The Chitina Leader
--!-l
CHITINA, ALASKA.
Entered as second class matter, November 12, 1910, at the postoffice
at Chitina, Alaska, under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1879.
— Published every Saturday by
WILL A. STEEL—Editors, Managers and Proprietors—Harry G. STEEL
Office: Hote IChitina Building. Cordova Office: Daily Alaskan
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One Year. 3.50
CHITINA, ALASKA, SATURDAY OCTOBER 28, 1911.
CHITINA NO PLACE FOR THE KNOCKER.
Once again the Leader registers a protest against the
habitual knocker of which Chitina, like every other progres
sive town possesses a few. This particular few in trying to
further their own selfish greed injure not only their com
petitors, but by persistent knocking damage every business in
terest in the country. Some men just cannot bear to see a
competitor sell a bill of goods without forthwith going into
a frenzy and saying all manner of mean things about the town
and everybody in sight. Such a course avails him nothing but
inevitable ruin, which is his just deserts. Every business mau
in Chitina should have enough civic pride to cause him ;to
rejoice at the success <jf his neighbors, for the success of ail
means a general business activity that will grow to large pro
portions, while continual knocking will become infectious and
create in all of us a distrust that will lead to ruinous pessimism.
When a man does not get his share of the business the fault
does not lie with town nor the public but with himself, and no
amount of criticism can change it. For our part we would
rather see the Leader die a natural death or run itself ragged
after some hobby, than to commit suicide with a knocker’s
hammer. But the Leader will do neither. It will be found in
the vanguard of progress, boosting for Chitina and her business
men and the development of her resources. By this policy the
Leader has the right to expect the support of the public, which
has in a substantial way already shown its approval. By in
trenching behind battlements of civic pride and clean cut poli
cies the Leader shall always be in position to throw stones at
its neighbors when occasion arises, and while we do not wish
to be classed as beligerent, we shall not “spare the rod and
spoil the child.” If anyone insists on being an obstructionist
in Chitina he must expect to get run over
We trust that this hiut shall be all sufficient, so we will
not be compelled to put on our war paint and dig up our
hatchet and go on the war path.
-oooo
ONE WAY TO GET LEGISLATION.
-
For more than a century and a quarter Congress has faced
great questions both political and economic and the record
of that body in disposing of them in the wise way is the wonder
of all students of political economy. Many of the perplexing
problems required numerous attempts at legislation before the
desired end was accomplished but generally speaking success
has always been the rule. It is only fair to the greatest legis
lative body in the world to give them an opportunity to settle
the difficult and complicated questions continually arising in
the government of Alaska and in disposing of her vast do
main and great resources in an equitable and satisfactory way.
In these days of agitation of conservation of public resources
and the clamor for control of monopolies,'coupled with the
merciless muckraking of irresponsible correspondents and [
magazine writers, the law makers at Washington have been !
forced to proceed in a way that would not have been tolerated
twenty-five years ago, still there have been some good laws
passed for Alaska in recent years, and it is safe to presume that
the coming session will settle the question of the future of this
territory in a fair and reasonable way. There is no precedent
upon which to face a serious doubt of the wisdom of the final
aets of Congress in opening up the resources of Alaska to
development. Let us trust the congress to give us what is
best, as a child would trust its parent, but let us have a friend
at court in the person of a representative delegate who will
represent without fear or favor, the will of the whole people,
who look to him to regard his office as a sacred charge more
than as a personal boner. Let us choose the next delegate
wisely.
-limn;
HOW SEATTLE REPAYS ALASKA.
One of the most amazing events transpiring in all this
Alaskan controversy, is the announcement that the Commer
cial Club of Seattle on October 17, honored and banqueted
Gifford Pinchot. Fortunately the Commercial Club does not
represent the commercial interests of the big city of the north
west and it js quite easy to discern the political hand of the
insurgent in arranging for this Pinchot boost, at which, by the
way, Miles Poindexter, the discredited Senator from Washing
ton was also a guest of honor.
Immediately upon the announcement being made in Se
attle it should be recorded that some of the strongest Alaskans
and most loyal Seattleites loudly and outspokenly voiced their
disapproval.
