| IDITAROD PIONEER |
i'l !' [ lr hTm" IN TH\ Mil I1H\^ .MOHMVl AT IDITAHOn, ALASKA
y0i 5 Geo. M. Arhucklc. Publisher No. 4 1
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MISUNDERSTANDING OF THE LANE PLAN
A mass meeting recently held at Nome “condemned the Wicker
sham administrative commission plan of government for Alaska, de
claring that it would not give the people a choice in governing their
own affairs,” according to a newspaper item. At this meeting such
men as William A. Gilmore and Hugh O’Neill made speeches, and it is
presumed they favored the resolution condemning the Wickersham
bill,” as it was passed by the meeting.
By the “administrative commission plan of government tor
Alaska" is no doubt meant the measure so ably advocated by Secre
tary of the Interior Franklin k. Lane, Alaska s good friend.
It is a plan for administering the affairs of the federal government in
Alaska by' a board sitting in the territory and conversant with the needs
of Alaska and its citizens. Hie statement that it would not give the
people a voice in governing their own affairs is absolutely correct, so
far as local self-government is concerned, as it deals altogether with
matters that have no connection with local affairs, and m which, neither
in Alaska nor in any other state or territory in the Union, the local au
thorities have any voice. The bill as introduced in the senate at the
request of Secretary Lane made provision for a board of three mem
bers to be appointed by the President, to have charge of all federal
resources and responsibilities in the territory, such as public lands,
forest reserves, coal, timber, fisheries, etc., as well as general supervi
sion of the Indians. This was intended to avoid the red tape methods
now in vogue, which cause so much delay in dealings with Washington.
The bill introduced in the house by Delegate Wickersham is practically
i ,1 . I'll "».L fKn ojiwotioii tlicii ilit_ buaid is ill"
the same as the senate bil with - r
creased 10 five, who shall be residents of the territory, the govcrnm
and secretary of the treasury to be ex officio members. Should the
house bill become law, Alaska will be unique among the states and
territories of the Union in having official representation in the adminis
tration of federal affairs. It is worthy of note that “Lane’s develop
ment board plan,” as embodied in the house bill, lias become a part of
the Democratic platform of the territory, and incidentally has received
the support of Wickersham’s most persistent opponents.
ENGLAND’S FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY
The exercise of foresight is a trait which is admired in any sphere
of human activity, and especially so in national crises. Without refer
ence to the final result of the great European war, future historians
must inevitably accord full credit to the energetic and brilliant young
statesman, Winston Spencer Churchill, first lord of the Biitish admir
ajty, for the remarkable state of preparedness with which the British
fleets confronted the opening of hostilities. Accumulating evidence
tends to show that had the impulsive cabinet minister been allowed to
follow his own plans, a blow might have been dealt to Germany’s sea
power which would have had a tremendous effect on the outcome of
the great conflict. With no desire to justify the commission of an act
of war before a formal declaration, it can be said that Britain would
but have been following a procedure adopted by her opponent, Gei
many, in invading a neutral country', casting aside treaties as being of
no moment when her own interests were at stake. There are those
who will condemn England for a display of weakness in not following
Churchill’s advice when it became known that war was inevitable, and
throwing the full power of England s fleet on the German ships, which
were then m unprotected positions in the North sea. But the moie
sober-minded of the world’s onlookers will give her credit for the self
restraint displayed in the face of a great temptation.
Some few weeks prior to the opening of the war the entire wot Id
was startled by the spectacle of a review of the British fleet at Spithead,
including hundreds of vessels of all arms of the service, comprising the
mightiest sea armament ever gathered together at one time. The ol
der for the mobilization was given on the personal initiative of Win
ston Churchill, without reference to the cabinet. While conscious of
the danger that threatened from Germany, he knew tnat war prepaia
tions would be opposed by certain members of the cabinet who have
since resigned. The assemblage of the whole fleet at Spithead was
made to appear simply' as one of the usual reviews by' the king, but the
significant thing about it was the fact tnat instead of having the sh*ps
decorated and “made pretty,” all of them were stripped for action.
Mr. Churchill is said to have replied to Lloyd George s protest, You can
get rid of me, but I m damned if you can get rid or tne fleet. H s
foresight and initiative alone saved Great Britain in a perilous situation,
and as a result the German fleet was immediately bottled up by the
English and rendered useless. With the fleet ready for immediate use,
it was Churchill’s plan to strike a decisive blow at the German navy im
■f»i Gold St., Flat City
me Grasi Mrs. Geo. Mutchler, Prop.
