The Alaska sourdough., 1911-09-26
Home Office, Old Methodist Church Building, Douglas, Alaska. Tel. 36.
SEQUESTERING A SECRETARY

A few days after the steamship ship Sampson had proceeded north with Governor Clark and Secretary Fisher on board, there appeared in the Dis patch an anonymous communication from Ketchikan, the burden of which was that the people of that place had been defeated in an attempt to present certain unnamed grievances to the wis iting cabinet officer, and that this de- feat had been aided and abetted by the governor of the territory.
 As the Dispatch remarks, in a recent issue, the communication caused more or less discussion. It is only fair to say, however, that nearly all those who discussed it with the editor of this pa per, wondered just what it meant, and just what had happened at Ketchikan.
 The editor of this paper believes that the only way to publish paper in this country is to publish it for the subscribers. The vast majority of the the advertisers are independent, and will, ultimately, place their advertis ing with reference to the merits of publications as an advertising medium, and therefore give the largest patron age to the publication with the largest number of readers, and not on account of it's editorial policy.
 So far as an editorial policy is in strumental in gaining readers, the Sourdough believes there is only one which will win in the end, and that is the policy of telling the truth.
 In the last issue of the Sourdough, there appeared an editorial in commen- dation of Governor Clark The sole reason of that editorial was that the editor of this paper believed that he deserved it on account of what he has done, but if anyone imagines that this paper is definitely committed to the policy of commenting Go. Clark or any body elese, without regard to his official course or conduct, they have very much 
 policy of this paper. Like Emerson, the Sourdough believes that consisten- cy is hobgoblin of little minds. The Sourdough would have been glad to have given an editorial opinion of the Ketchikan incident at the time if it had been sufficiently advised as to the facts.
 It must be admitted, however, that the communication in question was long on eloquence and conclusion, and short on logic and facts, however just how uncertain the grievance may have been. The details of this conspiracy against the ear of the secretary would make an exceedingly interesting story. It is difficult to see, and interesting to know, how the secretary, who, the writer of the Dispatch letter says, made an impression on the communi- ty of being honest and sincere in his wish to better conditions, employing his efforts to correct such abuses as he can discover" could have been So thor oughly and scrupulously guarded, as to prevent anyone getting the ear of the secretary, and that too, without the secretary's suspecting it.
 When distinguished visitor arrives in large city, cordon of police is thrown about the gang plank, extend ing from the rail to the carriage On the dock. If that could be done in Alas ka, the sequestration of the secretary might have been accomplished without any particular cleverness. Nobody be- lieves, however, that that was done at Ketchikan It is morally certain that the secretary walked off the gang plank, and accompanied by his com panions, sauntered about the town in much the same fashion that Treadwell