Miners & Merchants Bank
IDITAROD, ALASKA
Capital, $50,000.00
General Banking Business Transacted Gold Dust Bought and Assayed
Drafts Issued on Any Part of the World
SEATTLE CORRESPONDENT: SCANDINAVIAN AMERICAN BANK
OFFICERS:
CHAS. ROSS, President
JOHN HOLMES, Cashier
R. C. BUTTON, Asst. Cashier
MERCHANTS CAFE \
Caters to Large and Small Parties !
PRIVATE DINING ROOMS :
Popular Prices Everything First Class;
CHAS. E. MILLER, PROP.
SAY ORGANIZED BASEBALL I
VIOLATES SHERMAN LAW'
i
Indianapolis, Jan. 10, That organized i
baseball will be attacked as a trust under
the Sherman anti trust law. and as main- !
tabling a blacklist, in case any injunctions !
are sought to restrain players held under |
the reserve clause from playing with the J
Federal league, was indicatd by a statement i
today by Edward E. Gates of this city, coun
sel for the Federal league.
"Any baseball club that attempts to ob
tain an injunction.’ said Mr. Gates, ‘‘to re
strain a player from playing with the Fed- j
eral league, must come into court with clean i
hands.
“The national commission, if it goes into |
court, will immediately be confronted with
two serious propositions- first, is the com
mission a trust within the meaning of the
Sherman ami-trust act. and is not. in fact,
a blacklist maintained?”
Mr. Gates said the Federal league has
been consistent in its policy not to enter
into negotiations with a player who has
signed a contract to play the season of j
1914 with any <«f its rival clubs in either
National. American or any of the minor
leagues.
"We maintain, however.” said Mr. Gates,
“that the reserve clause is illegal and not
binding upon players, lacks mutuality and
is against public policy.”
The folks are off in a walk.
Where ?
Down to the Crosby to have a bath.
Cafe
Best Meals for the Money
CURLY ROBINSON. Prop. FLAT CITY
Phone Baths
HOTEL
AH Rooms Heated by Furnace
Warm Dog and Horse Stables
Place to Cook Peed
NOW LOCATED
**• ON THE WINTER TRAIL
SUMMIT
ROADHOUSE
Meals All Hours. ‘
Liquors and Cigars
Tel: “Summit Roadhouse.”
Good dog team for rent.
MAX SIMEL,
DISKAKET AND CRIPPLE CITY
Big Stocks, Standard Goods
Gasoline and Lubricating Oil
Good Roadhouse in Connection
ON THE TRAIL OF MURDERERS
Information is brought from the interior
that officers are hot on the trail of the per
petrators of the Willow creek murders last
summer, and it is believed that they will
be apprehended shortly. The officials of
this division have worked diligently on the |
case, following up every clue which pre
sented itself, and at last have gained knowl
edge of the man who is believed to have
committed the murders.
Detective McGuire, who was recently in
Cordova, was known to be connected with
the case, and as the suspected man has j
gone Outside, inquiry has develpoed the fact I
that McGuire was a passenger on the Mari- |
posa south-bound. The detective spent sev- ;
eral weeks in the vicinity of the place where j
the murders were committed, endeavoring to j
pick up clues and running them down. His ;
search resulted in finding evidence which
leads to the belief that other murders may
have been committed. Prospectors, while
crossing the country about two miles from
the place where the bodies were found, dis
covered a pack and coat. The coat was
nearly new. but the pockets had been cut
out. It would appear as though the mur
derer had thrust his bloody hands into the
pockets of his coat and then cut the pockets
out to remove the tell tale stains. It is pos
sible that the pack discovered was also the
property of the murderer. The articles were
found near a cut-off trail from the scene of
the murders to the Chitina trail.
The murderer is believed to be a Fin
lander who was traveling in company with
the victims. He was known to be broke
when he left Fairbanks to walk out over
the trail to Valdez. Later he turned up
in Chitina and McCarthy, where he spent
several hundred dollars drinking and gam
bling. He claimed to have come out from
the Chisana. He is known to have come
to Cordova from McCarthy, and McGuire
is believed to have received information that
the man has gone Outside. J. F. Emmett,
formerly of Fairbanks, was held in Seattle
on request of the Valdez authorities until
his possible connection with the case could
be cleared up. He had also gone to Chisana
via McCarthy, but those who know his
movements believe it is highly improbable
that he had anything to do with the mur
der3.
Few people are aware that McGuire is a j
detective with an international reputation. !
He was with the Burns detective agency j
for some time before coming North. It was
through his efforts that the Yukon govern
ment was able to apprehend and convict
O’Brien, the murderer of Clayson. Relfe
and Olson, whom he killed while they were
en route to the coast from Dawson. The
detective was given a free hand on the
case by the government, and when O'Brien
was brought to trial McGuire was able to
account for every movement of the accused
after he left Dawson until he was arrested
on the upper Yukon as he was trying to
get out of the country.—Cordova Alaskan.
ACCOUCHEMENT EXTRAORDINARY
Madrid, Jan. 28.—A washerwoman living
in one of the poorer districts of Madrid gave
birth today to seven girls, all alive. Three
of them died in a short time, but the other
four are thriving. The case is declared
most extraordinary by physicians, and the
whole neighborhood has visited the house.
We guarantee satisfaction.
Clemons & Koon.
m. fl Gold St., Flat City
I llQ ffmjm N^| Mrs. Swanson, Prop.
I llU Mf^l 9 dll6I%tt Dining Room Now Open
Nicely Furnished Rooms Barn for Horses and Dogs Baths in Connection
□mnOEDDH
Full Line of Cigars
Optimo, Lovera™ Juan deFuca
NEW SUPPLY OF BUDWEISER BEER
GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP I
TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE j
—
(Denver Post)
The light for government ownership of
our telegraph and telephone linos is to be |
started in congress shortly. It will probably j
have the backing of the administration. j
What is understood to be the first step
in this new departure has already been
taken by making arrangements for the
transfer to the postoffice department of the
government-owned telegraph and cable sys
tern covering Alaska, and connecting that
Arctic province with the United States,
which hitherto has been under the manage
ment and control of the army. This sys- j
tern has been conducted with an efficiency
so admirable as to afford the best imagina
ble illustration of what Uncle Sam is able
to do as a manager of telegraph business.
An act of congress will be required to ac
complish the transfer in question, but be
yond a doubt it will be passed. The Wash
ington-Alaska system, as it is called, will
then become a part of the regular postal
service. And. after a while, when the gov
ernment shall have taken over all the tele
graphs in this country, it will become as
much a matter of course to transmit mes
sages by wire through the postoffices as to
send letters.
The resulting advantages to the people j
will be enormous. For one thing, it will !
mean cheap messages. Telegraph service ]
will cost half, or less than half, what it I
now does. In addition, it will be much
more reliable.
Every civilized country in the world ex
cept the United States owns and controls its
own telegraphs—the first government to ac
quire such ownership having been that of
Belgium in 1862. All over Europe the cost
of telegraphing is less than half what it is
here, and the service in some instances is
incomparably better. In any instance where
it may happen to be unsatisfactory, some
body may be called to account for the fault.
In our country it is uncommonly unreliable,
and the person who suffers has no redress,
lie may complain, but he gets no satisfac
tion.
Take England, for example. In London
the wire service is so cheap that if a person
is to be asked to dinner the invitation is a.^
likely as not to be sent by telegraph. The
cost of the message is only sixpence for 12 i
words. In England nearly 50 per cent of all
the messages dispatched by wire are social I
to use the term in its broad sense, mean
ing non commercial. But in the l nited
States people cannot afford to use the tele
graph much in such ways; it is too expen
sive. Less than 1 per cent of the messages
in this country are social, and more than
50 per cent relate to the stock market and
racing.
It should be explained, however, that this
small rate does not apply merely to the city j
of London. One may send a telegram for ;
. ixpense (12 cents I to any part of England, 1
Scotland or Wales- a message, that is to j
say, of 12 words.
