ALASKA 



142 



ALASKA 



thousands of glaciers, over a hundred of which 

 almost reach the sea. 



In November, 1916, Alaska set an example to 

 older communities by voting for prohibition 

 throughout the territory. 



Mail is regularly delivered beyond the Arc- 

 tic Circle. 



In 1916 copper rose to first place among 

 Alaska's exports, supplanting gold and salmon. 

 During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1916, 

 there was received in the United States from 

 Alaska $26,500,000 worth of copper. 



Government. From 1867 to 1912 Alaska was 

 an unorganized territory ; all of its officers were 

 appointed by the President of the United 

 States and all its laws were made for it by 

 Congress. On August 24, 1912, President Taft 

 approved an act of Congress organizing the 

 territory and providing self-government. The 

 capital was fixed at Juneau, where the legisla- 

 ture meets in the odd-numbered years. The 

 Senate is composed of eight members, chosen 



for four years, and the House of Representa- 

 has sixteen members, chosen for two 

 years. The governor, appointed by the Presi- 

 dent, may veto any act of the legislature. All 

 laws must be approved by Congress before 

 they go into effect. At its first session, in 1913, 

 the legislature granted suffrage to women on 

 the same terms as men; in 1915 it abolished 

 capital punishment. Alaska sends one dele- 

 gate to the House of Representatives at Wash- 

 ington; he has few of the privileges of a Rep- 

 resentative; he may not vote, even upon mat- 

 ters pertaining to Alaska, and his right to speak 

 is restricted to subjects relating to his terri- 

 tory. 



Communities of more than 300 people may 

 incorporate as towns and conduct their own 

 local affairs. With this exception, there is no 

 local government. There are four Federal 

 judges appointed by the President, one for 

 each of the judicial districts; the courts are 

 held at Juneau, Nome, Valdez and Fairbanks. 



History of Alaska 



Alaska is the only part of the New World 

 which was discovered and first explored by 

 white men who came from the West. The 

 Russian Cossacks are thought to have reached 

 the Alaskan coast about the last quarter of 

 the sixteenth century, but it was not until 150 

 years later that real explorations began. The 

 most famous of the explorers is Vitus Bering 

 (whose life is presented elsewhere in these vol- 

 umes). The first settlement was made on 

 Kodiak Island in 1783, and in the next fifty 

 years exploration continued with good results. 

 The English and Canadians, coming from the 

 east, reached the Pacific through the river val- 

 leys, the Russians continued to cross Bering 

 Strait, and Frenchmen, Spaniards and English- 

 men also sailed northward along the Pacific 

 coast. 



The most important of these early exploring 

 trips was that of Captain James Cook, who sur- 

 veyed almost the entire coast line from Cross 

 Sound to Cape Lisburne (see COOK, JAMES). 

 The explorations of Sir Alexander Mackenzie, 

 George Vancouver and Sir John Franklin are 

 also noteworthy. The Russians explored the 

 lower courses of the great rivers and employees 

 of the Western Union Telegraph Company did 

 valuable work in 1865 and 1866. It was planned 

 to connect Europe and America by telegraph 

 through Alaska and Siberia, and the work of 

 exploration and laying out a course was well 



under way when the success of the Atlantic 

 cable put- an end to this plan. 



Purchase by the United States. Russian 

 official interests in Alaska were concerned only 

 with the fur trade. In 1788 the Russo-Ameri- 

 can Company was given a monopoly of the 

 trade, which it held until 1861. The vast region 

 was regarded by the Russians only as a source 

 .of furs, and when the supply of these began to 

 show signs of decreasing, the country was con- 

 sidered less valuable. Negotiations for its sale 

 to the United States were begun as early as 

 1859, but it was not until 1867 that a treaty of 

 sale was negotiated by William H. Seward, 

 then Secretary of State. The United States 

 paid Russia $7,200,000 in gold. 



There was bitter opposition to this purchase, 

 for many Americans, then as now, believed 

 Alaska to be a useless mass of rock, snow and 

 ice. Fortunately the opposition was defeated. 

 In the forty years following 1867 the United 

 States government received directly, merely 

 from the taxes on sealskins and other sources, 

 nearly double the purchase price. The total 

 exports of fish, furs and gold from Alaska to 

 the United States alone exceeded $600,000,000 

 in the first half century of American ownership. 

 Those who know Alaska declare that its re- 

 sources are still undeveloped, and that the 

 future production of the territory will reach 

 even greater totals. 



