Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-10-30
Robert "A. McWada,
Bismarck TriUnEe Washington bureau
WASHINGTON, Oct. Got is /;

Bismarck TnDuEe Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON, Oct. 30.-lt is an
open secret that the army authorities
are holding cOniabs oyer thu old prop
osltion To Withdraw our sold or. from
farof Alaska, where the only need for
.hen,. they aiiege. is 10 Glraish a 20
lic- force 10 cueli local disorders, or
lik. trivial ~.ioubles; an they add that
the TACT tina. navigation 10 Alaska Is
closed for several months at q time
renders the part OF the army on ser
vice there Of no avail for general mil
itary purposes.
Some OF the authorities believe that
the time ma s come TO relieve the army
from this police duty, and that a force
OF conctabulary should be organized
and charged with the policing OF the
territory. For the purpose Of still fur.
ther making Alaska naked OF Uncle
Sans efficient soldiery, and thus rem
dering this magnificent stretch OF ter
rItory easy OF invasion and capture
by any enemy, Japanese or German, II
has been recommended that the two
companies OF the L. S. Signal corps
now serving In Alaska In charge OF
the telegraph lines and radio-telegraph
stations shall also be withdrawn, and
the lines and stations turned over to
the civil authorities.
The signal corps has performed its
work in frozen Alaska most efficiently,
and it has placed the telegraph sys-
tenn of that territory on 4 sound finan.
..of hortg sssrtn cvC.nrn &c ~ rnprca
essentially non-military," say the mil.
itary quldnuncs who are pushing this
queer idea, land there does not APP
pear to be any reason why the signal
corps should be continued in charge,
particularly when there is need for
more than the authorized number OF
signal corps companies for strictly
military work"
They add that the proposed con-
stabulary should do the police work,
and the territorial government should
take iull charge Of the telegraph bust
ness. II a ~constabulary as efficient as
the northwest mounted police of Can
ada could be developed, it would do
much to preserve law and order in
Alaska, and release the troops for
their proper military duties.
Those military authorities" forget
apparently that Canada has a splend-
id military force. which r%einforces in
every way the ardous and life-sacrific-
ing work OF the celebrated Canadian
mounted police; and in their plans for
Alaska they make no provision what.
ever for safeguarding that great and
highly profitable territory from for.
eigp invasion.
1t isn't quite generally known that
we are in the habit OF buying hun
dreds of thousands of dollars worth
of t%orpedoes every year from the
tight little island, and that the White
head torpedoes are an essential part
of the equipment Of many of our little
mosquito war craft, some times called
torpedoe flyers. but generally known
as tor%pedoe.boats. The United States
Navy has a contract, however, with
a Brooklyn concern for furnishing tor
pedoes at $4,000 apiece. They are a
rather costly luxury; they surely do
come high-but we must have them.
1t is estimated that 1t costs Il gov
eminent about $4,000 apiece for the
torpedoes that Uncle Sam makes him.
self. but the odd 5000 which he throws
away every time that he p%atrOnizes
the Brooklyn concern goes to help
trade and support democratic voters
in Brooklyn, a town which, by the
way, doesn't believe in q protective
tariff.
Something oyer 100000 is to be
spent by our naval authorities this
fiscal year on torpedoes, of which
about one-half will be used in their
manufacture at the naval torpedo sta.
ton at Newport, the handsome re-
mainder going to the purchase of tor
pedoes in Brooklyn and England.
II Congressman Warburton OF
Washington has his way, the coming
session of congress will see returned
to plague smokers md other users OF
tobacco the old time internal revenue
tax on tobacco, which was taken off in
1879. This Bull Moose Rooseveltian
does not strike hands with his friend,
Governor Wilson, for the latter insists
that AL necessarics of life should
60 on the free list.," meaning there
by all farm products. including sugar
and wool. The free list bill vetoed by
President Taft removed all duties
from meats, cereals, -four, asricul.
tu1al implements, timber, etc. but
whilst Warburton differs with Wilson