The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-06-20
NY rREDEn1C u. HAsKIN.

Forty-one years ago to-day tho for
NAL transfer OF the district or Alaska
from the Gar OF Russia to the govern
lment OF the United states was COM
plcted. William III. Seward. Secretary
OF state believed he had done @ great
thing for his country when he bar
gained and paid s7,2oo.0o0 gold for
| Alaska Nearly everybody else be-
licved that Mr.. Seward had simply
thrown away that much money; that
Alaska was nothing but waste OF Ice
and could never amount to anything.
Just before his death Mr.. Seward de-
clared that the greatest accomplishment
lof his very active public life was the
| annexation Of Alaska. Then he added,
"but 1T Will take the country gem
Grafton to find out Alaska's value"
| The generation of Seward Is gen.
GRAFTON of the past, and the country
to-day is beginning to realize that his
predictions are fulfilled. The Portland
Exposition three years ago taught the
people a great deal about Alaska. The
Alaskn- Yukon Pacific Exposition MT
Seattle next summer will teach them
much more. Meanwhile Alaska IS push
| Ing forward in It's development without
lpausing to heed the voice Of pessimisn.
i sixty years ago the North American
coast of the Pacific Ocean whispered
not the slightest promise OF It's pres
ent day splendor. The oregon coun-
I try was attracting settlers. now that
American ownership had been made
certain. and the California Territory
was passing from Mexican to American
control. Gold had just been found in
california and the great rusi, to the
golden West was beginning. The ro-
mantle story of those sixty years which
have produced the great States OF Ore
| gon. California and Washington Is
known to all Americans.
But few remember that the forty
miners" sought for gold with pick and
| shovel which came from the FORCES
OF sitka, the capital Of Russian America
and the metropolis OF the Pacific. Few
remember that tho first steamships
which plowed the waters OF the great
est Of oceans were launched from Sitka
ship yards. Few remember that
ALASKAN made clothing and Alaskan
cisco pioneers.
The story Of oregon and California
lis an unbroken tale OF triumphs.
Alaska is triumphant now, but there Is
tragedy in its past. To begin at the
beginning. the peninsula of Alaska was
discovered in 172s by vitus Bering a
Danish navigator in the service of the
Russian government. He gave his
name to the sea and straits which
separate America from Asia, and claim
| ed the country for the Russian crown.
A. few years later band Of Russian
ladventltrers undertook to settle the
land. They SO cruelty maltreated the
natlves that n massacre was provoked.
which the Russians frightfully avengcd
IThus the Russian dominion in America
was builded on foundation of cruelty.
me Russian government began TO
pay serious attention to Alaska in the
| carly part of the nineteenth century
ana set about making Sitka CONNER.
Giai city ship yards and factories were
built: trans-Pacific commerce was es-
ltapllshed and or'ycars a thriving trads
was carried on. Ruthless destruction
OF fur-bearing animals the maltreat-
nlent OF the natives. the growing i'm
portance OF the cities on the Pacific
coast OF the United States. the waste of
capital in developing useless coal.
mines, and the gathering of coal for
which there was no market-alI these
hlhEs contributed to the decline OF
came when all the great Russian cant
,ailsts withdrew and Sitka degeneratca
mo fishing village. Its very mans
. nas aI,host forgotten. and the world
abandoned II to the letters OF Ice when
'hn world ina gined bound IT.
mus IT happened that the coun;r,-
n. JtleVea s!r seward had been cheated
r. mhen ne bought Alaska from Russia.
dist Was declared that the sale OF the
abIed Mr.. Seward to give Russia ia s7 h-
soo, 900 In return for assistance offera1
ny Russia to the Lincoln admInistratio
o on' .S , me Glvil War Statesmen de-
American trade. :" 'He
Forty-one years have passed. More
,han the amount paid to Russia Is
Welded each year from Alaskan fish-
cries In the last decade Alaskan gold
mines have produced more than 4 Inn.
ared million dollars worth OF gold. and
IS e n ersdp benr a Is s"n'nning TO this
coal mines and oil fields. the IMPORT
ance of which is increasing rapidlv.
me present population or the ter
nitory Is about 10000 of which $4,000
are are. white men and the rest natives.
Win such sparse population and
with such q comparatively small de.
velopnent of natural resources. the
trade between Alaska and the United
states proper now amounts to more
| than $40 100000 a year.
So far from being a land of never
melting and unrelenting Ice. it is now
lands, which are greater in extent
than the total area of the New Eng
land States. New York and Pennsyl-
vania. AS long ago as 1875. the first
| Exposition was awarded to grain grown
lin Alaska. The wheat growing coun-
try is pushing its northern boundary
nearer and nearer the pole each year,
/, important factor in the grain pro-
ducinE business of the country.
| 1t has been carefully reckoned by
government investigators that Alaska
lis capable Of supporting greater
! population than the Scandinavian pen
linsula of Northern Europe. This would
/ mean the expansion Of the present co.
4 900 population to 100000 and a multi
plication, of wealth in like proportion.
Alaska has already done enough to
Justify the wisdom of Seward: 1t has
barely begun to unfold its riches
The discovery of the rich Soldfelds
4 in 1895 was the beginning of the new
i first great mines We're in British ter
Iritory. it was soon found that there
was plenty of American gold. toe
The gold seekers endured great hard.
i ships at first but the prize was. worth
4 the effort. Hence they continued tc
Ipush forward and carry the civiliZa-
ton of the modern world with them
4 The White Pass Railway has connect
ed the seaccast with the upper Yukon
since 1900, Other railway lines are
building the Stewart Peninsula is
being gridironed with steel rails.
). The telegraph and telephone proceed
t ed the railroad and what We're track.
less and silent wastes a few years age
are now annihilated by the agency OF
instantaneous communication. The