THE SDSTAROD PIONEER
Published Every Saturday Morning at Iditarod, Alaska
VY.I. 7 CHARLES A. DERRY, Editor No. 44
ARBUCKLE &. DERRY, Publishers
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THE RAILROAD EIGHT-HOUR LAW
Despite the fart that newspapers and lawyers have idler,
si.e.ed that the railroad eight-hour law passed in the closing hours
nf congtV's would not stand the ie.-i of judicial decision, tun
gre--man Adamson, the author of the law, and himself a lawvei
of long experience, thinks differently. He sirongly defends the
measure and intimates that congress will take further steps in
■he regulation id controversies lietween the railroads and their
employes. The opinions of Mr. Adamson, who was admitted to
tbe bar in 1STli. may be of as much value as those of some of
the critics of the law. He says:
A ou can say it is all poppycock to talk about being held
up for the eight hour work day legislation. It was time for
that measure, and it means as much or more for the pub.ic
as it does for the brotherhoods. The law will stand the test
of tl'.e courts. 1 haven't fear on that score, and it will apply
to all men who operate trains. It does not stop at the 400,000
m the brotherhoods.
AYo knew that an eight hour law would come at some
time in the near future, but we wanted to couple it with
tthor features, of railroad legislation. AVe will not stop with
tin1 ltd!. When congress meets again we will add to it pro
mm, ns to protect the carriers and especially to safeguard the
I '-flu-.
1 think the law will make for better service to shippers
and to tile traveling public. I feel that we acted wisely in
-t.'i or:g where we did; the time was too short to cover the
cm ire subiect involved in the controversy. Had we had time,
v ,, e ;4,i have gone on with it all. but we siiu| ly met the
emergency.
1 think ii is unjust f >r anybody to charge that cmigre-s
|. i ii were prodded or tiriveu to tins legislation. It came up
suddenly, and when crepe were being harvested for market.
That made it the more neces-ary that we act at once to avert
the threatened strike. AVe foil wed reason in the matter.
J bi lieve the adoption of the eight-hour law. with the
safeguard' provided to protect the status quo until investiga
n; 11 cal! be made, was the proper thing. In future sessions
of e. ngress we will have opportunity to adjust the relations
between the men and the roads. AVe are compelled to pre
eve tl’.e roans and to protect the public against employes
and employer- of transportation systems.
The bill was passed in haste to meet an emergency, but
it will stand. People who operate trains should be in full
;w,-session of their faculties of mind and body, and should
not work more than eight hours a day. except in cases of
emergency. On that theory we have legislated for eight
hours id service.
A -
THE DELEGATE AND THE RCAD QUESTION
On,. , f i : ' !;.••«! d -i,-- ing fail: nv i.f Mr. W'iikerdt inn's stcw
; Phip as the delegate of Alaska in congress has been his unfor
tunate quarrels and bickerings with the .Alaska road commission
■lid with Colonel Richardson, its head, in particular. No one will
d.-ubt that the result has been to retard to a great degree the
development of a system of roads in the territory, and that as a
cot,sequence of the fight engendered outlying districts have been
neglected in this important matter. Senator Charles A. Sulzer.
in a speech made at Fairbanks during his stay there, took up this
matter and told of (he personal grudge oi 1'-legate Wickersham
against the road commission and Colonel Richardson, and how
:ho delegate had actually carried his personal spite into the halls
< f congress, lie produced a speech which Delegate Wickersham
i< spreading broad ast throughout Alaska, in which he claimed
have gotten the appropriation for roads during the last session
i f c nan---. Mr. Sulzer showed by the Cmigre.-sir mil Record that
iHe speech never had been made, and that it was merely inserted
i;. the Congre--i( nal Record after the bouse had passed the road
appropriation.
Mr. Wickersham introduced a bill abolishing the road com
mission and transferring its duties to the territorial officers. He
was impelled to withdraw this measure because of a strong protest
ft cm citizens of Fairbanks.
