davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-09

1000 healthy men. devoid of hereditary
titles. nave been steadily buying up the
land whenever it has come on the n'd.-
ket. Today. these great ~
the number of t.2SS, to be exact. own
$500, 900 of the best acres OF the couh-
try. 1t is principally the competition
of these BILE land hogs that
makes the purchase of desirable land,
at a price which permits profitable Gull
t~ivation. impossible to an intending
snail holder.
However. the government. despite re-
peated past failures. is not discouraged
and the Verney committee has made a
modest start. 1t is realized that one
of the chief needs of the times is A
trained peasant class and an expert
ment is to be made with hfty soidlerS
and sailors who have been discharged
for disablement. They are to he given
n course of training in an agricultural
college, and for such of them as prove
satisfactory will be found suitable
mately. small holdings. Upon the re-
suits of this experiment will be based
an extensive scheme. embracing thou
sands of returned soldiers and many
thousands of acres OF ground. suppos-
ing. of course, that other difficulties,
touched upon above, can be satls-
faotorily overcome.
Various representatives OF the Brit
1Sn sell -RONefnlnS cOio1teS SOME tiiHe
ago made an attempt to induce
the home government to allow one of
their number to sit on the Nerney COM
mittee, but Lord Selborne turned down
the proposition with emphasis. The
Royal Colonial Institute. numbering
among it's members practically all the
olonial experts on the subject of i'm
migration. has had a special committee
sitting on the subject for months and
this committee has Matched out some
important and interesting schemes.
Lord Selborne said his committee
would be delighted to hear any evil
dence the Royal Colonial Institute eX-
perts had to offer, but as for allowing
one of them to sit on the government
body-impossible.
1t was proposed to the government
that Sir Rider Haggard, the writer of
tales of adventure, chiefly in South
Africa. and an acknowledged expert ON
small holdings and farming. be sent on
the various colonial governments and
to examine at first hand the many
schemes proposed. No official decision
Oh this matter has been divluged, but
it is reported in some quarters that
the government thinks favorably of it.
In the meantime, the colonial experts
and authorities, cold-shouldered by the
government. are enthusiastically push
ing their preparations and unless Sir
Harry Verney and his associates hustle
the colonies win gain the advantage
that superior preparation and greater
forethought always give. and the home
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-09

When the war started there were L.
800, 900 fewer men in the country than
women. The disproportion is ever SO
much greater today and is steadily IN
creasing. Across the North sea the
superior German birth rate and the
predoIninance of men over women IS
year by year adding to tie numerical
auo therefore the commercial, strength
of Britain's most formidable
competitor, while the population of the
United States, the most active ana
dangerous rival of both in the war for
the future trade of the world. is IN
crcasing by leaps and bounds.
For If England is to lose many of her
youths and men it means that although
there may be. unemployment for a
period following the war. ultimately
there will be, comparatively
"A shortage of labor. This inevitably
points to an all-round increase IN
wages, affecting vitality the cost OF
production and thereby Englands
ability to compete in the world mar
kets. If on top of this is TO come a
limited tariff policy. as some seem 10
think will be necessary either TO pro-
tect British manufactures in the home
market or to raise additional rerenue
to pay the interest charge on the huge
national debt, what is to become of
England. the factory of the world as
it used to be called in the days of our
fathers?
England is already fully alive to all
these impending problems. and Lord
Selborne. secretary of state for agri-
culture. has appointed a committee IN
der the craftsmanship of Sir Harry
Verney, permanent under-secretary of
the department. to draw up plans for
keeping the returning soldier in Eng
land. These plans. naturally. are in the
line of settling as many men as pos
sible on the land and open up the whole
intricate and battling problem that
faced and foiled numerous back to
the land" movements in England.
1t is impossible to go at all deeply
into the question here. To make one
sufficient to give just a few figures. 1t
is true. as n general statement. that
more than half of all the land in eng
land is owned by u few people,. and
these are people in 70 way Interested
in throwing the land open to cultiva-
ton. OF E~nglaud's 1000. 900 acres.
40. 600. 900 are claimed by no more than
$500 people. while ANOTHER $4,000 peo-
pie own an additional IS. 600. 900 acres.
Whereas, in IA country like France. with
a backbone of small peasant proprietors
cent of the total population is urban.
in England less than. % per cent is
rural.
1t is commonly supposed that this
concentration of the great bulk of the
lands in a few hands is due almost en-
tirely to the peers. Such, however, is
not the case. The peeraSe. it is true,
does own more than $500. 900 acres Of
English land. but for many years past
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-09

