The CHAIRMAN. Between those two dates?

Mr. BIRCH. Between those two dates.

The CHAIRMAN. Are there any other questions from any of the members?

Mr. BIRCH. I will arrange those maps as you desire.

The CHAIRMAN. We would be glad to have you do that and send them to the secretary of the committee, Mr. Birch.

Mr. BIRCH. Yes, sir.

Senator BEVERIDGE. And have them marked as the committee has asked you to mark them.

Mr. BIRCH. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. As they reach the committee the secretary will take very good care of them.

Mr. BIRCH. Well, I shall leave those.

The CHAIRMAN. A paper has been handed to me which I am informed is the list asked for this morning, as to the companies operating on the Yukon River and the persons backing them. They are the Northern Commercial Company, Northern Navigation Company, and the Alaska Commercial Company, with offices at 310 Sansome street, San Francisco; Leon Sloss, president; Louis Sloss, vice-president; William L. Gustle, treasurer-secretary; W. L. Washburn, vicepresident and general manager; William Fairbanks, superintendent; W. F. Zipp, transportation manager.

This concludes the hearing, unless there is some question you wish to ask.

Mr. STEELE. I would like Mr. Birch to be allowed to file a list of the locations that were taken up in the Bonanza mines after the property had been conveyed to the Alaska Copper and Coal Company. The CHAIRMAN. Certainly, if there is no objection.

Mr. STEELE. He was asked about it, and he could not state the number. Also, that statement regarding the law as to mining, which is quite different from that regarding coal lands.

The CHAIRMAN. This concludes this hearing, unless there are some questions. I wish to say to everybody present that this concludes the hearings on the Alaska matter. The committee is now going to take up hearings on entirely different matters-on statehood matters. Mr. WICKERSHAM. I would like to hear the correction made by Mr. Birch. Will you not have the stenographer read over what Mr. Birch said in correction?

The CHAIRMAN. Oh, there is no necessity for that. We will have the whole thing printed.

Mr. WICKERSHAM. I would like to say that that is in writing, and I have the writing. It is an absolutely wrong statement to say that I ever applied to them to employ me. I want the committee to know what the fact is, and I want to hear the correction as made by Mr. Birch.

Mr. HUGHES. I think he is entitled to hear Mr. Birch's statement, and I want to be on record as saying he has a right to hear it.

The CHAIRMAN. Very well. The stenographer will read Mr. Birch's corrected statement.

The stenographer read the statement of Mr. Birch referred to, as follows:

Mr. BIRCH. I wish to correct that and make a statement in regard to that. Since Judge Wickersham has been a Delegate from Alaska he has never

applied to us for employment. After he left the bench and started to practice law he did make application to be employed as attorney on the Pacific coast in Alaska; but he was never employed and we never had any connection whatThat is all I desire to say.

ever.

Mr. WICKERSHAM. The statement I want to make is in a letter I wrote to Mr. Birch in answer to one I received from him.

Senator KEAN. What did your letter state?

Mr. WICKERSHAM. Quoting from letter, written from Fairbanks, I said:

I am going to practice law. I shall stay here in Fairbanks until spring, although if you and your people should conclude to make me an offer that would be reasonable I could come at any moment during the winter. I say this to you because of your letter of June 3, which I have before me.

Senator KEAN. I do not see what fault anyone has to find to that. The CHAIRMAN. Is there anything else?

Mr. WICKERSHAM. That is all, sir; only I did not want the committee to think I tried to get them to employ me.

The CHAIRMAN. If there is any other statement you desire to make, we would be glad to hear it. If not, the committee will proceed to

the consideration of other matters.

Hon. ALBERT J. BEVERIDGE,

165 BROADWAY,

New York, February 24, 1910.

Chairman Senate Committee on Territories,

United States Senate, Washington, D. C. DEAR SIR: I find on reading over the report of my testimony given before your committee on Saturday last, on pages 148 and 149, regarding the brief filed in behalf of the Copper River and Northwestern Railway Company, in the case of Humboldt Steamship Company against White Pass and Yukon Route and others, that our position was not stated very clearly by me.

Our position is simply this: So far as interstate commerce in Alaska is concerned, the Interstate Commerce Commission has full jurisdiction. So far as commerce originating and ending within the confines of Alaska is concerned, jurisdiction is vested in the Secretary of the Interior by the act of 1898, which act has not been repealed and is still in force.

I further find that, in replying to your question, on page 143, as to what difference it would make whether the jurisdiction over the rates was in the Interior Department or the Interstate Commerce Commission, or any place else, I overlooked this important consideration.

It is the hope and expectation of the Alaska. Syndicate to develop the agricultural resources of Alaska and to effect gradually the permanent settlement of those portions of Alaska which are suitable for settlement, so that there may be a permanent and gradually increasing population from which the railroad can derive revenue in the way of transportation of persons and traffic.

As was explained to the committee, neither the railroad nor the syndicate has any grants of land from the Government nor does either of them own any lands upon which such settlements could be made. The railroad can not, therefore, offer any inducements to settlers in the way of free lands or cheap lands. The only induce

ments the railroad can offer are in the way of cheap transportation to persons intending to settle and cheap transportation for their effects, stores, and materials necessary to build their houses. This same inducement could be offered to any industry that proposed to construct its plant or works upon or near the line of the railway.

If the jurisdiction over railroads in Alaska shall be held to still remain in the Secretary of the Interior, permission could doubtless be obtained from him to give to settlers or industries intending to locate along the line rates of transportation cheaper than the regular rates.

If the interstate-commerce law shall be held to apply to traffic entirely within the confines of Alaska, then the giving of low rates to settlers or industries intending to locate along the line would be illegal and the railroad could not offer lower rates of transportation for the purpose of promoting the settlement and building up of the country.

I should like, with your approval, to have this letter inserted as a part of my statement before your committee.

I am, with great respect, very truly, yours,

JOHN N. STEELE.

EXHIBIT A.

The list of names referred to on page 134 is as follows:

The list of mercantile firms, traders, and transportation companies operating in the vicinity of Nome, St. Michael, and lower Yukon River points is as follows: