IDITAROP PIONEER
Published Every Saturday Evening at Iditarod, Alaska.
ttl 2 Geo. M. Arbuckle. Publisher ffa 44
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INTOLERABLE STATE OF AFFAIRS.
The one great topic of conversation in every part of the
Otter precinct during the past week has been concerning
the existence of a state of lawlessness and disorder accom
panied by the utter lack of protection for the life and prop
erty of anybody in the community. At every street corner
in the town of Iditarod, at Flat City, Discovery, and wher
ever people congregate, the one remark can constantly be
heard, “They will never get him.”
'The terrible crime committed within this town the past
week, right in the midst of several hundred people, almost
next door to police quarters, within a stone’s throw of the
marshal’s office and practically under the window of the
United States commissioner, has brought about a realization
among the people of their utter helplessness against a band
of thugs, robbers, highwaymen and murderers. This paper
makes free to say and it knows that it is fully backed by
every man and woman worthy of that name in the entire
district—that that class of men are now walking in Iditarod
and Flat City. Complaint after complaint is heard of
women being annoyed, either in their homes or on public
streets. Nothing is done by the authorities. The whole
district knows of the choking almost to death of a woman
on Flat within the past thirty days or some such time.
Nothing was done about it. The world knows of the hold
up almost in sight of Flat City, a settlement of a thousand
people, and nothing has been done or heard about it. The
gruesome murder committed last week has been made known
to the world, but nothing has been done or heard about
it since.
The people, particularly ladies, living anywhere alone
in this district are afraid of their lives—and rightly so, this
paper says, and in addition thereto we say that many a man
is afraid of his life—and rightly so, we say again.
To make this whole statement short and express tin
truth in a few words would be to say that human life is in
jeopardy every minute, and no man or woman living in this
section of the country has a reasonable assurance of being
found in the morning without a shoestring drawn tightly
around his or her neck.
We have often heard it said that the people of Alaska
are the most law abiding to be found in the world, and wi
have heretofore joined in this chorus of laudation. Such
statements are no doubt true, and the percentage of bad
character to be found in the territory is undoubtedly very
small; but it seems equally true that when this percentage
hears of crimes committed daily the perpetrators of which
in every instance go scot free, they will flock to such para
dise and ply their trade, not only on women but also on
men. And such is the case with us. It does not mattei
that whjsky is sold without license; that a woman is almost
choked to death: that numbers of people are held up in
broad daylight; that women are annoyed in their homes:
that a respectable woman is justly afraid to be seen on the
street at 5 o’clock in the afternoon; that men are a-scared
to go outside of the most congested portion of the district
with ten dollars in their pockets; that women of the under
world are choked to death while plying their trade; that
groods are stolen left and right. All these things can bt
pulled off witb impunity in the Iditarod country. And
whyf we ask. The answer is simple.
The government has left this portion of Alaska with
one single deputy marshal — a man with plenty of horse
sense, who knows and understands his business thoroughly, but
who, unfortunately for our great government, has only two legs,
two hands and one head. His duty it is to serve all kinds of papers
in every section of the country, and if one will examine the court
records at Iditarod he will be surprised that a man can cover as
much territory as this deputy has done and is doing. Today he
must serve a number of papers on Willow creek and then return
to headquarters; the following day he has to run to the head of
Otter creek and hunt up some witnesses; the following day a dog
case comes up at Flat City and he must see that the government is
properly represented. Meanwhile, somebody wants to bring suit
against a man on Happy creek and the deputy has to get ovei
there. And then the red tape. Go into his office and look at hi.
books. There are entries and double entries, checks, cross refer
ences, triplicates, indexes, cross indexes, and God knows what not.
But while this man is busy day and night crime upon crime is being
committed and nobody punished; in most cases nobody is even
arrested. And when somebody is picked up for stealing —or, for
that matter, for any offense—our great government goes to trial.
And what happens then? The defendant employs an attorney,
The Connolly
1 Famous Old Quaker Maid Rye j
DRAUGHT BEER, DOMESTIC CIGARS
Good Music Every Evening
— ■ —Flat City =
Martin’s Cafe
FOOT OF WILLOW STREET. PHONE 76
A Place to Eat
TO THE LADIES
We still have a fine line of Ladies’
Waists, Skirts, Coats, Party Dresses,
Hose, and other wearing apparel which
are disposing of a great reduction,
I. GOLDSTEIN, Opp. McDonald Hotel.
A HOME-COOKED DINNER AT
offee House,
From 5 to 7 p.m
__Foivtd & Peterson. Props.
C. J. Hurley, President J. P. Gleason, Vice President A. Bruning, Cashier
Corner First Ave, and Richmond St., Iditarod
CAPITAL $50,000.00, FULLY PAID IN GASH
General Banking Business Transacted Upon Liberal, But Conservative Lines
GOLD DUST PURCHASED UPON ASSAY VALUE
And we guarantee our assays against any of the government assay offices.
Clippings from your gold furnished you for the purpose
of obtaining check assays if desired.
We solicit your business, and assure you of our courteous, prompt and
careful attention combined with fair treatment, whether
your account may be large or small.
SN YDER HO USE |
FLA'I' CITV 1. 7 Large Drying Hoorn j
)
FOR FRESH GOODS AND FAIR TREATMENT
Tfy McMahon FlatGit^
LET HIM FIGURE ON YOUR OUTFIT
General tVSerchandise
HAL?,XA®1!FFIS’ General Merchants,
DiSKAKET MINERS’ SUPPLIES A SPECIALTY
and our beneficent government—not being able to pay an attor
ney-goes to trial without one, and of course loses the case.
Far be it from us to blame any of the officers who are now
stationed in this portion of the country. On the contrary, we wish
to say that we admire and respect them for the services they are
rendering — the commissioners at Iditarod and Flat City and the
deputy marshal who must cover the whole district. But they are
only men and their duties are prescribed. It is a sorry spectacle
to see a commissioner try a criminal case and at the same time be
judge and prosecuting atto-ney. It gives him no opportunity to
perform the office of either; for to be a judge of his fellow man
and at wine time be the prosecutor must necesssarily embarrass
Him. While we do not wish to blame the officers of this district,
we do blame and strongly condemn those higher in office.
There can be no excuse for their negligence and carelessness.
They are informed of the situation here. They know that crime is
rampant here; and Mr. Love knows that he lias only one deputy I
in this whole country, and he also knows that one man cannot
cover it. The district attorney’s office knows that it has no pros
ecutor here, and the deputy marshal and the commissioners with
out a prosecuting attorney are practically helpless. Mr. Love and
Mr. Crossley can get assistance from the Department of Justice if
they ask for it; our government is not so callous and heartless as
to allow a reign of lawlessness, not even in Alaska. Thiis paper
hates to say it, but it feels absolutely justified in so doing, and
knows that it is backed up in its statement by all men and women
here when it lays the responsibility for the foul murder of the
little unfortunate Japanese woman at the door of the United
Slates marshal and the United States attorney for the Fourth Divison of
the Territory of Alaska. It is a hard and sad statement to make, but we make
it knowing full well what it means. And we further say that according to our
belief and that of everbody in this camp, the end is not yet.
PECULIAR WORDS OK SECRETARY EISHER
Secretary Fisher, after his visit to Alaska, has been
credited with many remarkable utterances, but with none
more startling than the following, made in Seattle when he
was speaking on the subject of Alaska coal:
There are three methods of development. The first, private
exploitation, I shall waste no time on. I am not speaking my con
victions alone, but I am telling you what every intelligent man in
Alaska said tome. [The other methods are—first, government
ownership and government exploitation; second, government own
ership and private exploitation under lease.]
