THE ALASKA PROSPECTOR
Vo1, * Valdez, Alaska, June 11, 1908.
No. 22
Republican Document Upholds President's Admin
istration and Declares It Is Embodiment
of Party Principles.
Washington, Juno 8—Never 1ms a
president of the United States re
ceived such an unequivocal endorse
ment, so far as his policies are con
cerned, as that given President
Roosevelt in the republican platform
completed this morning. The pream
ble advises that the Roosevelt poli
cies be set forth as the embodiment I
of the principals of the republican i
party, and the platform, plank by
plank, is constructed of suggestions j
that every idea advanced by the pres-1
ident bo carried out to a finality.
The platform points to the presi
dent's roeord in behalf of protecting j
the freedom of Cuba and ho is de- |
clared to have lifted the yoke of j
oppression from the Philippines and |
from Porte Rico. There is also an
unequivocal declaration in favor of
tartfT revision accompanied by the
recommendation that the working
out of this revision be left to congress.
The platform in this regard favors
changes in the present schedules as
time and the advancement of the
country warrant. It points out that
the laws of this country will not per
mit foreign labor to compete with
American labor and that therefore
fcho tariff duties must offsot the differ
ence in the coat of production.
The platform congratulates con
gress on the passage of the Aldrich
Vreeland bill as a striking example of
sound finance and favors tho amend
ment of the Sherman anti-trust law
ho as to permit railroads to enter into
traffic agreements. It advocates
trust regulation along lines laid down
in the platform of 1000.
The platform declares that to aban
don tho Philippines at this time will
be inhuman and unwise and urges
further effort along educational lines
in the islands. It also urges protec
tion of the civil liberties of negros,
the exclusian of Oriental coolie labor,
the encouragement of commerce with
the Orient, commends the civil ser
vice policy and advocates a subsidy
for Australian and South American
steamship lines.
All told the republican platform of
1008 is remarkable in that it finds lit
tle to condemn, much to praise and
is very much in the nature of an ap
peal to carry out the policies set in
motion by President Roosevelt by
electing as his successor a man who
is known to be an advocate of these
policies.
TUFT OPPONENTS
GAIN ONE POINT
Washington ,/nne 9—Presi
dent lloosevelt heartiJy approves
of the methods being persned in
settling the pre-eonrention de
tails, according to a statement
issued from the White House
this morning.
Chicago, June 9—Out of the strug
gle now raging with tlio control of
the national republican convention
aH its object, the anti-Tuft organiza
tion ha« at last wrested a small vic
tory. Last night it was announced
that all contest« had been settled in
favor of Taft. but this morning comes
the additional announcement that
with the exception of Alabama,
Florida, Arkansas and Kentucky the
state delegations in contest will be
allowed to present further evidence
as to their claims for recognition.
This is a point in favor of the Taft
opposition.
The reason of tills concession on
tho part of the Taft men is bccauso a
rule prohibits a roll call unless it is
demanded by at least twenty mem
bers, but it seems that tho heretofore
solid phalanx of the committco has
been slightly broken. Some of the
Taft men on tho membership com
mittee wero in favor of admitting
both tho Taft and the anti-Taft dele
gations from Louisiana but Hitchcock
announced emphatically that he will
not permit any compromise delega
tions and the concession Is the result.
This concession, however, is far
from satisfying the anti-Taft men and
these delegates will submit a vigorous
protest to the convention. The pur
posed protest Is Identical with that
planned by Matthew Quay In 180IJ,
and they are not deterred by tho fact,
that the Quay plan failed of adoption.
It Is hoped that the plan will succeed
In gaining application at this convon
tlon, but this Is hardly expected and
tho real pur|>ose Is to obtain Its adop
tion for future conventions. Success
of the attempt will result in giving
each state four delegates at large to
every 10,000 republican votes oast at
the proceeding presidential election.
It« effect, lr Adopted this year, will
be to rednce by Jf>0 tho delegates from
the southern states, shutting out all
the negroes. All the northern states
exoopt Massachusetts and Nevada
will gain, and these states will lose
<mo delegate each. Ohio will i><* In
creased by seventeen ami Indiana by
eleven.
GOMPERS AGAINST
PRAISING COURTS
Chicago, Juno }i—President Oom
pers of the Ainorioan Federation of
Labor today announced that organ
ized labor is to make a vigorous fight
against the adoption by the national
republican convention of the platform
plank allirniing confidence in the in
tegrity of the courts, tiompera will
insist that this plunk be replaced
by one upholding the ind epcndonce
j of labor and granting labor its full
constitutional perogatives.
