Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1897-1902, 1899-04-28

Tue lanu Oh ROlu. l. De IelIcT Was indlleu
at Dawson March II and reached Plym-
outh April 2lst, which evidences i'm
proved mail facilities. He says:
The Richardson outfit that has the
government contract for carrying the
mail have arrived here at last with the
first consignment of government mail
that has reached here from the outside
this winter, with the exception of few
hundred pounds that reached here some
time ago. There were several tons of it
and they will be some time yet distrib-
uting it. 1t will soon be summer now
and when the boats commence running
onr mail will be more regular.
Well, | am well and hearty. You
would not know me l am so fat.
don't know what | weigh, but it seems
that the extreme cold has a tendency to
make one get fieshy. The cold weather
is about all over now. The sun is get
ting high. 1t has thawed little the
last few days. 1t is warm enough that
We are getting the spring fever, and are
losing our appetite for work.
We are still working at the old stand.
There are nine men altogether working
on the mine now.
They have passed an alien law in
British Columbia and that knocks us
Americans out. Anyway | would not
leave here for another part unless | was
not doing anything here. My policy is
to let good emo agh alone. There is only
one Klondyke in the world. 1t excells
all other placer digglngs now In exist
ence, not in size, but In richness. l be-
lieve there are many good claims yet
to be staktd here and will be for some
time to come. All there is against the
country is that there are ten times too
many people here. and the government
is rotten. AS to the people they are
leaving in dfoves out over the ice every
day, and when the boats commence run
ming L think the population will be
thinned down to normal condition.
AS to the government we can only hope
for change. Mind | do not advise any
little on the inside track do not see
the advantage of stampeding to an
other section.
l have half claim on Quartz creek,
q tributary to the Indian river, and a
half interest in one on Last Chance
creek. Of course they are all undevel-
Oped and nothing is known of them as
yet, although there is some good pay
located on both of the creeks.
We have been working 80 steady this
winter that we have not had time to
prospect. In fact one working does not
hear of anything until it is too late.
But then again 81 an hour is dong
pretty good, and think 1t best to work
when L can and prospect when can't
get work hear some talk that there
will be general cut in wages through
out the camp at the beginning of the
cleanup. l think if they try to cut our
wages we will quit and 60 prospecting.
We are only working eight hours q
day yet.
We got a letter from Sam Barrett
He has reached his home in England
all safe. He congratulated me on my
good home and kind mother and father
L was so agreeably surprised at re-
ceiving that letter from Arthur White.
L have not heard word from him
since his folks left Indiana. am glad
to hear that he is fighting for Uncle
Sam, although l am not in sympathy
with the present American operations
in the Philippines as regards the insur
gents. may be wrong, or it may not
be in my place to express an opinion,
being, as l am, in a foreign country at
the time But l will only speak of
few reasons which have caused me to
think as l do. You have, of course,
long before this read in the papers the
subject discussed pro and con how the
FilipinOs are fighting and have been
fighting for q number of years for the
same cause that our forefathers fought
during the revolution, etc. But l see
another reason. Of course, my exper-
fence is limited, but Of what / have
seen of colonial government, both in
this country and Alaska, makes me
think that the Filiplnos would be far
better off if they were allowed to gov
ern them selves than if held subject to
America or any other country. In q
colony the officers do not try to serve
the people governed, but only to fill
their pockets ard the pockets of their
political constituents. l have talked
with men here from nearly every COL
ony of Great Britain all over the world
and the conclusion l have come to is
that colonial government is invari-
ably source of political graft. And,
from what l know of the running of
affairs in Alaska, l know that Uncle
Sam is no exception. Of course, things
are not so bad there as here. but they
ara had enOuUh Again | do not he