Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1900-05-11
THE ALASKAN BILL.
Story from Washington that Some Re-
publicans Were Fooled into
Working With Demo-
Gratis.
Said that Opponents of Senator Hans
brough's amendment Were Played
for Suckers.

regions, was opposed by Senator Mel
son of Minnesota and other republic
cans who worked with the democrats
to defeat ...e passage of the amend
ment. Senator HansbrOugh claimed
that the claims filed in the Nome re.
gion and sold to a California syndicate
of millionaires. should be set aside, III
favor of the miners who were actually
on the ground working. Nelson
claimed that the men who filed these
claims were S~candinavians and citi-
zens. Jerry j., the Washington cor.
respondent of the Minneapolis Journal
says Of the defeat of the amendment:
Both sides claim to be right. There
can be no question as to the earnest
ness and energy with which both urged
their respective claims. The Nelson
following embraced a good many lead
ing democrats in the senate, which may
or may not be significant politically.
Whether it is or not, however, it fur
nishes a hook upon which to hang a
very good story, which l tell as it was
told to me by a man who followed the
case from the beginning of the debate
in the senate to the vote OF the final
passage of the bill. He says:
After the debate in the senate had
gone on for almost a month it became
apparent to me that Senators Teller,
Stewart and Jones, the latter of whom
is chairman of the democratic national
committee and seems all along to have
had a deep interest in this man Lee,
II of the syndicate, would defeat the
entire bill in the event of the adoption
of the amendments offered by Senator
Hansbrough. 1t is possible that Mr..
H%ansbrough had enough votes to pass
his amendment; | understand that he
claims he had-but this would have re-
suited in the bills being talked to
death. 1t would have been debated
right up to the end of the session by
Jones, Teller and other democrats, and
a vote would have been out of the
question.
The great trouble with the republic
can party is that it is always wanting
to reform something, and at times it's
desires along this line lead it uncon-
sciously to play into the hands of the
democracy. That seems to have been
the case with the Alaskan bill. Sew
'eral senator's on the republican side,
gentlemen from New England chiefly
Senator Nelson was with them
thought that the amendments offered
by Mr.. Hansbrough as to aliens were
retroactive and would disturb titles
and equities. This position was con-
tested by the HanSbrOugh side with a
good deal of force and ability, but to
no effect, and in the end these repub-
licans Joined with the democrats l have
named and compelled the withdrawal
of the amendments. Lane and Hay
ward are known to have taken an op-
ton on many, perhaps several hundred
of the claims of these foreigners, who
1t is we'll known, came here as reindeer
herders, with the understanding that
they were to return home as soon as
their work was done. What the Lane
Maynard syndicate wants is sufficient
delay in determining the question of
alien titles so the syndicate may take
the gold from the ground.
1T is we'll known that Lane in 1896
subscribed very literally to the BRYAN
campaign fund, and has already placed
considerable sums for campaign pur-
poses this year in the hands of Chair
mar Jones, the distinguished senator
from Arkansas. Mr.. Jones was yerv
careful not to engage in the debate in
the senate, but l understand that be
worked persistently among the demo-
cratic members in behalf of Lane.
There is no question in nv mind
but that Lane and Hayward, if they are
permitted to go ahead this year and
next and work these alien claims. the
government meanwhile not having the
right to bring the aliens into court.
can well afford to contribute a round
million to the Bryan campaign FIND
hls year. This theory accounts not
only for the activity Of Jones, but for
n very prominent part which was
In the debate by Messrs. Stewart
and Teller. In my Judgment the re-
puDllcans were simply fooled bv the
democrats and made unconsciouslv to
help their cause"
1t cannot be known at this time
what the final outcome Of the case will
be. The senate has passed the bill
without Incorporating the H%ansbrough
amendments, and the present federal
statutes relating to mining claims and
alien ownership will prevail in all
Alaska. There is no question that
these statutes are not nearly so drastic
and quick in operation as the ones pro.
posed by Mr.. Hansbrough, and it is en-
tlrely pOssible-although l do not know
that it is the case-that the California
millionaires who bought the claims
from the alleged aliens will have time
to get out the gold before the courts
under these old laws, will have time
to get at them. The contest as II
stands at present is being waged be.
tween the millionaires who bought the
claims and the would-be claim-jump.
ers who came flocking over from the
Klondike on the first word that GOLD
had been found in Alaska. These lat.
ter, Of course, r all American citi.
zens. The force of the H%ansbrougf
contention was to permit these citizen.
to jump the Gains of the alleged
aliens; the force of the Nelson conten
ton was to protect the so-called aliens
and through them the men to whom
they disposed Of their claims. Boil
Nelson and Hansbrough unite in praise
OF the Scandinavian character. Hans,
brough, however, insists that none O,
these aliens were Scandinavians, bur
were Laplanders, a people of Asiatit
extraction and origin; while it is the
claim of Nelson that there was only
one Laplander in the crowd, the rest
being Scandinavians, a part of whom
had taken out their first papers, and
all of whom would have taken them
nNf had Tho nnorfrnitp oAea.Ss ~