No. 72 EIGHTEENTH YEAR
SKAtfWAY, ALASKA, THURSDAY
Vancouver, B. C., April 29—The
Conuaught bridge in this city,
costing nearly a miliioa dollar* to
build, was destroyed by fire at an
early hour this moraine. The fir®
is supposed to have be- n the work
of arsonists. The Granville street
bridge was also Bet afire, but the
blazo was extinguished before do
ing any damage.
L
Berne, April 29—Allied aeroplane
are today raiding the German Zep
pelin airship Quarters at Frlad
richaven.
P^trograd, April 29 —Several Aus
trian and German awoplaaea are
reported to have Voen brought
down yesterday alou^ the Russian
battle front.
Nancy, April 29—A German aero
plane dropped bombs into this city
today, killing three people.
L<ondon, April 29— It is reported
that the bombs dropped by aviators
In Calais killed thirty people yes
terday.
E
F
Juneau, April 29—A special from
N'ew York to the Juneau Dally Di»
patch this morning states that ths
bondholders of tiio Alaska Ebaer
gold mine company have sixty day*
within which to make the first pay
ment on an assessment of $450,
000 to satisfy a Judment of the
court for money expended by the
tT. S. Smelting an! refining com
pany
In speaking of th* abcnrs ease
the Mining and Engineering Journal
of recent date says.
The United States Smelting,
Mining & Refining Co. has secured
control of the Ebner gold mine at
Juneau, April 29—A B.
engineer for McKeever Bros., says
that work will start at once on the
development of the Lott and Nel
son mining claia^d. A quarter of a
million dollars is available for de
velopment and unlimited capital will
b« furnished later If the mine war
rant* It
RESULTS lEff
SATISFACTORY
Paris, April 29—Kmsfactory ad
rices are reported from Belgium,
where the alliae arw striving to difl
Lodg* the Germans at Steeustraate,
Ihe only point on the west baas of
ha Yser which the mvadars have
seen able to hold.
Berlin, April 29—Vh^ attempt to
■ecapturs the lost vound in Flan
ies has failed.
Tuceftu, Alaska, at a forclocure
tale in New York this week. If the
Jwaerehip as the result of this
tale, is not set aside by court
proceedings, the Ebner properties
will have coot the smelling company
ipproximaiely |609,rY
In the Journal of March 27 were
;iven the details of the financial
scheme suggested for liquidating
he claims of the smelting company
igainst the Ebner. An extension
>f on© week was pranted to the
jobholders' committee to enable* tt
o make an effort to provide some
llfferent financial arrangement, but
t failed to accompli a h this and the
oreclsur© sale resulted.
According to local newspapers.
luJt has already been instituted in
.he federal court in New York on
>ehalf of some of the bondholders
>f the Ebner compaay, seeking to
let aside contracts between their
rompany and the smelting company
m the ground that* the bondhold
er' committee excelled its au
horlty in permitting new debts to
irise without permiis'on from the
landholders and that clauses of the
xmtract with the company were
isurious. This suit *>y the bond
iolder* was brought arainst the
xnnmittee, but the smelting com-"
jany also is named as a defendant
We are now showing the Largest
Liae of New
Spring and Summer
Wash Goods
ever shown in Skagway consist
ing of Plain and Figured Crepes,
Ratinas, French G-ingbams. Mer
cerized Plisses, Peacales, Flaxons,
Etc. Ladies' and Misses' and
Children's Ready Made Wash
Dresses at 75c to $2.25. The
newest things in 36-in silks at
75c per yard-l
Jlf you want to teaf something that ia
real nice come in and look the good* over]
H. J. LYNCH
Up-to-date Haberdashw
and Ladies' FuraiahorJ
Broadway hetwcea Third aad Fourth Pkoae 41
REASONS FOB VETO OF THE BILL
ABOLISHING CflPIUL PUNISHMENT
Following are the reasons given i
by Gov. J. F. A. Strong for his ,
veto on last Tuesday of the bill
for the abolishment of capital pun- j
ishment la Alaska.:
"I return herewith, without .my !
approval. Senate bill No. 46, 'an act
amending Section 1883 and Section
1884 of the Compiled laws of Al- '
aska.'
