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The Douglas Island News Intered at Douglas Post-office as Second Cla?? Mail Matter. TERMS: In Advance. One Tear ? olx Months - Three Months - Sin trie Copies - CHARLES A. HOPP Editor and Proprietor. PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY Wednesday, March 1914 $3.00 - 1.50 - 75 10 Alaska Railway Act St is just about, four years since the first proposal of a government railroad system for Alaska was seriously put forward. It was urged by a few ex tremely radical people. Such moder- I ate- as Roosevelt, Pinchot, Pisber, Lane and their like were not yet ready to consider it, wbile William H. Taft wa? horrified, aud tbe vast majority of democrats, especially Southern demo*; crats, in congress could not contem plate such a startling project without shuddering for our institutions. Today tbe House is due to pas> tbe bill, already passed by tbe Senate, aud highly approved by president aud cab inet, appropriating $40,000,000 to build the beginuiugs of a government rail road system in Alaska. The beginnings, j be it *aid once more. The beginnings will mean, inevitably, that in time the 1 system must be greatly exteuded and improved. Almost nobody opposes this legisla tion. Almost eveiybody favors it. There will be a vastly bigger proportion of opposition iu congress iban theie is outside. The Senate's vote was three to oue for the measure, aud only four votes against it were those of demo crats. It is interesting to observe how oui view of Alaska has changed. Iu 1867 \ Mr. Seward paid Russia $7,200,000 for it, and everybody realized that he had been frightfully bunkoed! Yet Dele gate Wickersham declares, and gives good statistics to support it, that since then we have taken $525,000,000 of wealth out of Alaska, without doing much of anything for itr and without scratching the surface of that huge domaiu. Alaska is about twice as big in area as the thirteen colonies when tbey became the Union. Its vast agri cultural areas are in the latitude of Sweden, Norway aud Finlaud, but eu joy rather a milder climatel It has takeu quite a wbile to awaken to the value of Alaska, but we need not be discouraged over that. Thomas H. Benton, when be wa9 a senator from tbe mo.*t westerly state then admitted to the Union, declared that our West am boundary must be at the summit of the Rockies; we couldnt think of reaching out to the Pacific. Daniel Webster delivered a philippic in oppo sition to taking Oregon ? that is, the j great Pacific and mountain Northwest as a whole ? into the Uuion on any terms. He said it was worse thau worthless, and we could not possibly develop or benefit by if f Id fact, if there bad beeu just a modicum of appreciation of the value of theNorthwext in the right time, our northern boundary would have been "fifty-four foity" instead of the forty- 1 ninth parallel, aud British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba would now be mostly American. But in those days there wan too little appreciation either of the value of the territory or of the pledge of "fifty-four forty or fight,1 " under which the democrats carried one presidential election. Nobody cared much whether we get the territory or Dot. The Southern leadership was at the moment vastly more concerned, in fact to get land in the other direction; Southwestern expansion, which meant expansion of slave territory, was chiefly in favor. So we forfeited the chauce to coutrol the great Northwest, and left Britain, untouched, her Canadian empire. Bat Alaska has been saved to the nation, and with the enlighteued and businesslike policy now tardily applied to its management, it may yet prove I the one bright spot in the story of our national management of the public domain. ? Washington (D. C.) Times. The Haines Chamber of Commerce, has suddenly discovered that a rail road is to be built from the coast to ? the interior and that it would be a good thing for Haines in particular and for all of Southeastern Alaska in general if the Lynn Canal metropolis were to be chosen as the ocean terminus. All of Southeastern Alaska is of one mind on that subject. ,Now all we have to do is to convince President Wilson. Still, the case is not hopeless, and who can tell what a good, long, strong pull all **M*athar may da Judge Jennings, of the federal oourt J at Juneau, ha9 decided that a town council in Alaska has the right to fire as well as hire city employes. The case at issut* was that of W. T. Lucas, who for a time held the position of city clerk hi Juneau. Thfe town council dismissed him and hired a successor; Lucas refused to quit and was foroibly ejected from office. He flew to the oourt for redress, with the result as stated above, it is very probable that few oiti2eus realize the exteut of the powers of r. town council in Alaska. Very few oouncilmen seem to appre ciate that their authority comes di* rectly from the United States congress, which is as much as the federal officers can boast of, aud they are not nearly so badly tied up with red tape. The Juneau Daily Empire attempts to defend