Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-09-17
DELEGATE FROM ALASKA
The Territory May Be Given Re-
presentation in Congress.
The Republican nnd Democratic Cnndi-
dates for the OHice-The Seward
Purchase Lnnd of MagniA-
cent Distances-SOme Inter-
csting Figures.

Inere is every prospect that Alaska
will be granted a delegate to Congress
this winter. 1t has long needed one and
the need has greatly increased with the
unexpected development of the resources
of the vast territory in recent years, says
the special Washington correspondent
OF the Troy Times. The subcommittee
OF the Senate committee on territories,
which has Just returned from Alaska, is
in favor of representation by delegate,
but is hostile to a territorial form of
government for the great possession.
The subcommittee went to Alaska for
the special purpose of investigating CON
ditions. ard there is little doubt that its
recommendations Will be approved by the
committee and the Senate. on the House
| side there has long been feeling favor
able to Alaskan representation. Now
| that we have delegates from Porto Rico
and little Hawaii there seems to be no
! valid reason whoy we should not have
| one from the most extensive of cur ter
ritorial possessions.
In the event that n delegate is given
Alaska in all probability the republican
| candidate for that office will be the pres
ent governor of Alaska. John Green
Brady Governor Brady is New Yorker
by birth, his carly education, however,
having been received from Judge John
Green of Upton. Ind to whom he was
sent by the Children's Aid society of New
York when tiny tot. Afterward he
worked his way through Yale and the
Union Theological Seminary. Later in
| life he engaged 100 acres of land in
Texas. where he proposed to establish an
| industrial reform colony for New York
slum boys, but on account OF the lack of
funds it was abandoned. Governor
Brady went to Alaska in 1878 a mis-
sionary with DR.. Sheldon Jackson, and
later became manager of The Sitka
Trading company. lie appointed
governor of Alaska June &c. 1897 and was
reappointed June 9, 1900, his term expir-
ing in 1904
The democratic candidate is very like
! ly to be Alfred =. Swineford After
many years of prominence in the upper
| peninsula of Michigan Mr.. Swinerord by
appointment of President Cleveland be
came governor of Alaska eighteen years
ago. lie had a long training in mining
countries and had been a state legislator
and candidate for ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
and Congress. He had for years conduct
ed what was and is still regarded as one
| of the best newspapers in Michigan $
. peninsula He made one of the most
| popular governors the Russian purchase
| ever had. Governor Swlnerord has made
Alaska his home ever since. He has APP
peared frequently in Washington in Alas
kan interests.
MAGNIFICENT DISTANCES.
Few people in the United states have
any due comprehension of the 'maEni-
Icent INSTANCES Oh AldSht. II thh'F
Gov Brady or Ex-Governor Swineford
to give a man reasonable conception OF
the far-reaching areas added to the
American domain by William NJ. Sew
ards little negotiation with Gar Alex
ander H. In the current issue of the
Connecticut Magazine, a valuable his
torical publication. Judge Lyman E.
Munson has an article in which he says
The Alaskan islands are crowned with
glden sunlight at midday while midnight
al,sv
darkens the Capitol at washington,
| Governor Swineford Of Alaska some
wears ago gave to a newspaper cores
! pondent story which was widely pub
lshed In this he said: When l am sit
| ting in the executive residence at Sltka
I am further east from Attu lslands-tne
westermost Of the Aleution islands-than
/ am west of Portland Me. IL the capt.
| tai Of the United States was located In
the exact centre Of our country it would
be in the Pacific Ocean, 500 miles north
by west of San Francisco.
THE AMERICAN WONDERLAND"
This was before our country became
world girdlng power; it was before
the gold discoveries of the Klondike and
Nome and before the mighty rush OF
people from everywhere to Alaska. AT
-he same time the then governor spoke
of the agricultural possibilities of 1.-THE
American Wonderland and amazed the
Washington newspaper men by telling
them that Indian children played base
hall and danced barefooted before the
executive residence in Sitka on Christ
mas day. lie also delighted in exhibit
ing a map of Alaska made on the scale
of an ordinary state map. II was a huge
affair rolled in a big bundle, so large thai
no wall in Washington could be found
extensive enough to hang 1t on. In astua
land area Alaska is ten times as larg
as New York and in extent of land anc
ha n
boundary is something colossal. 1t viii
be no small honor to be Alaskas frs
delegate, and incidently the mileage t.
and from Skaguay to Washington eacl
session of Congress during the term (an
sometimes there are three sessions) vii
make the Alaskan delegate the best pai'
man in Congress, with the possible ex
ception Of the frisky and tawny Prime
Cupid Of Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands