The Alaska daily empire., 1915-07-01
HARMONY FOR CENTENNIAL IS
 ENV0Y'S PLEA


 "l am in Alaska to get your ideas about tte celebration Of Altska's semi tenrial ln l817 We haze our Ideas too. but we want your ideas to pre- vail, and we wans 10 hear you Ofl course we expect Co deriye publicity and other benefits from your celehra- ton of youf fiftieth birthday but we want to work in absolute harmony with you. and we are going to help you in carrying out your plans SO lari as .t Hes within our power
 So spoke J. l.. McPherson, secre- tary of the Alaska Bureau of the Se- attle Chamber of Commerce, to The Empire yesterday. Mr. Mcl'herson was sent to Alaska as special envoy of the Alaska Bureau, to obtain the news of the people of the North, as to the most logical method Of ceie brating Alaska's purchase by the United States two years hence. HeI will visit every population center in the Territory before he returns to the South. Already he has been to Wrangell, and Ketchikan. where en- thusiastic endorsement of the semi centennial plans was given by civic and commercial bodies. He arrived here on the steamship City of Seattle, and continued on that steamer to Haines. Skagway and sitka. Return ing here Saturday morning, Mr Nc Pherson win spend five or six days iu the capital city and in Douglas, and expects to meet the people of Juneau and learn their wishes in re- gard to the celebration. From here he will go through the interior to Nome. and will return by way of the Southern coast. late this summer.
 "celebrate on Different Date"
 Briefly stated. the Alaska .Bhreau's plan is to have the principal cities of Alaska celebrate the semi-centennial on dates which will tally with the itinerary of a pilgrimage which the Alaska Bureau will promote with two- day festivals in the cities of the North, which will be attended by the visitors who will come North an- der the Bureaus auspices to sugu- ment the observance of the semi-cen- tennial But before this plan is adopted we want the people of the North to endorse it. or suggest some thing that they feel win be a better way to celebrate. Mr. McPherson said. We do not intend to bring on excursion to Alaska for your cen tennial as a mere pleasure iaunt We will advertise the tour SO extensively during the next two years that hum dreds wili want Co come. and it will be represented to these people that the ware coming to Alaska not only to travel across the Territorys en- tire breadth. and see it's vast resour- ces but to meet the people, to know them and to help them Our idea of having the celebrations in the var ious cities run consecutively is to allow the people from the States who will make the trip, an opportunity to remain in each town for at least two days and take part il the celebra- tions enroute."
 Was Farbanks' Plan.
 Two years ago Fairbanks newspa- pers placed at their foremast "Al- aska semi centennial, Fairbanks, 1917," and since the Campaign was started there. Southeastern Alaskans believe that the interior city is plan ming to be the center of the celebra- ton but. according to Mr. McPher- son. Fairbanks will be asked to en-. dorse the Alaska Bureaus plan, in or. der to make their part of the holiday bigger and grander in every detail
 The Alaska Bureau of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce has. without compensation, done a great deal of good work for the North. ll has ex- hibits in Seattle and Washington, D. C., which have been visited by thou sands oi people, among them Presi- dent Wilson and Secretary Bryan. MT. McPherson, the secretary, has. spent fourteen years of his life in this Territory. Consequently he was selected as the Bureaus messenger,