Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1914-01-13
ALASKAN RAILROADS
SHOULD Be BUILT
SAYS RODEY
Albuquerque Citizen Who Has
Spent Many Years in Frozen
North Talks Interestingly Of
Situation


North Talks Interestingly OF
~,
Oiludll0ll
Judge BERNARD S. ltodcy who unt J
recently WAS United states district at-
telneN for the second division ~
Alaaka with headquarters at Nome,
and who has spent several years ~
Alaska, making "a doep study OF cons
diuons IN that territory gave out an
Interesting interview Yesterday roln-
t,Yc To the need of transportation ia-
ciiucs by the people of Alaska ana
tho good that win result To the peo-
Die Of INC United states ns a whole
from the construction If govern
mcnt owned railroad IN Alaska
ln view Of the tendency before ne
United states senate Of the bill 70 au-
thorze The building Of series Of lines
al railroad of this character Judge
Rodeys views on the subject have es-
pecial weight and timeliness' lie
said;
cav ~ - a. ~ ftl'f|'f 'NN ff'f
spread misrepresentation throughout
the nation regarding Alaska, ana II is
generally conceded that the country
is tied-up' by the eonsciNauonlsls.
This les almost wholly untrue file
coal and Oh lands are Withdrawn from
entry and it is well that this is go.
Seven years ago when Roosevelt ana
this by proclamation, 1t was indeed q
heroic measure, but II il had not been
done the best of the coal ana all oi
che known oil would now be In tho
hands OF monopolists.
Ever since these two national
products were Withdrawn the cohsel-
/ wtionists have caused TO be intro
duced more than fifty bills in ON"
or the other house of congress to re-
/ open them TO development IN any way
that would prevent monopoly ana
I every one of the bills was pigeon
holed or killed by those who wanted
the nation to make the same mistake
as to Alaska that ii made os TO the
entire western section during the las'
fifty years.
The eXploltors, ana use the term
in no offensive sense, now realize that
such ain overwhelming majority oi
The people OF the United states are
against the monopoly OF those natural
resources, as that they are acQulesc
Ing IN The passage of proper legisla'
ton. While J admit that the with
drawal OF the coal ani OIL has re-.
tarded the development of Alaska q
some extent. do not admit that y
has retarded &C. any such extent y.
the cSploiters claim II has
For instance, the territory Of th'
Yukon Ia Canada, which is directly
east Of Alaska, had more than 90,
eco people in # during the klondii.'
excitement something more than
dozen years ago. and yet to-day, in
Guiding the city Of Dawson, the who'll
Canadian Yukon district has not e
exceed $500 people within It's con
fines The truth is that the grea
honanzas of placer deposits, both q
Alaska ana the Yukon territory, tina
ls. bonan2as of such richness that for
tunes could be made with rockers anl
picks ana shovels by individuals. ara
largely exhausted, ana the country ha
been forced to work tho known place
deposits which are still relatively OK
uemely rich, by dredges and hydraulic
works Of an expensive character al
Of which requires large capital
Without any question the creates
present necessity Of Alaska Is trans
portation. The sea front Is open onE
east of the Renal peninsula turing th'
entire year. All west of that PENN
sula and north Is frozen ms tight o.
lava for eight months in the year, an'
az the mouth of the great Yukon an'
Kuskokwim rivers cmpties into tia
frozen portion Of the Arctics, th'
greatest portion Of the districts are'
IS shut out from the nation for nj
but "a very short period every year.
Therefore. the necessity for rail
road communication Is pressing Thu
Iclimate is yet so severe. the winter
so long and the population as yet s.
sparse that no private enterprise, "a,
matter what sort Of liberal conceasioni
might be accorded 10 il by the gov
3 crnment short of building the rail
lIonds for them. win engage IN build
ing the lines of road that arc neces
sary or could make such an enter
rise pay after construction.
Therefore, much 70 the delight %
lhc people Of Alaska and others in
torested. the government seems t.
have concluded to- build a system o
Underwater Yukon <uskokwim railway