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Pubished every Friday by the Alaska Native Brotherhood Pub
lishing Company at Petersburg, Alaska.
Entered in the Post Office in Petersburg as Second Class Matter.
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LOUIS F. PAUL,.MANAGER and EDITOR
Contempt Cases
-x
We have been told that our
editorial on Justin W. Harding
might be considered “in con
tempt of court” because we re
view a “pending case.” We had
no such thought. We are merely
protesting against what seems
to be the unworthy practices of
a man who for the present sits as
a judge.
If it be a contempt to say
that Mr. Statter was not ac
corded his full rights and to
wish therefore that our judges
were amenable to the voters of
Alaska, then we would have to
face the issue, and let a jury de
cide whether our utterances
came within the rule of “fair
comment” or not.
Our readers can decide for
themselves, the facts being as
follows as we have learned
them:
Mr. Statter is the chief deputy
U. S. Marshal of this division
and under a $20,000 bond as a
disbursing officer. Judge Justin
W. Harding made a ruling that
requisitions must be approved by
him before money could be ex
pended from “Fund C” of the
court’s funds (built up almost
entirely by the marshal’s office).
Mr. Statter wrote a letter to the
Judge showing that this proce
dure was sometimes impossible
and cited this case—suppose the
Judge was on one of his numer
ous bear-hunts and the “toilets
flooded” would this matter have
to wait until the Judge got back?
This the Judge said was “con
tumacious.”
When Statter appeared in
court, his attorney handed the
judge a letter denying the in
tent charged, but the Judge
slapped on a fine of $50. Attorn
ey Foster protested that there
was no “confession” of guilt and
moved to “quash” the charge of
contempt. Harding overruled this
Then Foster answered by deny
ing the charge and demanded a
jury trial. The demand for a
jury was denied, and Judge
Harding adjudged Statter guilty
of contempt and this time fined
Statter $100. Attorney Foster
gave notice of appeal and asked
that bail be set, but the Judge
fiom Ohio refused to set bail
until the appeal was perfected.
This was completed by 5:30 p.m.
but the Judge had gone home
and “could not” do anything. So
Mr. Statter went to jail for one
night.
In any other court in the
United States, the district at
torney would have moved that
ithe chief deputy U. S. Marshal
be allowed his liberty on his own
recognizance. If the district at
torney failed to so move, any
other judge but Harding would
have made the order himself.
The injustice done to Mr. Stut
ter touches the liberties of every
other citizen who might come
before Mr. Harding. Even as we
protest against this practice, we
might be the very next.
We are publishing an indepen -
dent newspaper devoted to the
public interest. Shall we sit si
lent for one or two years before
registering our protest? It might
be that a thousand citizens
could be jailed as Mr. Statter
was if the public submitted to
what is going on in the Court of
the United States at Juneau. We
are willing to run the risk as a
duty which we owe the free born
citizens of the United States.
Nepotism
Justin Harding
District Judge. $10,000 year
Mrs. Ben Mendoza. Court
Reporter. Sister in lav/
of Mr. Harding. 3,000 year
Miss Ann Gaynor,
Clerk Dist. Attys. office.
Sister in law.
Mr. Harding. 2,400 year
Total one family. $15,400.00
We wish to commend the ex
ample of Justin W. Harding in
his tender regard for his “in
jlaws.” Too many people under
|the same conditions would have
[no thought for those needy re
lative swho have a claim on
Ithem. In Mr. Harding’s case, he
fired John Newman, a mighty
fine man and competent report
er, family dependent upon him.
who also left a fine business in
Seattle to work for the Court
here. But even so, it is not hard
to see that Mr. Harding must
love his family very much when
he can disregard all this and
throw out Newman’s family of
three to scratch for themselves.
Mrs. Mendoza also has needs and
if Judge Harding did not get her
on the payroll, he might have to
give her something from his
$10,000. salary that might not
continue long because many
people believe that Mr. Harding
expects to go back to Ohio next
February.
