Douglas Island news., 1901-12-04


 duce Congress to grant the company every alternate section of land along it's right of way across the Peninsula. It is to be hoped that Congress, in this instance, will deviate from its usual course, and exercise little wisdom in relation to this proposed legislation. It would be putting low value on the in- telligence of the promoters of this scheme for Congress to accept the theory that the concession asked for is worthless, or valuable chiefly for it's picturesque scenery, the purity of it's snow, or the beauty of it's long winter nights. If these schemers convince our national legislators that they are seek ing to secure title to dead horse, the next thing on the program will be to demand immunity from taxation. The gullibility of Congress in yielding the first point would unerringly indicate it's position on the second proposition. Our solons should remember that when the Union Pacific and the Northern Pa cific secured their grants, the conten tion was the concessions comprised barren wastes of alkan plains and drifting sands; the natural home of the horned toad, the prairie dog and the rattlesnake, the trysting place of the coyote and race course of the jack rabbit. In fact, the chief aim of the financiers was to take the "Great American Desert" off of Uncle Sam's hands and give his talents opportunity to expand in other directions. Today the so-called desert blossoms as the rose, and the revenues derived from these grants and accruing to the rail- way companies has amounted to mil lions upon millions of dollars. Who can say that the possibilities of the Seward Peninsula are not as great?
 The San Francisco Call publishes pipe dream from Skagway which tells of the discovery of a great conspiracy existing at Dawson and ramifying to Skagway, Victoria, Vancouver and Se- attle for the overthrow of the local gov ernment of the Northwest Territory and the establishment of Republic with Dawson as it's capital. According to the details of the story, arms, ann munition and provisions have been taken in by the railroad and cached at strategic points. Prominent American residents of Skagway are said to be the ring-leaders in the conspiracy. Miners to the number of 5000 are said to await the summons to arms, ready to fight for independence from Dominion rule of the gold field camps and towns. The plan is to overthrow the mounted po lice, arrest the civil authorities and take the government into their own hands. The rigors of the Arctic win ters would give the insurgents six months immunity from attack by the Canadian or British troops and the ad venturous arch-conspirators hope for intervention or outside assistance be- fore the melting of ice and snow will permit the invasion of their isolated Republic It further states that Judge Brown, Marshal Shoup, Major Hovey and District Attorney Freiderich are cognizant of the situation and have held several secret conferences with the Canadian authorities to devise ways and means of thwarting the de- signs of the conspirators. The Call then goes on to say that recent trip of Marshal Shoup to the Sound was made for the purpose of notifying the officials at Washington, D. C., of exist ing conditions. We suggest that the banner of the new Republic be white silk flag with malamute baying at the midnight sun. This would very pretti- ly illustrate the howl sure to be raised when the day of revolution dawns.
 Edward Glazier, who has just return cd to his home in the States from the gold fields of Nome, has most inter esting relic of prehistoric natives of that region. It is a stone adze, found feet under the surface, on the beach, about half a mile above the mouth of the Snake river. It is composed of a piece of green stone similar to that brought from Jade mountain, in the Kobuk region, about 400 miles from Nome. It is firmly set in the end of piece of bone about six inches long. At the opposite end of the bone place