The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1910-08-12
''The FOrty-Ninth Star"

In the current number Of weekly,
James Wickersham, delegate in
congress from Alaska, announces his
intention of setting 10 motion at the
earliest possible date the federal
machinery In the interest Of state
hood for Alaska. Delegate Wicker
sham forttties his announcement With
some very interesting and informing
facts which are supplemented by
other writers on the same issue. 1t
will be, however, In all probability a
long time before this great domain
becomes a state. The more probable
eventuaity would ap. ear to be, in
the distant future, many more than
one state carved out Of the imperial
domain which equals 10 extent one
fifth the entire area Of the United
States and ye contains at the present
time only oJe-fifth as many people as
there are in Kansas City, Mo.
These iuteres ting and dramatic
extremes spell long seasons of develop
ment, despite the plausible arguments
advanced for the admission Of Alaska
as state. E would seem that
Arizona and New Mexico had reached
the limit OF desrability in the matter
of numerical population, but each f
these states has more than twice the
1000 credited to Alaska. Yet in
material resources Arizona and New
Mexico combined are barren wastes 10
the desert in comparison with the
marvellous treasures sleeping in the
earth in Alaska, only barely hinted
by the production Of the past few
years
But as the vast size Of Alaska and
its sparsity Of population mean long
delay for development, so do its
almost inexhaustible resources point
the necessity for such development
and lend weight to the conservation
program Of President Taft and his
advisers, Alaska cost censan acre,
CT $7,20s,000 for It's 500, ,44o square
miles of territory. Mr.. Wickersham
points on that it has paid for itself
twenty times over In Dish alone and
twesty- FIVE times over in silver and
gol6. At time when the great
ranges OF the west are being cut up
into productive farms and consumers
are paying in consequence excessive
prices for meat, Alaska has the
greatest cattle and sheep ranges 10
the country. 1t has more gold than
California and Colorado; 1t has more
coal than Pennsylvania, w. Virginia
and Ohio; it has more copper than
Montana and Arizona or chan Miehi-
gan aad Arizona; it has half as much
coal as all the United States put
together; it has more fish than all
other American waters combined.
1t Is one fifth the sjZe of the United
States and has 4,750 miles OF coast
line, as against 6,705 for the whole
United States outside of Alaska.
With only $4,000 population, this
wonderful country, lying in the lati-
tude of Sweden, Norway and Finland,
produces all the vegetables, Crews all
the flowers, raises all the grains of
tn temperate zone and incidentally
"has more chil6ren in actual attend
ance ia It's chools than Mississippi,
Indiana, Michigan, Dakota or the
great territory northwest of the Ohio
river had white. settlers when they
were organized into territories and
given an elective legislative assembly.
Alaska has now a greater population,
according to Delegate Wckersham,
than either CT nine states had when
they were permitted to adopt con-
stitution aud their stars were added
to the flag. Fourteen times as large
as the state of New York, seventy-five
times as large as the state of Kansas
and 470 times as large AS Rhode Isl md,
this marvellous FL Dorado Of the
future lies waiting for the inevitable
day when, as out OF the mighty areas
bonght from France more than
century ago dczen splendid COM
were hewed, other great
states will be formed out OF the
domain that half century ago cost
only abogt half as much as has
already been spent on the Kansas
City union depot. Kansas City :
Journal