AN OPEN LETTER TO
CONGRESSMAN FREE
Your amazing pronunciamento
printed in the Seward Gateway, has
been read with a great deal of in
terest. So far as it is possible for
us who do not belong to the “high
type of people” that you have met
in Alaska, we have given uue con
sideration to your views.
We trust that you will find time
and have patience to read some cor
rections of your errors, and also a
few suggestions which may possibly
prevent you from falling into such
egregious blunders in the future.
First of all, let us assure you that
we Alaskans welcome your visit to
Alaska, so far as your purpose is
to learn more about this great ter
ritory—tor even we “illiterates” who
are not “intelligent” can see that
you need to learn; so far as your
visit is to secure data that will help
you to conserve the fishery resources
of Alaska, we welcome you thriee
fold—for we who have known and
urged such conservation for the past
twenty years are glad to welcome
you, and also the Alaska Packers
and the Pacific American Fisheries,
in the development of our resources,
we wTill give our sincere coopera
tion.
But we don’t welcome your med
dling in local Alaska politics. True,
we are not ‘intelligent” like you are,
but nevertheless the sad fact is that
we can’t appreciate your slurs, in
sults and untruths against Dan Suth
erland, our Delegate in Congress,
and those of us who were ignorant
enough to elect him last November
by a majority of almost two votes
to one.
Your statement that "only the na
tives have a voice speaking for
them at Washington” is absolutely
untrue. Delegate Sutherland repre
sents all the people of Alaska, and
represents them most capably. Wheth
er big or little, rich or poor, native
or white, “illiterate” or “intelligent,”
individual or corporation—Alaskans
receive honest service and faithful
representation at the hands of Dele
gate Sutherlahd. That’s why we
elect him by such overwhelming ma
jorities! And if you were not so
badly bitten by the “intelligence”
bug, you w'ould probably appreciate
this fact. Modern psychologists are
agreed that people who harp and
dote on their “intelligence” and in
feriority complex—if you get what we
“illiterate” folks man!
Furthrmore, and by the same to
ken, just as Delegate Sutherland rep
resents all Alaskans faithfully in ac
complishing all legitimate purposes—
so he invariably opposes any and all
who try to monopolize and loot Al
aska’s resources without regard for
the future and without regard for
the present rights of bona fide Al
askans. And in such opposition it
matters not very well now, after his
fight against you and the fish trust
to save our fisheries and protect the
rights of Alaskans to share in them.
The bigger they are, the harder
they fall—and evidently you are still
falling!
But the main grievance you seem
to be nursing is that you claim to
believe that 1800 natives are voting
in Alaska and thus dictating our
politics. We do not believe nor ad
mit that that 1800 natives vote in
this Territory. And we KNOW that
many of those who do vote can both
read and write, that they are fairly
intelligent, and are good citizens—
far better citizens, in fact, with re
gard to morality and respect for law
and decency than some of the gen
tlemen who have been giving you
your crooked statistics.
But suppose 1800 natives do vote
and that they voted for Delegate
Sutherland last November. The Dele
gate defeated his opponent by a ma
jority of 3,213 votes. Now subtract
your socalled 1800 native votes from
that majority and there is still a
clear majority of 1,413 votes. To
make this absolutely clear to you: if
the 1800 natives wrho voted for Mr.
Sutherland, according to your hypo
thesis, had been “restrained from go
ing to the polls,” the Delegate vrould
still have been elected by a majority
of 1,413 white votes. Quite a com
fortable majority out of so small a
total vote!
Now that we have eliminated the
1800 natives, what are you going to J
do with the 4,969 white people who
voted for Mr. Sutherland? How are’
you going to divide these 4,969 white
voters into the “intelligent” and “un
intelligent?”
In the face of these figures, which
are true ones, why are you around
peddling the tommy-rot that 1800
natives are dictating Alaska politics.
Just what do you mean by saying
that the “intelligent people have no
voice speaking for them at Wash
ington.
Do you consider any of the 4,969
white people who voted for Delegate
Sutherland “intelligent?”
Isn’t it not a fact that if these 4,
969 white people (also the 1800 na
tives) had voted against Dan Suth
erland, you would consider them un
usually “intelligent and delightful
people?”
Now why is it that you make vot
ing against Dan Sutherland the test
of “intelligence” among Alaska vot
ers? Why are you interested in prej
udicing Alaskans against their Dele
gate in Congress? Just why are you
up here junketing around and peddl
ing bum propaganda trying to in
fluence out next election ?What griev
ance have you against Dan Suther
land and his friends that enlarges
your gall and inflates your egotism to
the point where you think we will
dance to your music?
