The Chitina Leader
CHITINA, ALASKA.
Entered as second-class matter, No.vember 12, 1910, at the postoffice at
Chitina, Alaska, under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1879.
ONLY NEWSPAPER IN CHITINA
»
Published every Saturday by
H7TT.T. a. STEEL—Editors, Managers and Proprietors—HABBT a. STEEL
Office: Hotel Chitina Building.
Cordova Office: Daily Alaskan
Seattle Office: 551 Colman Building.
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given. Official publication for legal advertisements pertaining to mineral lands
of the Copper River district.
CHITINA, ALASKA, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1913.
DO YOUR SHOPPING EARLY
This “shop early” advice is not all “newspaper talk.” It
is business for the sliort-money people.
It doesn’t make any difference whether you have a dollar
to spare or not—the Christmas spirit gets you, every time.
That is because of the way in which you were raised. You will
remember that when you were young there were two worth
while days of the year—Fourth of July and Christmas. The
other 363 days of the year were just the slow-drag days which
separated you from the days that were—the day of extreme
hilarity and excitement and the day upon which Santa Claus
was due to remember you at his annual potlatch with the
things you hankered after all the long and weary year which
intervened between one Christmas and another. New Year’s
Day was a bum day—no fun whatever, and nothing to it but
the watchmeeting and bell ringing at midnight December 31st,
and they would never allow you to remain out of bed until
bell-ringing time. Thanksgiving was no good whatever except
the big feed—too blamed much church-going and too much of
a religious atmosphere. Your birthday, even, was only a
welcome day in that it placed a new mile stone along the slow
trail over which you were snailing along to reach the time
when you would be your own boss and could stay up until 10
o’clock if you wanted to—Christmas Day, was the day. Of
course, the gifts you were to receive made the day, although
you were not knee-high-to-a-grasshopper before you began to
plan to give gifts. And, with every year of your life, the give
desire and habit became a duty as well as a habit to give some
thing at Christmas time to your friends and relatives. While
in your youth you were rashly skeptical about that moss-grown
statement that it was “More blessed to give than to receive,”
age has brought you to realize that fact, and now as Christmas
approaches you begin to fervently hope that nobody will give
you anything Christmas, but you never cease to feel that you
gre not on the square and have not done what is right until
you have given something to somebody on Christmas. You
may be away from home and in a strange land on Christmas
Day—in a camp where you do not know a soul from Adams’
offox—but the day cannot pass until you have given some
body something, even if it is a newsboy on the street or the
bellboy who answers your ring and brings you something to
drink the health of the day in. Married or single, rich or poor,
the spirit of Christmas gets you, every time, and you cannot
escape it—nor, do you wish to.
Shop early. Buy now. You must buy—so buy while the
buying is good, and your dollar will cover the street and lap
around the corner, getting you a number of things from a
number of stores, making business good everywhere—there is
no use in spending the whole dollar in one place.
-o—o-0
AN UGLY COMMENTARY
The statement of Governor Foss that out of 20,000 persons
in the prisons of Massachusetts, approximately 10,000 are not
there for any crime whatever, but only for poverty, is a rather
severe indictment of the penal system of the state. Governor
Foss says the unhappy condition has developed because
judges have thrown into jail persons too poor to pay small
tines entered against them.
The statement will not satisfy men and women of culture
and refinement, nor will it do away with the utter infamy of
the practice of the judges of Massachusetts.
It is appalling to believe that in a state of Massachusetts’
culture, with its great centers of learning and fine public
schools, that 10,000 really innocent persons are kept in jail
because they are too poor to pay the small fines imposed by
courts.
What good purpose is served by keeping these people in
jail? Most of them are maintained in utter idleness and at a
big cost to the peopple. Why should it not be wiser to give
them their freedom on certain stipulated conditions, so that
they will at least have a chance to earn their own livings? That
would be more economical, more humane, and more in harmony
with the best approbated opinion of penological students.
-o—o—o
PASS THE ALASKA RAILROAD BILL
The senators and representatives in Congress from the
state of Washington should get together on the Alaska rail
road bill.
There is no reason for a division of opinion and sentiment
among representatives in Congress from this state on this
important question.
Transportation is Alaska’s greatest need. Senators and
representatives from this state can help secure transportation
for Alaska if they will stand together for Alaska and make the
fight they ought to make. There should be no pulling away on
account of minor differences of opinion as to the details of
proposed legislation, on account of narrow politics, or on any
other account.
What Alaska most needs and must have is a system of
transportation, for without such a system it is idle to talk
about opening Alaska.
