The Alaska daily empire., 1913-09-15
FAIRBANKS TIMES ASSAILS ROYCE.
 %

THE Fairbanks Times also pro
 tests against the misrepresenta
 ton of Alaska by w. D. Boyce, the Chicago publisher It rightfully comedies him the right to oppose gov ernment aid Ot railroads in Alaska, but 1t, also rightfuny. protests that he has no right to say that the people of Alas ha oppose it. The Times is correct m it's premise and conclusion. Mir. Boyoe did not make good use of his opportunity to get the sentiment of the people of Alaska, or he counts all except some of those engaged in the transportation business or in promot- ing transportation companies as fail ures. or he IS guilty of deliberate mis- representation. In any even, he is not correctly representing actual con diuous here.
 The Fairbanks Times, speaking of Mr. Boyce. says:
 ..It Was not to be expected that all ol the members of the Seattle Cham ber of Commerce excursion who wis ued Alaska during the early summer would return to their homes with iden- ticauy the same impressions of the country through which they passed rather hurriedly. It Is seldom that a large body of men agree entirely upon any one subjecr, and il is not in the least surprising to learn that there is a diversity of opinion among the eX- cursIonists regarding the policy best suited to the rapid development of Alaska.
 We do not question the right of the visitors to think as they please. Their impressions of the North are their own, and no one in Alaska will deny them the privilege of giving voice to those impressions, so long as they talk truthfully of what they have seen. But We do not want the excursionists e. , 4.,4 .,,.,,,,,r ri,ofr frior.{g on md n, is, represent us, as Mir. ". D. BOyce, the Chicago publisher did at a banquet which he attended shortly after his return to the Outside. The excursion ists were invited to visit Alaska in or der that they might obtain information frst-haud and talk about the country ntelligently afterwards in order that they might correct some of the wrong impressions which have been created by irresponsible writeLs and lecturers who never set foot in the Territory.
 MT Boyce is opposed to federal aid for Alaska railroads, and on that point We have no quarrel with him since he is within his rights in be Heying as he does. But when he says that Alaskans do not want the govern ment to build railroads for them he is getting away from the truth, and We take issue with him. He could not possibly have gained that impression on his trip, for Alaskans are a unit on the question of government rail roads They all want Uncle Sam to build the roads, and they want him to operate the road, after they are built, as Mir. Boyce would have learned quickly enough had he listened less at tentiye to railroad promoters and more attentiyely to the real residents of the NOrth-the men and women who have made the Territory what it is today and who will make it what it ought tC be if the government will give then the right sort of assistance.
 The successful of Alaska do no want any government aid,' said Mir BOyce, but the failures are clamorine for it. Alaska will get along all righ if the lid is taken off this conserva tion business and the people there giv en chance to make good
 "The residents of Interior Alaska according to Mir. BOyce, aer all fail ures."