The Detroit times., 1911-09-15
ALASKA WANTS j. S.
TO DEVELOP RICH
GOAL FIELDS
They Express Themselves To Score
tary Of the Interior Fisher, Who
Il Making Tour of the Northern
Territory.
Official Is Going Through All Kinds
of Hardships To Gain First
! Hand knowledge.

bEWARD, Alaska, sept. lo.-Secre-
tary Of the Interior Fisher has seen
and talked with virtually all the pop
ulation of Alaska on the coast from
Ketchikan to Kenaie Peninsula, more
fhan q thousand miles. He inspected
Controller Bay, assembled Boring river
in an Indian canoe carved from a sim
gle tree, but provided with an excel
lent gasoline engine. He mushed over
long hard trails TO the coal fields and
| climbed Mt. Carbon To get a compre-
hensive view OF the whole district Az
. ter being put ashore In a so mile gale,
which made II impossible either to
board the revenue cutter or TO cross
the dangerous bar at Katalia, he final
ly reached shelter at midnight more
thoroughly drenched and better sup
. piled with Alaskan experience than
any other cabinet minister In history.
At Cordova he took the Cooper Riv,
er and Northwestern Railway and
made 200 mile trip into the interior.
seeing wonderful mining districts and
inspecting experimental farms which
hold out the promise OF future agri-
cultural greatness. On this trip he saw
two OF the biggest things In Alaska
Childs' Glacier and the Bonanza cop.
per mine. He also inspected the en-
tire length OF the Morgan-Guggenheim
railroad, built at a cost of twenty mil
lions. yet only on the infancy Of It's
development
From Valdez he went by blackboard
through the famous keystone canyon
and Is miles over the government trail
20 Fairbanks.
At typical roadhouse he ate big
dinner composed exclusively OF Alas
kan products. Here for the first and
last 9aIhe on his trip he drank milk
produced by real cows. Sailing up the
Resurrection Bay he reached Seward.
named after the statesman who first
had the vision OF the Alaska that Is
to be. At Seward he took the Alaska
Northern for another trip into the In
terror to the shores OF Turnagain Arm,
where a dinner OF moose, mountain
sheep and goat with Alaska vegetables
and berries awaited him. Then he
turned back to Skagway and went
over the White Pass and Yukon rail-
road to get glimpse OF the Yukon
country.
This completed comprehensive
trip which will give the Taft admins
tration the benefit Of first hand infor-
nation about territory which has be-
come for the time the greatest prob
lem OF American statesmanship. To
say that Secy. Fisher Is pleased with
Alaska Is putting II mildly. He real
Tres its immense value to the nation
and the importance Of adopting such
policies as shall of>en It's resources to
the use OF the masses. Most keenly
does he realize that in the settlement
OF the coal question prompt action is
essential to protect the interests of
.the' country.
One thing has certainly been &C
complished by his visit and exceeding.
ly frank talks to the large audiences
that greeted him at every point. Alas
ka now knows that there are two
sides to the question and that nothing
whatever Is to be gained by further
persistence In mere destructive criti-
cisms OF the other.
Stop talking about what happened
yesterday" says the secretary. What
Is the thing to do today. That is the
question" So he has said every
where. He has made II plain that pub
lie opinion In the United States will
never consent to reproduce in Alaska
either the conditions Of monopoly or
the labor conditions which We have in
Pennsylvania and the coal mining re-
gions. Often Alaskans have insisted
that capital should be permitted to en-
Joy the same opportunities here as In
the States and he has told them:
You should be the very last to de.
mand that mistakes made elsewhere
should be repeated in Alaska"
Again and again he has declared
that the choice lies between private
operation under public regulation by
means OF leasing system and direct
operation OF mines by the government
with coal at actual cost. While he
has explained and defended the leas-
Ing system against almost universal
opposition, and has undoubtedly given
II standing which II did not have
before, the growing sentiment in Alas
ka Is for government mines, railroads,
docks anG steamships, provided there
Is prospect that such policy may
be adopted without delay. To the last
moment Secretary Fisher has kept his
mind open to the reception of new
facts, and refused to commit himself
on the question OF policy. He de-
nounced as lie widely circulated
statement to the effect that HIS mind
was made up before coming to Alaska:
that no patents to coal lands would
be granted, and that he would consfd-
er nothing but leasing. He has kept
HIMSELF free to urge that policy which
In his Judgment will best serve the
needs of the whole community by
which he means not merely Alaska,
btt the United States as well.
while realizing the great value of
Alaska coal, Secretary Fisher thinks
the Boring Field at least has been ex.
aegerated After inspecting Control
Ter Bay, he sees no reason to take any
different view from that which was
presented In the message OF President
TAFT.
| In other words, he does not consider
that Il is either the best or the only
outlet for Bering coal that the Ryan
claims present in instance OF actual
Tor possible monopoly, nor that Contro
Ter Bay is more than a possible hsr.
Dor which might be improved and
maintained and at large expense.
Secretary Fisher has made strong
Impression on Alaska as a straight.
square dealing man. Everywhere the
talk is heard that II he succeeds In
dealing with the question on lines ap-
plicable TO monopoly In the United
States. Ia NAV become n efrono nroaf \