Sulzer Would Divide Mia ska
Into Three Territories
At a banquet given at. Ketchikan recently in honor of the visit ol
the secretary of the interior and Congressman Sulzer, the latter made
the following suggestions regarding the tuture government of Alaska:
I am in favor of granting tire Alaskans true territorial government.
I would divide Alaska into three territories, as she is divided by
nature.
I would make Southeastern Alaska a territory, comprising all from
Cape Chacon to Mount St. Elias. This would have a population ol
20,000 persons, most of whom have lived in its confines for over a vear.
I would cal! this territory Sumner, in honor of tire great senator from
Massachusetts, whose prophetic speech in congress made the purchase
ot the territory possible. Its capital, of course, would be either Ketch
ikan or Juneau.
I would make Southwestern Alaska, comprising all the district
south of the \ukou and west of the international boundary, another
territory, and I would call it Seward, in honor of the secretarv of state
who initiated the purchase. Its capital would be the city of Seward,
and within the lives of those before me tonight it will become as rich
and as prosperous a country as Norway and Sweden combined.
I would make all the district north of the Yukon, to the frozen
Arctic another territory, and I would call it Alaska, because it will be
always cold and sparsely settled, and its name would harmonize with
the general conception of Alaska in the minds of most persons.
Taese three territories would each have a delegate in congress, they
would each have a local legislature capable of enacting local laws, and
a territorial iorm of government similar to that of the other territories
of the union It would bean economical government. It would cost
the taxpayers ot the United States nothing, and law and order would
be observed.
Here tonight, in the presence of the secretary of the interior, the
governor of Alaska and the people of Ketchikan, I promise as a mem
ber of congress to do my utmost to bring about in the rrext session of
congress these desirable reforms, and to that end I invoke the cordial
support of the governmental officials here assembled and of every true
friend of Alaska, at home and abroad.
Suggest that Government
Mins Alaskan Coalfields
Washington. D.C.--A memorial to President Taft and congress
from Governor West and 10,000 Oregon citizens, asking for the
establishment of an Alaskan coal mining commission, was formally
presented to the house by Representative Latferty of Oregon, just
prior to the close of the session. The memorial was referred to
the committee on public lands. It will be carefully considered
this winter in formulating a bill providing for the mining of Alas
kan coal.
The Oregon petition asks that congress enact laws providing
that Alaska coal shall be mined, transported and sold to consumers
direct at cost by the federal government.
Many members of the house expressed themselves as favoring
the Oregon idea.
Strong indorsement of the policy of government ownership
and operation of the coal mines in Alaska was given here recently
by Congressman William Kent, insurgent republican from Cali
fornia. Said Mr. Kent:
Alaska is the property of all the nation, bought with money
from the national treasury. All the people should secure the
benefits of the public domain.
“The whole territory should be developed so as to yield its
wealth in terms of lower prices to the American people.
We need colliers for our navy. Here is a chance to supply
them and give them gainful occupation in time of of peace.
“Here is an opportunity also for training a reserve naval
corps.
“Above all, the territory should not fall into the hands oi
those interested only in their own profit and having no regard for
the common welfare.
“From every standpoint government ownership and operation
appears the best and cleanest way to handle the resources owned
by all our people. Moreover a demonstration by the government
of the actual cost of mining and transportation under decent, hu
mane labor conditions, is well worth while.
“The Panama canal has put to rest the assumption, conceived
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in greed and dishonesty, that the government is unlit to perform
public business.
“Alaskan coal is really the one great chance both the Pacific
and Atlantic coasts have to gain relief from the oppression of
coal barons.”
“Lost Henry99 Mine
May Have Been Found
Joe Cote, a Ross river trader, recently told at Dawson ot the find
ing of what is believed to be the “Lost Henry” mine, which for forty
years has been believed to exist somewhere in the region where the
Pelly and Liard rivers have their source.
Of the many stories of the lost mines of the world there are none
more fascinating than that of the “Lost Henry.” Forty years or more,
it is related, Mike Henry went out of the country by way of the Stikine
river, taking with him about §13,000 in golddust. The gold was sold
at the San Francisco mint, and of this fact there is record. Henry said
that he was heading for Sears creek, on the Liard, when he discovered
a creek coming from a glacier, and with the apparatus he could build
with an ax he cleaned up the gold. Running short of grub, he could
not get to Sears creek and had to rush for the coast. He made maps
of the locality, but though many expeditions have tried to locate the
creek'their efforts always failed. In fact, the country was so different
from what the maps showed that stories were circulated that Henry got
his gold elsewhere. Henry owns a ranch in California, and among his
employes up to five years ago was a young man named Ed Wilson,
who, after hearing the old man’s tale and procuring a map from him,
decided to make a try for the treasure.
For five years Wilson cruised the upper Pelly country without
success until this spring, when some Indians came to Cote’s tradin g
post and reported finding just such a creek, heading in a glacier exactlv
as the map describes, and on this creek they fouud an old rocker and a
length or two of very crude sluiceboxes. The map drawn by Henry
was shown to the Indians and they described the location of the creek
and the topography ol the country by saying: “Good map. Who make
um ? He good savvy.”
Wilson started for the creek, accompanied by Atkinson, Field, Van
Bibber and Van Gorder, trappeis working in the upper Pelly country.
Represen tativo Go vernmen t:
R Contrast Between Alaska and Yukon
Dawson Now, Auqusi 28
James Wickersham, delegate to con
gress, who is visiting Dawson today,
represents the largest area of any man
having a seat in the commons of that
great nation founded by George Wash
ingion. With its 590,000 square miles,
Alaska is five times the size of Lite
Philippines, more than twice as large
as Texas or the German empire, and
big enough to carve from it twelve
Png lands and more than 400 Rhode
islands. Alaska’s annual production of
gold, pelts, seals, salmon, copper and
other wealth runs into several times
lite original price of $7,200,000 which
Uncle Sam paid the Russians fur the
territory.
With all this vast area and wealth,
and with increasing importance be
cause of its fisheries, minerals, coal
and timber, and even agricultural re
sources, all now becoming recognized,
Alaska lias not one vote in the delib
erations of the greatest republic of the
world, that country of which it is a
part.
Delegate Wickersham goes to Wash
ington every year to represent the
people of Alaska merely as a spokes
man. He has no vote. He may debate,
but not participate in the balloting.
His territory lias no representation
when it comes to the actual test of
ayes and noes. The reason, that Alaska
is merely a territory, not a state.
The fact that Alaska, with all its
wealth and area and its 00,090 souls,
has rot these privileges in the legisla
tive councils of the regublic will strike
many in Yukon as most singular. Here
is Yukon Territory—probably better
known to many Americans as Canadian
Yukon or the British Yukon—the most
remote portion ot Lanaua, actually so
far ahead of Alaska in representative
government as to make it a matter of
wonder. Yukon Territory lias a full
fledged member of tlie Canadian par
liament. He not only has every privi
lege of speaking in the house, but also
participates in every vote. Not only
that, but the Dominion government,
according to the latest advices from
the Outside, not satisfied with having
a plain member of parliament from the
territory, is contemplating making the
Yukon representative a member of the
cabinet, giving him the portfolio of
minister of mines. In the States it
would be secretary of mines, were such
a branch created in connection with
the cabinet.
The anomaly is all the more striking
when it is considered that this terri
tory under tile British flag is a part of
;he nation from which the United
States seceded in order to obtain more
representative government. It was tax
ation without representation which
brought on the Boston tea party and
tiie Revolutionary war. Arbitrary rule
of ilie day lost to England her most
splendid possession; yet conditions have
so changed tiiat here is a portion of the
British possessions today enjoying the
greater privilege and more democratic
government. These facts may not be
appreciated throughout t lie United
Slates. The reference to them is not
made here with tlie object of vainly
boasting or to draw invidious distinc
tions, but to point the moral that Dele
gate Wickersham, in his stern fight for
representative government in Alaska,
deserves all the support his people can
give him. Delegate Wickersham has
pending in congress a bill for an elect
ive legislative assembly for Alaska.
He will not have an opportunity to
vote for his own bill, but doubtless his
many constituents, if they could have
an opportunity to vote for constitu-j
tional amendments, would cast heavy !
plumpers in favor of giving territorial
delegates in tlie American congress as
full rights and privileges — in other
words, to make them as fully repre
sentative—as are the territorial repre
sentatives in the Canadian parliament.
The Canadian territory of Yukon has
no fight to make for territorial govern
ment. This territory has had territo
rial government nearly all its life since
the great gold discovery in Klondike.
This fact seems little known in Amer
ican. Not only has Yukon territorial
form of government, hut has a legisla
tive assembly, and every member
thereof is elective. Yukon means to'
retain the form of gove.rnment. Yukon
Territory is far more adequately and
satisfactorily conducted with its terri
torial legislative body, called the Yu
kon council, than before it had such an
assembly. Local matters are in the
hands of local tnen, men who best know
the wants and can best supply the
remedy.
Delegate Wickersham is struggling
to get his home rule bill and an amend
ment to the placer laws through the
American congress. When Yukon
wanted to enact a new mining law
some few years ago it put the measure
through the Yukon council, and the
act was endorsed at Ottawa on the
principle that what the Yukon Assem
bly formulated through its chosen rep
resentatives must be what the people
of Yukon wanted. And Ottawa has had
no reason to regret the action. The
law has worked splendidly. Several
other reforms in matters of federal
jurisdiction have originated in the Yu
kon council and have been worked out
to the entire satisfaction of the people
of this territory.
Alaska long has fought tor home
rule. As far back as when Dr. Alfred
Thompson went to Ottawa years ago as
member of parliament for Yukon he
found the people of Skagway in a quan
dary over the question. Mr. Brady,
then governor of Alaska, was against
home rule, but, being on a tour of his
territory, was being given a reception
in Skagway. Dr. Thompson was asked
to attend the meeting. The governor's
anti home rule theories w’ere not satis
factory to most of the Skagwayans, but
the people there showed such courte
sies to the chief executive as were due
the man and the office. Dr. Thompson
did not understand the situation in
Skagway, but since he was on iris way
to Ottawa and was asked to attend
the meeting and say a few words on.
his territory and the work it had for
him at the federal seat, lie did so.
When he explained his position as
member with full right to speak and
vote, and told how the Canadian Yukon,
under the flag, had just what the Skag
waj ans and Alaskans were lighting for,
and had had it for years, and when he
told them that in Canadian Yukon
there is enjoyed what the Pilgrim
fathers fought for and what is not now
enjoyed in Alaska, but that the Alas
kans should have it and should get
home rule if they went after it, the
reception to the Yukon man proved an
ovation for him and Brady was almost
forgotten in the enthusiasm. And the
joke of it, was that Dr. Thompson did
not know at the time he had spiked
Brady's guns.
loday Yukon has a staunch member
in Ottawa who will continue there with
all the privileges of any other member
of Canada. The Yukon Territory, or
Canadian \ ukon, will retain her much
coveted right of home rule, and will
extend the warmest sympathy to Judge
Wiekersham in his tight to get full
representative government for his peo
ple—the stalwart citizens of Alaska.
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