The Alaska citizen. (Fairbanks, Alaska) 1910-1917, 1911-09-04

points from which the railroads would
Men owning copper mines and other metal mines
planned to get coke from the coal fields and build
smeters. and make the metal mines then valueless.
productive Great smelling cities like Butte would
have been built But all this enterprise stopped.
and the hundreds of men that working in the
various coal fields building cabins, choppiug trails
driving tunnels. packing their supplies upon their
back. have been waiting. waiting. waiting and
stiIl nothing is accomplished
The order did affect til. coal claimants
alone It strangcd the development of The whole
terri DRY: its growth was stopped The decade
ending in the year 1900 showed an increase in
population of the territory Of ~ per cent; for
the decade ending 1910 the growth was less than >
per cent.
The people OF Seattle are seriously affected
as the people Alaska. At this very moment
there is probably than forty millions of dol
lars ready for investment in railroads and mines
in Alaska upon the opening Of the coal fields. This
money would pass through this city. What a
stimulus it would give to business What an en-
pre it would open, Why, Alaska is one of the rich
est mineral countries in all the world. if not the
richest.
In Mexico in the last o. years there has been
thousand million dollars OF American capital in
vested chiefly in mines and railroads They have
fifteen thousand miles of railroad in that country.
Alaska is nearly la sc Mexico. and fully a.
rich in minerals and Of excellent value agriculture
ally. Al least five thousand miles of railroad
needed in Alaska and capital stands ready TO
build the roads without a cent OF subsidy There
are less than five hundred miles of raroad there
now. all struggling Tor exist ence and importing fuel
10 operate their engines or using wood al enor-
prices.
The trade OF Alaska is fifty million dollars a
year It will grow to five hundred million if the
people will but open il up No subject can possibly
lee # greater importance Seattle for the trade
Of Alaska flows TO and fro thr ugh Seattle sand.
through the center OF he hour-slass Il is import
ant to the whole nation.
When president was elected who had been
Judge and who knew the law and was ia
miliar with the rules OF justice. the people OF
Alaska took hope and said Nov this coal
business will be surely settled" | myself Went TO
Washington. and there the time ii the in
auSG:a ion and less than week afterward applied
at tn interior department and got hearing, which
lasted two days. The governor of Alaska was With
me and the delegate of Alaska with and
we tried to show and think We did show. the in
justice that being done the country. We
made it clear that the development of the country
was being strangled by the order the former
president suspending the coal law. We showed
that the order Illegal, begged that in justice
and possible the order should be con
that the men who had applied to purchase coal
lands be issued their patents. and that other men
who desired purchase other lands be permitted
t. make their applications, That was in March,
1909, and this is May 1911. and not a thing has
been done No. this is mistake. something has
been done. Instead of canceling that illegal order
instead Of correcting the injustice a new order
has been issued ratifying and confirming the form
e and clinching it upon us.
The very first congress that assembled after
the new president inauguraed was requested
NOT TO revoke the illegal order and to provide
proper punishment against such a thing being done
again, But a special message was sent requesting
sdered The orders. and there was argument and
debate. 1t finally passed bill in June 1910 bur
did not ratify and confirm the illegal order will
take risk of firing YOU by reading what they did
The president may. any time. in his dscre-
ton temporarily withdrew from settlement loca-
ton sale entry any of the public land Of the
United States, including the District of Alaska and
reserve the same for waterpower sites. irrigation.