GOV. BRADV'S
ALASKA CAREER
Came to Sitka as a Missionary in
1878 and Has Been a Promi
nent Figure Ever Since.
Sitka Cablegram, Feb. 22.
Governor Brady's resignation lias been
presented to the president and will take
effect upon the appointment of bis suc
cessor. The governor lias been offered
a life position as treasurer of the Rey
nolds-Alaska Development Company,
the concern which is generally consid
ered to be the immediate cause of his
retirement.
Governor Brady's connection with
Alaskan affairs dates back nearly thirty
years, and most of it would make more
than ordinarily interesting reading.
lie came to Sitka in ISTiS as the first
Presbyterian missionary to the natives.
He occupied the position for about a
year, and since that time has been
largely connected with the government
in one way or another. He held the
office of United States commissioner and
has served the government in other offi
cial capacities.
In the heyday of Sitka's prosperity he
was the partner of A. T. Whitford in a
big general merchandise business, but
competition and modern business meth
ods forced the concern out of business.
It is a matter of local history how Whit
ford A Brady fought the Pacific Coast
Steamship Company.
At the time of the fight the Pacific
Coast company had an absolute monop
oly of the freight and passenger business
of southeastern Alaska. Whitford &
Brady owned the schooner Leo, which
they equipped with steam and started
the boat as freighter between San Fran
cisco and Sitka. The Pacific Coast com
pany immediately quoted a rate so low
that the other merchants were glad to
sign contracts, and the Sitka steamship
line received a death blow. The Leo
lies in the lagoon half submerged.
Governor Brauy was lir>t appointed
in 1897. There was opposition to his
appointment, chiefly due to his intimacy
with Sheldon Jackson, and to a certain
degree due to the opinion of some that
the Presbyterian church played too im
portant a part in the government of
Alaska.
On these two scores alone Governor
Brady has been attacked bitterly—how
bitterly those who see the Alaska press,
outside of Sitka, can testify.
In 1900 he was legislated out of otlice,
together with every federal otticeholder,
through the adoption of the Alaska
('ode, but was at once reappointed for
four years. All through this term and
particularly toward its dose the attacks
were violent. There were not half a
dozen papers in the district which sup
ported the governor. Pension was cast
ut his agricultural suggestions; he was
said to Is* out of touch with progress,
but tlieie were no charges of dishonesty
or misconduct in office.
The opposition to his reuppolntuient
in 19U1 was tierce. Candidates for the
office—notably Perkins, Ileal and llog
gatt—were on the ground in Washing
ton, each lighting Ins cause with all the
eotigressional assistance he could muster.
As nodetinile charge of actual wrong
doing could he brought, as the other
candidates did not possess the desired
qualifications, as Brady was known to
be conservative and had powerful back
ing in Cornelius Bliss of New York,
Senator Nelson and Sheldon Jackson,
the president sent bis nomination to the
senate, where the fight was renewed in
the struggle against his confirmation.
The contest was unsuccessful and Gov
ernor Brady was again named as Alas
ka’s executive. He was sworn in Feb.
In last year.
Hardly had he taken the oath when
the trouble over the Iieynolds-Alaska
Development Company began to brew.
This concern, which claims rich mineral
holdings at Aurora, La Touche, and
other places at the westward, sent out a
prospectus containing "a foreword by
Governor Brady” over the governor’s
signature. The prospectus was a beau
tiful example of art printing. It con
tained many halftones, claimed great
richness for the property, and closed
with a cut illustrating “the proposed
co-ojicrativo industries” of the company,
which included gold, copper and iron
mines, with all their by-products, coal,
oil, woodpulp, agriculture, and many
other things. Literature, in which the
governor’s name and title were freely
used in statements that he was an or
ganizer ami tiie resident director of the
company, was sent out.
Opponents of Governor Brady were
not slow to grasp the opportunity to re
new their attacks upon him. They
charged him w ith using his olticial posi
tion to promote a fake mining company ;
with Using his title to sell worthless
j stock.
The governor steadfastly denied w rong
doing, said his title was used without
authority, maintained that the company
was legitimate, and courted an investi
gation by the government.
President Roosevelt finally took up
the matter, ordered an investigation,
and selected F. C. Churchill to make it.
Mr. Churchill did his work thoroughly,
and while his report was not supposed
to be public enough of it leaked out to
show it was unfavorable to the governor.
Recently the newspapers have been
full of rumors of his resignation or re
moval. About three weeks ago the
Cablegram and a few others knew that
his resignation had been sent in, but as
the information was given in confidence
it could not be made public. The first
news of his resignation was given to
1 Sitka by the Cablegram. It created but
little surprise, and it was remarkable
how few were the expressions of regret.
Reynolds Company Has Not Com
plied With the Law.
