Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1910-02-17
WILL ASCERTAIN
TRUE CONDITION
President Has Declared Intention
of Making a Visit to Terri
tory of Alaska.
MEANT TO GO LAST SUMMER
Mrs. Taft's illness Alone Prevented
Trip at That Tlme-Ex-President
Roosevelt's Plans - Three
Senators In Trouble.

Observation-Disclosures is engaged
in the passage of an act to simplify
and to strengthen the government of
the Territory of Alaska. Senator Bev-
eridge is the sponsor for the measure
in the senate and Representative
Hamilton is its sponsor in the house.
President Taft has studied the pro
posed legislation carefully and If it
goes through without too many
amendments he will aflx his sigma.
ture.
Last summer keen disappointment
came to the president because he
could not visit the northern territory
OF the United States, The illness of
Mrs. Taft forbade the long journey,
but within a day or two the president
has said that he has made up his
mind to make the trip to the land Of
geld next summer.
Every delegate who has come to
congress from Alaska since 1t was
made a territory has insisted that the
Alaska country and the Alaska people
nave been misunderstood. Alaska al
ways has wanted a greater share in
the work of governing itself than has
been given to 1t. In the bill now be-
fore congress there are provisions for
commissioners who shall in a sense
form the cabinet Of Walter E. Clark,
formerly a Washington newspaper
correspondent and now the governor
Of Alaska.
Special Agents Kept Busy.
The special agents OF the land
office which is a bureau Of the interior
department have their hands full Just
at present investigating Alaska min.
ing claims. The law is intended to
prevent the securing of a great guam
tity of mining land by different indi-
viduals who intend after securing 1t
to form themselves together in a great
company, and thus to secure as far
as they can a monopoly. All kinds
of schemes have been worked to hood
wink, and while many of them have
been discovered and turned to the
light there are men always ready to
try it again.
At the present time special agents
are investigating the working of a
company which has one hundred and
seventy-three members. The combi-
nation was made, on the face of it,
not for the purpose of getting mining
land collectively so that it might all
be thrown together and worked by a
corporation, but for greater conve-
nience in entering claims and proving
up on them. Tho government has be-
come suspicious that all may not be
right and the agents of the depart
ment are at work trying to ferret out
the truth.
After the legislation which congress
is putting through this winter on be-
half of Alaska has been given a. trial
the president will judge of results, and
will make further recommendations
for laws for the territory. In the
meantime he will go to Alaska him
self to look the land and the people
over.
E~x-President R%oosevelt's Plans.
Friends of former President Roose-
welt now say 1t is definitely
decided that he will go to Eng
land in May and from there return
directly to New York, giving over
his planned trip to Paris and Berlin.
II this is the case the talk about
the around the world trip and the land
ing in San Francisco and a journey
through the heart of his beloved west
is all talk for talks sake only.
There seems to be a general misun-
derstanding as to the nature Of the
collection which Col. Roosevelt has
sent 10 the Smithsonian institution in
Washington. The officials of the in
stitution say that visitors come there
every day expecting to see great
groups Of African animals, elephants,
lions, leopards, buffalos, gnus, rhinoce-
roses and other creatures all grouped
and beautifully mounted among repro
auctions of their native African sur
roundings.
1t Is perfectly true that the Roose-
welt expedition has sent thousands
upon thousands Of specimens to the
Smithsonian institution, but where
there are ten large animals there are
500 small ones, The species In the
collections range from the size Of a
mosquito to the size of an elephant,
and when 1t is said that thousands Of
specimens have been sent it does not
mean that Col. Roosevelt and his son
and the rest of the expedition have
been killing thousands of great game
animals. There are more mice in the