GOVERNMENT  OF ALASKA.                                   39
Senator Dillingham. Do you remember how that was bv the census of 1900?
Mr. Wickersham. There was probably a greater proportion of men then.
Senator Dillingham. My recollection is that there were 27,000 men and 3,000 women.
Mr. Wickersham. Yes; but the proportion is altogether different now.
The Chairman. Even according to that, how do you account for the fact that in the whole district there were only between 9,000 and 10,000 votes cast, of which you had a plurality ?
Mr, Wickersham. The people simply did not go and vote. Of course the polling places were in the larger towns, generally; the population is scattered out probably for 15 or 20 miles, all around, and people do not go to vote for more than 5 or 6 miles. They do not take enough interest in it to go and vote at any great distance. J think that is the situation in all the western towns.
Senator Frazier. Do you think that would be so if they were granted some degree of self-government?
Mr. Wickersham. I know it would not. If they had anything to vote for, I know they would go and vote. Our vote at the last election for Delegate was somewhat larger than it was at the preceding election.
The Chairman. Yesterday, if I remember rightly, Judge—if not, you can correct me—I believe you stated that the last election, in which you succeeded, was an exceedingly warm one. There was the Democratic party; there were two branches, you said, of the Republican party; and there was the labor party.
Mr. Wickersham. The labor party j yes.
The Chairman. And the contest was very vigorous. And yet, notwithstanding that, there were only between nine and ten thousand votes polled all together, of which you had a plurality.
Mr. Wickersham. I do not remember to have said anything about the vigor of the campaign. I put some vigor into it myself and so did my opponents, but I do not think the people did.
The Chairman. I got that impression from your statements, from reading the platform, and the general conditions up there.
Senator Frazier. You think the vigor was very largely, confined to the candidates, do you ?
Mr. Wickersham. I think it was largely confined to them.
I also have a clipping here from the Seward Gateway, one of our papers published up there, on the subject of a commission, and I should like to add it to my remarks later on.                                            /
The Chairman. Very well.                                                              ,/
Mr. Wickersham. President Roosevelt, also, has spoken about this   * particular matter, and I want to call attention to his remarks as to the necessity for some form of government in Alaska.
Senator Clarke, of Arkansas. While you are looking for that, Judge Wickersham, let me ask if I understood you to say that the census of Alaska was taken last December ?
Mr. Wickersham. It was, Senator.
Senator Clarke, of Arkansas. Has it been compiled and the reports published ?