A3**—— * — —11 ■
THE IDITAROD PIONEER
Published Every Saturday Morning at Iditarod, Alaska
Vel. 7 CHARLES A. DERRY, Editor and Publisher IYo. 14
Subscription Rates
One Year.$10.00 One Month $1.00
f .x Months 5.00 Single Copy -25
Advertising Rates on Application
TERRITORIAL POLITICS
As the lime approaches for the territorial con
ventions to meet and nominate candidates for con
■ ressional delegate, and for an attorney general for
ine territorv. candidates are being mentioned and
I ne-ups suggested from various sections, bat a
most peculiar phase of the situation is that wiiile
many names have been mentioned in connection
vit'n the delegateship, not a solitary person nas yet
openly announced himseif as a candidate. It seems
to be pretty generally understood that Judge Wrk
, rsham will seek the Republican nomination, yet
i o one in position to do so has so suited. One news
paper declares that “it has been stated positively
dial Delegate Wickersham or his friends and the
’orces of Shackleford, formerly national commit
: .oman, are now carrying on negotiations for the
impose or clearing the way for the amalgamati n
m the two schools of Republican politics in the ter
ritory," supposedly with the end in view of securing
he Republican nomination for Wickersham. ’let
no person is mentioned as authority for tins assei
,on. Friends of W ickersham will greatly deplore
any movement bv him which will ma^ce the contest
for delegate a partisan fight. His great strength
heretofore has been that he drew support from all
parties.
For the Democratic nomination for delegate
several names have been mentioned, among tnem
being Senator Charles Sulzer of the First divisoin,
Tom Gaffney of Nome, and George Grigsby, also of
die Seward peninsula city. Sulzer is said to be a
man of much ability, and is very popular in his divi
sion. Gaffney is an official in the Indian service, and
formerly was president of the Miners union at Nome.
Grigsby is said to be a lawyer of ability.
It is not likely that the fight for the delegateship
will take definite shape until the Republican conven
tion meets at Seward on April 19.
A
SUGGESTED PEACE TERMS
While it is generally agreed that none or tn? war
ring nations is as yet ready to disci;"? peace leims.
there is little doubt that the German government has
been sending out “feelers" for discussion and to crys
tallize public sentiment in neutral nations on the sub
let of possible peace terms. Recently tnere was
published in a Swiss newspaper a set of proposed
peace conditions which the New York Times corre
spondent claims was inspired by the German foreign
office “with a view to stimulating discussion among
neutrals.” He claims also that it is known what
member of the German government prepared the
article printed in the Swiss newspaper. It is only
fair to say, however, that there has been printed in
Germany a semi-official repudiation of the article.
The German newspapers attach enough importance
to the article to reproduce it, as follows:
In German circles the main principles of the peace negotia
tions soon to be initiated are thus conceived:
1. Belgium is to retain her independence, provided that a
repetition of the events of 1914 be made impossible by treaties,
and, perhaps, also by the holding of pledges. . .
2. The occupied French departments would be immediately
restored to France. Germany also would waive any war indem
nity on the part of France if France ceded to Germany her claims
on Russia to the amount of about $3,600,000,000. An obvious
condition of this agreement with France would be the restoration
by England of all the German colonies and the evacuation of
Calais.
3. Russian Poland is to be made entirely independent under
a German prince, as king of Poland. On the other hand, Poland
would have to pay to G rmany a war contribution on a similar
basis to the contributiot if Belgium. The historical striving to
ward the sea which has nominated Russia's policy for centuries is
to receive consideration by the grapi to Russia of an outlet to
the Persian gulf.
4. Italy must give up the occupied Turkish islands, but to
compensate for this the state of affairs before the outbreak of war
would be restored.
5. Bulgaria, of course, must have Macedonia, and also a cor
ridor to the Danube stretching from Nish to Semendria. The
former territory of Old Serbia is to remain independent or lie
united into one kingdom with Montenegro.
6. Albania must obtain in reality the independence that was
formerly granted, under a prince of her own election.
7. The claims of Roumania and Greece seem at this moment
to be not quite definitely decided.
In commenting on the above the Swiss newspaper
says:
We think that it is the duty of the neutral press to open dis
cussion about the fundamental conditions of the future peace, for
there can be no doubt that these conditions would become very
considerably more severe if further hostilities on a lagre scale
were decided in favor of the central powers. One must be under
no illusion concerning the fact that Germany, in spite of her
sincere and deep-felt yearning for peace, will grasp the sword with
new wrath if the hand which she proffers is refused through any
misapprehension of the real situation.