chance and a big reward for initiative
is the routine. and no more will they
return to the desk, where surety. safe
ty and an ultimate meager pension was
to be purchased by the surrender of
aspirations and ambition. The burn of
the sun. the lash Of the wind, the
sting of rain, hail and snow have
freed and expanded their souls and no
more can they be confined between
four walls. They have measured
swords with the clements and the
fierce heat Of Australia. the snow and
Billiards. the zero weather of Canada
mold no terror for their minds. They
have walked and slept with uncer-
tainty, DAY by day, for months, and
the risks of emigration to one of the
governing colonies. which once ap-
palled their conservative minds, now
seems q most natural step.
Yet England cannot afford to lose
many of these men If she is ultimately
10 regain her pre-war position in the
nj of the world. For many
years her falling birth rate and espe-
cially the growing predominance OF
women over men. go far as numbers
were concerned. have given her gov
many hours OF serious doubt.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-09

seems to be lifted. Then the forests
are seated or rocky pedestals of stone,
and mountains of green and white rise
high above their rocky foundations.
Then the vegetation does not begin un-
til fifteen or twenty feet above the wa
ter. and there are only steep walls OF
black rock below. AS you sail it is
easy to believe that the earth is made
of rock. The rock shows out through
the trees. Here bold cliffs, brown and
gray walls several hundred feet high,
rise straight up from the blue waves;
there the rocks show out of the thin
growth of pines on the hillsides. and
everywhere you have the rising and
falling black rock foundation,
,h The eo chhmne Is WY as ,h you w sal on into to
great lakes. now they are rivers as
narrow as the Hudson or Rhine. At
times YOU pass through gorges walled
by Islands and the mainland, and at
times are in fiords like those formed
by the half-sunken Andes along west
eru Patagonia near the Strait OF Ma
Gellali. This part of our territory is
made up of the heads of submerged
mountains and in places the waters
are a thousand feet deep. In other
places there are great rocks as steep,
as high and as sharp as the Washing
tor Monument. which comes within
twenty or thirty feet of the surface.
These are the terrible pinnacle rocks
that rip open the hulls of the
They are now being searched for and
marked with buoys by the wire drag
of our coast and geodetic survey. But
thai is another story.
Let us go back to ketchikan. The
town is situated on the southern shore
of Itevilla Gigedo Island, in a region
where the salmon come in great hordes
every summer and near banks from
which are taken the most of the hall
but that go from Alaska to the United
States and to Canada. Revilla GiSedo
is about as large as Porto Rico. 1t
is fifty miles long and twenty miles
wide and is made up of mountains
which for much OF the time have their
heads in the clouds.
= =
ketchikan lies right on the water.
The mountains rise in green walls be-
hind it. Their tops are s%prinkled with
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-09

trucks have come in and these viii
probably be the future traffic con-
VeyorS.
The residence section of the city is
located on the sides of the cliff higher
up. II is so steep that you have to
climb stairways to reach certain streets,
while other streets have winding road
ways of boards upon which Stats have
been nailed to the planks to keep one
from slipping. The Ketchikaners make
YOU think of the tree dwellers, VINO
have to climb ladders to get to their
homes.
The best houses are high on the cliffs,
far above the harbor. They seem to
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-09

grow out of the rocks. Nevertheless,
some have little patches Of garden, al
though the soil has to be s~prinkled
with gold dust 10 make them.
In this connection the captain on my
steamer coming up told me a story of
Il Ketchikan man who sailed with him
last month. This man was sitting at
the captains right hand at dinner. Dur
ing one meal he was in a brown study.
Course after course passed and he ate
hut little. At last he burst out in an
agouized soliIoquy:
II knew I'd forget il. I knew I'd for
get it, | knew I'd forget it,"
What" said the captain, have you
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-09

