Ttf£ SD5TAROD PiONEER
Publish.‘I Cvgf'y Saturday Morning at IcJitarod, Alaska
Vol. 7 CHARLES A. DERRY, Editor and Publisher No. 13
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THE $TF KE ON THE GOVERNMENT RAILWAY!
Very Lale news of a definite nature has sifted
through t‘> this point relative to tne conditions ex
isting on the government railway project since the
statement was given out on February / that a strike
had been inaugurated among the workers. For appar
ent reasons the Seward and Anchorage newspapers
handle the situation gingerly. The facts appear to
be. however, that the workmen have organized
a union which in the early part ol February had at
tained a membership of 1,200, and have presented
demands for 50 cents an hour instead of the rr/j/2
cents heretofore paid F>y the commission in charge
of the wo k. Whether or not the work is completely
tied up 2 not divulged. In the meantime a media-,
lion board is on the scene, dispatched by the depart
ment of k.bor, and the commission is advertising for
men to t. ke lire places of the strikers.
The h i idling of the labor situation by the Alaska
engineering commission, in clrarge of construction
work, h been unfortunate since the inception ot
the enterprise. At the outset a spirit of hostility
seems to rave been developed by the determination
to mrpoi I labor into Alaska, many of the men being
foreigner', lire charge was openly made that the
eight-hojr day larv was being violated by means of
the contract system, and the low wage schedule put
in force ct new standards for Alaska labor which
certainly were cause for discontent among laborers
and in fa t all classes of Alaska residents. A recent
authority ive statement as to conditions of labor on
the railr:ad project is as follows:
No r::"\ ! sectional or political distinct ions have been made m
accepting : re acting apt licants fur employment. Ordinary (lav
hlajrcrs n \e S;-> a day, and are charged a dollar a day for food
"board at th > construction camps. Might hours constitute a day -
work. ail! die eight-hour law has been strictly enforced. Thi
doet- not. o course, apply to the ‘•siatiomuen," who are contrac
tors, and if re has been some criticism of this system. It appears,
however, '! ft the complaints concerning conditions on th ■ job do
not come ! "om tHo workers themselv. -. but from oul.-tdrr; who
are not so tesirous of work as they are of sharing in the govern
iiiciit apt iriution.
It will be conceded by anyone at all familiar with
labor co iditions :n Alaska that $3 per day, with
$! for b yard, is not an adequate wage, even where
the eight-hour day is observed. When it is known,
however that the bulk of the work has been given
to “stat onmen,” or contractors, on terms which pre
clude th: possibility of earning even this modest
wage, wdhin the legal eight-hour limit, it is seen
wherein lies the cause of dissatisfaction. As to
the statement that the complaints come from
outsiders, it is only natural that this should be
so. The standard of wages enforced by the gov
ernment will have its effect on the general
wage market, and it is not at all surprising that those
“desirous of sharing in the government appropria
tion,” a? wreil as all others, should be vitally inter
ested in the conditions of employment on the rail
road.
It is to be hoped that out of the airing that will
be given the situation by the mediation board will
chine a iccognition of the fact that labor’s compen
sation in Alaska should be considerably higher than
in the m 're settled communities of the States.
-w
“AMERICAN SEAMEN”
The foreign trade department of the San Francisco Chamber
of Commerce has recently compiled from the offices of the various
collectors of customs in the ocean ports of this country the statis
tics relating to the enrollment oj ' American” seamen under the
seaman’s ltw, ostensibly designed for their protection. The show
ing is a st irtling one. In the Puget sound district, for example,
the number of seamen who have proved qualified under the act
and who therefore received certificates as by the law required
was 891. Of this number 9. or about 1 per cent of the whole
number, were of American birth, or strictly American seamen.