Not to question the Secretary's competency to pass, off
hand, on the intelligence of his fellow men, still his state
ment is wild, for he did not see a very large proportion of
Alaskan residents and therefore had no right to assume that
“every intelligent man in Alaska’’ had confided an opinion
to him one way or the other. Probably what he intended
to convey is that “every intelligent man in Alaska” who
gave him an opinion at all was hostile to private exploita
tion. This would still leave the Secretary in the position
of judge of the intelligence of those who expressed them
selves to him, and perhaps he was so set in his ideas as to
think every one foolish who differed with him.
But there is no use to quibble over Secretary Fisher’s
oddities of mind and tongue. The important matter is that
nearly all the discussions and opinions indulged in and lis
tened to by influential officials are founded in a grave mis
take. Alaska coal to them means certain great deposits
which are easy of access and are considered primarily in
the relation they may bear to the needs of people outside of
Alaska. The bearing these deposits may have on the de
velopment of Alaska’s varied resources does not enter to an
WINTER TO FIND THEM PREPARED
When Rude Boreas does decide that
it is time to visit Iditarod he will find
that his coming has been anticipated.
Early in the week a storm-door was
affixed to the A. B. Hall, and that
noble structure, taut and snug within
and strong without, can now defy any
and all of the wintry blasts that may
be hurled against it by the Ice King.
Buy your winter clothing. H. Boas. |
Get My Price Positively the Best Grades
__ Vmip Outfit at the Lowest Prices
on Your (Juifit h mm.
SAML. APPLEBAUM,
Wholesale Groceries and Outfitting
II ■ —W ——————I m HIM m MU 111 I. III !■ ■■II I ■ II Ml ■
appreciable extent into their scheme for disposing of Alaska
coal. Especially is it true that deposits known and un
known in widely separated districts of the interior are left
out of the calculation.
Oil and fuel gas are one with coal in what United
States officials term the Alaska coal problem. The exist
ence of gas ai.d oil in the interior is yet problematical; but
men of wide experience, some scientific knowledge, and at
tainments that place them safely in the intelligent class
believe that deep borings would disclose both these accesso
ries to modern progress at points along the Yukon and
tributary valleys. It is already well known that coal exists
in many places between the coast and arctic ranges, and
it is equally true that the coal would be beneficial to
people of the inland pait of the territory. Oil or gas, or
both, would change the whole industrial aspect of interior
Alaska, if found and utilized by the people of the country.
It does not necessarily follow that a man is unintelli
gent because he believes these resources would be sought,
found, and their use hastened under the right of private
exploitation, and that they would remain unsought, un
found, and their use be delayed indefinitely if socialized,
whether the government should retain the right of exploita
tion in its own hands or stand ready to delegate that right
by lease to companies or individuals.
It is true that men and newspapers, even in tiie inte
rior, express themselves favorably to perpetual government
ownership of the territory’s resources. It is also too true
that temporary advantage, personal spite, and political
affiliations often influence the representations made to fed
eral officials. But the inference Secretary Fisher seems to
draw from what has been said to him is illogical.
From present indications the Alaska coal question will
be settled this winter and private ownership will be perma
nently eliminated from the “problem.” Knowing these
t lings are likely to happen, the Pioneer frankly questions
if they will be best for the territory or the people of the
United States who are so zealous in guarding their rights
in this undeveloped country. Whether this is an intelligent
view or not only the future can prove.
Dr. Heinrich Wortmann,
Physician and Surgeon
Office at City Drug Store, Tel. 36
First Ave., Bet. Willow and Richmond
Office Hours : i to i, 3 to 4. 7 to 8
CHAS. D. CARTER,
Dentist
Offices, Pioneer Drug Stores,
Flat Creek
DR. F. W. HE RMS,
Dentist
Dr. Wort man n’s Office.