If the government takes over our own
telegraphs we shad soon have 10-cent mes
sages in all likelihood for such distances as
are covered today by the 25-cent rate. This
will make the wire service an every-day con
venience to the people generally, instead of
a luxury to be used only once in a while
or when necessity compels. Quite possibly j
telegraph operators may be picked out for |
appointment as postmasters in small places. I
The Washington-Alaska system was built I
by the United States government a few
years ago for the purpose of establishing
and maintaining communication between
military posts. It has 2,621 miles of sub
marine cable, 1,064 miles of land telegraph
and 10 “radio” stations. The cable, which
connects Seattle with Sitka and Valdez, cost
over $1,000,000. A branch runs from Sitka
to principal points in Southeast Alaska. At
Cordova the cable connects with the navy
chain of “radio” stations.
In order to provide against possible breaks
in the overland telegraph across Alaska, a
chain of “radio” stations is maintained from
Cape Nome, on the short of Bering sea, to
Fort Egbert, on the Canadia boundary,
where the wire service connects with the
telegraph system of the Canadian govern
ment. Thus practically the whole of the
Arctic province is in electric touch with the
rest of the world.
The Washington-Alaska system of tele
graphs compares favorably with any in the
United States. All of its lines are well built
and erected on right of way owned by the
government. Its total receipts for commer
cial and private messages are about $180,
000 a year, and, in addition, 8200,000 worth
of official messages pass over its lines in a
twelvemonth. The system transmits money
and performs all other functions of a fully
equipped telegraph service. The messages
it handles are not cheaper than in the Unit
ed States, but this is because the expense
of maintaining the service in that remote
and relatively inaccessible region is so much
greater.
It may be presumed that the acquisition
of telephone lines by our government will
soon follow the absorption of the telegraphs.
The two things naturally go together.
France, Germany and England own and con
trol their telephone business. Switzerland,
likewise, and in that country all telephone
messages are paid for by the call. It is a
measured service, like gas or electricity, and
the cost is 1 cent per call.
People in the United States pay from two
to three times as much for telephone service
as is charged in Germany. This statement
\ applies, however, only to local calls. For
long distance calls we pay eight times as
much. The interurban service is the “big
graft” in our country, yielding a preposter
ously large profit to the companies. Here
it costs six-tenths of a cent per measured
mile for telephoning over long distances. In
Germany one may have three minutes’ con
versation over a distance of 700 miles for
48 cents. In the United States this would
cost $4.20. The rates in England for local
telephone service are about half of ours.
One reason why telephoning costs so much
more in this country than abroad is that
we use almost exclusively the so-called
“manual” system, which refuses the help of
mechanical devices. Such devices, which
make connections, etc., automatically, effect
a great saving in labor and expense. They
are now beginning to be used in the state
of Ohio.
It is beyond question that telephones are
destined in the future to develop much faster
than telegraphs. For purposes of communi
cation they are vastly more efficient and
they are more generally useful. Anybody
can use the telephone, while a special edu
cation is demanded to enable one to use a
telegraph instrument. The telephone is in
stantaneous, and the user does not have to
wait for an answer. We cannot look for
ward to the time when there will be a tele
graph instrument in every man’s house,
where as the telephone already is installed
in most residences, as well as in practically
all business houses.
Thus it would seem that government own
ership of telephone lines must be of far
greater importance in the long run than
government ownership of the telegraphs. At
the same time it is likely that the telegraph
will always be cheaper than the telephone
service over very long distances.
One rather curious thing to be consul
ered is that the cost of telephone service
increases with the number of persons to be
served. One might say that this was a mat
ter of course. But the point is that the
greater the number of persons served, the
higher the cost per subscriber. Where gas
or electricity or groceries or whatever else
one chooses to think of is concerned, the
cost of distribution goes down as the num
ber of users goes up. It is exactly the op
posite way with telephoning. And the rea
son why is easily understood when it is real |
ized that each additional subscriber must
be placed in communication with all the
others. Any schoolboy can see how it works
by doing a sum on his slate.
Nevertheless, when the government takes
hold of the telephones we shall have 2-cent
local calls and eventually probably 1-cent j
calls. And ir is likely that we shall pay no i
more than jO cents for a conversation over
a distance of ’>00 miles.
