lTHLlSHED EVERY SATVHDAY MORNINC* AT 1D1TAHOD, ALASKA
Vol 6 Ceo. M. Arbuokle. Publisher No. 2
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
One rear . $10.00 tone Month . $1.00
Six Months. 5.00 i Single Copy.
Advertising Rates cn Application__
MOTICE. Persons sending advertising copy from a distance are particularly re
«ni.-<ii-d l<> Li** careful in preparing the same. The publisher cannot accept the
responsibility for altering oopy. imperially in the case of forfeiture and other legal
notices. It is, therefore, imperative tliat such notices be clearly written, particu
larly as regards nanu s and dates.
PIONEERS OF ALASKA
The organization of an igloo of the Pioneers of Alaska in Iditarod
should receive the encouragement of all our citizens. This excellent
organization serves to bind together in close fellowship the hardy pros
pectors and frontiersmen who ventured forth into the far North in
search of fortune and adventure when the possibilities of Alaska were
but little known. Their experiences made history. The objects of the
organization, “to preserve the names of all of Alaska s pioneers on its
roll, to collect and preserve the literature and incidents of Alaska’s his
tory, and to promote the best interests of Alaska,” are such as to com
mend themselves to all. __
THE MAIL SERVICE
After a long and discouraging fight for an improved mail service
over a shorter and more convenient route, the people of the Iditarod,
Kuskokvvim and Innoko valleys have been given a service calculated
to meet their needs, and by means of which mail may be expeditiously
delivered to them, with the assistance of an intelligent management.
So- far the contractor has, in spite of discouraging trail conditions,
delivered mail in Iditarod from Seward well within the prescribed time
limit, and in good condition, and so far as this part of the service is
concerned there is not the slightest room for complaint. But in other
lespects there has been a manifest mismanagement of the service, or
a total lack of management of any kind. As to who is to blame for
this, it is for the department officials to determine and apply the rem
edy. Conditions as they exist now are well nigh intolerable, and call
for correction.
In a letter to The Pioneer, recently published, Dr. Green voices the
indignation of the residents along the Seward trail at the inadequacy of
the service provided, and in another communication he emphasizes "he
complaint and states the grievances of the people of Knik, who have
a mail allowance of but seventy-live pounds.
The people of Iditarod and vicinity also have just grounds for com
plaint on the score of the inadequacy of the mail service, and should
not be backward in making their grievance heard. The almost total
lack of mail communication between this city and Fairbanks and other
Interior Alaska points is as inexcusable as it is exasperating. The fact
that Interior Alaska mail has been held up somewhere is a condition for
which there is not the least excuse. To the residents along the trail
who, as Dr. Green says, see the mail sled go by weekly without de
livering the mail, the matter presents itself in a serious lig ht. To the
people of this vicinity, who find their mail is held up and no discrimina
tion apparently shown in the dispatch of different classes of matter, it
would seem to be high time for a change.
Apparently an almost total lack of knowledge of conditions in In
terior Alaska is responsible for the deplorable mail service. It is true
that a United States postal inspector occasionally makes his appear
ance in this vicinity for a few days, but it has been more than a year
since one of these officials visited Iditarod. Let the postal authorities
acquaint themselves with the conditions as they exist here, and they
will then be in position to deal intelligently with the situation.
The mere voicing of complaints by individuals will have very little
weight. There must be action by the communities affected. The pro
test of the entire community should go to Washington in such manner
that there can be no misunderstanding. It is no favor that Interior
Gold St., Flat City
Mrs. Geo. Mutchler, Prop.
Nicely Furnished Rooms Barn for Horses and Dogs Baths in Connection
Seward Gold Seal Pacs
ARE THE BEST ON THE MARKET
H. DONNELLEY, DISCOVERY, OTTER
McDonald House ACCOMMODATION
Furnace Heat in Every Room Large and Warm Dog Houses
_FREE READING ROOM.—All the Late Outside Papers and Magazines.
Flat City Qnx/rlck#* CLEAN, WARM ROOMS
Stop at the QllyUCl nUU9@ Tub and Steam Bath.
