If the pending treaty is not ratified, Canada
will permit unlimited fishing in the waters to the
northward. British Columbia newspapers already
have indicated what the future policy will be if
American cooperation is refused. With rapacious
interests striving to outdo each other, we may as
well say good-bye now to the sockeye salmon The
Legislature may well take action to offset the
ill-advised course of the governor and senators.—
Seattle Times.
WHAT ROT!
-x
“It is natural for a white man to try to pro
gress; it is not so with the average native. They
have always been content to carry on like their
forefathers, and perhaps, after all, they get more
out of life from their way of thinking.”—Seword
Gateway.
We do not know where the editor of the Gate
way learned anything about sociology or psycho
logy. We do insist that if the above paragraph is
all he knows about the characteristics and devel
opment of the Alaskan Indian, he does not know
or understand the first thing about the human
race.
In our contact with every conceivable kind
of race of people in our travels throughout the
United States and Canada, we have not found
that the good Lord has endowed any single race
of people with an intelligence, character and phy
sical make-up, different from other races except
for color.
A simple glance into the history of the Cau
casian race is proof of the statement. It has
taken the white race thousands of years to reach
the stage of civilization where it now stands. And
what a civilization. During the World War, an old
“ignorant, illiterate” Indian said to the writer,
“There is no Christian civilization. Christianity is
but the cloak of sham which covers the savage
heart and instincts of man. There is no such a
thing as Christian civilization.” And in spite of all
of its veneer of Christianity and civilization, his
tory will not permit denial of this charge.
Heredity and Environment
The Indian people are condemned by blindly
prejudiced minds to remain in the stagnant pools
of heredity. Ignorance of the progress of these
people condemns them to a peaceful acceptance
of an environment of ignorance and superstition.
But, as a matter of fact, the environment of these
people has been changed during the past few
years by force of the activity of the Alaska Na
tive Brotherhood. Home conditions have been bet
tered and school opportunity improved in every
way. Today more Indian youth are receiving cer
tificates of graduation from the high schools of
the Bureau of Education, from Territorial schools
and from schools in the states. Which belies the
statement that they are content to remain in an
environment, of ignorance and superstition with
their attendant evils.
In every town we can point to men in busi
net to men of stability and character who place
the editor of the Gateway in the category of the
Annanias Club. We invite Mr. Jesson to make a
trip through the First Division where the Indian
has had opportunity—not even co-equal with
other races—and we will point out to him men
who are decent, respectable citizens. Men in com
munities which require no commissioners of the
court nor United States marshals to compel re
spect of the law by fear.
The racial segregation of these people, in
Alaska and in the states, has been the cause of
delay in a more rapid assimilation of “white
man’s” education. Our government has purposely
retarded this progress in order to feed a big poli
tical machine which has been a millstone about
the neck of the Indian race retarding his every
progress.
It will be well that Mr. Jesson look into the
development of these people which in but a few
short years has brought forth, in spite of handi
caps many worthy citizens.
And in comparison, in spite of the many
schools and colleges, it might be well that he look
into the statistics showing the number of illiter
ates and ignorant people, other than Indians
which exists in the United States. And then con
demn those people for being “content to carry on
like their forefathers.
THE CANADIAN SYSTEM
-x
“In other words, the British Columbia Gov
ernment is empowered to and does restrict the
operation of canneries.”
Certainly and it is because of the restrictory
regulations that the Canadian fisheries is on a
healthier basis than is the canning industry in
Alaska. The Canadians recognize the fact that the
mere canneries in operation, the more gear will
be put in the water with the resultant greater
catch of seed fish. Conservation measures are set
forth for the protection of the salmon and not for
the protection of the vested interests. Common
sense will tell even an “arm chair Scientist” that
the more salmon caught and destroyed by any
gear, means the depletion that much sooner of
the salmon fisheries.