Evening journal., 1910-04-13


When seattle's Alaska Yukon Pacific
exposition was at its height last summer.
was fortunate enough TO meet the ven
erable Frederick W. Seward, assistant and
acting Secretary Of State under three
Presidents-Lincoln. johnson and Hayes
Quite naturally. the conversation turned
on Alaska.
"I presume" said MIR. Seward, that
there will always prevail the belief that
my father, when he was Johnson's Secre-
tary Of State, brought about the purchase
Of Alaska from Russia prnar for the
purpose Of paying a national debt of graf
itude to Russia for the moral assistance
that she gave the Union during The civil
war There is not, however. the s, ghtest
foundation Of fact for this belief. / know
personally what 1 am talking about for
while the negotiations for the purchase
of Alaska were on, was both fathers as
slstant and conhdant
II was in 1866 that Cyrus w Field
finally and definitely demonstrated to the
world the feasibility of binding the con-
tInents together with submarine te egraph
cables. Until this epoch marking demon
D
the entire world, Russia had given no in
dication Of any desire TO part with her
North American possessions. In fact, un-
til the submarine cable was pronounced
a success. Russia had long dreamed of
utilizing Alaska as the key to her control
Of an intercontinen;al te,egraphic land
system. The telegraph could easily have
been carried across Bering strait, which
Is only thirty-six miles wide at its narrow
est point; and TO this day you may see in
Alaska the relies OF a part OF the inter-
continental plant that Russia began TO
build there as early as the late nfties.
When. however. the news came OF Field s
success, Russia was led to believe that
Alaska would be Of no further material
value to her, and about that time she and
Great Britain tentatively entered into a
diplomatic discussion regarding the pos
sib'e cession Of the territory to the latter
nation.
MY father, some way or other, learned
OF this intercourse between the two ma
tions, and was at once deeply interested.
For many years he had held tenaciously
to the opinion that the United States had
made grave mistake in not insisting on
running its northernmost boundary to
hfty-four forty. He had been a firm ad-
vocate of our control Of the Pacific coast
line from the end Of Lower California 10
the top Of the continent. believing, as he
did, that the Pacific would ultimately be
the seat Of the worlds greatest commerce
So, when he learned that Alaska was to
all intents and purposes on the market
he saw an excellent chance Of adding "a
our Pacific coast line. and, al the same
time of keeping Great Britain's Pacific
outlet down TO the smallest possible mini
mum.
Reasoning that Russia, from her past
attitude towards us, aud with no consum.
ing desire to have Johnny Bull only thir.
ty-six miles distant from Siberia, would
favor us over Great Britain as a possible
customer for Alaska, he opened nego,ia.
tions with the Cars representatives fol
the sale Of the territory to us. At once
Russia showed her preference for oui
ownership of Alaska and so anxious wa,
father to defeat Great Britain's aims OF
the territory that there was very uttl,
discussion about the price we were TO pa,
for It. In fact, as / recall IL now. we az
oepted without question Russia's term,
Of seven million, two hundred thousand
dollars.
Here, then. was my fathers sole reasor