THE IDITAROD PIONEER
Published Every Saturday Morning at Idltarod, Alaska
Vol. 7 CHARLES A. DERRY, Editor No. 3U
ARSUCKLE & DERRY, Publishers
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WICKERSHAM VS. THE PRESIDENT
Uncle Sum is most indulgent to the representatives of the
prople who are sent to Washington to incorporate the wishes of
their constituents into the law of the land. Besides a fairly re
munerative salary of S7,;j00 per year, he furnishes them each
with a private office, a private secretary, office equipment and
unlimited stationery, neatly embossed with their names, gives
them almost unlimited use of his famous printing office, and
allows them a franking privilege which permits them to favor
their admiring friends at home with printed copies of their ora
torical efforts and nil without cost to themselves, and with the
minimum of trouble. Under such circumstances the astute poli
ticiun, once intrenched in the capitol as a member of congress, or
toon us a delegate, is in possession of powerful weapons which he
mav use for the purpose of continuing his comfortable position.
Under the glaring fiction of “unanimous consent to extend his
remarks." many an interesting piece of political propaganda is
printed and circulated at the expense of our benevolent uncle
which by no manner of means can be saili to be "public business,
a- contemplated under the privileges given to congressmen to
have their speeches printed and circulated at government expense.
And the wonder is that such petty graft should be allowed; or that
men who continually spout of "patriotic duties should take ad
vantage of the opportunity to mulct the government for their
legitimate campaign expense-.
'] l rent arks arc provoked by the perusal of a "-perch of
Delegate .tames Wiekersham of Alaska supposed to have been
Relit ered in the house of representative- on July Jo. 191f>. It is
printed as part of the Congressional Record and circulated under
the congressional frank in pamphlet form, making a convenient
document for campaign purposes
Now. Delegate Wiekersham is no more reprehensible than other
congressmen in this respect; it is a universal practice. But be
cause of the fact that he is the representative of the peop'e of
Alaska, anti that the document constitutes a vicious attack on
Bre.-i.-leut Wilson. Secretary Lane and other members of the ad
ministration who have been noteworthy friends of Alaska and its
people, the act of the delegate seems particularly atrocious. Taken
in conjunction with the fact that the policy of the President and
his advisors toward Alaska ha- not changed one whit from that
pursued two year- ; go. when Judge Wiekersham proudly an
nounced himself as heartily in accord with President Wilson, the
action of the delegate appears to be inexcusable.
The reason for Delegate Wickersham's change of front is not
hard to find. Elsewhere he speak- of a “contest which cos! me
my place in the political sun. L is his desire to regain this place
that is responsible for his almost savage attack on the men and
mrty «iii have given renewed hope and confidence to the people
of Alaska, after the ravaging blight of Republican policies, with
their l’inchuti.-m and proposed Beveridge commission, inflicted
upon the territory under the regimes of Roosevelt and Taft.
No politician feel- -tettre unless he ha- the disposition of po
litical plums with which to reward his friends. Delegate Wicker
sham's position has been unsatisfactory from the politician's
standpoint. Under a Republican administration he was at outs
with his party. Under President Wilson’s administration he had
no standing in the party councils; consequently he had no patron
age to dispense. Now that he has again proclaimed himself a Re
publican. and the follower of a presidential candidate who an
nounces his ignorance of Ala-ka. Mr. Wiekersham hope- to make
his peace with his party and have th" dispos-1 of the political plan
ner that will fall to his lot should Charles E Hughes be elected
President next November.
The tirade of Delegate Wicker'ham which is the subject of
this article is entitled "The Full Territorial Form of Government
for Alaska.” It will be surprising news to many who have fol
lowed political events in this territory during the past few years
to learn that the delegate is now an ardent advocate of that po
litical chimera. In fact, the gist of his "speech” is his arraignment
of what he terms the opposition of the President and his cabinet
to that somewhat frayed political issue. It will be recalled that
up to within a comparatively short time the delegate himself was
an opponent of this same issue, declaring the demand for increased
power for the territorial government to be nonsensical and insin
cere, and stating that authority for the exercise of the increased
powers demanded already existed in statute form.
