[ IDITAROD PIONEER |
Published Every Sunday Morning at Iditarod, Alaska.
FRANK E. BECKER. EDITOR
Vat 2 Coo. M. ArbuckJe. Publisher No. J
SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
One Year.$10.00
Sis Months . 5.00 j
Otie Month . 1.00
Single Copy. 2!i
Advertising Rates on Application.
THE EASIEST WAY
When you are dealing with downright incompetence
on the part of the officials of the postoffice department in
Washington, it is hard to ask the people to pay part of the
expense that is rightly chargeable to that department.
It is well understood that people want their mail, but
according to the history of the last expedition which started
out to collect funds for an extra mail this trip, there are
very few who are willing to pay for it. Every man ap
proached let a holler out of him that could be heard in the
next county, but they nearly all came through just because
they didn’t like to be quitters. A man hates to be a tight
wad, and yet he hates to submit to a dun fora subscription
he does not believe in.
The question is asked by the Iditarod Nugget, “What
shall be done with the postoffice and we are quite willing
to ask the same question, having done so till we are black
in the face. Going over and whispering in the eai of Echo,
we come back with a look of astonishment and say “Bekase
why.”
Taking the matter firmly by the forelock and looking
it squarely in the face, we are hypnotized by the conclusion
that if the government don’t support the Iditarod postofflee,
the people won’t. In other words, if it comes hard to get
a little extra mail into the country, it is coining a blamed
sight harder to get money to have it distributed should a
few letters stray over the trail when no one is looking.
We have used up a whole lot of good paper ringing
the changes on the mail situation, and we have had a feeling
that it wa3 like butting the head against a stone wall, car
ing little for the mixed metaphor. But its entirely pos
sible that if a united people and a united press hammer
away long enough, we may at least get a courteous recog
nition from Washington of the fact that we are on the map,
and really a portion of Uncle Sam’s domain.
Having munched the matter meditatively we would
hand out a few reflections in this wise :
You can get much more out of public officials if you
make them uncomfortable than you can by meekly submitt
ing to their careless oppression.
People will pay out money much more freely to fight
against an imposition than they will to contribute to a de
ficiency fund to alleviate conditions.
To digress for a moment, it would seem that the misin
formation spread by General Maus, after his six-hour visit
to Iditarod, has permeated throughout all departments of
government at Washington. If such is the case then, it
strikes us that the best way to spend a little money is to
conduct a short anti-ignorance campaign designed to put a
peripetetic finish on his .Nobs, the General, and at the same
time put some of those civil service savants jerry to the dis
tressing mail situation here.
It is possible that the people of the district would be
willing to contribute to the support of the local postoffice
and if such should be the case we would be ill-advised argu
ing against it. But if a canvas be made of the sentiment
of the community, and especially if one were to start out
to collect money for that purpose it would speedily be found
that the people are antagonistic to furthei contribution to
assist the United States government in the expenses of sail
ing the ship of state.
Therefore our suggestion is this,—if any more money
is to be spent on this mail business let it be spent fighting.
We would sit down quietly and indite ten very caustic criti
cisms couched in the pithy terms of a telegram and send
one a day for ten days just so the postmaster-general would
get them each morning for breakfast. This could be arranged j
with the telegraph operator at Nulato. We would slip one to j
Delegate Wickersham telling as briefly as possible how the j
biggest camp in Alaska is being handed a lemon and we|
would hand a hot one to our “New Friend” George Wicker-1
sham explaining the champion bunc of the century and
Merchants Cafe
Wedding Dinners and Large Parties
a Specialty.
Strictly First Glass, Open Day and Night
Cbas. E. Miller & Ernest H. SUnte', Props.
IDITAROD HOTEL ”
First-Class Accommodations Your Patronage solicited
Clark Lumber Co.
Phone io—IDITAROD- Phone io
Rough and Dressed Lumber
ALL KINDS OF FREIGHTING DONE, PROMPT
DELIVERY GUARANTEED.
$15 and $20 Summit brand
Sheep Lined Mackinaw
-Goats, each,
_$7.00 and $'9.5O
I. GOLDSTEIN Front St.
THIS WEEK’S SPECIAL
Large Flashlights, Fresh Batteries, $6
Quart Thermos Bottles, 610
Taylor’s Thermometers, large size, S4
Box 50 “8-Hour” Cigars, S2.5D
TEL 3G. Creek Orders Attended to Promptly
‘•CLEANLINESS’’ IS OCR MOTTO
A House for Warmth and Comfort
Ulol ^organ & Hammer, Props.
