striving for good government, economical gov
ernment, businesslike government, gives that of
ficial the faith to go forward.
Positive disapproval of acts of public officials
which are obviously opposed to the interests of
the governed often will change the course of
those officials in the direction of reform.
Bad government usually arises out of the ap
parent belief of public officials that the voters
have given them private and proprietary inter
est in their jobs rather than an opportunity for
public service.
The formula for good government is simple:
Public officials willing and able to give the people
good government should be kept in office. These
officials, in turn, should retain competent subor
dinates in their positions.
Faithless officials, wasteful officials, incom
petent officials, should be turned out and KEPT
CUT.
-x
A grindstone that has no grit in it, how long
would it take to make an axe sharpe? And af
fairs that have no “punch” in them, how long
would they take to make a man?—H. W. Beecher.
BUREAUCRACY ASSAILED BY TIIF SECRETARY
* WAR
Speaking in Independence Hall, birthplace of
the American system of government, Secretary of
War, Patrick J. Hurley assailed disciples cf social
ism and bureaucracy and warned against further
extensions of the federal government’s power, on
July Fourth.
While praising the political and social system
erected by such men as Washington and Jefferson
Hurley said that the present depression had “in
dicated to us the necessity of improving our eco
nomic system by providing for a greater and
more equitable distribution of wealth.
We remember not so many years back when
President Coolidge assailed bureaucracy and when
President Hoover assailed bureaucracy, yet the
system continues to grow by commissions and by
additional divisions of the various bureaus.
There is only one way to get rid of the bureau
system of government—election by the people of
men who will be returned to office only upon the
will of the people. We expect to see bureaucracy
develop in the United States beyond the palmiest
days of the system under the Czar of Russia.
Proper Conservation of Alaska’s Fisheries Is Major Need.
Concluding Delegate Dan Sutherland’s Last Speech in Congress.
-X
Perhaps I can explain to
those from inland sections just
how these unfair and unjust
fishery regulations affect the
public by analogy. Under the
law there are no riparian rights
attached to land under tide
waters. All title ceases at the
water’s edge, and there is no
question that the laws are de
signed for public use of the
ocean and the fish therein. If
in any of the inland States you
should secure title to an area of
land for a private game pre
serve or shooting ground, the
game laws would permit you to
shoot a number of game birds
to the limit that any other per
son might shoot outside your
privately owned land. Assum
ing that your preserve was sur
rounded by public lands, and
game officials undertook to sus
pend all shooting on the public
domain in order that the birds
might enter your private pre
serve where you and your
friends were permitted to kill
them, I wonder what the resi
dents who could not have their
own game preserve would say.
And yet that illustrates exactly
the manner in which the Secre
tary of Commerce conserves our
fishery resources for the benefi*;.
of the interests that exploit
them.
Would a State governor inter
fere with carrying out the hy
pothetical game-bird regulations
I have described? He would do
so or be called upon to abdicate
his office. Would an Alaska Gov
ernor protest against the intol -
erable fishery regulations I have
tried to describe? He would not,
for if he did so he would imme
diately prepare to abdicate.
Therein lies the difference be
tween governors selected by the
people and those selected by the
Federal administration and the
exploiters cf natural resources.
I he Result of Such Regulations
And now let me call your at
tention to the results of seven
years of so-called conservation
under the act of 1924 which gave
the Secretary of Commerce all
the power he asked for in order
to conserve the fish supply.
I would call your attention to
the fact that the alarm evinced
by the Department of Commerce
and the salmon packing inter
ests in 1924 over the depletion of
the salmon supply, and which
I believe hastened congression
al action, was mostly in connec
tion with the red or sockeye va
riety, the most valuable of all
salmon species.
Depleted Streams
The net result of seven years
of protection and perpetuation
of special fishing privileges un
der the guise of conservation