The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-12-25
THE LESSON OF ALASKA.
New York World.


The favorite analogy Of the imperislists
to justify the annexation of the Philip
plnes is found In Alaska. Here is a Ter
ritory, they say. which was acquired by
purchase, which Is not contiguous nor akin
IN population nor capable of self-goyern-
ment, and which we have owned for more
than thirty years without granting 1t n
Territorial form Of government
This Is all true, though 1T deserves to
De remembered that. il not contiguous
Alaska Is a part OF the continent Il was
bought, furthermore. mainly as a CONNER
cial venture. with no thought OF colonlzing
lt-whSda climatic conditions forb.d-uor
amy prstense of educating ats degraded ma
lives to become "sharers of our heritage"
which was equally impossible.
Though the Territory was bought In 1867
1t was not until 1854 that congress provided
any civil government. Alaska was then
made civil and judicial district, and the
president was authorized to appoint a gov
ernor. district court and four comin.s
sioners who exercise the powers OF JUS
tees OF the peace according TO the laws of
Oregon complete the government. The peo-
pie have no voice In 1t. dn the absence of
all legislative authority, the laws CT Ore
gon, in so far as they are applicable and
uOl III COuIllCt WITH lue laws Oh Tue
United States. are extended over the dis
trict.
Yet now, after thirty years of possession,
the experiment does not In Its results az
ford any comfort TO cur globe embracing
expsnsionis ts.
When Alaska was annene1 It had pop
ulation OF about $4,000. OF these 10000
were Of the native Indian tribes. $4,000 were
EsQiEnaux and Aleuts, descendants Of the
Monaghan races OF Asia. There were about
1000 Russian halt-breeds and a few Ameri-
can traders and miners. The census OF 1890
gave the population at 10000, loss OF
2GG0 in twenty three years.
President Jordan OF Stanford university.
VINO visited the country In 1887 as gov
eminent commissioner. says that the ma
tives have become so reduced that "starva-
ton is inevitable along the whole line OF
the southwestern coast From Prince
Williams Sound to Attn. distance OF 1900
miles, there is not village save two where
the people have any sure means OF support.
Between crctic cold and San Francisco
greed" says President JoHaan, these peo-
pie 1165 in number. have no outlook save
determination.
Tho Industries OF the Territory. with the
exception of mining. have Jared no better
than the people. The valuable sea offers,
which formerly yielded 100000 year in
skins sffording food to the natives, are
practically exterminated. So are the sea
Hons and the fur seals and the salmon
are going the same way Under the pres
ent conditions" says President Jordan IN
an article in the Atlantic Monthly. when
the sea offers are destroyed. the fur-seai
herd eXtermlnatea. the native tribes
starved to death, the salmon rivers depop-
ulated. the timber cut and the placer gold
fields worked out, Alaska is to be thrown
away lllsa a sucked orange. There Is no
either POSSIBLE end IL we continue as we
have begun, We are not in Alaska for our
health. and when we can no longer ex-
blot It we may as we'll abandon 1t.
Ind viduals have got rich out OF Alaska,
and monopoies have waNed
fat there. but the government has not yet
got back the $1,000 900 which II paid Rus
sia for this vast domain OF $4,000 SQUARE
miles. nm area nearly one-fifth as large as
the rest of tho United States and 3 coast
line as long as all the rest. Outside the
gcrl fields the permanent white population
is practically confined to the coast, ana
only in two small villages, Juneau ana sly
ka can homes in the American sehse pe
said 10 exist" The entire interests OF tne
Territory, outside OF mining, are mainly IN
the hands OF four great monopolies-the
Alaska Commercial company, the North
American Commercial company, the Alaska
paokers' Association and the Pacific steam
er Whaling company.
And yet the last National platform OF the
republican party declared that I'VE believe
the citizens OF Alaska should have repre-
sentatlon In the congress OF the United
states!" Is this a precedent for the Phil
tppines? Is this record of neglect: incom-
pehtlnce. cruelty greed. corruption ana
III l,,re.with the added menace cf a war
Win England which for years existed-an
Incentive to a world wide venture In ini-
DerIalism?