Warm Dog Houses Popular Rates
C. J. Hurley, President J. P. Gteason, ice President A. Bruiting. Cashier
Corner First Are, and Richmond St., ldititrod
CAPITAL $50,000.00, FULLY PAID IN CASH
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 cheek 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.
Wa r m Co 111 fo rtablc
RADIATOR IN EVERY ROOM
GOOD, WARM DOG HOUSES
WILLOW ST. m SECOND AVE.
I. NYHOLM, PROP5.
suggesting that a few postoffi.ee officials be indicted as pub
lic nuisances.
As said before, these verbal bombs might be as effective
as exploding a small firecracker in the midst of the winter
tundra, but you never can tell, — if a small animal bites long
enough, it wi 11 make you scratch.
Unless the city of Iditarod cares to witness the humiliating
spectacle of creek bound merchandise sailing past our waterfront
on the way to Otter City, something better be done regarding the
Iditarod-Flat tramway. The need is absolutely imperative, for the
experience of last season taught us that we could not compete with
Otter as a means of transportation to Flat. It is understood that
the matter is under consideration by parties who ai'e looking for
the aid of Outside capital. We submit, however, that this means
of promotion is slow and uncertain, especially since the investment
shonld be so attractive as to call for ample subscription right here.
With a local company organized at once so that construction could
begin at an early date to catch the first freight of the spring, a
certain return on the investment would be assured the first eason.
KINDLY EDITORIAL BY KANSAS MAN
Is there any chance for Alaska? Two cabinet officers have
been there and come home, insisting upon development. Everyone
who goes there comes home declaring that Alaska ought to be de
veloped. The coal is lying there useless while the people doing
business there have to pay big prices to import what they burn.
It is a shame. There has been too much politics of the peanut
kind about Alaska. It is far away and the political sobsquads have
used it as a horrible example. In the meantime the people who
have gone there have not had any of the opportunities to which
they were entitled. The retarding of the development and growth
of Alaska is one of the worst crimes of the century, and it is di
rectly traceable to the sentimentalists who are seeking public at
tention at the expense of the inhabitants of the Far North. —Law
rence (Kan.) Journal.
THE WEARY WORLD
You say this world is a weary place, where man is seltish
and mean and base, where words are hollow and hearts are
cold, and life is only a race for gold. Ah, how I pity your state
of mind! Whatever you seek in this world you’ll tind! If you
look for men who are base and mean, you’ll find them thick in
your neighborhood. If seeking virtue, just take a walk—you’ll
tind a sample on every block. I say the world is a bully joint!
I cry to the croaking ones, aroint! Each day I live I am im
pressed by the goodness housed in the human breast'. There
are kindly hearts, there are helping hands as thick as the
blooming seashore sands! There are open doors for the soul
astray, and cheerful pilgrims to point the way. The world no
doubt is a dismal place, if you are seeking the mean and base;
but it’s all O. K., and it beats the band, if you are bunting the
good and grand!—Walt Mason.
Ilia! A. 6. Hall
Is Sure a Wonder
As was prophesied before the work 1
began, that new social hall built by the
Arctic Brothers of Flat is the finest in
the country, and a great credit to the
city. It was finished in time for the
big dance, after crowding tlie carpen
ters somewhat, and the place will un
questionably bo tite stage setting for
more than one brilliant event ere the
Iditarod has become a matter of his
tory .
Its dimensions are so generous that
it will take the whole dancing popula
tion of the district to crowd it. Just
about 80 feet long and .32 feet wide,
with an imported floor of fir, it comes
pretty near being the dancer’s dream
of paradise. Besides, there are the
dressing rooms for the ladies as you
enter the front door, and above tha'
is the balcony where the eats will be
served.
The place sets their back about
000, but they don’t mind it for they
feel confident of getting their money
back by next winter. That makes i
good, for in the meantime wo all have
a chance to turn ourselves loose on
that perfectly good floor.
Woman Beals All
Throwing Records
Boston, Dec. 12.—Margaret A. Gra
ham, It) years old, employed as a recle;
in one of the Ludlow mills, throw a
baseball 2021 feet recently, a mark 5
feet greater than that of her neares
woman rival.