Where the mails are concerned the post
office department affords a magnificent il
lustration of the possibilities of a service i
for all the people at a very cheap rale. I:
is even now affording a new ouje:' lesson
in this line, through the recent establish
ment of a parcel post which is taking the
express business of the eoni-y out of the
hands of the robber express companies,
whose profitst, described in a congressional
report as “utterly egregious and ouf >f all
proportion to investment " have been de
rived from charges ave.-'g v ' 1’> limes the
regular freight rates of t?'c railroads em
ployed to rtansport the goods.
There no imaginable reason why the
government should not accompl’.-h for the
telegraph and telephone services what it
already does for the mails, wit i a c-re
sponding reduction of co-. to the people. A
few years from now, when anybody wants
to send a telegram he will go to the nearest
postoffice or branch postoffi ’o for the pur
pose (just as people do at the present time
in England), or perhaps he will telephone
his message over the wire. The telephone
exchanges will be moved into government
buildings, so that three will be no rent to
pay. In place of a postoffice superintendent
and a telephone superintendent there will
be one man to hold all three jobs. With
minor officials it wall be the same way—one
job, one salary. There will be no dividends
to be paid out of watered stock; no buying
up of little competing lines at small prices,
wbth a view to unloading them upon the
government (as now upon the corporations)
at big figures.
In short, these great public utilities, the
telegraph and the telephone, will be, a few
years from now, properl}’ organized as such,
and placed under the control of the govern
ment, so that, like the mails today, they
will be equally at the service of all the peo
ple at a minimum cost. In taking over
the Washington-Alaska telegraph system the
postofiice department will make its first step
toward one of the most important reforms
ever accomplished in the management of the
nation’s affairs.
EGGS TAKEN BY BURGLAR
Seattle, Jan. 8.—Eggs are now being
counted in with jewelry as valuables worth
taking by burglars operating in Seattle. T^e
man who entered the home of Joseph F.
Sanxay, 621 Thirteenth avenue north, after
ransacking the house from top to bottom,
gathered up the jewelry, then went to the
kitchen and took a dozen eggs.
FOR SALE—Complete roadhouse and fix
tures, located at Forks of FTat creek; a
bargain. Inquire on premises.
Ball Band Rubber Boots and Pacs
N. C. Co. Sole Agents for Alaska
BIG
REDUCTIONS
IN
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Ball Band Rubber Boots and Paca
N. C. Co. Sole Agents for Alaska
ALASKA CABLE CHANGE
TO TAKE PLACE JULY 1
In the annual appropriation for the dif j
ferent bureaus in the war department no
appropriation has been made for the main J
nance of the Alaska military telegraph and
table system, and this fact leads many who
are acquainted with the proposed transfer
to the postoffice department to believe that
the change will take place at the end of
the fiscal year, which is June 30. At the
local office of the signal corps nothing is
given out as to the possibility of a change
in the near future, and no definite knowledge
can be gained as to when the heads of the
department at Washington plan on taking
over the system.
According to information received by Fal
con Joslin of Fairbanks, who stopped in Cor
dova on his way to the States, it was the
intention of the postoffice department to
put the lines under the direction of a su
perintendent at Seattle, who would have di
rect charge of the management of all of
iices of the system. Should this go into ef
fect, the offices would not come under the
postmasters of the different towns, but
would be in charge of a local manager.
According to the military journals and
magazines, it is probable that all troops in
Alaska will be withdrawn as soon as the
line.- have been turned over. According to |
the regulations of the war department in
past years, a new regiment is due to be sent
to Alaska next summer, but if the recom
mendation:-- of Major General Murray are j
complied with, no troops will be sent north
in 1911 to replace the outgoing companies.
-Cordova Alaskan.
NEW ROUTE FOR RAILROAD
TOLD OF BY GEOGRAPHER
Washington, Feb. 1. That a distance of
63 miles may be clipped from the proposed
railroad to the Matanuska coal fields by
the construction of a portage road from j
Portage bay to Turnagain arm, at a cost of
iess than $5,000,000, is the assertion of
Professor Martin of the University of Wis- j
cousin.
Professor Martin declares that when he
conducted the National Geographic Society
expedition in Alaska in 1910 he and his as
sociates discovered a feasible route for a
portage road that would connect Portage I
bay, near Prince William sound, with the
Alaska Northern road, on the shore of Turn
again arm, a distance of twelve miles.