New Stable, for Horses and Dogs MRS. DICKSON, PRO?.
Beef, Poultry, Fish
Dry Packed Butter
Se;ondSt.SDITAROD IV! EAT COo Phone 15
THE BEST OF EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME_
Caribou Cafe
nnn GOOD MEALS ..
M'JMmii SHORT ORDERS
FIRST AVE. OPEN DAY AND NIGHT robt. soutar
___Prop.
Alaska asks in this matter, but a demand that its rights be observed. It
has as much right to an adequate mail service as any other portion of
the United States! and is certainly entitled to as much, if not more, con
sideration than the “insular possessions” of Uncle Sam in the matter of
mail service. There is a good trail at the command of the mail car
riers, and with a little comomn sense and business management there
is not the least reason why the mail should not be delivered in this
section of Alaska within a reasonable time.
Attorney L. V. Ray of Seward, president of the First territorial sen
ate, was not a candidate for re-election, declaring that it was useless
to enter a legisltaure which is given only the power granted by the
organic act, says a news item. As Senator Ray was one of the seven
senators who subscribed to the famous letter opposing government
construction of the Alaska railroad, which was used so gleefully by
the opponents of that measure, it is more than likely that there were
other reasons why Mr. Ray did not again seek legislative honors.
One of the greatest assets of the professional politician is “gall.”
Without it a man can make little headway in politics. You are com
pelled, whether you are willing or not, to notice the fellow who, aftei
leceiving a jolt in the solar plexus, rises to his feet, brushes the dust of
battle from his garments, extends a hand to his conqueror and says he
likes the licking he got and wants to be friendly with him. Witness the
following:
Juneau, Alaska, November 4, 1914.
Hon. James Wickersham, Fairbanks:
Congraulations on fourth election. Alaskan-- should forget political and sectional dif
ferences and act unitedly with you in the territory’s interest.
STRONG, Governor.
Baron Von Schack, German consul at San Francisco, is urging Cai
mans tFirougFiout the United States to boycott all goods manufactured
by nations which are hostile to Germany, according to a telegraphic
news item. It is rather a cheeky proposition for the representative
of a foreign government in the United States to attempt to advise the
citizens of the country as to their attitude toward another people.
Ambassadors of foreign governments have lost their official heads for
less. _
Is it not probable that much of the congestion in the mail service
is caused by the bulky catalogues of mail order houses with which
the territory is flooded annually? If such be the case, the patrons of
those concerns would be doing themselves, the merchants of their home
tow-ns and the people generally a double service by discontinuing their
business relations with Outside concerns that require so many tons of
literature with which to inveigle the gullible.
Among the United States commissioners slated for removal by the
new district judge in order to make room for the dyed-in-the-woo!
Democratic office-seekers is Duke E. Stubbs of the Kuskokwim precinct,
located at Aniak. The strategy of Stubbs’ position, however, is such
that he will not hear of his removal for three or four months after its
occurrence, if the mail connections of the past are any criterion.
Merely for the gratification of idle curiosity, it would be interesting
to know what line of logic dictated the running of an advertisement in
the Dawson (Canada) News by the Democrats of the Fourth district of
Alaska during the recent campaign, while overlooking the advertising
possibilities on the American side of the line, where the advertisement
might be supposed to have some effect.
A Berlin dispatch of November 23 says: “Sir Roger Casement of
Dublin, leader of the Irish volunteers, was received today at the Ger
man foreign office. He desires to commit Ireland to Germany’s cause.”
Whoever Sir Roger may be, he expresses a desire in which he evidently
is not backed up by his countrymen.
A movement is said to be on foot to utilize the salmon canneries dur
ing the slack season in canning whale meat for food. While whale
meat is an article of diet of the Eskimos, it probably will have to be
sold under some other name before it is popular on the menus of the
whites.
LABOR NOT A COMMODITY
(Tacoma Tribune)
“The labor of a human being is not a
commodity or an article of commerce,” is
the introductory’ sentence to section 7 of the
new anti-trust bill as passed by the senate.