However, as the insistent demands of certain territorial news
papers (influenced, probably, by desire for party advantage con
tinued. the delegate himself introduced in congress a bill for “a
full territorial form of government for Alaska.” And the strange
part of it is that he now prides himself on this fact, and relates it
as one of his accomplishments in behalf of h:s constituents. What
he does not relate, however, is the fact that at about the same
time he also introduced a bill conferring statehood upon Alaska,
and one of its ridiculous features was that it gave the proposed
new state four representatives in the lower house of congress.
That these acts of the delegate were insincere, and were intended
to mi.-Dud his constituents as to his true sentiments, seems to he
amniiest.
Mr Wickersham says that President Wilson "personally
pledged" the "full territorial form of government” to Alaska in
his message to congress on December 2, 1913. He reverts again
and again to this "pledge,” and speaks of “the unfriendly action
of the Wilson administration in opposition to giving Alaska” that
form of government.
The aspersion cast upon the President by Mr. Wickersham is
unworthy of a man of his attainments and ability. Nothing is
more inexcusable, even in political controversies, than willful mis
representation. Mr. Wickersham knows, as every citizen should
know, that even the President of the United States esnnot “pledge”
any legislation. He can recommend legislation, and he can use
the tremendous power of his office in furthering legislative action;
hut that is as far as his powers extend, and these are seldom used
except on matters of the greatest gravity. In his message of
December 2, 1913, President Wilson said;
A duty faces us with regard to Alaska which seems to
me very pressing and very imperative; perhaps I should
say a double duty, for it concerns both the political and
material development of the territory. The people of
Alaska should be given the full territorial form of gov
ernment, and Alaska, as a storehouse, should be unlocked.
There is a decided difference between a pledge and a recoin |
mendntion. But compare that straightforward declaration of the
duty of the nation toward Alaska with the meaningless statement
with which Mr. Hughes, whose professed follower Mr. Wickersham
is, dismissed the whole subject of Alaska in his Seattle speech.
Said the Republican candidate:
You have u great empire in Alaska. I want to see it
developed.
A considerable pert of Mr. Wiekcrsham's “speech" (delivered
in his office to his stenographer, no doubt) is devoted to a de
' nunciation of Secretary of the Interior Lane, whom, however, he
1 designates as the “strong man” of President Wilson’s cabinet. Re
j ferring to the Ferris coal land leasing act, drawn up in Mr. Lane’s
department, and under which the coal fields of Alaska are to be
developed for the benefit of men of small means instead of becom
ing part of the monopolistic holdings of giant corporations, the
delegate says:
1 did everything a delegate could do to defeat that bu
reaucratic plan for preventing the development of “the
full territorial form of government in Alaska,” but the
Wilson administration, trying to out Pinchot Pinchot,
forced it on the territory and its people We must accept
it and do the best we can to persuade the bureau to so
administer it as to prevent the curse of government mo
nopoly. Those Americans who live on those lands must
do so as tenants under “rules and regulations” to be
established there by the secretary of the interior, who will
be their real governor. It is a, big corporation scheme.
It holds no place in it for the poor man and offers him no
hope. It is President Wilson’s way of keeping his promise
to the people of Alaska that they should have “the full
territorial form of government."
It is difficult to concede sincerity to one who willfully per
verts facts as does Mr. Wickersham in the above statement. No
one knows better than he that, far from being a “big corporation
scheme." the Ferris bill was intended to “offer hope to the poor
man,” With the spectacle of the coal fields of the rest of the
country in the hands of immense aggregations of capital which
impose conditions of labor such as no American citizen will accept
in many instances (as 111 Colorado, West Virginia and [1 arts of
Pennsylvania, where the miners for the most part are ignorant
immigrants!, our humanitarian President and his advi.- n- sought
a plan by which the miners and men of small capital sln.ukl reap
<01111 benefit from the bounties of nature. With this end in vi»w
the Lasing of comparatively small tr;c?s was provided for. title
to the land resting in the government. The “curse of government
monopoly" hi Ids no terrors to the American people, who have
before their eyes the “curse” of private monopoly.
Secretary Lane, from his induction into office, has been a o n
sistent woiker f..r the upbuilding of Alaska. He lias devoted e
great deal of his Mine to Alaska problems and that <ie ha- me.
with so lo lie response to his e:’■in’.-t eiioris from the people of
th-’ lerriu iy is one of the re.-ie:'ai)!■ * facts . t iveeni i-ari. >n;:! to
tory. When the roll of Alaska's friends is compiled Franklin K
Lane’s name will head the list. Mr. W’ickershain s il! limed at
tacks on an efficient, courageous and patriotic othe’-.l will redound
to his own disadvantage rather than to that "f t secretary.
