The Ordway new era., 1912-04-19

way Is an important port, but iB main.
ly used In winter Us the starting point
for Dawson, which Is in Canada, and
not In Alaska. as many Americans
seem to think. These three seaports
are the natural termini for railroads
TO tho interior. and the only places
where the commerce of the country
could be handled cheaply and success
fully. Cordova il easily the railroad
center OF all Alaska, having more
than 200 miles OF track connected
with the terminals on the coast The
-Guggenhelm syndicate op-
crates the road and gives pretty de-
cent service. A man can take his
camp equipment In "a hours to inter-
ior points that before the advent OF
the road required months OF unremit-
ting toll to reach.
While railroad transportation Is the
great problem In Alaska. the building
OF roads and trails. especially wagon
roads. is of great importance. In
country Of such magnificent distances
rs Alaska claims. where much OF the
road.building must OF necessity be IN
mountainous districts. the expense OF
constructing highways Is enormous.
And the system of construction SO far
employed has been piecemeal. UP
to date the Alaska road commits
sion has been handicapped for means
to do the work necessary to meet the
demands of settlements let alone TO
build feeders out into the country
where the demand for roads Is strong
and continuous.
Good Roads Draw People.
In the building Of roads and trails
in Alaska Americans have much to
learn from the Canadians, whose work
in the Dawson country has put the
average American road to Shame.
There Is but little II any difference
between the country on the American
side OF an imaginary line and that on
the side Of the Canadians. yet in the
roads alone there is difference enough
to designate the flag under which the
work was done. On the Canadian
side there are more people. drawn
largely by the fact that they can trav-
ell, than there are on the side of the
United States, and on one side is
we'll drained. smooth road with mini
mum grades. fit for automobile traffic.
while on the American side strips Of
mud and rocks and roots are ruinous
to mans body and soul. The Cana
dians have realized the need of per
manent development. while the Amer
lean has merely reached out for ex-
ploitation and profit.
When Americans and the United
States congress get In as close touch
with Alaska and her needs as have
Canadians and the Canadian parlia-
ment with the needs of Canadian Alas
ka, then will come the end of Alaska's
troubles. For at the bottom of 1t all
is ignorance. Ignorance Of It's i'm
mense area; ignorance of its climate,
varied and peculiar though 1t may be:
ignorance Of its resources aside from
gold and coal: ignorance of its i'm
portance In the commerce of the
world. and. worst Of all. ignorance of
its people. The most widespread and
Injurious misconceptions are probably
those regarding the climate and the
people. The generally accepted no.
ton Is that Alaska Is a land of per-
petual snow and ice. Inhabited mainly
by Eskimo. while the facts are that
not one-thrd of the area of American
Alaska Is within the arctic circle. and
that the majority of the population is
white, a sturdy mixture Of the best
elements of the Caucasian race. In
other words, the people Of Alaska are
of the same stock as those who built
Oregon, Washington and California,
that sturdy class which has ever been
in the forefront of pioneering since
the days of Plymouth Rock.
These people have troubles. but the
greatest obstacle to progress is lack
of transportation. And the solution
is easy-money and brains.