Iditarod pioneer., 1914-06-13
Wickersham Seeks Office

years.
 Wickersham Seeks Office
 During the last months of Gales term it became known that he was not to run again, and Wickersham, then off the fed eral bench but a short time, determined to seel, the office.
 As was made public later, he supposedly sought the aid of the Guggenheim inter ests, which at that time were building the railroad from Cordova Instead of re spending to his apparent solicitation for help, the men then in charge of the Gug- genheim interests in Alaska opposed his candidacy and united in the support of John Carson, the Republican candidate.
 Not receiving the support of the inter 1 est5 in Alaska, WcSersham incorporated in his platform a promise to work for the construction of government railroad from tiQevater to the interior. He was elected by an overwhelming majority and immedi- ateIy began his work for the Alaska rail way bill, which, in addition to filling his campaign promises, served to even matters up with the Guggenhems.
 ! Wickersham made but little progress dur | ing his first term, and in order to forestalI his reelection, the Guggenheim forces, ia the campaign for his second term, put forth ! every effort to defeat him, supporting the regular Republican nominee, Ed S. Orr
 Not content with throwing thcjr sup | port to the opposition candidate the Gug genheim men made public confidential cor responGence which had passed between | themselves and Wicker.ham, where the lat ter in refly to a proposition, hA3 named the terms under which he would act a, their general counsel in Seattle-I2 900 d 1 year, to be exact
 Reelected After Bitter Fight
 Again he was elected, after the most bit ter campaign ever conducted in Alaska, and he returned to Washington to resume work on his Alaska railroad bill
 Inspired with confidence by the support which he received from the public in Alaska and several members of congress, and with i the memories of the treatment he bad re- i ceiycd from the GUggenheims Wickorsnam 1 worked day and night in the interests of his railroad bill That the bill is now law is due largely to the poor judgmen, dis i played by the political henchmen of the Guggenhems in Alaska. Had they vup. ported Wickersham in his first campaign probably he would have been friendly to l them. and the government railroad in Alaska, which probably will detrac. from the value of the Copper River & North western railway, might never have been in troduced
 The route of the proposed railroad which, according to the Wickersham bill, IS absolutely in the hands of the President is the one big question now worrying l Alaskans
 There are five possible routes which the government may follow in the construction | their starting points Seward, Port Wells 1 Valdez, Cordova and Haines.
 If either the Cordova or Seward routes are selected 1t means that the government probably will buy the railroads now con structed toward the interior. From Seward the Alaska Central, a bankrupt road, runs as far as Turnagain arm, and from Cor dova the Copper River & Northwestern railway extends as far inland as Chtina, where 1t turns to the east and extends to kennecott, where it taps the famous Bo- nanza mines
 Death Results From Clash
 The route from Valdez has its numerous advocates. At one time it was proposed by both the Home Railway Company, Reyn- olds corporation and the Guggenhems, to built from that point. The two interests clashed and the famous Keystone riot over a right-of-way, in which one was killed and several injured, resulted
 Before the litigation brought to a head by the shedding of blood was settled, the Home Railroad Company was in the hands of receiver and the Guggenheims had abandoned Valdez as terminal
 Port Wells, on the western shore of Prince William sound, is mentioned, put there is DO city there, and it is receiving but slight support. The Haines route is