Alaska History
Acquisition by the United States
Was Vigorously Opposed — How
the Territory Got Its Name.
The Congressional Record during the
days of the di-s ession of the treaty pro
viding for the purchase of Russian
America by the United States furnishes
some highly interesting reading.
There are now two theories toaeeonnt
fortlie purchase of Alaska, then known
as Russian Ala-ka, from Russia. One
is that William 11. Seward, then secre
tary of state, appreciated what a bar
gain was offered for $7,-00,000, and the
other is that the purchase was made for
the sake of relieving Russia, which had
been friendly to the United States in Un
civil war which was but recently closed,
of a very troublesome burden. Hither
theory may bold, but in the opinion of
many statesmen of the day, at least, the
latter is the more logical.
In the course of the treaty debate,
lien, benjamin 1-. butler, of Massachu
setts, thundered Ids disapproval in the
following words: "If we are to pay for
her i Russia's friendship this amount, I
desire to give her the $7,1100,000 and let
her keep Alaska. I have no doubt that
at any time within the last twenty years
we could have had Alaska for the ask
cabinets of two prescient:—provided \\e
fewould have taken it as a gift. l»ut no
man except one insane enough t•» buy
the earthquakes of Sr. Thomas nr the
icefields of Greenland could be force*l to
agree to any ether terms for its acquisi
tion to the country."
Congressman Washburn, of Wiscon
sin, who aided Butler in opposing the
purchase, quoted the Saciamento I nion,
which had said editorially concerning
the treaty: “Persons well informed
about Alaska are ungrateful enough to
hint that we could have bought a much
superior elephant in Siam or Bombay
for one-hundredth part of the money,
with not one-thousandth part of the
expense incurred in keeping tin* animal
in good condition.1
Washburn called the treaty “an out
rage oil the rights of the American pro
pie,” and defied “any living man on the
faee of the earth to produce evidence
that an ounce of g. Id was ever extracted
from Alaska."
Butler and Washburn, both men of
A. itionul prominence, led tie light
against the measure,and were sup|N»rted
by representative men of both house.-,
t )pp«»sed to them. h"W*'Ver, were S**nat«»r
Charles Sumner and lb pit-< ntuii\e Na
thaniel P. Banks, chairmen. re>|svtiv» ly,
of the senate and lioti-r cotmniUt* s «»u
foreign affairs. These were alli»o-t the
only men of intlueiice who sto«*l b\ the
project, but their infill* lice and argu
ments told. I•• «tIt made strong -|**vclies,
Banks reminding the Ihtttn that the
objections to the purchase of \lasku
were the -aloe that had l*ee!i put f r*
ward when it wu- pr*>|«*ie*‘d to acquire
Texas and California; Sumner renew
iiig the whole situation in an « laU.rate
rtpeecli on the “l*e-si*»n “f K Us* hi it
America
Hum tier was a- enth’iwia-tic over ac
quiring tin* territory as «4keN were
strong in their opt*suit n t«» the pur
«h.*«*
& \ I : I* t I at mi*' i t\ Iga
tors will swarm the coast, ready for any
enterprise of business or patriotism,” he
prophesied, with fine optimism. ‘‘Com
merce will find new arms, the country
new < efenders, the national flag new
hands to hear it aloft.”
Senator Sumner in this speech sug
gested the name Alaska for Russian
Amerii'a.
“As these extensive possessions, con
stituting a corner of the continent, pass
from the imperial government of Russia
they will naturally receive a new name,”
he said. “They will clearly no longer he
Russian America. IIow shall they he
called? Clearly any name borrowed
from classical history or from individual
invention will he little better than a
misnomer or nickname unworthy of
such an occasion. Even if taken from
our own history it will he in doubtful
taste. The name should come from the
country itself. It should he indigenous,
aboriginal, one of the autochthons of
the soil. Happily, such a name exists,
which is as proper in sound as in origin.
It appears from the reports of Cook, the
illustrious navigator, that the eupho
neous name now applied to the penin
sula which is the continental link in
the Aleutian chain was the sole word
used originally by the native islanders
when speaking of Hie American conti
nent in general, v nich they knew per
fectly well to he a great land. It only
remains that, following these natives,
w hose places are now ours, we. too, shall
call this great land Alaska.”
The treaty ceding Alaska to the United
Slates was signed March ISO. hst'd: w as
ratified hv the senate on May L’S, and
on June L’U publicly proclaimed by the
president, tm Oct. IS of the same year
the United States took military posses
sion of her domain. The house held up
the appropriation for payment of the
purcha-<’ price, however, for nearly a
year.
