The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-12-09
GOLDEN LANDS
Of THE NORTH
Wealth and Great Possibili-
ties of Alaska to Be Ex-
plotted at Seattle.
Bv Willis BrindIey.

Seattle, Dec. S.-The announcement
that in 1909 an exposition of inter-
national scope will be held in Seat
tie, Washington, primarily to exploit
the resources ofLAlaska, has brought
the Northlaad into surprising promi-
nence in the United States. For,
while Americans should be interest
ed in the district to the north, which
comprises territory one-sixth as
large as the United States OF Amer
lea. the fact remains that until now
they have looked upon the country
rather as a treasure-house, to. be pill
LACED of its wealth than virgin soil
fit and waiting for tremendous de-
velOpment.
The -Yukon-Pacifc EXPOSE
ton, which has been auspiciously
started by the subscription of $780,
900 worth of stock by the citizens or
Seattle, mas several OBJECTS: 10 cor
rect the popular impression that Alas
ka is a land of ice and snow, to
demonstrate that the Yukon territory
has other wealth than gold, to bring
| together the shores of the Pacific in
trade, and to tell the people of Amer
lea by concrete illustration how won
derfully rich is the Pacific North
west.
Not Cordially Received.
| The people Of the United States in
1867 gave Alaska about as cordial~S
welcome as mother robin accords a
cow-bird's egg which has been plant
ed in her nest against her. will. The
metaphor cannot be carried further;
for while the COW bird Matched from
the egg in the robins nest is ever an
evaporation, Alaska speedily proved
her right to a place in the nest and
has since paid for herself many times
over. What the people thought a
cow-bird appears 10 have been a
goose of the kind we read about in
childhood, which laid every day gol
den egg. in the story, you recall. the
greedy owner Stayed the bird to get
all her eggs at once So the figure
of speech fails again; for the Alaska
goose still lays her golden eggs.
There are two theories to account
for the purchase of Alaska, then
known as Russian America, from
Russia. One is that VIM. H. Seward
then secretary of state, appreciated
what bargain was offered for ST.
100000, and the other is that the pur-
chase was made for the sake of re-
lieving Russia, which had been
friendly to the United States in the
civil war which was but recently
closed. of very troublesome burden
Either theory may hold, but in the
opinion of many statesmen of the day
at least, the latter is the more log
ical. S'f
In the course of the treaty debate
General Benjamin F. Butler of Massa
chusetts Numbered his disapprOval in
the following words: If We are 10
pay her (Russia's) friendship this
amount, | desire to give her the S.,
100000 and let her keep Alaska.
have no doubt that at any time with
in the last twenty years we could
have had Alaska for the asking
have heard it so stated in the cab
inets of two presidents-provided We
would have taken it as gift. But
no man, except one insane enough tC
buy the earthquakes of st. Thomas Oh
the ice fields of Greenland, could he
forced to agree to any other terms
for its acquisition to the country"
Sharp Criticism.
; Congressman Washburn of Wiscon
sin, who sided with Butler in oppos
ing the purchase. quoted the Sacra
mento Union, which had said editor
tally concerning the proposed treaty:
Persons we'll informed about Alaska
are ungrateful enough to hint that We
, could have bought a much superior
elephant in Siam or Bombay for onc
, hundredth part, of the money, with
not one-thousandth part of the ex
, pense incurred in keeping the ANNA
in proper condition"
Washburn called the treaty IAN out
: rage on the rights of the American
people," and defied any living MAJ
) on the face of the earth to produce
an evidence that an ounce of golt