It is only natural that the bitter enmity of the delegate toward
Colonel Richardson, whether merited or not. should inspire re
.-rntinent in that official. The consequence has been that the
residents of the territory have suffered because of this quarrel be
tween two public officials.
Should Charles A. Sulzer succeed in defeating Mr. Wicker
sham, as now seems extremely probable, there will be an oppor
tunity to eliminate friction between two officials who certainly
can do much more for the benefit of the territory when working
in harmony than when engaged in a senseless quarrel.
-*
THE PROHIBITION ISSUE
While the vote at the forthcoming election may or may not
determine the future of the liquor busine.-s in Alaska, :t is not
l,i be expected that even if the vote be "wet" the hfe of the
saloon will be of long duration. The signs of the times indicate
that it will be but a few years until the saloon, at least, will be
a thing of the past so fur as Alaska, in common with a majority
t f the states, is concerned That the liquor interests realize this
also is apparent to anyone who has watched closely the course
of events.
The campaign being waged in this territory to stem the tide
of prohibition has been a vigorous one, and the methods em
I loved have not been such as would commend them to those who
believe in a free expression at the ballot box. Much of the ma
terial published would better have never been issued, and most of
i; has been of the kind that fails to appeal to thinking men and j
women. Because of the fact that such a mass of unreliable and j
i,f nsensical stuff has been in circulation in support of both sides j
of the liquor question, The Pioneer b - refrained front exten- j
,-ively taking part in the argument, because to properly handle
the problem would require too much space, and the further fact j
that no good can result from the rehashing of exploded and dis- |
credited “arguments.” We have preferred to leave the matter to
the conscience of the voter himself.
There are two phases of the prohibition question which have
caused great concern to all classes of citizens, whether in favor of
limiting the activities of the saloon or otherwise. These are the
question of interference with "personal liberty” as it has been un
derstood under the Stars rnd Stripes, and the revolution its en |
forcement would entail in the collection of revenue. These .
two questions have been made much of by the liquor interests,
and have constituted the only real arguments that have1
appeared. The man who claims the “right” to drink liquor, and
resents prohibition as an intrusion on his constitutional preroga
tives. has put forth a plea which is entitled to and does receive
consideration. But he views the problem merely from a personal
and selfish standpoint. If the unrestricted sal? of liquor be a
j menace to the pubic welfare; if the havoc and destruction caused
by the sale of liquor to men and women incapable of self-restraint
be a menace to the nation, and to the unborn generations, then
the personal element is of small moment. The state, in the inter
est of the whole people, is justified in invading personal rights for
the public good. The same element of personal rights enters into
the sale and use of injurious drugs, such as opium, cocaine, etc.,
\et who would put forth his own personal liberty to buy these
articles in opposition to the legislation which endeavors to stay
the destruction wrought to humanity by their unrestricted sale? j
The question of public revenue a Bo is one of much moment, j
Under the present system most of the revenue derived from |
licenses to sell liquor is spent in the community in which the
. aloon is located. Seme of it is used in the maintenance of muni
cipal machinery and the upkeep of schools. Money derived from ,
licenses outside of incorporated towns is used largely in the upkeep
< f the territorial schools. It is argued by the liquor interests that
this revenue will be lost under prohibition. Tl; is quite true;
but it is not true, as has been argued, that scho- B will be closed
and municipalities become bankrupt. The money paid into the
public funds by the saloons as license money is derived from the
people. In the event that prohibition should become effective in
Ala.'ka it would be necessary merely to change the system bv
which tlie people pay a certain portion of their taxes through
ihe sail uikeener inf ) some <other indirect or direct channel.
In plain English, the prohibition question is not a political
one. It is merely a question of whether the saloon is such a
menace to society as to warrant its extermination. In other
words, it is a moral question.