the actioo of the seven Alaska senators who injected their own private opiuiou into the railroad matter, but it ie a poor attempt. They showed their haud at a time so critical that they will not live long euough to get full forgive* ness from true Alaskans, aud the Em pire will be doing them a kiudness by allowing the people of the North to forget it aud them. There is food for thought iu the fol lowing question which we find in an exchange: "Have you ever noticed that the average man will turn out of the way of a go-cart with b baby iu it and lift his bat to the proud mamma who wheels it, with never a murmur, aud then scowl Ht a crowd of 'society' women, on their way home from a club meeting, who crowd hiiu off the side walk?" The Skagway Daily Alaskau ie sweet 9ixfeen Lts present owner. Dr. Keller, took chaige on July 1, 1907. It is the oldest paper iu Alaska aud ^ till very spry for its age. Here's good luck. Schooi Notes Thfr D. H. S. bapket ball team met the Skagway basket ball team at the Douglas rink last night. ?Both teams did splendid work aud the score ended 14 to 8 in iavor of Skag ay. The High school party given last B. M. BEHRENDS, BANKER, JUNEAU, ALASKA Foreign Exchange Issued Oldest Bank in Alaska INTEREST PAID ON SAVINGS DEPOSITS Friday evening whs greatly enjoyed by every one that atteuded. The rooms were beautifully decorated with puj-ple and gold aucl pennants from every school in the land. At 11 o'clock a de lightful supper was served in room 5. The evening w?m spent iu playing cards aud dancing. Mr. C. A. Popp presided at the piano. The Douglas basket ball team of girls aud the Treadwell basket ball team of girls met at the Treadwell Club last evening at 7 o'clock. The game ended iu a score of 30 to 0 in favor of Douglas. Helmi Aalto, Reporter. Marriage of Almira Loomis The Centralis (Wash.) Daily Hub, of Saturday, Feb. 7, says: Leet David Bowen and Miss Almira Marguerite Loomis were married at Chehalis Monday at high noon, Rev. Baldwin officiating, immediately after the ceremony linner was served at the Imperial Cafe; covers were laid for teu. The couple were accompauied by Mr. and Mrs. Egbert Loomis, A. M. Loomis, Lewis Loomis, Mr. and Mrs. A.*E. Webb. A large uumber of friends and relatives escorted them to the depot where they started on their honeymoon amid shower* of rice and old shoes. They will be at home to their friends after March I. in honor of the above event a shower was given Mrs. Boweu by a large num ber 01 her girl friends at the home of Mr. and Mr*. Egbert Loomis January 29. She received a large number of u*eful and beautiful presents. Broken pipes repaired at Keist's Pool Room. All work guaranteed.? Advertisement Shoes foiT Gentler: -n at prices to su::? thc: r *;? ;** You wiN find in our ?frct a! tt) i. c;i every last that a xaua coulu sequirc. ATdraoasIWnctof lheBojtonRu^crSliocC^ "131 M - Look For This ! * day aik '-V'c have a fine Hnc of oat :n; punpj, dieu shoes and w likui^. shoe*. Come b> axad ?rr &tm. and let a* show you every dung for foolcanfort* The Best of ; everything in j GROCERIES ! FRUITS and { PRODUCE j Hart Schaffner & Marx Clothing Stetson Hats Nettleton Shoes ] J. W.MARTIN : - J ALASKA JEWELRY CO., Douglas ? jj For Watch and Jewelry Repairing ? Al the Island Bold ALBIN BARITELLO, Propr?etor Best Grades Wines, Ciquors, and Cigars NO INFERIOR BRANDS Family Trade Solicited Free Delivery ? FRONT ST., DOUGLAS SHIP YOUR FURS TO " ? . tw lira : m ? i f r r i n i? i m? i? > ? DO YOUK FUR BUSINESS DIRECT with the largest house in the World dealing exclusively In AMERICAN RAW FURS Get "More Money" for your FURS . SHIP YOUK FURS TO "SHUBEBT" a reliable ? responsible? safe ? Fur House with an unblemished rep ut. rron existing for "more than a quarter of a century." a long suc o -ful record of sending ifur Shippers prompt? SATISFACTORY ANT> PROFITABLE returns. Write for "ibr &fmbrrt &bipptr.'' the only reliable, accurate market report and price list published. Writ? for it? NOW? it*m FREE AR ^HIIRFRT f ?-? i-? 25-27 WEST AUSTIN AVE. ? P* Jli W PILI\ 1 ^TC^JPept. 043 CHICAGO. U.S.A. j f AGENT FORTHE * www "Redfern" and "Warner Rust Proof" www We have in stock the Lace Front and all other late style corsets www 3 The Best Fitting Corset on the Market jj - - y Wm. STUBBINS } * DOUGLAS MARKET < * BUTCHERS * if rail lilt, AID JUSI I II YOU IIKE I! Fine, .firm, tender Beef, Clean, sweet Pork, Lounge Lambr Fresh Veal. Fish, Poultry and game in season We solicit your patronage. Phone 1-0. ***** 'PHONE AUTO 1-8 Treadwell, Alaska TREADWELL MARKET WHOLESALE and RETAIL Beef, Pork, Mutton and Poultry Ham, Bacon and Lard Fish and game in season A Dainty Dressing Case is a necessity for the dainty woman. No other artiole of farnitare appeals to her more stroogly. We are making a epeoial display of these artioles and we want yoa to see it. Note the good big mirrors, the commodious drawe^ and the completeness of their conveni ences. And finally note how moderately even the most elaborate case is priced. JULIUS JENSJ3N ' Second St. DOUGLAS READ THE NEWS And send it to a friend. /