-♦—
THE MEXICAN SITUATION
The latest accounts from the United States mili
tary expedition into Mexico seem to indicate that it
is progressing in a most unsatsfactory manner. If,
as now seems likely, the forces of Vila be aug
mented to any considerable extent by the defection
of the forces of the de facto government, and by the
forced service of the peons of the country in which
the bandit leader is operating, the task assigned to
General Funston will assume the proportions of gen
uine warfare, k is not impossible that the expedi
tion will then be reorganized along new lines and
the occupation of the republic by our military forces j
be ordered.
Such an eventuality will be greatly to be deplored, i
and it is not at all surprising that President Wilson
and his advisers are endeavoring in every manner j
possible to avoid such an outcome. With the ex- I
ample of the Philippines before them, they realize
that the position of the United States, even with a !
speedy and decisive defeat of the armed mobs of
Mexicans, would be most unenviable. Uncle Sarn
would find himself in the position of the well-mean
ing individual who attempts to set his neighbor’s
house in order—probably the most thankless task
imaginable.
That ihere are interests at work to make the oc
cupation of Mexico by United States troops impera
tive there is little doubt. That the administration is
aware of these efforts and will endeavor to thwart
them goes without saying. It often has been said
that once the United States troops crossed the Rio
Grande they would not return until order has been
restored in Mexico. It begins to look as though the j
prediction would be fulfilled.
lid; ! help! When The Pioneer recently published the ob
servations of a returned traveler a> to the condition of wretched
ness prevailing among the natives of the Kuskokwim it had 0"
idea of opening the floodgates of el >quence which have poured m
upon it. The .story seemed to be given in good faith and with
such apparent truthfulness that we were almost moved to tears. j
And now come the men who are in position to talk authoritatively ,
on the subject and show us that poor Lo is in a posith n <■!
opulence if he would only realize it. What more could he wish j
than plenty of fish, moose and caribou for staph's, and w:ih ripe
fish eggs and starved beaver for delicacies? At any rate, our rw d
ers are becoming better acquainted with the true condition of tin
natives. And when all is said, the fact remains that the feueral
government should be induced to take an intere-t in these poor h
and teach them how to be self-sustaining and self-reliant. With
the wonderful natural food resources of the great Kuskokwim re
gion, there is no need for privation if the natives are taught the
rudiments of agriculture and thrift. Heine Is are needed, and
needed bad.lv.
_ A
One can scarcely understand the action of the national house
I of representatives in declaring for an army of lOO.OfO men. in the
i r;.eo of present conhitk ns. Such an army, valiant and efficient
I may he, could not even he expected to subdue Mexico, and this
1 may be the task assigned to it in the near future. While anything
approaching nolitamm woulu not l>c tolerated by toe citizens of
(lie United States, it would seem toj>o the part of wisdom to
he prepared to offer some sort of defense in case of war.
*
The great gathering of residents of the district in this city Iasi
Wednesday was not only a splendid tribute to the ol 1 trail I>1:iters
of the Pioneers' order, but an appreciation if the efficient manner
I in which the enterprises of this organization always have been
! conducted. The order and its committees deserve the thanks of
i ti c community for the opportunities for social recreation they
have provided.
❖
THE BRANDEIS APPOINTMENT
Wad Street on the Verge of Hysterics
(New York World
Says our neighbor the Times, in discussing the appointment of
Mr Brandeis to be associate justice of the l nited Stalls -uprenii
| court :
‘There would lie less anxiety and confirmation would be more
ceitain if he had already been tested by judicial service. It ha
often been till that this should be an essential qualification for
the supreme bench. When tlie people know ju-i how the nominee
has behaved as a judge, when the decisions he has rendered and
the opinions he has written are before them, they are in a position
to measure his quality and fitness. They know if they are taking
11-ks and they can say whether they are willing to take thorn.
Such a rule would have deprived the United States supreme
court of all its chief justices except one, including John Marshall,
and it would also have deprive that court of many of its com
mending figures.
Neither John Jay, Oliver Ellsworth, John Marshall. Roger B.
Taney. Salmon P. Chase. Morrison R. Waite nr Melville W. Fuller
had ever been a judge at the time of his appointment to be chief
justice. The present chief justice of the supreme court, who will
always rank among the commanding figures of that court, the
I most competent chief justice since Marshall, went from the United
States senate to the supreme bench, and although he had been a'
• one time a state judge in Louisiana, his judicial experience had
i nothing more to do with his appointment to the supreme bench.
If Mr. Brandeis could be considered disqualified because he has
had no judicial experience. Justice Hughes would be equally dis
qualified. and if Mr. Hughes is not a great judge then we do not
know what a great judge is.