Standing 0 feet 3| inches in her
stocking feet and tipping the scales at
189 pounds, Miss Graham, besides hav
ing nearly a score of world’s records to
Iter credit, has likewise been pro
nounced such a marvel of physical
strength as lias given her the honor ot
being declared the strongest younj.
woman in the world.
Miss Graham has smashed all tin
world’s records in skating for women
from 1 to 10 miles, her world's record
time for a half mile in this sport beiny
l minute 40 seconds. In spite of he;
giant stature she has made tiie 100-yar;
dash in 11J seconds (in skirts), and one
of her aquatic feats is a 100-foot swim
in 23 seconds.
INGANDESCENTS TO
TWINKLE ON CREEKS
With no degree of pleasure it is an
nounced that Flat City will have thi
electric lights this spring while Idit
arod still goes on inhaling gasoline.
The arrangements have been about
concluded, whereby the plant held by
Brumbaugh, Hamilton & Kellogg will
be taken over to Flat City and set up
ilit-ro for operation at an early date.
Joe Burns, an experienced elect rician,
is behind the deal and he will operate
the plant. He is still negotiating foi
boiler and engine, and incidentally i
looking into the wood, or looking ovei
it, just as you choose.
The plant has a capacity of 800 light ,
and the juice will be used in town and
on some of the mining claims. From
all appearances this town will be cv:t
entirely out of the illuminant.
Discovery Demands Lumber
The Slippern boys are about to move
their mill from Flat City to Discovery
Otter, for it appears that they will
need between one and two hundred
thousand feet of lumber up there in the
spring.
Earl Slippern was out last week mak
ing arrangements for the transfer oi
the saw apparatus and the change b
now going on. He will use a boiler al
ready at Discovery, just moving the
saw and carrier, for he intends to move
back to Flat in the spring after Dis
covery orders are filled.
The recent announcement of the
opening of Discovery claim isresprn
sible for the lumber activity, and as
sures considerable building and flume
construction on Otter.
Myrtle Tackles It Once More
An announcement of the wedding ol
Mrs. Myrtle Elizabeth Richardson, who
with her sister, Mrs. Morgan, left
Fairbanks a year ago last August, has
just been received by W. H. McPhee.
The husband is Ben F. Daggett, son of
a former governor of California.
The wedding occurred at San Rafael,
California, on October 6th. After Oc
tober 25 the couple were to be at home
at the Palace hotel in San Francisco.
Exemplary Patience
A Sioux City physician had been out
during office hours on an emergency
call, and when he returned be opened
the door of his consultation room and
inquired:
“Who has been waiting the longest?”
A tailor who had called to present
his bill rose and said:
“I think I have, doctor. I delivered
your clothes to you three years ago.’
—Lippineotts,
WE SATISFY THE HUNGRY
TODAY-SPECIAL SUNDAY DINNER-TODAY
Everything in Season
WILLOW STREET T. L. McGRATH, PROP.
I Steam Heated Throughout I
s Warm Dog Houses )
|_FIR^T^AVENUE TELEPHONE 63 (
Slippern's Mill,
ROUGH AND DRESSED LUMBER,
SASH, DOORS, GLASS AND
RU!LOER^SUPPLiES
^ccccc.- M/jfgTgtf
! 8 nA special prices
11 airviisev £2 iio3 furnTsh^ggoods
I Next to M. ond M. Bank Building
fi *'><£■'
Leaves IVIcDonaid Hotel for Flat City daily
at SO a. m, and 4 p. m.
Stage Leaves Fiat City daily at ii a. m, and
5 p. m.
Fare $2. H, H. ROSS, Prop.
Job Printing at the Pioneer Office
TURN YOUR FACE TO
For Snspiration
Corner Second Avenue and Willow Street
Georgs Auten Dave Ferguson
Cheer and Comfort i
-5
- >
AT THi: >
liner’s Heme i
SALOON
Miller & Jerman, Props, j
I
PAT KEYES AND PH!L MAYHAN, PROPS.
Telephone Main 64. Office at Ophir House, Willow St.
TRIPS EVERY DAY EXCEPT SUNDAY
Leaves Flat Creek .8:00 a. ru.
Leaves Ophir House, Iditarod.2:00 p. m.