The San Francisco call., 1904-06-04
THE ALASKA SHAKE-UP.

~ UR north country is increasing IN Importance
[ Already it has caused two great international
~ arbitrations, claim that Berng
ciosed sea- and the other the boundary between
US and the British possessions. We lost the water
and the land, but both arbitratons served to
advertise Alaska and give the world more knowledge
about its The fisheries and fur catch have
long been of great value and it is believed that
Alaska is destined to be the worlds greatest gold pro-
ducer. The output last year $2ooooooo and
this year may be nearly double. Under the tundra
lie untold placer and quartz mines and that
region will be for a long time the most attrac
tive to the gold hunter.
The recent discovery of copper deposits is scarcely
less than the gold From what has been
posed in these copper ledges believed that the Ter
ritory has copper than Montana, Michigan and
Arizona combined Hand in hand with the progress of
gold and copper finds goes the discovery of coal Its
quality is better than any of known btumnous Goals
The latitude that of Scotland and the quality of the
coal is nearly the Camel coal abounds and the
better class of gntes.
AS the material resources of the Territory become
known the usual manifestations of human appear
among the people. We have had the scramble and
dals of Dawson and Nome, the judicial Juggling with
property and justice in Alaska has frequently dropped
her blndfold and shamelessy sided with the liberal
and influential ltgant. Where gold is, lose, too
often their of and thine, and have mutual
dsrespect for property rights which under other cir
cumstances they would regard sacred But with it
ALL where the American miner he Pounds first camp
and then city. The latter may be fra in its buildings
and shabby in its outward aspect but gains in the
prosperity of those who make their headquarters and
by the time its wooden saloons and dance houses
ready torch and burn themselves and the
of the town. the trails and transportation lines by land
and converged upon the location and refuse
change and the rises from ashes, city of brick
and stone and steel Very will have railroads
to Dawson and to Nome, and away to Bering Straits
and from railway terminus to Point Barrow will be
short trip by
President Roosevelt is alive to all this remarkable
development and concludes that the time has to
put the official scandals of the Territory These
have been and somewhat picturesque but in
kind they just such into the early
history and part of the early of all West
mining States. These have survived them and SO
will Alaska and in few years property will be safe
there in New England, and will the person be-
except for the mosquitoes. The Territory is d
recy under executive control than other Territories
It's boundary is settled and all the great issues
that the white land generated have been settled and
the President has determined place the foundations
of and make it unsafe for any public official
trihe with his duty Where the railroad and tele-
graph go law and order follow, and officers
honesty in proportion to his distance
from Washington
When the President finishes his shake-up the juggling
with justice will be thing of the past and the who
wish put their enterprise into developing the vast
of the country will rapidly forward
in their rights they could be anywhere else in
the world. The Presidents energetic action be
overestimated affecting the future of Alaska The
conditions he will extirpat would hold the Territory
indefinitely and what advance might be made would
be that depending the strong hand rather than on
the protection of properly administered government