sixteen thousand inhabitants of Dawson were doing at the time of our
arrival. They were simply loitering, and the streets were packed with
humanity. This was not strange, either, for it must have been
difficult to resist the enjoyment of that open sunshine, that soft,
warm atmosphere which is the delight of the summer climate of the far
North. Never had I experienced anything comparable, and others who had
traveled much agreed with my experience. On my way to the hotel, the
"Fair View," which had been strongly recommended for its _cuisine_ and
the circumstance that it was "brand" new in its appointments--having
only come into existence a few days before--I caught a good general
glimpse of the town, the dominant features of which were registered
in the two sides of the main thoroughfare along the river front. A
nearly continuous row of one-story, or at the utmost two-story, frame
shacks or booths, many of them still in canvas form, and most of them
supported over the river's bank by pile proppings, built up the river
side of this First Avenue. All manner of articles, both serviceable
and unserviceable, for the Klondike business were displayed, mostly
in cramped quarters. The variety of things that had in so brief a
period found their way to this region was truly astonishing, and one
marveled at the mental ingenuity which spirited some of these articles
to a _champ de vente_. Surely nothing but "manifest destiny" could
have placed a mammoth's molar on sale for a hundred dollars, when it
was thought that a period of starvation was reigning in the town. And
yet almost alongside of it were posters announcing that four loaves of
bread could be purchased for one dollar--in another place "six loves"
for the same price--and that "half an ounce" of gold dust, the
equivalent of eight dollars, would gain admission to the best seat
witnessing a boxing and wrestling contest.
In addition to the booths doing a regular merchandise business, there
were those whose masters ministered to a specialty--druggists and
doctors, photographers, auctioneers, and brokers of one kind or
another. "Bartlett Bros., Packers" served the inner core of the gold
regions by means of long trains of pack-mules, but they were not the
only ones to whom the _cargador_ was an officer militant. Dog teams
there were as well as mule teams, and the majesty of the law was
hardly considered invaded when the former effected a junction with man
in the capacity of common carriers. One of the most interesting sights
was to me the large number of letters awaiting ownership which were
tacked up to the fronts and sides of different buildings, in the most
public way petitioning for rapid delivery. My first letter in Dawson
was obtained by stripping it from a door-jamb, but it was three weeks
before my attention had been directed to it by a friendly discoverer.
To obtain anything from the post office was a most exhaustive process,
and usually required a long wait, sometimes of a day, or even of two
days, before entry could be obtained into the small room where the
sorting, distribution, and dispensation of mail matter were being
effected. Even when finally issued, this matter was usually of several
weeks' antiquity of arrival, the sorting of tons of substance being
much beyond the capacity of the few official hands that were engaged
in the work.
[Illustration: DOG-TEAM EXPRESS--DAWSON.]
By far the most imposing side of the street was that which faced the
river. Here, at least, were real buildings. The stately depots of the
Alaska Commercial and North America Trading and Transportation
Companies, with their outer casing of corrugated iron, would have done
credit to a town of larger capacity than Dawson, and in regions much
more accessible to civilization than the Northwest Territory. Farther
on, the signs of a number of well-built saloons--"The Dominion," "The
Pioneer," etc.--attract attention, not by the supposition that they
are alone in the business, since they are supported by probably not
less than two or three score others of their kind, but by their
specially distinctive interiors; one of these is embellished inside by
a series of four mural decorations in oil or distemper, representing a
range of subject from Morro Castle, Havana, to a "Moonlight on the
Yukon," for which a resident artist "of promise," whose work was done
in an open lot, received the handsome compensation of eight hundred
dollars. They were befitting the place which they graced.
[Illustration: JUNCTION OF THE KLONDIKE WITH THE YUKON.]
