Yukon Valley News
Issued every Tuesday.
Sam J. Callahan.Publisher
Subscription.—One year, §8; six months,
$4.50; one month, $1.
Advertising.—Rates on application. Right
reserved to reject any advertisement.
CALENDAR
JULY
8 M T W T F S
12 3
4 5 6 7 8 910
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Moon’s Phases.—
Full moon, 3d;
last quarter, 10th;
new moon, 17th;
first quaretr, 25th.
AUGUST
8 M T W T F S
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’s Phases.—
Full moon, 1st;
1 last quarter, 8th;
new moon, 15th;
i first quarter, 23d;
full moon, 30th. _
Tuesday, July 6, 1909.
ANNOUNCEMENT
After a suspension of two years the
Yukon Valley News, formerly printed
at Rampart under my management, is
resuming publication at Tanana. I am
not unmindful of the present depressed
condition of business and the difficulty
prospectors — among whom the j>aper
has friends — experience in earning the
money necessary to buy outfits. Under
the circumstances the paper will take its
chances along with the rest and will not
squeal if it happens to get pinched in its
commissary department.
To those unacquainted with the pa
per’s former course I desire to explain
that its sympathies were and will be
with the people as they are; that it does
not aspire to wield a whip, and that
those who do not patronize it will not
be assailed on that account. At the
same time it hopes to express its opin
ions as forcibly as possible without be
coming personally abusive.
All persons whomsoever may make
known through its columns their views
on matters of public interest, provided,
always, that the language is temperate
and private character is not besmirched.
Personally, my feelings are intensely
democratic. The paper is so small and
relatively unimportant, however, that it
can do but little to mend a system that
is demoralizing not only the people in
Alaska but in the body of the republic
itself. Meantime it will do its duty as
it sees it in its limited field, and will
deny anybody’s right to be its master
while not essaying to master anybody.
Respectfully,
SAM J. CALLAHAN.
THE ILLICIT LIQUOR TRAFFIC.
Now that the lawr making it a felony
to give liquor to natives is effective, the
trial of the numerous cases of this kind
is taken out of the hands of United
States commissioners and given to the
district court, thus to a degree removing
the matter from local influences and
placing it where petty jealousies, lovers’
quarrels, missionary zeal, turpitude of
white and native persons, and all the
unsavory attendant circumstances may
be more correctly estimated. A better
understanding of the situation will re
suit, but there is little likelihood that
the illicit traffic will perceptibly dimin
ish. A few unimportant individuals
sent to McNeil’s Island will not cure the
disease.
The solution of this liquor-to-Indians
business is one of the knottiest and most
important problems upon which the
peace and welfare of the territory de
pend. The scandal is not confined to
irresponsibles, but rightfully or wrong
fully at times includes the most impor
tant business concerns and even the
missionaries have not always escaped
suspicion by honest-minded persons.
It remains to be seen whether the
severer penalty will cause a stricter
obedience to the law. If it does not,
then it will be in order to ask that the
law be repealed and the Indian given
the same freedom as the whites among
whom he lives and by whom he is gov
erned ; for a law that accomplishes noth
ing more than the filling of prisons is
a very great deal worse than worthless.
COMPROMISE POSSIBLE
Changing the name of the town is
one of the numerous tasks of reforma
tion the distinguished Tanana Leader
has set itself. After the sleepy village
has been waked up and placed at the
head of the procession in the march of
progress, no name suggestive of lowly
native origin—like “Tan-a-na”—will be
suffered to reflect the ignominy of past
conditions or mar the glory of future
greatness.
The new name has not yet been made
public: that, apparently, is reserved for
the culminating stroke that will betoken
complete conquest. Certain signs, howr
ever,—a word dropped here and inserted
in official verbiage there,—are signifi
cant. In fact, it is altogether probable
that the name is already chosen and in
readiness for the auspicious moment
when the rechristening will occur,
j What is it to be?
io a certainty no man knoweth. As
was said, there are signs; but two and
two do not always make four. In proof,
forcibly cast two overripe eggs into a
receptacle; then follow with two more,
and instead of the result being four eggs
it will be a bad smell.
But still signs are signs. This is Fort
Gibbon precinct. The military post is
Fort Gibbon; the people of the upper
Tanana valley, whence hails the United
States commissioner who is the manager
of the Leader, are said to rarely speak
of this place except as Gibbon—the
name of the military post with the
word “Fort” left out. Walk down
by the commissioner-newspaper man’s
office and you will see a fat young dog
gnawing a bone near the door. An
amiable specimen of his kind he is with
no bad qualities not attributable to the
thoughtlessness of youth: his name is
GIBBON. There you are. What is to
hinder the commissioner from naming
the town after his purp?
