MORE PINCHOT LIES NAP
Publicity League of Kataila in a Sworn Affidavit Points out Glaring Mis
statements Made by the Ex-Forestor Chief
Katalla, November 3.—Since the return of Gifford Pincliot
from his recent visit to Alaska we notice that he has regained
his confidence and found his voice , both of which he seemes to
have lost while in Alaska.
If he is correctly quoted in the newspapers, he is making
some remarkable statements about what he saw and discovered
while taking observations at close range in this paradise of
conservation. He seems to be chiefly exercised in explaining
how he was received in Alaska, or rather why he was not
received with that spirit of enthusiasm to which he is as
customed in those sections of the country where everything
is owned by somebody other than the government, and there is
nothing to conserve.
He says he was warmly received in the north. By this,
if he means that he found the climate warmer than he expected
it mav be well to call his attention to the fact that his brief
sojourn in Alaska happened during one of the best months
of an unusually warm summer.
If he refers to the plain speech of Alaskans, both in public
and private, when talking with him on his pet subject—con
servation and forest reserves—lie no doubt had reason to be
lieve that considerable warmth was connected with the dis
cussion of these subjects in Alaska. But if he referred to frliat
feeling of pleasure and brotherly love which people are wont to
greet their friends and those who are helping them to bear the'
burden of life, we must confess that he takes rather a peculiar
view of the reception accorded him in Alaska.
At Cordova he was ignored; at Katalla a public meeting
was called at his request to enable him to talk to the people
and though the people talked to him in no uncertain terms,
Mr. Pincliot refused to discuss conservation, the forests and
the coal, the only matters in which we were interested.
We fear that since Mr. Pincliot has grasped the hands of
his friends again and received their congratulations on his
safe return, he is loth to recall that he cannot count Alaskans
among them
He says that little coal was dumped in the bay at Cordova.
Well, what does it signify if a whole ship load of coal was not
wasted at Cordova? Mr. Pincliot has never paid $20, $30, and
$40 for a ton of coal in Alaska or he would know what it means
to shovel it into the sea.
He says he was not burned in effigy at Katalla. No, per
haps the method was not up to the most approved style of
this method of public recognition. A pile of driftwood was
collected on the beach and in its center was reared a pole,
broad at the base and narrow at the top, which was believed
to be more nearly representative of Mr. Pincliot than anything
else handy. It must be remembered that the people of Katalla
were and still are wearing their old clothes, these being all they
have, and the luxury of burning clothes could not be indulged
in. So, a placard was nailed to the pole bearing the inscrip
tion: “Pincliot Policies.”
And below were enumerated some of the things that Mr.
Pincliot and his gang of conservationists have done to us, for
instance:
“No patents to coal lands.”
“All timber in forest reserve.”
“Alaska bottled up,” etc.
Some of the natives threw oil, which conservationists have
not yet succeeded in stopping from using, on the pile and a
match was applied. There was no cheering; not a word was
said; every man present recognized the serious import of that
ceremony and his thoughts turned rather to the injury and in
justice this man had accomplished in Alaska than to a feeling
of malice or revenge.
It is not so much what is done as the magnitude of the
act. It is the spirit in which the act is done and the feeling of
which the act is outward evidence. At the Cordova coal party
the fact that the people of Cordova were there and participated
in the ceremony of dumping foreign coal into the bay is the
significant thing and not the amount of coal dumped- At
Katalla the fact that the people, for which a man stands and to
which he is devoting his work—should burn him in effigy, is
of far more significance than the burning of .old clothes.
The less, in fact, Mr. Pinchot tries tc explain Alaskan in
cidents the better it will be for him. The only way to explain
is to acknowledge himself wrong. It takes courage to do that
and we do not look for the immediate conversion of Mr. Pin*
chot.
In regard to placarding vacant buildings before Mr. Pin
chot arrived in Katalla, with the signs “Closed, Result of Con
servation,” which Mr. Pinchot waived aside with the remakrs
outside that they were saloons and dance halls and he had no
apology to make, we will say again the weakness of Mr. Pin
chot’s argument is made manifest.
Does not Mr. Pinchot know that the prosperity of any
western mining town can be measured by the number of sa
loons it supports? Katalla once had thirteen; now it has three.
However, Mr. Pinchot is as usual wrong on his facts. We ap
pend the affidavit of our secretary as to the number of saloons
dance halls and other buildings placarded with the signs refer
red to.
PUBLICITY LEAGUE OF KATALLA,
JULIUS THOMPSON, President.
ARTHUR THOMPSON, Sec’v.