We think we know; and while we
probably can’t enlighten you on this
point, we likely can enlighten some
of Alaska’s “illiterate” folks like
ourselves. We notice in your nu
merous interviews that you take
great personal credit for the passage
of the White Fisheries Law; you al
most admit that this law is the child
of your brain. Is it possible that
you think we have a poor “voice”
at Washington because Delegate
Sutherland spoke right out during
the hearings and consideration of
that bill until it was amended and
passed so that it is now impossible
for a few big outside canning con
cerns to grab a monopoly on Alaska’s
fisheries?
In our ignorant, illiterate way we
understand that Delegate Sutherland
put that provision in the White Lawr
which says that “no exclusive or
several right of fishery shall be
granted therein, nor shall any citi
zen of the United States be denied j
the right to take, cure, or preserve
fish or shellfish, etc.” That provision
means that any of us can fish with
the best of you “intelligent and de
lightful people." We Alaskans whc
are not of the “intelligencia” like
that provision. We believe it is
good American doctrine. But you
do not like it, Mr. Free. Yoil tried
to keep it out of the law. IJut Dele
gate -Sutherland and a Congress thai
believes in fair play put it in. We
know you are still sore about thai
provision because in your manifesto
printed' in the Seward Gateway you
lament that it was not “entirely law
ful” to give the fisheries department
the absolute power to say how many
canneries should operate in Alaskan
waters.
Is it possible that you don’t like
the sound of Delegate Sutherland’s
“voice” because he spoke up in Con
gress and put human rights into the
White Law and kept monopoly out?
We like Sutherland’s “voice,” and,
while it may not be the voice of
Jacob, neither is his hand the hand
of Esau.
If Sutherland would stop speaking
right out loud in behalf of the fish
ermen, the small canneries, the pros
pectors, the working people, as well
as for all bona fide Alaskan indus
tries and enterprises, 'would you con
sider his an “intelligent voice?” If
he would keep still and let a few
big packing companies (e. g., the Al
aska Packers, those exponents and
exemplars of conservation, and the
Pacific American Fisheries, on wrhose
boat you are riding around could get
a monopoly of the Alaskan fisheries,
would you then consider that the
“intelligent and delightful people” of
Alaska (also of Seattle and San
Francisco) had a “voice” speaking
for them at Washington?
How would you like for us Alas
kans to shut our unintelligent mouths
and let the fish trust speak for us
at Washington? Would that "voice”
suit you better?
We imagine that would suit you.
And we suspect that the reason you
are up here peddling bum propagan
da is because Delegate Sutherland
would not turn the whole show over
to the fish lobby, and keep still while
they looted the Territory; because
he helped to perpetuate the right of
ordinary Alaskans to do a little fish
ing now and then. Of course we
are not able to understand these mat
ters like you intelligent people—but
this is the way it looks to us.
Before we close: we find some
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tal condition from the fact that in
your “inspired” revelation you admit
that we are not alone in our intel
lectual depravity. We thank you!
Misery loves company; and, accord
ing to your idea we certainly have
plenty of it. We see you have dis
covered that the Alaska Railroad
also is the “bunk” and that the In
terior Department which built and
operates it is almost as ignorant as
we are. It is also comforting to know
that the “Territorial government” of
Alaska is about as rotten and de
graded as us illiterates. It is also
evident that the Department of Ag
riculture is not up to snuff, for we
notice that you admit they ought
to let you reorganize the system of
gianting timber permits. And so on,
world without end!
The fact is, we don't like “free”
advice. It comes too cheap. It is
too transparent.
Don’t you know that you are hurt
ing the important work of conserv
ing Alaska s fisheries by posing as
a representative of the Fisheries de
partment while you are butting into
local politics and spreading propa
ganda handed to you by the bi-par
tisans? Didn’t they tell you that we
have a “literacy” test for voters?
Haven’t you any political troubles
at home, Mr. Free? Do you have
any trouble preventing “illiterates”
from voting for you down around San
Jose? Or are your supporters all
intelligent and delightful people.”
And what about political ethics0
What about one Member of Congress
going into another man’s district and
knocking? Do you think this smells
good—especially when the man you
are knocking has just finished block
ing you from doing something that
you now admit was not “entirely
lawful?”
Yours for enlightenment,
Some Cordova Republicans ~
CHAS. J. GOODELL,
Chairman of the Committee.
L. B. Adsit, one of the “Three
Horsemen,” and well known travel
tog salesman, departed this morning
on the Admiral Watson for Kodiak.
Cal M. Brosius
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Rustic,
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BB1. Lime, Paints.
Glass Cutting,
Terps, Oils,
Fibered Plaster,
Stains, Putty,
Corner Lath,
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Doors,
Windows,
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Fir Lath,
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Shingles,
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Standard Oil Products, Rubber Matting, White Sand,
ASBESTOS STRIP SHINGLES, HYDRAULIC ELEVATORS,
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