THE iDITAROD PIONEER
Published Every Saturday Morning at Idltarod, Alaska
Yol. R CHARLES A. DERRY, Editor No. 2
ARBUCKLE & DERRY, Publishers
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RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PRESS
While there is not in these enlightened days if there ever was
a disposition on the part of newspaper readers to unquest ioningly
assimilate the opinions of editors, no matter to what eminence they
may have attained, still there is always more or less reliance placed
upon their utterances. It is assumed, for instance, that they speak
from a knowledge of the facts connected with the questions they
discuss, and that the opinions expressed are based upon facts. In
thickly-settled communities, where newspapers are numerous and
transportation swift, the newspaper which juggles with facts and
enunciates false doctrines and false premises is quickly made the
laughing stock of the community, and what little influence the pub
lication may have enjoyed is quickly dissipated. In remote sections
such as Alaska, where newspapers are few and transportation, even
of mails, is difficult and slow, statements and opinions may bp made
and expressed with little fear of contradiction, no matter how ab
surd they may be. By the time the publications reach the offices
of other publications which are in a position to know the truth and
to contradict false and misleading statements, the matter has usu
ally become a forgotten incident. It is not creditable to certain
publications in the North that they have in rare instances taken
advantage of their isolation to give publicity to false statements,
reiving upon the fact that by the time they are contradicted they
will have fulfilled their mission, and no amount of proof and argu
ment can undo the mischief accomplished. This has been notably
true during political campaigns; and political speakers as well as
newspapers have been guilty of the offense.
Because of the isolation of the country, and because of the fact
that Alaska newspapers often constitute the whole supply of current
literature which reaches many persons located in the wilds, an espe
cial responsibility rests upon them to stick absolutely to truth, both
hi their news and editorial columns, because many of their readers
may never have an opportunity to see the false statement disproved
nor the erroneous argument refuted, and will place reliance in their
truth.
A recent Alaska publication contained the following, which may
be designated as a most mischievous utterance. Speaking of the
demands which labor is making of congress, it said:
"One of the measures which labor proposes to force through
along political lines, according to late dispatches, is that
against the court's injunction. In the past it has been the
habit of the capitalists, when they saw that their property was
in imminent danger of being destroyed by their striking em
ployes, to get out an injunction legally preventing the strikers
from doing such injury ns they intended. And this injunction
is what the American Federation of I.abor proposes to work
against, evidently claiming that labor as a whole, or even one
laboring man. provided he belongs to a labor organization, has
the right to destroy his employer's property if that employer
refuses t > raise his wages or shorten his hours to suit him."
That such untruthful, foolish and vicious statements can he
given publicity in a ncw.-naper circulated among intelligent persons
passes understanding Now, the man who gave utterance to the
shove, if he had the faintest knowledge of the labor question, upon
which he essays to enlighten his readers, would know that no such
<: :nand over has been made by the American Federation of Labor.
Indeed, the idea of labor, organized or unorganized, claiming “the
right” to destroy an employer's property is so ridiculous that one
marvels at this display of ignorance, or worse.
It is true that the trades unions have been fighting the injunc
tion. but only when used to restrain them from performing what
they claim to be perfectly legal acts, and when i.-sued upon mere
allegation. That this useful legal instrument has been prostituted
to the use of employers in the waging of industrial warfare is ac
knowledged by others than the unions.
But ridiculous anti false as the above quoted statement is. it G
hardly less so than the following, also from the >:ime “intcl igent”
discussion of “Wilson and Labor" :
“One of the biggest jobs that President Wilson will have
during his second administration will he the settlement of the
labor problem. And that it will be settled by some manner of
means there is but little doubt.”
“One of the biggest jobs." indeed! Why. it is the biggest job
ever tackled by man. and one that no sane man would hope to
“settle.” In comparison the “twelve labors of Hercules” appear
but child’s play. Shades of Karl Murx and Henry George! And
so it is the destiny of President Wilson to “settle” the labor prob
lem. which has agitated mankind ever since Cain tilled the soil and
Abel tended his flocks, and Jacob toiled seven years for a bride!
