Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1913-01-16
ALASKA THE TEST?
GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP OF
RAILROADS MAY BE TRIED
IN THE TERRITORY.
COMMISSION TO REPORT SOON
May Recommend Purchase of the
Alaskan Northern, but Conserva-
tionists Assert This Would Be Poor
Road With Which to Start.
By GEORGE CLINTON

Road With Which to Start.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.
Washington.-Is Uncle Sam to con
slider the construction, ownership and
operation Of railroads in the territory
or Alaska? The question probably viii
be answered in a few days, and if the
ship and operation shall prove a sue
cess, there are congressman in Wash
lngton willing to say that the step
frst taken in the territory may lead
later to a record step to be taken in
the states. This simply goes to show
that the question Of government own
eFshlp Of the transportation facilities
IS still occupying the attention Of the
law makers of the land
Last August President Taft ap-
pointed what is known as the Alas
kan railroad commission. Its duties
have been to study the question of
railroads in Alaska with a possible
view to the recommendation of gov
eminent ownership, a subject which
has been a medium of debate, charge
and counter charge and bitter discus
sion in the committee rooms and on
the floors of congress for years.
The members of the commission
who will report on the subject are
Maj j. J. Morrow, q. S. A, chairman;
Alfred III. Brooks Of the geological
survey and one of the authorities on
Alaskan subjects; Leonard M Cox.
civil engineer, United States navy, and
Colin MacRae 1ngersoll of New York,
civil engineer in. private practice. The
committee has been at work on its
report for month and the last pages
OF 1t are being prepared for the printer.
Position of ConservatIonisrs.
Some time ago Secretary of the In
terror Fisher recommended that the
government buy the Alaskan Northern
railroad and extend it to the Manta-
nuska coal fields. 1t seems likely that
the report of the commission will deal
largely with this phase of the trans
portation problem. If the committee
supports Mr.. Fishers position it is be-
1ieved in Washington that the whole
Alaska controversy may be reopened
and that the conseryationists will re-
start their fight. The purchase of the
particular line mentioned they think
in itself is good thing, but believe
that It would be bad railroad to start
with on government purchase ven
ture.
The conservationists hold that the
purchase of the Alaska Northern rail-
road would take the government into
practically virgin territory and would
leave the rest of the country to the
exploitation Of the Guggenheim syn
dictate, whose operations around Con-
troller bay and in the coal field lying
to the north Of it would continue I'M
molested. The conservationists add
that the Alaska Northern railroad
purchase would be a tactical error
xa6 instead of Strengthening federal
territory actually would weaken the
movement for such control.
There is a story here to the effect
that some years ago the Canadian
bondholders who controlled the Alas
kan Northern sent an engineer out to
examine the II miles of track which
then had been laid and to report on
the wisdom of the extension of the
road to the coal fields. It is said that
this engineer said that the road was
ell conceived" and waste Of money.
The bondholders dropped the road and
it went into bankruptcy after having
cost something like S5,000,000. Later
it was sold for 100000 at a United
States marshals sale. Now it is said
that the present owners are willing
to sell it to the government.
Booher Convict Labor Bill.
4 hearing is about to begin be-
fore a subcommittee Of the SEN
ate committee on Judiciary on a
bill which opens up again the old
question of state rights. The bill was
introduced by Representative Charles
T. Booher, Democrat, of Missouri, and
it is known as the convict labor bill.
If it is passed its effect will be to pre-
vent the importation into any state
where convict labor for the markets
is forbidden, OF convict goods manu-
featured in other states where convict
labor for the markets is allowed.
There is going to be a fight over
this bill and the details of the argu-
ments pro and con and the influences
which are said to be back of the oppo-
sition to the bill can be given without
prejudice one way or the other One
of the strongest advocates Of the pas
sage of the Booher measure says
that it would affect intimately and
Immediately the welfare of an army
Of working girls in hundreds OF gar
| ment factories throughout the cour
try; of q hundred thousand innocent
wives and children of conVicts who
are being punished by society for no
fault OF their own; 1t would open the
way to reformation of host of per-
| sons who are nothing more than pri-
vate slaves of private personal con-
| tractors; and, finally, it would end,
| once and for all time, the hundred
| years war that has been waging be-
| tween free labor and convict labor
| in this country
| 1t is held by the advocates of the
measure that the great evil of convict
made goods is that they compete di-
| rectly with goods made by so-caIled
! free labor It is said that under pres
! ent conditions goods made under the
To Photograph Northern Lights.
a new camera for photogra phing the