knowing that this drives oul
our white and native labor, pre
vents growth and accounts
largely for our loss in popula
tion? Do you know that Alaska
vrith nearly 600,000 square miles
of territory, has less people
white and colored, than Sious
City, Iowa, or Everett, Washing
ton? Do you know that ever)
town in Alaska with a possible
single exception, is shrinking,
dying?
Take the sad and tragic ex
ample of Valdez. For nearly
five years I have had the privi
lege of living in that town that
was once a city. And I say that
never in 50 years of life have 1
met finer, more hardy or coura
geous people of the true pioneer
type. Valdez was once a city oi
five thousand people; now she
has dwindled down to a mere
200 or less. And yet there are
caught within a comparative1)/
few miles of Valdez, millions ol
dollars worth of fish, truly trib
utary to the town. But they are
foreign canneries, who hire col
ored help outside, pay them ofl
outside and buy their supplies
outside. Why, even the little
cannery there locally does not
buy its supplies in Valdez, but
maintains a commissary to sell
to the few hands they hire and
employ. These canneries are
the most rapacious animals I
have ever seen, and I have seen
some animals. The result is
that Seattle and San Francisco
are overgrown, and Valdez and
Alaska shrinking to death in the
not far distant future. There
are fine houses that costs thou
sands of dollars there that can
be bought for a song now, and
men and woman who have spent
their lives there to accumulate
a few dollars see their lifetimes’
savings dwindle and themselves
beggared. I pity them and
there are thousands of others all
about us in the same boat; all
the towns will die if this sys
tem is not changed, or else there
will happen such convulsions as
will shock the world. Men and
women are not yet slaves.
Had you been unbiased, even
your three weeks’ visit would
have shown you that Alaskans
hate the Government bureaus,
hate them with a hate that is
deep, b itter. unrelenting and
eternal, as our forefathers hated
the emissaries of King George
III, and whose tyranny and
deviltry inspired a war and the
Declaration of Independence. Do
you know these things? If so, do
you care?
Permit a question, Mr. Dick
inson. What would you think,
and what would you say of any
one, me for example, should I
go to Iowa, and after three
weeks of banqueting and sight
seeing under the personal super
vision of the enemies of the
farmers, rush into print and in
form the world that the farmers
knew nothing about the farm
problem, that I had studied it
for three weeks and that they
didn’t know what they were
talking about, and that the
agents of the administration
and the bureau of agriculture
knew it all ad would save you.
I ask what would you think? We
think the same of you.
Congressmen, when election
time rolls around, and you go
back to Iowa to make sure that
the Republican party, the Ad
ministration and yourself have
the confidence of the farmers,
do you spend your time in at
tending upon banquets by bank
ers, high tariff advocates, etc.,
or do yor. go out to the people
and try to hear their heartbeat?
I take it that such a question
answers itself, and will there
fore refrain.
Alaska is just now facing the
worst financial winter she has
ever known. A majority, yes
and more, of the merchants of
this section are Insolvent right
now, and I feel sure that this
statement applies to all Alaska
merchants.
I suggest that to complete
your investigation of Alaska af
fairs, you consult with that As
sistant Post-Master General in
Washington who ordered the
postmaster at Dawson to either
send in his quarterly report or
resign. Dawson is in Canada.
Yours Truly,
Sherman Duggan
TRUE TO FORM
By Robert F. Paine
Speaking upon the use of
power of contempt proceedings
by judges, Justice Brewer, of the
U. S. Supreme Court, once said:
“It is a mistake to suppose
that the Supreme Court is either
honored or helped by being
spoken of as beyond criticism.
The time is past in the history
of the world when any living
man or body of men can be set
on a pedestal and decorated
with a halo.”
Those truths were uttered
some years ago. Is there a judge
on earth foolish enough to
maintain that, since those ut
terances were delivered, there
has not been a decided loss of
the esteem and honor in which
the judiciary as a whole, was
held? No. Appointments of
judges for political considera
tions, maladministrations of
justice and violations of the
right of equality of all men be
fore the law have been rapidly
undermining the honor and re
spect and even dignity with
which the judiciary was re
garded, and should be regarded
be regarded if government by
law is to endure for long.
The popular appraisal of the
judiciary no longer contains any
of the “pedestal” or “halo.” Too
many judges have descended
from their pedestals to wallow
in their pwn selfish issues, or to