The Detroit times., 1911-05-19
TEA PARTY QUE TO-
NEGLECT BY j. S..
Detroit Woman Receives Letter,
Describing Raid on Coal Docks
at Cordova, Alaska.

WIS. ~. tOoNJ W. 800 hlGAaA-
drine'aye. west, has received a letter
from MRS Q, p. Nicholson. OF Cor
dova, Alaska, formerly OF Indian
apolis. Ind, who was an eye witness
of the throwing OF British coal into
the Cordova harbor. an incident
which Is compared to the Boston tea
party.
Mrs. Nicholson says that the out
break was not inspired by the Gug.
genheims, as has been stated, but was
a protest against the neglect of Alas.
ka by the United States government.
Her letter reads:
Long before this letter reaches
YOU. you Will have read OF the giving
away OF our feelings here In Cordova.
As an eyewitness To an event second
only TO the Boston tea party, | must
say that the spirit of progress IL not
dead. The other afternoon the Cor
dovans showed themselves to a man
to be no longer willing to tolerate In
justice, the like or which has never
been known In the United States
since our American revolution.
"A better time could not have been
chosen. The United States marshal
was out OF town, There was no boat
In the harbor, only lone Waterman,
and there was that huge pile of for
eign coal. When the signal was CIV
en-. men, hundreds of them, yes, and
women, gathered at the dock, al or
derby crowd, yet determined. Men
and women worked shoulder to
shoulder, and as each shovel scraped
up the coal, then splashed II into the
placid waters of Prince William
sound, there arose a cheering which
would awaken George Washington
and his noble followers and the dull
echoing from the mountains across
the way made each man feel that he,
too. was applauding the good work,
The news soon spread Special
deputies were sworn In and appeared
on the scene, not, however, until ton
after ton OF King Georges coal was
dumped into the sound--coal that is
costing good, honest American citizens
from $l5 TO SIC ton, here on Ameri-
can soil, where there Is supposed to
be no taxation without representation,
and good American coal right here
at our very door.
And these rioters? Why, human,
every one OF them-professional men,
men I'm every line OF business, and
not the riff-raff of a Coxey's army, or
as no doubt will be supposed by some
of the conservators, Guggenheim
agent. Pioneers of this great coan-
try; men who have blaZed the trails,
endured untold hardships, and women
who have shared these hardships;
wives, mothers and sisters. These
men and women, most OF them, have
spent the best years OF their lives In
prospecting for this country's wealth;
established themselves here In Cor.
dova from the proceeds of their little
stake, erected comfortable homes,
feeling all along that Uncle Sam
would at least act fairly by them. and
Just because one man, or several men,
failed TO live up TO the laws, all must
suffer. The coal is the one essential
thing necessary for the development
OF this great country. Without 1t, we
are no better off than wagon with
out Its four wheels--we can't move
one way or the other.
Il think In letters this winter told
you of the gold quartz and copper
properties that are, and have been,
located around here Coal, as fuel.
will play an important part In Its de-
velopment Many poor prospector
will welcome II. | am personally &C
quainted with many OF this class who
have ben hanging on for several
years, living from hand TO mouth.
waiting, like Micawber, for something
to turn up. Unless that something
turns up, there is no telling what will
happen.
ION the streets they talk of a body
Of men opening up the land and defy
ing the government Over In Katalla
four next door neighbor), the other
night, a mass meeting was held and
Pinchot and Roosevelt were burned In
efigy. Here the coal fields are with.
in a stones throw Of their back door,
still the people must pay $21.75 a ton
for coal This coal Is merely slack.
and when we must poke and poke In
coal all the time. you can well
imagine what a fuel bill will amount
to each month, to say nothing of the
lovely temper the housewife has Gull
uvated
During the past couple Of weeks,
mass meetings have been held here
and elsewhere in the territory. Dis