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OF SEWARD, ALASKA — Established August 19, 1904
Published daily except Sunday by
THE GATEWAY PUBLISHING COMPANY
Entered in the postoffice at Seward, Alaska as
second-class mail matter.
H. V. HOBEN and E. F. JESSEN, Proprietors
E. F. Jessen, Editor and Manager
C. J. Lincke, Associate Editor
MEMBER OF THE-ASSOCIATED PRESS
THEN AND NOW
On this date, in the year 1867, Alaska passed from
the domininion of the Russian Czars to that of the United
States of America.
The event was judged with misgivings by some and
applauded by others, the latter actuated by elation felt
over having emancipated a vast domain and its subject
peoples from despotic rulership.
Roll the curtain back 47 years, or to the year 1907,
and we find an entire change of sentiment—it was decided
to supplant free American citizenship for subjectship.
Evidently the original pioneers of America held a copy
right on the pioneer business, for it was not for Alaska.
True, there were men who differed with this view, and
cast their lot within the confines of the vast empire. May
be what they discovered—something of great value—
was the incentive for reversing the order of political evo
lution. It has been the history of all weaker peoples—
this despoilation.
Today we tested the verity of this subjectship. We
cabled the Forestry Service at Juneau asking if the right
to purchase five acres of public domain from the Crown
applied to the forest reserves (which it might be stated
parenthetically controls practically all of the coastline
of Alaska where trees grow). Read the dispatch else
where and note the answer.
Congress passed a bill saying one might purchase a
small tract of the “public domain.” * What is the public
domain? Who is the public? Who is this Posterity
which sits enthroned and dictates the weal or woe of a
nation? A very important personage, one would say.
A citizen, to escape the monotony of his workaday
life, seeks to build a little cabin on the banks of a sylvan
lake amidst nature's settings of emerald verdure, with
soughing spruce and the tang of the woodland floating in^
the ambient air—there to spend a portion of the summer
in recreation.
He is a trespasser against the Crown. Any fores
try official may order him off. “This is not for you,” he
says; “it is for Posterity”—he of the highest; a vague, un
known quantity, but one who wields as much power as did
the Czar of all the Russias who 67 years ago relinquished;
sovereignty over Alaska.
A pioneer woman, who wrote some glorious chapters
in Alaskan history, battling beside her male compatriot in
fighting a trail through the wilderness, comes onto a pret
ty spot beside a lake, there builds a rustic retreat in which
to spend her declining years. The best she can get is the
privilege of squatting with the power resting in the hands
of bureaucracy to order her off with 30 days notice. She
cannot invest or improve for fear of being compelled to
take her belongings and move on. It is near a lake on
which only little gasboats run here and there for the
pleasure of big game hunters and tourists, yet it is fore
shore and is “reserved”—for Posterity.
It is more appropriate to make “Alaska Day” a day of
mourning rather than jubilation. The only measure of
elation which may be correctly expressed is over the fact
that its people have survived and performed a herculean
task under handicaps which would have been worthy
only of its former rulers.
This petty application of rules and regulations epit
omizes the cause for people becoming discouraged and
moving away. Yet there is still hope for the day when
wisdom will supplant the present system and emancipa
tion will come. Then we may lift up our voice and shout
the full glory of the greatest of all frontier countries.
Alaska cannot very well complain if capital is fright
ened away from the Territory by Federal restrictions, if
its own Legislature adopts a similar policy in imposing
vindictive tax measures on a distinctive line of industry.
How long would it be before some other industry came
under the ban and were subjected to the same conditions?
It even might reach to anything incurring the animosity
of political groups.
There is little likelihood of a situation similar to that
in China arising in Alaska. All being foreigners and sub
jects in the eyes of the bureaucrats, there would be no one
to kick out unless they turned the boot upon themselves.
, Those Bridgewater (N. J.) Councilmen who indulged
in a free-for-all fight must be ambitious to go to Congress.
The duty on onions and garlic is to be revised, but the
odor, isn't.
At Corn:-h, Ga., is a monument erected to an apple.
But why neglect “Peaches?”
