Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-04-02
DIVISION OF ALASKA
IMPORTANT QUESTION
Southeastern Section Sets Up Claim
That II Should BE Permitted
To Govern Itself.
LAND or PERENNIAL GREEN
It's Great Timber Resources and This
Country's Wood Pulp Supply Of
f'ntuIe-iIis Fishing Industry and
Mining Possibilities.
II, rnANk q. CARPENTER.

w tkANk g.. tAtpi.SfER.
shall the tail waS the dog? This is
'"r OF the questions iha, is ag!iatinG
\laskn. The dog is the man body Of
me country. IT haas more than nine
;chihS vi the territory and poten,iully
II - q world Of tho future. It crnbrn ccs
81! tn" lani west OF the long lire Of tn.
International boundary, that runs north
'n' south between US ANA British 60
"mbia, coming almos, 10 the Pacific
p""am. where III" Mainspiua glacier
'iopcS off from Mount St Elias into the
go Inc tail !" southeastern Alaska.
comprising tho strip OF coast and the
Alexander archipelago lying south ard
asst OF tho boundary extension. This
section caniains much lcsu than one
zenith Of tho land. but. just now. IL has
nc most people, and its industries are
producing more money than any other
part of Alaska % ruadruple i;s size
southeastern Alaska NAY he said TO
Begin at tho Malaspina glacier. or
Mount st. Elias. and il runs TO The
Noutheast from there along the coas,
10 DIXON entrance ana tile Portland
ANAL II includes \ strip or coast limo
which Ia thirty or NOR" nlilcy in width
ana Is three or tour hundred nlilcy
stands. number OF which are OF cor
Siderable extent Tines. islands boz
der tho coast They are separated bv
harrow channels and they run for +,
distance Of 100 miles or NOR. ou, i,,,o
me Pacific. Tic proposed TERRITORY is
all told about four times tho Size Of
Massachusetts o. three times as hi,
Vermont or sew HAMPSHIRE. !,
you'd make six or s.ver Connec,ic,,ts
81 couple OF Switzerlands and I..v.
One 20 spare. Nev.rtieIcss +, COM
bareS In size 10 tho yes, OF Alaska q.
hostage stamp does TO 4 bank note
IN" az Tar as area Is concerned IL would
seem that the dog could no, h.,,, I'm,
wag the tail
NATTER CONES ~
IN at ESIION OF TtNEs
Tho matter has come an in conn.c.
H"h with the apporttonment OF TN.
'aAes and revenues of Alaska Tho
most of the revenues are derived FROM
ms section or the country and tho
i"fSer part from the forests
southeastern Alaska is heavily wood
80. Uncle Sam charges 81 a 100 as
'tu'npaGc for ALI the timber ,ha; il
tut on the government reserves ANA
me receipts are supposed to 20 back To
'i" people for the making Of roads
>Uch revenues from Southeastern Alas
=" !ast year We're about 500, 900 bu, the
''eS'siatuTe majority of which
comes from the body of the territory,
mas :" divided the money that three.
iourths OF IT goes to road worl; which
outside this region, ana the pcopI.
object Indeed the feeling is 50 In
tens" that :, party has arisen when
intoCatcS that Southeastern Al,.ls,
"i"ah away from tae main body OF the
'"'iitor! and become "A territory or it's
own II demands that II he "a scpa-
ate political entity A committee OF
six has been appointed to inycstiua,.
u" subject, and il viii probably b.
brought up before Congress this Sos
ion
There are many reasons why South
EASTERN Alaska Will eventually b. a
separate territory, In size II com
Dares favorab1y with Indiana or South
Carolina. / have already shown that
It Is larger than some very important
states of the Union II is cut off geo
graphically from the rest of Alaska:
and II has interests which are different
rom those Of any other part of the
territory. N has its own climate and
IN comparison with the country north
OF the yukon River II might be called
tropic or temperate Alaska.
The Japanese current the gulf
stream OF the Pacific, sweeps through IL
and forms great hot-water plant tina,
holds Jack Frost in check and seldom
allows him 10 approach zero. even in
the midst OF winter. The coolest
weather OF the region Is mild as
that OF many Of our States south OF
Mason and Dixon's line. juneau.
warmer than those Of St Louis, and
the climate OF Ketchikan is like THAT
of Seattle. Throughout the whole re-
zion the summers are pleasant and tho
rainfall is so heavy that the land is
green all the year round. Indeed
there are but few signs of winter cX-
cept the snow on the mountains. The
slopes OF the hills near the water arc
so warm that the snow melts as it
falls and the shedding of the children
Ia due TO the heavy frosts which cover
The hoardwalks OF the town. and not
10 the snow.
wish could show YOU The vescta-
ton Of Southeastern Alaska For the
past month I have been travelling along
tho coast and In and our among the
islands. and the flowers and trees are
a series Of surprises. fine topog-
raphy OF the country Is much like that
Of the AllcEhcnics or the Blue Ridge.
but the forests are thicker and the
vegetation is dcnscr. Nearly every
where the bushes are so thick that il
would be impossible to make Your way
through them without an aX or a knife
The forest begins nj tho waters edge
aud runs to the snow line. which is
about 1000 feet above the sea For
that distance the trees are chokcd with
uiidcrgrowth; hut above il the heavy
vegetation disappears, and there is "a
patch OF grass or moss that runs up to
,hc line of perpetual snow
There is moss everywhere i'm the
forest and this Is so thick and so
sronEy that your feet sink I'm to tho
ankles. Many OF the trees are hung
with moses, and the bushes beyond
the tree line seem to bond over and
cling to the ground caused, I suppose
~. lie he hicl