, 1886-02-04

TT, OF State, negotiated the purchase
3D.. Alaska r.. Russia, his Judgment
was attacked ' many who insisted
that t.n money had been thrown
away. Subsequent developments,
h.w,y.~. have abunlantIy v;ndicated
.Lc wi,&om o5 the move. Even pto
. few years ago, when Major Wm.
Govr-ayur Norris, a= Special Agent
o. tie Treasury Department, took
such uuu-u;L interest in compiling
md laviug before Congress in his re.
ports such statistics and information
as were calculated to demonstrate the
v.Iuc of Alaska and Eer great need Of
civil government. 1t was still insisted
Iy newspapers ignorant Of the facts
1Lat The new Territory was fit only
.or cultivatjng icc-bcrgs and polar
bears. The AEGUs has always done
what it could to inform the world
correctly about oGc great uEdeyeloped
northern neigbbor with its unlimited
resources Of natural wealth IN the
shape of fish, fur, timber, minerals,
&c. When Ike Dennis was Deputy
Collector at Sitka We used to publish
regular coTrrspondence from HIM,
devoted largely to descriptions of the
country and appeals for civil govern
ment. We now note with gratifica-
cation that under the selnblance Of
civil government attempted to be ex-
tended over the Seward purchase the
present Governor Is wide awake,
able newspaper man who is appar-
entity devOtinS no small share of his
time 20 writing up the country and
publishing his observations through
his new paper at Sitka. Speaking Of
the anomalous and notoriously lame
and imperfect form OF government
under which Alaska is vainly strug-
Cling, he says:
We ire only Il poor, lone, lorn
orphan, with no brothers or sisters
who viii acknowledge us at all, be-
cause We are SO entirely unlike any
OF the rest OF the family that was
ever seen before, in the heaven above,
or the earth beneath. or the waters
under the earth? Why cid Daddy
Declaration himself would not re
coguize as a his child, and in fact
We have been so stuntcd by cruelty
and neglect and want of the whole
some air Of civil government, that
even aiothcr Liberty don't know hel
own offspring, and when we come
around and dare to hint about Qua
being entitled to the same fare the
other boys and girls have, she waves
Us off with sc0Wl5 and an Indigestiblt
icold crust.
The following are few specimen:
eulled from the AlaSkGn Of recent
, date:
, Since 1870 the Territory of Alaska
- has paid into the treasury of The
United States over $4,500,010 ne
= revenue from the rental OF the sea
fur franchise alone, and is still pay
ing an annual revenue Of over $500,
900 therefrom.
Until 1854 no cent OF this income
was ever devoted to maintaining any
form of civil law whatovnr over the
| territory, ana ~ people were in I
= condition of utter anarchy.
In that year the imperfect ''civi
government" above described wa.
2 provided which Is run an annual out
5 lay OF $4,000, exclusive OF contin-
r gent expenses.
: This code coEtain5 no provision
for acquiring lands and no legisla
3 ture whereby licenses on trades o.
/ royalties on valuable furs might b.
, provided and our revenue greatly in
= creased,
The necessity to the people ant
= officials of Alaska of some one a
, Washington charged with their IL
: terests and those of the territory a
/ large, in other words OF representa-
] tiOB there by Il delegate INSTRUCTED
1 as to their needs, and possessing tn
authority to prosecute them in tn
D several departments, is want tha
q is daily felt. Frequently the vari
/ Gus officials here have matters o
= great importance to the business ant
t private interests OF the country. t.
g submit to their several department
e for instructions and directions hoy
D to proceed. In fact The very lame
ness OF cur civil code and the anon
T ally Of our whole condition makes thi
? necessity Of reference much NOR
b common than in the other territor
e les. Then, under Cur present system
/ Of mails, even If such requests ar
1 attended to with the utmost possibl
D promptness, two months must elaps
r. after the forwarding of a reques;
e before the answer can be obtained.
OCEAN PRODUCTS.
, The whaling feet in Alaskan
+ 1ater5 last year numbered forty sail
t vessels and eight steamers with ;
e total tonnage OF 1882 tons. On,
= hundred and twenty-six whales haC
D been taken at latest accounts. Ii
= the fishing business in the north Pa
I ciic last summer fourteen trips wer,
made from San Francisco by twelv,
vessels, aggragating $500 tons. Th,
/ iish taken in Alaskan waters number
S I'd $4,000. The value of the catcl
! was about $I50.000 This industry
has been successfully prosecuted
7 since 1854.
CLIMATE AND GENERAL RESOURCES.
The winter climate Of southeastern
Alaska Is about ti.at of Oregon; the
, summers are delightful, except thai
sometimes there * too n1ch rainfall
Nothing yet has been done in cattle
raising rs business The land laws
have not yet been extended to Alaska
and all agricultural development is
necessarily retarded for want of the
means Of acquiring title to lands.
Juneau Is the chief mining town, il
being adjacent to the rich placer
: urnnnI of SiIvnr Row RnSin nnl IL.