Washington sentinel., 1898-12-24
Decline Of Alaska.

When Alaska was annexed II
had a population Of about $4,000
| OF these IL 900 were Of the native
Indian tribes, 5000 were ksqui-
maux and Aleuts, descendants OF
| the Mongolian races OF ASIA
There were about 2,ooo Russian
half.breeds and a few American
traders and miners. The census
of1S9o gave the population at 3o'-
600, a loss Of 900 in twenty-three
years.
President Jordan Of Stanford
University, who visited the country
in 1907 as a Government com
missioner, says that the natives
have become so reduced that
starvation is inevitable along the
whole line OF the southwestern
coast" From Prince Williams
Sound to Attu, a distance OF 1900
miles, there is not a village save
two where the people have any
sure means Of support. s. Between
arctic cold and San Francisco
greed" says President Jordan,
these people, r,I65 in number
have no outlook save eXtermina-
ton"
The industries OF the Territory,
with the exception Of mining, have
Jared no better than the people.
The valuable sea offers, which for
merly yielded $500, 900 a year IN
skins besides affordlng food to the
natives, are practically extermi-
mated. So are the sea lions, and
the fur seals and the salmon are
going the same way. "Under the
present conditions" says President
Jordan in an rticle in the Atlantic
M0atALy, when the sea Otters are
destroyed, the fur seal herd eXter-
minated, the native tribes starved
to death, the salmon rivers depop-
ulated, the timber cut and the
placer gold fields worked out,
Alaska is 70 be thrown away like
sucked orange. There is no
other possible end if we continue
as we have begun. We are not in
Alaska tor our health and when
we can no longer exploit it we
may as we'll abandon it.
individuals have got rich out Of
Alaska, corporations and monop.
olies have waxed fat there, but the
Government has not yet got back
the $1,000, 600 which it paid Rus
sia for this vast domain Of $1,000
square miles, an area nearly one
fifth as large as the rest OF the
United States and a coast line as
long as all the rest. Outside the
gold fields the permanent white
population is practically confined
to the coast, and only in two small
villages, Juneau and Sitka, can
homes in the American sense be
sald to exist The entire inter-
ests OF the Territory. outside OF
mining, are mainly in the hands Of
four great monopolies-the Alaska
Commercial Company, the North
American Commercial Company,
the Alaska Packers Association
and the Pacific Steamer Whaling
Company.
Though the Territory was
bought in 1867 it was not until |
1884 that Congress provided any
civil government. Alaska was
then made a civil and judicial dis
trict, and the President was author
ICED to appoint a Governor, A
district court and four commits
sioners who exercise the powers
OF justices Of the peace, according
to the laws Of Oregon, complete |
the government. The people have |
no voice in it. In the absence Of |
all legislative authority. the laws |
of Oregon, in so far as they are
applicable and not in conflict with |
the laws of the United States, are
extended over the district.
Is this record ofneglect, incom-
potency, cruelty, greed, corruption
and failure-wth the added men
ace OF a war with England which |
for years existed-an incentive to
a world wide v!nture IN imperial.
ism2
Phrases and Faots.