Few of us have expectations of living to see the millenium. But
it is safe to say that until that epoch arrives the labor question will
still be with us. And always there will be fools to talk of its “set
tlement,” just as though ambitious man, with his hopes, aspirations
and ideals, would not create another labor problem even if it
were possible to “settle” the present one.
The newspaper which publishes such mischievous twiddle as
that quoted above not only injures the possibility of present ameli
oration of labor conditions, and the chance of capital and labor
arriving at a temporary agreement, but it has much to answer for
in giving publicity to false statements.
General Scott, in his annual report, makes use of tn expression
that bids fair to become the subject of wide discussion, and it is
unanswerable. He says that “there is no reason why one woman's
son should go out and defend, or be trained to defend, another
woman and her son, who refuses to take training or give service
to his country." Much as the liberty-loving people of this country
dislike anything savoring of militarism, as long as nations arm for
war it will be necessary for the United States to be prepared also
to fight to preserve its liberty. And there is no logical reason, in
a democracy such as ours, why military service should be subject
to volunteer enlistment. Jury duty is an obligation placed upon
every citizen. To leave it to volunteers would soon wreck our ad
ministration of justice. Military duty, in time, will be looked upon
in much the same manner as jury duty part of the duty which
every citizen owes to the land of his birth or adoption.
-♦
ALL CLAIM CREDIT
The result of the vote on the prohibition question in the recent
election in Alaska has, as is customary in all enterprises and move
ments brought to a successful issue, brought forth numerous claim
ants for the honor of being responsible for the victory over the
liquor forces. Of course, the Women's Christian Temperance Union
Ball Band Rubber Boots and Pacs
Ball Band Rubber Boots and Pacs
PETALUMA EGGS
, Cold Storage
Ham and Bacon
HUNT’S CANNED FRUITS
Fisher's “Blend” and “Art” Flour
_Golden Glow Butter—None Better
Dog Hams, 6c pound Dog Bacon, 12c pound
N. C. Co. Sole Agents for Alaska
N. C, Co. Sole Agents for Alaska
| is not backward in asserting its claims, and probably rightly. But
. along comes the Douglas Island News and attributes the tremendous
“dry" vote to the misleading literature circulated by the Wholesale
j Liquor Dealers' Association. The Nome Industrial Worker, how
ever, enters the held and claims the laurels of victory for the
Miners’ Union. “An’ there ye are!” as Dooley would say. For
our own part, we take the same position of neutrality as that as
sumed by certain men in regard to the great world war, who
“didn’t care who licked the Germans!” We are perfectly willing
that to all claimants, no matter how insignificant the part they
played in the campaign, shall he awarded the honors, and if they
can find satisfaction therein, well and good Here is the Nome
| newspaper’s bid for recognition:
“As everyone knows, at the election Alaska went dry by an
j overwhelming majority. How many know the inner history
of that dry movement, how it started in Nome and accumu
lated strength all over the territory, so that the result could no
j longer be in doubt ?
“It is not very long ago in Nome that a person who opposed
j the liquor interests could expect officially to get it where the
| hen got the ax. But that condition is entirely changed.
“It is worth considering. The dry movement started
I among men who cared nothing very much for the principle of
prohibition in itself, but in order to rid the town of the saloon
j evil.
“In the winter of 1914 the Miners’ Union was on strike for
the eight hour day. During that time a bunch of scabs from
| one saloon beat up a union man, and to add insult to injury,
| the police arrested the union man, having been sent for by the
saloon man for that purpose. That matter was duly reported
and it was there and then suggested that in retaliation the best
thing would be to put the town on the dry list.
“Some members of the Miners’ Union, notwithstanding the
j odium that attached to the work, pursued that cause with
; perseverance and intelligence, so that its strength grew amaz
ingly.
“There were a large number of prohibitionists in Nome,
snnll relatively' to the rest of the population, to be sure, and
, these had never been ab!c to voice any agitation that would
excite anything but derision. But with union men lined up
I on the proposition it assumed another aspect, and the agitation
j took in a weight in numbers and authority that led to final
; victory. The drys lost out in the first round.. But it was a
victory conceding defeat, for the ultimate defeat of the sa
! saloons was assured.
“The most interesting phase of the dry movement is the
i fact that it was given life by labor union labor. It was after
it had been given life by labor that other factors joined in and
! drove the cause to success. Where before it had been a inori
| bund theory, with the unionists working with a purpose and
I for that end it became endowed with all the vigor of life arid
became a certainty. The dry element in this town, however,
j would never have dared the derision and attacks and denim
! ciations of the .saloon element had it not been for the fact that
an unwarranted and unjustifiable attack upon union miners
; had led to the Miners’ Unicn taking the matter up and, ex
| tending a backing to those whose spirit was willing but whose
. bodv was weak, made it a feasible question.”
♦
i It has been apparent to till newspaper readers for some time
; that there is something wrong with the news stories emanating
front Mexico or on the border. That many of the stories of murder
and pillage by Mexicans were pure fiction has been more than sus
| pected, and these have given the impression of being circulated for
their political effect. A recent Washington dispatch seems to in
dicate that the reports that come from supposed official sources
i r.re also under suspicion. Secret service agents of the state depart
' ment, it is stated, have reported on the Mexican situation directly
contrary to the accounts sent to the war department by General
Bril. The state department agents say that Villa personally did
not conduct the recent raid on Chihuahua City. Secretary Lansing
: declares that his men have informed him that the raiders did not
i ebta.n stores and ammunition in that ru'd, and that there were
no defections front the Carranzisia ranks to the Villa forces. The
conflicts between the reports emanating from army men and
, those from secret service agents is very annoying to the state de
partment, as is also the mass of misinformation in the press pur
porting to be semi-official.
——- +
I ‘'From my observation and conversation with army officers an i
; others on the Mexican border, I am convinced most of the troul 11
, there originated on this side of the boundary," mid Rev. .!ok:i
K Boucher, captain and adjutant of lie Fourth Ncbradta. who
returned home recently on a furlough. Captain Boucher is pa
i tor of Trinity Methodist church of Omaha, and is prominent in
church as well as guard circles. Continuing, lie said: “The
trouble is mostly over wages and the treatment of the Mexican
laborers and land owners < n the American side. This land w.i
fornteily Mexican territory, and the Mexicans who have been
forced off the land eti which they had lived !r tn tune immemo
rial resent the treatment they receive. It is claimed that Mexican
laborers are treated little better than .-laves, and mat when they
revolt thev are shot down w'thout compunction."
♦
The Seward Gateway gives currency to a rumor that Mr.-:. Ethel
Tory Troy, the bride of the editor of the Juneau Empire, may be
come the “first lady of the territory.” Wiiich is by wsy of intro
duction to the announcement that Governor Strong is tired of his
job and is attempting to wisli it onto the newspaper man.
The following appeared as an advertisement in one of the
Nome papers during the campaign: "The fellow that takes a
bottle of booze for a mushing companion on the winter trail would
pick a rattlesnake for e bedfellow in the desert." We print it
gratis.
---«
We can’t quite gather from our jerky news dispatches just what
it is that Tom Lawson is trying to do in that “leak” investigation.
But one thing is certain, it gives the notoriety-loving Thomas a
chance to be in the limelight, which is meat and drink to him.
-♦
The Women’s Roosevelt-Hughes Club of Seattle lias pledged
its members to work for the nomination of Governor Hiram John
son of California for the presidential nomination in 1920.
--♦
The upper house of congress has passed the bill making the
capital city “dry.” Alaska can read the writing on the wall.
-♦
No wonder,we have been visited by Arctic weather conditions!
A Fairbanks business firm, because the thermometer register 45
degrees above zero on November 15, tempted fate by advertising
“garden seeds and Christmas cards” for sale.
- ♦
There seems to be no way to force Hetty Green’s estate to pay
a tax to the law and order that have protected it all these years;
and yet. some people claim that they don't understand why So
cialism spreads so. “ Boston Transcript.
England continues to pick on us in a most annoying manner.
Now they’ve gone and passed a law forbidding British actors
from returning to London.—New A ork Telegraph.