A more intimate acquaintance with these saloons made it plain that
they were patronized both for the drinks which were sold over the bar
for fifty cents or more and for the gaming tables which in open
evidence betrayed a surpassingly strong interest in faro, _rouge et
noir_, and roulette. Crowds were watching the fortunes of the play at
every turn. From the front entrance quite to the rear some of the more
favored halls were packed, but with an element that seemed little
disposed to disturbance of any kind. While the drinking of spirituous
liquors is very largely indulged in, I believe that during all my stay
in Dawson only three cases of obtrusive drunkenness were brought to my
attention; and of riotism my experience was wholly negative. Life and
property are considered safe even in the most doubtful establishments,
and it is not uncommon for a man to pass hours in a crowded dance hall
with virtually all his possessions, possibly a few hundred dollars, or
it may be thousands, carried in the form of gold dust in his trousers
pockets. Two main factors are involved in this condition of security
or in the feeling that it exists. The first of these is, perhaps, a
wholesome dread of the Canadian Mounted Police, whose efficiency in
the direction of controlling order is conceded by every one; and the
second, the circumstance that the inhabitants of Dawson and of the
adjoining Klondike region are not, as is so largely supposed, a mere
assortment of rough prospectors, intent upon doing anything for the
sake of acquiring gold, but a fair representation of good and
indifferent elements borrowed from all professions and stations of
life, and not from one country alone, but from nearly all parts of the
civilized globe. During my brief stay I stumbled upon "counts,"
"sirs," military and naval officers, scientists, lawyers, newspaper
men, promoters, and others of broad and liberal standing; and if some
of these were undistinguishable in external garb from their brethren
in mustard-colored mackinaws whose sole resource was digging for gold,
their polished and intellectual method was evidence enough that
civilization was present in good quantity along the upper Yukon. The
fact that there are three weekly newspapers published in Dawson--the
Nugget, Midnight Sun, and Dawson Miner, the first two selling for
fifty cents a copy and the last for twenty-five cents--can hardly be
considered to prove this condition, although favoring it; for, though
the substance and especially the typography of the journals are quite
good, the demand for reading matter is such that almost anything could
realize a subscription list. The long-belated New York journals seem
to command a steady sale on the news stands, where one also sees
displayed the small and (in our country) gratuitously distributed
scenic book of the transcontinental railways put up for fifty cents.
The Argosy, Strand, Munsey's, and Cosmopolitan were the ruling
magazines during my visit, and each of these could be had for
seventy-five cents a number.
Regretfully must it be said that the female portion of the population
does not sustain the male either in character or diversity. I tried
in various ways to ascertain the number of women who represented the
community, but failed to obtain a satisfactory accounting. A large
proportion of those who are in evidence, and perhaps even by far the
greater number, belong to the "red" aristocracy, or at least to that
side where steady principles are treated with little consideration and
respect. I use the word aristocracy advisedly, for it is a notorious
fact that an amount of deference is paid to these creatures of shame
which is not given to the virtuous or self-respecting woman; and that
they themselves, recognizing their standing, are apt to look down upon
the rest of their kin, and to even question their proper privileges. A
large part of the broadly capacious Second Avenue, together with
equally conspicuous sections of the town elsewhere, is given up to the
public display of the inmates of neatly constructed log cabins bearing
such devices as "Saratoga," "Bon-Ton," "The Lucky Cigar Store," "Green
Tree," etc. The number of open houses is probably less than in most
mining camps, and far below what it is in some places. In deference to
a demand tax of fifty dollars, levied on each member of the profession
to pay part costs of two fire engines which had been brought to the
town, there was a response of only sixty-nine, and this was considered
a sufficiently close representation not to press the matter any
further.
A community of this kind must necessarily have its dance halls and
places of amusement. The latter consisted at the time of my arrival of
four "theatres" or "opera houses"--the "Combination," "Monte Carlo,"
"Mascot," and "Pavilion," two of which suspended or closed up before
the "season" had fairly opened. Ordinarily, the price of a drink at
the bar of entrance paid for admission to the performance with seat,
and many will agree with me in believing that the admission was fully
paid. The acting need not be worse at any theater, and the singing
could hardly be surpassed in its eccentricities; yet the performances
appeared to satisfy a general demand, as ordinarily the houses were
packed to their full capacity evening after evening. Needless is it to
say that the performances are not intended for women in good standing,
and few such are ever present, unless heavily screened behind the
curtains of the "boxes." The plays are all of a low order, but the
worst is not much worse than some of the plays that are tolerated in
all their nastiness in some of our own legitimate theaters. It is
singular and interesting as showing the influence of necessity that a
sacred Sunday concert in aid of the fire department was successfully
carried through in the capacious halls of one of the most notorious
dancing resorts.
