Connecticut western news., 1897-01-14
TROUBLE IN ALASKA.
They Are Reported to Have Driven Greek Christians From Church to Work. Washington Administration Advised to Look Into the Control of the Territory.

Washington Administration AdNised 70
 Look Into the Control of the Territory.
 NEW YORK, Jan 1s-The Herald's Par
 B correspondent cables the following:
 ''The St Petersburg correspondent of tho
 European edition of The Herald writes
 that serious complaints against the exist Ing state of affairs in Alaska are brought
 by the syet
 Ut is alleged that the handful of Rus slams 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 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 bis 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, 1t
 s claimed, finds its interests in debauch- ng the natives.
 "These allegations no doubt deserve the areful attention of the United States ex- cutive, and it would be we'll if the agents fl the government exercised better control Jver the territory.
 "But from isolated cases of abuse of pow 1T by irresponsible traders or citizens to a
 sweeping statement claiming that the Rus sians and their coreligionists in Alaska l are oppressed is long cry" Discussed In Washington. Commenting on the foregoing cable gram, The Herald's Washington core | 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 noth- | 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 l 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 outrages to the latter | place. and from there it Is possible it was wired to St. Petersburg. The Russian min | ister said that If the statements contained | in the telegram were true he will probably | receive instructions today or be telegraphed | to lay the matter before the state depart
 men. and ask the latter for proper redress The statement in the report cabled by | the St. Petersburg correspondent, that
 agents of the company invaded a Russian l 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 | lettTutuf HIS HOL Nct Dtcu db 1hS | department.
 In view of the trouble existing last sum-
 mer the state department authorities arc | inclined to believe that the outbreaks just | reported are the result of the religious dis | turbances 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's 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 is
 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 will be made by
 the treasury department when the report I of the occurrence is made to 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