Yukon Valley News
Issued every Wednesday.
S. E. Heetek Proprietor
Sam J. Callahan Manager
Subsckiition - One year. $7.50; six months,
$4.00; one month, 75 cents.
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$1 per inch for first insertion and 50cents for
each subsequent insertion. Contract adver
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oer month: One inch, $2.50; two inches, $4;
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cards, eiffht lines space, $2. Religious and
funeral notices free. Twelve solid lines of
small type make an inch. Advertisements
changed without charge.
CALENDAR
MARCH
S M T W T K D
1 2 3
4 5 f> 7 8 0 10
11 12 13 14 15 Hi 17
18 lit 20 21 22 23 24
25 28 27 28 20 30 31
Mous’d Phased.
First quarter. 3d;
full mooli, loth;
last quarter, l~th;
new moon. 24th.
APRIL
H M T W T F 8
1 2 2 4 5 6 7
8 6 10 11 12 12 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 22 24 25 26 27 28
29 20
Moon's Phases.—
First quarter,1st;
full moon, vSth;
last quarter, 15th;
new moon, 23d.
Wkdxksday, April 4, ltKXl.
MISUNDERSTANDING OF THE LACEY
BILL.
Tht- Lacey bill, providing for a $25
mining-claim tax to be applied to the
Alaska road fund, ppssed the United
States house of representatives some
time in the latter part of February.
What the ultimate fate of the measure
will lie of course it is impossible to tell,
but jierhaps it would not lie a bad guess
that it will pass the senate and become
a law.
There are some things a little pecu
liar—somewhat off color, so to speak—
connected with this bill. It was given
in full in the Yukon Valley News of
Feb. 14. So far as this jiaper knows no
other paper in the territory has printed
the bill; and there is somewhat of a
suspicion beginning to form that this
pajier printed the proposition through
mistake! Surely the Valley News is
not enterprising enough to scoop the
whole Alaska press in that manner on
the dead level:—of course it was a mere
accident.
But after the Valley News had printed
the bill the people down at Nome were
still uninformed as to its provisions.
Asked for enlightenment, Repre
sentative laieey at once telegraphed
them the whole thing; but there seems
to have lieen a mistake in transmission
and the last Nome pa|iers received here
indicated that the purjmses of the bill
were w holly misumlerstood.
Was there collusion somewhere to
create the misunderstanding?
That is a ipieation that can not here
lie answered.
THE CONSTITUTION. AND SECRE
TARY TAFTS ASSERTION.
It lut* ;l«*-rtr*i M> ullrtl that it
1»- JK.im-t tin* t-'>ii»titiiti*>n ■ >( tli*
I'nitnl Stair- - ifl-.ri-.11- t.iit tattrml
• »l*l ratf'i—I" lot \U-ka r»rr|il l*> *lr
lr»v tli*’ *-*|a»tia*— tlw trrritortal <uv
rriimrtit tlw. -llprr mr r».nrt
lilt* *lr*'i*I*-1 t*> I* in a «t.*tr >.l «lm>lutr
an*l malrnialik. vaiatonrvi. In ua a* vr|>l
tli*. a—.-rtK-m. (*>r tlxr linw U-iittf, tin
|.|r-tl«.flr.l
Then: Secretary Taft recently laid
before congress statistics showing that
$1,101,041.09 lias been paid by Alaska
into the treasury in excess of the total
expenditures made by the United States
in or on !>ehalf of Alaska, including in
that every jmssible disbursement which
by any system of accounting could be
charged against the territory. In this
there is charged up against Alaska the
exiiense of revenue vessels to patrol
Bering Sea, the relief expeditions which
have been sent out, and the award made
| liy the international tribunal to the
Canadian scalers whose vessels were un
lawfully seized by the United States
government. In addition to the pay
! meats made by Alaska into the federal
treasury—and consequently taken cogni
zance of by Secretary Taft—there is a
large volume of indirect payments, such
as the increased cost of all articles of j
use on account of the internal revenue
j and tariff laws, which have become so j
| interwoven with the federal system of
taxation that Secretary Taft of course ;
did not take it into account.
Now, then: If it is unconstitutional
to tax Alaska except to defray the ex
penses of Alaska, where do Alaska's
congressional friends find excuse for
urging measures carrying additional
taxation?
Fob Mark Twain to advise the people
of Russia to “crush the government
drones and overthrow the present form
of government” is a jest—cruel but per
haps not unmerited by the people as a
mass. It is like saying to one who is
struggling in the sea, “Come out, else
you will surely be drowned." The very
thing advised is probably desired by i
nearly every individual in Russia, but
the strength to achieve it is wanting.
