IDSTAROD PIONEER
Published Every Saturday evening at iditarod, Alaska.
V&I J Geo M. Arbucklo. Publisher No. 10
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CONVENTIONS
Democratic territorial convention, Valdez, March 29.
Republican territorial convention, Cordova, March 80.
Republican national convention, Chicago, June 18.
Democratic national convention, Baltimore, June 25.
BOLD I V
Within the past dozen years in Alaska many curious
instances of stampede madness have been manifested. The
mania is peculiar to itself, and it is not likely that any
doctor will ever he able to isolate its germ and produce
a toxin. Perhaps, as in the case of love, the inclination to
stampede is not madness at all, or even weakness, but a
natural strength too subtle to be comprehended by the ordi
nary processes of reason, and in some mysterious way inures
to the happiness and prosperity of the race. As in love, it
is certain that interference is futile: each individual case
must cure, cripple or kill itself according to its own elec
tion. When once obsessed by the passion, every thought
of the affected one ends in I Will. Doubt enteis, but is
kicked out of doors with a malediction. Even when ugly
Certainty comes, it is as an intruder and is told to attend
to its own affaiis. The phenomena of contagion, too, com
plicate matters: one elopement engenders many.
Knowing these things to be true, all that is possible to
be done now about the threatened stampede of Alaskans to
Bolivia is to state the facts as nearly as possible, and let
nature take its course. Bolivia has entered into the Alaskan
mind to an extent that is scarcely credible and is certainly
not fully comprehended, for in every part of the territory
the idea appears to be as far advanced as it is in Iditarod.
The infection spread from a letter written by one John
Ferguson to James McCormack, last summer, telling of
fabulously rich placers in the Southern republic. Many
copies of the letter have been circulated throughout Alaska.
Of Ferguson’s character or antecedents nothing is generally
known; McCormack formerly prospected on Seward Penin
suia. i ne ricnes tola of tar surpass those claimed for
the imaginary Midas creek by Duncan and Griggs in pro
moting a mammoth swindle in Interior Alaska seven or
eight years ago. So rich was this far-away find that a pan
of surface dirt would yield on an average more than enough
to pay a native laborer’s daily wage: and this, mind you,
where natives had washed placer gold for centuries before
the Pizarros set foot in the Andes and have been doing it
ever since. The thing smells fishy—but who can say it is
not the clear cheese? At this day and time it seems im
probable that such a find as is reported from Bolivia would
remain hidden from the great newspapers of the world and
at first get mention in the publications of Alaska, but we
cannot deny it. We can only doubt it. All of us being
more or less adventurers in Alaska, it is natural and proper
for us to be alert and eager for new thrills of excitement
and new fields for gain; but we should be careful not to
lay ourselves open to the imputation of acting the common
circus-day reub.
At this writing it cannot be said whether an answer
to the query sent to the United States minister at La Paz
will be received this week or not. The Alaska cable is
experiencing another relapse and the devious course the
message must take may cause delay going and coming. But
the enterprise of the men who contributed to the effort to
learn the truth about Bolivia is commendable, and it is
hoped the result will entertain, and perhaps enlighten,
people in other camps as well as in the Iditarod.
The same qualities that gained Sam G. Orchard a place
on the Alaska road commission landed him in the peniten
tiary. If he had never gone the pace with fast company
he would have remained obscure, but secure in obscurity.
These predictions are offered at a venture: That Roose
velt will not be nominated; that Taft will; that Harmon
will not be nominated, and will sulk; that Bryan’s influ
Superb Decoration, Beautiful Illumination,
And Roof Garden Variation,
TO-NIGHT AT A. B, HALL LOCATION
IDITAROD MEAT CO.
Second St. Phone |5
First Class in Fact First Ave., Iditarod
BEATTIE HOUSE
Furnlshed^Rooros, Bath Rooms, Spring Cots Good Stables Adjacent
Drink Eastern Beer
Miner’s Home Saloon
THE HOME OF THE “QUAKER MAID”
Foot of Willow St., Iditarod
C. J. Hurley, President J, P. Gleason, Vice President A. Bruning. Cashier
American Bank of Alaska
Corner First Ave, and Richmond St., Iditarod
TO-NIGHT
Is the Night of all Nights
Don’t Give Way to the Blues
SMOKE UP!
Pipes Pipes Pipes
Wellingtons Chesterfields Palmyras Petersons
Mission Cobs Conroys Rudolfs
McMahon □ Flat City
SNYDER HOUSE
Nicely Furnished Rooms enclosed dog KENNELS
The Connolly
Famous Old Quaker gVlaid Rye 1
DRAUGHT BEER, DOMESTIC CIGARS
Good Music Every Evening
Flat City-—
STOP AT Flat City
Clean Furnished Rooms Fine Cafe in Connection
GOOD STOCK CIGARS AND LIQUORS
Large Stables, Warm Dog Kennels Open Day and Night
»*4»«4«*4444444<4444444A4444
PASSENGERS FREIGHT EXPRESS
Leaves Griffin’s Store, Flat City at 8:30 a.m ; leaves Budweiser corner,
Iditarod at 2:3) p.m., daily except Sunday.