This would shorten the distance of the
proposed road to the coal fields to 130 mites
front tidewater and at the same time would
provide a safer port, it is asserted, than is |
found at Seward, the present terminus of !
the Alaska Northern road.
Professor Martin’s suggestion will be pre- j
sented to the officials of the government
who will have the selection of the proposed I
railroad route into interior Alaska, as pro- I
vided in the bill recently adopted by the |
senate and house. If this route proves to be
all that is claimed for it, it may solve the
question of the sea outlet for the road that
will probably connect the Tanana valley
with the ocean.
A route for a road has already been sur
veyed from the Alaska Northern line to j
Fairbanks by way of the coal fields, and J
if the government accepts the route sug- |
gested by Professor Martin, the road will j
serve the coal fields and will also provide
transportation for interior Alaska to the !
coast.
It is explained by Professor Martin that !
the route he suggests will require the con- !
struction of a tunnel two miles in length. 1
affording low grades and avoiding the j
glaciers that have previously discouraged j
the consideration of a route in that direc |
tion.
The route by way of Seward and the
Alaska Northern is handicapped with vari
ous dangers from glaciers and icebergs,
which would be avoided by the route sug
gested by Mr. Martin. Thus transportation
w'ould be assured more safety as well as a
shorter railroad haul, by establishing a new
port on Portage bay, at the terminus of
the proposed new road.
WHY
Have your freight hauled over the trail from
Dikeman? Steamer Teddy H. makes a spe
cialty of freighting on high water, and will
make a trip, river permitting, before the
loth of May. For rates apply on board.
Assessment Work Blanks at Pioneer. I
MINUTES OF MEETING OF
WILSON DEMOCRATIC CLUB
The Wilson Democratic Club rnet at Mat
City February 22.
The meeting was called to order at 3
p. ni. by the chairman.
The minutes of the preceding meeting
were read and approved as read.
The committee on entertainment made a
report showing the total expense of enter
tainment ?" have been 922.7 5. Tile receipts
from lines were £7.50. .Moved and second
ed that the report or the committee be ac
cepted. Carried.
Moved and seconded that a vote of thanks
be tendered the committee. Carried.
The committee on constitution and by
laws made its report and submitted a draft
of same. The proposed constitution and
by-laws were read twice. Some discussion
ai over no provision being made in tin*
by-laws for recall of any oflleer of the club
for cause.
Moved by Mr. McGrath, seconded by Mr.
Handley, that the following amendment be
added to Article 3 of tlie constitution and
by-laws:
“Provided, however, That any officer
holding office in the organization may be
requested to resign from such office if such
resignation be denned advisable and to the
host interests of the organization by a ma
jority vote. I'pon failure to resign after
request having been ma i«* up -n such otll
cer as before stall'd, such officer may be
dispossessed of bis olllce upon a majority
vi i•* of the members present at any inert
ing after such resignation was asked for.”
Carried.
It was then moved bv Mr. Murdock, sec- .
onded by Mr. Mu tue ls. that the nstitu
tion and by-laws as read and amended be
adopted. Carried.
The flection of officers was n \: taken
up. The following members were elected
by ballot for members of thr '■\»-cutivf
committee: Messrs. Ford. McGrath, 1
toph. Coiiiin and Handley.
Tin* following members were nominated:
For tlrst vice chairman. Mr. McGrath: _ for
second vicr chairman. Mr. Conlm; for third
vb-c chairman. Mr. Jenkins. There being no
further nominations, the same were de
clared elected by acclamation.
I he question or postofflce for Flat was
ipsf11s• ■ d, and it was argued that the dub
take the matter up with the postofflce de
partrra nt at Washing!' n.
I! was moved and -o-.-onded that a com
n •consisting f Messi s. Murd > -k, Mc
Gcath and the chairman b<- authorized to
draft a telegram and forward same to the
postmaster general, urging immediate ne
ri-sMty - r post-hlce at Flat being made op
erative. carried.
There being no further bu*mes< lidore
the meeting, a motion to adjourn until
March s. r.di. was carried.
