Women Protest Conditions
Perhaps the following appeal will reach your
heart. It comes from the Indian mothers of
Ketchikan, and relates to the same ‘‘red light
district” that you raided in 1923. This protest
was presented to the officials of Ketchikan last
September; and was signed by over 100mothers*.
“We, the naitive mothers of Ketchikan,* * * *
have agreed to present a remonstrance to the city
and Federal authorities, with the hope that relief
may be given us. IT IS A WELL KNOWN FACT
that houses of ill-fame, bootlegg’ing, dope peddling
and gambling have been allowed to center in the
section of the town where OUR HOMES are located.
Our young boys and girls are constantly subjected
to these evil surroundings and our children have no
place to play, but in the MIDST of vice and disease
We PLEAD with you to change conditions for us
so that our young people may have a better
environment and a CHANCE to grow up to be
useful American citizens.”
These words I am relating to you are not
my words. They are the words of other
respectable citizens of this town.
The April 1925 Grand Jury, before which you
appeared as a WITNESS, reported that “Ketchi
kan is not a town of lawlessness and corruption
as stated by Delegate Dan Sutherland”.
The October Grand Jury report, which was
written by Arthur Shoup, United States Attor
ney, said inpart;
“It has been brought to the attention of the
Grand Jury that at LEAST 48 women whose
morals and habits are most questionable are re
siding in the residential and business sections of
the Town of Ketchikan, conducting either houses
of ill fame, bootlegging establishments or houses
of assignation. This, in the opinion of the
Grand Jury, is a DEPLORABLE condition
that should be remedied.”
You were not a witness at this investigation
by that Grand Jury, Mr. Van Marter.
It is high time that your ten years of service
as pastor came to an end to give room for some
other person not yet poisoned by the political
gang that runs Ketchikan, or whose sense of
smell has not yet been lost by familiarity. You
are one of the most eloquent preachers that I
haee ever listened to. But you have lost your
Punch because you fear the political masters
of Ketchikan.
Would to God you would read again the life
of John Huss, the First Preacher of the Crusades
the First Protestant, if you please, who never
preached a sermon without closing with the
words “Deus Volt,”—God Wills It.
"Qod Wills It” so let there be a real Protestant
church in Ketchikan where all people who
believe in the teachings of Jesus Christ could
gather and force the building of a real COM
MUNITY CHURCH to hold not the 25 or 40
who gather to hear you, but 500 or 600 from
this town of over 5,000 people.
If you were to preach as the Van Marter that
Rev. C. T. Wilson knew, you would fill such a
church. You would not be afraid to say to
some of your strongest supporters, “Woe be unto
you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, whited
sepulshers, outside you are white, but inside ye
are full of dead men’s bones.” Oh yes, your
political friends to whom you are now so useful
and with whom you are now so popular would
crucify you, but so did such as they to the
humble Nazarene, whose follower you profess
to be.
William L. Paul.
THE ANTI TRAP BILL
Our Delegate, Dan Sutherland, has introduced
a bill in Congress to make it unlawful to build
or maintain fish traps or set nets.
This law is verbatim the California act and
was introduced verbatim to get the support
of the California delegation in Congress, ordin
arily a good move.
But Sutherland must recognize Alaska
conditions. The set net is a poor man’s mode
of fishing. It is the only way that fish can be
caught in some districts, like Cordova River.
This form of gear can be easily regulated, and
therefore should not be abolished. The regulation
should merely regulate the size of the mesh,
the length of the net, either overall or in relation
to the width of the river, and the distance from
one stake to the other.
We are confident that when this fact is pointed
-'ut to Delegate Sutherland, he will ask for that
amendment to his bill and strike out the restrict
ion against set-nets. We have found Sutherland
to be a man who has the interest of the laboring
man at heart.
ALASKA AND THE FISHERIES
It is the common practice of cannery control
led papers like the Alaska Weekly printed in
Seattle to say that the Legislature would abuse
the canning industry. In a recent editorial that
paper says in part:
“There is, however, a growing feeling on the
part of many packers that Territorial jurisdic
tion over the fisheries under a proper fisheries
code and with proper administration would be
preferable to the present long-distance autocratic
administration.
"We are inclined to think that the influence