There was some talk of excluding aliens--that is, all who are not
British subjects--from working on the gold-fields, and thus keeping the
Canadian find for Canadians.

You remember the Kootenai matter (see page 850), and how the Canadian
Government made it impossible for aliens to take up claims, and insisted
that all mine owners must give up their citizenship in other countries
and become British subjects. There was some talk of doing the same thing
at Klondike, but it was thought that such a course would make a great
deal of trouble, and that it would be much simpler to force each man to
pay a certain sum of money (fifty dollars a day has been suggested) for
his right to work in the gold-fields.

It is strange how the search for gold brings envy, hatred, malice, and
all uncharitableness in its train.

No sooner was gold discovered than Canada began to fret because America
was profiting by it, and America began to fume because Canada wanted to
make her profit out of the great find.

Ugly threats were made of what the American miners would do if Canada
tried to make things hard for them. In consequence the Secretary of War
has been asked to establish a military post on the route to the
gold-fields in Alaska, to protect the American miners if Canada
interferes unreasonably with them.

* * * * *

This seems to be a great year for the finding of gold.