The Alaska citizen., 1915-06-28
Phone 262 Phone
OUR POLITICAL MACHINE.

JOnn knOX BTOWn. hepuDllCAu and business associate of Thomas A. McGowan, was appointed few days ago to take the place of United States Commissioner John F. Dill lon while the latter is absent. which will be until next March.
 This is only one of several Re- publican appointments that have been made by Judge Bunnell and other federal officials purporting to be Democrats. The officials who made these appointments were themselves appointed by virtue of their having been supposed to be loyal members of the party. but it seems that as cred they forgot political lines. In other words, they have evidently be- come members of a political ring" that is tacitly organized for their own selfish interests.
 Governor Strong who holds the highest appointive office in Alaska, is to be a guest of Fairbanks for a short time, and The Citizen feels that it is his duty to look into this abuse of party rights, provided however, he is truly and sincerely working for the party's best inter. ests. The governor, it seems, has not been as patriotic to party affili- ations as he should. considering the fact that he owes his own position to the policy of the national Demo cratic party to appoint only Demo crats to office.
 Indeed. it seems that Governor Strong has been made a party to the territorial Democratic machine that has been organized in Juneau under the leadership of Shackel, ford and Davidson, and that it is not possible for him to assert true party affiliations without becoming an outcast from this machine. If this be true, then Governor Strong is improperly named, and instead of being strong in principle, he is weak enough to become the tool Us first review the local situation
 When Charles E. Bunnell was first nominated as candidate for dele gate to congress, report reached Fairbanks that he was a Republican, that he had voted the Republican ticket two years previously, that he had applied for the trusteeship of the town of Valdez under Re publican administration and had posed as a Republican when asking for the job In the light of this The Citizen refused to take up campaign in behalf of MT. Bunnells candidacy until it could satisfy it. self in regard to his political affilf ations, as this newspaper is not boosting anybody for office who is not truly Democrat
 But Mir. Bunnell explained away, in what seemed to be a logical man. ner, the charge that he was Re, publican, and then The Citizen took up his fight. But what did Mir Bun nell do when he was appointed judge? Let us see:
 No sooner did MT. Bunnell take office than he became affiliated with Marshal Erwin the tool of Tom Nc Gowan, the political boss here. It had been assumed that Mir. Bunnell was man of considerable force of character and that he would not bend to the will of boss. but from his actions he has since indicated that this was wrong.
 It will be remembered that when Erwin became marshal, he kept in his office two deputies that were appointed ny the previous Republi- can incumbent of that office. It will also be noted that he has not gone out of his way to appoint deputies who have been recognized as active party men.
 Erwin evidently conceived the idea that if he could get clerk appoint ed who would be subject to his own dictation, he would strengthen hi. own power politically, and in the light of events he seems to have induced Judge Bunnell to appoint J. E. Clark, Erwin's chief deputy, as clerk of the court. This was the first appointment made by Bun nell, and it met with anything but approval by the rank and file of the local Democracy.
 The next queer move made by the McGowan- Erwin Bunnell clique was the appointment of Sid Stewart. a professed Republi aa, 10 the position of chief deputy clerk. The Citizen has only the highest respect for MT. Stewart and admits that he is a man of much ability as a clerk. but it denies that he is more profi- cient than some Democrats that are in Alaska.
 Cecil Clegg, a good man in every way but a pronounced Republican, was the next man to be favored by Mr. Bunnell. MT. Clegg was ap- pointed as referee in the bank cases
 As sort of climax comes the appointment of MT. Brown to take the place of Commissioner Dillon. and if the latter concludes to remain