The Alaska citizen., 1910-09-26

claim as on an individual claim such bill would pass without an ob- lection. but to abolish the power of attorney would do no good and might do a whole lot Of harm as pointed out by Judge Pierce. For reasons best known 10 himself, the delegate declined to accept the suggestion of ghe committee. but remained obstin- ate on insisting upon his bill or noth- ing
 Now. these are the actual facts as transpired before the committee, and as can easily be substantiated by a perusal of the Congressional Record"
 Fortunately the Congressional Record is attainable, otherwise Alas kan's" wild statements might be more difficult of refutation.
 The statement that The commit lee as a whole said to the Delegate that if he would introduce bill com pelling eight times as much work on an association claim as on an indi- vidual claim such a bill would pass without objection is DELIBERATE " untrue No such suggestion. if the Record is to be believed, was l, h ynr,1if tnh m lG there one grain of truth in the state ment that the delegate declined to accept the suggestion of the com mittee. Lut remained obstinate on in, sisting upon his bill or nothing"
 Judge Pierce was not the one who suggested that the abolition of the association claim would be abortive unless the stalking rights of an indi yidual were restricted more than sug sested in the WiCkersham bill. This matter was brought up by Mir. Good and Judge Pierce made absolutely nc lirect reference 10 it.
 In this connection the absolute fal sity of the statement that the Dele gate remained obstinate on insisting on his bill or nothing was demon strated This is what transpired. SC Tar as the Record informs us:
 MT. Good-Now. suppose We amend fhis bill so that a person shall not be permitted to locate bv power ot attorney or by agent. leaving the law stand as it is now, otherwise with the right of unlimited individual location If you do that, have you removed the danger and I believe il is a danger-Ot permitting large areas to be controlled by a single man Can not one man go now and locate an unlimited area, even with the law so changed-of course, having tC perform a certain amount of this labor each year. or eyade it, as you nave described to the committee?
 MT Wickersham - Yes; he can Mr Good
 Mir Good-Is not, therefore, the real danger in permitting one mar 10 locate on an unlimited number oI claims?
 "Mr Wickersham-Yes I think there ought to be some limitation up on that power, and, if you remember I called your attention yesterday tC the thirty-fifth section in the Yukon Territory act British Columbia. which reads:
 No application shall be received for a claim which has not been stalk ed by the applicant in person in the manner set forth in this act; Pro yidcd, that if any person satisfies the mining recorder that he is about 10 undertake a bona tide prospecting trip and files with the mining re corder a power of attorney from any number of persons, not exceeding two, authorizing him to stake claims for them in consideration of theiI having enabled him to make the trip, he may stake one claim in the name of each on any creek upon which he makes a discovery
 T would approve law of that kind, or the substance of it.'
 In the deliberations the same day the Delegate further indicated that ne was perfectly willing to accept the suggestions of the committed when this matter of limitation of stalking was further discussed. Hay ing quoted from Governor Hoggatts report for 1908 in regard to the evils of the association claim and the power of attorney, in which the gov, ernor recommends the enactment of 1907, which would do away with the evil of location by power of attorney and of wholesale locations by indi viduals," MT. Wickersham said:
 T do not disagree with the gov, ernor about that at all, and yet I do not ask the committee to restrain the right of an individual location in my bill. l do ask that the power of attorney be abolished and that the association claim be abolished. But have not asked in the bill that the individual be limited in the number