AGRICULTURE IN ALASKA
| A recent art id.' by I t . nk C: rpectrr, the noted traveler and
writer, on the agricultural possibd ties of Ala-ka, gives a com
mon sense vic-w of that subject which, while it will not be accept
1 able to those dreamers who dilate on the "great agricultural re
! sources < f Interior Alaska,” end the ‘‘millions of acres of farming
! kind,” will : I least prevent ignorant persons from taking at face
\ elite some of the boom articles that have found favor in certain
quarters. After telling of a visit to the government farm on the
[ Yukon, of the splendid growths attained by vegetables and cereal
I lit the shout sea-on. and of many interesting tilings in connection
| therewith which arc familiar to al! Alaskans, Mr. Carpenter says:
1 cannot see how there c m be big opportunities for fanning
here until there are fixed industries that will warrant a resi
dent population. The opening up of the country by the rail
road will bring in many new miner-, and placer settlements j
will spring up and be abandoned just like these villages on
I he Yukon. If great dredging operations like those near j
Dawson be undertaken, or low-grade quartz mining properties
like those of Juneau be found, the country will need men to
operate the plants. The discovery of copper mines or tin
mines might produce a iike result. The comparisons of
AH.-ka with Norway, Sweden and-Finland do not take into
consideration the enormous popukuion on the other side of
the Baltic l.-le.s. Siberia has large areas of wheat-growing
territory, and wheat will bear exportation. It has thousands
who are engaged in dairying, and tl ere are solid butter
trains which, in times of peace, carry butter and cheese across
Russia to the ports of the Baltic, whence they are shipped
to England. As 1. ng as we have such va-t areas of dairy
lands in the States it will bp unnecessary to develop a dairy
industry here except for the k eel market.
-V
WICKERSHAM “PARTY" A MENACE
(Fairbanks New.Miner
Wickersham an an independent, whether he elect to call him
, si If a Wilson Democrat or Roosevelt Republican or Independent
I Republican, bv which three names be has in turn celled himself.
has been considered all right as a “party,” but when his follow
i ers, or a few of them in each district, take it upon them- Ives to
name themselves for office regularly each campaign and to de
i dare that no candidate who is not a Wicker-ham man can be
I (lectcd to any office in the gift of the people of Alaska, those
followers show evidence of the building of a machine which w odd
be stronger than anv Detnocr. be or HepubFran machine
could be in Alaska, and the Wickersham 'party” thus be omes a
menace. It is now time for every new-p:—' which cares to be
of any brand of politics to nnmtui c il-elf t:ti out'. orally, ami I
be either Wickersham straight, Democratic straight, or Repub
bean straight. For that reason the Nows Miner today aim. unco
itself as uncompromisingly straight Democratic.
- - -<£' -
WILL NEED SOME FIXING
(Douglas Island News)
Delegate James Wickersham will be lo re before another week
laid away on the shelf of eternity, for the purpose oi It. iking
after bis political fences, which in some places are n ra her bad
condition and sadly in need of repairs. But Jame is som< re
pairer, and those who follow him must rise etudy. The crn.vn-.u
of opinion is that he will find repairs harder t.i make this year
than ever before.
--♦
The news in today’s Pioneer from Valdez, v> the effect that j
Wickersham has practical'y “dogged” the campaign, is a note of I
vast encouragement. to the supporters iff Mr. Sulzer. The dele- j
gate has no one but himself to blame for the chug- in public
sentiment toward him. His attitude- of opposition to President j
Wil n is a most unpopular one in the territory, lfe voters led :
that to e’ect an avowed antagonist of President Wii<on would be
to administer a rebuke to the only administrate n which ever has j
shown an intelligent interest in Alaska’s welfare.
--♦
The suggestion of -1. K. Green of Long that the ju.Ucial Givi- j
sif,ns cf Alaska should be subdivided into districts for the purpose
of legislative representation is a good one, and no doubt will re
ceive consideration at the hands of the incoming legislature. I, j
such a system had been in effect heretofore the Llharod, Innoko j
end Kuskokwim valleys would not. have been without representa- |
tic-n at the last session of the territorial law-making body.
If the paper famine get? much worse, it's even possible that
Mexican money may assume some actual va'.ue. Philadelphia
North American.
We still wait for Hughes to say that if he had been President
in 1914 there wouldn’t have been any war in Europe. Schenec
tady Gazette.
