Alaska and the Panama canal . Government would have paidfar more for the possession of this territory, which is equal toone-fifth the size of our own country. \Ye have—up to andincluding 1912—taken out of Alaska in gold, furs, fish, etc.,$510,753,251. Adding the expense of governing the countryto the original cost of $7,200,000, we are about $490,000,000ahead. Not a bad bargain. It is reported that on October 18, 1867, when the Russianflag was lowered at Sitka and the Stars and Stripes hoisted,there was little enthusiasm and considerable sadness on bothsides. We were not celebrating any victor
Alaska and the Panama canal . Government would have paidfar more for the possession of this territory, which is equal toone-fifth the size of our own country. \Ye have—up to andincluding 1912—taken out of Alaska in gold, furs, fish, etc.,$510,753,251. Adding the expense of governing the countryto the original cost of $7,200,000, we are about $490,000,000ahead. Not a bad bargain. It is reported that on October 18, 1867, when the Russianflag was lowered at Sitka and the Stars and Stripes hoisted,there was little enthusiasm and considerable sadness on bothsides. We were not celebrating any victory and Russia, ourfriend, was giving up part of her territory. We were assum-ing new responsibilities in taking over a vast country that weknew very little about, and facing possible trouble with Eng-land. We had no colonial experience and our political situa-tion at the time was rotten. Corruption was of State Seward, who had really forced the dealthrough Congress, was blamed on every side. We started. NATIVE ALASKAN PUPPIES, THREE MONTHS OLD. ALASKA V wrong and, except for the find-ing of gold, would still be inbad, as after forty-five years ofownership only 32,000 white peo-ple live in the whole of Alaska,and the total would be less,except that a lot of them cannotget away. Every steamer leav-ing an Alaskan port, when I wasthere, stationed two men at thegangway to keep out soon as the Stars andStripes went up at Sitka theUnited States army took posses-sion, and located military postsnot only at Sitka, but at Tongasand Wrangell, and completemilitary rule was establishedthroughout the Territory. TheEsquimaux, Indians and Rus-sians occupying the country wereall taken over, and while wemade no agreement whateverwith reference to how we wouldtreat the Esquimaux and Indians,we did enter into an agreementwith reference to the Russiansubjects. The treaty of cession,signed May 28, 1867, betweenthe United States and Russiaprovided as follows: Thein
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