The Chitina leader. [volume] (Chitina, Alaska) 1910-1928, 1914-03-10
ALASKA RAILWAY ACT

The Daily Alaskan is indebted Delegate Wickersham
for COPY of the Washington Evening Times of February 49,
which contains an interesting editorial Alaska and what
constructive legislation for the territory careful
Of the issue fails to chronicle the passage of the Alaska
railway BILL which passed the House that afternoon by vote
of l. Cordovans however, learned through the columns
Daily Alaskan that afternoon Of the favorable action OF
Congress on the government railway act Although nearly
5000 miles distant from the national capital the reading pubic
read of this important action sooner than they did in the
Washington newspapers But this apparent SCOOP due
entirely to the fact there difference Of nearly hours
in the time in Alaska and that back east
Here is what The Times has to say about the Alaska
railway act:
government railroad system for Alaska seriously put
forward It was urged by few extremely radical people
Such moderates Roosevelt Pnchot Lane Fisher and their
like we're yet ready consider it, while William H. Taft
Mortified and the vast majority of Democrats especially
Southern Democrats Congress could not contemplate such
startling project without shudderng for institutions
To-day the House due to pass the BILL already passed
by the Senate and highly approved by president and cabinet
appropratng $400OO0Oo to build the beginnings of govern
ment railroad system in Alaska The beginnings be SAID
The beginnings will inevitably, that in
time the system must be greatly extended and improved
''Almost nobody opposes this legislation Almost every
opposition Congress than there outside The senates
about three to for the and only four
votes against it were those of Democrats.
at is interesting to observe how view Of Alaska has
changed In 1867 Mr. Seward paid Russia $12OOOOO Tor IT.
everybody realized that he had been ghtfu bunkoed
Yet Delegate Wickerham Declares and good statistics
wealth of Alaska without doing much of anything for it,
and without scratching the surface of that huge domain
Alaska is about twice as big the thirteen colonies
the latitude of Sweden Norway and Finland but enjoy
rather milder climate!
at has taken quite while to awaken to the value of
Alaska but need not be discouraged that Thomas H.
Benton, when he senator from the mostery state then
admitted the Union, declared that Western boundary
must be at the summit of the Rockies couldn't think OF
reaching out to the Pacific. Daniel Webster delivered
philippe in opposition to taking Oregonthat is the great
Pacific and mountain Northwest whoe-nto the Union
any terms He said it than worthless, and we
could not possibly develop or benefit by it!
'1n fact if there had been just modicum of apprecia
ton of the value of the Northwest in the right time our
Northern boundary would have been four forty instead
of the 49th parallel, and British Columbia, Alberta and
Manitoba would be mostly American But in those days
there too little appreciation either of the value of the
territory Of the pledge of four forty fight under
which the Democrats carried presidential election Nobody
cared much whether got the territory not The Southern
leadership at the moment vastly concerned IN fact
land in the other directions Southwestern expansion
which meant expansion of slave territory chiefly in favor
So forfeited the chance to control the great Northwest and
left Britain untouched, her Canadian empire
But Alaska has been saved to the nation and with the
enlightened and busnesske policy tardly applied to
its management prove the bright spot in the
story of national management of the public domain