. The Open Forum
A LETTER ON FISHERIES
Ketchikan, Alaska,
Dec. 24, 1929
Hon. Robert P. Lament,
Secretary of Commerce,
Washington, D. C.
My dear Mr. Lamont:
I recently received via Vice
President Curtis your letter of
September 26th to him with en
closure dated .September 21st
from Henry O’Malley entitled
“Memorandum for the Secre
...ry.”
This memorandum was Mr.
0 vlalley’s defense against my
charge that he refused to hear
the protests of the native fisher
men when he was in Ketchikan
1 ist July 3rd.
Before analyzing this “de
iense’’ I wish to ask that you
sume a judicial .attitude—
that is, that you do not ignore
the charges coming from mysei
„ r.d from the ALASKA NATIVT
BROTHERHOOD because c.
vour high opinion of Mr. O’Mai
.t,j gained thru your personal
contact with him. The basis of
our charges is simply that he has
not shown us the same courtes
ies that he has shown you or
others, e. g., the public prints
have just announced that he has
Leen in San Francisco and Seat
tle consulting with fishing inter
ests as to the next year’s regu
lations, a privilege denied Alas
kans.
My next request is that I be
not prejudged by my personal
opposition to the nomination of
Mr. Hoover which caused me to
print the cartoon of him before
the Republican convention met
in 1923. I am no different than
Senator Watson, Mr. Curtis and
many others who seem to have
been forgiven by Mr Hoover. In
fact, my position argues more
strongly for me than does their?
tor them in tins—i nave asueu
no favors for myself. My crime
has been and is this that I am
appealing for my people, of a pe
culiar race, people who from my
own personal knowledge and ex
perience have been and are
cruelly oppressed by Henry
O’Malley first in the name of Mr.
Hoover and now in the name of
Mr. Robert P. Lamont.
My people are not getting
enough to eat.
In their name I present my
case for your earnest considera
tion. Virtually every bay suit
able for our form of gear has
been closed by Henry O’Malley
under the guise of “conserva
tion,” and then when we went
into the channels and were over
coming our difficulties by using
the “hook-cff, ’ Mr. O’Malley pro
hibited that. It is unjust.
Kasaan Bay is closed to the
150 Indians who have live:)
there before O’Malley was born
but he allowed two big traps at
the entrance to catch variously
from one-half to one million
salmon during the season. He
would not close the south trap
because he would have to clo. 2
out one small trap near it which
was owned by a poor fellow
named Miller whc had a wire
and family. Why not consider
the 50 Indian families that have
been driven out of Kasaan Bay
by Mr. O’Malley?
On the West Coast of Prince
of Wales Island, your wardens
have closed many bights where
there are no salmon streams by
placing prohibitory signs with
your name on them, all this in
addition to the numerous clos
ing orders published by Mr.
O’Malley.
I could tell you of more—one
case where the Bureau of Fish
eries now offers to recommend
remission of fine after much ar
gument and exchange of letters
but I wish to take up Mr.
O’Malley’s excuse for not meet
ing our seiners on July 3rd last.
“It was necessary to sail
promptly thereafter (at one p.
m.) in order to visit the Bu
leau’s weir at Ai n Greek and
make the tide at W' vagell Nar
rows,” says Mr. O’1 •'’’alley.
2nd: However admitting a ne
cessity arguendo, Mr. O’Malley
could have attended the three
o’clock meeting, si., ed one hour,
left on his BRAN i and visited
the weir in the same time that
was actually consumed. I do
not have the BRANT'S iog. but I
feel sure that the BRANT did
not reach Anan Creek before 11
p. m.. and that Mr. O'Malley did
not inspect the weir before the
morning of the 4th. I am al
lowing the Brant 9 hours to
make the trip.
3rd: The term “make the tide
at Wrangell Narrows” is a mere
deception on the part of Mr.
O’Malley because his boat can
ro through the Narrows at any
stage of the tide since the Nar
rows was dredged. The British
boats do it.
4th: Mr. O’Malley admits
j pending two days at Juneau.
\11 we wanted was three hours,
which time would have been
. tilized by the beat’s travelling
at night to Anan Creek while Mr.
O’Malley slept.
"I was again in Ketchikan on
August 22, 23. and 24, leaving on
the morning of the 25th,” he
says. The season was over, Mr.
Lament, at that time. His ar
gument is like seeking a reprieve
for a man already hung.
“I was in Ketchikan again on
August 5th and Gth,” he says.
