THE NOME NUQOET
AN INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER.
PUBLISHED WEEKLY—EVERY SATURDAY AFTERNOON.
GEO. S. MAYNARD,.Sole Owner and Publisher.
Entered as Second Clam Matter, at the peateffice at Name, Alaska,
Under the Act el March 3, ISIS.
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THE TOWN OF YAWN
My Friend, have you heard of the town of Yawn,
On the banks of the rives Slow?
Where blooms the Wait-a-while flower so fttir.
Where ’.he Some-time-or-other scents the air
And the soft Oo-easys grow
Jt Bes in the valley of Whattheuse,
In the province of L<etherslide;
That "tired feeling is native there—
It's the home of the listless Idonbcare,
Where the lhititofts abide.
The Ihititoffs never moke up their minds.
Intending to do it tomorrow;
And ko they delay from day to day,
Titt busim»R dwindles and profits decay
And their days are full of sorrow.
"We." Store Magazine
WHERE STABILITY LIES
3*V>r practically a year the executive head of these United States was.
n sick .man. unable to perform his official functions, except at long intervals. 1
Yet, withal the country managed to get along quite nicely and with no dis- 1
turbancc of its general equlitmum. At least, dispute the inability of the
general manager, it did not deviate so ter trim fta accustomed course that it
became •notlcable to the average person.
«o ter as ooukl be observed the president's incapacity interfered with
nothing at all, unless it were politics. This was prrihably a bit hard on the
politicians hut it did not effect anyone, else. Rut when a few thousand rail
way switchmen, humble folks enough, to be sure, quit their Job last spring be
cause things were not the wnf they wanted them, a "hundred million people
felt the effects immediately. When the coal miners struck some time be
fore, the result of their action was felt throughout the length and breadth of
the nation. It all goes to tfhow that the country is going to get along first
rate no matter what politicians or paj-tie.fi are in or what nm as long a« the
people w»k> hew the wood gnd pack the water are content. JYesidents -may
come and presidents may go and the political mills can run or not; the coun
try will get along. The things that really disturb the nation are matters of
right and justice—living wages, right prices, and just rates. With these
things adjusted properly, it doesn't really matter whsrt brand of political teith
rules at Washington.
THE DEPARTMENTAL COMMITTEE PLAN
Diver*. and numerous changes In the federal administration of Alaska
affairs will probably soon be forthcoming as a result of the creation by Sec
retary Payne of the so called "Hiterdepartsnen-tal committee." With the of
ficial mills grinding in unison cm the Alaska grist same rare and wonderfulj
things may develop. We may even expect some real benefits to accrue. ,
At least there should be a big reduction in the enormous amount of red tape
in which the territory has been swathed like an Egyptian mummy ever since
official Washington first conceived the idea that Uncle Ham's territories were
a sort of special work sh jp tor departmental experimenting at running things
by inspiration.
We should remind ourselves, however, that Washington ie still a long
way from Alaska. Much of the same colossal ignorance of Alaska and Alaska
conditions that has heretofore been the greatest obstacle to intelligent admin
istration of Alaska affairs still obtains in the national capital and may prove
the rock on which Secretary Payne** excellently conceived bork may founder.
As long as this lack Of understanding exists it is idle to hope for more than a
modicum of benefit from any form of bureaucratic organization. Secretary i
Payne undoubtedly possesses a fairly good knowledge of Alaskan conditions
and so ateo does Governor Higgs. There may be another one or two of the ;
•committee who also hold a fair understanding of the territory.
Even so the question is do they possess any real interest in Alaska
and hold a sincere desire to further its development and progress. Lacking
in such interest, the chances are that the committeemen chosen by the various
departments io represent them will look upon their duties as merely perfunc
tory. to be discharged in faithful accord with rules and regulations, mere auto- i
malum* of duty, without real knowledge, no sympathy and scant understand- j
ing of anything that is not covered .by departmental rote and rules. If such j
men have been chosen, some slight benefits may come of the committee, but i
little may be expected that does not tit in with the previous small view and
understanding of the depart mental gods. Thus we will be but little better
ofT than before. We know Secretary Payne has the right idea of what is
needed to bring the territory to the desired state of industrial and economic
rehabilitation, so also does Governor Higgs. But do any of the others know
anything about Alaska? If they do we may consider that there is a good
prosper* of better days ahead as a result of government influence, but if they
are the same stripe of departmental regulation disciples as usually handle
Alaska affairs in the various departments, we may just as well again don our
praying cap and once more resume our long continued refrain, "How Long,
oh Lord, How Long."
