THE ALASKA FISHERMAN
Published the 15th of each month at Ketchikan, Alasks
WILLIAM L. PAUL, ATTORNEY FOR THE
ALASKA NATIVE BROTHERHOOD
Entered as second class matter at the Post Office at
KETCHIKAN, ALASKA
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE $2.00 FOR TWELVE ISSUES
OUR PLATFORM:
ALASKA FOR ALASKANS.
FULL TERRITORIAL GOVERNMENT.
COMPETENT CHRISTIAN CITIZENSHIP.
ABOLISHMENT OF ALL TRAPS.
Louis F. Paul, Associate Editor is responsible for
publication of this issue.
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PARTY PLATFORM
The writer has given careful study to the poli
tical platforms presented the voters of Alaska by
the Democrats and Republicans of Alaska. He
finds that the platforms do not differ much inso
far as campaign pledges are concerned. In fact,
going back over the Republican pledges for the
past eight years he finds in The Alaska Fisherman
and the Petersburg Alaskan, that the Republicans
have been consistent in support of measures that
are of benefit to the laboring class and fair to all
concerned.
Among these pledges is opposition to bureau
cratic domination of Territorial affairs via Wash
ington, D. C., he finds opposition to the abuses of
the fisheries industry, wanton waste and destruc
tion of food fish (herring); discrimination against
resident fishermen in favor of traps; legalized
blackmail of fishermen as practiced by the Bu
reau of Fisheries and in the courts of Alaska; tax
on non-residents trailers, seiners and trap watch
men; opposition to the unscientific and unfair
close system in fishing waters wherein residents
are not permitted to seine in bays but traps per
mitted to operate at the entrance of said bays;
favored a graduate tax on trap caught fish so that
catches of a million fish would be prohibitive
whereas the trap operating at a loss would have
a minimum tax to pay; fought for a board of con
trol to direct purely Territorial functions and fi
nally secured election of an auditor, treasurer and
school commissioner which offices now have
greater control over all appointive boards now
functioning; favored a workmen’s compensation
law that had the support of the American Federa
tion of Labor; a community property law and
many other important measures that are vital to
all Alaskans.
Studying the record of the Democrats and
their allies the writer finds that they opposed the
graduated tax on trap caught fish; that they op
posed the tax on non-resident fishermen and as
a political expedient supported the tax on the
trollers but refused to include non-resident sein
ers and trap watchmen; that they have never
raised their voice in opposition to the discrimina
tory regulations wherein resident fishermen and
business has been hurt; that the memorial pro
testing confiscation of fishing gear was written
by William L. Paul and presented by A. H. Ziegler
for action in the legislature; that they have op
posed every measure introduced in the legislature
to secure control over purely Territorial matters
by election of Treasurer, Auditor and School Com
missioner, which offices direct and control all
Alaska boards, including road commission, bank
ing, medical and dentistry, Pioneers Home,
Alaska College and many other boards. That while
the Democrats have talked of securing a full
measure of “home rule” they have opposed every
measure that would give relief from bureaucratic
domination. That in spite of the opposition of the
Democrats and the federal brigade, the Republi
can party has secured a fuller measure of home
rule than the Democrats would even permit.
Thereby showing the inconsistency of the Demo
cratic pledge to give “home rule” with their ac
tions which are of record in the House and Senate
Journals of the Alaska Legislature.
Finally, even a casual perusal of the Alaska
Fisherman and the Alaskan and the Republican
platform shows that the Democrats are political
opportunists in that they have borrowed, incor
porated in their platform and claim to be parents
of pledges which the Republicans have consistent
ly, insistently and persistently fought to secure
for the Territory for the past eight years.
That they have been un-American in foment
ing racial discord and hatreds in order to secure
a split in the votes of the fishermen. That while
they damn the vote of the Indian who has been
most consistent in his efforts for ALL of Alaska,
they have tried to disrupt the harmony by pro
mising political reward and they have even offer
ed financial reward to men whom they thought \
could be used to swing those votes to the Demo
cratic line-up.
Therefore, as between the candidate of the
two parties, the writer prefers and will work for
the Republican line-up because of their sincerity
and consistent and persistent effort to better the
economic condition of all Aluminum