There are now two banks in Dawson--the Bank of British North America
and the Canadian Bank of Commerce. In the early days of August the
first of these was still housed in a tent, and before the end of the
month a stately wooden structure with flagstaff, and with commodious
quarters for the representing officers and accountants, gave dignity
to the institution, while it lent style to the corner upon which it
was erected. Adjoining it now is the architecturally most imposing but
by no means largest building in Dawson--the three-storied,
bow-windowed log cabin of Alexander McDonald, the recognized "King of
the Klondike"--intended primarily as an office building. It is a truly
fine expression of the art of log-cabin building. In many ways one of
the most interesting buildings, if such it can be called, was the air
space, with canvas top, which adjoined one of the theaters and was
used by Signor Gandolfo for a fruit store. There was no architectural
quality to commend this space; nor, indeed, was there anything else in
its favor, except that it was in the right place and brought both
lessor and lessee fortunes. For the privileges of this space of five
feet width the occupant paid the handsome rental of one hundred and
twenty dollars a month, or twenty-four dollars per single foot of
frontage; his profits were, however, such as to justify this payment,
and before leaving he confided to me his plan of renting one half of
the establishment. Conceive of the character of a store five feet
wide, the opposite sides of which are devoted to quite distinct
interests! Other sites rent for very little less, and the singular
part of it is that much of the rental goes to the pockets of certain
assumed owners, whose actual rights are largely in the nature of a
"grab" or of squatter sovereignty alone.
[Illustration: ARRIVAL OF THE "SUSIE" FROM "DOWN THE RIVER."]
Dawson extends up the river for about two miles, virtually coalescing
with and taking in what has been euphoniously called Lousetown and
also Klondike City. These more southerly parts carry with them certain
characteristics which are either wanting in the main city or are there
but feebly represented. The closely packed tents remind one of an army
gathering or of the furniture of some religious camp meeting; walking
between them might almost be considered to be a branch of navigation.
Inscriptions on the canvas tell us of certain "brothers from St.
Louis" being occupants here, and of "the Jolly Four from----"
occupants elsewhere. Representatives of the press, physicians, and
attorneys all have their inscriptions. But the most interesting
constructions, picturesque as much as they are instructive, are the
elevated platform _caches_, diminutive log cabins, which on high
stilts store a multitude of articles in safe keeping and beyond reach
of the army of hungry dogs which are everywhere prowling about and
carousing upon all manner of odds and ends. Their appearance,
especially where they are placed among trees and bushes, is such that
the observer can hardly resist the feeling that he is traveling in a
region of primitive pile-dwellings--it may be the interior of New
Guinea or the forest tract of one of the Guianas.
Dawson, which now owns the right to celebrate its third anniversary,
is destined before long to assume a modern garb. It already has its
electric plant, and before many months have passed electric
illumination will lift the burden of the dark winter night. It is
believed, too, that an electric railroad for freight and passenger
service will be constructed in the course of the present year into the
heart of the adjoining gold region. The tiresome accounts of bad
trails will then be a thing of the past. In its business aspects
Dawson does not materially differ from the majority of the boom towns
of the United States, though of course it has its peculiarities. In
the period of little more than a year it has gathered to itself,
besides the usual class of merchants, representatives of a number of
professions, such as doctors, lawyers, chemists, and assayers, most of
whom, especially of the first two classes, appeared to be doing at
least fairly well. Mine brokers, or simply venders of claims, are
numerous, but their service does not in most cases sustain confidence;
the display of posters announcing "bonanzas" in mining properties may
be effective at times, but ordinarily the investor turns either to the
Mining Exchange, a reasonably well-conducted private enterprise, or to
claim-holders on the ground. The auction of claims at the Exchange was
always largely attended at the times of my visits, and the bidding was
frequently very spirited. The allowance of a time limit of ten days in
which to make an examination of properties purchased and of the titles
thereto before payment, beyond a forfeit of ten per cent, was exacted,
naturally inspired confidence in the method of the transaction, and
there is no question that a considerable number of good properties
were parted over the boards here, and with eminent satisfaction to the
purchasers.