DARKNESS BY DAY is frequently mentioned in ancient chronicles.
In the year 626 the sun was half eclipsed for eight months. The sun again
became dark for an extended period in 733. Again in 934. wrttem of that
time state that Portugal was dark fort wo months. This may have been
due to an unusual canopy of clouds, for sunlight was again made non rent
after a series of violent lightening flashes
SUGAR HAS BEEN DEAR BE PORE. Onp of the earliest records
nf the price of sugar in Great Britain appears in the arcaunts of the UbaAt
larlnln of Scotland in 1319, In which it is set down as Is. 9%d. per lb. (Mr).
In 1459 sugar continued to he n great luxury, jtnd in that year a certain
Margaret Past.in. Writing to he, husband, who was a gentleman and land owner
of Norfolk, begs that he "vouchsafe" to buy her n pound of sugar.
Parcel Poet end Well Fargo Shipments for Nome Handled Only .Dur
ing Summer Period.
ALL KINDS OP LCOAL SLANKS AT THE NUOOCT OPPIQg
Voice of the Alaska?Press
THE GOLD BONUS
Alaskans generally and aa a bjdy
can be said to be in favor of the so
called McEaddon bill which has as its
object the placing of a bonus on newly
produced gold. This bonus, it is pro
posed, would be taken care of by' a
tax on gold used in commercial and
industrial arts. The supporters of this
bill maintain that it will In no wise
effect the gold standard and will re
vive the gold mining industry whfch
has been steadily declining with the
ever decreasing value of purchasing
power of gold.
As gold mining is one of Alaska's
main industries it is not surprising
that the bonus proposal is warmly ad
vocated here. The same attitude is
naturally expected in other parts of
the country where the same industry
is a ftictor. It is encouraging to note
that jpmo attention is being given the
matter in the east. In a recent issue
of the New York Evening Post, the
bonus plan was advocated by the Har
riman National Bank which present
ed its csise in a paid adverisement
under the heading "The Cost of Gold"
as follows:
The federal reserve act requires that
40 per cent reserve in gold be main
tained against notes in actual circula
tion, and 35 per cent against deposits
in gold or actual money.
The world’s g:>Id production for 1910
was $365,141,218. to which the United
States contributed $58,488,800, n. de
crease in excess of $10,000,000 from the
previous eyar. We learn that the
United States coined no gold in 1918
and 1919, out there was consumed In
the industrial arts in the United
States alone during 1919. $52,409,740
of gold, nearly aTI that was mined in
this country.
"Where are we to get the additional
gold for our reserves unless we stim
ulate production, and how can we stim
ulate production except by paying for
ft? With the high cost of labor and
machinery, gold production has dimin
ished because an ounce of gold does
not bring enough in the market to
cover the cost of producing it, and
this is a condition that win continue
until labor and costs are reduced. The
question is will such costs again he
reduced to the figure necessary for
the gold miner to produce his metal at
a profit? Yes. with deflation of esm
modjty prices and reduced taxes.
The Harrimim National Bank would
faVor a premium on the use of gold for
jewelry, dental needs, window- letter
ing, decorations and a hundred other
■ways. Wpth this premium upon such
uses of gold paid as a subsidy the
mine-owner, he could undoubtedly
make both ends meet and have a le
gitimate profit wherewith to help pay
his taxes.—-Cordova Tims.
VAMDEABILT WRITES OF ALASKA
Writing to tho New York Time,
from and about Seattle, Cornelius Van
derMJt, Jr., a member ot the wealthy
Vanderbilt family of New York, speak,
in* at what Alaska has done for Sent,
tie. ttives us the fpllowine very ae
curu.tr Kinmmaxy
In 1898 Seattle got Its first real Mart
upaward. The phrase ■'billion* in free
gold in Alaska” was the byword of the
countrv at the time. In the days of *98
Seattle jumped from a harbor post to
a buvt.ir.g city. Th.- broad harbor was
with hundreds of little crafts
t*ound for "Eldorado." Those were
day*- when men, women and children
went on boats with horses and mules
—any means by which they could get
north. They fought wind and water
and cold to make the tr.p to Dtwson,
Fairbanks, the Yukon, the Idltarod.or
to the" golden sands” :>f Nome. Thru
Seattle poured throngs of goldseekers.
Men and boys from every station in
life who had staked their all on getting
free gold from Alaska, outfitted here.
