The Stroller's weekly and Douglas Island news., 1922-02-25
FIRST ALASKA
 NEWSPAPER Published in San Francisco by De- posed Russian Priest More Than Half Century Ago

March ist is Che 5ith anniversary or Che first newspaper Co bo publish cd dealing exclusively with Alaskan aGaIrs. On March !. 1868, Che AL aska Herald nrst saw Che light of day at San Francisco. Ca'if Tho editor. Agapius H0ncbaronko. % Russian. and -if we are Co believe oll wo hoar-an advcnturor witha rather cloudy past was Ono drst man to sec Che need of Alaska for @ square deal and express himself accord mrly. uc was educated In Russia. was a priest In Che Greek Catholic church and was. for some reason which we do not know. compelled Go lcayc Ono priesthood by Che ccclcsios- ucal authorities of his church. and iu hIs editorials he frequently shows am Intense anImosIty towards Che teachings Of tbc orthodox Greek church. Ho was evidently highly educated and In au editorial deal- ing with a controversy between him. sc'f and a trading company doing business In Alasku. ho says
 "It appears chat our industrious enemies fnd us to be ignorant Of Russian and therefore guilty Of im- posture. They are excellent Rus sian scholars thcsc keen critics oi our language. do they think them solves better skilled in Che Russian language chan Hcrzcn. editor of Che Ko'okoI. i'm which we have written unmmherod arucIcs9 Do thoy know moro Of Russian than Tourgcuon. whose "Fathors and Sons" trans lated by Eugene Schuyler is well
 known Co Che American reading nubl.c2 We taught Eugene Schuy- ter an ho knows of Russian. and Toureoncds letters to that gentle man recognize Che scholarship of his teacher. This much we are obliged to say for seif-iusudcatiou %
 Tho Alaska Herald was printed in English and Russian Tho Russian language was used because at that umc there were only a few Amcu- cans iu Che Territory Practically an Che business trading. etc. was done by Che Russians. Not only Che news and advertisement were printed Iu both languages. but also Che adyor- usomoufs.
 Even ot thot early datc oycr 5o yaar aro-thc Irish omhrogiio was a topic of che day. I'm Che copy dated April 1st is an editorial concerning Che Irish question which might we'll have been written within Che last year Tho Ku KluN Klan. then at Che summit of its influence. was highly commended as Co it work In Che southern states In am editorial printed April l5th. 1868.
 A letter to Che editor printed April lst 1868. shows what che people of Alaska expected from Che United stotos We can judge whcth- or tfcy got it OF not Tho letter reads as follows.
 "EUtor Alaska Herald.
 "Whon Ohio was yet wilder
 ness Che Russians were establish
 cd iu Alaska Today what is
 OhIoe And what Is Alaska2 lt
 is oasy to sec Che causes of thc
 difference between Che two re-
 rIons. bat when ever yaliowancc
 is made. Che backward state of
 what was Russian America is
 amazing. A few days ago asked
 Russian who had lived In S.tm
 what kind of roads and what ac-
 commodauons for travellers were
 to bc found there. Uo said: Nou
 can Imagine what Che roads arc
 when ! tcll you thc colony cou-
 taIns but one horse and two
 mules
 "Desnouum is stognation; lib-
 crty is ufo Now that Che two-
 headed caclc lsymbol of a bilght-
 ne infmonccl has been with-
 drawn. ! believe that Che Amori-
 cans win do more for sitka in one
 year than Che Russians have done In G0y lSimedl MAX"
 In ust Of Che market value Of mu. primo seq otter is priced ai from go 0t0 2GO and silver fox from .f5 to S25. Today Che seq otter Is considered extinct for an commercial purposes and good skins, ii procur- able. would bring fabulous prices. Tho value of silver fox skins needs . mo comment One of Che things we ! did for sitko was to oxtorminate Che sea otter. which. with Che seol was Che main support Of the Russian colony ot that place and for many years Che only reason for its cX- .stcnco
 The Alaska Herald did not last many months and was succeeded by ! Che Alaska Appeal Che first copy of which was printed March 2. 1879. |by Ivan petroG. another Russian. who was editor and business man aeer 1t. too. was printed at San Francisco. which ot chat time was [ Che center of an Alaska business.
 The Alaska Historical Society owns copies Of an these newspapers with Che exception Of Che first mum ! bor of Che Alaska Herald. which is lin Che possession of Father A. D. Kasheyaro0. librarian.
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