Summed up in it< pritire'y, the “vreeh of Delegate Wicker
sham is the effort of a politician to rehabilitate himself woh Ins
parry for the sake of p: litiefl prestige. That il will have the least
effect in shaking the confidence of the people of Alaska in Presi
dent Wilson's administration is unthinkable. Republic's are said
to he ungrateful, but surely political 1 will not sway the people
of this territory to the extent that they will turn their hack upon
t.he;r belief:.'-, or- upon the only men in high position who ever
thought it worth while to extend a l.-lping hand in the develop
me ‘ of the great territory for the benefit of in- people, and not
for the exploitation of non-re-ident capitalists.
Tire Pioneer has not been, and is no! now, in sympathy with
those who seek to further increase the powers of the territorial
! government under present conditions. We believe such a course
I to be dangerous in the extreme. We have he'd, and still hold,
with the views formerly expressed by Pelegate W ickersham, that
tin pre-ent ft rtn of government, in'elligently administered, con
tents : tuple powers. In the course of time, when the territory
contains a sufficient permanent population to warrant statehood,
there will be many problems to In- worked '■■ut, not heretofore
encountered by a new state of the American Union. In the mean
time the people of the territory should co-operate with a sympa
thetic administration in the working out of its future.
James Wicker.-ham has placed himself in an unequivocal posi
tion of antagonism to Pre-ident Wilson. As we see it, the course
of the people of Alaska is clear. James Vv ickersham s career 01
usefulness to the people of .Alaska is ended, and he should be re
tired to private life.
- *
Probably aroused by the hyporri-y • f the Republican a-saults
upon President Wilson’s administration. Leslie M. Shaw, secretary
of the treasury in the first Roosevelt cabinet, said in an article
recently published by the Chicago News: "1 have no hesitancy
in admitting grave doubts whether the Republican party can
even if it should try, and also whether it ought to try, to defeat
the party now in power upon an issue of excoriation because it
has failed to accomplish in four years what we failed to do in
forty years. If we have a small and inadequate army and navy,
the Republican party is 80 per cent responsible for its inefficiency,
for the Republican party has been in power 80 per cent of the
last half century. If our coast defenses are silly. 1 submit it does
not lie in the mouth of the Republican party to say much about
it. Let the next administration be a business administration, and
while preparing for peace, let it also do what we ail agree should
be done prepare for eventualities that may ensue." Such utter
ances show that patriotism still predominates over partisanship in
the minds of men of broad views.
-♦
A dispatch sent from Nulato to the Juneau Empire on August
21 by Frank Wa-key of Marshall City. Alaska's first delegate in
congress, said: “Senator Sulzer addressed an enthusiastic meet
ing of Marshall City and Willow Creek miners and business men
while at Marshall City, and Alaska's first eight-hour placer camp
will vote almost solidly for the roan who established Alaska’s first
eight-hour quartz camp. Sentiment along the Yukon is that the
day of pillle in Washington and peddle in Alaska is past. It is
felt by the miners and business men generally that with Senator
Sulzer as congressional representative the days of strife and horse
play will cease and much needed constructive work will begin.”
The following item of “news” is being widely published by
territorial newspapers. There seems to be a mistake somewhere,
or else an important piece of information has been kept from the
newspapers of the Fourth division: “Joe E. Clark, clerk of the
United States district court for the Fourth division, has resigned
and he has been succeeded by Sidney Stewart, his chief deputy,
formerly employed with the Washington-Alaska Bank. Rumor
has it that the resignation, following so closely upon the recent
visit of the special agent from the department of justice, was asked
by the department.”
j Ball Band Rubber Boots and Pacs j | Ball Band Rubber Boots and Pass ^_ j
1 Cut Prices Still Prewail I
--—-50
Z >
I pP^ First-Class I
! w
i FRESH GOODS i
□i N. C. Co. Sole Agents for Alaska I J N. C. Co. Sole Agents for Alaska
MATTER OF ROAD FUNDS
MAY HAVE A BEARING
UPON COMING ELECTION
The letter of J. K. Riley in last week’s
issue of The Pioneer ha- had the effect of
awakening a great deal of interest in road
matters, anil there is considerable inquiry
as to the status of road affairs in Alasva,
and especially in the Fourth district,
as to the status of road affairs in Alaska,
heretofore has been exclusively in the hands
of the Alaska road commission, working
under the war department, the funds to
carry on its work being provided by appro
priations by congress. It is not so well
known, however, that there is a territorial
road fund, which is expended under the di
rection of a road overseer in each division.