Today I saw wheat which was
grown in Alaska above the Antic
circle, thirty bushels to the acre. I
saw Alaska strawberries, twelve of
which would fill a quart jar. Vege
table* which would make Easterners
jealous, and even the middle west feel
competition, are on exhibit In the Arc
tic Club, here in Seattle. Today Se
attle is thinking of Alaska agricultur
ally as well as in the old terms of
gold and fish.
They is a monument to William
Seward fn one of the parks here. It
wns he -wh" dared to brave the public
sent:men' rr.d buy Alaska at a cost
of about 2 cents an acre. At that time
it was familiarly nicknamed “Uncle
Saw's Ice Chest.” In 1919 Alaska’s
import* totftk-d 138.957.259. Her ex
perts were $70,659,080. This means a
total Alaska trade of more than
$109,000,000.* Since 1867 Alaska has
shipped out more than $3,111,000,000
in* 'grid and other products, such as
whalebone, oil and fish. * The latter
alone war worth $411000.000. Alaska
has .also sect Through Seattle $14,000.
000 worth of fora fa the last fifteen
The state of Washington has
enough coal t:> last 900 years at the
present rate of consumption. For the
last few years the mince within a
radius of fifty miles of Seattle have
produced 4,000,000 tons annually. L/um
ber shows another huge increase. This
port stands on what was once an al
most impenetrable forest. Today It is
a great lumbering center and Puget
Sound tfmlber goes t.» the Seven Sens.
Within a radius of 100 miles there are
65,000 men in the lumber Industry.
Fish have also helped Alaska to be
come a great city. The annual catc-h
in Ihiget Sound and the by ways of
Alaska is said to be greater than that
of any.other city in the country.—Cor
dova Times.
ALASKANS NOT LAWLESS
The ftopiauit remark of ex-Senator
Albert J. Beveridge' against Alaskans
us published in these columns a few
days since, where several years ago,
as chairman of the committee on ter
ritories he filed a report declaring
they were lawless people and unfit
to elect their delegate to congress
lacks the slightest scintilla or basis
of truth.
On the contrary, ail of the high in
ieligence possessed by any particular
division of the American people the
Alaskans have it over thorn. It is
true that out stole newspapers are a few
days behind in reaching them, but fbr
that they are devoured the more vor
aciously, every line read and re-read.
Nor can people who habitually pay
from 10 to 25 cents a copy for news
pupers that others pay only five cents
for be called either unintelligent, vi
cious or lawless. During the Spanish
war, which was Just before the slur
was uttered, the streets of the north
ern mining camps would be Jammed
wikh Americans listening to one of
their number reading a whole news
paper, especially of war news, and
cheering loudly every time a favorable
mention of Uncle Sam's men was
made therein. So many times has it
been shown that the furthest frontiers
men were not only the best and truest
types of its citizenship, but the most
intelligent as well, that it would seem
that men having the nerve to ask for
and hold seats in the United States
senate, and who aspire to be president
should find it out after a while. Tn
ft«5t, it does not seem possible for any
such person to be ignorant of the
truth, which makes it the worse and
convicts the detainer of these worthy
frontier citizens of bedng not merely
mistaken hut viciously and wilfully
slandered.
More than being of the highest In
telligence, Alaskans are the most law
abiding of all Americans. With prac
tical ly no peace officers you seldom
hear of a crime there, but you do fre
quently hear of acta of great heroism,
of partlotism as in their quick re
sponse to the war call, and of thrilling
hardships endured in the search of
, fortune which is for the direct bene- |
ftt of the whole country I
alurwivw uiey are me mam gen
erous people on the face of this ■plan
et. Alasta to the best country for a
Tiian to be broke In that there Is in the
■whole big-hearted went. He never
mimes a meal. It is an unwritten law
of free-enasonry of the north to feed
every newcomer, and if he har no
money it is loaned freely, with m fear
of its not being returned when It is
convenient. Many a fortune ‘n the
north has been traceable !o friendship
begun by the Under of a gold mint- fui -
nishfng a tip to some person who
helped hirti when broke.
It is no disgrace to be broke there
and the ones who have been in su-.’h
c nation never are ashamed to ask
for assistance from their brother** of
the open-hearted north.
Does such facts tend to corrooorate
the slander of Mr. Beveridge when he
declared Alaskans were lawless and he
asked congress to pass a law ?o' the
president of the United States to ap
;.om* their delegate to Congress?—Ely
Nevada, Dally Times and Cordova
LEARNING ALASKA
In his address to the Commercial
Club recently. Dr. Alfred H. Broolts
told of the impression made on John
Barton Payne, secretary of the Inter
ior, by has trip to t'.»e North. He
said that the secretary, while touch
ing only the coast, had gained a great
knowledge of the Territory and was
able to realise the immensity of the
country.