There are three propositions before Congress.
The Senate bill proposes a $40,000,000 bond issue for the
construction of a railroad under the immediate direction of
the President of the United States. The House bill proposes
a bond issue of $35,000,000’for the same purpose, but in other
respects its provisions are not essentially different from those
of the Senate bill. The Poindexter bill provides for govern
ment railways, government steamship lines, government coal
mines and a leasing system. The Poindexter bill is too
elaborate. In principle it is all right. But its very elaborate
ness will endanger the Alaska railroad project.
What we want now is a definite governmental railroad
plan in Alaska.
Either the Senate or the House bill will give us this plan,
and if either of these bills should be passed, within less than
two years we will have a railroad running from tidewater into
the interior and connecting with the watersheds of Alaska.
Both Senate and House bills lodge large discretion with
the President; he is to select the route of the road, and the
only limitation put upon him is that the X’oad must run from
tidewater in Southeastern or Southern Alaska to points which
will connect it with interior watersheds.
The Washington delegation in Congress can secure the
passage of the Senate or the House bill. For the time they
should drop the Poindexter bill or any other bill which may
tend to confuse and defeat a simple, straight measure that will
authorize the federal government to issue bonds and proceed
with the construction of a railroad in Alaska.
The Washington delegation should get together and
remain together until this railroad bill is passed. If they fail
to do so, they will do Alaska and Alaskans a grave injustice.—
Seattle Sun.
-o—o—o
MR. ROOSEVELT AND THE JUDGES
- P" i i. ■ ■
-■iiL 1
In an address at Santiago, Chile, Mr. Roosevelt spoke of
judges in the United States as “irresponsible law makers,
with a strong natural bias against every species of reform
legislation for social and industrial relief and fair play.”
All of the judges in this country do not merit this severe
arraignment by the former president; but many of them
deserve it, and such candid criticism of the courts of this
country will not cease until judges quit the oppressive and
unauthorized practices which Mr. Roosevelt is denouncing.
It was not at all unnatural for the American judiciary to
be the last department of the government to respond to the
demands for reform. The fact was patent enough during
the slavery agitation. It was in evidence again when we
undertook to enact an income tax law, and it has been in evi
dence every time we have made an effort to correct corporate
abuses of any kind.
American judges have been, and, in the main, still are, the
chief reliance of that reactionary conservatism which has done
so much to hold in check the progress of rational and needed
legislative reforms. But we are destined to come upon a
different order of things, which will mean that we soon will
know a different type of judge.
Judges ought to be inspired by the same high popular
ideas and moved by the same broad popular sympathies that
inspire and move other constituent elements of a democracy.- -
Seattle Sun.
-o—o—o
INDUSTRIAL PROGRESS BARRED
A number of Norwegian capitalists are ready to erect a
manufacturing plant in Southeastern Alaska costing between
two and three million dollars, and which will give employ
ment to a thousand men all the year around—provided that
they can secure satisfactory title to lands upon which to erect
their plant and the necessary concession of timber land from
whose product they would manufacture wood pulp. These
men do not ask any special privilege; they do not seek any
monopoly; they merely ask that in return for the expenditures
which they will make in constructing and equipping their
industry, that they shall be assured a certain permanency of
occupation. There is nothing unreasonable in the request.
They are willing to pay liberally for the privileges asked; and
they promise to reforest the land and thus insure a continual
supply of timber, and of a better quality than that now found
in the original forests of Alaska.
As has been already pointed out in these columns no
assured title can be obtained to sites for “trading and manu
facturing purposes” in Alaska, and those who would establish
industries of various kinds are thus estopped. No one will
make the large investments required, in most instances, on
land, the lease of which may be terminated at any time, prac
tically without notice. This is one of the conservation vagaries,
or rank absurdities, that is doing much to throttle the indus
trial progress of Alaska.—Juneau Empire.
RAILROAD WIRELESS
Experiments declared to be successful have just been
made on the Lackawanna Railroad, between Binghampton and
Scranton, which, if sustained, promise to revolutionize train
operation and to increase vastly the safety of travel. As an
example of what was accomplished the conductor of the train
being taken ill the train wireless communicated with Scranton
and had a substitute ready when the train arrived half an
hour later.
Mr. Foley, superintendent of the Lackawanna’s telegraph,
voiced the opinion of the party when he predicted that the
wireless would make the safety and convenience of railroad
traveling 100 per cent greater than today. As a preventive of
accidents through its employment in train dispatching he
foresaw its greatest value. He hopes it will enable dispatchers
to check trains anywhere in time to avert collisions. Ultimately
wireless communications between trains as well as between
trains and stations is looked for. If these hopes can be
realized it will be one of the most practical applications of the
wireless yet achieved on land.
