ft
VOLUME 2.
CHITINA, ALASKA, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1911.
xa
LOCAL NEWS
(From the ■mitlna Leader.
The lowest temperature recorded
so far this fall was on Friday morn
ing when the mercury went down*to
$ degrees above zero. This cold
wave has put tne roads in good con
dition and many road houses are ar
ranging to have their supplies hauled
out at once. ‘
Paul Hoffman, while intoxicated,
fell from the sidewalk in front of the
Home saloon and struck his head on
a broken bottle and in his attempt to
rise fell several times on the glass,
inflicting many painful cuts about
the head and face. Marshal Brown
coming by in the early morning
found him 'in a semi-conscious con
dition and removed him at once to
the jail where he was attended by
Dr. Thom. A railing has now been
placed around the unprotected walk
to prevent further accident from that
source.
The Log Cabin Restaurant is en
larg'ag hy the addition of a kitchen
‘a the real’ which will give room for
aides for ladies which have been
Tally neede 1 sii.c? Clement & Lund
took over the property.
Chas. Cameron of mile 158 is in
town for a few days.
Mrs. Thoday returned to her home
in Cordova after spending a few days
with Mr. Thoday who has the con
tract for the erection of the Blum
building, which will be completed
■early in the week.
A night shift has been put to
work on the tunnel and work will
be rushed to completion. Gangs of
men are now operating from both
ends.
Capt. H. S. DePuy of Fort Gibbon,
came in on the last stage enroute to
* . « -*
the outside.
J. H. Kuhn, who was formerly in
business in Fairbanks, came in on
the stage, enroute to his home in
Seattle.
S. O. Carrutliers of Manley Hot
Springs, is in town.
Subscribe for the Leader and have
it sent to your old home in the
states. It will be a welcome visitor
to the folks at home.
Jesse Martin moved most of his
furniture to Valdez but did not offer
his residence for rent. We want to
hope that he will return to Chitina to
live permanently.
J. H. Hyland has returned from an
inspection trip to the Erickson quartz
mines on O'Brien creek and reports
that he is surprised at the wonderful
showing being made '.here. He says
that in his opinion it is the great
est find that has been made in this
section so far and that it is sure to
be a winner.
The feed barn and warehouse of
Buck Hoyt has been completed and
will be used by Mr. Hoyt in connec
tion with his roadhouse business.
Many mushers are arriving daily
from Fairbanks. Some will remain
in Chitina and other Alaska points
while a number will go to the states
for the winter.
Another weduing is reported due
in Chitina but up to this time has
not materialized. We hope to tell the
good news in the next issue of the
Leader.
Jack McAnsell, who has been ser
iously ill with typhoid fever is able
to assume his duties in the Chitina
Grill.
Jack Lowry is doing the repair
work on the Red Dragon, which was
made possible by the liberal donation
of our people.
A fierce wind blew up the alley
last week and swept away a number
of glossy black flowing beards and
some of the boys appeared in the
role of strangers to their friends
the next day. The change was so
sudden and the disguise so complete
that it looked for a time like a big
confidence game, but voices are hard
to change and the truth soon dawned
upon the dupes. We cannot account
for this sudden shaving of beards
unless it is tne intent of their for
mer owners to enter society this
season.
Let us do your Job work.
I : ... ■ .
The great opportunity of the Alaska Road Commission is
at hand and while there is no logical reason to advocate a
change in the personell of that commission, there is one im
portant change that would benefit the greater part of interior
Alaska, and that is the location of Headquarters nearer the
field of operations. Progress in all matters Alaskan has beeui
hindered by the great distances between the directing powers
and the scenes of actual operation. -No commanding general
! would expect to win a battle by remaining at the capital while
his army fought hundreds of miles away. On the other hand
his headquarters is always found as near the center of the
field as is consistent with circumstances.
The road commission, located at Valdez, must depend for
| communication with its subordinates upon mail boats or dog
! teams and frequently more than a month must elapse before
orders can reach their destination. Chitina is the geographical
j and logical center of a greater portion of the proposed roads
and is consequently the logical headquarters of the commission.
We have the advantages of a good train service and regular
mails from the interior by way of Fairbanks. While by far
the most important task ahead of the commission is the com
pletion of the Chitina-Fairbanks trail. Prospectors in the
Xizina and Bremner countries are also clamoring for much
needed relief.
At one time Valdez might have been the point from which
this work could have been directed with advantage, but that
time has passed, and the attention of the officials is called to
the fact that the sooner they realize the advantages of Chitina
as the logical point from which to direct their efforts to do
something for the interior, the sooner the aggrevating delays
and long marches with heavy packs will be over. Give Chitina
the headquarters of the road commission where the command
ing office will be in the very heart of the field and watch us
win the battle for good roads.
DELEGATE PUNCTURED AT HOME
Special to Daily Alaskan.
Fairbanks, Oct. 31.—The prestige of Delegate Wiekersham
suffered heavily in a debate last night with Attorney R. I.