Affidavit:
Katalla, November 3, 1911
I, Arthur G. Thompson, being first duly sworn deposes and
says that I am a resident of Katalla, Alaska, and am secretary of
the Publicity League of Katalla, Alaska; that the facts stated
in the article to which this affidavit it attached are all true, and
that the number of buildings at Katalla on which notices.
“Closed, result of conservation” were attached, referred to
by Mr. Pinchot, amounted in numbers to 18, of which only three
were ever used as saloons or dance Jmlls, as stated by Mr.
Pinchot. These constituted but a small portion of the vacant
buildings of the town.
Signed: ARTHUR G. THOMPSON.
Subscribed and sworn to before me this third day of
November, A. I)., 1911.
A. C. WILLIAMS,
Notary Public in and for the
District of Alaska.
By WILL A STEEL.
One of the immediate necessities in the third judicial di
vision is the creation of a new land district, with a land office
located at Valdez- At present the extensive and rich copper
and gold quartz sections tributary to the coa«t towns of Cor
dova, Valdez and Seward, are required to do business through
the land office at Juneau. And in the past so have the coal
claimants of the Bering river and Matanuska fields. By reason
of the great distance and lack of transportation facilities, a
great burden in time and expense is thus inflicted upon persons
seeking to acquire land titles from the government.
This fact nnjst be apparent wlien it is considered that but
two steamers regularly ply between Southwestern Alaska and
Juneau. The steamer Bertha makes the trip once a month
and the steamer Admiral Sampson once every twenty days.
The distance from Juneau in nautical miles is about as fol
lows: Cordova 504 miles, Valdez 588 mines, Seward, 730
miles; the coal town of Katalla 384 miles. The steamers Ala
meda and Northwestern each ply regularly every two weeks
between Cordova, Valdez and Seward, thus giving a weekly
service, also the steamers Admiral Sampson and Bertha, in
addition to which small crafts frequently make the run.
During the past two or three years, since the develop
ment of the richest quartz sections in Alaska, Valdez and Sew
ard have bitterly complained of the necessity that requires
them, in the effort to secure patents, to correspond with or
personally visit the land office at Jtineau. This necessitates
the loss of much time and the expenditure of considerable
money.
Prior to July first, 1907, there was but one land district
in Alaska, at Valdez. Under an act approved March 2, 1907,
two additional land districts were created, with land offices at
Fairbanks and Nome. The act authorized the President to
designate the boundaries of these new districts, and he very
wisely left the southwestern section in the Juneau District.
But since the creation of the Third Judicial division, with
headquarters at Valdez, and with the increasing development
of the mineral resources within that division, ilt must be ap
‘
parent that another land district is a necessity.
There might be some question in the minds of those who
do not know conditions as to whether the applications for
patent would justify the creation of the desired district.
Under the act of April 28, 1904, over 1,000 coal claims have
been located in the Matanuska and Bering river fields. Dur
ing the past three or four years nearly 300 of these claims have
been surveyed at the expense of the claimants, and they have
also paid into the treasury of the United States over $400,000
in their efforts to secure patents. During the time mentioned,
and in the sections tributary to Seward, Valdez and Chitina,
several hundred mineral claims have been surveyed and pat"
ents issued therefore, with several hundred more patents now
pending or about to be applied for.
Take for instance the Cordova and Chitina districts
The Great Northern Development Company is applying for
patents on 58 copper claims, publication of final proofs now
being made. The Dan Creek Mining company has surveyed
twenty-one placer claims, Geo. Max Esterlv’s companies 18
claims, and publication for both companies wll soon com
mence. The California-Alaska Mining company has had a
survey of their 29 copper claims during the past summer. The
Mother Lode Mining Company expect to have their properties
surveyed next season. The Alaska United Copper Fxploratior
company, of which the writer is an officer, is arranging to
have some of their (57 claims surveyed in the near future. And
many other mining companies are getting in readiness to do
considerable business with the land office, not to speak of
the numerous homestead locations that will be made in the
next few years when the government makes the necessary
surveys.
While the territory referred to should have one or two
general land offices, with registers and receivers having no
other duties than to attend to land matters, it is assumed that
such an act might not meet with ’favor by the Interior De
partment or Congress at this time. But a bill framed after
the act of 1907 giving Southwestern Alaska the same advan
tagees now possessed by Fairbanks and Nome should certainly
appeal to all fair minded persons as reasonable and entirely
within our rights, particularly as the new district would un
doubtedly do more land office business than the combined
business of the three other districts.