The unfortunate part of it Is. that
the secretary of the Interior, as a mem
ber of the Wilson cabinet may end Ms
service next March. If Senator Hard
ing is elected there will bemn entirely
new cabinet, and if Governor Cox Is
elected there Is no certainty that he
will retain any of the members of the
present cabinet. So it has been always,
it seems, that it has been impossible
to get. members of the cabinet to visit
the North until nearly the expiration
I of their term. It is to be hoped there
fore that Dr. Brooks and other offi
cials, having influence at the national
capital, will do their utmost immedi
ately after the fanning of the next
cabinet to induce the members to visit
the North.
No visitor has ever come to Alaska
without expressing amazement at u%at
he finds, the conditions, the climate,
the opportunities, the resources. They
are here. Everyone in Alaska knows
that, but the people on the Outside,
and particularly the officials in Wash
ington who have control of the coun
try do not know it.
Secretary Payne, until he goes out
of office next March, undoubtedly will
hear with sympathy all suggestions
for development of Alaska and will
do what he can to aid, but it is to
the next administration that the Ter
ritory must look for the many projects
which must be put through.
The suggestion of Mr. Oliver C.
Ralston as to the porsibilities of de
veloping the mineral resources in the
vicinity of Ketchikan but emphasizes
the need of an experimental station
of the bureau of mines. It is hardly
to be expected by the government that
private capital will develop these re
sources without the government aid.
It Is to be hoped that Dr. Brooks
and Mr. Ralston will use their influ
ence In Washington in securing for the
Ketchikan district this experimental
station.—KetchH*h Chronicle.
Japan least of all has reasons to sue
for acncttomtSon of the Jones Merch
ant Marine Law. Before our marine
got into action and while the ships
of Great Britain were drawn off to
carry munitions for the war. Japan
adopted most shameless methods ti
advance the interests of her merchant
marine and stifle American competi
tion. Her carrying rates on American
goods were advanced to extortionate
figures- The dodos at Seattle and
San Francisco were piled high with
goods awaiting (Shipment to the Ori
ent. Jap goods and vessels were given
the preference. The embarassment
caused American merchants by Japan
when she had a chance to obtain a
strangle hold on American commerce
will not be overlooked by pro-pop
entls of the merchant marine. The
Jones law should stmt.—Valdez.
Five little Indian girls from the far
•northerly region of the Porcupine
rtver, in the neighborhood of Ram
part House were taken to Dawson re
cently and placed in the Indian school
at Oarcroes by Bishop Stringer, who
recently made a visit to that section.
The youngsters are bright little girls1
and while they saw electric lights, ]
telephones, automobiles, bicycles and
other conveniences for the first time
they expressed no surprise.
PROOFS OF LABOR BLANKS
. ON SALE AT NUGGET OFFICE I
NOME PEOPLE
PREVENT APPENDICITIS
Many Nome people are using simple
glycerine, buckthorn bark, etc., as
mixed in Adler-i-ka. This flushes
BOTH upper and lower bowel so com
pletely it removes all foul, accumulated
poisons from alimentary canal and
prevents appendicitis. Adler-l-ka re
lieves ANY CASE gas on stomach »r
sour stomach. Often CURES consti
pation. In one case of chronic stom
ach trouble ONE bottle produced won
derful results. Lomen Brothers, drug
gists. Advertisement
FfflE ALARM SIGNALS
tt. Stmoamra OU Co.
II.Contemn CoM Storm*,
14.2. i. Sworn Co, offleo
li.Hemdqumrtara Saloon
11..Th# Lobby
14...Pioneer, Igloo
U.Oethdlo Church
n„ .Poiefa rmllwa
II.Yorker", Clsmr Storm,
41.onp. Webb", Srt«
■bum Houma, Pbaoa Mmla IT.
r arblotlao ambr.• Stm out
E. L HOLT
Just reoaivad a full lias af notions.
Silvorware, Cut Qiam, DoUs, Laathor
Largest Comp lata Stock of Xmas
Evary Artiolo Uaafal
Prises Right. Phono Main 11
HOLT8 C A 8 H STORE
TIN SHOP IN CONNECTION.
Tolapbana Main 11
Miners 1 Merchants
Bank nf Alaska
NOME, ALASKA
Capital . . $100,000
Gold Dust Purchased
and A&sdfed
MILO’S CAFE
OPEN DAY AND
NIDNT
STORAGE MARKET.
1920 DECEMBER 1920
SOTlMOKIlTPElWEDlTHUfmlaAT
2 3
11
in
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