snow. and great rocks show out
through the evergreen trees that cover
their sides The houses are built on
the rocks. The harbor is the shape
of d halfmoon protected by islands. 1t
has no beach to speak of and the
part of the town rests upon
pileS The streets are planked road
ways upon posts, and much of the
freight is carried about on truck and
carts pushed by men. There are sew
eraI drays hauled by horses. but horses
are unpopular, for their shoes roughen
the planks, and they shake the own
as they trot through the streets. Of
automobiles and motor delivery
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-09

every one has its little lawn with
bushes and lowers. Some of the citi-
Zens raise vegetables and berries. In
the garden of II. c. Strong | saw rasp-
berry bushes as high as my shoulder,
which give him all of that fruit he can
eat for more than two months during
the summer. The berries are large and
of a fine favor, and they never become
mushy when ripe. k~etchikan also
grows currants and salmon berries, and
it has as many beautiful flowers as a
section the same size in Seattle or
Portland. 1t is 4 wet city. and the
is such that the plants VIII
grow on the rocks with no soil to
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-09

the roads can be sprinkled at night
and they will be covered with ice in
the morning.
Many people of the United States
think of all Alaska as bitterly cold in
the winter. Their idea of the country
is embodied in Bret Harris Arctic
Vision:
Where the short-lersed Eskimo
Waddles in the ice and snow.
And the playful polar bear
Nips the hunter unaware.
Eetchikan has no EskimoS or polar
bears and there is little ice and snow
in the winter. The thermometer sell
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-09

Il ETCHKM Claimed to Be the RaMest Town in Amenca-The Inside Passage and
Its Wonderful Sceney-SoutheaNem Alaska and Its FoestCad Ilands-A Town
Upon Ples-Toubes of the Alaskan Gandener-A Glance at. the Stores of Ketchkan.
Homes Heated by EIchnty-Emenent Water Supply From Lake High in the Mountains.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-09

LONDON. December 80, 1919.
GGWIT ~ va @0"' We s's certainly de-
\Y\Y sire TO see the British
empire everywhere ex-
ps nd and TO have these fertile lands
f!.ed by people o! our own race. On
the other hand. ] do not think any of
us would look with any pleasure at the
prospect of a very large number of the
men who are now fighting for US. men
who are the very best of our popula-
ton. suddenly leaving the country"
said Mr.. Bonar Law, British colonial
secretary, in reply to a deputation.
Here one has stated the broad out
lines OF a tremendous problem as seen
from the point of view of the British
administrative department. Tier Is
another side. the side OF the self-gov-
erning British colonies. and in so far
as they are mutually ir~reconcilable
there is brewing one of the most tan
talizing scraps in the history OF Eng
lands relations with her possessions.
Efforts are now being made. not only
by the home government and the colo
NAL government, but by many semi
private public-spirited bodies. to work
out an agreement to ward Off the i'm
pending night.
There will be a terrible shortage Of
Abls-bodied men after the war. Hun
Areds Of thousands, doubtless. will
have been killed and even moro will
have been so g~rievously injured that no
longer will they be able to work with
hand or foot. Canada will want men;
Australia. South Africa. New Zealand,
will want them. And above all they
will want British men-English. Scotch,
Irish and Welsh. They are willing to
spend something liks $500 TO entice
each good healthy settler to their vir-
gin fields and mean to do 80 unless the
home government interferes. On the
other hand. tho home government is
equally determined TO keep its able
bodied men at home.
n. after the war. England Is to re-
turn to the old volunteer army sys-
TEN. having no truck with conscrip-
ton and a large standing army,
hundreds of thousands, perhaps mil
lions. of Englishmen will be thrown
ONO the labor market. Although au-
tIorit!es here profess 10 be confident
tnat eventually the home market will
ABSORB this enormous body, they seem
equally certain that there will be a
periou Of considerable but uncertain
length when thousands of these men
viii he out of employment.
IL, is his situation OF which the
seIf-goyerning colonies are anxious 10
take advantage. Canad Australia,
New Zealand, and perhaps South
Africa. before the war is finished, viii
have contributed thousands of their
test men 10 the defense of the empire.
Wif2; will then be the situation in
-ipese countries. which, even before the
war, were man hungry" Their whole
fdtNre is bound up in the problem OF
Getting men. more men and still more
mon
t IS a question OF self-Dreservation
South Africa. from which more Eng
ishmen eB4israte than !~mmigrate
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-09
Visits a Queer City in Southern

