The Nome nugget., 1932-10-08
TEXT OF WlCkERShAlMS ADDRESS

the lot. We put the first jail ov- CT on the corner. a log Jail. as soon as Parker and some of these people could saw como lumber. So lit gave mo . great deal of pleas ufe to assist in starting the wheels of justice In this country. I was appointed judge for the dis 'trict extending from the Arctic Ocean to Mt. Mckinley. from the Canadian boundary to tho Berins Sea. 280.00o square miles. an en- ormous territory. end It became my duty to appoint the commission CTS. to lay out the commission ers' districts and to perform the numerous works in the interests of the public in connection with my official capacity.
 I continued to serve as judge until the year of 1907. January II, 1908 I lived here in Fairbanks. My term expired that day because I sent in my resignation and became citizen and resident of your community. I left the judge ship because I wanted to run for Congress. There was to be an el- ection that year. Waskey was the delegate for the short term and Gale for the dong term and their terms expired at that time. l de- cided to become a candidate for the long term. did become candidate and ran for that office and was elected. still have copy of my old platform with me O l. ha t~ yrhfnh I pledged myself and promised the people of the Panama valley that I would secure the passage of the law by which the government would construct. own. maintain and op- crate a railroad into the Tanana valley. Now, that was long before 1t was done and the bill was not passed until 1914. but you people had confidence in me and you had kept me in Congress, and the rail- road was an assured fact. I did secure the passage of that act and also the passage of an Organic act creating a Territorial Legisla- ture so that you could go to the Legislature of this Territory and make laws for yourselves. kept that pledge and fulfilled all my promises and pledges which were in that old yellow platform. It seems that they didn't have any thing but yellow paper in the print ing shops here at that time. It was all you could get.
 obtained the land grant Col lege at this place, the Alaska Az ricuMural College and School of Mines situated here in your com munity, and I am glad to get that old platform out and refresh your minds and to see that kept every promise and pledge I ever made to you. I have planned in Congress 1 to carry out all the pledges and promises [ have made to you people and don't think l had an Organic act and let me tell you about that. MT. Taft, who was then President, said, "No we don't
 want an elective legislature in
 Alaska. From my experience in
 the Philippine Islands l am deter
 mined that the best system will
 be a legislature to be appointed by
 the President of the United Stat
 es and I will see that there Is a
 law passed giving me the power
 to appoint a Territorial Legisla-
 ture." I opposed this idea and
 fought it. opposed him so wig
 crously that I was barred out Of
 the White House and in three of
 his annual messages to Congress, he denounced that bill, Finally,
 however, we secured the passage
 of the bill and on the 24th day
 of August 1912, Presiden- Taft
 signed it. It happened to be my
 birthday that day. l didn't get
 drunk, but certainly went out and
 went on one of the biggest sprees
 in the way of eating that l had had
 in ia long time. I am tellins you all these things because I want
 these Cheechaccos to know some
 thing about who I am.
 Now, you can talk about roads and trails and you do talk about them In 1904 we didn't have but -four or five roads. We didn't have
 a road out to Ester Creek so one Idav general holiday was called land and all the rest of the
 court house officials went out to
 help build road to Ester from Fairbanks. We worked, everybody in this part of the country work led and we built the road in two :. days We didn't have finished road hut we cut the brush out and dug out the stumps and the road you are using today is the same one we built at that time We were industrious in 1 and ura Mnra alMaYS