OCR Text |
Show I l' HOME RULE FOR ALASKA A ' I 1 NON-PARTISAN PATRIOTIC BILL Jj - I . H H Representative Sulzcr of New York Points Out the way to do II r,h Thc'Right Thing by Alaska "Alaska is God's Country." I -I ! j J J Mr. Hulzcr. Mr. Chairman, Alaska H i is a wonderland, Most of tho people H ' f f ot our country have no idea of Uio H f , .' jj vastncBH of her borders, tho extent ot H fj her domain, tho grandeur ot her H scenery, tlio salubrity ot her cllmato, H J tho greatness ot her mountains, the H length ot tier, rivers, tlio. limitless pos- H ! nihilities ot her fisheries, , her forests, H i her grazjng advantage (for1 sheoi and H J cattle, her splendid agrilultural ro- H 'sources, her Incalculable mineral H i wealth and her homes for tho multi- M tudu In the land up thoro.that spells M opportunity for tho earnest worker H and tho-bravo pioneer, B ' I'Alaska would make 17 states ot tho B ihIzo of Ithodo Island. ,'Slio has tho Hi greatest gold and copper and lead and H coal and tin deposits In North Amerl- B ;. ra. Alaskaha3 599,4 IC snuaro miles of tcrrltory--moro than 383,645 nces HM of land and tlio greatest fishing wa- H ' tcrs In alt tho world, teeming with H tho best food fish on earth. Alaska H f Is (iod's country. , H i j Alnska is over twlco tho slzo.of tho H Gjoimnn empire; 11 times tho JBlzo of H ' tho state ot Now York, and hasTp6rc H copper known today than Michigan H and Arzona combined. Sho jjj 9o- H filth the size of tho entire United H State, Iwh paid for hcrsolf five H times over In mouey actually collected H in Alasku and deposited in the fed-oral fed-oral treasury. Alaska was puichasid j i 'from Ilussla for $7,200,01)0, less (liaii H ' two cents an acre, and has produced M Jnj'fcbld'htid sljifrrdtonotmoiy tlmn 2Ii M , time's Avfiat slid cast-4ue chapeqt H ( bargain In JamMa thy annuls of tlmfc. H According to 'tlio geological reports, B TtKskTirak atfnbh nToal-bearlilB area B , MlarRrefirran,nIlfth( rest of tho.-coal-7 HB .bearing area In tho United Statoa, H ' .'Alaska has tho- greatest cattle and HI 'sheep (ranges now jn 'tlio north, and HB agricultural 'possibilities beyond tlio tmntTfantlon of the, finite 'mind a ' mighty empire that welcomes heroic H man. k i What does Alaska want? -Alaska demands home rule tho "right of her HB ' people to govern thcmsolves nn In HB hcrcnt American right that congress BBf 4ms never denied to any ot our people H ln any part of our domain in all our BH ipaat, and which we should no longer BH deny to' tho heroic men who hnve H , goua. to the uorAhland and mado their BH homes In Alaska Tho Alaskans BH want toirltorlal go eminent. They BH want th j light that oorv other tor- BB r rltory III tho Union had tho light BB -to niiiKo '.their own local laws, to ley BH tholr uwn local taxes, to regulate BH tlfelr own Internal affafrs and to BH -spend tlio nionov gathered by tho BH tax ccllcctor for tholr own use, tor HB I their ov u schools, for their own chnr- BHr ltable Institutions, for theli own inn- H i iihio.h affairs, for their own trails H .'ntidMlirt roads, and for their own BBT. I r peftce"7a"n"d" Happiness. Tlifs Is not BHj ' nBklug too much, in my opinion. It BBe ' Is a fundumental right It secniB to BHj ( ' nic it Is onl fair and Just mid prop- JBBi cr. Alaska hus a population at tho pfosGuf. time of upwind ot 00 000 lionn fido(ol(fzons It is truo they tiro sc.it BHj terod over a vntt teultory but it is BHti I nlso true that they arc nil honest, ' liuuc, sober, maul, Godfearing peo BHj' plo who uio our kin, and who ought BHj to be Heated as American citizens. BHj' Hero Is the map of Alaska Look HB' at it. Study it. It ou tako this map HH In nctual urea and put It on tho map H' of tho United States proper, ono part H of Alaska will bo In tho Atlantic BHji ocean opposite Charleston; another H pail of Alaska will bo In tho Quit ot B Mexico south ot Now Orleans; and BHj anothei part of Alaska will ho In BBT Canada noith of tho Ureal hakes. As BHj a general proposition pcoplo have no BBl conception concerning tho astuesa H of this territory, and there has been m dessemlnatfd throughout this coun H try for sevoral years past more mlsln- B' j formation regarding Alaska and her BHj, resources and her pcoplo thnn about M any other matter ot public moment in m tho leconl history of our country. m Let us examine this map. This H part of Aluska (Indicating) Is tailed 1 ' Boutlioastern Alaska, this part ot H i' Alaska (Indicating) is called south- H h westoru Aluska. These divisions m marked on this map aro tho natural 1 i divisions of Alaska. Naturo mado K y them- Congress can not chnngo them H p In a stralglil lino fiom Cape Clincon B' . in southeastern Alaska to Point llai- K .' row in northern Alaska a about B ! 