The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1912-04-27

AOOntluuSu llOil Last lsSutsD
when they can not get around on land
in that vast territory? 1t is almost
as difficult for people to travel in
Alaska without transportation faclli-
ties as II is to travel on the Atlantic
ocean without a boat. Give Alaska
decent transportation and you will
find that our people in the United
States will not be selling their farms
in Iowa, in Minnesota and in the Da-
kotas and other states and taking
their families, their money, their
possessions and going to Canada.
They will go to Alaska. But they can
not get around there now, because
Alaska has very little transportation
except water transportation. We have
no transportation in southwestern
Alaska save one railroad running
from Cordova up to a copper mine
Alaska wants more railroads through
this great country.
Resurrection bay in southwestern
Alaska is one Of the great harbors
of the world. All the fleets of the
Pacific can ride safely at anchor in
Resurrection bay and be invulnerable
to attack. 1t is the greatest harbor
in the north Pacific.
II anything should happen to our
north Pacific fleet it would have no
port to make nearer than San Fran
cisco, or Pearl harbor in the Hawai-
ian islands. The fleet could not sail
into Puget sound 1t would not sue
coed in getting through the Straits
of Juan de Fuca. Resurrection bay
is 1900 miles nearer the orient than
either San Francisco or Seattle or
Puget sound, and it is the best place
in the north Pacific for this govern
ment to have place Of safety in case
of accident on the north Pacific
ocean.
The people of the United States,
for their own protection and for their
own welfare, should build a railroad
from Resurrection bay to the inter
ior Of Alaska, opening up this won
derful Kuskokwim valley Then the
people who leave our country to bet
ter their condition will go to Alaska
and settle there. They will go up
there and cultivate the ground and
till the soil. They will develop the
agricultural resources of the country
They will take advantage Of the cat
tie ranges and produce enough meat
to supply the wants Of the people Of
our country. They will produce min
eral wealth beyond the dreams Of
avarice. A railroad from Cook inlet
to Fairbanks, opening up these won
derful valleys, would also open up the
greatest coal fields on this continent
the Matanuska coal fields.
Here are millions of acres of the
finest anthracite coal on earth, and
of the best bituminous coal in the
world. The government could pay
the expenses of the railroad every
year by mining it's own coal for the
use of the Pacific fleet
The government of the United
States pays SIS ton for coal at
Nome. 1t pays in southwestern Alas
ka s12 a ton, and in southeastern Alas
ka 81 or IS a ton. The government
buys that coal at Norfolk or Newport
News and transports it all the way
around South America. 1t transports
that coal in foreign ships, flying for
eign flags, and manned by foreign
seamen. Every year the government
pays for the coal of its Pacific fleet
and the revenue cutter service and
its other agencies on the Pacific
coast a sum of money amounting to
millions OF dollars. If that money
was utilized to build a railroad 1t
would begin to pay profit the first
day it was in operation, and in ten
years would pay the government back