The practice of medicine is necessarily governed by the laws which are
in effect in the Dominion of Canada, and it requires the possession on
the part of the practitioner of a diploma properly accredited from
some recognized college of medicine in Canada. Graduation with diploma
from the best medical schools in the United States is not considered
to meet the requirement--nor, for that matter, is the diploma of any
but a British school. This restriction also applies in the case of
professional trained nurses. A number of cases closely bordering on
litigation, and at one time even threatening to bring about
international complications, have arisen in connection with practice
violating this law; but despite the overwhelmingly large number of
foreigners who are resident in the region, and who, it was thought by
some, had the right to consult practitioners of their own nationality
or choice, there is now a peaceful submission to the reading of the
statute. The exaction is in no way intended to legislate against
foreigners, but is simply a provision of the Dominion laws, similar to
that which requires a "Dominion surveyor" who intends doing official
survey work in British Columbia to be properly accredited with a
special paper of that section of Canada (as distinguished from the
Northwest Territory, etc.). Like the physicians, all surveyors giving
out work under their names must be officially licensed from the
Dominion, although those not thus certificated are permitted to do
office or field work for others who are.
A field of labor that has already been entered upon by women is
stenography and typewriting. There has been considerable demand for
this kind of work, and there will continue to be much more, but it
may be doubted if profits arising from it will ever equal what has
been attained in millinery and the sale of fancy dress goods. One of
the earliest milliners to come out of Dawson told me at Bennett that
she had disposed of a hat which brought her two hundred and eighty
dollars (in April, 1898), and its only ornamentation was two black
ostrich feathers! Such prices are to-day a thing away in the past, but
fur capes or circulars are still marketable for three hundred dollars
and upward.
Toward a more intimate acquaintance with the methods and lines of
business now followed in Dawson we subjoin a facsimile of portions of
the advertising page of the Yukon Midnight Sun, bearing date of
September 3, 1898.
[Illustration: FACSIMILE OF PART OF YUKON MIDNIGHT SUN, SEPTEMBER 3,
1898.]
THE NEGRO QUESTION.
BY J. L. M. CURRY, LL.D.,
GENERAL AGENT OF THE PEABODY EDUCATION FUND AND OF THE JOHN F. SLATER
EDUCATION FUND; LATE MINISTER TO SPAIN.
The negro question is not of recent origin. The Iliad of our woes
began in 1620, when negroes were first brought to the colony of
Virginia and sold as slaves. Slavery antedates history. The traffic of
Europeans in negroes existed a half century before the discovery of
America. The very year in which Charles V sailed with a powerful
expedition against Tunis to check the piracies of the Barbary states,
and to emancipate enslaved Christians in Africa, he gave an open legal
sanction to the African slave trade. When independence was declared in
1776 all the colonies held slaves. Slavery, said the late Senator
Ingalls, disappeared from the Northern States "by the operation of
social, economic, and natural laws," and "the North did not finally
determine to destroy this system until convinced that its continuance
threatened not only their industrial independence but their political
importance." In course of years "the peculiar institution" assumed a
sectional character. The war between the States precipitated a crisis.
President Lincoln began then the work of emancipation. "As
commander-in-chief of the army and navy in time of war, I suppose I
have the right to take any measure which may best subdue the enemy....