There is a story that a few days be
fore William II. Seward’s death he was
asked what he considered the most mo
mentous measure in his busy official
career. “The purchase of \laska,” said
the grand old statesman, “but it will
take the people a generation to find it
out.”
llu* secretary was ri^lit, both in his
conclusion that the purchase of Alaska
was his un -atesi official act and m the
prophesy that it would take a genera
tion for the people to find it out. The
wonder of the har&tin that I’ncle Sam
p»t will continue to trrow for manv exon
erations.
Alaska. c**-t about 1* cents an acre.
Shelias produced at least
worth of p»M: the output in HH)"> was
flo,‘Mo,iHH). The receipts from Alaska
revenues have been $lOtK».*l,!iH4—.">0 per
cent, more than the cos! of the terri
tory. I he total value of all furs pro
duced in Alaska from |h70 to p.Hwi was
I»e-ides there are millions
of acres « f lands co\» led with the finest
timU r. And all of this I’nde Sam
IwMifcdit f'-r ♦T/JiHi.uou.—Ketchikan Mi
ning Journal.
When ( alif'-rnia miners iu\ented the
hydraulic minim: pr**e— they devised
the che.ij- -t form of void mininu known.
N lien they projected the void minim:
d red if* thev came pretty near etpialinv
the hydraulic record. Men are now
dredvinv gntuixl and making money
wln re th*- valni-s are not uhtu- 10rents
a cola* yard In -••me place* it «•**!» 7
cents a yard to d** the work, and in
other place- |es« Mining Ih.rM.
I'latinitm has «u*a*hly advanced until
th» pn« •- has g**i»e U y on*l an ounce,
nearly *l*»ul*te that *»l gold.
ouuuuuuouuuuuuuouuuuuuuuuu
S. E. HEETER, 1
Freighter and Packer I
c
Good Equipments and J:
Service Unexcelled c
HOOSIER DOCTOR
HAS COT A HUNCH
I*r. A. I;. Hopkins, of South Bend,
Ind., contemplates coming to Alaska to
live. In a letter dated Jan. Id lie says:
“1 am seeking an opportunity to in
vest in some business in Alaska and it
lias occurred to me that you might
know some one who would like to cor
respond with me on this subject. If
you do 1 would thank you to hand my
card to such person.
“Though 1 know hut little about the
climate and resources of Alaska, I be
lieve I would like to live there."
The doctor will be sent a lot of back
numbers of the Valley News, the
weather reports in which will give him
a slight conception of the eccentricities
of our winter climate. When lie sees
the record he is liable to become some
what startled; but if he has the nerve
to come and sample our temperature at
first hand he is sure to like it. The
range during twelve months is. roughly
speaking, from 90 above to 70 below,
offering that variety and contrast out of
which a great deal may be selected that
is sure to please.
The doctor's address is box 1111:1,. South
bend, Ind.
DEATHS
NN . C. P.AKFK, business man well
known in Alaska ami Yukon territory,
»ii«*«I in Fairbanks Feb. 17.
1HANK .1. HYNAN, expert mronnt
ant well known in I>awson and Fair
banks, died on home eteek Feb. Id.
.JulIN I>OYLFt at (Meary City, died
Feb. Id from injuries reeeived I*y eon
tart with a band saw. Fat Hoyle, bis
brother, lives in Saeminentn.
A Ml hit T rKAIlUUb mine ojierator
with a sueeessful rarerr in the Klondike
and the Tanana, died on < »old Host
ereek. Circle district, Feb. 1of an ill
n»*ss lasting but three hours.
Ft H I> A FF*I\ ItTI N. miner, fell into a
l»>.»-foot -diaft on Home creek, Fairbanks.
He struck on soft dirt and when he was
F. M. A. L.
SMITH & COLLINS,
Proprietors
FIRST-CLASS
Wines, Liquors and <
Cigars. '
pf^o^sinmroTfrrrjT7mrTa''!r
jjJULIUS RAHMSTORF,
: GENERAL
i MERCHANDISE
£ FULL LINE
S Tin, Granite and Crockeryware
GjLOJLO.JL9.lJUUJiaJLajL5JlJUL8.JL
taken nut walkeil nrimn.l apparently mi
harine.l. (.uieu-.sii.il of the hrain en
sue.I, however, awl lie .lie.I Fell. 1H,
s^wjrsjTjTiririr'sTrjfl vTrisTnrsTiririririSTnrifinnriririrvTrsTnnrttinnrB
Northern Commercial Co.
OUTFITTING A SPECIALTY
LARCE STOCK WINES AND LIQUORS
APPLES, ORANGES and LEMONS
Northern Commercial Co.
uttUUU 11 id i utm t Uliimii a 1111 muiimi