First Avenue and Willow Street
DR. H. BEHLA,
Dentist
Gold St., Flat City, Opp. Grand Hotel
I’hone 4
ALFRED E. MALT BY,
Attorney at Law
Notary Public
Otlice Simpson llldg, First and Willow
J. S. HARDING,
Attorney at Law
Room 1, Iditarod Hotel
Iditarod. Alaska
CHAS. E. TAYLOR,
Attorney at Law,
Notary Public, Conveyancing,
Abstracts of Titles
flat City
Wickersham & Roden,
ATTORNEYS AT LAW
Iditarod, Alaska
E. COKE HILL,
Attorney at Law
M. & M. Bank Bld<t, Iditarod. Alaska.
GEORGE WOODRUFF ALBRECHT,
Attorney at Law
Michigan, '81 Aiccka, '10 K«n!uck;r, 91
The Pioneer Atlurnev of this Camp
Just received a fancy line of Graven
stein apples, $8 a box: fancy red apples
$7 a box. At Johnstone's.
I
People who have been favored by a
sight of the comet discovered by Jim
Brown on the morning of October 19
will be slow to classify it as a tramp.
It may be a periodical comet which
had already been seen and named, how
ever; in which case Brown will not be
entitled to the honors of a discoverer,
although lie was certainly unaware of
anybody having a comet running at
large when saw this one apparently
coming toward Iditarod from Ruby
City. By the following press dispatch
it will be seen that two comets were
attracting comment Outside more than
a month ago, but there is no evidence
that, either of them is the one that will
be designated for the present, at least,
as Brown's:
St. Louis, September 19. — Father
Brennan, of this city, sighted a tramp
comet last night that, is now visible in
the heavens after 8 o’clock.
The comet, although rather small,
can be seen with the naked eye and
was not reported until after the discov
ery on the part of father Brennan, who
was watching for a sight of the Brooks
comet, scheduled to appear about this
time.
The orbit of the present comet is
such as proves it to belong to that
group of comets known as tramps,
which may never visit the earth or
come within range of vision again.
ALASKA FIGURES GIVEN
IN CENSUS REPORT
The census report gives the popula
tion of the First Judicial Division of
Alaska as 12,351; the Second, 20,078;
the Third, 16,711; while the total for
the Fourth is lacking.
The census taken in 1910 was com
plete and for the first time the actual
population of the territory will be
given.
The following comparisons are given
between different censuses:
Town 1910 1900 1890
Douglas. 1,722 825 402
Eagle . 178 383
Haines. 445 85
Juneau. 1,624 1,864 1,253
Ketchikan 1,630 459 40
Nome .2,600 12,488
For 1910 Cordova is given 1,152; Fair
banks, 3,541; Skagtvay, 872; Valdez,
810, and Wrangell, 743.
REV. JOHN PARSONS VINDICATED
The Methodist board in session at
Salem, Ore., vindicated Rev. John
Parsons, of Fairbanks, of all the
charges preferred against him except
that in connection with the letter to
the federal authorities in which he
favored the granting of a liquor license
to John Moe.
The board had got that far in the I
case September 2f>. Since then nothing
futther lias been heard here regarding
i lie matter.
Your Chance to Help
Patronize the porcelain baths at Idit
arod hospital- every convenience for
ladies and gentlemen.
Fresh fruits, nuts, dates, soft drinks,
latest papers and magazines at John
stone’s.
! PIONEER Roadhcusf.
| -—-— Kn.k, Alaska
Frank B. Cannon
On the Seward Trail
Cheapest anit Bast Place to Step on the PoaJ
Don’t Get Donesome
Drop Into the
There Are Stii! a Few of Us Left
WIT A ROD HOTEL s™
First-Class ftocamniDdations Four Patronage solicited
First Class in Fact First Ave,, Iditarod
BEATTIE HOUSE
Furnished Rooms, Bath Rooms, Spring Cots Good Stables Adjacent
For-Frcsh Meats
IDITAROP MEAT CO.
Iditirod, Phone 15 Flat City, Phone 20
Fresh Mutton, Pork and Veal
Drink Eastern Beer f“
Miner’s Home Saloon
THE HOME OF THE “OUAKeTmAiF
toot of Willow St., Iditarod