The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-11-24
CONDITIONS in ALASKA
POINTS FROM THE ANNUAL REPORT
OF GOVERNOR JOHN II. BRADY.
determination of Natives Threatened
by Disease for which the White
Man Is Partly Responsible.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 23-The annual re-
the secretary of the interior urges con-
gressional legislation on the extension of
general land laws to Alaska. giving the
natives the same legal status as the whites
and the representation of Alaska by dele
gate in Congress. The report says that
at Cape Nome everything and everybody
is pellmell; there are several claimants for
each town lot, beach claim and creek
claim, fully 25.ooo people waiting for the
action of the court there
Despite recent legislation of Congress
creating additional courts and a new code
of laws, the whole southern coast from
Unalaska to Yakutat is without protection.
Within this area the population is very
considerable and property interests will
amount to millions of dollars. Another
court is urged, to be established either at
Valdez or Kokiak. The Indian natives of
Alaska are chafing under their present
status and aspire to citizenship. The Gov
ernor says there should be equal rights and
opportunities for all in the Territory.
After referring TO the outbreak of the
grip, accompanied with pneumonia and
Eskimos this year the Governor says they
were threatened with utter determination
last summer, due, he adds, TO "a deadly
plague and a wild stampede of hungry and
avaricious whites pouring in their pre-
cincts and turned loose on them by ship
load after shipload, bringing with them
the arts and accomplishments of Sodom
and GOmorrah. 1t is hoped that through
the missionaries and a change from a hunt
ing TO a pastoral life a remnant of a noble
people may be saved. The withholding of
the land laws is the real difficulty I'm the
Alaska. If Congress would treat Alaska
as it has other parts of the Western from
tier in regard to land titles there will be
within few years population ready TO
assume the burden of an expensive govern
ment, where now an entire population who
are simply squatters, with a very few ex-
ceptions, are not able to do so"
Horrible conditions existing among the
Chinese aboard vessels in the Alaskan
salmon-canning industry are portrayed in
report Assistant Surgeon L. L. Lumsden,
at Angels Island, Cal, has just made to
the Marine Hospital Service. He says a
number of vessels have returned to San
Francisco from the Alaskan country with
the history of several deaths of these Chi
nese workers. There were no physicians
aboard, and rule no satisfactory ac-
count of the nature of the illness was OBJ
tainable from the responsible persons
These vessels, says the report, ''saiI
from San Francisco I'm March and April,
each vessel taking about 125 Chinese to
work at the canneries Last spring nearly
5000 Chinese were taken from San Fran
cisco for this work. Bubonic plague was
known TO exist in their section of the city
at the time OF their leaving. and no pre-
cautionary measures to prevent an out
break among them were taken" The as
sistant surgeon says he has been unable to
arrive at definite conclusion to the
true nature OF the disease. as the symp-
toms, while resembling them. not en-
tirely those of either scurvy or beribery.
The disease probably is one OF malnutrition,
resulting from exhausting labor. poor quail
ity of food and filthy surroundings. They
often are worked eighteen hours "A day and
live in barracks in utter disregard of clean
illness and sanitation. The fish they eat
frequently is we'll advanced In putrefaetion
l. * difficult to conceive fully Of the filth
ness aboard. The Chinese quarters are
dark and damp. and the sanitary conditions
unfit 10 print.