"The purpose of this bill is to 1
abolish capital punishment in the
territory of Alaska. The right of.
inflicting the punishment of death
haa been doubted by distinguished :
persons, aa<l the doubt is often I
the accompaniment of a highly cul
tivated mind. The right of society ■
to punish offences against its safety j
and good order, however, will sarce- |
lv be doubted by auy considerate |
person. It is therefore not deemed j
necessary to enter here rpou a dis- ,
cusslon ol this right, for when the
right of society is once admitted to
punish offences it seetJa idfficult
to assign any limits to the exorcise
of this right, short of what the ex- j
lugencies of society may require
The expediency of capitr.l punish- {
ment, however, opens a wide field '
for discussion. There are able men
who do not doubt the right but who
deny the expediency of Inflicting it,1
and it may be admitted that a wUe j
legislature ought to be slow in af-1
fixing 6UCh a punishment to any
but very enormous and dangerous |
crimes. The Alaska criminal code
in this Teepect is liberal and it is j
strictly within the province of the |
jury trying a case of murder in the j
first degree to fix the penalty at j
imprisonment for life. In the an
nals of criminal jurisprudence in j
Alaska only two cases of capital
punishment are recorded. It is al- j
so true that there have been a
comparatively large number of nuu- j
cers committed in the territory
wheire the perpetrators have never |
been apprehended; am1, it may l>e
urged that the existenco of the
law imposing capital punishment ,
has not acted as a deterrent, and
it will also be admitted that th^
bloodiest codes are not those which
have the most effectually suppre se.l
offences. The vast water stretches t
and the lonely trails of Alaska fre
quently render it comparatively ea.-y '
for the offenders to make good their
escape. In the past three years j
there have been at last six murde:-s j
committed under conditions appar-;
ently of great and premeditated
atrocity and it is such crimes as !
tnese, with their attendant danger
to society, which should be most ef
fectuallj guarded against.
u "It Is clear that capital pun
ishment can have no effect in re-1
forming the offender himself, but i
It may have, and ordinarily does
have, the effect of deterring others |
from doing likewise. It may be add
ed that a reasonable doubt may j
fairly be entertained whether any
society can lawfully exercise the j
power of punishing beyond what
the just exigencies of that society
require. On the other Iiund, a total
abolition of capital punishment
would, in some cases, at least, ex-1
pose Boclety to the risk of deep
and vital Injuries. A man who1
has committed murder deliberately
lias proved himself unfit for society
and regardless of al' tue dutiej
which belong to it. '! he butety ot
society is most effectually guarded I
by cutting uim off from the power
ci doing further mischief. If his |
life be not taken away the other I
means left is confinement for life,
and this is not a perfect security
against the commission of other
crimes, through some influence or
other, pardon is issue'! and the of
fender may again be a menace to so
ciety.
•It would seem, therolore, that it
is difficult to maintain the pro
position that capital punishment is
at all times and under all cir
cumstances inexpedient. It may
rather be affirmed that in some
cases it is absolutely indispensable
to the safety and good of society.
"In states having fixed and per
manent populations with well settled
conditions of society, it may be
conceded that there are stronger
grounds for the abolition of capital
imnishmeut than in new countries
uf suarse and unsettled population,
;tud where social and ether condi
tions cannot be said to be estab
lished. That in Alaska we have a
law-abiding population need net be
said; that the very conditions ob
taining liore are such as to le.sen
the commission of crime, or deter it,
may be doubted. The opportunities
Tor the escape of the offender are
many, as has been shown by the
experience of the past, and to les
sen the yunisUiuent now provided l>y!
?xistiug laws for capital offences
ivould, in my judgment be mo^t lsn
ftise. This seems to be especially
true in view of the fact that within
the next few years i large increase
"A population may be expected,
many perhaps of a different status
:>f civilization from that which we
jiijoy; and while an increase of
;rime might not follow it would, in
my judgment be against good public
policy to abolish at this time the
leath penalty. With capital pun
ishment eliminated from the ttatute
look increase of capital crime might
!>r expected and in its absence men
might take the law into their own
bands and administer lynch-law, a
ioudition being thus created which
ivould bo revolting in its effect.
• With the degree of guilt, as is
uow the case in Alaska, and the
'act that, as a general rule, hu
manity forbids such punishment to
tie applied to any but crimes of
;reat enormity and for other rea
sons outlined, it is further submit
.ed that the experience of most na
tions, if we may judge from the na
ture and extent of their crimiual
legislation, seem to disprove the
jpinion so often indulged in Jjy phil
anthropists and others that capital
punishment is wholly unnece:sary.
