The daily morning Alaskan., 1899-05-04

A &A14 tries, developing the mineral and agrleul' tural resources Of the country and building homes for themselves and families, feel that they have 2 claim upon your most earnest consideration Of this vital question to the end that they and all future genera tions may be forever secure in what they believe to be their inalienabIe rights.
 Nothing can impress so thoroughly the rights of our people and the vitality of their contentious over the boundary line, save d personal inspection of the territory in dispute and the people who make up the American communities of Alaska. These, gentlemen. we invite you to visit, assuring YOU of a hearty welcome and every eonSid' rration due to so distinguished body. :
 Hoping to hear from you tayoraly' we remain. very truly yours,
 l.. $. KELLER,
 President
 F. c. KAUFMAA,
 SScretary." The committee on membership presented the name Of c. w. De Sueta for election. Referred to board of trustees for endorse ment.
 The committee on the new license law was granted another week in which to make its report
 Bills amounting to Ss4 65, toT printing, sal, rent and furniture. were ordered paid, The adoption of the report of the com mittee on postofice was recons'dered and the immaterial and objectionable allusion Co the Canadian Bank of Commerce charg- ing ? per cent on drafts eliminated. This blunJ.r in the original draft of the letter to be sent Co the Seattle Chamber of Com mer,e was unintentiOnallv passed unno- titel. md it was deemed an act of simple justice Co worthy business firm to make a public correction of it The report as cor retteI was again adopted and the secretary ordered to mail the documents to their sev' erll destinations by first boat
 JUDGE E D. STAMFORD.
 President Keller introduced Judge E. D. ! SuliforI, special agent of the U. S lant offi.e, iu a few pleasant words and asked him to explain his mission n Skagway. l J.Igr Stratford, after complimentng tht ] Chamber of Commerce and the genera buSting business activity, gave an lntelli gen, outline Of his mission in Alaska. II, supposed everybody knew that this was i all government land, subject to condemna tion for public purposes. and that citizen, must eventually get their title from th, government for the lots they heI taken for business or res . ilence purposes. When the time came tC enter the toWnsite it would De the duty o some body of the citizens, say the Chm Der of Commerce, Co make application (, Che survevor-general for permission to en te. the towus.te, the maximum being 6lc a,reS. much iepeniing on the population The surveyor general would then have ar ! exterior survey made, after which the law provides that one or more officers shall pro- ceeI Co reserve certain lands from settle men. for public buildings. When Uncle sam acquired title from Russia he assumed the right to protect original claimants here. lt was the duty et our government to Se' ap,r, mission gIoJnlS, in addition to malt- ing reservations for schools, military posts and public buildings. The missionary and military questions were eliminated from Skagwly, notwithstanding that the gov enment must first be satisfied that there were no such claimants here. So that all Mr. Strltfori would have to do would be Co make reservations for publi, tnool and bcillng purposes. This actior should follow the application of the citi lenS for entering the townste, but Us Inc was in Alaska, Mr. Herman. who was wei acquainted with Sklgwlv and itS condi tionS, had inStru,ted hlm tO make thsS' selections. At the special request of th' Bureau Of Education he was aSke to Selec a site for a public school in Skagway, a. the Bureau contemplated erecting a build in the near future.
 In this part of Alaska, Mr, StratfoTt said he hld two months W ork, also two months in Cooks Inlet. He deemed it best to 70 to Cooks Inlet now and finish his la' bors there and then return to Skagway and do the same here. His instructions were to select a block of ground for public school "Blockn did not necessarily mean block as surveyed here, but a par eel of ground of any dimension. lt might be a quarter or a whole acre. lt was also deemed advisable to make these selec- tions at the present time before the land became too valuable. At HaineS, Dyes and such places he could get all the land he wanted and where he wanted it, but here he saw more difficulties in the way, and hence he deemed it necessary for the sake of harmony to secure the cooperation of the Chamber of Commerce as he did not think he could arrange it alone. He sug- gested that the Chamber should aid him, and during the time he was away in the next two months select sites for a public school and public buildings.
 While this was all public land and he