The weekly Alaska citizen., 1918-12-30

that spirit of pessimism and knocking, the American swung into line with the shattered forces of the allies and crushed the Hun with out doing much more than awaken its people to the danger which threatened The world stands today thoroly convinced of the Ameri- cans ability to back his boast and come thru with the "goods'
 Today Alaska is in position similar to that i'll which the U. s. found itself when war was declared on the Hun Alaska has ob- Stacles to overcome before it can get at its tre- mcndous resources of mineral and other wealth with which to supply the ever-increas- ing demand of American industries and incl dentally take its place as an a-important part ot the greatest nation of the world just as that nation has become a necessary factor in the world
 As in the U. s. so in Alaska there is evi- dence on every hand of an all-pervading spirit ot optimism which is competent to respond to the demand of the tremendous hustle and hurry of the Twentieth Century American in dustry. The comparison holds good with re- spect to the knocker for, in some few in stances, Alaska is face to face with the knock er-an obstacle in the path of industrial de- velopment and incompetent to develop that which is in himself We may we'll wonder what Is the matter with such people. Surely 1t IS not an American spirit. Can it be that they are of the foreign element not yet thru the melting pot or are they some of those rare ones who come under the same category as criminals dangerous exceptions in the human race? Some would pride themselves on their conservation and would come in to reap the benefits as the neutrals of Europe are at tempting to do now. Such conservatism is foreign to America. Let such people think for an instant of the awful price that England paid in the lives of thousands of brave men while their conservative aristocracy was whipped into shape by such men as Lloyd George. Time cost them money as well as lives and, in similar way, will cost the peo- pie of Alaska money for, while they delay, some one else will beat them to the money Such a spirit is of the dead ages and is fall ing back before the tense business attitude of the present when the demand is to think quick, make your decision and act
 The development of Alaska is not under military rules so that the ultimatum cannot be delivered as it was by the U. S. govern ment in wedding out the evil which had been such detriment to the allied nations but the spirit of the community can brand the knock CT. Alaska is live country about to come into its own and has no place for the knocker The industrial welfare of the U. s. demands that the country be developed and that it be done quickly. All obstacles must be removed. As the pessimist goes about on his errands of anti-Americanism, knocking and knocking that he may satisfy his own personal vanity, let him take second thot and either keep still or get out of Alaska, carrying his per sonal feelings with him to the extent of never admitting that he made the mistake of coming here. Let him get to that "better" place just as fast as he can. The country has been bed by such fools long enough and they are not a part of it and consequently should have no word in its future.