Much confusion of thought and much
positive harm has been wrought by the no
tion too frequently entertained that labor is
a commodity and properly amenable to all
laws and regulations applying to other com
modities. The emancipation of slaves in
this country and the legislation growing
out of the civil war supposedly put an end
to the treatment of labor as a commodity
and the subject of purchase and sale, yet
there have been decisions of high courts to
the effect that when a man makes a con
tract of service he sells property and that
his property is no more entitled to consid
eration than property in nails or building
material. Attempts at practicing the old
theory are still found in some states where
iabor is practically in a state of peonage,
where the children of the republic are ex
ploited in the mills, and where, as in the
Colorado coal fields, thousands of ignorant
workmen are imported to take the place of
American labor.
ihe purpose oi congress in placing this
section in the anti-trust law is to protect
labor unions and farmers’ organizations
from summary condemnation under the
anti-trust laws. In their esae, as in that
of corporations, there must be proof of
crime before there can be conviction, and
no injunction shall be issued forbidding in
dividual members from lawfully carrying
out the legitimate objects of their organ
izations.
When section 7, often referred to as “la
bor’s bill of rights,” passed the house it
was highly objectionable, for the reason
that it made no distinction between unions
acting lawfully and unions acting unlaw
fully. The senate amendments have safe
guarded that point perfectly. The amend
ment recognizes that there is a flesh and
blood quality in labor that distinguishes it
from commodities.
EX-SENATOR HENRY RODEN
WILL RETURN IN SPRING
In a letter written from Juneau to Will
I ism F. Kramer by ex-Senator Henry Roden,
the former Iditarod lawyer says that he is
contemplating a business trip to Fairbanks
next spring. He says he is well and doing
well at Juneau, completely satisfied with
the change of residence he has made and
hopeful of the brightest kind of a future
for the territorial capital. This winter he
will spend principally between Seattle and
San Francisco on legal business.—Fairbanks
News-Miner, November 11.
DANIELS SAYS BATTLESHIP
IS STILL PARAMOUNT FACTOR
WASHINGTON. Nov. 19.-—Battleships
still hold their place as the paramount fac
tor in warfare on the sea, in the opinion
of controlling American naval authorities,
despite the remarkable effectiveness of sub
marines demonstrated since the European
war began. The general board of the navy
is so much interested in the real tests that
arc now going on abroad, however, that it
will withhold its recommendations as to the
naval needs of the United States during the
coming year as long as possible.
In an official statement issued recently
Mr. Daniels said:
“While the submarine is a most effec
tive defensive weapon and has great possi
bilities of marked development in the future
as an offensive weapon, it is not believed
that submarines in their present state of de
velopment will decide any naval war, but
that the paramount need of the present day
navy is for battleships by which the ulti
mate test of strength will be decided.”
M'Discussing the strength of the American
riavy in submarines, the secretary said:
“When the relative sizes of the fleets of
the great nations are considered it will be
seen that the United States possesses a sub
marine flotilla relatively and actually very
powerful. England’s fleet is more than
twice as great as that of this country, yet
she has but little more than half as many
more submarines. Germany, with a more
powerful fleet than ours, has many less
submarines, and Japan, with a fleet ap
proaching ours in strength, has only half as
many submarines.
“It is true the conditions are not all equal,
and requirements for more submarine
strength cannot be based entirely on fleet
strength. Harbors and coasts to be de
fended must be considered, and the United
Stffl?s, with long coast lines and many har
bors, may need rather more than a pro
portional number of submarines.
“As far as the submarines are concerned,
it is believed that ours are on a part with
any in the world. The deelopment of our
types has been logical, and in each new type
the ideas and comments of the officers and
men who operate the submarines in service
have been considered.
“Congress in appropriating for twelve in
the last two years is following out this idea,
and with the navy department and con
gress both working toward an adequate sub
marine fleet, it is believed that our concur
rent progress with foreign countries is fairly
assured.”
Fresh Olympia Oysters, for cocktails, $2
can. Iditarod Meat Co.