President Oompers declares that
organized labor throughout the
United States is prepared to east its
power, political and otherwise,
against the offensive plank and that
ho is confident that the national con
vention delegates will never go on
record as expressing confidence in the
courts of the country. If they do, ho
says, their political doom Is scaled for
from that time on they will flnd in
the laboring element of the country a
most implacable enemy.
GRANT ONCE REFUSED
A JOB BY ST. LOUIS
8t. Louis, June 0—Ulysses S. Grunt,
0110 time president of the United
States and before that commander of
the Union forces in the < ivil war wan
once in IiIh career refused a job by
tho city of 8t. Louie. That this is
true is proved t>y a document just
found in the anolent files of the city
registrar's office.
The document in question is a for
mal application for a position under
the city government made out and
signod by Ulysses H. Grant. Across
the face of the document is written
in rod ink, '-'rejected."
BubpoBtofTleo Ib Robbed
Kansas City, June 11—Thieves, of
whom thoro is absolutely no trace,
looted the subpostofflce horo last
night, getting away with the contents
of nearly every registered mall pouch
in the place. Several hundred thou
sand dollars were stolen. One poach
enroute from New York to i/os An
geles Is said to have contained more
than $100,000. There was a watch
man on duty at the time of the rob
bery hut he asserts that ho saw noth
ing wrong.
The Tanana Is claiming an output
I of $10,000,000 to $15,000,000 this year.
KANSAS IN GRIP
OF WILD WATERS
Kaw River Overflows Banks
and North Topeka Is Sub
merged and Deserted.
MISSOURI ALSO ON RAMPAGE
Floods Ruin Crops anil Block All
Traffic in Southern Portion
of the State.
Topeka, June 9—Kansas iH today
threatened with the worst flood in itH
history. The Kaw river is over its
banks nearly its entire length in this
state and it is eonstantly rising.
North Topeka is under water and is
deserted except for the men desig
nated to boat patrol thi*ough it«
streets. Topeka itself is threatened,
many persons have left the city and
many others are preparing to do so,
The rise of the Kaw began twenty
four hours ago and it llrst left its
banks above North Topeka thus giv
ing the residents of the city time to
make their escape. The sloughs run
ning through Topeka are backing up
and in some places the water is a(
present six inches deep in the streets.
Traffic Is Abandoned
Kansas City, Juno 9—The Missouri
and the Kaw rivers are rising rapidly
and the low lands near here are en
tirely under water. All traffic south
of here has been abandoned.
Montana Situation WotBe
Hutte, June 9—Conditions const*
quent upon the floods of the past three
days are constantly growing worse.
Forty miles of the Northern Pacific
track between this city and Missoula
have been washed away and two
steel bridges on the saiao line have
been wrecked. The Oregon Short
line is the only road making a pre
tense of moving trains in the state
and its efforts are seriously handi
capped by the flood.
At Clarretson 700 passengers are
marooned and are living on one meal
a day. In other parts of the state
the passengers of the stalled trains
are on the shortest of rations and all
efforts to aid them have failed. The
Boston-Montana mines have shut
down, none of the smelters are work
ing and it now appears as though
several other mines will bo obliged to
close unless the waters subside.
SENATOR PILES
OFF FOR CHICAGO
Seattle, June 9—United StatoH Sen
|
ator Piles h tar ted for Chicago this
morning and will at once begin oiling
up the machinery of his sudden boom
for vice-presidont. It in announced
that Senator Piles has been requested
by Secretary of War Taft to comn to
Chicago and to come prepared to re
main hero during the convention, and
it Is believed that tho senator is tho
administration's ohoioe for hccoiu!
pl&ce on tho tlckot.
Piles' friends in this city are en*
thusiastlc at the suggestion of other
Paeifle coast delegates that tho junior
senator from this state be given tho
viee-prosidontial nomination and
evory thing possible is being done to
further this desire. As yet, the poli
ticians of this city are in ignorance
of any except tho most meagor de
tails of the suddenly developing Piles
boom and further word from Chicago
is anxiously awaited.
Hnghea May Become Candidate
Chicago, June 11—There In a |»or
HiHtani rumor thnt Governor lfugh<>H
of Now York will withdraw hln name
from the proHidontlnl fight and ho
conio a candidate for Hecond plnco
on the ticket. Timothy Woodruff
linn wired from Now York that that
ntnto Ih entitled to Hecond place and
It Ih the belief that. llughcM i* tho
innn in vlow
E!(M CONVENTION '
UNDER DISCUSSION
Strong Movement is Started
for Non-partisan Candi
date for Delegate.