INTERESTING GLEANINGS
FROM DEPARTMENT REPORTS
The following arc brief excerpts from the
reports of the heads of the various govern
mental departments to congress early in
December:
Secretary Lane's Helpful Suggestions
Secretary of the Interior Lane recom
mends that the powers of the Alaska legis
lativc assembly be enlarged so as to pro
vide a larger measure of home rule for the
territory; that the territory be given power
to incur territorial indebtedness, and that
municipalities in Alaska be given power to
also incur indebtedness for civic improve
ments; that the offices of secretary of Alaska
and surveyor general be segregated. The
report recommends that the expenses of
conducting surveys of homesteads, to which
the public land- surveys are not extended,
be borne by the federal government, and
not, as now, by the claimant; declares that
conservation of the fisheries of Alaska, es
pecially of the salmon fisheries, is of vital
importance, and that while the United
States bureau of fisheries does not believe
that the waters of Alaska have been made
to yield their maximum of fisheries prod
ucts without being depleted, the statement
of fishermen and many cannery operators is
in direct opposition to this opinion.
Increase of Navy
“Until all nations agree to reduce their
armaments, the United States must con
tinue to increase its naval power,’ says
Secretary of the Navy Daniels. The report
deals comprehensively with the plans for
the increase in the navy, tells of the con
tract? that have been awarded fi r the con
struction cf naval craft, and covers the
naval program in every detail.
Abo of Army
The annual report of Secretary of \\ ar
Baker devotes considerable space to the in
vasion of Mexico by American troops and
deals comprehensively with the plans of
the department for an increased army.
Wages Are Increasing
The chief recommendation of Secretary
of Labor Wilson, in his annual report, L
the expansion of the government s employ
I men! service by the creation of a separate
i employment bureau within the department
I of labor. The report deals in a general
[ way with labor conditions throughout the
I country, and says an ineiease in wage scales
t over previous years has been noted with
satisfaction.
A'aska Kelp Beds
Secretary of Agriculture Houston pre
dicts a great potash industry growing out
of the development of the kelp beds of
Alaska and California, which he strongly
urges.
Volunteer Military System Fails
General Scott, chief of staff of the United
States army, is pronounced in his opinion
that the volunteer military system is a
failure, and declares himself to be in favor
of universal military training. “There is
no reason why one woman's son should go
out and defend, or be trained to defend,
another woman and her son, who refuses
I to take training or give service to his conn
I ttv.’ save the report.
Aiasxa Land Surveys
Clay Tollman, commissioner of the United
I St ate? general land office, requests a speed
! ng up of land surveys in Alaska in the
: interest of agriculture and other activities.
Railroad Stimulates Development
I Governor Str. r.g of Alaska, in his report
! to the secretary of the interior, says there
: h.s-s Lien a 35 per cent increase in the ter
ritory's foreign trade. Gold and copper
, shipments from the territory for the year
i aggregate a total value of S3.000.u00.
i The rem rt says that the construction of
| the government railway system is fast de
! veloping a large section of the country and
: has stimulated development in the remain
I der of the territory.
RARE AND COSTLY WINES
ARE WANTONLY DESTROYED
LONDON, Dec. 1. The action of Rosa
lind, Countess of Curli-le, in pouring away
into the ground about 1,500 bottles of wine,
a.- evidence of her strong temperance views,
has aroused a storm of criticism in letters
to the newspapers. The countess is presi
dent of the British Women’s Temperance
Association. She has been a lifelong ab
stainer and temperance advocate.
The wine was of old vintage and was
stored in the cellars of Castle Howard, the
Yorkshire estate of the countess. She in
herited the stock, but is said to have kept
the cellars sealed for the last thirty' years.
A few days ago the wine cellars were opened,
a large hole was dug near the countess’
mansion, and the caretaker poured the con
tents of the bottles into it.
The countess’ action has been criticized
j on the ground that while it is consistent
i with her principles, the wine would be very
j acceptable in military hospitals for the use
! of convalescing soldiers,
i ---—♦—
TOMBSTONES FOR STAKES
i According to reports brought to Reno,
i Nev., by men who answered to the call of
the desert and rushed to get some of the
claims, tombstones are being used for loca
tion monuments in the new mining district
near Sodaville, where a fabulously rich ledge
of tungsten ore was uncovered recently. One
miner located the village cemetery, and as
there were no rocks near, he used some of
the best-looking tombstones to mark the
boundaries of his claim. Others soon fol
lowed suit, and now the relatives of the de
parted interred there years ago would have
a hard time recognizing one grave from an
other.
