ASKS REMOVAL REED, SHOUP, RITCHIE
The following is a copy of
the telegram recently sent to
President Coolidge, urging the
removal ’ of Judges Reed and
Ritchie and District Attorney
Shoup, whose nominations were
withdrawn by the President
after they had been unanimous
ly rejected by the Senate Judi
ciary Committee:
WESTERN UNION-NIGHT
LETTER
Washington, D. C.,
Sept. 13, 1926
The President,
Paul Smiths, New York.
Have been urgently request
ed by reputable citizens of Al
aska to present their complaints
regarding intolerable condi
tions due to your failure to re
place Federal Judge Reed and
District Attorney Shoup of the
First Division of Alaska, and
Federal Judge Ritchie of Third
Division. Over three months
ago you withdrew their nomina
tions on unanimous recom
mendation of Judiciary Com
mittee after overwhelming tes
timony had disclosed their un
fitness and the scandalous con
ditions for which they were
officially responsible- Never
theless you have allowed them
to remain in office—a disgrace
to Federal Bench and a menace
to law enforcement. * *
inese omciais originally ap
pointed on recommendation of
Daugherty. Repeated com
plaints of outraged citizens
were fully substantiated by
Department of Justice investi
gations. Attorney General
Harlen F. Stone personally re
commended clean-up and de
clared they should not be re
appointed. This recommenda
tion strongly endorsed by As
sistant Attorney General Mabel
Walker Willebrandt in charge
of Prohibition Enforcement.
Following charges complete
ly proven or admitted in Judi
ciary Committee hearings.
FIRST: Judge Ritchie con
victed of criminal libel in Utah,
fled state to escape payment of
fine and prosecution for per
jury.
SECOND: Judge Ritchie
maintains as personal secretary
wife of convicted dope peddler,
herself the object of serious
charges in the hearings, and
appointed as District Attorney
man involved with her in no
torious scandal.
THIRD: Judge Ritchie’s
conduct on and off bench lends
encouragement to lawless and
criminal element. Publicly de
clared that violating prohibi
tion laws constitutes no moral
offense because people do not
believe in them.
FOURTH: Judge Ritchie
failed to act to check unspeak
able conditions in salmon can
neries resulting from importa
tion of Asiatic labor, denounc
ed by Valdez grand jury sit
ting in his court, as follows:
Use of diseased and syphilitic
labor in salmon packing, open
narcotic peddling, unnatural
vice, and lack of proper med
ical and sanitary inspection.
FIFTH: Judge Ritchie de
nounced Grand Jury for in
dictment of Fish Trust cor
porations for flagrant violations
of fishing laws, and imposed
nominal fines when convicted.
SIXTH: Judge Reed admit
ted judicial typranny in sen
tencing F. W. Harris and as
sociates to jail for contempt
when there was no foundation
in law or fact for such sen
tence.
SEVENTH: Judge Reed
and District Attorney Shoup
participated in unlawful con
spiracy to defraud United
States Government by payment
of fraudulent witness fees.
EIGHTH: District Attorney
Shoup permits red light dis
tricts to operate openly in
Ketchikan and Juneau in viola
tion of Abatement Law and in
spite of repeated protests from
ministers, women’s organiza
tions and respectable citizens
generally. Evidence on file in
Department of Justice shows
thousands of dollars tribute
levied on prostitutes monthly
by underlings for protection.
NINTH: Under Judge Reed
and Attorney Shoup adminis
tration of Prohibition and Nar
cotic Laws have degenerated
into farce, minimum fines be
ing assessed in the compara
tively few cases where convic
tions are obtained.
TENTH: Judge Reed and
Attorney Shoup use their of
ficial positions to protect Sal
mon Trust corporations and
destroy independent fishermen.
After hearing testimony, in
cluding that of accused judges,
Judiciary Committee unan
imously urged withdrawal of
nominations to prevent expos
ure in Senate. One member
declared, “Conditions were too
corrupt, too indecent, too scan
dalous, and too rotten to be
publicly discussed.’’
Under Organic Act and fed
eral Statutes responsibility for
enforcement of criminal laws
in Alaska rests on Federal
Judges and District Attorneys,
responsible solely to you.
Can you as President con
done such scandalous condi
tions by keeping in office these
incompetent and discredited
officials? Will you surrender
Alaska to the Salmon Trust
and to the bootleggers, dope
peddlers and denizens of the
underworld?
In order that people of Al
aska may have the justice which
they have hitherto been denied,
I am bringing this situation
also to the attention of Sen
aors Borah, Norris and Over
man, ranking members of Judi
ciary Commitee, and to those
great religious and moral or
ganizations which have repeat
edly declared their zeal for law
enforcement.
I would apreciate statement
of action you intend to take.
Respectfully,
BASIL M. MANLY, Director,
People’s Legislative Service
Grand Terminal Club
Ben. Self, Sec.-Treas.
Corner 2nd Ave. at 6th
Prince Rupert, B. C.
When in Prince Rupert droj
in for a visit.