The Harrison times., 1911-01-21


nomics will recall that he was the man
who throughout the debate In the SEN
ate on the Payne-Aldrich tariff Dill sat
at Aldrich's right hand and furnish
ed all the references and documents
which that eminent champion OF the
protected interests had need of in con-
ducting his fight on the floor. The
| connection between Aldrich, Smoot,
Guggenheim and the interests Is OBJ
vious and notorious.
To Exempt Railroad From Taxation.
Now the Guggenheims own this rail-
road running from harbor In south
ern Alaska, one of the three harbors
| free from ice at all seasons Of the
year, up to the coal deposits which
are declared to be greater than those
of Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois COM
bined. The Smoot bill exempts this
railroad from taxation of any sort, and
not merely the railroad company, but
all the railroad property which 1t may
hereafter acquire. In moment OF
moderation Senator Smoot limited
these exemptions to a period OF ten
years. 1t is perfectly obvious that
this railroad owned by the Guggen-
helms can proceed to acquire under ex-
listing laws the ships which carry coal
or copper from Alaska to San Fran
cisco or Seattle, and they, too, would
! Ao aithnr tayatinn IL
cense fee. AS a piece of special priv
ilege to be conferred upon family
group of millionaires who already prac-
tically dominate the Alaska situation
this is perhaps unprecedented.
Asks Water Front Monopoly.
But this measure Of Senator Smoot
is not all of the story. Like most min
ing countries, Alaska is made up Of
a series of comparatively narrow can
yons which furnish the only entrances
to the mining district. The Guggen-
helm road controls the one through
which the Copper river runs and pos
sesses already right Of way 200 feet
wide which at some points is practically
the entire width Of the gorge, That
gives 1t a reasonable monopoly, if any
monopoly can be reasonable, of that
particular gateway to tidewater, But
no monopolist was ever quite salts
fed The only harbor from which can
be shipped the output of these enor-
nous coal fields without interruption
through the winter season Is Cordova.
Another bill, introduced so quietly that
hardly anybody had noticed 1t, gives
to this same Guggenheim road right
of way along the water front Of Cordo-
va, also 200 feet wide and covering
such a number Of miles that the road
will be able to fence in the town as
against any possible competitor,
Owning the transportation facilities,
all the wharfage, If this bill should
pass, and the steamship lines; and fur.
ther, If according to the benevolent
proposition of Senator Smoot, they
should be exempt from taxation even
for the limited term Of ten years, the
Guggenheims would practically own
the territory of Alaska.
judge Wckersham on Guard.
Out of this situation may spring ac.
ton of great good to Alaska Its peo.
pie thus far have no srmblance of self.
government In all probability its
population Is more purely American
than that of any state tn the Union
but It is governed as arc the Filipinos
by q bureaucracy at Washington, and
by officials appointed from the capital
without any consideration of their
knowledge of It's needs. LIS present
, governor was a newspaper reporter
here a few years ago. and Is Said to
be merely a figurehead taking L"ders
from those who secured his app Iint
, ment. Practically It's only elective Of
J ficer is its present delegate to EN-
gress, Judge James Wickersham. M
Wickersham describes himself as mere
. ly legalized lobbyist, having a voice
but no vote in congress, which Is OF
course the fact. But he watches with
, an eye trained in the clear cold all
Of that great northwest territory ol
ours for just such raids as that con
J templated by the Smoot resolution OF
by the endeavor OF the Guggenheims
to steal the water front. All he car
: do is to argue before the commltte
on territories, or with individual mem
bers Of congress. That he does with
sincerity that proves convincing
This Is the way he talked to me the
other day about. this latest grab
Would Give Guggenhelms Control.
81 think that this is about the
smoothest gum shoe effort that the
Guggenheims have yet made in the di
rection Of controlling the Alaska coal
fields. If made effective, It would give
them entire control and ownership of
the water front in front of the only
harbor through which the coal from
the Katalla and Behring river coal
fields could be shipped, They would
be In a smaller way in the position Of
the owners of railroad that could con.
troll the entire water front of Chi