The Nenana Daily News

THE NENANA DAILY NEWS, MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 1919

CITIZENS HOLD MASS MEETING

To formally voice their protest against the recent shut-down on the Alaskan Engineering commission works, and to take such action as will restore matters to normal condition, a mass meeting was held at the Union Hall at seven o'clock last Saturday evening.

The meeting was called at very short notice, the handbills being distributed around scarcely an hour before the time fixed for the meeting, but the interest in it was so great that the citizens of Nenana turned out in force and the large hall was packed with a representative gathering of all the interests in this district. Nearly all the merchants and professional men in the town, all the sourdough miners and prospectors who happened to be in town and a great many of the railroad workers were present.

Robert Joseph Diven, pastor of the Presbyterian church, presided at the meeting by special request, and called it to order shortly after 7 o'clock. In explaining the purpose of the meeting, Dr. Diven said that the action taken by Mr. Browne, in charge of the Fairbanks division of the railroad, which was forced on him by a lack of funds, threatened to cause great distress and suffering, not only among the large number of workers directly affected by the lay-off, but to the entire district, and that it was the purpose of the meeting to take immediate steps to apprise the secretary of the Interior and others in authority at Washington, of the true state of affairs and to demand instant relief. It was understood that the local head of the Alaskan Engineering commission was powerless to do anything for the relief of the district, although he had used every means in his power to avert the disaster.

It was proposed, the chairman said, to send an urgent telegraphic appeal to Secretary Lane and Delegate Wickersham immediately, and copies of these telegrams were also to be sent to Senator Martin, of Virginia, and Representative Sherley, of Kentucky, chairmen of the congressional appropriations committees, pointing out with all possible force and urgency, the need of immediate favorable action in making sufficient funds available for uninterrupted continuance of railroad construction work on this division to avert the impending distress among the people of this district.

The chairman called upon Mr. C. M. Graham to read the telegram it was proposed to send, which was as follows:

"When in peril from German kultur, the people of the land were importuned to turn their substance into bullets to blot out the Hun - his mark: none responded so nobly as the people of Alaska, particularly the workingmen of the Fairbanks division of the Alaskan Engineering commission. Now on the heels of another appeal, this time for bread, instead of bullets, for the Hun, the hands of officials here are tied and workers of the Fairbanks division, many mourning sacrificed sons and brothers, and impoverished by prompt response to incessant appeals from a nation in need, are thrown out of employment by the same government, in the dead of a rigorous winter. This means not only imminent ruin to men induced to invest in the government townsite here, but hardship and suffering to the workmen with nothing to sustain them but Red Cross buttons and receipts for Liberty Bonds.

"We the workingmen of the Fairbanks division of the Alaskan Engineering commission, ask, humbly if we must, that we be re-employed without delay and that measures be taken to provide immediately sufficient money to continue the work on this division."

All present having heard the telegram read, suggestions and discussion were invited, but it appeared that the assemblage was in accord with its terms. It was then put to a vote in the form of a resolution

Frederick D. Browne, on request then made a statement regarding the lay-off. He said that the article appearing in the Nenana News of Saturday was substantially correct, and that in addition to the funds actually available for construction purposes, money set apart for the payment of obligations already incurred, but which were not payable until spring, would also be used to continue the construction work.

Even with this additional sum of money, he said, by very careful management it was just barely possible to continue the railroad work with very limited forces until such time as the appropriation becomes available. He expressed regret at being forced to lay off so many employes, and stated that it was beyond his power to avert the cut in the forces. He had made two appeals to the chairman of the Alaskan Engineering commission for help, but with no avail. He had instructions to shut down entirely just as soon as the funds available for railroad purposes on this division had been exhausted.

Following Mr. Browne's remarks, a suggestion was made that a committee be appointed to represent the people and to take steps to send the proposed wires immediately; a motion to this effect being made and carried. A further motion empowering the chairman to select a committee of three being also carried. The chairman named Messers C. N. Graham, Frank Cleary, representing the employes of the Alaskan Engineering commission, and R. C. Morris, representing the business men of the town, to act as a committee.

A motion to take up a collection to defray the cost of the telegrams and for advertising purposes was then duly carried, and the hat was passed around. A motion was also made and carried empowering the committee named by the chair to consume the entire collection taken up, in a publicity campaign, by sending as many telegrams as possible to officials in Washington, the chambers of commerce where it would do some good, and to newspapers in the States.

A resolution embodying a hearty vote of thanks to those who were responsible for getting up the meeting was then duly adopted, after which, on motion, the meeting adjourned.

Intense interest was manifested by Nenanaites at the calling of the mass meeting and a very large attendance eloquently showed the extent to which the lay-off, at this particular time of the year, exercised the minds of the people of this district, who yield to none in their loyalty to the government, and who have, at all times, nobly responded to every appeal made by the government in times gone by. They feel that the treatment they are now subjected to is altogether unmerited and are confident that when the matter is properly represented to those in authority at Washington, immediate relief will be instantly forthcoming, and the deplorable state of affairs now existing will undoubtedly be remedied.

As an instance of the support given the government during the war, Nenana's support of the Fourth Liberty Loan is cited. The quota allotted to Nenana was $30,000, and the amount actually subscribed by Nenanaites amounted to $77,800. A large portion of this amount, in fact the bulk of it, was subscribed to by the employes of the Alaskan Engineering commission.

One lady volunteer worker alone secured subscriptions from the railroad workers which amounted to more than the entire quota and was made up as follows:

Camp 368 $6700

Camp 373 5200

Track camp 3750

Camp 415 3550

Surfacing camp 2300

Railroad contractors $5650

Headquarters and yards 3300

Total $31,150

A great many of the bonds of the Fourth Liberty Loan were sold on the installment plan, and thirty per cent of the purchase price, being the last payment due on such bonds, is payable on January 30th.

Those who have been laid off may not be able to meet their payments. Those men who have so nobly responded to every appeal made by the government, refuse to believe that such shabby treatment as they have now been subjected to is intended, and they are, perhaps justified in feeling assured that when proper representations have been made at Washington and the state of affairs fully made known to those in power, their very reasonable request will be readily granted.