The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-08-15

alaska As An INVESTMENT.
Given More Than Its Purchase Price
I'm NhaicbOnc Alone.

rom the chicago Timcs-Herald.
Pretty nearly everybody knows what
Alaska cost us. William II. Seward sign
ed the treaty of annexation March So 1867
1t was ratified on the Goth of June of that
year and the territory was turned over
to a force OF United States soldiers on
oct. 9 at Sitka. The town was then call
ed New Archangel The price paid was
1209OGJ The 100000 was for - land.
il is not often that one hears what the
$A0OOO was fCs. That sum went TO Rus
sian trading companies who had received
concessions from their government TO
them 1t was 50 much money picked up In
tho middle of the road since 1t did NOT
cost them anything, but they were much
out OF pocket. all the same. Because Of
this there is grumbling about the Alaskan
sale in Russia to this day. Often some
fellow, whose father was fur trader, will
get fun Of vOdlIi and denounce the "crime
of g. OF course, they have not heard
of the Crime of 10" While the price paid
for Alaska Is generally known, few poo
pie are aware of the tremendous returns
from the land Of snow and seals II has
paid for itself many times over and its
career as a revenue producer is in its in
fancy. The fact is that Alaska has given
back more than its purchase price in
whalebOne alone. The returns from this
article were 100000 in 1880 They are
now something Ike 8JVJlsUUU
Alaska has paid us TO date SOB 100000.
This enormous sum has been derived from
furs, herring, salmon, cod, ivory, whale
bone and gold. At the time of the last CEN
sus the United States had taken out &c.,
00000D Since then we have been enriched
by 100000. OF this 20000,000 has been
gold and the remainder from other pro-
ducts. These are giant figures but they
are the exact truth. The first actual set
Element Of that wonderful country will be-
gin next spring The sum total of what II
viii add to the worlds wealth in the com
ing years passes conjecture. 1t will be a
pile of money. mountainous and sublime.
1t is a singular fact that the existence
or gold in quantities along the tributaries
Of the Yukon was known 70 a few men a
century and a half ago. The truth has
been held back by the fur trading compan-
les. They were not after minerals and they
feared the ruin of their industry, which
was I'm itself a gold mine. Trappers, eX-
plorers and men who lived with the In
dams were forbidden to tell what they
knew on pain Of death. The Russia Fur
Company did summarily shoot one man
who grew excited with drink and blabbed.
That death is still remembered in Alaska.
having been passed from mouth to mouth.
as Is the manner Of unlettcred peoples.
Other fur companies have done nothing to
develop the country and have kept their
lips sealed They foresaw the effect OF
torrent of immigration. Such things cam
not be hidden. however. The secret is out
at last.
The revealment IS due primarily and al
most wholly to a company that has It's
headquarters in Chicago. The Northwest
ern Transportation and Trading Company
has done more 20 open Alaska to the
world than all other corporations combin-
cd. It has established trading posts along
the Yukon and thus made possible the
penetration Of the dread interior. From
this has come the discovery Of masses OF
gold and the resultant IIlondike rush. It
has been always the policy of this COM
pany TO take in as many men as possible.
The more men, Of course the more trade.
The policy Of the Alaska Commercial
Company the great sealing corporation,
has been directly converse. IL has dis
couraged immigration. An lily concealed
threat has lurScd behind its utterances.
Ii has had a tremendous pull" I'm Wash
ington. Such has been the strength OF
this "pull" that IL has not only restrained
legislation, IL has made laws. For n long
time % had no rival. Indeed. IN It's own
peculiar field OF endeavor it may be said
70 have done now. The four priblyom
Islands-St. Paul. ST. George Walrus and
Boaver-alone have produced something
more than SlO0lOQ00 I'm seal skins.
IL is prevalent idea that the Alaskan
territory produces only gold and things
or tho sea. hut TINS lS wrong. Even la
Nlondike. which Is far removed from tho
Modifying influences OF the Japanese cur
rent. hardy vegetables grow Ga profusiou.
although caulinowor ana asparagus Will
not rlpou. Hay is as high as a mans
head. when the country comes 10 ho bet
ter known lt viii bo found capable OF mak-
inr many things Tor humanity now un-
thought o. Although. FOR some undis-
coVorlhle reason reports have gone
abroad that thcre is mo- game the fact
remains that there g. plenty OF Il. Moose.
elk and c1rihoo, or tho American rrln-
deer. abound Every river ls stocked with
ash SO man should starvo who has "A
hook and q iiint-iock musket. when we
were school children we used 20 read Of
| thD musk oxen Of Alaska but mono Ill
thcu Tho musk OK is not found in Amer
| Sea anywhere west OF thc great continon.
| tHI divide. or Rocky mountains
The successful miner Is or temperate
/ habits. DEE has got 60 De- no man cam
stand wh ty nt hIrh ATTITUDES. Conpo Ii
tlJ bad. Tea Dr. nearly la Injurious. Tha
dfluk for th0 arctic circle lH cold watrr.
cold water. chen moro cold watrr Tni.sa
o. man wants t0 afr.ke tho ki0ndlko atone
hfaitr h0 should haYn 5000 lu hla poeErt
WU0U ho decides f0 buy hiH ticket It ,.lff
ra.f l.m hfn to Transport hlmrff and HIr
NEi from chicago tn fhHt REGION ffa
mH.f board nIm.aif on fHn hu.f ur t4v
dollar moab 900 0ulnf faf ID rrrr
HH COO another fNl.nHH ns onrbt al
4 Aalq cnoaal ~ So back W.