When approached upon the subject recently in Seattle
^ lark stated that he knew no reason why the new
district should not be created. Congressman Humphrey said
that he would be glad to work for such a bill, and to introduce
it if necessary. And in all probability it would be favored
by Delegate Wickersham. In fact it is not reasonable to pre
sume that there would be any objection to it from any quarter.
All that is necessary to secure a new land district is for
the commercial bodies and newspapers of Seward, Valdez, Cor
dova, (liitina and Katalla to unite in a general demand, and
urge the passage of the needed act by Congress. The following
bill, with the necessary change of name for district, is identical
with the act of 1907 creating the new districts of Fanrbanks
and Nome. It is submitted by the Cordova Daily Alaskan for
favor and endorsement by the communities that would be beli
ef itted by the creation of the Valdez land district.
AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THE CREATION OF AN AD
DITIONAL LAND DISTRICT IN THE DISTRICT OF
ALASKA.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives
of the United SStates of America in Congress assembled,
That there is hereby created an additional land district, the
boundaries of which shall be designated by the President, in
the District of Alaska, to be known as the Valdez Land Dis
trict, with the land office located at Valdez, Alaska
Section 2. That the clerk of the distinct court at Valdez
shall be ex-officio register of the land office at Valdez and the
marshal of the said court at Valdez shall be ex-officio re
ceiver of the public moneys for the Valdez land district. Said
officers shall perform the several duties of register of the land
office and receiver of public moneys for the land district
with all the powers incident to such offices to the same extent
as now performed by the register of the land office and the
receiver of public moneys at Juneau, Alaska.
Section 3. That the said officers shall, in addition to
their present compensation as clerk or marshal as provided by
law, receive all the fees and commissions allowed by law for
their services as registers of land offices and receivers of
public moneys for land districts under the lands laws: Pro
vided, that any fees or commissions in excess of one thousand
five hundred dollars per annum received by either such offi
cials shall be paid into the treasury of the United States: Pro
vided that no other salary than aforesaid shall.be paid such
register and receiver.
Section 4. rl hat the surveyor general of the district of
Alaska, under the direction of the Secretary of the Interior,
shall furnish the receiver of said land office a sufficient
quantity of numbers to be used in the different classes of
official surveys that may be made in the said Valdez land
district, to meet the requirements thereof, and upon application
by any person desiring to have an official survey made the
receiver shall furnish a number or numbers for such survey
or surveys, together with an order directing a qualified deputy
surveyor to make the same, and such application, order, and
the fee required to be paid to the surveyor-general in the
District of Aloska, shall be transmitted to the surveyor general
Provided, that all surveys thus made shall be approved by the
surveyor genera! as at present.
Section 5. That this act shall take effect and be in force
from and after July first, nineteen hundred and twelve.
%
Shanghai, Oct. 31.—The rebels have recaptured Hankow
and are shelling and forcing Admiral Sail’s fleet ten miles
down the river.
Shanghai, Oct. 31.—The Imperialists are burning natives
in the city of Hankow.
London, Oct. 31.—A Shanghai dispatch says hundreds are
being burned and the destruction of native Hankow goes forth
by the Imperialists.
Washington, Oct. 31.—A republic named Kionagtung has
been established by the people of Canton province.
Boston, Oct. 31—Dispatches from missionaries state that
12,000 people were killed in the recapture of Hankow by the
Revolutionists. '
Pekin, Oct. 31.—The throne is granting an immediate
constitution and cabinet apologized for past neglect.
❖❖❖❖❖❖ ❖❖ ❖❖ ❖❖❖❖❖ ❖❖ ❖❖❖❖❖
% ALASKA STEAMSHIP COMPANY %
^ Past and Commodious steamers sailing between Cordova and ^
^ Seattle via “THE INSIDE ROUTE," stopping at KETCHIKAN. ^
^ Sails from Seattle— Sails from Cordova— ^
❖ Oct- 28 .ALAMEDA .Nov. 3 ^
❖ Nov. 1 .NORTHWESTERN .Nov. 8 ^
❖ Nov. 8.ALAMEDA.Nov. 1(1
❖ Nov. 16.NORTHWESTERN ........Nov. 24 ^
^ This company reserves the right to change schedule of steam* ^
^ era without notice. ^
^ Tickets on sale at up-town office Alaska Steamship Bldg. ^
^ Baggage or freight will not be received at dock later than one ^
^ hour before sailing time. ^
❖ R. J. BARRY, THOMAS TALLENT, 5
^ General Agent. Ticket Agent. ^