There were some at the banquet probably, who for years
have commercially existed upon the Alaska trade so freely
accorded Seattle, and to these men this editorial is addressed.
Gifford Pinchot and his policies for five years past have been
the one great obstacle in Alaska’s industrial and commercial
upbuilding and it will take at the very least another five years,
•with all possible favorable legislation, before the dire finan
cial results of the Pinchot policies can be overcome. That is
io say, a period of ten years wherein all commercial growth is
retarded; a period of retrogression rather than progress.
Seattle and its far-seeing business men, generally speak
ing, fully appreciate Alaska and her commerce and in a re
ticent program outlined by the Town Crier of that city, giving a
list of ten things for all the people to work for in the upbuild-]
ing of their city, the very first place was given to the develop
ment of Alaska.
Do the people of the Seattle Commercial Club who at
tended this banquet to Gifford Pinchot realize that in the ten
years in which Alaska is held Ijack hy the application of the
Gifford Pinchot policies, Seattle’s jobbing interests and com
mercial growth generally are hurt to the enormous extent of
$300,000,000. These figures are easy to arrive at. The cus
toms reports slio^y vlqit Seattle has sent to Alaska in the way
of supplies during the last five years and had the blight of
Pinehotism not been spread over this country like a threaten
ing pall, its fumes stiffling all commercial activity, the com
merce of Seattle would have shown a most remarkable in
crease, and what its jobbers, its manufacturers and its mer
chants generally have lost can be conservatively estimated in
the above startling figures.
And yet these people who assume to represent the com
mercial interests of Seattle, honor the man who has been
responsible for the greater portion of the increased business!
to which they were justly entitled. They honored this man
on his arrival from Alaska after Alaskans quite generally
had shown him in what contempt he was held by the people
of this territory. All loyal Alaskans unite in crying “shame ”
to the limited and narrow minded membership of the Seattle
Commercial Club, that brought a regrettable ignoinv upon an
organization that contains many worthy citizens, who would
naturally frown upon any such ignoble purpose, had they been
given opportunity to offer a protest
__ . _AAAA_
THE FIRST REQUEST.
There is one thing upon which Alaska is united—that is,
the necessity for improvement in methods of transportation.
Upon matters political it may be true that the citizens of the
territory can neve urnite; that is true to a greater or less extent
in all states and nations where people take part in politics.
Bpt the matter of improved roads is entirely a business matter.
There is no reason why anybody should oppose the movement
for better roads; and nobody does.
In the mere fact that Alaskans are united, there is more
force than most Alaskans may be aware of. The small but
noisy political fights in Alaska have created upon Congress
and the administration at Washington the general impression
that Alaskans can never agree upon anything- “Find out what
you want,” they have said, “agree upon what you want, and
then tell us, and we will give it to you.”
That offer holds good today more truly than ever. Con
gress and the administration are eager to do something for
long-neglected Alaska. The first thing we ask for with a unit
ed front we may reasonably expect to get. Why not ask for
a good, big sum for the building of roads, which we all agree
to be the greatest need of the territory as a whole at the
present time?—Fairbanks Times,
-oooo
POSITIVE MR FISHER.
Secretary of the Interior Fisher is a man of opinions. He
does not wait for someone to come along and tell him what to
think or say. He goes out to learn the facts for himself and
then he speaks according to his own views and beliefs. This
is a rank heresy in some eyes.
The secretary recently, in a brisk little talk before the Con
servation Congress, conveyed his opinions on some toplight
conservationists of a type that is not so popular now as it was
a few months ago
When he returned home to Chicago he took occasion to
elaborate his views on this subject, and when he concluded,
his offering was the following neatly-coached little declaration:
“I described two classes of spurious progressives and said
that the real progressive was neither the demagogic agitator
nor the hypocrite who talkes of progress but opposes every
political measure. I left those shoes to be worn by any man
in Kansas or elsewhere whose feet they may fit.”
This sort of language, coming from a man like Mr. Fisher,
must have caused a gasp of dismay to go up from the ranks of
the conservationist—for political profit only.
Mr. Fisher does not speak academically. That is the bit
terest pill the anti-progressives have to swallow. He comes
from the scene of Pinehotian maladministration. He knows
wlisreor he speaks.