Nicely Furnished Rooms Barn for Horses and Dogs Baths in Connection
Seward Gold Seal Pacs
j ARE THE BEST ON THE MARKET
: H, DONNELLEY_discovery, otter |
DRAFT BEER
Drink !t From a Genuine German Stein
Miners' Home Saloon
IDITAROD SAM WILMER
mediately upon that nation’s declaration of war upon England’s allies,
but advocates of peace prevented this, and England will have the satis
faction of knowing that she did not violate the rules of warfare, what
ever other nations may have done.
THE MAGAZINES AND THE WAR
There is a good deal of quiet, unobtrusive irony contained in the fol
lowing editorial from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. When it is re
membered that most of the “September” magazines were probably
printed and distributed during the month of July, their omission of
war news is explained:
“There is a natural feeling of relief at discovering that there is one
large and influential class of men in this country, whose work is promi
nently before the public at all times, although their personalities may
remain unknown, who have remained serenely indifferent to the war
and to the ghastly mockery which it is making of the world’s recent
claim to a higher state of civilization than it had ever before known.
“While others cannot keep allusions to the war out of their conversa
tion, or thoughts of it out of their minds, no matter how desperately
they may try to forget it, these gentlemen and they alone remain un
touched. Of course the allusion is to the editors of the monthly maga
zines. From the pages of the daily newspapers, almost dripping with
gore, with war news on every page, down to the shipping and commer
cial departments, it is a relief to turn to the magazines for September
and there, and there alone, in all of the periodical literature of the day,
find the subject ignored, although a full month has come and gone
since the outbreak of the struggle.
Ihese editors, and they alone, preserve that beautirul serenity
which is not distracted from the task of informing and educating the
mind of the American people by the gory tragedy unfolding in all parts
of Europe. The pages over which they preside, free entirely from that
endless recital of horrors found in almost every freshly-printed page
which comes before the eyes from any other source, are delightfully
refreshing by way of contrast.
“But it is too much to expect that these editors can resist the con
tagion. Too soon they will fall victims of it. By Christmastime, at all
events, these very magazines will fall for the war and there will be no
place for the reader, who has supped full of war s honors, to turn to
avoid them save to the shelves of his library. 1
that is rather a gloomy outlook that the Rub>"t^erord-Citi7f>n gives
of what may be expected m that reputedly thriving mining camp, now
that incorporation has again been defeated. “Let the sidewalks rot
away,” it says, “and the undrained gutters collect their filth, foi many
are tired of ‘coming through.’ Tie the children to the bedpost and let
the town dogs rove at will, for they are of value. Let d'sease and pes
tilence collect in our midst and immorality stalk our dark, unhghted
streets, for the majority wish it. ’_
The Juneau Empire complains that “Delegate Wickersham has not
only not attempted to secure more powers for the people of Alaska,
but he lias introduced measures that would further restrict their
powers.” Without conceding the truth of the above statement, one
could hardly be blamed for not desiring to increase the powers of the
Juneau aggregation. __
The very spirit of Bismarck himself seems to inspire the following
from his old organ, the Hamburger Nachrichten: “We have taken the
field against Russia and France, but at the bottom it is England we are
fighting everywhere. It is from England we must wring the uttermost
price for this gigantic struggle, however dearly the others may have to
pay for the help they have given her.”
Approximately 8,000 veterans, the remnant of the Grand Army of
the Republic, still fifty divisions strong, passed in review at the national
encampment at Detroit on September 2. More than a quarter of a
million persons applauded—and many wept—as the old soldiers, doing
their utmost to conceal faltering steps, passed. The line of march was
a mile and a half long. _
It is stated that service in English is still permitted at the British
churches in Dresden, but Saxon policemen wT.o understand English are
present and no prayers for the success of the British arms are allowed.
This attempt of the Germans to enforce a censorship on communication
between the British and the Almighty will be a cruel blow.
A Copenhagen dispatch states that the czar, in a letter to a relative
in that city, says that all the money that Belgium has been made to pay
to Germany the latter country will be forced to repay with interest in
East Prussia.
Brand Whitlock, minister to Belgium, who accepted the post in fur
therance of his desire to seek peace and quiet so that he could write a
book, is behind in his work, says the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
C. K. Snow, nominated by the Non-partisan convention of the Fourth
district for the territorial legislature, is now one of the publishers of
the Rubj' Record-Citizen.