VALDEZ MAY 1SSIK - CALL
All Southern Portion of Third
District to Be Asked to
Send Representation.
There in on foot in Vaklez a strong
ly developed movement having an
its object the placing in the political
field a candidate for delegate to con- !
gross who shall be representative of j
the Third judicial district of Alaska,
as well as other parts of t he territory. |
This movement will be diseusscd ful
ly at the meeting of t he chamber of
commerce tomorrow night and at that
time it is probable that arrangements
will be made to call a convention to
be held in Valdez and at which some
non-partisan candidate for the office
will be named.
Thoso behind the movement are de
sirous of having a delegate in con
gress who is familiar with the entire
territory of Alaska; not one whose
knowledge extends; only to t in- neces
sities of one section of the country.
It is pointed out that Nome and Val
dez and southeastern Alaska are as
diversified in their interests as is the
case with Maine and California and
that the territory can only he proper-1
ly represented by a delegate familiar
with all the conditions, it is further
asserted that the resources of the
Third district are more numerous and j
diversified than those of any other
section of the territory, the mineral !
wealth consisting of coal, copper and !
both placer and quartz gold. There j
are also the fisheries and the sealing
industries to be considered and it is
declared that not one of the men now
before the public of Alaska as a can
didate for the delegaleship is conver
sant with the needs of those indus
tries in all their ramifications.
Concerning the political aspects of
tho question, those now agitating (he j
movement for a new candidate are
sanguine of success. With John Cor- j
son and Tom Cale fighting for the
Second district, and a split in the
Nome ranks; conditions practically J
similar in t|io First district and more j
or less dissatisfaction with Cale in the !
Tan ana end of the Third, it is believed
that tho right man will have no trou- j
ble in being elected. To decide upon !
the right man is a question to be dis
cussed at the chamber meeting to
morrow night and it is hoped that all
thoso interested in the wollfare of I
this part of the Third district will be j
present.
INHABITANTS FLEE
FROM KANSAS CITY
Kiimmn City, Juno 11—Tlio Kaw
river hoH broken through tlio dykoH
and tho West Hottomn are being; in
undated. Tho resident** of that por- j
tion of the city are floelng for their
live** and oonnlderable apprehension
Ih felt In tho city proper aw the water
Ih -if ill rifting.
Tho break eamo an a surprise an the
Kaw ban boon falling far the hint,
twenty-four hours and it wan believed
that tho danger wan pant. Tim MIh
souri-Pacifle dam has gone, canning
tho flooding of tho Morris Packing
Company's plant and yard* and
drowning many head of eattlo. Large
stretches of the Union I'aelflo track**
have boon swept away.
I,AwttinfccrB Hnve Struggle
Albany, N. Y., June 11—1Tho law
maker* of tho ntate aro engaged In a
titanic struggle, tho hiiooohh or defeat
of anti-race track legislation being
tho object. Tho monRuro in in tho
Honato today and It in hoped that a
vote will bo reached tonight. Hon it tor
Foolkor, of Brooklyn, loft what wan
believed to bo bin death bod In order
t<» bo present and east a vote in favor
of tho meawiiro.
Allegations That Pre-Convention Methuds in War
Secretary's Behalf Are Such As Would
Disgrace Ward Heeler.
Chicago, Juno 8—Every step of the
pro-con von tion details is marking a
victory for the Taft forces but each
victory is the cause of strenuous pro
test from those opposed to the war
secretary. The representatives of
the other candidates for the presi
dential nomination have passed a
resolution denouncing the Roosevelt
Taft machine and will iilo a protest
in the convention alleging that they
have been ignored.
For a while, yesterday afternoon, if
looked as though there would be two
conventions for with the exception of
the Taft and Cannon managers those
directing the affairs of the other can
didates announced, after a long ses
sion, that they would bolt. The Taft
supporters refused to be shaken from
their position by the threat and the
opposition finally abandoned its de
termination to withdraw all contests
and will not bolt. The opposition de
clares that it has 126 electroial votes,
with prospects of being able to com
bine with the effect of increasing that
number by 116 or more than enough
to nominate some other than Taft,
provided that they can get a fair deal, I
a condition that by their own state
ments they hardly hope for.
The president is openly accused of
using political methods of a character
that would be considered a disgrace
to a ward politician and the men
who have been given places in the
committee of credentials are said to
be Taft employes. Particularly bit
ter is the feeling against St-atter,
Hitchcock and Phelps although the
opposition emphasises that it has
nothing but respect for the intregrity
of these men but that it believes them
to be so prejudiced aw to be incapable
of extending fair treatment to those
opposed to Taft. These protests have
been formally made but in all cases
have been laid on the table.