I his fund is expended under authority of
an act of the territorial legislature ap
proved April 28, 1915, which provided for
the selection of a road overseer for each
division by the legislature. Thereafter the
overseers were to be elected by the qualified
voters a! each biennial election, and take
office on March 1 next following the elec
linn.
The present road overseer for the Fourth
division is II. II. Ros- of Fairbanks, and, ac
cording to the Times of that city, that of
ficial “has only $5,900 to work on” ini.-,
year, “which is a comparatively small sum
when the amount of work to he done is con
sidered, but he is doing the best he can
with the means at hand.” Later advices
slate that this sum has been increased, and
that “the entire road fund will therefore be <
in the neighb n hnod of $7,723.87.”
The overseer’s “best” appears from the
same newspaper to be work on the road.- :
leading to the creeks adjacent to Fairbanks.
t\ r “by an agreement reached last year
between Mr. Ross and the Alaska road com
mission the territorial road overseer agreed
to look after the trail* in the immediate
vicinity of Fairbanks if the road commis
sion world see In the repairs in other parts
nf the division." “Last year,” continues *ho
n.w>| aper article, “a road of a sort was
built by the territorial road crew under Air.
Ross for about two and one half miles up
Gilira ie creek.”
All of which is, of course, eminently satis- ‘
facton to t.he residents of the Fairbanks |
di.-‘rirt, v.hn apparently are imbued with ;
the it;-a that the road funds, both federal
and territorial, are provided for the especial ;
use of the Fairbanks district. There appears
to be no thought that there may be need 1
for roads in any other portion of the dis- 1
trict than their own, and in fact the im j
pression is conveyed that they do not know j
i.r care to know of the existence of any
other part of the Fourth division.
More Funds Forthcoming
The territorial road fund h derived from
25 per cent of the receipts from the sale
of forest products by the federal govern
men!, and this fund is divided equally
among the four judicial divisions. A recent
Washington dispatch stated that Secretary
of Agriculture Houston had placed to the
ciedit of Alaska the sum of $40,200 from
this source. This would mean a tidy sum
as the portion of the Fourth division for
the coming year. If a re cereal of the usual
order of things were brought about, and
the whole (if this sum were expended in the
Iditarod di>trict instead of the Fairbanks
district, some splendid results might be ob
tained in the way of building passable roads
in this camp. 1'here would be nothing un
reasonable about this suggestion, for the
reason that the great bulk of all road ex
penditures heretofore have been made for
the benefit of the Tanana valley camp and
its business center. Because of its numer
ical voting strength being .-omewhut in
ferior to that of Fairbanks, however, thi>
seems unlikely to be a possibility. .And in
spite of the importance of the Iditarod re
gion as a mining center, and the fact that
its lack of roads is the cause of retarding
development, the road funds will continue
to be expended in districts which Command
greater attention from the politicians.
Candidates for Overseer
There are four candidates for the position
of road overseer in the Fourth division at
the coming election, as follows: Pete Jen
sen. of Ruby, Independent; II. H. Ross of
Fairbanks, the incumbent. Wickersham : M.
K. Sabin. Independent, and Peter Steil, In
dependent. Presumably the two last-named
also are residents of Fairbanks.
Pete Jensen is well known in the Iditarod
district as “Smiling Pete.” He was very
popular here, and no doubt relies on that
populaiity to give him strength at the polls
next November. Neither one of these can
didates has as yet announced his intentions
as to the policy he will pursue in the event
of his election. It is fair to presume, how
ever, that each will entertain a predilection
in favor of his own district when it comes
to expending the money apportioned for the
use of the whole district.
