The Alaska daily empire., 1919-02-04
Deporabe Political Practices in Shorty Stoers Cabin


 We find with a certain that the machiner. of practical politics turns true whatever may be tn ethnc atmosphere enveloping it. This discovery ii made by reading reports of hearings in the election contest of Wckersham against Suzer for thu seat of Delegate from Alaska in the House of Rep resentatves
 In the Alaskan island of Afognak, where Gregor Yakanak rules chief of the A1eut Indians, mucf enterprise was shown by John Taushvak and Mike Dolchok, Aleuts who speak and read English, in th 1916 election of Delegate Those upon whom they operated the machinery of practical politics were fellow Aeuts who speak their tribal language only speech which cannot be written and whcl has but few gutteral sounds for the expression O even the most passionate political predections, ye which to have been enough for all practica purposes.
 Consider for example, the testimony of Anton Dol chok, Aleut testifying through an interpreter:
 "Q.-How came you to go to Shorty Stof-
 CTS cabin on the morning of election? A
 The fellows told me to go down there and
 he would show me how to vote for Wicker
 sham.
 "Q-You then, were down at Shorty stof-
 CTS cabin? A.-Yes
 "Q.-What did Shorty do? Ale showed
 how to vote for Wckersham.
 "Q.-Did he give you anything at the
 time-I any coffee and cake? A.
 Yes; he gave me coffe and cake
 "Q.-Where did you go after you left
 the polls? Al went back to Shorty Stoff-
 CTS cabin and had coffee and cake"
 Anton, it will be observed, was repeater, not al the polling place, but where the coffee and cakes were served incentive and reward for early voting Gregor Foxy more explicit in revealing the pur- of the sweet offerings in Shorty Stofers cabin Gregor testified through Mrs. Annie Christanson who served as interpreter:
 Q.-What did Mike Dolchok tell you about who to for? Ale told to put in ballot like he marked.
 "Q.-Did he tell you to vote for Wicker sham? A--Yes.
 "Q.-Did Mike Dolchok go with you to the polls where they voting? A.--Yesa Mike went with me over there.
 'Q.-Did Mike mark your ballot? A. Mike showed me where to vote.
 "Q-Shorty StOfer is not native is he? A.-No; he is white man.
 "Q.-You never had visited Shorty Stoff- CTS place before election Day, had you? A.
 "Q.-Did you the morning of the cleo tion of the seventh of November, 1916 go to Shorty Stoffer's cabin? A.-Yes.
 "Q.-Who told you to go up there? A. Mike Dochok.
 "Q.-What did Mike Dolchok tell you to do? Ale told I must come up here to the election and vote.
 "Q.-Are you a native? A.-Yes.
 "Q.-What did you do on the morning of election when you reached Shorty Stoffer's cabin? Al didn't do anything
 "Q.-Dd you have coffee and cake at Shorty Stofer's cabin? A.--Yes
 "Q.-What did Shorty Stofer say to you about voting? Ale told me to have coffee'
 Did the arguments in support of Afognak's favor lte son run low as the procession of sovereign cit zens were conducted through Shorty Stofer's estam inet and thence to the polls? It seems so from the testimony of honest Sam Mercurof who voted like Mike Dolchok told me to- and then returned to Shortys cabin, but there, Citizen Mcrcurof test he'd, Il had two little cookies and a cup of coffee. Is there not suggestion there that Sams untutored mind grieved the litteness of his earned re- ward, that the cakes had turned cookies? We have said that Aleut gutterals seemed to pro vide expression to fit every political emergency but deeper research shows this always to be so IT the report of the examination of one Aleut wit ness the questions and answers run:
 "Q.-Fos whom did you vote for Attorney General? A.-The interpreter says he can not interpret this in the Aleut language
 'Q.-For whom did you vote for Senator? A.-The interpreter says he cannot interpret this in the Aleut language" While offering much the same shield for witness this reply has some advantage the more familiar "I do not remember" yet adds verisimtude te other testimony by highly civilized but no wit tier witnesses
 Altogether the proceedings in Shorty Stoffer's cabin prove that the arts of politics teach themselves in regions icy or tropc. We may yet learn that seals walruses, polar bears, tempted by dainties which most tickle their palates have added to the electorate of our non-contiguous territory with no dminution in the excellence of the results The Uousa seated MT. Wickersham and rejected Mr. Sulzer Things, it seems, pretty we'll evened m in this ters have departed know not whither Senators Reed and sherman just as funny and may be ex- pected to go on forever-( Macon Telegraph)  Germany's best scheme to pay off her indemnities -drxyt b;l;t