It is not so much in taking the rein
deer business out of the hands of Dr,
Jackson as an individual as out of Ids
hands as a member of the missionary
society that the wisdom of the interior
department is most manifest. Wrong,
by an individual is easily corrected; but
the errors of an irresponsible association
of individuals are hard to eradicate.
W. J. Bryan recently resigned as a
trustee of Illinois College because the
Ixianl ueeepted a ilonation from Andrew
Carnegie. Mr. Bryan said the accept
ance of the gift prevent* the proper
teaching of economic truths. Illinois
College is a I’rcshvtcrian school anil Mr.
Bryan is one of its graduates.
A northwest Missouri editor an
nounced a weddidg under the head line
‘■Joined Mauds for Life.” Five months
later when the woman was granted a
divorce, remembering the former head
ing. the editor headed the divorce no
tice “lad tio Again."— Lv
V New York man some time ago sued
his wife for divorce Is cause she lias a
wisslen leg This cause, a Juneau editor
to surmise that their courtship must
have tee it a cold, formal and unfeeling
affair.—Tttnana Teller
The Miners Store
Announces that it will be in a position to take
orders on commission from the miners for sup
plies the coniine season. Orders will l>e accepted
until April 1st for early summer delivery, and until July 1st for fall delivery.
The terms will lie liberal and quality of goods guaranteed; can refer to all
who placed their orders with them last season.
For further information please communicate direct
with.
The Miners Store
Some of the Charges
Against Wickersham
Following are some of the charges
filed against Judge Wickersham and the
answers made to them before the sena
torial committee Feb. 0. The questions
and answers are taken from a Washing
ton dispatch' printed in a Valdez paper:
1. That he accepted the gift of a lot at
Fairbanks from Captain Barnette, who
was a party to a suit l>efore his court.
Answer. Staked the lot and built cabin
bimsclf at a cost of $400.
2. That he showed favoritism in the
decisions rendered by him.
A. Decided 2o0 cases, none of whicli
have been reversed on appeal.
:{. Relates to charges of fraud in con
nection with the big harbor case at
Tacoma.
A. Invites committee's attention to
the record, which shows that there is no
truth in the charge.
4. That he appointed Win. II. Whit
tlesey deputy clerk of the court after
l>eing removed as commissioner on a
charge of embezzlement.
A. Appointment made by the assistant
district attorney and not by the judge.
5. Concerning his indictment for con
nection with the Chinese riot at Tacoma.
A. Says he was trying to protect the
Chinese from injury.
6 and 7. Regarding his indictment for
perjury and subornation of witnesses in
the Sadie Branter case at Tacoma
A. It was admitted that the woman’s j
testimony in the case was false.
8. Alleges the judge shows indifference
to the existence of gambling and disor
derly saloons in bis district.
A. These matters are under the juris
diction of the marshal and he has noth
ing to do with them.
0. Concerning his approval of accounts
for support of prisoners, made by Mar
slial Berry at Nome, which are alleged
to have l>een inflated.
A. Mad no knowledge that the ac
counts were inflated until presented with
the charges.
10. Regarding a news paper interview
in which it was stated that the judg
J. UNDLEY GREEN,
Lawyer.
Olllcf at the Courthoiiie.
OFFIC E OF
( nmmissioiifr and Recorder.
Room* I .uni 2. Cowrth«»n«*e
inent in the case of Nelson against
Meaeham was not in accordance with
the law ami evidence in the case.
A. Denies the charge and says it is
unworthy of consideration.
Valdez l’ro8[>ector: Charge No. 9, of
those made against Judge Wickersliain,
is that he has negligently approved in
flated accounts made by Marshal George
G. Perry of the Third division. In reply
to this charge the judge said :
“I deny that I have ever been negli
gent or careless in the examination of
Marshal Perry’s recounts, and I do not
believe that he has been guilty of unduly
inflating or enlarging his accounts, thus
defraudiHf the government in the mat
ter of board of prisoners. However,
this is the first time I ever heard even a
rumor of such a charge, and since I
know nothing of the facts I can only say
that during six years of intimate ac
quaintance with him I have never known
him to present an inflated or unfair ac
count, and no such charge has ever been
made against him.”
Resolutions
Against Gambling
Fairbanks News: At tire meeting of
the Cleary Creek Miners Association,
held Thursday evening [Feb. 22], reso
lutions were unanimously adopted
against running of gambling games uj>on
Cleary creek. The association will work
for the object set forth in the resolutions.
JULIUS RAHMSTORF,
General Merchandise
FULL LINE
TIN, GRANITE AND CROCKERYWARE
RIGHT
If written
mi th«
margin
of th*» Yukon Vulley
Ni*w» mill mailfnl home would
irrntify rrlutive* Hied friend*
mtniff*. *enled, only 2 mit«.