The House of Representatives
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Richard rothenberg
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When the big majority were
casting about for a Speaker who
would serve his masters without
hitching, they dicided that no
one could excell “Dick" Rothen
berg in this respect. The con
cluding argument was that he
had supported Tom Marquam.
Rothenberg seemed to liave no
settled convictions on any sub
ject, not even on the Fairbanks
College. Even the old pioneers
were betrayed by him for his bill
limits pensions to those who “pi
oneered” to Alaska not later
than January 1, 1 9 0 6. This
means that the system of Pio
neer’s pensions will die out.
He proved a good man for “big
business” altho like his big busi
ness adherents he advocated an
appropriation of $232,000 for
Charlie Bunnell’s College at
Fairbanks.
As a rubber stamp, Rothern
berg is a great statesman.
ALLEN SHATTUCK
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To those who have met Shat
tuck only casually, or those who
believed the Juneau Empire and
the Chronicle, Shattuck was
very disappointing as a states
man. The best expression of
this was a statement by a man of
Shattuck’s own b i-p artisan
party in the legislature, “I thot
Allen was a smart business man,
but he doesn’t seem to under
stand even simple business.”
When the mismanagement of
the appropriation bill is consid
ered, we are forced to say that it
never was so badly handled as
by Allen Shattuck, erstwhile re
presentative of big business. He
was made chairman of the im
portant Committee on Ways and
Means, and for a time some of
his colleagues considered that he
was an excellent man for the
place. But as the days passed, it
began to dawn on the House
members that Allen was just
another false alarm, small in
body and mind.
Take his position on Roads. He
could not understand that roads
are a prime necessity for the de
velopment of Alaska and so he
lead the slashing of the road ap
propriation down to $300,01)0.
When Senator Sundquist suc
ceeded in getting the sum raised
to $400,000, the Honorable Al
len Shattuck lead the onslaught
and cut it successfully to $320,
000. Allen Shattuck, like the Ju
neau Empire cannot see beyond
Juneau, and seeing that Juneau
has almost 100 miles of the fin
est kind of roads for little else
than pleasure by the federal of
ficials, he seems to think the era
of road building in the Empire of
Alaska is complete.
Allen is mislead by the false
cry of “keep down taxes.” So he
cut roads and schools. The re
duction of the school refund
from 85 per cent to 75 per cent
is the result of his work.
Shattuck claims to be a Jeffer
sonian Democrat, and yet he
fought against the Controller
Bill which seeks to give the peo
ple of- Alaska the right to elect
their own officers. In his great
speech against the bill, he show
ed that his real objection was
that the people might elect
James Wickersham to that of
fice. For this he blamed Dan
Sutherland. His personal hat
reds are so keen that he has lost
all sight of the great principle
involved—self-government.
We venture to predict that Al
len Shattuck will never be elect
ed to the Alaska Legislature
again, certainly not when the
people realize that he looks to
Editor Pegues for all his politic
al inspirations
ADOLPHO H. ZIEGLER,
Democrat
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Much was expected of Mr.
Ziegler.
Very much was promised by
his boosters.
Ex-Senator Forest J. Hunt vio
lated a rule of political action
for the first time in his long Re
publican life when he advocated
the election of a Democrat, Mr.
Ziegler and said, “We have, in
-and A. H. Ziegler, two pub
lic spirited citizens ,of fair and
intelligent minds who will, in my
opinion do faithful work when
elected. It is a public duty to
give them a rousing vote in their
nome buwn."
iiiven more enthusiastic was
Eawara <j. Morrissey, a recent
republican oincenoiuer. Tie is
a lawyer than wnom mere is no
better in Alaska, tie knows law
ana he knows business, he is so
thoroughly independent mat ne
is never aeterrea in bringing
law suits lor rich or poor When
ever satislied that his clients are
right. He has good judgment,
legally, llnanciany and indus
trially, is alive and knows what
is going on in the Territory.”
His Record
Mr. Ziegler arrived at the le
gislature two days late, intro
duced as his first bill, a bill to
permit prize-fights in the Terri
tory of Alaska, a sort of dedica
tion of his public career, re
membered his principal consti
tuents of Ketchikan sufficiently
to provide these prize-fights
should be managed only by resi
dents of the First City of Alaska,
got two weeks’ leave of absence
from the legislature, flew down
to Ketchikan to defend some of
:Vs bootlegger clients, (who
were so hopelessly guilty that
even a Ketchikan jury found
them guilty), flew back to Ju
neau and valiantly aided the
federal Governor’s political ma
chine as led by Joseph Murray.
The only thing (and that is
very significant) which Ed Mor
rissey claims for Mr. Ziegler is
this—that he increased another
man's bill to tax non-resident
trollers from $150 to $250.
Those resident seiners who
voted for Mr. Ziegler are won
dering why no protction was
provided for them.
While we esteem Mr. Ziegler
very much, we are of the opinion
that whereas he was generally
regarded as the best hope of the
Democratic Party for their can
didate for Delegate to Congress,
he is no longer so considered.
Rather, Senator A. J. Dimond is
again the “best bet” of that
party.
GROVER WINN
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Grover, w'y'.le one of the most
popular members of the House,