As a matter of fact, there would be no question about Mr.
Brandeis’ qualifications for the supreme bench it his public services
had not won him the hearty detestation of certain powerful cor
: porations and financial interests. They hate him not merely be
cause he is radical, but because he is enormously able end efficient.
I To them it is indecent that a lawyer with such extraordinary abil
ity should wantonly and deliberately use his talents to promote
the social welfare of the American people when he might com
mand princely fees in the services of privilege. They regard that
sort of thing as against nature, and the man who does it is not
to he trusted.
All the old shellbacks of the United States senate are in a
state of nerves over the Brandeis appointment. Wall street is ot
the verge of hysterics and reactionary elements everywhere are
dumb with rage; but our own belief is that the appointment will
be confirmed and that Mr. Brandeis will prove himself to be ;
just and upright judge, whose service on the bench will still fur
ther strengthen popular confidence in the greatest judicial tri
i bunal that the world has ever known.
Merely a Suggestion
Petersburg Report l
Should the senate :f}.l to confirm the nomination of Brandeis
for justice of the supreme court, President Wilson might try him
for secretary of war. Maybe the senate would stand for that. A
“big noise” in the war department would not appear so unseemly
as on the United States supreme bench.
A Choleric Critic
(Juneau Empire)
The New York Press calls the Brandeis appointment “the
[.Brandeis scandal.” Louis D. Brandeis has been an extremist, but
I never so much so as his choleric critic, the New York Press.
-♦
Now that the denials ore all in, the only reasonable conclusion
j is that the Persia torpeuoed herself.—Nashville Southern Lumber
: man.
♦
Those sedate, hard-headed citizens who do not believe in pre
I paredness might enlist as bulwarks should any of the present j
crises lead to war. -Chicago Daily News.
-*
Mrs. Wilson has scld the house in which she married the j
President. Evidently she expects to remain in the White House
for some little time yet.
--♦
If there are any more Ford expeditions, the belligerent nations
will suspend hostilities to watch the fight. —Baltimore American.
-♦—
“Mexico for the Mexicans.” Serves them right.—Chattanooga
News.
-♦
T. R. says he has read 700 books and pamphlets on woman suf
frage. It's not to be wondered that he gets a grouch on now and
then.—Detroit Free Press.
If Carnegie is still anxious to die poor, why doesn’t he finance
a peace expedition?—Columbia State.
-♦
Why doesn’t Mr. Bryan try to pacify Mexico by lecturing on
tile Chihuahua circuit?—Brooklyn Eagle.
THOSE “STARVING” INDIANS
Writing to the editor from Aniak, Duke
K. Stubbs, the commissioner and postmaster
at that point, says:
“Your story about the natives starving
on the Kuskokwim river made everybody
laugh• A photo will show about four inches
of fat on their slats. The natives are pretty
foxy, and may bo a little short on asparagus
tips, but they have tons of fish eggs buried,
some for four and five years, which have
ripened to about 97 skunk power that is a
choice bit with the natives. There is more
moose and caribou meat than for years past.
The hard winter caused nearly all the heaver
to come out on the snow and die, and the
natives are rol mg f;;t.“
That Amusing Story
Parks' Mine, Kuskokwim River,
March 21. 1910
To the Editor of The Iditnrod Pioneer:
I 11' in your i- ue of March 1 a very,
amusing story of the poverty of the natives i
on this river, and suggest that the parties :
ilooming from (hi-- district give you a good j
hear lory no,I li t the natives alone. There |
arc no hungry natives at Sleitmute or along j
this river.
Game has been plentiful this winter. The
natives have this market well supplied with I
meat, and are now hauling moose to Flat j
f ir sale. The fish run last summer was ;
enormous, and there is an abundance of
silver salmon for sale at 7 cents along this !
ri ver.
“Indians f, llow a white man like hungry
dogs.” Pioneer.
Yes. if they think the white man is soft,
and they make a success, and the wh,:
man goes short ei grub. J
Natives line ere more independent t on .
white men. I have been trying t , hr:
natives to work for a day m l i ion!
They want Flat creek •’.ages, and prefer to
hunt unless they get it.
The only government aid we need is more |
schools, and legislative protection iigam-t ;
canneries at the mouth of the iv.::u ;
river.
