The Open Forum
--X
A WORD TO THE WISE
Petersburg, Alaska
March 1, 1930
The ALASKAN,
Petersburg, Alaska,
Gentlemen:
It is time for Alaskans to rally
round to do something in sup
port of our delegate in Congress.
If we expect to be worthy of be
ing called American citizens, we
cannot sit back and allow Dan j
Sutherland’s efforts on Alaska’s
behalf to go unsupported.
If we cannot muster up cour
age enough to talk as we vote—
if we are afraid of the conse
ouences which an open cam
paign, publicly expressed by our
commercial bodies might bring
down upon our individual heads.
If we let our personal, petty
•fears and jealousies stand in the
way of joining and helping a
movement for the relief of Alas
ka, we are not worthy the name
of man.
History tells us that practical
ly every State in the Union has
had to make its own fight and
has been the victim of political
profiteering and misrule in one
form or another. Attempts have
been made before to take away
the rights of sparsely settled
countries without representa
tion. History also tells us that
in no case was relief extended
by Congress unless a strong fight
was put up by the people of the
oppressed territory.
Alaska stands today at the
point where people have either
got to join hands in a campaign
of publicity with a view of elim
inating Bureaucratic misrule of
Alaska or forever go down in the
pages of history as the only Ter
ritory in which the residents did
not have backbone enough to
stand to the defense of thei
country’s heritage.
There will always be disagree
ment as to the means to an end;
there will always be men on both
sides of an argument and many
on the fence.
In my estimation there ere at
the present moment, two meas
ures vital to the welfare of the
Territory. For these the people
of Alaska should stand with an
undivided front, regardless of
their own petty jealousies or per
sonal interests for the good of
their country.
First of these is the abolish
ment of fish traps as a means of
catching salmon or other fish.
We are "justified in this stand
for the reason that the regula
tions on fish traps as they now
stand, constitute a support and
maintenance of the rankest kind
of special privileges. One man
or corporation cannot be allowed
to fish a trap in our Alaskan
waters and his neighbor or busi
ness competitor be denied the
privilege of fishing one on
another location no more detri
mental to the free passage of
fish. In justice the country
must be thrown open to trap
fishing on every available loca
tion or the trap must be abol
ished altogether.
The country cannot be thrown
open to traps without grave
danger of over fishing and re
gardless of what has been said
and printed regarding the self
seeking and greed of Alaskans,
I yet think that we have at heart
the seriousness of the respons
ibility which is ours in the per
petuation of our fisheries as well
if not better than the people in
whose hands their future now
rests.
There is a sane, logical an
swer to any argument raised on
behalf cf the fish trap. The pre
sent trap owners will no doubt
put up a fight for their protec
tion but the residents of Alaska
cannot allow the profits of a few
non-resident corporations to
stand in the way of Alaska’s ad
vancement.
4
We need the support of the*
thousands of fishermen whom it j
will take to put up the pack
with other kinds of gear to
maintain our towns and other
industries.
We need the support of all of
the labor used in the fishing in
dustry—the twenty-five thou
sand non-resident workmen who
flock here each summer for the
cannery season.
In supporting and carrying
through the second measure, we
will be in a fair way to realize
this also. We will likewise
,'heck, before it is too late, one
of the gravest injustices, if not
outright steals that has ever
been attempted in these United
States: towit, the pulp sales.
Our Delegate to Congress
must be instructed to insist and
we must back him up in that in
sistance by every means at our
disposal, on every measure
which will allow the lands of
Southeastern Alaska to pass to
i he hands of bona fide settlers
as timber claims in tracts not to
i exceed 160 acres.
Recognizing the fact that
nearly all of the land here is
limber-land, and the value of
forest practice, it would be as
well to ask that such a measure
should carry a rider which pro
vides that all such lands not
used for agricultureai or other
commercial purposes be under
the jurisdiction of forest offic
ers, insofar as the cutting of
timber is concerned. Not the
time of cutting or the amount
of cutting,—demand should and
riiust regulate that—but to see
that destructive deforestation
does not take place.
This would offer an induce
i ment to our fishermen and can
j nery help to stay here. It would
s-ing thousands of settlers here.
It would eventually mean that
there would be no occasion for
tthe canneries to import all of
i their help. It would also place
our timber resources on the
market in such a manner that
v—- . - . .'4L.
they would be a paying asset.
I cannot see where this latter
measure can meet with much
opposition. It is a departure
| x Viii. 1
to’be sure, but changing condi
tions call for concessions. We
must recognize the possibility of
damage to our forests, which un
regulated cutting methods en
tail. That is common sense. If
this is proided for, I can see no
just reason why the title to the
jland should not pass to the in
dividual nor why Alaska should
i e denied the right to offer
homes and recompense to any
one desiring to settle here.
All of our land is not more
valuable as timber land than for
other purposes. Settlers who
come here to take up timber
claims will some of them branch
out into other industries. The
bulk of the land may eventually
pass to the hands of pulp com
panies. What if it does? It will
be taxable—forest practice will
be provided for—people can own
homes on it—develop it.
Many will use the income de
rived from the forests and fish
eries to support them in an ef
fort to start fur farms and other
industries to which this coun
try is adapted. Think what the
results of these two measures
would be.
Very truly yours,
E. S. Hungerford.
-x
EXPERIMENTAL FUR FARME
--o
Petersburg, Alaska
March 3rd, 1930
Editor of The Alaskan,
Petersburg, Alaska.
Dear Sir:
Being interested in the fur
ranching game myself and also
naturally being interested in the
welfare of the many who are al
so in the same game all along
the coast of Alaska, and also at
many interior points, it often
comes to my mind that the fu*^
rancher is working under severe
handicaps, notwithstanding the*
fact that the industry has in- -
creased to large proportion;; a: d ‘j
that there is an equally large in- ;
vestment in that production.