Mr. O’Malley knows that there
were no fishermen in town on
those days. They had scatter
ed to their fishing districts. If
he had appeared n August 4th
11Sunday) -we might have met
with him.
Mr. O’Malley s memory is very
poor on what he said to our se
cretary on July 3rd. That is tc
I ,:e exposed because his reply
' was suen that jou would censure
him if you could establish what
j. ici u ui <xiiy iic
! lie u.iu. ociy an a.
I won’t confess,
i confess.
i
! He told our representative
■ If you are going to talk to me
about tlie hook-off, it is no use
|bec; \se I wont change that
jiule.” or words to that effect.
No. only did he refuse to at
tend our meeting, but he told
(ur secretary that he had closer
jhis mind to any and all argu
jraents we might make against
jhis prohibition of the hook-off.
J For many years we have beer
| appealing to the Bureau of Fish
eries in vain The custom seemj
I to be that when a complaint ar
rives in Washington, the com
l plaint is turned over to the per
| son charged. The person ex
plains and that ends the story
J If the same practice obtained
jin a court of law, courts would
| soon be abolished for the analo
gy would be this—the district
j attorney would make out his
| complaint against the burglar
|The burglar would be arrested
i but would be requested to write
:■ letter and explain himself
The burg ar would do so, and
fci course, would clear him
self since no further investiga
tion wrould be made. The Judge
would write to the District At
torney and tell him “You have
made a great mistake. The
burglar denies the charges and
has made a fine explanation.”
Mr. Henry O’Malley has nevei
given us any consideratior
whatever. We have never beer
heard by him. He has nevei
cured the things we complair
about. Why don’t you make
him explain the case againsl
Maxfield Dalton of August 27
1D27?
I repeated to a prominent
canneryman a few minutes ago
your statement that “the meth
ods of the Department there (in
Alaska) are now generally ap
proved.” He told me that he
understood the sentiment (real
sentiment, hot the sentiment
expressed in the presence of
man who has the power of life
and death) of the cannery men
2nd that this sentiment was that
Mr. O’Malley was wrong in vir
tually all his regulations because
on wrong principles, but that
they felt that he was honest and
sincere.
i I have a wide acquaintance
with cannerymen and fisher
men, and I am convinced that
Mr. O’Malley’s policies are
roundly condemned, and that
the ultimate result will be that
we wont have either population
or fish.
I would like to talk with you
and him both for I am right.
Yours Respectfully,
William L. Paul,
.Grand President,
Alaska Native Brotherhood.
ANSWERING TACT AND
DIPLOMACY
-x
Petersburg, Alaska
February 10. 1930
To Ye Editor ALASKAN:
I read “Subscriber’s” opinion
of your paper last week. The
one in which he thinks it best to
use “tact and diplomacy” to se
icure favors from the Bureaus
land his opinion that the better
J policy is to encourage and help
[the Bureaus in their work and
! remain silent under the hard
ships imposed by their present
policy of disregard to the rignts
of Alaska and Alaskans so that
they will be more willing to do
favors for Alaskans.
The writer was very unfortun
ate in the expression of his sen
timents. I do not think he
meant what he wrote or at least
meant it the way it reads.
He surely does not advocate
| that you support autocratic gov
ernment here in Alaska to the
end that Alaskans may ask fav
’ crs at their hands.
He surely does not forget the
fact that no matter what pow
ers the Bureaus have been vest
ed with—they are yet supposed
jy me servants ui me peupie—
that the people have the power
to demand their entire abolish
ment.
He surely does not mean to
take the stand that the way to
handle head .trong, unthinking
and unsympathetic servants
such as the Bureaus have prov
en themselves to be here in
Alaska, is to curry favor with
them to the end that they may
' graciously condescend to pay
some attention to the needs of
Alaska. “Subscriber” wrote it
“Alaskans” but we will forget
; that.
j It is his privilege to disagree
with the policy of your paper
and with my letters dealing on
the question of Alaskan’s land
and timber future. But he and
all of the rest of us Alaskans
must look cold facts in the face
and however disagreeable the
job, it has to be reckoned with.
; We cannot continue as a self
lespecting community and allow
present conditions to continue.
