Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1900-02-09

three Villages.
\ new United States territory To be
called Seward is the latest. II is pro-
posed To dock the ragged southeastern
tail of our monster Alaska, To give this
severed appcnddsc "a fdil territorial
government and maine 1t after The
statesman who negotiated with Russia
for the possession of our arctic pU>scs-
sion. The senate committee on terri
tories has the scheme under quiet con
sideration, and 1t is likely to reach bill
form at an early date, says the Wash
ingtOn correspondent of the PittSburg
Dispatch. 1t is believed to cmbody So
luton of the knOtty Alaskan problem.
To he more definite, it is proposed to
continue the long. straight eastern
boundary of Alaska through Mount ST.
Elias To the Pacific. All belonging TO
us below this line, or what is known
as the "Panhaudle district" is To be
included in the new territory. With n
total length of 500 miles and a breadth
of from POO To 30 miles, il will con
tain total area greater than that Of
the Indian Territory. Nearly half OF
this will consist of islands interSpersed
with wide channels.
1t is the most thickly settled portion
of Alaska. 1t contains more than a
fourth of the population of the entire
territory. of which it is but a meager
fraction. \ Majority of the permanent
ShahitantS and of those clamoring for
fun territorial rights are collected here.
1t Is proposed 10 retain Sitka as the
capital Of Seward. in which event 1t
will Of course he necessary to select a
new seat of government for Alaska
proper While the new territory would
be allowed, besides its own governor
a legislature and Il delegate in con-
grcSS. the great peninsula above would
be left with its present district gov.
ernment, without Il legislature or dele
gate.
1t is now realized that Alaska. with
an area perhaps ten times aS great as
that of the whole of New England, can
never be accepted as n single territory
or state Ultimately it must he divided
into many territories and perhaps
states. and not until population adj
VanCeS within these areas can their
form of government be improved. The
formation of the new territory of Sew
ard will therefore be but the first of
many such partitions. 1t is estimated
that in the spring and summer there
will be 10000 people at Cape Nome.
These may lay the foundation for a
population sufficiently permanent to
warrant separate territorial govern
mcnt Of their own before long.
Seward, when plotted off. will con
tain 43 villages. Ten years ago this
strip of coast line. with its many out
lying islands, contained more than
5000 inhabitants. Nearly 5000 of
these We're men and over 5000 women.
But within the past decade the gold
discoveries have, of course, attracted
thousands of new people. Neverthe-
less the new territory, if organized
now, would contain population small
er than that Of any other state or terri
tory in the Union.
The mild climate of the region has
made ii more agreeable to permanent
population than upper Alaska. The
great warm current of the Pacific
sweeps in II northeasterly circuit from
the East Indies and while skimming
the coast here has much the same eff
feet as the gulf stream upon Eng
ture, but produces an excessive rain
fall