WICKERSHAM ADMITS WRITING ARTICLE
QUOTED BY HEARST
During the fall of 1924, the
Indians of Ketchikan at a mass
meeting called Judge Wicker
sham, for many years a federal
judge in Alaska, and for 12
years the delegate to Congress
from Alaska, into consultation
These Natives were protesting
against the “red light” district
which existed in their very
midst, with the full knowledge
of the city officials of Ketchi
kan and the U. S. Marshal’s
office.
At the request of these Na
tives, who met in the Salvation
Army in Ketchikan, and after
hearing and seeing the evidence,
Judge Wickersham wrote a
letter to the Hon. Harlan Stone,
then the Attorney General of
the United States, the pertin
ent portions of which are print
ed below.
Letter Not To Slander
The letter was not written to
slander all of Alaska, but was
to inform the proper officials
of the United States of condi
tions that existed and to ask
for protection for Natives who
were appealing to their govern
ment.
The Hearst reporter got a
copy of this letter and quoted
a portion of it verbatim for
the headlines of that article of
last March 28th which the Mar
quamites call “slanderous” and
for which they have blamed
Dan Sutherland.
Sutherland Not The Author
Of Attacks
Dan Sutherland was not in
any way responsible for the
“slanderous” article. He knew
nothing about the letter Judge
Wickersham wrote, until a copy
was sent him, and was not
responsible for it. James
Wickersham told the simple
truth in his letter and the
Hearst paper did not overstate
the facts about Ketchikan.
The Charges
The charges (repeated by
Hearst) are simple, 1st that
the vice or “redlight” district
of Ketchikan is on government
land. This means that the vice
district is on tide lands. Th‘s
is true. The district is within
200 feet of the Presbyterian
Church and within 300 feet of
the Salvation Army Citidal.
2nd, that the district belongs
in fee to the United States
Government.
3rd, that a disreputable and
criminal element has invaded
the district.
PORTION OF THE LETTER
December 2, 1924
Hon. Harlan Stone,
Attorney General of the Unit
ed States,
Washington, D. C.
Sir;
Subject: Appeal of Ketchi
kan Indians to the Attorney
General to protect their pro
perty rights on trust, tide and
reserved lands at Ketchikan,
Alaska, and to eject the “Red
Light District,” the prostitutes,
pimps, bootlegging joints and
narcotic vedors from Govern
ment lands there.
General Statement
Ketchikan Creek empties in
to the Tongass Narrows in the
center of the town of Ketchi
kan, Alaska. This creek is a
natural salmon stream, and from
time immemorial the Indians
gather on the beach and up
land of both shores of this
creek to take salmon for their
family use.
Some 30 years ago the white
people began to settle here,
and from time to time since
that date have pushed the na
tives farther and farther away
until now the Indians are
struggling for their last foot
hold.
In 1903 the Department of
the Interior sent a special In
spector, James W. Whitten, to
view the situation and report;
Under date of June 28, 1903,
he made a full report to the
Commissioner of the General
Land Office, a copy of which
is attached herewith.
Based on that report, and on
August 5, 1903, the Acting
Secretary of the Interior, Thos.
Ryan, ordered that “all of the
lands in the vicinity of the
mouth of Ketchikan Creek
which lie between the lands
occupied by the natives and the
limits of low tide of Tong^ss
Narrows be reserved under the
Act of May 14, 1898, 30 Stiat.
L. 409, Sec. 10, a copy of which
is attached and marked exhibit
2.
Thereafter and on November
3, 1910, a patent was signed by
the President of the United
States, recorded patent number
159949, granting to Charles E.
Ingersoll, as townsite trustee,
the title for the lands embraced
in U. S. Survey No. 437, being
the townsite of Ketchikan,
Alaska, generally as shown up
on the blueprint map herewith,
marked Map No. 1, in trust
for the several use and benefit
of the occupants of said town
site, including the Ketchikan
Indians then residing on the
tracts and lots of upland around
the mouth of said Ketchikan
Creek.
That in pursuance to the law
said Ingersoll caused the said
townsite to be surveyed in lots
and blocks and conveyed by
deed ,the various tracts of land
or lots in said townsite to the
white settlers, but in accord
ance with the instructions of
the Department of the Interior,
General Land Office, no such
conveyance was made to the^
various Indian occupants, and
none has been made by said
Ingersoll to any Indian oc
cupant to this date: the rule
and instruction in such cases
is stated at page 17, Circular of
Instructions relating to the
acquisition of title to public
lands in the Territory of Alaska,
approved July 19, 1916, as fol
lows :
“6. Lands possessed by In
dians or native occupants shall
not be assessed nor conveyed
by the Trustee. In making the
subdivisional survey herein re
quired the surveyor will set
apart the Indian possessions
and appropriately designate
them as such upon the tripli
cate plats of his surveys, he