The New York herald., 1921-06-05
What Ais Alaska?
An Attack on the Repressive Attitude Adopted by the
Government in the Name of Conservation.


rapid depopulation of Alaska during the
last ten years has inspired the news
papers of late to evince some interest
In our northern possession and to ask
"Why is Alaska decliningr'
The answer Is easy to one who has
resided there for fifteen years and has
watched the peculiar methods OF gov
ernment in vogue-the constant med
ding of officials and still worse system
Of home rule"-and has finally aban-
doned the Territory as hopeless.
Primarily, Alaska Is no richer In nat
ural resources than the average western
State. It will require skilful manage
ment on the part of the powers that be
to make 1t prosperous community
There Is undoubtedly much natural
wealth In certain parts of the Territory.
but by far the greater part OF the land
Is barren and desolate.
The cream of the mineral having been
skinned, In order to make further ex-
ploitation profitable the Government Will
have to offer the most liberal induce
ments to tho prospector, the miner and
the business man, and then only will the
the hardships and the labor involved.
From 1895 to 1910 the population or
Alaska Increased by leaps and bounds,
the gold production alone rising to $z0,-
600, 900, and tho Territory was prosper
GUS in spite Of the vexatious Federal
license laws and the strange rulings OF
the Land Office.
Then came the blight. 1t went under
the name of conservation, but 1t was
really an attempt to gather all the pub
lic lands of the Territory into an estate,
its forests, it's mines. it's water power.
its wharf sites, to be managed by q
devastating host of Government under
lings and worked by the citizens as
lessees, licensees and tenants; the un-
derlings to be ruled by group OF om-
cials at Washington, thousands OK miles
away, there to lobby for appropriations
to hire more officials to lobby for more
appropriations ad infinitum. And they
will need these appropriations. for such
a system has never In past history PAID
its way and never will.
Alaska has been literally reserved TO
dcath. There are forest reserves, mill
tary reserves, one of them 100 miles IN
diameter; coal reserves. fish reserves,
naval reserves, missionary reserves.
church reserves. school reserves, pird
reserves, public reserves and cranks cry
ing for moro reserves.
After having effectually deprived the
prospector of his vocation, put the saw
mills out of business, made railroad
building impossible and made 1t a penal
offence to burn q pound Of native coal.
commission was sent to Alaska to select
a route for a Government railroad ITO
open up the country"
Congress had appropriated $3b,0oo,ooo
to build 1000 miles of railroad, ana IN
order to explain how this money was
spent it will be necessary to state that
Prince William Sound describes nan
circle in the coast ut the northeast OK
tremity of the Gulf Of Alaska. the bowl
being spotted with Islands. Cordova'
terminus of the Copper River Railroad
ia at the south end Of the bow; Seward
terminus of the Government railroad, al
the western end of the bow, and valdez
100 miles northeast of line drawn
between Cordova and Seward. Is directly
In the centre. The Government has
built a wagon road from Valdez, Sof
miles. to Fairbanks. This road has al
ways been tho popular route to the IN
terror of the country, as it tapped all OF
the placer mining centres and was dotted
all along the line with lode minlns
camps. and Valdez itself Is surrounded
by mining operations.
Seward was started as townsite
proposition, and few miles OF railroad
was built In order to dispose OF tne
town lots. The town has no natural
resources excepting a good harbor, ano
the distance from there to Fairbanks Is
about 4s0 miles, 113 miles more than tne
Valdez route. Neither Is there anything
that could be classed as commercial min
eral anywhere along the entire distance
The coal at Matanaska is on a branch
line a short forty miles from the coast
To the end that the Government roae
should not infringe on private territory
IL was along this barren and desoiate
route that the Government decided te
locate the line that was to open VI
Alaska.
From Seward the railroad crosses tht
Kenai peninsula and then emerges again
on open water at the head OF Cook Inle,
before Il strikes off into the interior. Al
the head of Cook Inlet Is Anchorage
which Is the back door to Seward, and
IN case of war 1t would be necessary
to fortify both ports. The building ol
the railroad OF course is responsible foi
the existence of these towns. and they
in turn have drawn away the best par
of the population Of all the older settle
n,snts along the coast; but 1t also fol-
lows that as soon as the Government
CEASES its appropriations for the railroad
thew TOO will be abandoned. AZ It seems
- accantsd fact that the road will