Further, but 18 of the whole number were even naturalized. The
unnaturali: ed aliens who have received certificates under this act
for the protection of “American” seamen constituted 97 per cent
of the wh( le number. Puget sound, it may be admitted, makes
the worst : howing in this respect of any ocean port of the coun
try, but only in degree. Portland, with but 226 enrolled seamen,
has fully ■ 1 native Americans among her American seamen and
but 76 pc ' cent of unnaturalized aliens. The average for the
whole com try is 17 per cent natives, 8 per cent naturalized and
75 per cem aliens who have not sought American citizenship. For
the benefit, ostensibly, of the aliens wffio have been working on
American hips under the guise of “American seamen,” congress
has delibe ately turned the carrying trade of the Pacific over to
Japan. If there ever was a bill passed under rottenly false pre
tenses, it ■ this so-called seaman's bill, which congress manifests
no disposi ion to repeal or even to modify.—Seattle Post-Intelli
gencer.
No be'ter argument in favor of the Lafollette law,
which seeks to improve the condition of the toilers
of the sea, and free them from practical slavery,
could possibly be put forth than that above quoted.
Is it no! time for remedial legislation when 97 per
cent of :he sailors on “American” ships are of for
eign birth and allegiance? The Lafollette law aims
to change this condition. It is because of the fact
that the lot of the seamen in our merchant marine
has be me unbearable that there is a scarcity of
self-res;: ecting native Americans seeking employ
ment un American vessels. It is to make American
ships de irable fields for employment for Americans
that the Lafollette bill was passed. If incidentally
it worts tq the benefit of men of other nationalities,
so much ihe better. The world as well as the United
States v. 1 benefit by it, the lives of passengers and
crews w ii be more closely safeguarded, and the call
of the sea will again be heard by American youth.
PLAGUING THE CONQUERORS
The world always will lend a sympathetic ear to
the oppressed, or even those who think they are op
pressed. There is a certain admiration for those i
who refuse to accept without protest con- j
ditions imposed upon them against their wishes. Lor !
this reason the Irish agitators sometimes have had \ j
more sympathetic hearing in this country than even
in Ireland itself. Therefore the following account
of the way in which the Belgians inflict castigation
upon their Teutonic conquerors will be read with in
terest and appreciation. Ci. F. Steward, wrilrng in
the London Daily News, gives the following with ref
erence to the publication of La Libre Belgium—Lice
Belgium—“one of the brightest and certainly one of
the most remarkable papers in the world.” Says the |
writer:
Its existence IS a paradox, us presence a pcrn'ci pe.-i in me
Prussian-. It is sale to say that absolutely nothing lias so an
noyeil the supersensitiveness of the Junker governors of Brussels
or"caused them to link more ridiculous in the eyes of the Bros I
selois, than this will-o’-the-wisp that dances tantalizingly before
their eves, appears regularly as from some supernatural agency,
gibes at their efforts to capture it, and disappears for a period i
only to reappear in order to satirize anil raise a laugh at the j
clumsy Teutons. It is as free as the day ; but it is chased with I
as much keenness as victory is chased by the kaiser. lhere are
thntis: nds of spies in Brussels to whom its discovery would mean i
the sunshir.g of N on hissing's smiles and a pat of approval fiom j
Sauberzv.vig. They have searched every printing works and stud- j
ied the types and the machines: they have peered into huntin'.- |
of houses, cellars and outhou.-es. but not a trace have they found.
They have seized unsuspecting suspects in the streets, and rifled j
their pockets, and have broken m suddenly upon little gathering-, j
but all to no purpose.
Its well-advertised telegraphic address is: "hommandatur, :
Bruxi'1 - " As to its priming works and office of administration,
it blithely says: “Ne pouvant etre tin lieu do tout repos, il- -out
instelles dans tine cave automobile.' (Lacking a safe ba-e. we j
issue from an automobile oil tank i
Von Bissing is on the free list. Not an edition appears but a
copy of it is deposited in his letter box. That box has been
watched for days at a stretch, but the elusive culprit has not been ;
caught. Regularly the paper is deliv ered by the invisible* haim
and as regularly there is another outburst of ineffective rage and
unsuccessful searching. No German can stand the sarcastic re-j
printing of these sentences of good advice to the Belgian popula
tion by Cardinal Mereier:
"Toward the persons who dominate our country by- military
force have the regard demanded by ti e general interest. Respect
till rules that they impose so long as they do not carry a blow i.t
the liberty of our Christian consciences and our patriotic dignity.
Could" anything he more irritating than the republieation id
these words tinder such circumstances ? Another biond-lumt com
mences One day. among the numerous communications that no
to the German governor was the advice that La Libre Belgique
was actually published by Or. Andre Yesale of l’lace ties Martyrs.
This was regarded as a sure tip. The German sleuth-hound- went
t.> the square and methodically called at every house, iuquir-ag
for the doctor, until one individual 'plucked up courage to point
to the medico's statue and explain that ihe gentleman fl'mii. h ■ i
some centuries ego. was known as a great anatomist. and ere 1
iblv regarded as having indulged in body-snatching!
©
If the shipping men believe that the American merchant mu
fine will be ruined by the seaman's act. why this great activity in
American shipyards? and the rush to construct further .-hinbuild
| ing plants? In the face of predicted dire disaster, every -'hipbt.il-1
mg plant in the country is swamped with orders, li is probable
j that, the transportation companies will survive, ju.-t as did Lie
i railroads when they were compelled to install automatic couplers.
I At that time the railroads made a similar howl to that now being
so mournfully sounded bv the shinping men.
<*>
The fact that President Gompers of the American Federation
i of Labor denounces the indictment of the president of the stc-i
trust does not mean that the former is at all concerned about tin
personal welfare of the multimillionaire. The truth is that if
Gary can be punished for restraint of trade in fixing wages b
agreement with other manufacturers, so can every trades-unionist
in Ohio. If labor be held to be a commodity Ihe cni| loyers of
labor will have a valuable ally in the courts in their conflicts with
:heir workmen.
—
While necessarily condensed because of high telegraphic toil-;.
The Pioneer’s news service i.- comprehensive in its scope, and few
matters of general importance escape mention. I is rather dis
concerting, therefore, to have one's attention called to a news item
in an Outside newspaper a month or six weeks old which was pub
lished in The Pioneer of the same date. Head The Pioneer if you
want the news. Don’t wait for the Outside publications.
Tin- Pioneer is under obligations to Secretary of the Interior
Franklin K. Lane for a copy of the National Geographic Magazine
for December, which contains a comprehensive review of the
Alaska government railway project, and also a valuable r .ntribu
tion on the nation's resources and achievements from the pen of
Mr. Lane, entitled “The Nation’s Pride.”
♦ -
Our Seattle correspondent, in reporting the unwelcome news of
the boosting of freight and passenger tariffs on Alaska steamships
apparently refuses to accept the excuse given by the companies,
that the increase is made necessary by the enforcement of the La
follette seaman’s law. He gives the true reason the remarkable
demand for ships.
-— -♦-—
The announcement that W. J. Bryan will not attempt to do
at the St. Louis convention what Roosevelt did four years ago to
the Republican party will be disappointing news to those who are
seeking to encompass the defeat of Mr. Wilson.
Villa is expected to endeavor to escape by passing as a peon,
according to the news dispatches. He would not be under the
necessity of wearing a disguise, either, judging by published por
traits.
-♦ -
A man named Shamus O’Brien lost a prizefight on St. Patrick's
day. He should be disowned by his compatriots.
-♦—
A MAN JSFTER OUR OWN HEART
f -
(Columbia State1
“We can’t fight,” says Luke McLuke, “but if we ever met a
Male Thing who resembled one of the Dudes in the Flagg and
Gibson magazine illustrations, we would have a hard time con
trolling ourselves and keeping from mussing him up.” Luke said
something that time. And for us the same thing goes for the
Hreoes in the Bob Chambers and Harold Beil Wright slush.
-♦
COMMENDABLE TOLERANCE!
(Seward Gateway)
There is absolutely no reason why anyone should say anything
against churches. Since” they have no power over a man’s will
or a man's judgment they can do no harm.
-»
The only guarantee that the true significance of the Stars and
Stripes, the rich heritage of three hundred years of American
civilization, will persist and prevail throughout the ages to come,
will be the ever-present consciousness throughout all the world
that behind the good will of this nation, back of its messages of
peace, stands a united spiritualized nation of intelligent freemen,
who know their purposes and their rights, and will be ever ready
if need be to advance and maintain them.—Congressman Fowler
of New Jersey.
Five negroes were lynched in Georgia Friday. Now, if a
negro were a bale of cotton, Senator Hoke Smith might be ex
pected to voice great indignation.—New York Morning Telegraph.
-♦
A Berlin professor is quoted as saying Germany loves the other
nations, and is punishing them for their own good. We suppose
it hurts her as much as it does them.—Wall Street Journal.
-♦
Another reason why we believe the allies will do their big
fighting on the western front is because they have done so little j
elsewhere.—Galveston News.
-♦
The Italians seem very much surprised to discover that Monte
negro has been unable to whip Germany, Austria and Bulgaria.
Galveston News.
WE STAND CORRECTED
-— 1
To the Editor of The Iditarod Pioneer:
In (he issue of your paper under dute of
March 4. 1916, there appears an item which
reads:
“In the last mail Deputy Marshal Charles
received from Commissioner Vinal, at
Ophir. information that a man named Will
iam Carey was sick and destitute in a cabin
in the Beaver country, and requesting that
a dog team be sent to bring the man to th at
city.”
The item above referred to is wholly
wrong. The writer has seen a copy of Mr.
Vinal's letter to Mr. Charles. No request
was made to Mr. Charles for a dog team
to go out and get this sick man. The very
opening of Mr. Vinal’s letter to Mr. Charles
reads: “Two prospectors came into camp
tonight for help for a man who is sick and
destitute on the Beaver. A dog team and
men will go out for him in the morning.” J
1 would like to give you a history of j
this case, and if it does not take up t. » ,
much of your space add some remarks per
tinent to the subject:
Two pros}lectors, McNulty and Cri.sson,
found this man sick and destitute in a Ijabtn !
on the Beaver river late in 1 he afternoon of ;
February 23, some fifteen miles from Ophir j
It was during the terrific storms of last I
February. They made him as comfortable ;
as possible for tlie night, and as the weather
was bad. went together to Ophir for help.
They arrived in Ophir long after dark. Im
mediately upon arriving in town they went
to see the commissioner to see whet could
In' done. They ti Id him of the condition of
the man. and that he was absolutely des
titute.
Now any person at all familiar with the
Alaska laws for the care of unfortunates
knows that commi->ioners have abs lur h
no authority to care for such persons at the
expense of the government, it seems almost
as if they were enacted for the purpose
of not being effective when most neded. The •
only thing to be done was that familiar '
tiling, we 1 known to Alaskans, ‘ the sub
scription list,” which was resorted to with |
a httle preamble which read:
“I am told that there is a man sick and I
destitute on the Beaver; I will give the;
sum set opposite niy name for his care and |
support."
In a very short time nearly 8400 was j
raised in cash for this purpose. Carl Carl- |
S( n volunteered his services with ids dog I
team to bring the man in, which he did |
early the F Hewing morning. The man was j
given every care and attention possible;
while here; but our local physician was
absent at the time. Me waited a week for
flte return of Dr. Green, who f.* J 1 to ar
rive here as expected. He and hi- trie* '•
felt that he sorely needed th* af,en:i >: < :
a physician. II was anxious to i o to Idit
arod, where he went i t his own vihiii n
it ail stage on March 1.
And I wish to - y in pa-sing that no
camp in Alaska Ji.-.s been mme gem-nms
,:•! tiling.- com-idcred; than Ophir to its un
!’• .riunates. I w at to be believed when I
say that the mrn <<f this camp will “go ih.
limit" and then some when it comes to car
ing for and helping those in need. Had thi
unfortunate man seen lit to have lingered
here until Dr. Green came along and ad
vi.-ed us’ w‘ would have seen him through,
government aid or no. Ask him.
Yours verv truly,
T. J. MDCKLIv
Ophir, March 10. 1910.
-O
ONE-SIDED JUDGMENT
To ihe Editor of The Iditarod Pioneer:
With reference to Mr. Stanton's expres
sions in the March 11 issue of 'Ihe Pioneer:
This is a Messed "free thought” country,
: mi every man has an unlimited riaht to
his opinion; but in expressing it he must
el o eec. pt criticism.
Ill Mr. Stanton’s article he exposes so
c! ally the deep, black, dyed-in ihe-wool
bias of Republicanism that I can even ex
cam him for i armitting himself to pass
judgment from only one side of the ques
tion.
I refer you to February World’s Work,
"March of Events,” and Section 2, “The
Republican Party and the Defense of Ameri
can Rights,” for the two sides of the ques
tion. Yours truly,
CHARLES ERTMERE.
Flat, Alaska.
-♦
The Regina Hotel now open to the public.
Fresh Olympia and Eastern Oyster*. $1.50
per can. Iditarod Meat Co.
-O
dob Printing at Pioneer office.
CLEANING AND PRESSING
ALL KINDS OF FUR WORK
Suits Cleaned and Pressed, Fur Coats and
Robes Lined, and Ail Kinds of
Fur Work Done
SVJRS. CHA3. LARSON
Orders may be left with Mrs. Thornton
If You Are Interested in
LIFE INSURANCE
Lei me talk it over with you
EARL B. HUftlT
Mutch ter Bros,
GENERAL
FREIGHTERS
DAILY STAGE SERVICE
OPEN DAY AND NIGHT
me?
FLAT CITY HOHEACK & DURAN D
Bet. the Grand and Bagoy's Bars
THE BEST ALL THE TIME
WE ARE HERE TO STAY
ALL TIIH TIME A'l i'HL
FI. AT CITY
Oofn Dnv and Night
Mr. Business Man: Don't allow your
Mock of stationery <r other printed matter
i / be entirely depleted before ordering a
new \y Do it in e I' *ci.
1 Vo tensioned
Michigan, 188 1 Alaska. 1910
Kentucky, 1801
George Woodruff Albrecht
COUNSELOR AND LAWYER
IDITAROD, ALASKA
I lie pioneer Attorney nr IJltaroil
I -— - ■ ■ -■ - ' — ■ - ■ ■
E. M. STANTON
Attorney at Law
j Office: Corner Willow and Second So
Iditarod Pioneer Building
CM AS. E. TAYLOR
Attorney at Law
DANK BLOCK
! First Avenue Iditarod
i
Fred Harrison
ATTORNEY AT LAW
Room 1 Over Merchants Cate
DR. MOORE
PHYSICIAN AMD SURGEON
Physician and Surgeon
OPfsce: Hat City Hospital, Plat City
Consul a::<-:i !:->um in Forenoons and I v
Appointment
DR. H. BEHLA
PLAT CITY
Wili Arrive in ‘ditarod by the first beat r
the spring
mm m
il ii
Se:«ndSt. IDITAROD I¥1 EAT GO, Phono IS
Gold Si., Flat City
Mrs. Geo. Mutchier, Prop.
Nicely Furnished Rooms and Dogs Baths in Connection
DONNELLEY
sZIHEE L MERCHANDISE
DISCOVERY, OTTER
THE BEST OF EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME
MERCM ANTS’ CAFE
FIRST AYE.
GOOD MEALS
SHORT ORDERS
OPEN DAY AND NIGHT
ROBT. SOUTAR
Prep.
400 Pairs
LEATHER GLOVES and
MITTENS
Former Price SJ.SO to $3.GO per Pair
Now Soiling at
$1.00 per Pair
Mg MM HON
GENERAL MERCHANDISE FLAT CITY