land Office).
Washington, D. C. Free information
about contests and where to obtain
| scrip, locatable upon public lands,
| without residence or cultivation.
HAY, BRAN, OATS, CHOPS,
ROLLED BARLEY
We can make prompt ship
ments to points on the Tail
road. Our feed is the very
best quality.
0. A. Nelson & Co.
CHITINA