Yukon Valley News
Issued every Wednesday.
S. E. Hbetbh.Proprietor
Sam J. Callahan . Manager
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$+-.00; one month, 7,5 cents.
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CALENDAR
PKCKMUKK
8 M T W T F 8
1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30 31
Moon *8 Phasks.
I.a»t quarter, Nth;
new moon, l!»th;
first quarter, 22a;
full moon, 80th.
JANlAKi
5 M T W T V a
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 1011 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30 31
Moon's Phabks.
Last quarter, 7th;
i new moon, 13th;
first quarter, 20th;
full moon, 29th.
Wednesday, December 12, 1906.
YES, BUT THERE ARE DIFFICULTIES
“Should Alaska la* self governing?
Answer.”
That is the wording of a message re
ceived from the Fairbanks Northern
Light last afternoon. What partioular
circumstance caused the inquiry can not
l>e told, but there is a likelihood that
some kind of representation to congress
regarding the matter is contemplated.
The answer is “Yes.” Americans
anywhere on American soil should be
self governing. The more remote and
isolated from the populous centers, the
more vital the principle becomes. Place
a single individual in the wilderness,
out of reach of his fellows, and he
at once becomes self governing; and
if he is a sensible American he usually
governs himself well. Put two there
and they will confer and usually adopt
the most beneficial course of action.
A majority will decide what is to i>e
done by three. And so on and so on,
up to any number. Set two men down
in the wilds with alwolute authority
delegated to one to control the actions
of the other, and rebellion or perhaps
homicide will follow. The more local
ised government is in a new country the
better. In such a country there are al
ways two evils to l>e feared when the
governing power is centered at a dis
tance: one is wolul ignorance ana me
other willful wrong.
The civilization of the United States
has been built with local self govern
ment as the corner stone, anil it is
built very strong.
So far as this little [>a|>er is concerneil
it has not lieen anxious to see self
government for Alaska hastened, lie
cause it has seemeil im|»issihle of
achievement except through compro
mises that might rob the victory of its
most precious fruits. It has ho|ietl for
a time when Alaska's case might lie
submittei) to congress with a conscious
ness that the dominant party would
acknowledge the territory’s equality
with other American soil.
As it is now the federal government
will scarcely yield up to the territory
enough of lire taxing privileges to make
sell government self snp|»>rting Tin
fisheries may be claimed as a source of
perpetual federal profit. Portions of the
public domain may be leased—as the
fox islands now are—and the territory
denied taxing privilege there. Fur mo
nopolies of great value may be granted
and the territory get fto recompense.
The timl>er resources may l>e withheld.
Commercial and carrying business may
be regulated from Washington. The
half-conce'aled and doubly oppressive
customs tax will scarcely lead to the
dumping of a cargo overboard, as a reg
ulation of a kindred nature did on one
historic occasion.
Since it is very common to punctuate
Aluskan reference with points from the
Canadian side, it is not amiss to speak
of the self government extended by the
dominion to Dawson. The dominion
held to its revenue-producing regula
tions and the city taxed itself to death.
That bit of history could be repeated on
the American side, with all Alaska
undergoing the experience of the Cana
dian town.
The natives furnish another difficulty
in the way of Alaskan self government.
While they are in a state of half free
dom and come in contact with the
whites everywhere, the federal govern
ment might insist on keeping them
singly under federal law, which would
lead to endless confusion if not disaster.
Yes, Alaska should lie self governing;
but it should be so with the very broad
est meaning that, the term implies—and
there are difficulties.
Thk land fraudB committed on the ]
outside on account of which several!
men of high station were sent to prison !
were no more flagrant than those S
through which immense areas of min
eral ground are being segregated from
the public domain in Alaska. As the
mineral resources of this territory be
come tietter known through the efforts
of prosjiectors and the investigations of
the United States Geological Survey,
the opportunities for fraud become more
alluring, and the country is fast ap
proaching a condition that will restrict
legitimate prosj>ecting in the placer re
gions to an insignificant industry. The
association claim should be almlished.
Thk results of the November elections
in the States have not yet lieen learned
in Kampart. That shows how imnrly we
are situated with regard to mail. The
distance between Kampart and Fair
banks does not exceed 150 miles; yet in
the roundalsmt way traversed mail sel
dom gets from one place to another in
side of a month. The absence of news
also emphasizes the shortcomings of the
Ram|iart paper. The same are freely
admitted. The cost of the press report
is beyond the pu|*-r's ability to |iav. A
eorrcs|s>ndent to send *|*sial bits of
news is <s|U*Uy so. The Fairlstnks pa
|«rrs have been *|sa ntllv kind in re
sponding to any MN|ucst made of them;
fait it woiikl ha Mr Mali to a*k them
often to give away tbefr agprs. which is
costlv pro|*-rty. “ S*j|
Chas.A.Traeger,
Hats, Clothing
and Furnishings.
| Complete line
I New Ladies’ Goods,
[Flannels, Blankets,
[Gents’ Furnishings.
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EUREKA 3
ROADHOUSE
Everything New
and Up to Date
JERRY FORD
UULSJLSULaJUlJLaJLajULSL
BTricesfURS
Paid for
JULIUS RAHMSTORF.
mnmr
P. M. SMITH
HARRY BURRUSS
SMITH & BURRUSS
Freighters
Packers
Rampart, Alaska
It is l>y no means certain that the
higher courts are less infallible in their
interpretation of the mining law than i
are those which are nearer the people. !
In delivering an opinion that the prox
imity of paying ground, and surface 1
indications favorable to the existence of
gold on liedrock ought to lie construed
as favorable to party claiming under a
very slight discovery, the I’nited States
circuit court of appeals recently laid 1
down a principle calculated to defeat
the most wholesome pur|s>se of the law
requiring discovery. It is not enough,
even, to know for a fact that gold is be
neath one’s feet to give him title to it:
he ought to uncover it lie fore it is his.
Ir seems that Minnesota has elected
a republican legislature, which means
that the lion. Knute Nelson will prolsf
lily succeed himself in the I’nitesl
States senate.
Send the Valley News to your friends
J. LINDLEY GREEN,
Lawyer.
Office at the Courthouse.
OFFICE OF
Commissioner and Recorder.
Rooms I and 2, Courthouse
A. B. NOTICE.
Regular meetings of the Arctic Brother*
hood Lodge are held at their hall on the
second ana fourth Fridays of each month at
8 o'clock p. m.
W. W. CROCKETT.
JULIUS RAHMSTORF, Arctic Chief
Arctic Recorder.
Modern Dentistry
In all its Branches
CHARLES D. CARTER, D. D. S.,
Prices reasonable. Work guaranteed.
OFFICE—Just above the new poBtofflce.
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The Florence Hotel3
Bar Supplied with the Best
of Liquors and Cigars
Billiard and Pool Parlors
Unexcelled .
5 B0B SCHABER
JACK RAOIGAN
Managers
'ZjulwjlslsulsuulslslslsuijuljlslsljlslslJ
JOSEPH TWAN,
Near
Smith A
McHugh’s
Barn
Cobbler
/ARE YOU
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