---♦
ALL CLASSES OF GERMANS
TO BE DRAFTED FOR LABOR
A Sayville wireless dispatch from Berlin,
dated December 2, says that the finishing
touches are now being given to the “man
power bill,” providing for universal labor
for all able-bodied Germans behind the
front. The exact details of the measure
have not been given out, but the newspapers
indicate that it will apply to all classes, rich
and poor alike, affecting particularly the
idle classes living on private income and
those engaged in activities not connected
with prosecuting the war, which may be
discontinued without injury to the body
politic.
This is a form of compulsory service, it
is understood, and will not apply directly
or specifically to women, but a consistent
campaign will be made to utilize to the ut
i most this reservoir of labor power.
Trash f*'; •• •'.a and Eastern Oysters $1 50
J* can I f ■ 3- od ¥.:x Ca
NOME NEWSPAPER PREDICTS
BRIGHT FUTURE FOR ALASKA
(Nome Nugget)
W. C. Leak, the well known old-timer of
Alaska and the Yukon, is quoted in a recent
interview as saying that there is little like
lihood of any big strikes being made in the
North again. He said :
“Too many good prospectors have gone
over the country for anything of great value
to have been overlooked. Anywhere you
V-ant to travel in the back country you
will find ancient prospect holes and rough
log cabins."
In this interview Billy Leak typifies the
attitude of many who seem inclined to (x
toll ti e old days end decry the possibil.tie-?
[ of a brighter future. Biliy himself is re
ferred to in the interview as a prospector
of thirty years’ experience. Well, well.
That’s about as near the mark at nine
tenths of the reviewers of past days ever
hit. He was engaged in business ventures,
to put it euphemistically, and had very lit
tie to do with mining until the first Dawson
winter, when, because of his successful busi
ness ventures, he had enough money to buy
one of the richest claims on Eldorado.
Now, Mr. Leak is one of the finest and
squarest fellows one can meet on the fron
tier or elsewhere, but we question his judg
ment regarding future new diggings in
Alaska. Iiis own memories of Alaska camps
should show him the baselessness of his
prophecy. When he went down to Forty
mile and Circle on his ventures he passed
a dozen creeks that had been “prospected'
by good men. Especia Iv interesting is the
set that hundreds cf men went by the
■ l .-.dike. Some few prospected up that
-'ream. But in spite of the richness of the
. first tributaries and even of the lower part
i of the river itself, they failed to find any
’ coarse colors. Later Carmack found his
lich prospect on a bench about nine feet
j high, and the Dawson stampede began.
I So ii was with Fortymile in the early
; TO- prietically til the miners in the In
. tenor were centered on Fortymile river,
i There were many “good" men among them,
too. They went all over the basin of the
• river and found some rich bur diggings and
j.ome poor creek diggings, such as Poker
creik. New riches have been uncovered in
that basin ever since, with the result .that
! Fortymile river has produced more gold
each year for the past twenty years than
it ever did in the palmy days of the first
pinner rs.
jlit* history of riirbanks has been the
»B7ne to a certain extent. There are two
kinds of prospectors, those who go into the
i virgin wilderness to look for new diggings,
j and those who prospect in the vicinity of
i diggings already discovered. The hr.-.t cla*s
e a hard time of it, end probably don’t
1 stand cue chance in a hundred of finding
anything in the placer line worth staking.
Tin* second class of men, who sink holes
near kimv.n gold deposits, have a much
j greater chance of finding pay dirt. Men
: of this class, working on their own ground
or on a lay for others, have kept on up to
, this present season opening up new pay
dirt in the Fairbanks country. And the
same tiling is bound to happen on the Tdo
vana, Baker creek and other Ttnana tribu
taries.
In the early history of Nome, thousands
left the camp in 1902 and 1903, declaring
j that the camo had been worked out. A
j hopeful li:: n did some prospecting on what
1 is now known as the third beach line, with
results known to ail. Then, after a few
rich years, more people went away and
; -oinp new ones came. The prospecting zone
| lias continually widened and more new
1 canms have been found from time to time.
