The Kusko times., 1937-10-29
TIE TRUTH ABOUT THE PUECHAS SEE OF ALASKA

Alaska enthusiasts who have been using the figure generally recognized as the amount of the purchase price rsid for the Territory of Alaska when
 t yss purchased from Russia In 1867, namely, S7,200,000, as a base from whjcf to show the value Of the Territ orv through pointing out how -z1y tines over Alaska has paid for
 sef ir 5ts pr51p-tion from fisheries,
 ine-aIs. furz. ara other resources,
 zpp parert F ultra conservative in z4>- statements | the report Of a t-a f History chronicled by Hon. l-anklin K Lane, Secretary of the
 interior during the Wilson admins trstions, is accurate. In fact by such comparisons could properly be multi rl;ed by four and be approximately accurate.
 The error seems to have occurred Tn accepting the amount of s7,209 .0f0 as al-a purchase price paid for Alaska, tie price noted in the history books, while the evidence now at hand indi- cates the price was actually s1,450,000 the balance of the nonay transfer red to Russia by the cheek apparent ly being a debt of honor of the Uni ted States with the Imperial Russian government for 3 display of friendly naval power st time when our gov ernnent needed powerful ally.
 The details of this almost unknown part of the transaction are found in the following manuscript note" of Mr. Lanes dated December 29, 1911:
 Hast night I dined with Charles Henry Butler, reporter for the Su- prerne Court and a son of William Allen Butler, for so long 8 leader Of t..e New York bar.
 ''fn tfe course of the evening. Mr. Charles Clover. president Of the Riggs National Banks tod me this bit Of history- That when he was a boy, in the bank one day, Mir. Cochran came to him and handed him two " rrarts upon the United States Treasury, one far s1, 100000, and the other for S5.- 2no. 600. Ue said, Put those in the saie.' lr. Clover did 90, and thev re- ! nnaiaed there for 9 week. vnen they 1. wsra sent to New York Mr Glover :. ssil Those warrants were the nay i 152 e Russia for the Terr'+ory af ]
 Hhv were +he-a tvro war - never knaw uni some wears later, when I learned the story from Senator Dawes, who said that prior ta the war ther. lad taen soase negotiations between the Unite States and Russia for the purchase of Alsska, and the price Of SI ,400, ,O00 WAS agreed upon Tn fact this was the amount th2t Russia asked for this great Territory, which was regarded as nothing more than a barren field of ice
 During the war the matter lay dormant. We had more Territory than we could take care of. When England, :. however, began TO manifest her friend 1 lv disposition toward the ConfadeTacv. t. and we learned from Ercrore +het Eno-and and France E re carving on negotiations for the recognition of the Eoutha~- c-etss. and -oss;tlv If some manifestation hv t'air fleets against the blockade which we hed instituted land which they claimed was not effective and merely paper blockade). we looked about for a i friend, and Russia was the only Euro pean country upon whose friendship we could rely. Thereupon Secretary Seward secured from Russia demon strstior. in American ports, of Rus sian friendship. Her ships Of war sailed to both of our coasts, the At lSntic and Pacific, with the under standing that the expense Of the dem onstration should be met by the Uni ted States, out Of the contingent fund.