1 will give you a story of my early ex- j
perience with these “wretched" cute na- j
lives. In the fall of 1913 my parti: t and i ,
“Flowed in” at Sleitmute with a boatload of j
grub, hound up river. As we were setting j
up our tent the natives swarmed around |
us, wanting to buy. We promptly told
them we were not trading, and had nothing
to sell. Aftor a short council one man ap
proached us again, saying that his baby was
sick and he wanted milk. W’e gave him one
can of milk for the sick chill
The news spread that we were soft on
babies, and they all came for milk for sick
babies, and our milk disappeared in a hurry
until we called a halt.
! was in the tent, my partner at the boa
when another man came in and said his
bat y was very sick. I gave him a can of
milk and said. “That is the l-.-t one.” My
partner came in and 1 went out after wo. I.
and while I was nut the same Indian worked
my partner for another can of milk.
We learned later t! at the man wa- a
trader, had a stock of goods, and no family
and that there was only one baby in the
v, hire. E. W . PARKS.
A
B. B. SMITH IS SOME BOOSTER
Those Tokotna men are not nt all -low |
ns boosters when they wander away from j
the prospective metropolis on the uppff
Kuskokwim, as is indicated by the following
fr m a recently-received copy of the Juneau
Empire:
“B. B. Smith, me of the well-known In
tenor mining men, arrived on 'he North.
we>tern today, en route to the States. Mr.
Smith came out from the Innoko district
over the Iditarod-Reward tral. He states
that the trad is in spEndid condition, due
to the heavy travel. Mr. Smith says more
than 400 miners are working in the district
ths winter. lie brings word that Tom Me
Kinnon has taken-out more than $1,000,000
from his claims on Candle creek. Mr. Me
Kinnon. when Mr. Smith left the Innoko.
was in the Tolovana district, examining
various ; ruperties.”
C*
City Mar.!;al E. J. Filter of Juneau was
married < n the evening of February 5 last
to Miss Iris May Caw-horn of West Vir
ginia, a recent arrival in Juneau. Mr. Sitter
formerly was a resident of Iditarod.
♦ -
Fresh Olympia and Eastern Oysters. $1 o0
per can. Iditarod Meat Co.
❖
Try the Regina Hotel for good beds.
Job Printing at Pioneer office.
CLEANING AND PRESSING
ALL KINDS OF FUR WORK
Suits Cleaned and Pressed, Fur Coats and
Robes Lined, and All Kinds of
Fur Work Done
hlRS. GHAS, LARSON ,
Orders may be left with Mrs. Thornton
If You Are Interested in
LIFE INSURANCE
Let me talk it over with you
A vt J l. ^T ^R,' h * A C. A
GENERAL
FREIGHTERS
DAILY STAGE SERVICE
OPEN DAY AND NIGHT
A ETg:
! FLAT CITY HOHBACK & DURAND
| Bet. the Grand and Bagoy's Bars
; THE BEST ALL THE HATE
WE ARE HERE TO STAY
ALL THL TIM L A’i I'll
Arcade Cafe
FLAT CITY
Open Day and Night
Mr. Business Man: Don’t allow your
stock of stationery or other printed matter
to he entirely depleted before ordering a
new 'Oj : ly. D it now. The Pioneer.
Professional *
Michigan, 1881 Alaska, 19 10
Ken lucky, 1891
George Woodruff Albrecht
COUNSELOR AND LAWYER
IDITAROD, ALASKA
The Pioneer Attorney of Iditaroil
STANTON
at Law
i Oflicc: Corner W illow and Second Sts.
Iditarod Pioneer Building
CKAS. E. TAYLOR
’Attorney at Law
BANK BLOCK
First Avenue Iditarod
;Fred Harrison
ATTORNEY AT LAW
Room 1 Over Merchants Cafe
DR. MOORE
DR. H. E. AURSfvGER
Physician anil Surgeon
Office: Fiat City Hospital, Flat City
Consult at ir n II -rs l-'orenoMiS ar.d l:v
Appointment
DR. H. BEHLA
FLAT CITY
Will Arrive in !ditarod by the first boat in
the spring
SesondSt. IDSTAROD H EAT CO. Phone 15
Gold St., Fiat City
Mr;. Geo. Mutcblsr, Prop.
Nicely Furnished Rooms Barn for Horses and Dogs Baths in Connection
] ~~ DCNNELLEY~ j
EEH GENERAL EV1ERGHANDISE
j DiSCOVERY, OTTER j
THE BEST OF EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME
MERC HAN
FIRST AVE.
GOOD MEALS
SHORT ORDERS
OPEN DAY AND NIGHT
ROBT. SOUTAR
Prop.
i
R GLOVES and
s
Price $1.50 to 33.00 per Pair
¥ Selling at
Mg MM HON
GENERAL MERCHANDISE FLAT CITY