Douglas Island news., 1903-07-29
Commercial Congress.


 be held at Seattle, Washington, August IS, 19, 20 and 21, 1903, and if the people of Alaska want to interest this organization in their behalf now is the time for action.
 The Trans Mississippi Congress has, for more than decade, been a power ful factor in the up-building of the States West of the Mississippi river comprising its Jurisdiction. During it's life it has seen the political and commercial scope of the Trans-Missis- sippi region expand, and during these years it has taken prominent part ln every movement tending to commercial advancement. The influence of the Trans Mississippi Commercial Con- gress embraces the greater geographical part of the country, comprising twenty-four States and Territories, and represents the business interests of twenty-two million people residing West of the Mississippi River.
 The coming session of the Trans Mississippi Commercial Congress at Seattle, meets the general desire of those interested in the commercial growth of the Trans Mississippi States and Territories to gather at the center of this new commercial activity. It is therefore the determination of the ex- ecutive committee to secure at this meeting as large an attendance as pos sible of representatives of the com mercial, industrial, maritime and other associations within it's jurisdiction, to- petber with full delegations from the States, cities and counties within its territory.
 It is the general desire of the mem- bers of the Executive Committee to confine discussion to subjects of gen. eral interest, and to exclude those which are of either local or political nature. Whilst any question germain to the objects of the Congress may be introduced by any delegate, the chair man of the Executive Committee would be grateful for suggestions as to questions to be discussed by any citi- zen of the Trans Mississippi country.
 Gradually the cause of Alaska and the right of her people to govern them selves is coming to be recognized. The Butte Inter Mountain, of which ex- Senator Lee Mantle is editor, says: "While legislature is not altogether an unmixed blessing, the constitution al right of the people to have share in the making of their own laws should not be denied them. As it is, the peo- ple of Alaska are deprived of the fran chise, are dependent solely for their laws, local and general, on a congress which has small comprehension of the needs and resources of the country. And in that congress they have no rep resentation, not even the non-voting delegate allowed other territories. Ac- cording to the census of 1900, Alaska had a population of 53,952. There is every indication that this population has doubled in the last three years. To deny these people all representation is to do something utterly at variance with the spirit of the constitution. Ne vada, with population of 42,0O0 is a sovereign state of the nation. So is Wyoming, with population of only g2OOO-far less than Alaska now pos sesses. The territory of Hawaii, with population of 1540OO, largely made up of Kanakas and Asiatics, has it's com plete territorial form of government. But Alaska, a region of immensely more value to the United States than Hawaii ever will be, territory which produces enormous revenue for the government and immense trade for the American merchants annually, is still a political orphan. 1t is we'll that these visiting senators have come to a reali- zation of the facts, and it is to be hoped that they will bring their colleagues to the same way of thinking"
 An Irishman woke up one morning just about 5 minutes to :: He didn't have time to eat, but jumped into his clothes. In his rush he got on his trousers wrong side before. He ran like mill race to his work, loaded up his bod and started up the ladder. He wasn't more than half awake and up near the top he lost his hold and fell, with tbe hod on top of him. @Are ye