Assessment Work Blanks at Pioneer.
Egico No. 10, Pioneers of Alaska
INSTITUTION
Acting upon the authority vested in me by the Grand Igloo of the
Pioneers of Alaska, I will institute Iditarod Igloo No. 10, Pioneers of
Alaska,
On Weiss. Eve., Jan. 13, ISC5,
A! the Court Room of the U. S. Commissioner, in tditarod, at 8s30.
Alt white male Alaskans who arrived in the Territory prior to January 1, 1991, are eligible
to membership in the old settlers’ organization, an d are earnestly requested to file an application for
the Charter Membership Roll before the hour of t he initial meeting.
All “Sourdoughs” in this part of Alaska—an d there are many of them—are asked to secure ap
plication blanks, fill them out, and affiliate with the baby lodge (Iditarod Igloo No. 10, P. of A.)
and help make it one of the largest and strongest in the Northland sisterhood.
DON’T FORGET THE DATE AND PLACE
G. E. AUSTIN, Organizer.
GOVERNMENT ATTORNEY
TELLS OF STEEL TRUST
The first formal step in the suit of the
federal government to break up the United
States Steel Corporation was taken on Oc
tober 20, before four jud ges sitting for
the federal district of New Jersey.
Jacob M. Dickinson, former secretary of
war, who has been in charge of the govern
ment’s side of the case since it was insti
tuted in October. 1911, took up the entire
day in arguing for the separating into in
dependent units of all the subsidiaries of
the billion-dollar corporation on the ground
►hat their combination into one gigantic
concern constituted a violation of the anti
trust laws.
Counsel for the government told the
court that the corporation, in magnitude
and strength, si the greatest combination
of capital ever brought together under one
control. Mr. Dickinson began his argu
ment by going back more than a score of
years into the history of American indus
tries.
lie told of the sharp competition that
then existed in the iron, steel, tin plate and
kindred industries; of how pods were
formed in the steel rail field and how agree
ments were made between manufacturers
of iron and steel to keep up prices; how
captain? of industry schemed to out each
other out of business, and gradually led up
to the formni' ii of the gigantic corpora
tion now under fire.
Mr. Inckinson t< - i how the live great
industrial and financial interests came to
gether end fr nned the steel corporation in
1901. The five great interests he named
were headed by the late J. P. Morgan. An
drw Carnegie, YV. li. and J. II. Moore, John
VV. Gates and John D. Rockefeller. lie
went into intricate detail to show how the
steel corporation’s capital of more than
$1,400,000,000 was made up, and he
charged that more than $500,000,000 of
this was water.
Continuing his story, Mr. Dickinson told
how the steel corporation and its subsidi
aries kept up prices, and he said thta the
men at the head of the big combination in
every way possible restrained trade and
crushed out competitors. The famous Gary
dinners were touched upon at great length.
Mr. Dickinson said that at these dinners
about 80 per cent of the iron and steel
manufacturers of the United States would
come together and that a general under
standing would be reached to maintain
prices. Those attending these dinners in
cluded, he said, not only representatives
of the steel corporation and its constituent
concerns, but also representatives of stee
industries outside the alleged trust.
The purchase by the steel corporation of
the Tennessee Coal <fc Iron Company dur
ing the panic of 1907, in which President
Roosevelt figured, was touched upon by
Mr. Dickinson. He said thta the steel cor
poration did not purchase the Tennessee
stock from the New York brokers, who were
said to be in financial trouble, through any
patriotic motives, to prevent the panic from
psreading, but to get control of the com
pany.
Mr. Dickinson made no reference to for
mer President Roosevelt, but in the brief
filed by the government it was set out that
the representatives of the steel corporation
who went to Washington, D. C., to consult
with Mr. Roosevelt on the propriety of pur
chasing the Tennessee stock from the New
York brokers had deceived the President as
to the amount of stock held by the New
Y'ork firm.
