a man, and it only acids to the
absurdity of the whole thing
when I say that he was a rather
heavy set man, wore glasses, was
led-headed, and was some
what inclined to swagger, step
ped down onto the float and
shook hands with another man
whom I recognized as the may
or. At this point the crowd
seemed to go even more crazy
than before. Thinking my eyes
had deceived me, I yelled in
to the ear of my nearest neigh
bor. “Who is that?” He took time
oiT to yell back at me, “Commis
sioner of Fisheries!” There is no
doubt that I must have regis
tered a vacant expression, for
without further questioning ni -
ne ighbor yelled, “Where you
been? He published a statement
that next year no traps would
be fished in Alaska!” No! I can
not tell you what happened from
then on. That is the point in my
dream where I woke myself, my
wife, and the children out of
sound slumber by sitting up in
bed and cheering.
Of course the above is mere
piffle, but it gives us something
to think about. There certainly
must be rewards for man’s ef
forts other than the satisfaction
cf serving of greed.
(Editor’s Note)— Commission
er O’Malley comes to our Alaska
towns without ballyhoo and
sneaks out like a guilty criminal.
His only gang of boosters is in
Juneau where is fathered the
“Alaska rule of fisheries idea.
-x
Don’t forget t li e finishing
touches—God borders the brooks
with violets.
* * *
It is a good and safe rule to
sojourn in every place as if you
meant to spend your life there,
never omitting an opportunity
of doing a kindness, or speaking
a true word, or making a friend.
—John Ruskin.
Contempt Cases-Line Upon Line
Our remarks now and recent
ly about Justin W. Harding are
not directed against him for any
personal reason. Rather, it
merely illustrates the evils of a
government by carpet-baggers—
a condition which could not ex
ist if Alaska were selfgoverning
Our first criticism of him was
' o prove that he is temperament
oily unfit to be a United States
judge. Our second article was to
show that he was deficient in
learning. The present remarks
are for the purpose of showing
that the law means nothing to
him when he wants to gain a
personal advantage.
His Honor the Judge fired a
competent court reporter, a man
with a family, a member of the
American Legion—to make place
for his (the Judge’s) own sister
in-law. This in the face of a law
which reads as follows:
No person shall be appointed
to or be employed in any office
or duty in any court who is re
lated by affinity or consanguin
ity within the degree of first
cousin to the judge of such court
(Title 128, sec., 1126, USCA).
Judge Harding, arguing befcr a
the bar of justice (himself i
could net say that he did not
know about this law. He must
argue that he sought to disre
gard the law of the United Stat
es and hoped to get away with
it—argument familiar to every
bootlegger who comes before a
court.
The United States Attorney
General refused to confirm
Harding’s appointee and it in
cited the Judge into a spirit of
“contempt” for our information
is that the great judge is now
negotiating with District At
torney Stabler to “make a place
for Mrs. Mendoza” and thus beat
the devil about the bush. At any
rate, the latest inforination is
that the lady from Ohio was still
holding office of court reporter
in violation of law and the
United States Attorney General
could go to Yankee Doodle
about it.
-x
Lawyers and Liberty
-x
Edmond Burke, said. Lawyers
in the colonies were the cause of
tne unrest because they foresaw
the evils of a bad law whereas
the average person cared noth
ing until the wrong was suffered.
The people of Alaska are prov
ing this statement. When Justin
W. Harding was an applicant for
the judgeship of the First Divi
sion, the only person (a lawyer)
protested his confirmation and
argued that he was:
(1). Temperamentally unfit,
and
(2) He was ignorant of law.
Now the truth of this charge
became apparent. Every lawyer,
except two timeservers, and
cve'-y citizen would sign a peti
tion asking Harding’s removal
for these very reasons.
Why should the people of Alas
ka wait until the chains of
tyranny are foraed and shackled
about their necks?
It is now revealed that that
practice of District Attorney
Harding of blackmailing of in
nocent fishermen into pleas of
“guilty” or seisin ; their boats
was begun at the command of
the United - States Bureau of
Fisheries. What is Alaska com
ing to when a bureau begins to
direct the United States Depart
ment of Justice and a subser
vient District Attorney is re
warded with a judgeship?
This has caused the Seward
Gateway to say, “It (the Bureau