But signs are only signs, and may be
misleading. A writer in the Leader re
cently told the paper that it had under
FERRO MARINE ENCINES
The Kind that
Made in 1, 2 and 3 cylinder, from 3 to 25 h. p., jump spark ignition, and in
1 and 2 cylinder, 4 to 15 h. p., make and break ignition.
Just the Engine for Any Boat for Work or Pleasure
Orders filled by Wire from Seattle Agency.
S. E. HEETER, Agent.
taken a hopeless task; that it cannot
wake up this people, who will sleep on,
even when arraigned before the Great
Judge, to finally wake in hell—(like a
sleepy drunk waking in a jail where he
has been sent by a United States com
missioner). If this view of the situation
proves to be correct, the suggestion is
respectfully made that — begging the
purp’s pardon—a compromise be ef
fected whereby the name of Weare will
he adopted, so that by leaving a space
after the two first letters in the post
office sign solicitous people inclined to
ask “Are you fellows all asleep?”
read the answer thus :
mav
WE ARE
SUMMONED TO COURT.
—
By virtue of a writ of venire facias,
to U. S. Marshal H. K. Love directed,
Sam Callahan, Esq., is thereby sum
moned to appear at the United States
court rooms in the City of Fairbanks,
Alaska, on the 26th day of July, at the
hour of 10 o’clock in the forenoon of
said day, to serve as a trial juror for the
general term of the district court of the
United States. And of this lie is not to
fail under the penalty of the law.
Now, therefore, it appearing that it is
what Colonel ltoosevelt might term a
fizzicle impossibility for the said Sam
Callahan, Esq., to go to Fairbanks and
try cases in court and at the same time
remain at Tanana and try to print, 1
stamp, stain, promulgate, disseminate
and deliver a wide-awake newspaper, it
is probable that the Yukon Valley News
will not appear for an indefinite period
after two weeks hence.
When the esquire is through with his
trials in Fairbanks he will return to:
those of his choice at Tanana.
Longest Ball Game.
The longest ball game ever played was
between the Ileintz Victors and Colum
bus Selects, amateur teams of Colum
bus, Ohio, in 1007. They played thirty
six innings and the game was called
because the players were exhausted, j
The score stood 2 to 2. Decker of the
Selects struck out twenty men, and
Robins of the Victors nineteen men.
Somebody has said that Croesus, the
traditional rich man, got his start in
placer mining, and amassed the bulk of
his fortune from hard-rock propositions
after the placers had been exhausted.
No homely girl appreciates the fact
that beauty is only skin deep.
St. James Mission
Holy Eucharist each Sunday at 11 a. in.
Each follow ing Sunday, Evening Prayer at
7:45 p. m. Sunday school every Sunday at
12 o’clock. WINTHROP PEABODY,
Priest in Charge.
/ARE YOU
one of those people who'
_ -_seldom write home ?
I They will know you are all right ir you
1 send them the YUKON VALLEY NEWS.
\ Mail yours or let us send one weekly.,
NEW
LAUNDRY
All Classes of Work Solicited
Satisfaction Guaranteed
MRS. A. A. SWANSON
N. C. Slough, near Kentucky
Kitchen Building
Faked Roosevelt Stories.
American Monthly Review of Reviews:
There is reason to believe that Mr.
Roosevelt is in Africa carrying out in a
general way the program which was an
nounced before he departed with his
scientific associates. It is to be hoped,
however, that no intelligent American
reader will for a moment suppose that
we are having authentic reports from
day to day of Mr. Roosevelt’s move
ments and adventfires. There was just
one thing that Mr. Roosevelt asked of
the American press before his depart
ure, and that was that he be allowed as
a private citizen to proceed with his
African plans without being followed,
spied upon, or reported. All newspaper
men know that the lurid tales which
have been daily served up,—and which
have chronicled with much detail the
slaughtering of countless lions, tigers,
rhinos, hippos, and other beasts, of both
sexes and all ages,—are sheer inven
tions. Never were fakes more transpa
rent or more impudent. Mr. Roosevelt’s
hunting is far away from the shaded
haunts of the gentlemen of the press
who prepare these daily romances, and
nobody knows that this is true so well
as do the managers of our respected
newspapers who are displaying these
tales of shamble and gore under first
page headlines every morning, and illus
trating them with unnumbered car
toons. Even on his later western hunt
ing trips Mr. Roosevelt had the doubtful
benefit of a similar response on the part
of an enterprising press to a supposed
public demand. We shall have to wait
a good while before we get any trust
worthy news about Mr. Roosevelt’s ex
periences in the dark continent.
Tom Antonson and several compan
ions are going from Rampart to prospect
on the headwaters of the Tozi.