"In conclusion I beg to add that
so far as 1 am advised, there is no
general demand for the euactment
-1 this law abolishing capital pun
ishment in the territory, but I
may be permitted to suggest to your
lionorable body that this is a ques
tion that might well be submitted
to a referendum of the reople.
J. F. A. STROXG, Governor.
Perishables Received Today
|Ex Humboldt
Tomatoes New Zealand Pears
Cucumbers Winesap Apples
Green Peas Rhubarb
Cauliflower
New Potatoes
Fancy Head Lettuce
Spinach
Florida Grape Fruit Radishes
Fancy Nevel Oranges Green Peas
STAWBERRIE5-- -As soon as they are available for the Skag
way market we will have them. The price will be just as low
as we can consistently make it.
P. H. GANTY
1
EGISLATURE
—r -
Juneau, April 29—Senator Sulzer
of the First Division jeateiday in
troduced a memorial recommend
ing that four delegates, ore fro.u
each division, be tinted to ecu- •
gress from Alaska.
The uuiversal eight -.our Mil 10:'
the territory failed to pass the
house yesterday.
It looks now as tUmigii the s<J
ale and house will bo deadlocked on
the territorial revenue bill • nad
Governor J. F. A. Strong has an
nounced that there will be a special
session called immediately upon ad
joi rnment of the present regular
session unless some revenue measure
is agreed upon and massed.
London, April 29 - The allies j
have completed the establishment
of a military base at the end ol
th« Oallipolo peninsula.
Swedish steamers reaching ling-J
lish ports today report a fleet of •
over sixty German warships in the
North Sea.
CALL FOH 1
Seattle, April. 29—The Al.'iska
railroad engineering commission
has issued a call for bids on a
large quantity of supplies for the
Alaska railroad.
These will include 900,000 feet
of timber, mostly for bridge pur
poses; 30,000 ties and a miscel
:meous assortment of bolts, spikes,
?tc.
The bids will be opened May
f>th.
A contract for a locomotive crane J
has been let by the commission to
i Cle\eland, Ohio, firm.
Noni', April 29—A l:ig lead has
jpened in the ice pack five miles
off shore from this place.
it is the general opinion of old
timers, however, that the eoason
will be late, owing to an uhusual
quantity of snow ice tlie past month.
SURVIVORS OF
IRE GAMBETTA
Rome, April 29—A hundred and
thirty five survivors of the crew of
t;ie French cruiser Gambetta, which
wyg torpedoeed and sunk yesterday
in the Straits of Citrunto by an
Austrian submarine, reached Syra
c»Et this moning, many of them
Pilfering from hours spent in the
water before being Dieted up. The
commander went down with the ves
sel. The bodies of fiftv six of the
dead were recovered and buried
with full military honors by the
Italian soldiers at Santa Mariel to
il a v.
IN
Mityline, April i :i—Three al
lied warships are reported to have
entered the Gulf of Smyrna today,
but whether or not they Intend to
bombard the Turkish forta has not
vet developed..
HOP ORDINARY
I
Vienna, April 29—All railroads
have stopped ordinary traffic and
are rushing- Austrian and German
soldiers to the Italiau frontier.
Interior Weather
Skagway, cloudy, s w 42 above.
Whitehorse, clear, calm, 26 above.
Lower LeBarge, snow, s. w. 30
ibove.
Hootalinqua, Enow, s. w. 28
ibeve.
Big Salmon, snow, s. w. 32 above.
Carmacks, cloudy, 6. w. 30 above.
Yukon Crossing, cloudy, n. w. 37
ibove.
Selki/k, cloudy, n. w. 30 above.
Coffee Creek, cloudy, calm, 30
'ibove.
Stewart River, cloudy, calm, 26
above.
Ogilvie, cloudy, u. w ?0 above.
Dawson, cloudy, n. w. 32 above.
Safe
You'll never be "put out1' by shape
losing fabrics in your clothes or
poor wear if you'll choose
Hart Schaffner & Marx
or
Ed V. Price & Co.
CLOTHES
Drop in and lood them over
Will Clayson
The Clothier