“CHARGE IT”
“Just chalk it down,” the poor man said, when he had bought some boneless
bread, and many costly things, his wife and brood of bairns to feed the most of
which they didn’t need as much as you need wings. He buys the richest things in
town and always says, “Just chalk it down, I’ll pay you soon, you bet”; and pay
day evening finds him broke, his hard-earned plunks gone up in smoke, and still he
is in debt. The man who doesn’t buy for cash lays in all kinds of costly trash that
he could do without; he spends his coin before it’s earned, and roars about it when
it’s burned is that your way. old scout? When comes the day of evil luck the
war bag doesn’t hold a buck to keep the wolf away; the “charge it ’ plan will work
no more at any market, shop or store; no goods unless you pay. The poor man
for his money sweats, and he should pay for what he gets, just when he gets the
same; then, when he goes his prunes to buy and sees how fast the nickels fly,
he’ll dodge the spendthrift game. If you begin to save your stamps, some day.
with teardrops in your lamps, this writer you will thank; when man in grief and
sickness groans there’s naught like having fifteen bones in some good savings
bank.—Walt Mason.
“HEIN IE” MADE A GRUBSTAKE
Senator Henry Roden arrived in Juneau
on the Jefferson this morning, coming direct
from the Iditarod, where he spent the sum:
mer. Senator Roden says that he made a
grubstake out of the “Guggs” and will now
settle down in Juneau and make this place
his future home.
Speaking of the Interior, Senator Roden
says that the Iditarod had plenty of water
tor mining operations during the season, and
;hat the output will be satisfactory. Ruby
s showing up much better than was ex
pected, and the clean-up for the season will
probably be over a million dollars, he thinks.
Everybody in the camp is cheerful and
satisfied.
Charles E. Bunnell, Democratic candidate
for delegate to congress, has a good chance
in the Fourth division, Senator Roden be
lieves, because Democrats in that section are
much more plentiful than in former years.
—Juneau Empire.
Chiropractic Massage, combined with Gal
vanized and f'aradic Electricity, is one of
the best known remedies today for back
ache and muscular rheumatism.
CROSBY MASSAGE PARLOR. |
COAL-LEASING MEASURE
WHICH MAY BECOME LAW
(Ashmun Brown, in Seattle Post-Intelli
gencer )
WASHINGTON, Sept. 7. Bristling with
penalty provisions, threats of the peniten
tiary and of forfeiture, the Ferris Alaska
coal land leasing bill passed the house on
September 5 and is now before the senate, j
It is probable that the senate committee on
public lands will substitute a bill of its
own for the house bill, pass that with prob
ably some amendments to be offered on the
floor, and that the actual law will be made
in conference. This, by the way, is the
manner in which many important laws
have been made.
The senate bill which in all probability
will be offered as a substitute for the house
bill is that which was presented in the sen
ate on February 7 last by Senator Walsh
of Montana, and referred to the committee
on mines, of which Mr. Walsh is chairman.
But Senator Smoot of Utah was not content
to let it rest there, and, due to his activi
ties, the bill was taken from Senator
Walsh’s committee and referred to the com
mittee on public lands, of which Senator
Myers, also of Montana, is chairman. Mr.
Myers reported the bill out on March 25.
Both bills have a common origin in the
department of the interior. However, the
house, or Ferris bill, in committee was
loaded up with penalty provisions which, in
the opinion of men who have made a study
of the situation, makes it absolutely un
workable. Moreover, the Ferris bill disre
gards entirely the rights of existing valid
claimants to Alaska coal lands. It would
..'inP them off the map, although all of
them have paid their money to the United
States treasury at the rate of $10 an acre
tor the lands they claim, to an aggregate
sum of more than $300,000.
The senate bill, which is really the im
portant one now to be talked about, pro
vides that the secretary of the interior shall
classify the coal lands of Alaska, particu
larly those of the Bering and Matanuska
fields, and survey them in blocks of forty
acres and multiples thereof up to 2.oG0
acres, then to offer these blocks or combina
tions of blocks for lease, a person or cor
porution to be interested only in one lease.
Any lessee is prohibited from acquiring or
holding any interest, directly or indirec:ly,
in another lease, and violation of this pro
vision is punished by forfeiture and by
fine and imprisonment. Stock in a cor
poration holding a lease is considered an in
tcrest in a lease.