In tae course of his argument Mr. Dick
inson read letters and minutes of corpora
tion meetings. One letter that caused a
smile to go around and lessened the solem
nity of the court room was one written by
Andrew Carnegie at Skibo castle, Scotland,
in 1899. It appeared that Mr. Carnegie’s
company, with the Illinois Steel and other
concerns, were in a steel rail pool. Mr.
Carnegie wrote a letter to his company,
which appeared in he minutes, stating that
the Illinois company was 90.000 tons ahead
of its proportion of the steel rail business
and that it was bad policy to allow the
Carnegie company’s proportion of orders to
fall below that of others.
“If you can fill next year at present
prices you have at least $40,000,000 profit—
but it may be fifty. To want more than
that seems wicked.”
At another time, when competition was
brisk, before the days of the steel corpora
tion, and ther was a scramble among man
ufacturers for business, Mr. Carnegie wrote
to his partners:
“If I were czar I would make no divi
dends upon common stock, save all sur
plus and spend it for a hoon and cotton
tie mill, for wire and nail mills, for tube
mills, for lines of botas upon the lakes, for
our manufactured articles, and bring back
scrap.”
PETTY THIEVING GOING ON
Chief of Police Byers reports that some
person or persons appropriated a stove and
numerous other articles of equipment from
the launch Transit recently, having easily
effected an entrance through the canvas
covering. The loss is considerable.
An amusing incident is related of a local
householder in connection with the robbery
of his woodpile. Going home late one night
recently, he discovered two men in the act
of carrying away armloads of fuel belonging j
to him. Concealing himself behind a cor- \
ner of his house, he watched them while I
they carried it away and returned for a j
second load. Making no objection, he saw
them return a third time, load up and walk J
away. Asked why he did not interfere, he
said: “Well, if I had interfered there would
have been a racket, which would have awak
ened my wfie, and I would rather lose the
wood than have that happen.”
A HAMILTON WATCH
j price you pay Tor it. Win. Taylor. Flat.
! PIONEER CREEK AGENCIES
I -
| FLAT CITY.Mrs. C. C. Chittiek
I DISCOVERY OTTER. Harry Donnelley
DR. A3GGRE,
Physician and Swwoo
J o
Gold St., Opposite Postoffice, Flat City
Eye-Glass Fitting Telephone
DR. H. E. AURiNGER,
|Physician and Snrpin
Office: Gold St. Flat City, Alaska
Consultation Hours in Forenoons and by j
Appointment
E. M. STANTON,
Attorney at Law
Office: Corner Willow and Second Sts.
Iditarod Pioneer Building
W. F. HARRISON,
Attorney at Law
IDITAROD, ALASKA
Room 12, Regina Hotel
______________________________________________ i
CM AS. E. TAYLOR,
Attorney at Law
BANK BLOCK •
First Avenue Iditarod
Adams House
FIRST ST., IDITAROD
Clean, Warm Rooms, Gas-Lighted. The
Only First-Class Horse and Dog
Stables in Town
Travelers Taken to the Creeks
Free Library and Reading Room
_Dog Sal mon_for SaIe_
FRASER S2f
Dis., Otter Miss M. Earl, Prop.
Warm and Clean Rooms
Porcelain Tab Baths
CONVENIENT DOG KENNELS
Best of Everything
ALL THE TIME AT THE
Arcade Cafe
FLAT CITY
Open Dav and Night
Bsgrna Hotel
For a Quiet Sleep
FURNACE HEAT
REASONABLE RATES
Second and Willow Streets
MRS. N. P. GILMORE
MAX 31MEL,
DISKAKET AND CRIPPLE CITY
Big Stocks, Standard Goods
Gasoline and Lubricating Oil
Good Roadhouse in Connection
Summit Roadhouse
FOB SALE
Both Winter and Summer
Locations
INQUIRE AT THE ROADHOUSE
BEST LIQUORS AND CIGARS~
Three-Times-Move Bar
(Formerly the Stanley House)
JOHN BAGOY. PROP.
GOOD ROOMS CLEAN BEDS
FLAT CiTY
SUIT FOR DIVORCE
Jake Mutchler has filed suit for divorce
against Emma Mutchler in the district
court. He alleges desertion.