In some places nepotism (to
hire ones nephews or relatives
in the public service) is consid -
ered wicked during these hard
times, but this precedent is not
yet recognized in Mr. Harding’s
court, and so it is legal ail right
even tho hard on John Newman.
“That Divinity Which Doth Hedge A King”
-x
In Cooper vs People, 22 Paci
fic 790. The following appeals as
a part of the opinion of the
court:
“As is well known, justice was
originally administered by the
king in person, in aula regia, and
later, when judges were ap
pointed to sit for him, their per
sons were endowed with a por
tion of the dignity of the sov
ereign whose personal represent
atives they were. To speak dis
respectfully of them was to
disregard that “dignity which
doth hedge a King.” In this
country, the sovereign people
claim no attributes of divinity
and are under no illusion as to
the fallability of those who ad
minister the law. Our people de
mand only that judges shall not
be treated so as to interfere with
'the proper discharge of their
official duties. Beyond that they
jniust rely on the same law as
other people for protection from
defamatory attacks.”
The carpet bagger who comes
to Alaska with a government job
in his pocket and an inferiority
I complex in his soul; who uses
government boats for transport
ation on his frequent hunting
j trips thereby saving much mon
ley to take back to Ohio and who
| frequently invokes the extraor
dinary remedy of CONTEMPT
(to bolster up his lack of dignity,
. should spend more time studying
:law and less in pursuing the
brown bear.
i How did we get our brains?
'asks Sir Arthur Keith. Some of
us didn’t.
* * *
In this world a man must
either be an anvil or a hammer. |
—Longfellow.
Larruping the Wrong Horse
-x
| Webfooter Hank Hinkle had a
| smart horse which the girls
named “Cutie.” While Hank was
| driving the horse to town one
day it shied violently at a rattle
snake that was curled at the
side or the road. The buggy al
most tipped over and in the ex
citement of the moment, Hank
swallowed his cud of tobacco. He
lost his temper and larruped
Cutie with a whip. Now Cutie
was not used to -j.eh treatment
and being the pet of the family
for seven—or was it twelve
years? He was rated as safe, the
children had crawled all over
him; he had been mauled and
| handled roughly by all the kids
30 that his sense of dignity was
never recognized until Hank lar
ruped him. Cutie stood for the
moment after being larruped,
trembling, snorting sighfully, he
deliberately kicked that buggy
all to pieces. ,
We suppose that there is a
moral to this story—you can
find it for yourselves. The exe
cutive leaders of the Alaska Na
tive Brotherhood think it very
appropriate at this time—just
before the fall political cam
paign begins. It has adopted a
moral from that story, so passes
it along to others so that they
who run may read.
“ Alaskans May Go to Hell”
-x
The business men of Alaska
I do not seem to understand yet
that the difference between pro
fit and loss in their operations
i.s the gainful employment of re
sident labor. Alaska business
men still look for and hope for a
millenium to come through the
cannery operations of the Chi
cago Meat Trust and its federal
patron Henry O’Malley.
Down in Ketchikan are over
forty seine boats tied up to the
dock in the new Thomas Basin
Harbor. Eight Ketchikan boats
are out trying to make a few
dollars under the cannery re
srrictions and prohibitions. The
several canneries operating in
that district have emploved in
the neighborhood of 450 Filipinos
at something like S50 a month
land what little food it takes to
{keep them from starving. Port
(Althrop, that plant operated by
! t lie Skinners of Seattle employ
1150 Filipinos and by the 20th of
IJuly had not employed any na
tives. The company had no use
jfor resident seiners—did not
jwant their salmon at any price
i above one-half cent per salmon
—“buy your own gasoliae, eat
| yourself, etc.” P. E. Harris Com
jpany at Hawk Inlet is sore at the
fishermen because seven years
ago the men had the guts to re
fuse to go out fishing at a price
'below the standard offered
I even in the Icy Straits scab
I price district. This benevolent
'company employs 120 Filipinos—
land lest‘we forget—the price of
! cannery labor—resident if you
please—is fifteen cents per hour.
jThe Meat Trust will condescend
j to pay the resident for his labor
, in the canneries—sliming salm
jon which should not bring less
than 45 cents per hour, machine
labor which brings ordinarily 40
I cents per hour and other labor —
packing cans, etc., brings 35
cents per hour.