Wireless is gradually proving its practicability in many
instances over land and sea. We are now having an evidence
of it during the interruption of the cable between Sitka and
V aldez, by receiving the news of the world through the
Cordova wireless station.
RETURNS TO DIGGINGS
TO CONTINUE PROSPECTING
Ned Hill left on this morning’s
train for McCarthy, where he will be
joined by Angus Holiday with a dog
team and the return trip to Chisana
will be made over the Hazelet trail.
Mr. Hill is taking in a good sized
outfit and he and his brother expect
to do considerable prospecting this
winter upon several claims which
they located. Ned says ne does not
intend to leave the diggings for the
“city of bright lights” until after he
has seen the glitter of the “yellow
stuff” from his own ground.
-o—o—o
NEW TOWN SPRINGING
UP ON POORMAN CREEK
The future of the Ruby district
is more promising than ever before
owing to the finding of good pay on
Poorman and other creeks in that
district. Senator Dan Sutherland
and Tom Coffee have pay on Green
stane creek, a tributary of Poorman,
which averages $1.50 per foot on
bedrock. It is an opencut proposi
tion and the men will make a for
tune as they have put 3o holes to
bedrock and have pay in all of
them. A new town has been started
at Poorman and has two grocery
stores and an outfitting establish
ment at present. A saloon license
has also been applied for.
-o—o—o———
Dr. W. W. Council returned yes
terday afternoon from a professional
trip to Chitina and Kennecott.
NOTICE TO STOCKHOLDERS
The annual stockholders’ meeting
of the Bonanza Gold Mining Co.
will be held at Blackburn, Alaska,
at 12 m. December 29th, 1913.
F. A. IVERSON, Pres.
-o—o—o
NOTICE OP FORFEITURE
To Alex. Nesbitt, his heirs, adminis
trator, assigns, successors or per
sonal representatives:
You are hereby notified that I
have expended in labor and im
provements for the year 1912, the
sum of One Hundred Dollars on each
of the following named claims, or in
total the sum of Sixteen Hundred
Dollars, the “Pacer,” “Mayflower,”
“Slocum,” “Red Jacket,” “Red
Jacket No. 2,” and “Independence.”
The “Hercules,” “Sandow,” and
“Sampson.” The "Rosey No. 1,”
and “Rosey No. 2.” The “Lucky
Strike;” “Fairview,” "Esperanza,”
“Webfoot,” and “Yankee,” all situ
ated in the Chitina Mining and
Recording District, Territory of
Alaska, and which have been duly
recorded in the office of the United
States commissioner, in and for the
Chitina Mining District, at Chitina,
Alaska.
The above amounts have been ex
pended in order to hold the said
claims under the provisions of the
law concerning annual labor upon
mining claims, being the amount re
quired to hold said above named
mining claims. And you are fur
ther notified that if, within ninety
(90) days after the last publication
of this notice you fail to contribute
our proportion of said expenditure,
vhich is one-sixth (1-G) of the
'hole, your interest in said claims
will become the property of the
ndersigned, your co-owner.
james McConnell.
First publication Sept. 23, 1913.
Last publication Dec. 23, 1913.
0. ADRIAN NELSON
U. S. Mineral Surveyor
CHITINA - - - ALASKA
CHITINA: BAKERY
AND
Coffee House
HENRY . GESSNER, Prop.
FRESH BREAD, CAKES AND
PIES ALWAYS ON HAND
Chitina GRIU
Good Eats for Particular People
Prompt Service. Popular Set vice.
Next to Chitina Motel,
CHITINA : : : ALASKA.
Chitina
Pharmacy:
DRUGS,
STATIONERY,
CANDIES,
KODAK SUPPLIES
CIGARS & TOBACCO
If you cannot call, write
us. MAIL orders our
Specialty.
A. G. MOREY, Prop.
GROCERIES, HARDWARE
MEAT MARKET
We have a big line of Sec
ond-Hand Goods, and can
save you money on your out
fit. Bunk House, with free
Cook House, in connection.
CHITINA HEIGHTS
C. A. SIMONS & CO.
Feed, Fuel
and
Lumber
hay, bran, oats, chops,
ROLLED BARLEY
We can make prompt ship
ments to points on the rail
road. Our feed is the very
best quality.
0. A. Nelson & Co.
[CHI TINA
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Very desirable for families or
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