THE ALASKA FISHERMAN
Published the 15th of each month at Ketchikan, Alaska
WILLIAM L. PAUL, ATTORNEY FOR THE
ALASKA NATIVE BROTHERHOOD
Entered as second - class matter at the Post Office at
KETCHIKAN, ALASKA
SUBSCRPTION PRICE $2.00 FOR TWELVE ISSUES
OUR PLATFORM:
ALASKA FOR ALASKANS.
FULL TERRITORIAL GOVERNMENT.
ABOLISHMENT OF ALL TRAPS.
COMPETENT CHRISTIAN CITIZENSHIP.
UNITED SONS HOLD ELECTION
-X
The Purpose of John Wesley Frame in organ
ising the United Sons of Alaska have been ac
complished. It is now a society of Democrats.
Here is the list of their new officers:
Pat Gilmore, Governor;
F. C. Meeker, Lieut. Governor.
Stanley Oaksmith, Treasurer;
N. R. Walker, commissioner of labor;
Jim C. Virdin, Chaplain;
George B. Grigsby, J. B. Rice and Forest J.
Hunt, former Republican Senator, membership
committee.
There are still a few progressives who are
attending their meetings in the hope that some
good might be accomplished. Among the recent
resolutions passed by this body is one condemn
ing Henry O'Malley for closing down “inside trap
owners.' Not a word about the seiners who were
closed down by the same regulation.
Recently this same body passed a vote of
thanks to Edward G. Morrissey for giving their
trap protest publicity. We are not surprised. Last
November, Edward G. Morrissey furnished the pa
per on which the organ of the United Sons was
printed. Later on, rewards of the fight for the
Democratic ticket were distributed. After Ed
ward G. Morrissey got “his” there was only $40.
left for John Wesley Frame.
Morrissey figured that $40. was enough for
John.
BACK UP—FULL SPEED ASTERN
We wish to commend the Ketchikan Com
mercial Club in withdrawing its proposal to close
Prince Rupert by means of a prohibitive tax on
fish. The movement should never have been
started, but having been started, they are to be
commended for withdrawing from the bad posi
tion in which they found themselves.
If Carl Strong or J. C. Barber had been at
the helm, the Commercial Club would have bull
ed their way thru and thus they would have con
tinued the general suspicion with which the fish
ermen regard the Club.
Of course, the Club still believes it is correct
and that the result of the proposed prohibitive
tax would be a better price to the fishermen and
also a boost to the industries of Ketchikan. We
do not doubt their sincerity.
However, their mistake is due to the fact that
for once these smart business men have failed to
use their business sense and experience. They
were attempting to close the door of Prince Ru
pert WITHOUT first providing a way to handle
the products while admitting that the storage ca
pacity at Ketchikan was inadequate.
They were also unable to answer the chal
lenge of the fishermen—that Ketchikan now has
the power to get all the fish by simply paying the
Prince Rupert price.
Another mistake in their argument was this
—they quoted buyers as saying that if Prince Ru
pert were closed, they (the buyers) would pay
more for their fish. No fisherman could believe
that the buyers were honestly embarking on a
course that would compel them to pay MORE for
their goods.
Their Spokesman
Another mistake they made was this—they
put Edward G. Morrissey forward as their spokes
man and expected the fishermen to believe that
they were honestly working in behalf of the fish
ermen.
Edward G. Morrissey is the best hated man
in Ketchikan. He is the most despised and least
trusted man in Ketchikan.
His paper prints only what news suits his
purposes. His dispatches are colored with half
truths and sometimes entirely false. When he is
drunk with liquor, he has most shamefully insult
ed the most cultured ladies of our city and he
has bull-dozed, bullied and blackmailed business
men who would not call him master.
And yet the Commercial Club of Ketchikan
made him their President by unanimous vote and
thru his paper, they expect to convince the fish
ermen that the tax on Prince Rupert would in
crease the price of fish in Ketchikan.
Create Confidence
The fact is this—that the ordinary citizen
of Ketchikan has no confidence in the Commer
cial Club “as is.”
To secure this confidence, the Commercial
Club should open its doors to every citizen of