The residents of the Iditarod district, of
course, would prefer to have the road money
spent in this district, or at least a portion of
it. In the event that this cannot be, they I
probably would prefer that it be spent in
the Ruby district rather than at Fairbanks,
which heretofore has had the lion’s share of
such funds. There is little doubt, however,
that they would rather see “Smiling Pete”
Jensen have the handling of the funds than
any other one of the candidates.
The Ruby district is being favored at the
present time with the attention of the
Alaska road commission to a greater extent
than has ever before been the case with a
district located outside the sacred precincts
of the Fairbanks district. And it may hap
pen that, should he be elected, he would see
the justice of expending this fund where
it is most needed—in the Iditarod district.
At any- rate, a little information from
these various candidates as to their policy
would not be amiss at this time.
-A
MRS. CHITTICK’S NEW STOCK
Mrs. Chittiek now has her new goods, and
among them has everything in Infants’ and
Children’s Footwear for either summer or
winter. Youths’ Leather-top Pacs, Felt
Shoes, Felt Slippers and Leather Shoes. Also
a good assortment of Hosiery, Piece Goods,
Fancy Work, etc.
FRANK ALBERT ELLIS WANTED
Under date of August 23, Laura Ellis,
1530 Amelia street, Victoria, B. C., writes j
to local officials for information as to the I
whereabouts of Frank Albert Ellis, who is I
supposed to be somewhere in the North. He *
is described as tall and well built, with fair \
hair and slightly bald. His age is given
as 59.
-«>
Fresh Olympia and Eastern Oysters, $1.50
per can. Iditarod Meat Co. i
QHAS. A. SULZER, DEMOCRATIC CANDIOATE FOR DELEGATE
( ;:::les \. ’/.» r was I' i'll on :« fa nil al bosellc. \. J . I *i *l>ri i n r \- ■ i, 1$7*>. II.
a* tend.a. Hi., piddle I. 1:111‘-TV -chool, and graduated I'mii berk.dcy \oadomy. Vv
York i io,. iii p , - d c\ innii ;iion- for :iilmi"i.:!i n» I'rinocioii l'niver>ny. bat befor.
i • 111 •; 111 . • : i! i: i' j:! • M.ill.d I no I iii 11 r. gllil'lll, New Je|>.*y \ 'dilute.TS. Ill tile Spanish
\ii!< 11. ii war, and ar;<• r being discharged from 11: • army lie p.-nt .an- year at tin- \Y* -
pi.ini .Military \rademy. As ,i boy .Mr. Snlzer was a prominent aliilep* in tin- I'.a-i.
Si nab r Snlz* r is a member of the Klks* Lodge of Klizabeth, No. OSh. and
«.f tl:** trustee- of the brand < ami of the Arctic brotherhood, aNo of Ketchikan \
I'i■ii'rii;11 order of Kugle-. and is dictator ..r snlzer l.«-dge t jnr>. Koval Order of \|
I wo years a - o Mr. snlzer wa- nominated for the territorial senate, and wit i n
making a campaign of any dr- option In was elected by a large majority over a 4 • v\
-tr. ng opponent, and In* wa- tin* only hemorrat on tin* ticket who was successful \
this < 11*etii,ii thore wnv ea.-t in Ins voting precinct i total of :.7 vote-, and M-iiiiiur
z.er received every one.
H25 fer every man one Logging Shirt, one Heavy Rough Neck
Sweater Coat, Mackinaw Clothing, anti a Full Line of Furnishings,
l AT GREATLY REDUCED PRICES
f
w 'r ■ •»ew. 1 * 11 ww 11' r*i trr—nmnr——————nr**™———
Fresh Meats
j _
SesondSt. I0ITAROD SV3EAT CO> Phone 15
4
I THE BEST OF EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME
MERCHANTS' CAFE
GOOD MEALS MMSBBM
m” open day and night
Prop.
j HARRY DOM^ELLEY
EES GENERAL MERCHANDISE
| DISCOVERY, OTTER
fFINNEGAN & CAMERON;
FLAT CITY 4
S Agency for Edison Diamond Disc Phonographs and Records ^
% TOBACCO CIGARS STATIONERY 1
£ CONFECTIONERY AND BILLIARDS 1
C. R. Cameron Jas. F. Finnegan 1
❖ *
i
i
j Mattresses Comforters
> Blankets Pillows
MoMAHON
| General Merchandise
FLAT CITY