speak of. 1t has been raining steadily
ever since | arrived. and today during
a %downpour l asked one of the citi-
Zens:
Does it never stop aiming in Ketchi-
kan?"
He replied, with a laugh; Il hardly
know. l have lived here only fifteen
years"
The city really has rain for more than
two-thirds of the year. and over eleven
feet of water falls in that time. 1t is
this that makes the vegetation SO
green, the leaves of the trees dripping
almost as steadily as those of the
famous rain forest which is ~sprinkled
by the mist of the Zambesi Falls in
Central Africa.
Indeed. the southern coast of Alaska
is one of the rainiest parts of the
world. Juneau. the ca pital. is much
like Ketchikan. and on some of the
.Aleutian islands a day of sunshine is a
rarity. Here the people 60 about re-
sardless of the rain. They wear rub
Der coats or slickers and if they tramp
up the mountains they put on rubber
boots that reach to the waist. They
wear oilskin hats. and some of the
ladies have slicker suits, consisting of
skirts and Jackets. No one thinks of
staying away from a party or tea on
account of the weather, and women go
visiting clad in oilskins that cover
dresses that would not be out of place
at "A party in New York or Washington.
Others tell me that ketchikan has
many bright days and that its climate
is unsurpassed by any other part of
our country. The people are healthy.
The children have bright eyes and
rosy cheeks. They play about every
where. Notwithstanding the rain. In
the winter they coast down the board
roads. which in places run for more
than a mile up and down hills. The
town has but little snow at any time
of the year, but in winter the froSts
are so heavy that there is splendid
shedding until 3 or 10 o'clock in the
morning. at which time the sun melts
the frost. If there is not enough frost,
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-09

british Government Wants to Keep Returning Soldiers at .Fome-Coones' wan
IL Hungry, Will Need Them-Aferthe- War Problem Already Under Consideration
Committee Makes Observation-Disclosures Many Soldiers Will Wantto Go Abroad-SeacFF
ing for a Scheme to Satisfy All.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-09
Copyrighted, 1916. by Frank c, Carpenter,


KETCHlkA An. Alaska.
g AM in ketchikan. the first port at
which our steamers call in enter
ing Alaska. Il is at the southern
- end of the Panhandle. that strip
of islands and mainland at the lower
end of our territory that seems to be
cut. as it were. out of British Columbia.
The Panhandle begins just above Skag-
way near the pass over the mountains
to tie klondit.c and Dawson. and it ex-
tends for more than 500 miles. 1t con-
sists of many large islands and a strip
Of mainland about thirty miles wide
which runs from the Pacific ocean TO
the crest of the coast mountain range.
the whole making Il territory as Big
IS South Carolina. This district is
known as southeastern Alaska II has
its own climate. it's own vegetation and
it's own peculiar products and re-
sources. 1t is covered with green from
one years end 10 the other and it diff
fers from the great interior as much
as Maine differs from Florida. ! shall
he travelling within it for some weeks
TO come.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-09

government will find itself thoroughly
worsted in the struggle for the able
bodied manhood of the country.
For while the colonial governments
are not especially anxious to rob the
mother country Of its Likelihood they,
nevertheless, are determined to use
every effort to people their lands with
British settlers. They are convinced
that thousands of men will leave the
mother country after the war. There
are various fields open. Many Will cou-
slider South America, some Mexico, 9th
ers the United States. If The colonial
governments have their way, not Il
one of these hesitating men VIII
be lost to the empire through inability
to realize the advantages of emigration
to Canada. Australia, New Zealand or
South Africa.
There is yet another phase of the
that is disturbing the minds
of the colonial experts. Recently,
George McLaren Brown. European
manager of the Canadian Pacific rail-
way, and undoubtedly an expert on inn
said:
although there will be a vast num-
Der of British people who will be anx-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-09

