The Washington times., 1910-12-22
Delegate Wicizersham Al
legeS Effort to Grab Cor
dOva Fiarbor.
SAYS GRANT WOULD
MEAN MONOPOLY
Under Bill Interests Gould C6Strol
Great Seaport of
Territory.
By JUDsON c. wELLIvER.

By JUDS0N c. WELLIVER.
James WickerEham. Delegate from
Alaska IS getting ready for another
/ strenuous session OF Congress. Last
( winter Judge Wfckersham. without a
vote IN the House. because a mere Dele
! gate doesn't have a We, kicked nm one
/ OF the largest squebbles ever attributed
/ to disfranchised member OF Congress
/ He fought the National AdmInistratior.
} the Alaska Syndicate. and the govern
nent Of Alaska-and won
/ Then he went home, and fou7d +bs
National Administration, the Alaska
/ Syndicste-which means the C,uc~sn-
| neim intenests-f1ght:ng his reelection
as Delegate IN Congress Nobody in
/ particular was for him-nobody excenr
/ the people Of Alaska
/ The combination Of Federal ofira-
holders and corporation retainer
( fought Judge Wfckersham down To the
/ hour when the polls closed. The ,cbarzes
/ OF corruption and undue influence h.y-e
| Dsoeu sucn that u Is difficult 20 believe
| that some sort Of extraordinary fn-veSrf-
CATION OF that election can be avoided.
Won Handsomely.
( Anyhow with everybody EXCEPT the
/ people against him. Judge Wickerzhsu
Won handsomely, and Is back in Wash
/ ington, devoting himself 70 the effort 10
/ save Alaska II Is doubtful II 50 d5F-
/ ncutt q task ever was imposed on 4
! member OF Congress In z general vyav.
: everybody IS positive that Alaska fs a
/ region OF vast resources, which ought "a
J ot preserved Tor the benefit OF the
! ~hole people But that is aboT1+ -
much as anybody in particular knows
| about II ~
For two or three years il has bean
| popuiarly understood that the GugEen-
I 4.S-llL s7, interests were out 70 capture
AIaSAa- The Guggenheims control the
! copper RlVer and Northwestern rail-
/ road Tha< railroad runs from the town
l OF COrooTa- on Cordovs bav. IN rra
p4pe Cop4per Tlyer 20 the heart OF the richest
I coal held IN Alaska
| There is only one route by which tE5s
| cosi heid can be reached from the sea.
/ ana that y the one over which tie
I Copper river road Is being cousfr71cte5
Would Have Perfect Monopoly.
/ II the Guggenheims can assure them
selves that nobody else vii be able 10
I obtain rights along the same route.
I their monopoly VIII be perfect. The
I Copper river road requires. OF coJrse
I a terminal at one of the few open asr-
I boTs on the southern coast Of Alaska
II the road can procure q monopoly
( on a harbor. Z viii have a monopoly
not only OF the transportation situation
but Of the great coal field which II Is
designed 20 develop During the last
session OF Congress there was intro
duced a bin BY Senator Clark, Of Wyo-
ming by request. which Judge wicker
sham alleges would, If passed. give the
GuSEenheinas and their Copper river
railroad a monopoly OF the COrdOvz
/ harfCr- At the beginning OF the pres
ent session the same bill was reIn1ro-
I duced- IN new form. and referred 20
Z the Committee on Commerce
This particular bin has given Judge
I Wickershsm his first excuse TO star
/ ing something the present session He
has addressed letters 10 members o.
| the Committee on Commerce and other
! influential statesmen, in which ne pro
l tests against the passage OF such 2
measure, and insists that 81 II passes IL
VIII COMP etc the GugEenheim monopoly
/ Of the richest coal field and most val
liable railroad rights in Alaska
Would Tie Up Harbor-
Judge Wickershsm alleges, N short
/ that the bill designs 10 give 10 ths
Copper river road exclusive ownership
OF the entire water front Of COrdovs
/ bay and harbOr, 10 the exclusion Of
everybody else. In his letter 70 Senator
Frye, he says:
This bill grants and confirms 70 the
Copper River railway 4 strip OF tide and
shore land 30 feet IN width along the en-
tire waterfront Of the town OF Cordova-
and between the upland and the tide
/ lands There are but three EaLeTayS 10
the interior Of Alaska, and CordOva Is
one Of them It Is the central gateway
and the outlet Of the great Copper river
should pass II would confirm complete
monopoly Of approach between this
gateway and the ocean.
eft i the same if one railroad
owned all OF the waterfront OF New
York, Chicago, San Francisco, OF Seat
tie. II this bill should pass. this rail-
road could and would, prevent any
other railroad. or any other enterprise
OF any kind. or the people Of the United
states or Of the Territory Of Alaska from
reaching the navisable waters of the
Pa ,.ific from the interior OF Alaska, ex-
cept under such terms as they should
dictate II would give them entire
waterfront in 'front.' Of the only harb0r
through which the Copper river comes.
and the coal from the kataua and
Beerlng river coal fields
Could Fix Own Rates.
Without any restriction whatever
they could thereafter, for ever, charge
such rates of wharfage as they pleased.
Such a monopoly OF a great seaport.
through which the great interior OF
Alaska must trade. viii be d handicap
10 the growth Of the Territory. and a
right never before given by Congress 10
any person or corporation No one OF
the great transcontinentaI railroads OF
our country has ever had any such
right, and the States Of California ore
gon- and Washington own and control
a haTbOr area for the express p1IrDOSs
Of preventing just this sort Of monop-
olT-
Judge Wickersham Is making every
effort to convince members of both
houses OF Congress that the bill ought
/ to be defeated To this end be has
taken up the matter with the officials
of the National Conservation Associa-
ton
Il think" said Judge Wickershau to
| day, that this is about the smoothest
SJ1rnshoe effort the Guggenheirns have
Vet made IN the direction Of controlling
the Alaska coal fields
Interest in Alaska.
Although accurate and detailed iufor-
nation about Alaska affairs IS rare,
there are few subjects now before Con-
Eress which, apparently, hold more in
terest to the general public. Members
/ Of both houses say that since the prob
lem Of saving Alaska has become proni-
nent, they are constantly receiving let
ters about Il
be has, accordingly. asked TO be heard