Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-11-14
FACTS ABOUT ALASKA.
An Exhibition which Will DO
valuable work.

Valuable WOrk.
Alaska has been an American posses
sion for almost twenty years. Within
that time, with one rather noteworthy
exception. no effort has been made 10
develop the resources of the country,
and until the Times expedition was o's-
patched no very practical or systemauc
effort was made to find out what they
are. The exception was furnished by
an astute Bostonan who visited the re-
gion very early in its history as u pos'
session of the United States, ana wn9
ereupon constituted himself iur seal
company. This ingenious protno'ei VIC.
aided by great stroke OF lnck, ior IL
was shortly afterward that civilized wo,
man became fur-bearing amman anu
clothed herself with the skins OF scans
in preference to those when she hau
previously acquired at extraVagaht
prices. The Dostonian and his associates
and Successors have had an extremely
good thing of it during the twenty years
or thereabouts since seal became the
fashionable fur. having had monopoly
of the trade of Alaska in the only one
of its products that has thus far become
practically available. They have the
aid of revenue cutters in maintaining
their monopoly, which is neither to be
blamed nor wondered at, assuming that
the monopoly itself is justiiable, since
in addition to their own enormous profits
thew are able to turn into the Treasury
something like 4 per cent annually upon
the cost of Alaska to the United States.
Already Mr.. Stewards purchase of
Alaska is vindicated as matter of busi
ness. That statesman himself declared
that it would take the p ople of the
United States generation to find out
what benefaction he had bestowed
upon them in the purchase. Two.thirds
of generation have elapsed, and it is
already evident that if the seal fishery
were thrown open to the public under
proper safeguards as to the payment OF
a tax upon the captured seals, the gov
ernment would receive handsome in-
come from its investment.
Sealing. however. is somewhat preca-
rious as source of revenue. A sudden
freak of fashion, which has been con-
slant to sesls for sipgularly long pc
riod, would diminish the profits OF the
seal ring to such an extent as would
make it's managers Indifferent to any
poaching that might be practiced upon
their preserves. The description pub
lished in the Times makes it evident
that after this precarious source OF reve-
nue. is exhausted, other and more trust
worthy sources will remain. The de-
structiou of our own forests is going on
at SO rapid a rate that before long the
amount of the 'visble supply" an Alas
ka will be question of great moment.
The persons who have thus tar been
able to secure the offering of a bounty
upon the destruction of our forests by
discouraging the importation of Cana
dian timber through protective duties,
will be unable to secure the enactment
of like service to secure the enactment
OF like device to keep Alaskan timber
out of competition with their own.
When the domestic supply becomes
manfestly insufficient for cur needs, the
spruce and cedar of Alaska will be of
great national value. 1t seems as if
that time had so nearly arrived as to
make it worth the while of enterprisipg
lumbermen to determine precisely the
extent and character Of the Alaskan for
ests and their accessibility from the har.
ibors of the coast. 1t may very possibly
be that Alaskan timber can even now be
laid down at the ports of the Pacific
coast in competition with the timber OF
Oregon and California themselves. Ii
the time has not yet arrived it is surely
not far distant.
The mineral treasures of Alaska will
form another addition to the wealth of
the nation the Importance of which can
not as yet be even vaguely conjectured.
There is no doubt that gold exists, and
very little that at some time it will be
profitably worked. The coal deposits
are extensive and valuable and of a more
immediate importance. The climate of
the southern part of Alaska does not
prohibit white men from working the
year round, and the Pacific coast, at
least, may yet find in Alaska its chief
source of fuel supply.
These considerations furnish a COM
plete answer to the suggestion that such
explorations as the Times has sent out
under the command of Lieutenant
Schwatka are of no practical utility. ;"
This might as well have been said of the
voyage of Columbus. 1t is not until re-
.gions as remote as Alaska have been
brought to the notice of the public by
explorers whose motive is an adventur-
ous disposition or scientific curiosity
that the commercial prospector is stimu'
lated to see what can be done towards
developing the resources which are thus
made known. The reports made to the
government can scarcely be said to be
brought to the knowledge of the people.
When a public newspaper undertakes
the work of exploration the results are
sure of being made known to those who
are likely to feel commercial interest
in them. In this sense the expedition
of Lieutenant Schwatka may be said to
have done more to realize the expecta.
tions which Mr.. Seward founded upon
his purchase of Alaska than any other
event that has happened since the pur-
chase itself.-[N. Y. Times.