— ❖
All the gubernatorial aspirants at the September primaries in
the state of Washington announced themselves in favor of the
existing prohibition law._____„ j
Ball Band Rubber Boots and P ties
Ball Band Rubber Boots and Pacs
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N. C. Co. Sole Agents for Alaska
N. C. Co. Sole Agents for Alaska
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C/J
TO THE JEDGE I
(Claire Martin in the Great Divide)
Now, Jedge, I’ve rid the elephant since Lin
coln held the reins;
I've got a Dem’crat bullet in my shoulder,
an' it pains;
My pappy heard Dan Webster talking ’bout
that storm at sea;
When Ingersoll said “plumed knight” 'twas
ri»Tit in front of me.
I'm a-follerin’ all your speeches, an’ a prayin'
every day
Ye'll come right out an’ show ’em up, but.
Jedge well, anyway,
I ain’t a-tryin’ to knock ye, Jedge; I’m just
a-wi hin’, though,
Ye'd make some things more def’nit, jes’ to
let the Item’ rats know
We got a leader, after all, to ride the G.
(). I’.
Straight up a concrete platform, right on
to victoree!
Now, here’s a paper—'spect it's wrong
thet says ye’re goin’ attact
The law fer fixin’ harbors, an’ the rur’l
credits act.
1 hope the sheet’s jest, gaspin’, ’cause, now
Jedge, ye know yerself
That the corn land Tong this river is jes
like a crumblin’ shelf.
I’ve been dwellin’ in these bottoms fer nigh
half a hunderd year,
An’ I’ve seen the commerce sufferin’ ’cause
the channel isn’t clear.
Then to mention rur’l credits, I kin publish
fer a fact.’
Thet it pulled me outen mis'ry as was lookin’
mighty black.
Fer they lent me four cent money which
was costin’ ten before,
An' not askin' me to pay it fer nigh twenty
years cr more!
So, I b'iieve, Jedge please fergive me if ye
feel I'm buttin’ in—
Thet the bankin' laws is better than they
gin’lv yet have been.
Then another thing is botherin’, if the
paper's playin’ squar’,
'Bout ye savin’ Mister Wilson made an
“ignominus war.”
Now, Jedge, them pore, sad Greasers is
a-starvin’ on the grout)’,
An’ we oughtent to go hurt ’em, if there’s
any way aroun’;
It in ikes me swaller kind o’ hard jes’ think
in' ’bout their pain,
So I say, jes’ man the border till they’re
ferlin’ right again.
Mister Wilson’s kindness to ’em makes me
like him better still.
Like his kindness to the childern, in the
chili'.ern’s labor Mil.
So I’m prayin’, Jedge, he careful, an don t
say it les’ it’s so,
For an honest tongue is better’n all the ser
pents in the show.
The Dem'crats say ve’re squirming’, and al
though I can't explain,
I keep hopin’ somethin’ better is a-brewin'
in your brain.
I’m an nl I hoss in the party, and I’d hate
to have to hedge.
But please git us somethin' defnit, or I'll
have to do it, Jedge.
* -
DEMOCRATIC TICKET
Vole It Straight
FOURTH JUDICIAL DIVISION
MARK YOUR BALLOT THUS
For Delegate to Cengrets
(Vote for Onei
IEWIP. LENA MORROW
X SULZER, CHARLES A.
WICKERSHAM, JAMES
For Attorney Cenc-ra! or the Territory of
Alaska
(Vote for One ■
COBB, JOHN II.
X GRIGSBY, GEORGE B.
SCHOFIELD, GEORGE D.
For Territorial Senator
(Vote for One)
McCABE, DAN
X McGOWAN, THOMAS A.
SUTHERLAND. DAN A.
For Territorial Representatives
(Vote for Four)
BEAN, Z. C.
X BURNS, W. T.
COLLINS, ERNEST B.
X DUNN, JOHN W.
GREEN. JOE K.
X HESS, L. C.
HUEY. GEORGE W.
X KILGORE, A. M.
LEDGER, GEORGE W.
MONAHAN, C. M.
NERLAND, ANDREW
SNOW, C. K.
