A L0CAU3SUE
A communication relating: to the closing'
of the Tanana-Koy ukul. Mail Road, written
by John Kehoe and published in the News
by reuuest.
Mr EditorNo man should willing
ly part from the ways of peace, but
make some sacrifice before engaging in
personal contention. Fighting is poor
economy and ordinarily it costs more to
avenge wrongs than to bear them. This
is so of wrongs that inflicts some slight ■
material loss or inconvenience against
which the injured party can take pre
caution to prevent its repetion, but
when the wrong is of a serious nature;
and is going to be repeated and perpet- j
uated, then cowardice invites impo- j
sition and patience ceases to be a virtue.
I believe, Mr. Editor, that you are
opposed to publishing any conten
tious subjects in which personalities are
indulged in, but when a subject is of
public importance an editor can award
to his patrons the fredom of the press
without committing himself to either
side of the controversy. I therefore ,
hope you w ill grant space for my com
munication.
The subject to which I w ill call pub
lic attention, is the closing of the Koyu
kuk mail road in the vicinity of Tanana.
This road lias been in public use ever
\ since the founding of Fort Gibbon and
Tanana in ltKX). It was primarily built
tvj supply fuel to the fort and town.
That other roads were made and used as
approaches to this road and contem
porary with it is argued to confuse
originality. Naturally in the founding
of Tanana, each resident made a road to
suit his own convenience from his resi
dence to the most convenient timber
along Gilmore creek to obtain his sup
ply of fuel. As the vacant lots were
being occupied and streets laid out
these private roads were abandoned.
The outgoing travel of the town con
centrated towards a central point oi de
parture and adopted tlie most conven
ient and feasable road for public use.
When the oveiland mail service was
extended from Tanana to the Koyukuk
in 1905 it followed the road then in use.
It was ordered staked and measured by
the postal department in 1908-9, to reg
ulate rates and schedules of the mail
service and entered on the records of
the road commission as the Fort Gib
bon-Koyukuk mail road. The initial
stake or post still stands on the south
side of Second street and north of Tan
ana post office. Its use is an ever must
be in an ever increasing demand. The
land adjoining Tanana, through which
this road asses, was staked up for a
homestead by A. J. Campbell in 1004.
It was later enclosed with a barb wire
fence for pasture purposes; movable
bars being placed where the fence!
crossed the road. No objection was
made to this intrusion on the public 1
right until the homesteader without any
public notice closed the gates and bars,
which prevented the passage of teams
and hampered ti e passage of persons
afoot by compelling them to crawl be-,
tween the barb wires. This is resorted
to daily by persons who would rather
crawl through the wire fence than go
around through almost impassible ,
swamps. Most of the present popula
tion of Tanana are not the original
locators of Tanana townsite. They
bought their holding from the original
locators and with the rights of their
locations went such few community
rights of streets and roads as theoriginal
locators possessed.
That the closing of the Koyukuk mail
road was prompted and supported by
Joe Dehn, who has a faculty for local
combinations and by aid of a small but
efficient element of tire population, con
trolls much of the public affairs of Tan
ana.
Joe Dehn had a purpose to serve in
the closing of the mail road. His de
sign was to close that part of the Koyu
kuk road that forms the crossing be
tween Second street and the Campbell
homestead, to round out posessions of
his own. Upon the success of Camp
bell’s move depended largely his own
and in case of content, Campbell’s prop
erty would have to bear the brunt.
.Mr. Munro, late manager of the N. C. ;
I
Co., manifested much interest in having
the road changed from the centre to the
east side of town to concentrate the
overland and river traffic at his corner.
The present manager of the N. C. Co.
disclaims any part in the affair and that
Munro’s part in the affair was his pri
vate concern.
It was a master move, the division of
the spoils was ready, hut the deliver}'
was not yet. It looked easy to these
manipulators to close the original road
and compel the farmers and woodmen
in the background to make the road
that these manipulators wished to es
tablish. Their plan would have worked
better if it were not for the urgent need
of the farmers to reach market.