We have vast resources, held
i&nd administered by Bureaus in
i such a manner as to the com
pletely check Alaska’s develop
; ment. The people of the United
States created those Bureaus
land put them in charge of our
natural resources to prevent a
ruthless exploitation of our tim
ber resources—to conserve our
fisheries. NOT to obstruct the
natural flow of our timber to
market—NOT to prevent the
settlement of Alaska; NOT to
create monopolies and special
privileges in our own fisheries. If
we continue a policy of silence,
they will not know but what Bu
reaucratic control is satisfac
tory.
| No! Present Bureau heads
'have had their chance to prove
j their worth. They have failed—
utterly. They must turn the
, business of Alaska’s progress ov
er to more competent and un
derstanding hands.
The people of Alaska have the
i light to demand that change.
! Alaskans as American citizens
must NEVER be placed in the,
' position where they must ask ;
iavors of Bureau heads.
Under the heading “Petting j
the Bureaus” you in last week’s i
issue summed up the results of
such a policy.
The present policy of the Bu
reaus must be opposed and
fought with all the means at our
disposal. Our most powerful
weapon is publicity. If publicity
angers the Bureau heads to the
point where they will strike
back with more injustices—
THEN Alaska has gained a point
in the ultimate victory.
In my letters regarding the
situation in the Forest Service,
which you have been kind
enough to print in your “Open
Forum,” I strive to awaken the
public to the trend of the pre
sent policies of that'Bureau. If
I call a spade a “spade,” it is
because I see no sense in calling
it, anything else or covering it
with bouquets to the end that
Bureau heads may be lulled to
the belief that they are without
opposition in a policy so un-Am
erican.
If I advocate private owner
ship it is because anything else
is foreign to my conception of
Americanism.
If I draw comparisons, it is
because such comparisons exist.
If I bawl my fellow citizens
out it is because I consider that
they have been remiss in their
duties as American citizens.
I sign myself—not “Subscrib
er”—but, ,
Yours very truly,
E. S. Hungerford.
CONDITIONS ON THE COPPER
RIVER
-x
Klawock. Alaska
February 4, 1930
Editor The ALASKAN,
Petersburg, Alaska
Dear sir:
Conditions among the Natives
up on the Copper River, from my
own observations and based on
information gathered from the
Natives themselves, are bad par
ticularly in the Chitina district.
My recent trip to this section
was for the period of five weeks
visiting with rriends. I consider
the time and ‘money put out on [
this trip as being well spent, for
I saw conditions existing among ’
our own people that perhaps not
a single one of us in this Divi
sion can begin to realize. Peo
ple who are in need of the bene
fits of our organizations, e. g., '*
the ALASKA NATIVE BROTH- j
ERHOOD, and SISTERHOOD.
My trip up the Copper River,
was as far inland as Chitina, |
which is hundred and thirty-five
miles from Cordova an the Cop-'!
per River and Northwestern
Railroad. A little white settle
ment of less than sixty, majority
of them being connected with
the Road Commission work. The
town of Chitina has an up-to
date Territorial school to care
uur me wmte cxmuren unu tne
P'ureau of Education maintains
a school for the native children.
When the Bureau School was to
be erected, it was the intention
■ to have it right in town, which
to my observation would have
been much more convenient for
the children, but the white citi
zens petitioned against this idea
with the result that the school
was built one-half a mile from
town.
The native people of this re
gion are very much scattered
and only those who have their
log cabins on the outskirts of
Chitina can send their children
to this school.
The temperature, on the day
I left, was forty below zero. Thru
j this severe weather the children,
with their little lunches under
their arms, must walk too and
from the school which is located
two miles from them. I made
| this walk myself and it was hard
for me so that you can imagine
what an injustice it is to compell i
these poor children to walk this
distance twice a day.
This is the only school provid
ed for the natives who inhabit
this vast area. True, the native
homes are scattered, and this
may be the reason that the Bu
leau of Education maintains on
ly one school. But conditions of
this kind have been overcome
throughout the United States by
establishment of schools at dif
ferent points and provision of
transportation of children. They
have fine roads in this district
and I see no reason why this
system would not be practical.
(Under the present system only
thirty children are able to take
advantage of the opportunity of
fered—this number in spite of
the difficulties mentioned.
Some may wonder why the na
tives do not move their homes
closer to the school, but here is
the situation that exists: Their
only means of livlihood comes
from trapping and those people
have their homes close to their
trapping grounds.
The thirty children enrolled
in the school comprises only a
>'ery small proportion of children
of school age in this district.
Mrs Agnes Fletcher, govern
ment nurse, who is stationed at
Chitina, furnishes the only
source of medical aid those peo
ple have. This woman, who has
elways been a friend of the na
Continued on Page 3
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