Mr. Fisher has shocked some egotistical souls who thought
they knew all there was to be known concerning conservation.
He has given the people food for reflection and independent
thought—still another awful heresy.
It is not surprising that he has been criticised with con
siderable bitterness by selfish interests that have a personal
reason for saddling upon the West and Alaska the burden re
sulting from the sins of a careless and heedless generation that
has gone before.—Seattle Times.
-oooo
Muckraking correspondent, John E. Lathrop, is filling the
Juneau Daily Dispatch with many columns of misinformation
and deliberate falsehoods, all of which bear a Cordova date
line. Fortunately, this is the only newspaper in Alaska willing
to publish Lathrop’s vaporings.
-oooo
Agent Barry’s trip to interior Alaska has resulted in re
newed enthusiasm on the part of the residents of the interior
in favor of boosting for improvements to the Chitina-Fairbanks
trail for an all the year mail route.
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i CIIITIXA, - ALASKA |
*
Our former townsman, Dr. F. B.
Whiting, who does not believe in
mincing words gave out the following
characteristic interview upon his ar
rival in Seattle:
“Gifford Pinchot is a very nice
girl, but when they turned over
Alaska to a dreamer like the former
chief forester, and an impractical
demagague like the junior senator
from Washington, we thoughf it was
time for us to leave.
“We liked Walter L. Fisher all
I
right. He has a great deal of real
manhood, and although his iifreas of
government did not coincide with our
own. we Alaskans believed that he
was at least sincere in his effort to
find some solution of the problems
that confront the territory. But the
volunteer 'investigators’ who are
now In Alaska—well, I can’t speak
about them without a feeling of dis
gust.
“The funny part of it is that the
Pinchot press agent, whom the gang
immediately nicknamed ‘Doctor Mat
thews’ because of his penchant to
preach on things of which he knew
nothing, is still trying to make the
public believe that Controller bay is ’
a harbor and that Secretary Fisher
was fooled by the men who showed i
him around. Considering that the1
guides were special agents of the
government who had made a special i
study of the country during a pe
riod of many years, there was little
opportunity to mislead the cabinet {
officer even had anybody desired to j
do so.
"It is the general concensus of
opinion that they are looking for
some means to keep the territory tied
up and at the same time make more
political capital for themselves. Hun
dreds of men, who like myself, had
waited for years for the day when
j Alaska would be taken out of the
hands of the mountebanks, found
the injection of Pinchot and Poindex
ter into the muddle the last straw'.
We threw up both hands and quit.
“We couldn’t even have any fun
at their expense. There’s nothing
funny about them. A lot of the boys
amused themselves at Cordova by
getting them into a meeting and
asking them embarrassing questions,
but the matter was too serious to
make jokes about, it seemed.
“The Controller bay controversy
is the biggest row over nothing that
I ever heard of. I consider it one of
the greatest farces ever staged in
American history. There is no good
harbor at Controller bay and every
body who ever saw the place knows
it.
NOTICK
Notice is hereby given that all
business of the Golconda Mining Co ,
must be O. K.’d or signed by Edwin
H. Sellars, Seperintendent and Gen
eral Manager.
_
PHOTOGRAPHY
We do all kinds.
DEVELOPING:
3A Films.10 cents j
3A Prints or postcards ... 7 cents
Other work in proportion.
NELSON & NELSON
Chitina, Alaska.
D: A GRIFFIN,
DENTIST
All work guaranteed. Prices reason- J
able. In Tibbs’ Building.
Chitina, Alaska.
PR. CHAS. THOM
Physician and Surgeon
Now permanently located at Chitina,
Alaska.
Hay & Oats
We have only the best feed
at the LOWEST PRICES,
j It will pay you to see us.
0- A. NELSON & COMPANY,
Chitina, Alaska. i
Just Op
Billiards jj* OP°°l
CIGARS
* * 4
Confectionery
Soft Drinks and
Solo Tables
Bowling Alley
TIBBS BROS.
Chitina Bakery
& Coffee House
GESSNER & STANGNETH
Proprietor*
FRESH BREAD ‘
Cakes and Pastry
Always on Hand
Main Street. — Chitina.
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, 90a 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.
OSBORNE
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Everything the market af
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Private Parties a suecialty
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