As one of the farmers, I will say the
plea for right of way was ignored, even
the right to put in and maintain a pri
vate gate on the original road was re
fused. Campbell then left Tanana and
instructed Dehn to take charge of the
road and other affairs in his absence.
Wood men and others who wanted to
have freight delivered north of Xanana
could not engage teams to do the work
for want of a road. This placed Dehn
in a favorable position which he began
to utilize; being now sole custodian of
the road, he could engage his own team
to deliver the goods, being secure from
competition, he charged more for his
services of delivering freight than others
were willing to deliver it for. He had
confiscated a United States mail road
and reduced it to his own private toll
road without consulting Uncle Sam in
the matter. lie made a round trip—
passed over the land of those he had de
prived of the use of their road. He
locked the gates and bars as he passed
through the Campbell homestead and
went home to await further freight
orders.
Several appeals to local authority for
legal eedress were made, but the case
was such as could not be tried in a com
missioner's court and it would be sev
eral months before court would csnvene
at Fairbanks. In the meantime my
crop must perish unless saved by direct
and immediate action. Having a team
ready to go to my farm for a load, I
called on Joe Dehn to open the gate or
give me the key. He refused. The bat
tle for right of way was on. Outside
intervention caused the first break
away and the custodian of the keys fled.
The battle was not decisive. The gate
had not been opened so an axe was used
and the Fort Gibbon-Koyukuk road was
was
opened. A private monopoly
smashed. Alaska had won an install
ment of justice, the fruits of her soil
were not to be discriminated against
and shut out from the opportunity of
her own markets in the interests of
those who were shipping and selling
imported products of a similar variety
at extortionate prices. The gate end of
avenue of Tanana trade has been won
and lost repeatedly. The contest iias
been long and stubborn; the forces are
uneuqal; Tanana has not yet been
roused to realize the importance of the
principle at issue. The deceptive and
fraudulent effort on the part of those
who closed the Koyukuk road, after a
delay of several months to build a road
outside of the Campbell homestead, has
never been completed. It is an at
tempted infringment on the land done
in the absence of its owner and only in
volves other forces in the contest.
That I broke the locks as a last alter
native in exercising my right to the use
of a public road is evident. That I was
stopped by A. J. Campbell with a deadly
weapon, who threatened and attempted
I
my life is true. In either case there is
! a serious breach of the law and a crime.
Honor demands that judgment be rend
ered. Until a grand jury determines
whether this roadway is private or pub
I lie property no civil action will be taken.
From points of vantage in Tanana,
can be seen the homesteads on the
hillside with their whitening harvest of
farm products, wrung by persistent toil
from the cold and stubborn soil of
Alaska, is wasting away unused within
sight of its rightful market. Who can
profit by this? No one but those ship
ping and selling imported products.
\\ hat Alaska wants is competent
courts to handle such cases within easy
reach of every community. Because of
the absence of courts, people often for
get their rights and thus encourage
depredations and impositions that
should be severely dealt with. As an
instance, a citizen saw a man breaking
into bis store. He had the thief ar
rested and bound over to appear before
the grand jury—the complainant to
appear as prosecuting witness. He iias
to leave his home and other effects ex
posed while he attends court for which
he receives but little compensation. He
now feels he would ’>** severed hundred
dollars better off if he had not reported
the offender. The inability of people to
get ready legal protection tends towards
the growth of socialism, which came
near capturing the polls at the last elec
tion. Many now profess to see in
socialism our only hope of equality.
Jonx Kehoe.
Catholic Church
Every Sunday mass and sermon at
10:30 a. in. At 2 o’clock Sunday school.
At 7:30 i>. in. Rosary instruction and
benediction of tlie Blessed Sacrament.
Rev. II. Ferkon, S. .1., Pastor.
Lay papers at the News office.
?Whenjou were engaged*
THE YOUNG LADY RECEIVED A BOX OF
REPENT- AND MAIL YOUR
ORDERS. AT SHORT INTERVALS. TO
G. H. TIFFNAY
SOLE ACENT
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