All through the States whore
there is production of anything ^
that is large enough to bring it j:
to the public’s notice, you will j'
find that they have much assist- 1
ance to work out their problems
Problems that must be worked
out not only from a rough ranch
standpoint, but also from a sci
entific standpoint, and many
such points cannot be worked
out by the ranchers, as they
have not the equipment or
knowledge to do so.
The working out of these |
problems to a certainty, spells |
the assured success of this fur
ranching game.
In visiting the different fur
ranches, or in talking to the
men who own and run them,
you will find that there are al
most as many different ways of
handling and feeding of the an
imals as there are ranches, and
it stands to reason, that all
those many ways cannot be all
right, in fact it proves itself out
that many of them must be
wrong, as some of the ranches
in question do not show the re
sults that they should show.
The rancher cannot be blamed
for this, as without help from
some source on which he can
depend, he must go ahead and
try to work out the problem for
himself, and naturally this de
velops into many ways of trying
and consequently many mis- j
takes.
These years of trying, and’
many times unsuccessful, are
very expensive to the fur ranch-!
er, in many cases are the cause
of his making a bare existence,
instead of making money on the
venture as he is justly entitled
to make.
It follows then to my mind
that this source of information
which will put the fur rancher
on the right trail, should come
from the Government, through
experimental fur farms, oper-'
ated by men who know not only
the practical side of the ques
tion, but also who can work out
rhe different problems from a
scientific standpoint.
There is no production that I
know of which more richly de
serves such assistance than do
the fur ranchers, and I believe
we would find that fur ranchers
would do all they could to co
operate with such institutions,
and owing to the fact that the
fur industry is so widely distri
buted, I would like very much
to see a real experimental fur
farm established at a central
point in Southeast Alaska and
also another in a similar place
in Southwestern Alaska
The conditions in localities so
far apart would naturally be
different, and would have to have
individual study, and then the
experimental farms should be
where each locality could reach
it as easily as possible.
I firmly believe that if Alaska
as a whole, knowing the neces
sity, will take hold of this move,
that v/e can have these experi
mental fur farms established,
and that within a short time.
I would also like to take ad
vantage of this opportunity to
remind you all, no matter what
your vocation may be, that you
have a live Commercial Club in
Petersburg, a Club that stands
ready to do all they can for you
and everybody as a whole, and
we invite you to bring any of
your problems to us, and you
may be assured that we will be
glad to be of any assistance
possible in solving these prob
lems.
Sincerely yours,
E. N. unmer.
i
-x
My liberty ends when it be
gins to involve the possibility of 1
ruin to my neighbor. —John ,
Stuart Mill , ,
RUSTGARD’S PLATFORM
vith Territorial development de
jendent on that Government for,
inancial assistance amounting
;o several million dollars per an
lum, it would be unwise for the
aeople of Alaska to enter into
?crimonious disputes with £he
'uthorities (sic) at the National
Capital.. It shall, therefore, (sic)
3e my aim to establish arid
maintain the friendliest rela
tions with the Federal Govern
ment and its several agencies
in Alaska, (sic) while at the
same time I urge upon these
what I conceive to be the wish
es of as well as for the benefit
of the majority of the people of
the Territory.
Seek Home Rule
. .“At the earliest possible oppor
tunity I shall seek such amend
ment of the Organic Act as will
rot only give us as much home
rule as was invariably granted
other Territories but which will
enable us to gradually assume
more and more of the functions f
of government until full State-*
hood is attained.
“I propose to cooperate with!
the Bureau of Fisheries in se
curing the best possible fishing
regulations, and intend to do all
in my power to secure such le
gislation as will leave the fisher
ies of Alaska open only to bonaj
fide residents of the Territory;
wherever that is practical and
where, by such policy, the settle
ment of the Territory can be
materially stimulated.
“I shall also recommend that
the residents along the Yukoi,
River be authorized to engage
in such limited commercial fish
ing in the river as will not ap
preciably interfer • with the pro
pagation of salmon.
“I commend the Bureau of
Forestry for its determination
to have the timh^ within its
keeping manufactured into ar
ticles of commerce within the
Territory instead of shipped to
foreign countries in the raw
state to be there prepared for|
the market by foreign labor.
~ Title to Lands
“All who have made substan
tial improvement on land for
residence purposes should be
crivpn a riee/t tn whatever thev
improve, occupy and use. The
quasi communistic system at
present practiced by the Gov
ernment is bad in principle and
should be abandoned.
“Farming is an inevitable pre
requisite to the stability of the
population and permanence of
industries. Every effort should
therefore, be made to assist ex
perienced farmers in settling
on and in starting the utiliza
tion of our agricultural and
grazing land.
The construction of the In
ternational Highway, so-called,
is a worthy project which prom
ises much for the country and
should be given ample support
as soon as definite steps are tak
en by the Canadians to meet us
at the boundary line.
“The fullest co-operation will
be given the Alaska Road Com
mission in its effort to secure
the largest possible appropria
tion for roads and trails. The
Bureau of Forestry and Bureau
of Public Roads should be given
full authority to use the funds
at their disposal to build trails
instead of roads wherever such
a course seems wiser.
Aid for Indians
Every fair and humanitarian
reason bespeaks for the native
Endian population the kindliest
and most helpful consideration
by the public and Government, j
rhe opportunity of those races
for acquiring practical education
and for earning a living is of
foremost importance and must
be supplied whenever and wher
?ver it is reasonably possible to
do so. I shall urge increased ap
propriations for the establish
ment and maintenance of in
dustrial schools and medical at
tention for the native popula
tion. Both governmental and
arivate employers should be in
duced to give these people em
aloyment. ]i
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