3,000 miles In a straight lino from B t' Cuba to Qroouland Is less than 3,000 BB& miles, and thero lo nearly as much M dltferenco in tho climatic conditions BHj in Alaska on tho Pacific coast as BBE thoro is between Cuba and Grconland BBY i' . on the Atlantic coast. Tho cllmato BBS i.BHHBki ot our Atlantic coast Is goernod to BBB BBBBBBI somo extent by Uio Gult Stream, The cllmato on the Alaskan coast is governed gov-erned almost entirely by tho wonder-iul wonder-iul Japan Current, and tho Japan Qurront, is much greater than tho Quit, , Stream. Southeaster Alaska has a mild cllmato. Tho mean tern-pcrdture tern-pcrdture at Sitka Is tho same as the rrinn temporaturo at Charleston, 8. C. Southeastern Alaska has a cllmato similar to tho cllmato of southern Canada. Can-ada. North of tho Yukon river to tho Arctic ocean Alaska has a cold cllmato. cll-mato. Southeastern Alaska Is composed com-posed largely of boautlful Islands, it Is n mineral and a fishing country, rich now and destined io becomo more so. Some of thoso islands in southeastcru Alaska aro very hcally timbered with pine, spruce, hemlock and red and yellow cedar. Tho timber resources of these islands is-lands In 8ou(henstorn Alaska are in valuable, and thus far thoy have never nev-er known tho sound1 of tho woodman's axo. They aro virgin forests. Tho fishing Industries in southeastern Alaska are becoming tho greatest iu tho world According td ths government govern-ment report, thero nro over 30 different dif-ferent kinds bf fiiodSfislleB, and only last hlifomcrthVJJfiltid SfnteV'rish ( rqui'ilft&idoil 'imaftho AMatrosL'roiWd .he hJlltat,yt (hcje, f Isji jOii thogreat l.lniiiUsff thy. coast of A,l6kamt)ip 'homo of-Hit) salmon innd-llle halibut and tho aheirttig' fluid Ute mackerel. "1"hlH:jlart o'f'Afa'sMi vUll 'furnish fb'r vft ,a.i; qn. s, oK f piy JlW $ u Jkh t9 siiply th,o wanls oTliapgo-plo, oTliapgo-plo, oj Jthe.djnltyd JBtntca. S.outheu8 ern Alaska will never ilia' an. jigrlCul-tuial jigrlCul-tuial country, because 'It Is too iiiouulatiousH.luha&anqauUlcys.and no rivers, but It has an Ideal climate, and It itfoltyg to bo tho sporlsnan'is and tho"' poor mnn'sf dndTStha fBick man s parpdtsc. It Is, aLsaylng tup there, "Thht jwlien thcftldbls dut tho tablo is1 soti' because', ndpoor1 man need go hungry In southeastern Alaska Alas-ka 'jinl;ss.he,vrj(nts to dp so. Ho can llveN on" tlio proditcts of the vsea. C Southwcstein Alaska, from the International In-ternational boundary lino to tho Aleutian Aleu-tian Islands, is a wonderfjil bountry and iuit5 different trofrt 'southeastern AJascn,' "Tlfts partf ofAlaakals rich Inl mineral Kvijalth; worfderful In Its posslblfitlcs lor cattle and agriculture and pint qf It Is well timbered and exreedlngl tortile. Thoro aro great allo s Irf this part jof Alaska tho; Copper lUor nlley, tlio Susltna valley, val-ley, tho Yctnii Valley, tho Tanafia val-le val-le and tho alIoy of tho Kuskokwlm all awaiting development,. It lstcsti-mated lstcsti-mated thaUin this Section of Alaska thero Is at 'least half , as i much coal us tlieio (is-In all ! tho rest ot thd Unlteil States, and Vwlthln Its rcon fines ui4 tho.groatusucattlo.and-ahecu. ranges under tho American ting Hero Is the fIanilfor tho Immigrant. Here Is tlio placo for tho homo 'book-er 'book-er In theso, alloys arc-vast stretcher of nr.ible lailds much greater in 'area tluin-BOUiu.of.tho sUteg. of. tho uulouu mid this part of Alaska alone, It Is Bald by thoso who nro competent to. 108116 nnd who havo' made "n thorough thor-ough lmestlgiitlon, can support a peo pie largor than tho population of Nor wny and Sweden nnd rinlaud nnd Denmark combined Look again on tho map. On the hills hero (Indicating on map) aro gtcat cattle ranges, nnd hero In nbun dance grows what is called buffalo grass grass that stands five or sl feet high, rich with good saccharine mnttor; and tho cattle graze out hero all tho year long without any protection protec-tion from tlio weather. It Is a superior su-perior country for cattle grazing to Continued on Page 7. I HOME RULE FOR ALASKA A I NON-PARTISAN PATRIOTIC BILL Ut (Continued trom page