, 1877-03-23
Military DespOtIsm in Alaska.


cisco Chronicle, of the 10th, makes
the following remarks, which will be
read with profound interest by our
friends at Fort Wrangel and Sitka.
The statements can be vouched for
by hundreds who have suffered from
this military despotism in Alaska as
well as by persons residing in this
town:
That "white elephant" we purchased
from Russia in the boreal region called
Alaska is giving good deal of trouble to
the United States Court in this State from
the underlined rights of civilians in that Ter
ritory. who come in conflict with assumed
military authority in that quarter. The
treaty Of cession guarantees to the Russian
inhabitants who remain, as, Of course, all
Americans who emigrate there, the broad
est Constitutional rights supposed to per-
tain to American Institutions; but, appa-
rentlv from a cause which knows no law,
the military there recognize but very few
rights of civilians that they are bound to
respect. Both at Sitka and Fort Wrangel
within the last couple ofyears the military
has filled the prisons with civilians and
kent them confined for months without any
forms of civil law, most Of whom were
di charged on examination. One OF these
civilian prisoners, named Waters, who
was imprisoned by Capt. James B. Camp
bell, Fourth Artillery, for many months
and subsequently discharged, has sued the
Captain for $25, 900 damages, which will
be called for trial in the U. S. District
Court, sitting in Portland on the 10th
inst. Captain Campbell is now at Fort
Point, near San Francisco, and is repre-
sented here by Judge Upton. The mill
tary up there take some quite strange and
extended responsibilities not known to our
supposed "bill of rights" Among other
commercial interferenees, Alaska mer-
chants are forbidden to import "HOstet-
ter's Bitters" or KennedY's Rheumatic
Remedy" two or three invoices of which
were returned to this city from there last
year with warming" As these med
icines are patented it seems singular that
their sale can be tabooed in a Territory of
the United States. Much OF the troubles
between the military and civilians there
arises from the fact that the authorities at
discretion of Gem o. o. Howard, COM
mander in this department, who, instead
Of attending to that branch of his official
duty, as did Gen. JEFF. c. Davis, his pred
eeessor, abandons the same to his Adju-
tant and absorbs himself in sonl-saying
themes-singing and preaching about the
streets Of Portland each Sunday. The
General was not a success at the head of
L.
at fault in governing Alaska.
It may well be asked, for what pur-
pose did the United States purchase
Alaska if it we're not with the idea of
ultimately establishing a colony
theres 1t is argued by those who
wish that vast region to remain a
desolate wilderness for the exclusive
use Of the Alaska Commercial Com
pany, that there is no specific law of
Congress inviting settlers to take up
and occupy wild lands, either by do
nation grants or by actual settlement.
But the views Of the correspondent
of the Chronicle, that the treaty of
cession guarantees to the Russian
inhabitants who remain, s,of course,
all Americans who emigrate there,
the broadest constitutional rights sup
posed to pertain to American insti-
tutions, "are sound and correct. What
are the soldiers kept in Alaska for, if
not, as asserted by Seward and other
statesmen, for the protection of set
tiers against the savages? If there
we're no settlers what need of the
presence oftroopsP The English have
for more than a hundred years kept
the tribes Of British Columbia under
control without the presence ofa sin
gle soldier, knowing full well that in
the event Of an outbreak among the
natives a single gun-boat can do
more effective service than an army
corps stationed in garrison without
the means of water transportation.
Washington Territory is as bad off
and in some respects worse than
Alaska. Here we have the anomaly
of a Government passing laws invit-
ing settlers to locate on our wild
lands, and then after an occupancy
of claims, in several instances by ac-
tual settlers for term of years, they
have been driven, at the point of the
bayonet, from the homes which tbev