Roth, chairman of the Democratic Committee of the Tanana
Valley. It was on a question of the powers of the legislature
under the Wiekersham home rule bill.
Roth attacked the measure which he claimed was only an
excuse for territorial govenunent and showed how it would
have less power than any such body ever before created, the \
legislature being merely an advisory board to Congress.
The climax was reached in the heated debate when Roth!
read thirteen citations of authorities offered by Wiekersham
| and showed them all to be false. This created a decided sen-;
sation and it was some time before the speaker could proceed, |
as his expose of the delegate caught the audience by storm, and !
he was warmly applauded, though the house originally was •
with the delegate.
Wickersham sidestepped the question under debate, and
when confronted with the glaring defects in his bill was unable
to answer the attack made upon him. Instead he made one of
his political speeches, in which he lost his head and indulged
in abuse of everybody and everything. He denounced the ad
ministration. flaunted the Guggenheim ghost and attacked
those persons in Fairbanks who were opposing his demagogic
acts.
Roth, in rebuttal, scathingly denounced the flippancy and
insincerity of the delegate on so serious a question, declaring
that he had introduced no argument in defense of actions, but
indulged in billings-gate to detract from the main issues.
Roth was given a big ovation at the conclusion of his remarks
and Wiekershamaniacs were forced to admit that the delegate
lost out in the debate
H;
u
A most important utterance con
cerning the coal and transportation
question of Alaska, was given ex
pression to by Secretary' of the Inter
ior Walter L. Fisher, on Friday, Oct.
27. Before a well attended session
of the American Mining Congress at
Chicago, Mr. Fisher declared in fav
01' of government ownership and op
eration of mine and transportation
facilities in Alaska, on a limited
scale.
Policy Endorsed by President,
j Secretary Fisher, in opening his
j address, said he spoke officially with
! the consent of the President, and
that while he had no opportunity to
submit what he had prepared, the
general Alaskan policy outlined in
j the address had been discussed with
! the President, met his approval and
! would receive his support.
He said no one was more in ear
nest than President Taft to see a
policy of prompt and w-ise develop
ment inaugurated in Alaska.
Government Mine at Matanuska.
“My visit to Alaska," said the
1 secretary, “has led me to take a far
i greater interest in the future of the
; Matanuska coal field, which is larger
j in extent, having an area of seventy
j four square miles, better in coal,
| better in physical condition and freer
from competition of private claims
than is true at Bering river, the Con
troller bay fields.
“The Matanuska coal should be
brought to Seward for the use of
our naval coaling station and a mine
for that purpose can be well operated
by the government on the Matanus
ka, where it can be made to serve as
an example for private mines, to
i furnish information and to serve as
a check upon the profits of the
jlessee.
“The secretary of the navy auth
orizes me to state that he believes
there should be reserved sufficient
high grade Alaska coal for the use
| of the navy to be mined hereafter
| for this express purpose under the
; bureau of mines.”
Argues for Leasing System.
The secretary expressed opposition
j to the policy of selling coal lands
: outright, saying he believed that the
leasing system avoids controversy and
of both extremes of public and pri
vate ownership. Therefore he sug
gested government ownership and op
eration of a limited number of prop
erties as an example to private own
ers and to regulate the latter by com
petition, and the leasing of other
fields under fair government regula
tion.
Urging the advisability of the leas
ing system Mr. Fisher said:
“We already have seen in the
I United States the evil effect of the
j common ownership of railroads and
; commercial properties and are now
trying to legislate to correct those
evils.”
Explaining in detail his plan for
| leasing Alaskan coal properties, the
! secretary said the prime requisites
j of a leasing system are that only suf
i ficient lands be leased to meet the ex
isting market and encourage devel
opment; that the quantity leased to
any lessee should be limited to the
amount that can be profitably mined
and that the lessee shall pay his
royalty as ne mines his coal, a min
imum being fixed to prevent hold
' ing without production.
Alaskan Coal Valuable.
“Alaskan coal is of great value, Dut
the extent and character of the beds
have been exaggerated,” said Mr.
Fisher. “There are great quantities
of lignite and low grade bituminous
coal in various parts of the territory,
but there are only two known fields
of high-grade coal in Alaska.”
Defends Government Operation.
The secretary quoted the United
States supreme court to support his
contention that in undertaking rail
road construction the government
is in effect simply resuming one of
its own proper functions, and not
invading the legitimate domain of
private enterprise.
He declared, however that direct
»
government operation, including the
mining and sending of coal, involved
such deep and far-reaching changes,
both of policy and of administration,
that there was no liklihood at the
present time of its adoption to the
exclusion of private operation, and
that while much can be said in favor
of the government entering experi
mentally into these fields, he did not
believe in the policy of having the
government alone own and mine
Alaskan coal.