G) R anything in our northern states. They M have no blizzards, and ,the' winters, B although cold, havo little snow, and H the climate la dry and invigorating. H Cattle can graze there all the year H round, and they are fatter and in bet- B ter condition In the spring than they rjfl aro in the fall. What a country for b7 tho cattlemen 1 B North of tho Yukon Is a vast coun- H try, stretching away from tho Yukon H river to the Arctic ocean. This part H of Alaska has very Ilttlo timber. It H is rich In mineral resources, In cop- M per and gold and tin and coal and H various other kinds of minerals. This H part of Alaska will always bo Bpnrsc- H ly Inhabited by a mlgratoryjjopula- 1 tlon, by pcoplo who go there to mine B and when the mines are worked out H tbey will come away. B Southwestern Alaska, however, (In- H dlcating on the map) Is destined In H the next 25 years to havo n pcrma- H nent agricultural and cattlo-ralslng H population, and the day will como H when this part of AlaBka will con- H tain and sustain several millions cf B people who havo gone there nnd been H there for many years, many of whom H were born there and who Intend to B stay there. Mark what I say, tho B day will come when southeastern and B southwestern Alaska will be Btates B In the union. The value of Alaska's B mineral production for 1911 Is cstl- B mated at J20.370.000, of which $17,- B 150,000 was gold. The gold produc- tlon of 1910 amounted to $16,128,749. B The copper output Is estimated at 22,- B 900,000 pounds in 1911, against 4,241,- fl 689 pounds In 1910. Alaskan mines B and auarrics also produced silver, tin, B coal, marble and gypsum to nn cstl-B cstl-B mated value of $390,000, an increase B of $200,000 over 1910. B The totnl value of, Alaska's mlner- H al production since 1880, when mln-fl mln-fl Ing first began, Is, In round numbers, $206,000,000, or moro than. 29 times the sum paid to Russia for the terrt-I terrt-I tory. Of this amount $195,950,000 rep-I rep-I resents gold, and copper $8,170,000, I the mining of the latter metal having I begun about ten years ago. I Aside from this increased produc- I tlon, the most Important event last I year was the opening of the Copper 3v rlvcr reBIon hy tho completion of tho r . railway. Aside from tho increase in copper mining, tho advance mado in the developing de-veloping of gold lodo mines is a most encouraging feature. The most notable not-able advances In lode mining were made in the Juneau, Valdez, Kenal Peninsula, Willow Creek and Fair-bank's Fair-bank's districts. Dredge mining nlso made great progress, notably In the Nome region. At tho close of 1911 there were 465 miles of railway In tho territory, compared com-pared with 371 miles In 1910. This mileage Is distributed among nine different railways, from five to 195 miles In length. The most urgent need If for a railway to connect an open port on tho Pacific with the Yukon basin. I have spoken of Alaskan resources in general terms as a reason for her recognition, Her mines of gold, silver, sil-ver, coal and copper, already known to be great, are considered by many practically Inexhaustible. Sho has the largest stamp mill lu tho world at Treadwell and bids fair to becorao the greatest gold-producing country on earth. Tho rapid development of tho gold and silver mining "Industry of Alaska during tho past four years Is shown by the fact that tho produc tlon has advanced from nbout $3,000,-00 $3,000,-00 in 1890 to about $17,000,000 in 1910. This will Increase rather than diminish. di-minish. At present the value of the precious metals Hos chiefly in tho gold placers of Nomd and the interior regions. In the Norao region some 5,000 square miles aro known to carry uurlferolis gravels' whllo In tho Yukon Yu-kon basin tho area of auriferous gravels grav-els Is probably several times as larso. Cut It Is not all placer mining. Gov. Clark says that quaitz mining is tho kind In which Alaska will Ibo preeminent preem-inent in tho near future and that oven now It Is affording tho finest illustration illus-tration that the world knows of prof-i itab)e working of low-grade ores. J) In tho coast region of southeastern Alaska mining tor gold, copper and I sliver has been going on for a num ber of years. Tho development of this Industry has been especially rapid since 1898, and It promises to become one of the most important mining die-trlcts die-trlcts of the country. Tho discovery of copper deposits in Alaska was made only a few years ago. Copper mining is now bolug done in several districts and many tons of copper oro are being shipped weokly from the territory. The Investigations of tho past two years have shown, however, that there are unquestionably vast undeveloped copper deposits in at least three districts of Aldska&J The! coal of Alaska embraces ilgnltei. bituminous bi-tuminous and anthracite! The! lignites lig-nites are the most widely distributed of the three and aro thefoneslbnt have been largely prospected. Cbal has been found in nearly every part of Alaska, both on the coast and In the Interior. The coal Is so widely distributed that It must be regarded as one of its most important resources? It is a conservative estlmatebjiilace, tho area occupied by the coal-Searing rocks at 30,000 square miles. Accurate Accur-ate statements can not be made as to the figures of the fish Industry for the year 1910, but It can bo sftl'd that It has been continually growing and Is still In Its Infancy. Mbrc thai 30 varieties of' food fish iuhablt thts Alaskan waters. The annual output of salmon nlono will amount to more than $15,000,000 at this tlmo. Alaska alouo can feed the fishentlug world.1 Considering tho viJst possibilities of Alaska and all of these statements can bo proved by records on file In the various departments of tho gov, ernment considering, I say, what Is absolutely known, 'and which can not be successfully controverted. 1 stand here as a representative of tho people on the floor of the American congress and ask why Alaskans should not have the right to govern themselves? them-selves? Why they should not, have home rule? Why they should not have a territorial government? I pause for n reply. No true American can deny Alaska homo rule. No patriotic American will object to the Alaskans having' a Heal legislature and the right to make their own local laws, tjnderk the terms of this territorial bill each one of these four divisions indicated on this map will have two representatives represent-atives In tho council elected, by j the people, nnd four representative in the assembly elected by tho people, and the cost of this local self-government will be so infinitesimal In comparison com-parison to the great wealth that Alaska Is pouring into the American, treasury that we shall ere long wonder won-der why Alaska was denied for so long local self-government. ( , Mr. Chairman, I have been to Alaska Alas-ka several times. 1 know something about that vast domain. I kdow something about the sentiments of tEe people who live there, and I stand hero und declare that the people of Alaska want territorial government; and knowing the facta bb I do, I unhesitatingly un-hesitatingly say, and I defy successful success-ful refutation, that under all the circumstances cir-cumstances Alaska Is 'now, and long has been, entitled to territorial government, gov-ernment, and congress ought to glvo It to the Alaskans without any moro delay. Alaska Is an anomaly In tho history of our territories. I know that the people of Alaska are, In every point of view, abundantly capable capa-ble of maintaining a local form of government, such as has always heretofore here-tofore been, accorded the territories of tho United States, and I deprecate tho idea of further burdening tho congress con-gress with purely local legislation, as It is the duty of tho delegate to press upon the attention of congress in the nbsence of territorial organization. In my opinion, such legislation can surely sure-ly be entrusted to the people of AlaBka themselves, and, In my Judgment, Judg-ment, this bill providing for tho samo should be passed, according to her peoplo tho measure of self-government to which they are Justly entitled entit-led and which has never heretofore, except In the case of Alaska, been withhold from any considerable body of American citizens engaged in the settlement of a new district. I believe that Alaska Is more en titled today to territorial government thnn seven-tenths of the other torrl-' torles that were organized. I am op-i posed, as n matter of right and of justice and" of principle, to faxing' the AlaBkan people, gathering the taxes by a federal tax collector, and, Instead of giving tho taxes to tho peoplo peo-plo of Alaska for their own local purposes, pur-poses, depositing tho money in tho federal treasury and trying to govern gov-ern Alaska from tbo war department