Evening star., 1913-10-12
m

Alaska like about their representative.
They have been sending him down TO
Congress almost from the time they
were permitted to have any represen-
tative at all. He came first in leoS,
and was reelected in 1910 and 1872
with increased majorities.
Judge kersham-everybody In
Alaska who doesn't call him Jim calls
him iudge-owes his success in life to
that same quality of persistence and
power TO agitate- he Is naturally
crusader All through his life ne mas
been in some movement or other, ana
when he is in a movement he is in 1T
up TO his eyebrows.
Rorn i'm Illinois August 24 1857, and ad-
m!tted to the bar at Springfield In 1885,
he removed to Tacoma, Wash, IN 1895.
when that town, the western terminus Oh
the newly completed Northern Pacific
railway. was in It's first period OF re-
markable growth. Almost at once ne be-
came a figure in public affairs.
Railroad construction had brought
horde of Chinese coolie laborers to the
north coast. They swarmed into the cities
and towns when the railroad was I'M
ished. Against them. as in California in
an earlier day. white labor protested.
The protest. grew to large proportions.
Mass meetings were held. Several towns
decided to drive out all Chinese.
James Wickersham, the young lawyer.
threw himself enthusiastically into the
anti-C Chinese cause. When the people Oh
Tacoma in mass meeting. selected COM
mittee of fifteen to direct the peaceabie
removal of the Chinese from the town, he
was one of the fifteen.
without strife or bloodshed the Chinese
were sent out of Tacoma. and they re-
mained out for twenty years and more.
~, tlx fala NIL fnS aroused.
The territorial governor declared martial
law The committee of fifteen was arrest
ed and thrown into JAIL Mr.. Wickersham
along with the others, He didn't renal
long and the prosecution of the commit
tee of fifteen finally was abated.
At a later period Tacoma divided IN
municipal politics into two camps; one
opposing railroad company controi OF
municipal offices and thS other content
with existing conditions. Naturally MT;
Wickersham on the anti-railroad
side. For several years he was city at
torney. elected on that issue.
Able. intellectual. studious, in the fore
front OF all movements for the better
ment of the city and its people, he be-
came large figure in the community.
Those who had condemned him for his
part i'm the anti-Ch!nese agitation pe-
came his strongest friends because or
the enthusiasm with which he undertook
more worthwhile movements.
For recreation he took up the study OF
Indian life and became recognized
authority on ethnology., Some of MS MS
writings and chronological studies by him
have been printed by the Smithsonian In
stitution.
Klondike was discovered. Thousands
rushed to the northern gold fields. The
Pacific coast blazed with excitement. All
eyes were turned toward the arctic CIR
Gle Thea the beach sands of Nome, ON
Bering sea, were found heavily loaded
with gold. To this newer section went
the whole stampeding lot, with thou
sands of recruits added.
Hurriedly. the United States govern
ment had to provide some sort of a judi
cial system for Alaska. New court divi-
sions were established To one of these
the third-President Mckinley, I'm 1900.
sent James Wickersham as federS:
judge
Into the wild interior. carrying the law
OF Uncle Sam in the shape Of the Re-