Goods consigned to Upper Flat and Gtter Greeks delivered
same day as received for shipment
Flat City
ence will be greater than any man’s in the Democratic con
vention; and that if his influence is overcome by combina
tion, Democratic defeat will follow.
Why are Fairbanks Democrats wroth with Roth ?
THE PURIST
‘ William Henry,” said the parent, and his voice was sad and
stern, “I detest the slang you’re using; will yon never, never learn
that correct use of our language is a thing to be desired? All your
common bughouse phrases make the shrinking highbrow tired.
There is nothing more delighfful than a pure and careful speech,
and the man who weighs his phrases always stacks up as a peach,
while the guy who shoots his larnyx in a careless, slipshod
way looms up as a selling plater; people brand bim as a jay. In
my youth my father soaked me if I entered his shebang banding
out a line of language that he recognized as slang. He would take
me to the cellar, down among the mice aud rats, and with nice
sticks of stovewood he’d play solos on my slats Thus I gained a
deep devotion of our language uudefiled, and it drives me nearly
batty when I hear ray only child springing wads of hard boiled
language such as dips aud yeggman use. aud I want a reformation
or I 11 stroke you with my shoes. Using slang is just a habit, just
a cheap and dopey trick; if you hump yourself and tr;> to, you can
shake it plenty quick. Watch my curves and imitate them, weigh
your words before they’re sprung, and in age you’ll ble-.s the habit
that was formed when you were young ’’—Walt Mason.
Old Lace}-, Tyler, Monogram, Ather
ton and Cedarbrook, also fine old Port
Sherry and Clarets at Empire Com
mercial Co.
Get in the ring—free shamrocks at
H. Boas, clothier.
Quitclaim deed blanks—Pioneer.
POLITICAL GOSSIP -j
The National Socialist Pi ess says gamblers, preachers and white
slavers combined to defeat Job Harriman for mayor of Los Angeles.
T
In the meantime, don’t forget that the Prohibition party will meet
in convention at Atlantic City, N. J , July io, for the purpose of nomi
nating a Presidential candidate.
T
These governors are now lor Roosevelt: Stubbs of Kansas, Bass of
New Hampshiie, Aldrich of Nebraska, Hadley of Missouri, Glasscock
of West Virginia, O.iborn of Michigan.
▼
At Vermillion, Kan., the business men met and declared for John
D Rockefeller for President. They say the country needs a business
administration and Rockefeller is the best business mm in the country.
▼
To cinch his likelihood of being nominated by the Republicans,
Roosevelt has become a convert to woman suffrage. A recent issue of
the Outlook contains a characteristic article from the brave colonel ad
vocating the right of women to vote. The article is a lengthy one and
the ex-President goes into details expounding his views of the suffrage
question. It is extremely interesting.
▼
In a poll of its Democratic readers recently taken by the Rocky
Mountain News, of Denver, which printed a ballot in seven consecutive
issues, Gov. Woodrow Wilson of New Jersey headed the list by but a
small majority over William Jennings Bryan. Wilson received 3,400
votes, with Bry.in second with 3,000. Champ Clark was third on the
list with 1,700, and Gov. Harmon of Ohio was accorded 400. Those
of the potential candidates receiving the smallest number of votes were
Gov. Maishal of Indiana with 300, and former Gov. Folk of Missouri
with 200.
▼
If you want to know the sentiment of the American people on
Taft’s succeeding himself, read in Poe’s poem the remark of the raven.
—Houston Chronicle.
T
The New York Sun sincerely speaks of Samuel Gompers as “that
disinterested patriot and mainstay of government by law.’’
CALLAHAN WINS VALUABLE BOOKS
The new, handsome and complete Encyclopedia Americana
which was raffled by the Iditarod Kennel Club last Saturday night
was won by Satn J. Callahan, a member of the Pioneer family.
No. 5 was the lucky ticket.
Tickets for the raffle had been on sale for three weeks. Ti e
Pi meer needed just such a work and through a j idiHous expendi
ture of cash and the lucky ‘‘tattling of the bones’’ S im went into
the decisive contest with 112 tickets ent of a total of 205, every
ticket representing $1 Besides a majority of the tickets he had
the best wishes of all the other contestants; so the outcome was
satisfactory all around.
The Pioneer is now equipped with the finest reference library
in the North. It consists of the World’s Almanac, the Golden
Noith Almanac, Who’s Who (borrowed from the free reading room
and held under duress), the Holy Bible (with concoidattce espe
cially arranged lor ready reference, donated by Dr. S. Hall Young),
the Alaska Geographical Dictionary, Webster’s Dictionary, the
Alaska-Yttkon Gizeteer, the Congressional Directoiy, Bartlett’s
Familiar Quotations, the E tcyclopeJia Americana, the Report on
Education in Alaska (1S86), and Rex Beach’s History of the John
son-Jeffiies Fight, besides works of a mi. cel'aneotrs nature too nu
merous and worthless to mention.
Readers of the Pioneer are welcome to consult the library when
in doubt on any matter of importance.