As a special favor to the Gov
ernor of Alaska—he having re
quested that the canners em
ploy all local labor possible—
these wonderful, country-build
ing, philanthropic institutions
i owned by the Meat Trust, pro
jected by Henry O’Malley the
[servant of the Meat Trust—are
going to force themselves into
! bankruptcy by paying Alaska
labor 15 cents per our. In an
other year or two, Alaska labor
|will be paying these beneficient.
leleemoosinary institutions j5
[cents per hour just to be per
■mitted to work in these can
i
I nenes.
We travel along down Cha
tham Straits and find at Tyee,
that fine man Stuart of Sebas
tian and Stuart employing r.o
labor. This gentleman was called
recently for not having local
labor employed. He called up his
superintendent and asked “Is it
a fact that you do not Aave any
natives working?” Upon receiv
ing the affirmative answer he
j asked again, “Why in hell
haven’t you employed these peo
ple? Put them on immediately: ’
Whether it was done or not—
that is something else. i
Down south Chatham Straits
is that British-owned cannery—
the Fidalgo Island Packing
Company—Carl A. Sutter, gen
eral manager in Alaska. Las*
year, having no use for his sein
ers he called them in, paid them
$21 per day to lay in port, em
ployed the men as longshoremen
—gave them extra pay; ordered
them the last two weeks to go
out to his traps and fill up their
! boats from the traps and paid
jthem for the fish; employs every
’available resident possible. The
| same policy rules in Ketchikan
j with this company—the only
J fault being that the company
| has too many efficient traps so
.that they do not need many local
fishermen to put up their pack.
! In Wrangell Narrov/s is the
JScow Bay cannery—Oscar Nic -
holson, manager—using some
thing over 32 resident laborers.
New cannery—old-Alaskan—not
: certain as to future policy. Op
erates traps.
In Wrangell are the Diamond
K Packing Company and the
Wrangell Packing Company.
Diamond K is owned by Karl
Thiele of Juneau; employs local
.labor in the cannery but has no
I use for seine-caught fish—does
I buy gillnet salmon. The other
| company is owned by William
| Hale formerly of Klawock and
| Frank Barnes of Lake Bay. Both
men long residents of Alaska
;and have the reputation of be
ing fair and square with their
|men; operate but one trap and
use as many fishermen as pos
sible and employ only local help.
The benefit to the town of Wran
gell is oft spoken of by all the
I various interests of the town.
Out Craig way is the Libby,
McNeill and Libby Company—
| Chicago, ithe company that made
racketeering popular in Alaska
as well as Illinois. Fishermen
‘can work for this company pro
vided they will use company
boats and gear, buy their own
oil, their own grub and coal and
'deliver pink salmon at one cent
iper fish. When the fishermen are
through working for this com
;pany, the company will own
them body and soul. As it is right
now, these people hardly dare
Think out loud.
The company takes three
eighths of every cent earned by
ithe crew as its share.
This is the result of the O'
Malley regulations which are in
conformity with the demands of;
the Meat and Beef Trust. O’Mal
ley recognizes the fact that re
sident labor is not being em- j
ployed but declares that it is a
form of conservation. A few
lousy fish mean more to O’Mal
ley than the souls of human be -
ings. But after all, what do a
few Siwash fishermen and ig
norant white trash mean to mer
whose god is money—whose
souls are cast from the dregs of
hell. Starve and be damned—
we are saving fish for future
generations. Conservation—wheJ
crimes are committed in thy
name!
-x
The most profound joy has
more gravity than gaiety in it.—
Montaigne.
Be civil to all; sociable to
many; familiar with few; friend
to one; enemy to none.—Ben
jamin Franklin.
EVERYBODY LIKES PIE I
We Make the Pies that
EVERYBODY LIKES
Always Fresh At
\ THE STAR BAKERY a
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Cigars and Tobaccos of all kinds
Pool and Billiard Tables
BRENNAN’S
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