The Cablegram say* the Ueynold*
Ala-ka IVvelopment Company, the con
cern that is generally credited w ith tieing
the immediateeanse of t ioverimr Brady’s
retirement from olliee, is not doing busi
ness in Alaska aeeoriling to law , ami is
liable to a tine which *’ggregatcs nearly
$:kUHH>. It is said the eause for this
eondition rest* with tiovernor Brady.
In < letoU r, IttUl, < iovernor Brady tiled
in the secretary's olliee eerlain paper*
relative to the Reynold* company, a
proceeding required <0* every loreign
cor|h.ration doing business in the dis
trict.
The paper* tiled, however, did not
comply with the requirement of the law,
ami although tiowrnor Bradv was noti
fied of the fact, the omission* were not
supplied. In consequence the company
has practically no legal status in the
district, its contracts are voidable, and
it is liable to otlici complications which
might s% riously embarrass its •ttetremdul
operation. iMspalthes Irom Washing
S. K. IIEETER.
JIAHltY BURRUSS.
HEETER&BURRUSS,
FREIGHTERSjnd PACKERS
Freighting and Packing to and from all Creeks.
Good Equipments and Service Unexcelled
ton indicate that Special Agent Churchill
learned of this condition during his in
vestigation last summer and embodied
the facts in his report. It is known that
District Attorney Boyce has been looking
into the matter of those foreign corpo
rations that are operating contrary to
law, and will demand of them a strict
compliance with the provisions of the
code.
The law stipulates that each corpora
tion organized under the laws of the
I'nited States or any state or territory
shall, before doing business in the dis
trict, tile with the secretary of the dis
trict and the clerk of the court in the
judicial division in which it is intended
to carry on business, a copy of the char
ter and a sworn statement showing the
location of its principal offices within
and without the district, the amount of
capital stock and the amount of it actu
ally paid in in money or otherwise, the
assets and their cash value, the liabili
ties and how secured, a sworn consent
to be sued and that service of process
may lie made on resident agent, and the
written consent of the agent shall be
tiled also. Twenty-five dollars a day
shall be forfeited for every day of non
compliance, and every contract made by
such corporation during the time of non
compliance shall be voidable at the elec
tion of the other party thereto. An
annual statement, giving the same in
formation required in the first report,
shall also he filed.
So far as can lie learned the Reynolds
company, which was organized under
the laws of Washington, has never filed
an annual statement.
The Cablegram says it called the gov
ernor's attention to the conditions and
asked that la- make a statement regard
ing them. The"governor sent a message
stating that he resigned as resident di
rector of the company last May and had
ha<l no official connection with it since
that time. No intimation was given as
to who hail acted as resident agent in
the meantime.
Boiler Explosion
on Wonder Creek
Nome Nugget, Mareh II: A lioiler In*
longing to the Solo Mining (’oin|inny,
who are oj crating on No. 1 above on
Womier creek, exploded Thursday night
about S o’elm k, and 1.. K. WhkI, the
engineer, narrowly eseajs'd going up
with the boiler, which was blown sky
ward over his head, reaching the earth
H4 feet distant from where it started.
Wood’* hand was on tin* boiler when
the explosion occurred, and be was pro
jected through space for about thirty
feet. Fortunately he cscw|*al with a few
scratches and bruises al»>ut the face.
The boiler was of ten-horse-powrr, and
of the uptight pattern. W.snl says that
the steam gauge refused to do duty, and
lie was fixing it when the explosion
occurred.
RECEPTION
...SALOON...
S. K. HEETER. BOB SCHAHER,
Proprietor Manager
Wines, Liquors and
GOOD Cigars....
....Billiard and Pool Rooms
Barber Chair in the House.
St„ Louis
ABC
and Seattle
Ranier Beers
OLD VALLEY WHISKY
The Only Stock.
A. B. NOTICE.
Regular meetings of the Arctic Brother
hood I.are held at their hall on the
second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at
S o'clock |*. m.
WM. SIPARY, G. A. KETTERER,
Arctic Recorder. Arctic Chief
(
A n r Unil one or those people who
MflL I UU seldom write home?
They will know you are all right if you
send them the YUKON VALLEY NEWS.
Mail yours or let us send one weekly.
)
A. BLACK TO SELL OUT
A. black, proprietor of the Tatiana
House at Tanana, is advertising the
building and appurtenances for sale.
The holl-e i* fitted with bed* and bed
ding. spring mattresses, crockery, fur
niture and kitchen utensil* complete.
Tanana promises to lie the liveliest place
on tin' river during the open season, and
the property should prove a ti rat-class
investment.
Mr. black is called outside.
A Council City correspondent of the
Nome Nugget, under date of Keh. Hi,
•aid biisinc-s wa* very dull Mt Council
and predicted that the winter work of
the caiup would not yield exceeding
fiA.OUO.