Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1897-01-15
TROUBLE In ALASKA.
RUSSIANS COMPLAIN OF FABUSEs CON-
MITTED BY AMERICANS.

They Are Reported to Have Driven Greek
Christians From Church to Work.
Washington Administration Advised to
Look Into the Control of the Territory.
NEW York, Jan. 1s-The Herald's Par
Is correspondent cables the following:
1.-THE st. Petersburg correspondent of the
European edition of The Herald writes
that serious complaints against the exist
Ing state of affairs In Alaska are brought
by the svet.
at is alleged that the handful of Rus
tlans remaining in the territory suffer un-
der all sorts of vexatious and even oppress-
I've acts on the part of American traders
who "run" Alaska
"It is claimed that a number of the COM
pany's agents entered a Greek orthodox
church during service with firearms In
their hands TO drive the congregation out
to work, and that the Russian teacher,
having refused TO give his lessons in Eng
lish, Americans threatened to burn down
his school.
"Great condemnation is brought against
the government at Washington for leaving
the administration of Alaska too much in
the hands of trading company, which, it
Is claimed, finds its interests in debauch-
ing the natives.
"These allegations no doubt deserve the
careful attention of the United States ex-
ecutive, and 1t would be we'll if the agents
Of the government exercised better control
over the territory.
"But from isolated cases Of abuse of pow
er by irresponsible traders or citizens to a
sweeping statement claiming that the Rus
cd va1 kInav 4c.ta H.. IL ,Ir
are oppressed Is a long cry.
Discussed In Washington.
Commenting ON the foregoing cable
gram, The Herald's Washington corre-
spondent says:
No official information has been received
In Washington in regard TO the reported
outrages perpetrated on Russian residents
of the territory Of Alaska by the North
American Commercial company. The state
and treasury departments have heard moth
ing from their representatives in Alaska
and Russia on the subject, and the Rus
sian minister told me that he was also en-
tirely in the dark
A high official of the state department
explained to me that 1t was possible that
the information might have reached St.
Petersburg and been telegraphed from
there to Paris some days In advance Of the
transmission of official information TO
Washington.
Fishing vessels plying between Alaskan
ports and Vladivostock might have car
ried the news of the outragss to the latter
place, and from there it is possible 1t was
wired to st. Petersburg. The Russian min
lister said that If the statements contained
In the telegram were true he win probably
to lay the matter before the state depart
ment and ask the latter for proper redress
The statement in the report cabled by
the st. Petersburg correspondent, that
agents Of the company invaded Russian
school and chapel, may have some basis.
State department officials believe in the re-
ligious troubles existing in Alaska. There
are three classes Of schools in Alaska-the
first, the territorial schools, under the di-
rect supervision Of the government; the
second, the orthodox Russian schools, gov
erned by Archbishop Nicholas Of the Rus
sian Greek church, who Is a close personal
friend Of Emperor Nicholas, and which the
United States is obligated by treaty pro
visions to protect, and, third, the unortho-
dox native Russian schools. The Russian
government last August protested to the
state department at the action of unortho-
dox Russian school authorities In seeking
the withdrawal of pupils from the ortho-
dox schools. The state department turned
the matter over TO the treasury depart
ment, with Instructions TO investigate the
matter, and its report, so far as can be
learned, has not yet been received at the
department
In view Of the trouble existing last sum-
mer, the state department. authorities ars
inclined to believe that the outbreaks just
reported are the result Of the religious dis
turbanees existing between the orthodox
and unorthOdox native Russian churches.
They do not see what connection the agents
Of the commercial company could have
had In the matter. The company rights
are all confined TO the seal islands, and SO
far as can be learned they have no authori,
ty on the mainland. The suggestion Ii
also made that the agents may have visited
the mainland and perpetrated the outrages
reported, but this can only be settled by
an investigation, which win be made by
the treasury department when the report
Of the occurrence is made 10 the state de
partment, either through the Russian
minister, the reports Of the state depart
ment or the agents Of the treasury depart
ment In Alaska