Cash Cole Files
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Cash Cole has tiled as a candidate
for People’s choice for Governor un
der the law of 1921 passed so that
the people could indicate whom they
wished appointed governor of Al
aska. ‘
This law grew out of the desire of
the people of Alaska to indicate to
the President of the United States
their desires for governor. The long
contest between" Judge Wickersham
and George Hazlett was still fresh
in the minds of the legislators. Ad
herents of each man declared that
his man was the choice of the ma
jority of the of the voters in Alas
ka. Judge Wickersham was support
ed by long petitions of the residents
of Alaska, whereas Mr. Hazlett show
ed numerous endorsements of Cham
bers of Commerce.
The President will not be bound to
appoint Alaska’s preference, but
thorough, lQO per cent Americans be
lieve that the next President will
yield to the natural desires of Alas
kans to have something to say about
their own governor, and that the next
President will respect the principle
of “majority rule.”
Cash Cole is a young man who has
been honored twice by an election to
the Territorial Legislature. During
the second term, the majority
of the Representatives in
turn gave him the special honor of
electing him their Speaker.
After a long acquaintance with
Cash Cole, we have formed this es
timate of him; that he is a man of
his word absolutely; that he is fear
less; that he comes out into the open
and will give you a square answer
to any question touching his office;
that he is honest; and that he sticks
by his friends.
He is endorsed by Delegate Dan
Sutherland and by the Hon. James
Wickersham. He is known to be a
Progressive Republican.
You can also judge him by his ene
mies; R. E. Robertson and Bert
Faulkner, corporation lawyers of Ju
neau; Governor Scott C. Bone, and
Mr. Bone’s political adviser, Karl
Thiele, and by other public men of
the predatory type like John Troy,
editor of the Juneau Empire.
During the last legislature, he
fought for the Controller Bill which
was designed to put the control of
strictly Territorial affairs in the
hands of three men elected by the
people, leaving strictly Federal af
fairs in the hands of the federal of
ficials.
He opposed the fishery reserves,
voted for the “Grant Memorial” a
complete fishery bill now introduced
by Dan Sutherland in Congress and
fair to fishing interests, voted for
the resolution directing the Attorney
General to inquire through the courts
into the legality of the fishery re
serves, voted for a fair tax on In
dustries, opposed the further waste
of money by the Territory on Fish
Hatcheries.
Certain American Legion men who
do not like Cole’s independence, seek
to prejudice voters by saying that he
Opposed the bonus asked for by cer
tain of them. Really this is a good
instance of Cole’s independence and
honesty.
This bonus bill was introduced in
the 1921 legislature in the form of a
memorial to Congress. It was amend
ed by friends (?) of the Legion un
til the memorial finally became a
request to Congress for the exten
sion of the homestead laws to the
soldiers. It was this camouflage of
a bonus bill that Mr. Cole voted
against for the good reason that it
was not a bonus but a mere request
for a right which the soldiers al
ready had.
Cash Cole is opposed by the Fed
eral machine of carpet-baggers be
cause they cannot control him. The
argument which will be used against
him is that “he is too young.” If
increasing age is a necessary qualifi
cation for our governor, if “age”
makes a man fit to be governor, I
know a number of old fellows who
would make ideal governors.
Let us not misunderstand the is
sues. We are not engaged in a com
petition for the election of old men
to high offices. We are engaged in
electing men because of the ideas
which they represent. The contest
is “Progressive versus Reactionary.”
The two men most typical of this
contest are Cash Cole and Scott C.
Bone. Home-rule versus Carpet-bag
ger. Open and above board fight
ing versus pussyfooting.
We hope that Cash Cole is elect
ed, and then appointed, and that he
might take the governor’s chair
free, untrammelled, without obliga
tions to any party, or faction, and
bound by his oath of office only.
Workmen’s
Compensation
Jnsurance
Without any doubt, and we invite
comparison, Alaska has the rottenest
workmen’s compensation laws there
is in the United States. It is the
product of those insensible minds
which control the big corporations
of Alaska. It seems so hard for
“capital” to learn that justice to
the working man is the surest foun
dation for tranquility and big divi
dends.
The present workman’s compensa
tion law was written by the attor
neys of the Alaska Juneau, Alaska
Gastineau, and the Treadwell Mining
Companies. It was introduced in
the House by Arthur G. Shoup, the
present District Attorney.
In 1921, Hon. Charles W. Brown
attempted to amend the law so as to
eliminate the most objectionable fea
tures of it, but the “enemy” were
too strong for him then.
In 1923, Charles W. Brown, now
Senator from the Second Division,
wrote to William L. Paul to draft
a model workmen’s compensation act
for, he said, “Nome has a progres
sive delegation, and we want a good
act.” I wrote the bill using the model
act of the American Federation of
Labor Legislation for a basis.
The principal of. the proposed law
was that the Territory should pay
Che benefits directlyHto the workman
or his beneficiaries, instead of leav
ing the men to deal with the com
pany. Each company would pay a
premium based on the hazard of its
business to the Territory. In *his
way the rates would vary according
to the risk.
The second departure from the
present law was the payment of a
maximum of 66 2-3 per cent of the
average wages to the injured person
for the period of disability instead
of a lump sum settlement as ar
present. In case of remarriage, the
widow was to get a lump sum settle
ment equal to two years benefits.
If has been found that this arrange
ment helps deserving widows in at
tracting worthy husbands.
This bdl was drawn so that a
lawyer did not have a chance to