I view the measure [the Proclamation] as a practical war measure
according to the advantages or disadvantages it will offer to the
suppression of the rebellion." Senator Ingalls's testimony is as
follows: "It may be admitted that the emancipation of the slaves was
not contemplated by any considerable portion of the American people
when the war for the Union began, and it was not brought to pass until
the fortunes of war became desperate, and was then justified and
defended upon the plea of military necessity." The Southern States
ratified the amendments to the Constitution under penalty of otherwise
remaining out of the Union and in political and military vassalage.
The abolition of slavery has the assent of all sane men. Apart from
ethical considerations, the subjection of the will, thought, or labor
of a mature human being to the whim, caprice, or legal right of
another is a gross political and economical blunder, unwise and
indefensible. After emancipation came citizenship and enfranchisement
of the freedmen, and the punitive measures of reconstruction, which
were the outcome of hatred, revenge, desire for party ascendency, and
which no good man can now approve. No conquering nation ever inflicted
on a conquered people more cruel injustice than the disfranchisement
of the most capable citizens and the enfranchisement of liberated
slaves. Certain great civil rights are the necessary and proper
consequences of freedom. Suffrage is not a natural right, nor a legal,
political, or general result of freedom or citizenship. The large
majority of citizens do not and can not vote.
The liberation of millions of slaves was the most gigantic and, in
itself, one of the most beneficent acts of this century. Nothing is
comparable to it as a triumph of the inalienable rights of man.
Humanity and justice demanded emancipation. Re-enslavement no one
proposes or desires. All would rejoice in the prosperity and progress
of the Afro-American, but with freedom came citizenship and suffrage,
and these revolutionized our Government. Elements undreamed of were
introduced as constituents. When the Constitution and the resulting
Union were formed, such a citizenship with franchise was not proposed,
and if proposed would not have been listened to for a moment. The most
infatuated negrophilist would not stultify himself by asserting that
the Union of States would or could have been consummated with the
present incongruous, heterogeneous citizenship.
From these and other facts has been evolved what has been called the
negro problem. In the discussion, it is best to eliminate all
extraneous considerations, all issues which, as the lawyers say, are
"_dehors_ the record." Government is a very practical business. The
end is the securing and preserving the peace, safety, and well-being
of the State. Civil government has no mission of general philanthropy.
This problem, while of terrific importance in the South, where the
black population is persistently congestive, is not, in its
ramifications or direct effects, local or sectional. It affects every
community and every section. It is of paramount national importance,
complex, and involving social, moral, and political considerations.
Its gravity can not be exaggerated. It compels the attention and
demands all the resources of patriots, philanthropists, statesmen. It
thrusts itself, uninvited and unwelcomed, into religious and social
assemblies and legislative councils. It is pervasive, continuing,
vital. It is better to look it full in the face and give it
dispassionate thought.
It need scarcely be said that in this discussion no hostile reference
is made to individuals. Some negroes are men of intelligence,
integrity, patriotism, and stand on a plane with our best citizens in
virtues and mental qualifications.[C] The gist of this contention is
not based on special exceptions, but on the race in the aggregate.
[Footnote C: Such an extraordinary man as Booker T. Washington is an
honor to any country and worthy of unlimited confidence and regard.]
We find in the South the presence of two distinct peoples, with
irreconcilable racial characteristics and diverse historical
antecedents. The Caucasian and the negro are not simply unlike, but
they are contrasted, and are as far apart as any other two races of
human beings. They are unassimilable and immiscible without rapid
degeneracy. Ethnologically they are nearly polar opposites. With the
Caucasian progress has been upward. Whatever is great in art,
invention, literature, science, civilization, religion, has
characterized him. In his native land the negro has made little or no
advancement for nearly four thousand years. Surrounded by and in
contact with a higher civilization, he has not invented a machine, nor
painted a picture, nor written a book, nor organized a stable
government, nor constructed a code of laws. He has not suppressed the
slave trade, which, according to recent testimony, was never more
flourishing. He has no monuments nor recorded history. For thousands
of years there lies behind the race one dreary, unrelieved, monotonous
chapter of ignorance, nakedness, superstition, savagery. All efforts
to reclaim, civilize, Christianize, have been disastrous failures,
except what has been accomplished in this direction in the United
States.