The Alaska citizen., 1917-08-13
F II 0 \ E ? 6 2
PATRIOTISM FOR PROFIT.


 I,sOIyc and that he I> the only sImOn-purc, bIowu-in-Che-b bottle patriot ill Fairbanks Who ever heard ol Thompson throbbins with any kind of emotion excepting at much per tnrob: And thus, ii he is throbbinS with patriotic impulses, he i> a patriot for profit. and Fairbauk>aus have already put him down as such.
 Compared to a patriot for profit the leaders ot the Oklahoma draft riots are saint ly enough to sit in the amen corner, and hang ing is too good for them at that. They, at least. did not expect to make any money out ot their reasonable acts, while the patriot for profit feathers his own nest by prcyin@ on the lofty sentiment, of all good citizens and then places himself upon his own little pedestal as High Priest of Patriotism.
 He points with pride to his record in rai,- ing the funds to purchase the armory How did he do it. Wasn't the system but little short OI bIackmaII. Didn't he decide how much each business man and citizen would have 10 pay toward his pet scheme, and didn't he threaten 10 brand as sIackers and traitors anyone who failed to come through: Will you deny, Brother Thompson, that you re ccivcd good, fat commission from the deal: D-ny 1t as cmphaticay as you will, the peo-
 oi Fairbanks will not believe you. They NnoW you too well.
 This veteran assimiIator oi the Pap says man can write not wisely but too well. We'll does he know it. lis rates for editorial opinion are well known up and down the street. \ dollar for a roast and two dollars for a boost IaIle your choice, Gentlemen, he can flop from one side to another with the grace and agility of a Mexican jumping bean, provided he gets so much per jump,
 He prates about supporting the govern menr. Nothing could be further from the trfh. N|at he Is supporting is q bunch a- infamous petty officials who have earned the scOrn and contempt ol all true Alaskans for their petty gratis. They do not repre- sent the government and the officials at Wash ington would not tolerate their chcancry ii they knew true conditions. And Thompson l. supporting them solely for federal patron age and pap. Ii he has a shred of dcCency about him, he must Ioathe them as truly as do all good citizens.
 Ihe cu1tor oI the News Miner pratcs about Ills new SIUUUJ nome. lie can hardly call It Ills home. Correctly speaking It Is d community nome built for the veteran scribe, because practically everyone Ill the business ~OA'1AAAN-AN O''1-N S'4t
 Inc owner OI The Citizen cannot boast ol such a home. However, he has just spent SIU,UOO buying new stock and eqmp- ment 10 make Inc Citizen a better, bigger and brighter paper than ever before, and the people o1 Fairbanks will be given the benefit o1 this. And they will hold no such equity ill 1t as they do i'll the Thompson mansion.
 Our contemporary points with pride to I1p lCc.AI paper work ill the northland tor nineteen years. Very true but he does not mention the twenty seven failures i'll the newspaper game he has perpetrated from one end o1 the territory to another. That is considerably more than one failure year, and from hls past record and present indications he IS due for his tWenty-clg ghth consecutive failure Ill Fairbanks ere the snow and ice make slip pery the entrance to the Panama club And yet he presumes to give advice to h1s con temporary as to how to conduct success Ir' newspaper.
 He declares he has grown Up with the real pioneers of Alaska met them on tral and in camp and intimates that he knows them like a book They also know you Brother Thompson. The writer, who must admit that he is a newcomer and has lots to learn about Alaska, heard of Thompson all along the trail, and oldtimers painted word picture something along the lines ot th1s edl- torial. Thompson says he knows how they feel So do we. Their admonltlon was HOOK out for Thompson"
 Cut out the sOb-stuff about age and SC nitv. bro Ter We have nothing but respect aud veneratlon for gray hairs and the dignity and poise that ordinarily come with years.