The Alaska daily empire., 1921-09-01
WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN.

Some prowling adventurer minus fear of God or wrath of man has stolen the bell whose vibrations for something more than hundred years has echoed and re-echoed daily through the decaying halls of the old San Miguel Mission Paso Robles. We say ancient because in this relatively new world anything prior to Fortynine smacks of the dark ages. We have no definite information regards the San Miguel bell, but it is probably one of many of the Mission bells forged, not in Mexico or Spain, as commonly supposed, but in Alaska. The Russian occu- patton of Alaska. which fourfshed something more than . century ago, designed to be permanent and was established on a fairly substantial basis It's vitality was presumed to rest upon shipping and there was set up at Sitka what was for that day large shipbuilding establishment including among other things foundry. In this establish ment there happened to be means for casting bells. and as it was the most convenient source of supply the Mission Fathers fre- Quenty resorted to it. A relatively large number of the Mission bells are therefore of Russian manufacture
 If Russian colonization in Alaska---and further sOuth-had proceeded under rational policies it would almost certainly perman- ently have possessed Alaska even perhaps the whole Coast far down as San Fran cisco. Long before American pioneers found
 
 possession but it was possession, not of domestic life, but of a military project In- stead of sending settlers to the country Rus sia sent soldiers who served under military orders. They occupied not only the Alaskan coast, but stations as far down at our Far alone Islands, where for several years a siderable establishment was maintained in furtherance of fur-sealing enterprise An agricultural settlement of some importance had it's headquarters at Fort Ross whose name with that of the Russian River per- petuates an interesting historical incident It was the settlers with domestic accompani- ments of wives and children who finally overcame and in sense literally drove out the Russian soldiers International conten- tions between Russia and Britain finally gave the United States possession of Alaska, but by that time the Russian establishment had dwlndled to an unimpOrtant military sta ton, too far removed from the center of authority to be anything more or better than detached appendage and an annoy ance. If, instead of sending soldiers. Russia had occupied the country with few hun dred families. their descendants would today be possessors in land where only dwindling group of mixed -bloods and few place names sustain the record of valiant but futile enterprise.--(San Francisco Argo- naut)
 has usually depended upon lul coloniZation or occupation through perman ement. That has been particularly true of 'ricas. While there have been small sections country, like the French regions of Quebec t } been subjected to control by those of anot , 1t was due to the fact that the colonization nanent settlement did not cover a country of { nt extent The same thing might be said W renee to sections of Louisiana. The territory t United States acquired from France, Spain ico became definitely American because the f nsive sediment and permanent occupation was American.
 Tor many decades of the last century there ention among several countries as to the own or the Pacific Coast. The dispute was parti lively over the Oregon country. The Americ the first permanent settlement on the South Of the Columbia River and the British were | he northern bank. The Willamette Valley ' led by both. Each put forth claims as to prior iscovery. etc., and labored arguments were ed concerning the legitimacy of the occupati he Americans through the establishment of and by the Hudson's Bay Company at Vancouv day was won for America. however, only wh icans arrived with their families, appropriat