nv Wv
from the international boundary. II
is only forty miles north of the Port
land canal and within six hours sail of
Prince Rupert. the terminus of the
Grand Trunk Pacific railway. and the
port which the Canadians expect to
make the gateway to the shortest
rout, to Japan and the orient.
Ketchikan is as far north of Seattle
as tie distance between New York ana
Toledo. 7 sailed for more than 500
Mules through Canadian waters before
came to the boundary of Alaska. and
from there made my way in and out
among the islands to Reviila Gigedo, on
the shores of which ketchikan lies.
The trip took me more than two lays
and the fare was So.
leaving Seattle, | crossed Puget
sound. the Mediterranean of the Pa
rihc, and then went northward past
tie city OF Vancouver for more than
700 miles through the Strait of Georgia.
which flows etwee British Cotumoia
and Vancouver Island. Vancouver
Islan nd is half as large as Ireland and
II lies so close to the mainland that
tbe trim seemed like going through d
preat river. At the end of the STRAIT
ve crossed Queen Charlotte sound and
then wound our way on among lSiahds.
some of which had mountains more
t,.n a mile high. until we reached
Dixon entrance. on the line of the boun-
dairy between our country and Canana:
TIE whole way was through inland
waters and the steamer moved as
.moothIv as those which ply the ONO
from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati or the
Mississippi from St. Louis to New Or
Icons.
despair of giving YOU any idea or
The BEAUTIES Of this voyage. They are
so mfny and so varied. The route from
Seattra TO Skagway is Known as the IN
side passage. and has often been com
ra~cd to a trip on a great river. IL -
more. II is a winding in and ou-
ancrc half submerged mountains.
II is floating through great lakes
studded with islands. 1t is trav-
cling along and within fiords like those
wonders of the Swiss lakes. now those
o. the In1a nd sea Of Japan and now
beauties like those on the coasts o..
New Zealand. There are all sorts o.
combinations of sea and sky. OF ever
green slopes and s~now-capped noun
tains. The color effects are beyond de
scription. and the sunsets indescribabie
in the changes and beauties
These are the characteristics of south
eastern Alaska. The Whole district be
tween the Portland and the Lynn canals
Is composed of islands covered with
evergreen trees. The whole country is
timbered and some of the trees are four
or five feet in thickness. Many of the
islands have s~now-cappcd mountains
that rise in green walls almost straight
up from the water and their heads are
often crested with silver. The most of
the mainland is also one mighty wall of
green.
The islands are of all shapes and
sizes and they float upo sapphire
seas. When the tide is low-and the
tide here rises and falls to the height
OF 4 two-story house these islands
seem like floating gardens. There is no
vegetation below the mark of high tide.
The islands are bedded upon the rocks
and as the water falls the living earth
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-09

NDON. DtItTIIVtT OF, T'TJ'
f at home are torn in two
ways. We certainly de-
sire TO see the British
empire everywhere ex-
Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 19??-1918, 1916-08-24
YOUNG MURDERERS
HAPPY IN PRISON

Twin Falls. Idaho, Aug. 24.--Fac-
ing murder charges. Harold and Lynn
Lovelace. aged IL and II years. play
ed happily about the juvenile ward OF
the county Jail today. They appar-
emily had no thought whatever OF the
killing OF F. T. Hamill. to which
they have confessed.
Since their arrival In prison the
boys have been bathed and clothed In
new outfits. They have rigged up n
method OF playing "one ole cat" with
the jail walls backstop. II Is evil
dent that they are not doing any
worrying about their predlcament,
they have no horror OF the Hamill
killing and no concern about the
whereabouts OF their mother and
stepfather. Every effort to locate the
parents has failed.
The date for the Lovelace prellm.
mary hearing has not been set. II
will be held up until the district at
torney decides whether he shall go
ahead and prosecute the boys on Q
straight murder charge. Lynn, the
younger. is alleged to have fred the
shot that killed Hamill after the lat
ter surprised the boys robbing hii
house. Harold is held as an accom-
plice.