The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-09-05
| INCREASINGLY
| Giving the Most
| For the Money

the south and crossing the coast range
of mountains the precipitation becomes
less and the cloudy days are less nu-
merous, and when the interior is
reached, one finds dry climate,
though occasional showers appear in
the summer, drizzling rains in the fall
and light frost like snow falls in the
winter usually to depth of about
two feet.
"Old residents of the Yukon country
tell fantastic stories of the antics of
spirit thermometers during the past
winters, but the winter of 1883 did not
send the temperature lower than go de-
grees below zero; at Juneau it rarely
goes below zero, while at Dyea, Skag-
uay and Sheep Camp 20 below zero is
the minimum.
The government of the Canadians of
the Yukon country and the boundary
dispute now being agitated are not very
well understood by the average citizen
of the United States, and the methods
employed by the Yukon officials will
probably always remain a mystery to
even many of the Americans who felt
the heavy hand of so-called Canadian
justice as it is administered in that
country. Some commendable things
can be said of the government of the
Yukon territory. The judiciary is I'M
questioned. LawlessnesS is suppressed
with unremitting vigor and person
with a bad record is shown the trail
and in no uncertain way is told to go,
and If he is wise he goes at once. The
| Northwest mounted police are under
paid and overworked, but are fine
body of men and among their officers
| can be found men of honor and integ-
rity. But among the civil officials
thievery has been the prevailing condi-
ton, and this, too. from the governor
down through the offices of gold COM
missioner, timber inspector, mining in
spector and recorder. Those officers are
appointees of the minister of the inte-
rior who is generally regarded as being
cognizant of the rascally methods of his
interiors and for purposes of his own
| conniving at their rascality, and when
! the truth is known, if it is ever learned
| by the public, it will be seen that, while
! the plundering of the petty officials of
the Yukon was great it is small in
/ comparison to the similar work done
| at Ottawa.
THE methods of government are
| primitive and the ancient modes OF
raising revenue by sale of monopolies
are followed. One man had monopoly
| of furnishing cordwood to the city of
Dawson until public clamor became too
| great even for Canadian officials. An
other was sold a monopoly of the fer
| riage across the Klondike river. and
even a free ferry within one and a half
| miles was summarily suppressed, while
! the holder of the monopoly exacted
such toll as he pleased and the trav-
eler could take his satisfaction in ours
ing the Canadians and their govern
ment. which they usually do. One man,
through official corruption, was given
the right to improve the winter trail
on Bonanza creek and charge l cent
per pound for all freight hauled oven
it, until the Allen Brothers, the Amer
lean editors of the Klondike Nugget
invoked the courts to suppress the toll
gatherer, which was done During tbs
summer of 1898 the open and notorious
official corruption, the heavy eXactiou:
on every hand and the remarkable
boldness of the clerks in the recorders
office worked the people almost to tht
point of revolt against the lawlessness
of the government.
1T would take volumes to properly
narrate even a portion of the unjus
and unlawful doings of the custom of
| ficers and gold commissioners offices
| Of the Yukon territory and the genera
conclusion of those who were in a pc
| sitIon TO observe their actions anC
| workings is that a person born and
| bred under American institutions is