In his address before the Ameri
can Mining Congress Secretary of the
Interior Fisher expressed his high
opinion of the people who have be
come permanent residents of Alaska,
saying there is a substantial percen
tage of vigorous, law-abiding, law
respecting men and women of the
i highest type of American citizen
i ship.
| These people, the secretary said,
are entitled to a territorial govern
ment, better adapted to their pecul
iar location, conditions and needs.
I Telling of his recent trip to Alas
ka, Mr. Fisher said he made a care
ful examination of all the harbor and
townsites which had attracted any
considerable public attention, assist
ed by Geologist Alfred H Brooks,
and that Director Holmes, of the bu
reau of mines, had examined the
mines.
Controller Bay Controversy.
Mr. Fisher dealt at length on the
much discussed controversy over
Controller bay. He said that to de
velop the site secured by R. S. Ryan
and his associates it would be neces
sary to construct piers or roadways
for a distance of two or three miles
over shallow flats to a channel.
Entire Shore (>|>en to Entry.
He thought the operation of Ryan
and his associates should not be in
terfered with because all the rest of
the shore along Controller bay re
! mains free from entry, thus dispos
I demerits of the harbor, it has not
I passed out of the control of the
government.
Moreover, he said, if the Ryan rail
and whatever may be the merits or !
i ing of the claim that a railroad mon
! opoly has acquired the bay frontage
! road should be built and the gov
ernment desired its acquisition, the
■ opportunity for the government to
j build a competitive road should be
! effective in preventing an exhorbit
ant price.
Secretary Fisher’s announcement
that the leasing system should pre
I vail in Alaska was diametrically con
trary to the pronouncements of pre
vious speakers concerning the Alaska
domain. A number of Alaskans and
others had spoken during the day,
strenuously denouncing a government
leasing system as bad in every way
for both land and people.
Criticizes Government's Policy.
George E. Baldwin, of Valdez, ex
pressed his views in vigorous lan
guage, as follows:
“Conservation up to date has been
an attempt to gather all the public
lands of our territory as an estate,
its forests, mines, water powers,
wharf sites, all to be managed by a
vast horde, a devastating host of
government underlings, and worked
by our citizens as tenants, the un
derlings ruled by a retinue of offi
cials in Washington, thousands of
miles away.
“All these officials consider them
selves the people's masters, not their
servants. Here is a system of land
lordism that out-Irishes the most
Irish landlord that ever disgraced
the human race by his rapacity, a
landlord who refuses to develop his
property, and who refuses to allow
anyone else to develop it.”
A spirited controversy developed
between Governor Spry, of Utah, and
Dr. George Otis Smith, director of the
geological survey. Dr. Smith advoca
ted the leasing system for the open
ing of public lands and Gov. Spry
opposed it on the ground that the
government would delay the availa
bility of the domain, whereas private
enterprises might make it immediate
ly productive.
“If we wait for the government to
locate the mineral and make lands
ready for extracting it under the
leasing system proposed, future gen
erations will be left unprovided,” he
said.
Landlord on Large Scale.
“Uncle Sam is a landlord on a
large scale,” said Smith. ‘ He has
: millions of acres of coal lands to dis
t pose of so as to serve the just needs
i of the capitalists and provide the
i public interests. I believe the best
r- suits can be obtained by the fed
eral leasing system.’* ~~ *
I
The cargo of the steamship Ala
i meda includes a shipment of 100 dog
| sleds for the use of the troops sta
tioned at Fort Liscum, Alaska. The
sleds will be used in delivering sup
plies to the interior stations of the
signal corps, which can be reached
only during the winter over the snow
as there are no roads in summer.
The third wedding to occur In
Chitina was consummated Sunday
evening, Oct. 30th, Commissioner
Healy officiating. The contracting
parties, both old residents of Alaska,
were John Palmer, of Chitina and
Mrs. Katherine Matthews, late of
Colorado.
Everyone knows Jack Palmer—he
has been in Alaska since ’97 and he
has been identified with many lo
calities and enterprises and is at
present a partner in the popular
Chitina hotel. Mrs. Palmer also has
been in Alaska for thirteen years,
with the exception of short trips to
the states. She was the widow of
the late Hon. nobt. Matthews, of Col
orado.
After the wedding ceremony a
dinner was served at the Chitina
Grill, and while this was in progress
a crowd of men and boys quicKly
gathered in front, armed with bells
and pans, and an old time chivari
was indulged in. With his bland
est smiles the happy groom invited
all inside where for a time the pop
ping of champagne corks delighted
a thirsty crowd. After this ceremony
the newly wedded couple repaired to
comfortable quarters in the Nelson
building-where they will be at home
to friends.
Mr. Tom Cloninger, partner with
Mr. Palmer and Mrs. Cloninger, at
tended as best man and maid.
The good wishes of a host of warm
friends accompany the happy pair in
to the latest home in Chitina.
Charley Chong has rented the cafe
next to the Cordova House and will
open the California restaurant on
Thursday. Short orders and Ameri
can and Chinese style of cooking.
Pekin, Nov. 4.—The Imperial
government is in receipt of a message
from Yuan declining the premier-'*
ship. j