VXNAL, W. A.
WEBSTER, DANIEL
WESTENVIK, LARS
For Real Commissioner, District No. 4
JENSEN, PETER
ROSS. FI. H.
SABIN, MELVIN R.
STEIL, PETER
Eight-Hour Law
Note.—Place a cross (X) opposite your
choice.
(Vote for One)
For a General Eight-Hour Law
Against a General Eight-Hour Law
Note.—Against ihe manufacture or sale
of intoxicating liquors in Alaska after Janu
ary 1st, 1918, place cross (X) opposite
“Dry.” In favor of same, place cross (X)
opposite “Wet.”
(Vote for One)
DRY
WET —Adv.
-*
MENTAL EFFORT
“Do you use slang?”
“No, I’ve quit. I’m speaking plain
English. To have your slang correct and
up to date requires altogether too much
study.”—'Washington Star.
-«
NOTICE
Notice is hereby given that the under- '
signed has been appointed agent in Iditarod
r r H H. PorPr an' ’ “ ''a ":,1 - IP
and receipt for all bill. Cue him
GUY G. GERAGHTY.
OKAS. A, SULZtfi, DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE TOR DELEGATE
SULZER AND THE MINING MAN
Unicn Tio. *35? of the Western Foderaticn cf Miners, Suizer, Alaska, hss sent tho fol
lowing communication to every miners’ union in Alaska:
,\t a meeting held In our hall on .linn- I'M1', all members heina* pre-cut. a motion
■A .'is made, seconded and tinaninnaisle carried to r tv e Senator 'diaries A. "iiizor of
vlaMia legislature our entire i*i >• r1 in his campaign for delegate to congee--.
.Me. M.'izer ha- been a resident here for fourteen years. I nti! the last year h- wa
in* nera I ri in a ac r for lie* \!;:-ka Industrial Mom: any. hut since last yar I." !ia- 1 i" i s
he mines hin -<*|f as a les-ee. Muring all rh ~• fourteen years he lia- proved him-' ii
• ii«* ti.-nd of unionism, a pood fellow and a friend oi labor in genera!.
Hr tile eight-hour day of Ins own fr*-e will u i'.‘! *J upon .Marling operation- , •
\i*iska. and tin- was long be: • t •• anyone else had tile -.uue rule in Alaska. iia- id
ways paid the highest wage- in this‘di>triet. given evryl.-dv a Mjmire deal ."i l t: a' J
■rybody as a man. There - n man w !i • has evi \\ ked in s nator suizer as camp
win will not speak of him in the highest terms, and vm know Ipin Ion-' ob.-ervatmn
ihat he has the on 1 • > • o' u- in ** o
T he r< i< going are . nly a few of the main farts of Mr. suizer s character w'n'Ti haw
endeared him t • tin* \\. .o -•» we wi-u \.ai to rally to In- -i:pp'*rt and have nu «-b
Mneh* in tile wav of Ins elerln n for delegate to e uvre--; Ir an \la~ka.
I Mm's Mi. 1 5*J, WI-.STI HA IT'.i I!HAT! ON Oh .MLM.HS.
By TiluMA- If. Hi TI-Kil. I’n .-idem.
(Seal) If*. It. Id ■; I I.ESO.M Secretary.
Job Printing at Pioneer Office
FINNEGAN Si CAIV1ERON
FLAT CITY
Agency for Edison Diamond Disc Phonographs and Records
TOBACCO CIGARS STATIONERY
CONFECTIONERY AND BILLIARDS
C. R. Camoron J*5- F. Finnegan
Fi%.g'rish Cfainaware
Handsome Dinner Sets, 5 0 or 100 Pieces
Rich American Out Glass
Large and Small Pieces
DAINTY THINGS IN HAND-PAINTED CHINA
CAKE PLATES CELERY BOATS OLIVE DISHES
BON SONS
Tea Cups and Saucers, Creamers and Sugars—Something to Make Tea
Taste Good and Coffee Taste Better
Ma MAHO N
General Merchandise
FLAT GUY