The Taft delegates from Florida
and Georgia were seated late Satur
day afternoon and following this act
the managers for Fairbanks, Hughes
and Cannon met with Senators Pen
rose and Heme way and Congressman
Burke and after a conference declared
that they considered the two states
in question to represent the back
bone of the republican party and there
fore entitled to a respectful hearing.
The negro delegations are sticking
together in their opposition to Taft.
The negros are also disgruntled at
Fairbanks because of bis refusal to
address them.
TAFT DECIDES 10
PLAY LONE HAND
Chicago, Juno 11—William If. Tuft, ;
secretary of war and candidate for
the presidential nomination on the
republican ticket in making a fight,
for Taft and Taft only. No aspirant
for second honors can hitch his hopes
to any portion of the Taft hooin; to
the contrary such aspirant must go it
alone and as a lonesome candidate
stand or fall by his own merits.
Such is the announcement made
this morning by Frank Hitchcock,
manager of the Taft campaign. Ac
cording to Mr. Hitchcock, Mr. Taftj
has not pnd will not make any
alliances "n connection with the vice
prosi'T- ntial question, and while this
dc«ision brings sadness into the camps
of those who would preside over the !
senate, in the Taft camp all is jubila
tion for one by one the contested i
delegations are being decided in
favor of the "choice of the adminis- j
t rat ion."
The antional committee has yet to
consider the contested delegations ;
from Arizona, Alaska and four states,
and thirty-eight district contests, in
volving ninety-four votes. Taft had |
387 instructed delegates before the |
committee convened and the com
mittee has added 119. Taft has been j
given North Carolina and Ohio, with (
the exception of the .Sixth district of
the latter state which is divided with
Foraker. Mississippi is now in the
hands of the committee, and that
body Is expected to finish its duties
by tomorrow.
Harry Dougherty, of Columbus,
Ohio, will probably bo chosen chair
man of the convention credentials
committee.
Philander Knox will open head
quarters Saturday and will get active
ly into the presidential fight.
Big Investigation In On
Washington, .Juno 11—Hccretary of
Commorco and Labor Straus ban bo
gun the long promised investigation
of the big telegraph companies. The
Hocrotary has ordered that a thorough
research bo made of condition** gov-1
erning roeoipta, profit* and the wage
eondltiont <»f employee*
Four soldiers from Fort Kgbort. do- j
Hnrtod and muHhod to Dawson in a
snow storm. After vainly trying for
work at the Klondike capital t.hoy j
wlrod the commanding officer at the
fort, "Wo aro coming back."
VICE-PRESIDENCY
IS ALL MIXED UP
Washington, Juno 10—The vice
presidential <|ueHtion in rapidly bo
coming an involved affair and it* be-J
ginning to share interest with Un
doings of the national committee.
The republican leaders are agreed
that Roosevelt and Taft favor Gorfcel
you for the place, and even admit
that Cortelyou's nomination has been
demanded by the administration. In
this respect the attitude of the ad
ministration is somewhat clouded by
the fact that Taft has sent for Sena
tor Piles, of Washington, who seems
to be the vice-presidential choice of
the Pacific coast delegates, but it is
believed that Piles is sought that ho
may be induced to withdraw his
name.
It is announced that Senator Lodge,
chairman of tho convention, will
leave his Heat for the purpose of nom
inating Governor Guild, of Massa
chusetts for (ho place, and that
(JharlcH Osborne of Sault Hi Marie
will second the nominat ion. Gover
nor Guild is here and admits that ho
is in a receptive mood.
The New York delegation is said to
be considering the respective qualifi
cations of Cortelyou, James S. Hher
man and J. Bloat Fassett, but as yet
it has not arrived at any definite de
cision as to whom its strength will go
when it comes time to name the man
for the second place on the ticket.
Other eastern states are urging for
mer Governor Murphy, of New Jer
sey, saying that Cortelyou is object
ionable because of the fact that tho
ticket will then be made up of two
members of the cabinet, providing of
course that Tftft is nominated.
It is the general belief, however,
that if Governor Hughes wants the
place he can have it and that if he
does not Cortelyou will bo the man.
Portland la Coming
Heattle, Juno 11—Steamship Port
land of the Alaska Coast Company
departed for Valdoz last night. Hhe
has nlnotv passengers and a capacity
freight cargo.
New gold strikes on Chiehagof in
land have attracted fresh squad* of
prospectors. Haranof island .Is also
receiving attention.
Hkagway Is booming with the con
struction of big ore bunkers for a
cause of aetior