or by tho congress, when nine-tenths of tho men In congress know absolutely abso-lutely nothing about the peoplo lu Alaska or the country cither. For years tho people in Alaska havo been asking for this boon. For years It has been wrongfully denied, them. At last it appears to me, If I am any Judgo of popular opinion, that the Alaskans 'are going to get territorial government by a practically practi-cally unanimous vote In this houso: and when this bill passes, as I hope It soon will, tho senate will pass' It and the president will sign It. Then half tbo Alaska problem will be solved and many of her troubles will be reduced to a minimum and Alaska wllHgrowj-and -prqepor-more In - tho. i n'm-rowycnrs'-thnn she has-Mn-n'll i the sad years, of the past. i ( "TJr.'iCnalrmanfflrlfftddltlon'-to' terri" i torlnl BovornraenC Alaska ncodfc tw 1 otheyyvcry ImrtanllJhlngsApnolft ' aJjoftfr llghthouseervlce j better navigation llgh'tsSfWeido notijdo 'n , thlTtegnrd nam farimuchjjpr our vnsL$twrltory'oy AiSikja as thl Can-adlanfiEovernment Can-adlanfiEovernment Jojb forBrltlsh , Columbia Kroln CapoVChacon; -Alai-Vafdown'tohe stated WaThTrlgton Is all Canadian territory, called British Brit-ish Columbia. That Is the Inside passage, going and coming. All the ships froniPugelBound' .that go to southeastern Alaska. and manypf the' Vessels that go to southwestern Alas ' ka take whTtIs'xalloahe,imVfdo passage, pas-sage, and that Is the grandest waterway water-way In scenic beauty, for recreation, foe health nnd pleasure on nil this earth. '"n ,Th6 Inside pnasageUhrough Norw ny to (hcj North Cape andtMhJnslde phs-1 sngehhrough the wfts oMageljajfT combined nro not as grant! nnd 'oh greatf nnd ns beautiful ns'lbe lnsldu passage from 1'ugat Sound1 to lAs head of the Lynn canal, n dlstanccuon water as calm as a mill pond for more than a thousand miles. I'eopie who have traveled 0,11 over tho woild, jh"d lrt$ve Ee'n;n:HJUiJn1w;ondeBrof na hire, hold (heir breath in silent admiration ad-miration when they sqc the woudors of the Inside passage of Alaska. As a panorama of changing scenesr of grandeur Jt Is the most glorious thing on the face of the earth. Thou sands nnd thousands of tourists make this Inside passage trip every summer. sum-mer. Yet our government Is derelict in thai It does not furnish for; AlaBka AlaB-ka proper lights and lighthouses to ... - i 0. !5j"cjruardrBaygaUon,.and, protect life trcWommercnlongVur own "Alaskan shores. Ecry year there nro two arJhreoj wrecks; cveryyear there are iTesJlpst, nnd all forlwanrtif navlga-tlonlfcguards. navlga-tlonlfcguards. f m V jWgire standing today Injtjlo sha JowJot the greatest marlneftmastciv n illjIhlBtory ThelJngedJsjppallsj us. We are speeches lnthV prcf-j encSJof this awful catastrophe. ,Aj thouMhd lles wcntSowiiyinto the! depths of the sea when the TltnW struck, with hardly a moment's warning. warn-ing. The horror of It all is Indescribable. Indescrib-able. The nations of the world mourn? V i CJhi nSWaryishlprthat mftkcslhls ttlp hfihe1, jrfsJdcjissKgo Alas- ka Ja loaded "with humnn freight, tourlsle,"" health " seekorsr pleasure seekers, our friends, our rclntlvcs and jur neighbors, and for lack of proper prop-er safegbardsVlB liable to strike n hidden rockilo ' run upon nn Iceberg or collide wit i a sister ship In the tog andgdaxkuess. It Is criminal for tho g"o?ernnio3t to neglect longer the Insttdjatlori og proper lights on thd Alnikfcn const! When tho Alaskan's'' get ofterritbrlal government, which is the flrst'great thing they wnn V shall stand here week In and week out until cougrcss gives the Alaskans1 proper lights and lighthouses along their coasts to protect ltfo nnd com' merce. and navigation Our c'dftisl line ort the- Atlantic on tho gulf, and on (ho Pacific Is u IP fl tf6 lets than 7,OOD miles. Out coa'st B In Alaska, from Cape Chacon nrodnd I B to Hcracbol Island In tho Arctldl fl occruvts over 29,000 miles. 'Yet for1) fl thousands of miles of that bleak and fl dangerous coast wo have not n light, Ifl not .n safeguard to modern nnvlga-j Jfl tlon. This Is a crying need, and I Ifl hopo tho committee on appioprlattomi! will heed thq Insistent demands of tbdj M 'lighthouse board and give Alaska bet-! ter lights along her coasts. 1 11 'Mr. Chairman, another important 111 thing tho pcoplo of Alaska need Isj better, transportation facilities, Howl flfl shall'Xtho peoplo travel In Alaskai H Vv4 I (B (To bo Continued.) ' |