Lessees may consolidate their leases, with
the approval of the secretary of the in
terior. if the consolidated area does not ex
peed 2,560 acres.
Leases arc to be for not more than fifty
years. Royalties are placed at not less than
2 cents nor more than 5 cents per ton.
In addition, the lc-see is required to pay
an annual rental of 25 cents an tore for
the second, third, fourth and fifth years,
and $1 an acre for each year thereafter, the
rental to be credited against the royal y.
The secretary of the interior is author
ized to grant limited licenses to mine coal
for strictly local or domestic purposes with
! out the payment of royalty. Such 1.cense
| is limited to ten acres and a period of ten
years.
Five thousand one hundred and twenty
acres in the Bering and 7.G80 acre' in the
Matanuska areas are reserved to the gov
ernment. This is considered to be one
1 third of the available coal in each district.
! All of these provisions are contained in
I the house or Ft rrip bill. but t: e house
bill adds a i t and decorates the struclure
vvitli a series of penal provision frill.'.
But one very important diihrence is that
the -enatc. or Walsh Bill, attempts to do
some measure of justice to the 1 ■gitmiate
coal c. aim ants, while the Ferris bill would
wipe them out.
Section 3 of the senate bill provides that
leases shall be let “subject to any prior
existing rights, which said rights may be
perfected under the laws in force at the
time the same were initiated.”
“It is not the intention of the committee
to deprive anyone of his valid existing
rights by legislative enactment." says the
senate report. “Existing rights must be de
termined by the proper tribunals.
The senate bill further provides that any
person who is the owner of a < hum may
surrender the same to the l nited States
and thereupon have a prior right to a lease
on such tract.
As opposed to this, the Ferris bill, as
passed by the house, emphatically struck
out a provision in the original draft pro
viding that leases should be “subject to
any prior or valid existing rights. ^ur
ther, the Ferris bill contains this provision,
calculated to destroy whatever rights a prior
claimant might have:
“The possession of any lessee of the land
or coal deposits leased under this act. for
all purposes involving adverse claims to the
leased property, shall be deemed the pos
session of the United States, and for such
purposes the lessee shall occupy the same
relation to the property leased as if oper
ated directly by the United States.”
To apply this to a concrete base: The
claimants to the McDonald group in the
Bering area years ago paid to the govern
ment the purchase price of 810 an acre for
their land and received final receipts there
for. Then they expended about 8175,000
in development work. Their machinery is
still there, rusting. They cannot get back
their 810 an acre and they cannot operate
the property.
Under the Ferns bill this would be the
most valuable lease that might be granted.
The government could lease the property,
machinery included, to an outside bidder
and the men who paid Uncle Sam his ask
ing price for the land, and who thereafter
invested $175,000 in development work,
would be on the outside looking in. By
the terms quoted above they would be ex
pressly stopped from going into a court of
law to secure an adjustment, for one may
not sue the United States without the ex
press consent of congress.
But the senate bill makes express pro
vision to take care of legitimate claimants
after a fashion. The senate bill provides:
“That any person, association or cor
poration qualified to become a lessee under
this act and owning any pending claim un
der the public land laws to any coal lands
in Alaska, may, within one year from the
passage of this act, enter into an arrange
ment with the secretary of the interior by
which such claim shall be fully relinquished
to the United States, and if in the judg
ment of the secretary of the interior the
circumstances connected with such claim
justify so doing, the moneys paid by the
claimant or claimants to the United States
on account of such claim may, by direction
of the secretary of the interior, be re
turned and paid over to such person, as- j
sociation or corporation as a consideration
for such relinquishment, or in lieu of such ,
payment the secretary of the interior may
execute and deliver to said person, asso
ciation or corporation, in preference to any
other lessee, a lease under this act of the
land so claimed or any part thereof within
the limitations of area and location fixed by
Section 2 hereof, and the said moneys may
be credited upon the royalties to become
flue under such lease: Provided, that if
the land so claimed be within a reservation
made in pursuance of Section 7 of this act,
other coal lands in Alaska of substantially
equal value may be substituted in said lease
for the lands so relinquished.”
In justification of this the senate com
mittee in its report on the bill says: “While
there may have been many frauds commit
ted in connection with the coal lands in
Alaska, there are probably many who have
in good faith and lawfully acquired rights,
and such persons should be given at least
a prior right to lease on such tracts.”
