The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-05-22
ALASKA MUST
BEPROTECTED
Danger Of Its Falling Into the
Hands Of Trust Is
Great.
~ orr&.uD oxvyNy nnAnc
u. S. SHOULD OWN ROADS
Contention of Delegate Wickersham
Before Senate Committee on
Territories.

Before the Senate Committee on Terri
tories yesterday, Judge Wickersnam'
Delegate from Alaska, closed his argu-
ment In favor OF the government build
ing railways in Glaska. Judge WICKER
sham stated that he thanked the COM
mittee for not following the same pohcy
as did the Territories Committee some
three or four years ago, when unoer
the craftsmanship of Senator Beveridge,
he said, he was not allowed to bring out
facts in regard to the interests of ]. p
Morgan & Co in the Alaska Northern
or Alaska Central Railroad. He de-
scribed the scene when "one Morgan
attorney sat on one side of this very
table and examined another Morgan at
torney on the other side of the table"
Mr.. Wickersham said: Il believe Sem
ator Chamberlain was deceived as to the
character of a bill he introduced in the
last Congress. which provided Tor the
acquisition by the Guggenheim interest
of the litoraI 1t Cordova. The bill as
introduced by Senator Chamberlain, if
passed by the Congress. would have de-
liyered the last remaining chance for
connection in the transportation facili-
ties of Alaska Into the hands of the mo-
nopolists The bill was so drawn that
they would. upon its enactment, control
the finest harbor on the Alaskan coast.
| succeeded in beating this Ubiquitous bill
in the House after il had passed the
Senate"
Senator Chamberlain sat by and lis
tened to the criticism of his bill with
out comment
AIaska's Danger.
He urged the present imminent danger
of Alaska's falling into the hands OF the
great trust interest with their interlock-
ing boards of directors, which make II
almost impossible TO get at the truth in
matters of ownership"
His statement that J. P Morgan & Co.
owned a one-sixth interest in the Alaska
Northern. through their interest in the
Sovereign Bank OF Canada. was denied
by Attorney Patrick and others.
The Morgan attorneys, who testified in
1910. were Mr.. Steele and Mr.. Burch.
Judge wickersham spoke of the great
grants OF land given 10 the Northern
Pacific. and said that, while this was
wise step thirty or forty years ago, 1t
would not be so now.
Senator Walsh disagreed as to the
wisdom of the Northern Pacific grants.
and the witness went on to state that
nowadays conditions are far different
and the government can well AFFORD to
invest its money to the extent of capt.
taIizing at per cent the money now
paId for transportation in Alaska. which
he stated TO be well over 100000 per
annum. There might be added to this
$50, coo paid for transportation of the
mails. and also the great cost Of moving
troops and the probability of vastly in
creased receipts. with me further devel-
opment of the Territory.
Some merriment was caused by Sem
ators Nelson and Chamberlain, who took
pains to explain that they were not on
the committee or were not present when
the committee refused to permit Mr..
Wickersham TO question the representa-
tives of the Morgan and Guggenheim
interests.
The committee took a recess until
Friday. On that day they will listen
to the promised disproof OF the charge
that Richard r. Ryan is the agent Of
the Guggenheims. Ryan is the owner OF
the railway concessions at Controller
Bay, the second best harbor on the coast.
He says that he is not a Guggenheim
man, although his relations with the
smelter firms is well known generally
to be of an intimate if not contractual
character.