Show THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALASKA An ea eastern tern paper Indulges In a pro pre prediction diction of n tule and review lag Ing Its history sa says s sAlaska Alaska was bought from Russia In 1867 for reasons of International poll poli politics tics rather than in the expectation of Immediate commercial benefit like 1110 Jeffersons Louisiana purchase two thirds of a century earlier In ISH people were still stUl branding it worthless In almost the same terms applied In ISH by and others to barren Oregon Each new northwest In MichIgan Minnesota Or Oregon egon suffered such de dc I Alaska cost about Gen I erni Greehy writing In the Magazine computes that since the purchase Its exports alone have hae to totaled totaled Its It furs were oo O Oper per can cent t of all Its products up to 1880 I Since 1 1900 00 its fisheries have hae been seven minerals three times lines I as important as fur or Of gold amy Illar still sill await the lie minors miners or of I Iman man ninny other metals found foun there no iio ono knows knos much The Tho greatest source or of future futuro value remains undeveloped Alaska is as large as Germany France FIance Japan Tapan Hol Holland Holland land and Almost an anything that lint will grow in New York will vIll grow In Alaska and the commoner northern staple crops thrive at all the lie six cultural experiment stations and at private farms far beyond the Arctic circle Special Agent Georgeson speaks well or of the grazing glazing Alaska should prove proe as fertile ns as Finland 1 and can support In iii lie same ratio a of If Prof Crookes and anel other othor pessimists are re right In predict predictIng lug Ing a worldwide wheat wheal famine the lie I territory will become a vast granarY a possession of untold value alue The rhe greatest in Alaska will wiH como come with the opening of the cop coppel copper per pel mines ninos along the tho Copper Two big companies are liro today building rail railroads roads Into that empire of untold wealth anti and cities ns as large as Butte Bulle Mont will spring Up In iii I hat new dis district of discoveries and from these cities wIll radiate commercial and azul Industrial lives until southern be upon as quite as Inhabitable as the most northern of oC lie tho Scandinavian settle settlements ments |