The Alaska prospector., 1904-01-28
COrNCIT.MEN.

Tuesday, February 9th will be election day. It will on that occa- sion be up to the residents of Val dez to select such men as will rep resent the best interests of the town during the ensuing year; men who will be here at all seasons and who are willing to devote considerable of their time and attention to the advancement of the town.
 The present counoilmen have nearly all declined the nomination for another year and it is hard to get seven men who are willing to take the work attached to the office of councilman, and who will be in the town all summer, but a number of citizens have devoted much thought to the matter and at a meeting last Sunday the following men were selected as possible can didates: S. Blum, A. M. Edwards, T. J. Donohoc, Vim. Ethical, II. W. Miller, Al. White and w. A. Ky strom. This will make d very good ticket and it is more than likely that these men will be given the nomination at the public meeting Saturday. The members of the school board have done good and efficient work during the past year; are willing to continue their lahors for another season and should be reelected. Judge Lyons has been suggested for the office of police magistrate, and a better man for the position could not be found.
 All public spirited citizens should attend the mass mee.ing Saturday and take an interest in the coming election. The advancement of the town depends, .o a certain degfec, on the officials. and it lies with the people to see that capable men are elected.
 In recent issue of the Nome News some one has seen fit to criti- cize the Alaska telegraph system, claiming that it is failure; that most parts have to be rebuilt by civilian contract labor on accont of poor initial work, and that the men of the signal corps. who built and are still operating the line, are young, inexperienced and incompe- tent, thus causing Il ruthless waste. It is quite evident the writer is of Nome and knows but little of the rest of the country, nor of the men who built the line. If he is writing in favor of contracting out govern HieIit Woih iiistttu oI d SONcTn- ment department doing it he should say so, and not attack worthy lot of men who are in the service of the government. The accusations are unfounded in every particular. In the first place the building of the line was not left to incompetent men, but was put up under the direct supervision of such able and experienced men as Captain Burnell, on the Copper river side of the country, while Its. Ofiley, Green and Smith, men of long experience, gave personal su- pervision to that on the Yukon side. The line has never been rebuilt. The 0nl V contract that was let out on the system was on the original building of the line in the winter of 1900 and 1901. when James Beaslev, of Nome, erected 20 miles of poles beginning at point about 20 miles cast of Unalaklik and ex- tending to Old Woman's mountain. As these poles were being laid detachment of young. hardy, ex- perienced men of tine signal corps followed along and strung the wire. The work throughout is done as well as it is possible to do it, and if annoying breaks occur occasion. ally. it is nothing more than what would be expected by anyone know ing the country traversed and the