BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1901-12-06
Unrest IN Yukon.
The Reported Plan To Form
A Republic.
Miners Grievances In The Far
North-west-Bitter Feeling
Against The Dominion
Government. = The
Boundary Dispute.

The reported discovery of conspiracy
TO overthrow the Dominion government in |
the KlondiSe and found free republic, |
said to exist at Dawson, Y. T., and atI
American and Canadian coast ports, is
causing little surprise to persons who have
followed the history # the Yukon gold fields
since 1897 and who know the character Of
the Alaskan miner.
"The government Of the Klondike region"
said q man to day who is familiar with
conditions there as q result of personal
observations, 'sis directly in the interests
of small party in the Ottawa government,
whose friends are appointed to territorial
Office and who enact laws plundering the
miner with every sort of tax, has long been
notorious in the north west. The greed Of
these Canadian officials quickly became
such reproach in the north that native
born Englishmen have always taken sides
with the Americans, who form three
quarters Of the population and own two
/ Dominion rule. In the early days more
than once the Canadians have overstepped
themselves and been sent to jail for their
greed, to Keep up pretense of some sort Of
responsible government, but of late contin.
uous protestatiOn and petitioning, have
resulted in q relaxation of some of the
more unjust taxes. The party in power at
Ottawa realized that it was killing the goose
which laid the golden egg. Some of these
limposltions are the crown 1.-THE on gold
production, the fish tax, lumber tax, pro.
spector's license tax, etc.
ssThe gradual retreat Of the Ottawa
government, however, had little effect on
the feelings of the miners. The object.
ionable practises lay quite as much in how
the crown officials administered their Offices,
as in the petty show Of favoritism to their
friends in interpreting the mining laws, as
in the laws themselves. The miner is q
conservative, prejudiced man, who does not
forget grievance; and the loneliness Of
the creek camps, as much as the feverish
atmosphere of Dawson, has not allayed his
feelings. Englishmen in Dawson q year
ago admitted that their countrymen in
South Africa had been in almost the
same predicament as Americans in the
Klondike, and had been treated by the laws
in the same way, the only difference being
that along the YUKON the American cut
lander population, while running most Of
the mines, outnumbered the citizens Of the
government in power.
ssIndustrial feeling-between Canadians
and Americsns-is very strong along the
disputed boundry, and the belief has long
been accepted in the north that any granting
Of Canadian claims in the dispute cannot
but result in riot and bloodshed. The pro-
vincial boundary agreed upon by Secretary
hay in the summary Of 1900, which tempo
rarily placed the Porcupine mining region
north Of the Lynn Canal under the British
nag, aroused very bitter feeling. A straw
vote taken in Dawson on Election Day,
1900, showed an overwhelming Democratic
majority, whereas the camps down the
Yukon in Alaska all went for Mckinley.
SIN the case Of an uprising, however,
irsurrectionists would have bad PROPOSE
tion to deal with in the Northwest Mounted
Police. No matter what may be said Of |
the civil government Of the Yukon territory
the police have kept an order there which
10 . reproach to the government Of Ameri-
can camps. The police are the very finest |
sort Of men, and though half Englishmen /
and sympathize with American miners,
they uOuld, Of course, be loyal ifit came to
fighting. Along the Yulon an armed police
pest is situated every forty miles or 90, and
all Of them would have to be seized by some /
thing more than q mob. The reported |
choice Of winter time for an uprising, on
account Of the difficulty Of getting men and
provisions into the interior is not the ad.