LA FOLLETTE’S
ALASKA PLANS
In his speech at Danville, 111., Jan. 6,
as reported in the Chicago Tribune, on
“Conservation in Alaska,” Senator La
Follette praised Gifford Pinchot, and
Theodore To s veil for keeping mill
ions of acres of the nation’s resources
out of the hands of private speculators
and monopolies.
‘‘In Alaska,” be said, “we still have
a magnificent domain, practically un
touched; a domain consisting of 368,
000,000 acres of land, an empire of
wealth in coal and other mineral re
sources, the expanse of which has not
been determined. With the experi
ence of the past, the waste of these
resources, the turning of them over to
speculation and monopoly would be a
crime against the people of the United
States. Here we have conditions ad
mitting of true conservation, without
encountering the problems which con
front us in considering the public do
main in the states.
“Here are no vast tracts of agricul
tural lands to complicate the problem.
It requires capital to develop these re
souices, and the question is, Shall the
profit all go to private capital, or shall
the people as a whole, with their own
capital, make possible such a develop
ment as will insure to the people their
share of the benefits?
“Fortunately private corporations
own a small portion of the coal fields
of Alaska. Their ownership still rests
in the people of the United States, and
under our form of government the
management and control is vested in
the congress of the United States.
Congress’ first duty to the people—the
owners of these magnificent coalfields
and other deposits of mineral wealth—
is to provide for their proper develop
ment; and, as in the case of a private
corporation, so in the case of public
ownership, the first step to be under
taken should be ihe creation of proper
transportation facilities, whereby a
market may be afforded for the re
sources.
“The wharves, docks, railroads and
terminals in Alaska should at once be
acquired by the government for the
same business reason that would move
a private corporation to acquire them
if it owned the coal fields.
“The sensible and practical thing to
do is to create a board of public works
for Alaska similar to the isthmian
canal commission. This boat'd of pub
lic works should undertake not merely
to build a railroad from Controller bay
to the coalfields, but it should acquire
all the railroads in Alaska and settle
at once the policy of government own
nership.”
TERMS OF ARMY ENLISTMENT
TO BE FIVE YEARS HEREAFTER
Washington, March 1.—Increasing
the term of enlistment from three to
five years is one of the new measures
for ihe conduct of the war department.
The army appropriation will be $4,
000,000 less than for last year.
Get a shamrock from H. Boas free.
HYDkAUUC HOSE
I shall arrive at Iditarod about March
22 to dispose of stock of Hydraulic Hose
at low figure. Those requiring Hose
will please drop line care Iditarod Pio
neer, as I shall remain only a short time.
JOHNSON TENT & HOSE OO.
Annual assessment work blanks at
Pioneer office.
ALL GOODS
Formerly Mrs. Silberstein's,
Are Now Being Sold al Very
Reasonable Prices
All alterations on Cadies’ Garments
purchased will be free of charge.
WORK GUARANTEED
H. SCHLAPIK
First Avenue
Films Developed
And All Kinds of Photographic
Work Done.
MISS JJERNSTROM. MCDONALD HOTEL
Dr. Heinrich Wortmann,
Ofhce at City Drug Store. Tel. 3G
First Ave., Bet. Willow and 'tiehrnond
Oftice Hours- 11 to i 3 to 4. 7 to 8
CHAS. D. CARTER,
Dentist
Offices, Pioneer Drug Stores,
Flat Creek
DR. F. W. HE RMS,
Dentist
Dr. Wort mann’s Office.
First Avenue and Willow Street
DR. H. BEHLA,
Dentist
Gold St., Fiat City, Opp. Grand Hotel
Phone 4
ALFRED E. MALT BY,
Attorney at Law
Notary Public
Office Simpson BUIer First and Willow
CHAS. E. TAYLOR,
Attorney at Law,
Notary Public, Conveyancing,
Richmond St., Iditarod
Wiokersham & Roden,
ATTORNEYS AT
Iditarod. Alaska
GEORGE WOODRUFF ALBRECHT,
Attorney at Law
Michigan, '81 Alaska, '13 Kentucky. '91
The rionecr Attorney of this Camp
ROADHOUSE
I on Seward Trail,
28 Miles From
Idiitarod.
First-Class Accommodations
Anderson & Pierce, Props. I. M Pierce. Kaugar
SUMMIT ROADHOUSE
OH! YOl
ROOF
GARDEN
GHEECHACCOES
OVER THE TRAIL
At a largely attended meeting of
| Camj) Iditarod No. 27, A. B., held last
j Monday night, three clieechaccoes
j were successfully conducted over the
Arctic trail. They are H. Schlapik,
j the tailor; W. C. Mitchell, of the Inde
pendent Lumber Company, and War
ren Wilson, the Marathon runner and
basketball enthusiast.
NOTICE
GENERAL LINE OF GROCERIES AND PROVISIONS
Men’s Underwear, Sox, Mittens, Rubber Shoes, Felt
Shoes and Pacs, Mackinaw Coats and Pants
SHELF HARDWARE
Nails. Building Paper. Dog Fish
We solicit Inspection. Every article guaranteed.
fairviewTrading CO.
MAX SIMEL, Diskaket and Ophir City,,,,
Miners’ Supplies and General Outfitting a Specialty