Am.) more will be found, if we judge the
| future by the pest. Not only will pay be
; found in sections not yet prospected, but
i it will be found in sections that are sup
! posed to have been thoroughly “pros
I pec ted.”
Down in California, which was overrun
with prospectors fifty years ago, and where
mining has been in progress ever since,
new diggings, both placer and quartz, are
even now being found. New diggings, mark
you. Only the other day we read of a
foolish (of course) and enthusiastic pros
pector who stsrlcd out with a jackass or
two to hunt a fortune in the hills. He
journeyed along a turnpike which had
been traveled by stage coaches for half a
century. Seeing a streak of different col
ored dust in the road ahead, and not know
ing much about prospecting anyway, he
stopped to examine the pinkish dust. It
felt gritty, and there was a dyke of rock
visible cn the hillside of the same color.
So he took a panful of the dirt down to
the creek and washed it. He found a lot
| of fine colors. His investigations ended by
his staking a quartz ledge that he sold for
?400,000 cash. And this rich ledge ran
across a road that had been traveled by
lens of thousands of prospectors, miners
and mining experts in previous years.
No, we can’t agree with Mr. Leak that
nothing of value remains to be discovered in
Alaska. Rather we would agree with the
government experts and thousands of hope
ful, hustling Alaskans, that the country has
as yet only been scratched on the surface,
and that new diggings will be found for
many years to come.^
HOPELESSLY IGNORANT
“I dunno how that boy of mine got
through college.”
“Didn’t he learn anything?"
“Why. he can’t even read the Latin on
his diploma.”—Louisville Courier Journal.
For steam baths, go to the Snyder House,
Professions l
Michigan, 1S5! Mask*. !•"»
Kentucky, tsvt
George Woodruff Albrecht
COUNSELOR AND LAWYER
IDITAROD, ALA8KA
The Pioneer Attorney of Icttiarod
E. M. STANTON
Attorney at Law
! Office: Corner Willow and Second St*.
Iditarod Pioneer Building
CHAS. E. TAYLOR
Attorney at Law
BANK BLOCK
First Avenue Iditarod
I
DR. MOORE
PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON
DRUG STORE
DR. H. E. AURINGER
Physician and Surgeon
Office: Fiat City Hospital, Flat Oily
■ Consultation Hours in Forenooni and hjr
Appointment
FLAT DRUG STORE
Best of Everything
ALL THE TIME AT THE
Arcade Cafe
FLAT CITY
Opan Dav and Night
FINE WATCH REPAIRING
NUGGET JEWELRY TO ORDER
J. L. SALE, Flat City
PI A TAP HQ Mg’ and small, prlut^d <•»
iLnlnivL/t) jwijmt. c irtJlx»ar• 1 • #r cIdIIi
« on cl»'»rt m>tic(*> at Uliuru 1 ofllc»*
OPEN DAY AND NIGHT
CAFE
1
FLAT CITY HOHBACK & DURANO |
Bet. the Grind and Bagoy's Ban j
THE BEST ALL THE TIME
_ (
WE ARE HERE TO STAY
French Joe’s Roadhouse
SOUTH FORK KUSKOKWIM
DOC BACON AND FISH
FOP SALE
_
Big Stocks of Fresh Goods
Everything for the Miner and
Prospector
MAX SIMEL SESS?
Stores at Cripple Cltj and IWouth of Tolstoi
J. H ROGERS
New Restaurant
Open Early and Late
SOOD EATS, QUICK SERVICE
Only Cerrespondence School Chef
in Alaska
Frcnt St., Iditarod, neat to Manuel-'*
BEST LIQUORS AND CIGARS
Three-Times-Move Bar
(Formerly the Stanley House)
JOHN BAGOY, PROP.
GOOD ROOMS CLEAN BEDS
_FLAT CITY_
FINNEGAN & CAMERON
FLAT CITY
Agency for Edison Diamond Disc Phonographs and Records
TOBACCO CIGARS STATIONERY
CONFECTIONERY AND BILLIARDS
C. R. Cameron F- F'"negan
THOS. McMAHON
DEALER IX
General Merchandise
FLAT, ALASKA