on a limit. Therefore when the ‘‘big run”
comes each summer, our resident seiners and
fishermen are “laid off,” but not so with the
big seiner from Puget Sound.
Conclusion
We have covered a lot of ground, but not all.
The subject is big. Some of it will take years
to accomplish. But citizens should support such
a program because it means a better, bigger Al
aska. It means more homes and homebuilders
in Alaska. It means bigger dividends to mer
chants, professional men, and other business
men. It means STATEHOOD within a reason
able time.
A THLINGET LEGEND
How and Why the Cormorant Lost His Tongue
Raven (called Ye’l by the Thlingets) the
Creator and Benefactor of mankind was walking
along the beach with his servant Cormorant
(called Whiskey-bottle for a nickname because
they sit on low rocks and look like whiskey
bottles—but called Yuk by the Natives). They
came to a town and were told that there was
plenty of halibut out in front of the town. So
Raven and Yuk decided to go fishing.
It seems that Yuk being a real fisherman
caught all the halibut and Raven caught noth
ing. As they were returning, Raven figured a
way to hide his disgrace from the townspeople,
so he said to Yuk; “My partner, what is on
your tongue? Stick out your tongue so that I
can look at it.” Yuk obeyed his master and
stuck out his tongue. In those days the Cor
morant could talk just as well as anybody else.
Raven now seized Yuk’s tongue and pulled it
out. Then Raven said “Let me hear you talk.”
Yuk tried to talk and was only able to say
“Wah-h-h-h—.” Raven than said “That is fine,
You talk much better now than you used to,”
and Yuk believed it.
Since that day, Yuk has never said more than
just “Wah-h-h—” for the Thlingets claim the
Cormorant lost his tongue at that time.
When they came to town, Raven appropriated
all the halibut, taking his time, lifting the hal
ibut out in full view of the crowd of people
who had gathered to watch such a successful
fisherman. Yuk was frantic and tried to stop
him. He called to the people that the halibut
was his, but nobody could understand him. Fi
nally when Raven lifted ' a great, big halibut
up, Yuk made that queer noise which attracted
the people’s attention. Raven however explain
ed to the people; “This is the one, about which
he is telling, this big one. When I hooked it,
a very hard time I found.”
And thus it has ever been. The means of
speech or the control of the press, has meant
that the servant who has indeed caught the
halibut is cheated. The person or group of
people without the power of telling what they
have done can be robbed.
CONGRESSMAN WHITE OF MAINE
The literacy qualification clause of the State
of Maine, from which Mr. White hails, did not
disfranchise those voters who had already ex
ercised the right of voting. Why does he now
travel 5000 miles to Alaska and propose some
thing that his own state would not permit. The
section of the Maine constitution to which we
refer follows;
“Section 29. No person shall have the right
to vote or be eligible to office under the Con
stitution of this State who shall not be able to
read the Constitution in the English language
and write his name; provided, however, that the
provision of this amendment shall not apply to
any person prevented by a physical disability
from complying with its requisitions, NOR TO
ANY PERSON WHO NOW HAS THE
RIGHT TO VOTE, nor to any person who
shall be sixty years of age or upwards at the
time this amendment shall take effect.”
Perhaps if Tony Dimond, the democratic at
torney of the Alaska Packers Association had
been able to hand Mr. White a bill taking away
the ballot from all who could not read the con
stitution in Maine, Mr. White would certainly
have had such a law adopted.
Or perhaps Mr. White’s friends feel that it
is all right for illiteracy to sit enthroned in
Maine but nowhere else.
Or is it not rather that Mr. White has a very
tender spot in his heart for the owners of the
Catherine D. in which he and Congressman Free
travelled “at their own expense” last summer.
In an interview with Y. Inami, the manager
of a Japanese freezing company, he says that
Japan will offer a permanent market for all fish
fertilizer that can be obtained from the Ameri
can Coast, owing to the extensive needs of the
agricultural industry. He says THE SUPPLY
OF HERRING HAS BECOME SO LIMIT
ED THAT THE CATCH IS NOW ALMOST
ENTIRELY REQUIRED FOR FOOD PUR
POSES.
And yet some people still say that the Her
ring supply is inexhaustible no matter how
many tons are used for fertilizer.