The real difference between the senate
and the house bills is emphasized in the
closing words of the report of the senate
committee on its bill, as follows:
“The bill on the one hand may not be
sufficiently radical for the extreme conser
vationists, while on the other hand it may
be considered too radical for the extreme
reactionaries. The people of the country
want the coal lands in Alaska, which have
been locked up for many years, opened and
made to produce, and the committee has
attempted to frame a bill that will be least
objectionable to those representing the ex
tremes of both policies.”_
ON SEWARD TRAIL
(Old !*«»-: r K. C. (>».)
B. NEWMAN, Prop.
Good Pop KennoP arid Spacious Horse Barns
Pop Fish Tor Sale
May be raised 20 per cent on
1 account of the war, according
to Outside newspapers. But in
Iditarod the prices will remain
! \ f
as beiore.
We have the largest assort
ment in the North to choose
from.
J. L. SALE,
IDITAROD
Leading Jeweler of the North
I
I
I
Locations
INQUIRE AT THE ROADHOUSE
PIONEER DRUG STORE
FLAT CITY
PHONE DAY OR NIGHT
Notice of Dissolution of Partnership
\.,:icp is hereby given that the mining
r, partii' : -1 j11» «»r the unite;Mgned, J. E.
Riley ami Louis stetzer, formerly operat
ing on otter creek, has been dissolved.
\ll accounts due lo in the firm should he
presented to j. E. Riley for payment, and
nil debts due the Jinn may be paid to him.
Dated Discovery, Otter. Sept. 16, 19 14.
J. K. RILEY.
LOLLS STETZER.
PIONEER CREEK AGENCIES
FLAT CITY .Mrs. C. C. Chittick
DISCOVERY OTTER Harry Donnelley
Black Cod, 35c pound.
Iditarod Meat Co.
Adams House
FIRST ST., IDITAROD
Clean, Warm Rooms, Gas-Lighted. The
Only First-Class Horse and Dog
Stables in Town
A Fine Dog Team to Rent
Free Library and Reading Room
Salmon for the Dog Moshers
BEST LIQUORS AND CIGARS
Three-Times-Move Bar
(Formerly the Stanley House)
JOHN BAGOY, PROP.
GOOD ROOMS CLEAN BEDS
_FLAT CITY__
Best of Everything
ALL THE TIME A'!' THE
Arcade- Cafe
FLAT CITY
Open Dav and Night
DR. ryiOORE,
I
; Gold St., Opposite Postoffice, Flat City
Eye-Glass Fitting Telephone
DR. H. E. AURhASGER,
Physician and Surgeon
Ofr.ce: Go d St. Flat City, Alaska
I At M' Ii.iiiald I!• >I<■ I. I 111 l"' I Ti!• - d 1 '• - ft
:t o’clock
E. M. STANTON.
Attorney at Law
| Office: Corner Willow and Second Ms.
Iditarod Pioneer Building
._
J. C. MOODY.
Attorney at Law
IDITAROD, ALASKA
Office. Second Ayenue
W. F. HARRISON,
Law
IDITAROD, ALASKA
Room 12, Ragina Hotel
CHAS. E. TAYLOR,
Attorney at Law
BANK BLOCK
First Avenue Iditarod
DISKAKET AND CRIPPLE CITY
Big Stocks, Standard Gocds
Gasoline and Lubricating Oil
! Good Roadhouse in Connection
TAKOTNA
ROADHOUSE
Cummings’ OM Sami
MRS. J. H. McLEAN. PROP.
BEST ACCOMMODATIONS
FOR TRAVELERS
I
j _RATES REASONABLE_
When at _ » CLEAN, WARM ROOMS
Stop "at'the S H Y Q O T S3 Tub and Steam Baths
New Stables for Horses and Dogs MRS. DICKSON, PROF
McDonald House accommodation
FURNACE HEAT IN EVERY ROOM
FREE READING ROOM.—All the Late Outside Papers and Magazine;.
Fresh !¥leats
Beef, Flutters, Pork, Poultry, Fish
Dry Packed Butter
Se^ondSt. ID3TAROD IV1EAT CO. Phone 15
THE BEST OF EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME
Caribou Cafe
FIRST AVE.
GOOD MEALS
SHORT ORDERS
OPEN DAY AND NIGHT
. TBur""—*-Ji""*
ROBT. SOUTAR
Prop.