The Alaska citizen., 1914-01-26
WONDERFUL CANADA.

Lcslie's Weekly is at it again. This
reactionary sheet which has opposed
every progressive move of the adj
ministration, and which a member of
Wilson'S cabinet declared to be about
the greatest enemy of poular govern
ment in the United States, this Wall
Street echo which advised all working
people to obsequiously follow the pay
envelope, has lately through the mouth
of Edgar Allen Forbes, one of its
writer's who explored the North last
summer from the deck of steamer,
told us what ID lot we have missed
by not being loyal subjects of Kins
George, ruler of England. Canada and
colonies across the sea.
Leslie's says that if Canada owned
Alaska it would be a different coun-
try. 1t doesn't put up any argument.
but it makes some statements which
are perfectly in line with its sickly
policy.
1t will concede, it says, that Ameri
cans have as much brains as Cana
dams, but states that Canadians make
more use of theirs in administering
their western provinces.
Oh. you Forbes! If space would
only permit, what a pleasure it would
Ln nd a
good drubbins Why Americans dis
covered the Yukon for the slow Can
adams They worked the mines. they
nut this wilderness in the ears of the
world, and about all the Canadians
did was to set up government Of
fices, collect royalty and watch a
chance to survey a prospector out of
his location by claiming 1t for the
crown. Every other claim belonged
to the queen, they said
Oh. we know about those dear.
model Canadians. Some day the truth
about conditions that existed in the
klondike in early days will be told
by an American pen. and then you too
will know.
Forbes dwels mostly on the efficien-
cy of Canadas mounted police as com
pared to our marshals. He says that
a single man was sent into the Chi
sana to keep order. and he would have
thought it a great joke had Alaska
sent but one marshal in there to keep
order on the American side.
reason but one man was thought by
Canadians to be necessary to preserve
about 80 per cent of the stampeders
We're Americans. Also, he does not
know that a camp of Alaskan pros
pectors can keep their own order and
did 50 in places years before peace
officer was known. He does not know
that Alaskans are on the average the
most lawabidine people on the face of
the earth. He sees things through
pair of New York glasses.
Forbes says that the trouble with
Alaska is that we lack pride and en-
thusiasm Then he goes on to show
how Canadians do things He in
stances a case in which some Hindus
came on boat to Prince Rupert.
The people did not want them, though
they were British subjects and had az
good right in Prince Rupert as any
one "A delegation of prominent citi-
quietly instructed the dark hued sub
jects of the king not to land; that if
any attempted it they would be beat
en- up" One Hindu asserted his
rights as a British subject and step
ped ashore. He was helped back onto
the boat a few minutes later, beaten
and manned almost beyond recoEn-
ton.
Forbes elorifies this kind of lawless-
ness, We Alaskans are so lost to
pride of this kind, he says. He had
Just finished relating what a law
abiding lot Canadians We're
There is more rot along the same
lines, and then he says that Alaska
might be network of railway lines