The daily progressive-miner., 1916-03-06
THE CONDITION 1 AT ANCHORAGE
EXPLANATION OF WALK-OUT AND WHAT LEAD TO IT
 SET FORTH

Photographic news from Wash ington last Saturday said that two men had been appointed to go to Anchorage and investigate the cause or causes that lead to the walk-out of the men employed by the government railroad officials A writer, who is presumably famil- far with the facts in the case, has written an explanation; and as every Alaskan is more or less inter ested in the work that is being done in that part of Alaska by the gov ernment, it is herein reproduced,to to- gether with the letter of request for its puf 'ication. The srfcIe follows; EDITOR PRoGRESSIvE-MINER Ketchikan.
 Inclosed find copy of letter re- garding walkout here, which I am sending to several of the territorial papers with the understanding that my name be not published in con- nection herewith. This letter con tains, and others to follow will con- tain, considerable matter of special interest to Alaskans which will not go out through the regular chan nels of news and not published here through ear of reprisals on the part of those "highel up" whose in competence and contempt for real men and Alaskans is responsible for the present "insurrection."
 Dick Bushell is the only resident of Ketchikan with whom am person ally acquainted, but who will no doubt vouch for my reliability,
 Fraternally yours, etc.
 ANCHORAGE, Feb, 22.-The most remarkable labor "disturb- ance" in the history of the United States, in several respects, involv- ing more than 1900 employees on the government railway project here and causing suspension of cons truction work, has entered it's sec ond week without any sign of viol- ence on the part of the men and with both the railway Commission and the men good naturedly await ing action of the higher authorities at Washington to whom appeals have been made. Delay in settle ment has been caused by the broken cable and delayed steamer mail ser vice.
 Some features of the walkout not sent outside through regular news channels may be of interest to the readers of the Progressive Miner.
 Without organization or recog- nized head, involving originally not more than 60 members of the steel gang, it was responsible for organ ization of the All-Alaska Federal Union within a week had more than 1900 members enrolled. This mem- bership not only included almost every skilled and unskilled wage earner in and near Anchorage, but also many prominent and influen- ential businessmen and officers of the chamber of commerce, but also 1t had obtained the hearty endor- sement and promise of cooperation on the part of the chamber. The last to join the insurrection were teamsters engaged in hauling sup plies from the end of the track at Peters creek to Moose creek, ex- pected center of next summers greatest activities in construct ion. These numbered 29. Four days later the commission advertised for teamsters, offering 75. a month and board, an advance of fifteen dollars over former wages, only eight responded, according to re- ports received atunion headquar- ters last night. The engineer in charge at Moose creek was quoted as saying that some of these were so ingnorant of their duties that they were unable to "undress" their teams and that the engineer him self had to take off the harnesses at the end of the first day of the new service.
 Let the reader, after he has per used this uncolored statement of facts obtained first-hand by the un- biased writer-some of these facts have been placed in the form of affidavits and others are fully subs tantiated by reliable witnesses-Im- agine himself in the place of one of the steel gang, for instance, and answer these questions: Were the steel gang justified in quitting in body? Has the commission