TWO EIRTHQIMKE SHOCKS
ROLL THROUGH SEWIRD
Two pronounced earthquake tre
mors were felt in Seward last night
jat 9:55 o’clock, the shocks apparently
sweeping in a south to north direc-1
tion. In the Gateway office the pen- j
: dulum of the clock was stopped and
the cat thrown on its back. Resi
dents say it was the heaviest shock
j to have visited the city in a number
of rears. Buildings swayed dizzily,
• -
and in many instances tenants ran
into the streets. Aside from a few
[broken dishes and cracked plaster and
wallpaper no damage has been re
i
! ported.
ENGLISH FOX HUNT IS -
LONDON, March 30. (TP)—Fox
hunting in England, which dates
back manv centuries, is threatened
by the activity of farm laborers who
have been carrying on an illicit
business in reynard’s skin. The
hide, worth more than a million
pounds sterling to the fox himself
while it stays upon his back, is worth
but 12 to 13 shillings when peeled
off its original owner and is passed
on to the London furriers.
BASEBALL CAMP NEWS
PIRATES* WIN RROM MISSIONS
SAN FRANQJSCO, March 30. (JP)—
An error in the first inning allowed
the Pittsburgh Pirates to defeat the
San Francisco Missions in the second
game of the pre-season series.
Swanson, center fielder for the Mis
sions let a fly go between his feet
allowing three men to score in the
opening Inning. After that the Pir
ates could only gather one more run.
The Missions tied the score in the
fourth inning, but failed to rally in
the ninth. The final count was
Pittsburgh four, San Francisco, two.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Mar. 30
(JP)—Babe Ruth started his 1927
home run conquest yesterday by
clouting out two circuit hits in the
game against the Boston Nationals.
New York won 16 to 7.
ST. AUGUSTINE, March' 30. (JP)—
Hornsby saved the day with a daz
zling toss which helped vanquish
the Washington Senators in the sixth
inning of a fast game which resulted
in a victory for the New York Giants
by 5 to 3.
AVON PAK, N. Y., March 30. (;p)—
The Yankees took a beating from the
St. Louis Cardinals when the* Cardi
nals ran wild on bases bringing in 14
to victory.
CLEARWATER, March 30. (JP)—
The Brooklyn Robbins staged a rally
in the sixth inning and defeated the
Baltimore Orioles 7 to 4.
HERB PENNOCK SIGNS UP
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., March 30.
(JP)—Herb Pennock has signed up for
three years and now all of the Yankees
are in the fold.
LOSES JEWELS, NOT DISPOSITION
NEW YORK, March 30. (JP)—Mrs.
Bertlam Unger reports the loss of
jewrels "worth $50,000 but she is not
crestfallen. “What is the matter of a
few thousand dollars?” she asked as
she tripped away to an evening party
bedecked with gems.
Try our choice malt,ed
milk. A drink of rare dis
tinction served when good
friends meet. Candy Cot
tage.
"v \&r\
LIBERTY
THEATER
8 O’CLOCK
ONE SHOW
— 8 O’CLOCK
THE GIGANTIC WESTERN DRAMA
9—REELS—9 .
“The
Scarlet
West”
In this show the great histor
ical event of
CUSTER'S LIST STAND
as true to facts as it was pos
sible to make it
A story of the early West al
most the equal of “The Cov
ered Wagon.”
A red-blooded, romantic tale
of the pioneer days.
A thrilling picture every
American should see
AND A THRILLING PATHE NEWS
No Extra Charge for This Big Feature
OVERLAND GRILL
Next to the Overland Hotel
Open Day and Night
Private Boxes
Gabriel Santos Proprietor and Chef
How Does Your
Garden Grow ?
\ SEED that lacks the power of germ
** ination will never bloom into a
beautiful flower or luscious vegetable
no matter how much you water and
hoe. You’ll never be disappointed by
using Lilly’s tested Seeds
Onion Sets; also Morcrop Fertiliz
er, Agricultural Lime, Maggot Bait.
Seward Trading
Inc.
Telephone Main 135 for Quality Goods
VISITORS ATTENTION
The attention of visitors in Seward
today is called to the 12 and 16-page
weekly newspaper published by the
Gateway. It is the largest weekly
newspaper in the Territory and con
tains a resume o£ practically all the
important activities in every portion
of Alaska as well as Associated Press
dispatches from the States. By sub
scribing to the Weekly Gateway the
reader is kept in touch with the major *
events of the world and Territory.
The Gateway is recognized as one of
the leading newspapers of Alaska.
The subscription price is moderate,