GOVERNOR ERADY GOEo TO CHINA
The truth of the old saying that “it is
hard to teach an old dog new tricks” has
been again exemplified, hornier Governor
John G. Brady, a veteran among Alaskan
missionaries, has gone to China on an edu
cational mission, after devoting many years
to secular affairs. Usually men return to
the work to which they devoted the years
of their early manhood, notwithstanding
that they may have been often called away
from it in the course of life. The well
wishes of hosts of personal friends will fol
low Governor Brady and his work to China.
—Juneau Empire.
INCOME TAX LAW BEFORE COURT
Washington, Jan. 15.—The case of Miss
Elsie De Wolfe of New York, testing the
validity of the income tax law, has been
docketed by the United States supreme
court. The case is an appeal from the
United States district court at Chicago,
which held that it had no jurisdiction. Miss
De Wolfe sued a Chicago trust company
for holding out the income tax "at the
source” on dividends flue her.
Location Notices at Pioneer office.
THE FINEST
WINES AND LIQUORS
SERVED AT
BAGOY'S SALOON
DISCOVERY. OTTER
Best of Everything
ALL THE TIME AT THE
FLAT CITY
Open Day and Night
CLEMONS & KOON
Portrait and View
Photographers
FLAT CITY
FOR SALE
Dry blared wood, birch and spruce. 16
foot lengths, cut in April, 1913, repiled in
summer on skids, $12 per cord, or green
birch and spruce, $10 per cord, delivered.
Difference in price is difference in produc
tion. Sample of blazed wood may be seen
at Pioneer office. DAN HARTNETT.
Probato Notice
IN THE PROBATE C.OlRT FOR OTTER
I*r» r im t. Fourth Division. Territory of
Alaska, before George W. Albrecht. Com
inlssioncr and ex olllcio Probate Judge.
In the matter of the Estate of Alta M.
Auten, deceased. No. 10. Notice to
Creditors.
Notice is hereby given that letters of
administration of the estate of Alta M
Aut*'n. deceased. have been issued to the
undersigned, to whom all persons having
claims against said estate are required to
piv-ent the same, duly verified as required
by law. within six mouths hereor, at the
office of the undersigned in the town of
Idttarod. in said Otter precinct.
THOS. !- HURSTON.
Dated February 23. 191 L
First publication. Pel). 2s. toil.
Last publication. March 2 1, 1914.
The Loyal Order of Moose is now in all the principal camps of Alaska and 1 vtkpn
territories, and Iditarod is to enjoy the same distinction shortly.
The Moose is acknowledged to be the fastest-growing and most popular order in
the world— 700,000 members in over 1,500 lodges scattered from Nome to Panama and
from Berlin to Manila—and only 25 years old.
All the members enjoy all the privileges of every Moose club house anywhere, and
the International Home University, where indigent Moose widows and orphans are cared
for, and Moose children given a college education absolutely free.
The lodge provides free medical attention for each member and his family, weekly
sick benefits when unable to work, funeral benefit in case of death, etc.
Charter initiation fee is $10, and covers all cost of joining. Dues are only $13 a
year, and no assessments.
All interested should send their names and addresses to Basil Clemons, district
director Loyal Order of Moose, at Clemons & Koon’s studio, corner Wiekersham and Front
streets. Flat City. . .
Basil Clemons, the deputy organiser for this district, is daily expecting the arrival
of Mr. Johnson, the regular organizer, from Seward peninsula, where he has been very
successful in ogranizing and instituting lodges of the popular order.
Mr. Clemons experienced little difficulty in securing far more than the requisite
number of charter members, and it is almost a certainty that the new lodge of Moose
to be organized in this district will be one of the largest in the North.
GRAND BAR nothing m THE BEST
The Place to Meet
FLAT CITY _ . .
_Neis Giantz. vrop._Your Friends_
NICELY FURNISHED ROOMS BY DAY OR WEEK
Warm, Clean Well Ventilated
OPEN DAY AND NIGHT
Massage and
Bath Parlors
MEDICATED, MINERAL VAPOR, STEAM, Off**
TUB, SALT AND FRESH WATER SSJI/KilS
Caribou St., Bet. Black and Willow Sts., on Waterfront
Electric and Faradic Massage Treatments by Expert Attendants
Lighted by Gas Heated by Steam