A Letter to Sec. Lamont on
Alaska Fisheries
■X
Ketchikan, Alaska,
Cec. 24, 1929
Hon. Robert P. Lamont,
Secretary of Commerce,
Washington, D. C.
My dear Mr. Lamont:
I recently received via Vice
President Curtis your letter of
September 26th to him with en
closure dated September 21st
from Henry O’Malley entitled
“Memorandum for the Secre
tary.”
This memorandum was Mr.
O’Malley’s defense against my
charge that he refused to hear
the protests of the native fisher
men when he was in Ketchikan
1 tst July 3rd.
Before analyzing this “de
fense” I wish to ask that you
assume a judicial .attitude—
that is, that you do not ignore
the charges coming from myself
rnd from the ALASKA NATIVE
BROTHERHOOD because of
j-our high opinion of Mr. O’Mal
ley gained thru your personal
contact with him. The basis of
our charges is simply that he has
not shown us the same courtes
ies that he has shown you or
others, e. g., the public prints
have just announced that he has
teen in San Francisco and Seat
tle consulting with fishing inter
ests as to the next year’s regu
lations, a privilege denied Alas
kans.
My next request is that I be
not prejudged by my personal
opposition to the nomination of
Mr. Hoover which caused me to
print the cartoon of him before
the Republican convention met
in 1928. I am no different than
Senator Watson, Mr. Curtis and
many others who seem to have
heft; forgiven by Mr Hoover, In
fact, my position argues more
strongly for me than does theirs
for them in this—I have asked
no favors for myself. My crime
lias been and is this that I am
appealing for my people, of a pe
culiar race, people who from my
own personal knowledge and ex
perience have been and are
cruelly oppressed by Henry
O’Malley first in the name of Mr.
Hoover and now in the name of
Mr. Robert P. Lamont.
My people are not getting
enough to eat.
In their name I present my
case for your earnest considera
tion. Virtually every bay suit
able for our form of gear has
been closed by Henry O’Malley
under the guise of “conserva
tion.” and then when we went
into the channels and were over
coming our difficulties by using
the “hook-off,” Mr. O’Malley pro
hibited that. It is unjust.
Kasaan Bay is closed to
ihe 150 Indians who lived
there before O’Malley was born,
but he allowed two big traps at
the entrance to catch variously
from one-half to one million
salmon during the season. He
would not close the south trap
because he would have to close
cut one small trap near it which
was owned by a poor fellow
named Miller who had a wife
and family. Why not consider
the 50 Indian families that have
been driven out of Kasaan Bay
by Mr. O’Malley?
On the West Coast of Prince
of Wales Island, your wardens
have closed many bights where
rhere are no salmon streams by
placing prohibitory signs with
your name on them, all this in
addition to the numerous clog?
ing orders published by Mr.
O’Malley.
I could tell you of more—one
case where the Bureau of Fish
eries now offers to recommend
remission of fine after much ar
gument and exchange of letters,,
but I wish to take up Mr.
O’Malley’s excuse for not meet
ing our seiners on July 3rd last.
“It was necessary to sail
promptly thereafter (at one p.
rn.) in order to visit the Bu
reau’s weir at Anan Creek and
make the tide at Wrangell Nar
rows,” says Mr. O’Malley.
This statement is a false state
ment for this reason—since the
Narrows was dredged, even the
large steamers can go thru the
Narrows at any stage of the tide.
O’Malley should be made to ex
plain this obvious falsehood.
2nd: However admitting a ne
cessity arguendo, Mr. O’Malley
could have attended the three
o'clock meeting, stayed one hour,
left on his BRANT and visited
the weir in the same time that
was actually consumed. I do
not have the BRANT’S log. but I
feel sure that the BRANT did
not reach Anan Creek before 11
p. m.. and that Mr. O’Malley did
not inspect the weir before the
morning of the 4th. I am al
lowing the Brant 9 hours to
make the trip.
3rd: The term “make the tide
at Wrangell Narrows” is a mere
deception on the part of Mr.
O’Malley because his boat can
go through the Narrows at any
stage of the tide since the Nar
rows was dredged. The British
boats do it.
4th: Mr. O’Malley admits
spending two days at Juneau.
All we wanted was three hours.