THE ALASKA FISHERMAN
Published the 16th of each month at Ketchikan, Alaska
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.
ABOLISHMENT OF ALL TRAPS.
COMPETENT CHRISTIAN CITIZENSHIP.
The Chilcat Country
Many citizens have the mistaken belief that
we are fighting battles in Alaska for the benefit
of Indians solely. This is not true. There is
not a single question which we seek to solve
from that view point. The problems of gov
ernment must be solved by citizens as such,
having in mind the maxim, “The greatest good
for the greatest number.”
We often argue our point from the side ap
plied to the Indian, because his rights at least
are undisputed, and in the East, where the seat
of political power lies, the argument is more
readily accepted. If we were to tell our Eastern
friends that the Chilcat country, by order of
the Bureau of Fisheries, was closed to all fishing
and the White fishermen in that locality were
being driven out as a result, they would say,
“Well, why don’t you move out of the country
and give the fish a chance.” But when we say
that as a result of the unjust closing order sev
eral hundred Natives are being made destitute,
and are being forced to abandon their homes,
our Eastern friends will arouse themselves suf
ficiently to say, “Is it necessary or just that
our Government should impose hardships upon
these people who belong there and have the
first and undisputed right to that country and
its resources?”
To this question we answer that the order
of Henry O’Malley, Commissioner of Fisheries,
supported by Herbert Hoover, Secretary of Com
merce, is most unjust and is a procedure plaus
ibly defended, but instigated for the sole benefit
of protecting big business and satisfying their
demands, and that in making the said closing
order Henry O’Malley and Herbert Hoover had
no consideration for human rights whatsoever.
Let us explain: It is true that Lynn Canal,
leading up to the Chilcat country, is virtually
depleted of salmon, and that fish must be al
lowed to ascend those waters if the species is
to live. The fact that Henry O’Malley over
looks is this, that the depletion of the salmon
going to this area occurs almost two hundred
miles from the area, in Icy Straits. The deple
tion is caused by the enormous and monstrous
fish traps there. The correct solution for that
area is to curtail or abolish the cause of deple
tion. This would require Henry O’Malley to
abolish all fish traps in the Icy Straits district.
Any honest and courageous Fish Commissioner
and true conservationist would do just that. It
is facts of this character that cause us to accuse
the Bureau of Fisheries with being tools of the
fish trust. The burden of conservation is placed
upon the people of the Chilcat country, and the
people of the United States are led to believe
that Henry O’Malley is a true conservationist.
In connection with this subject the following
letter is very illuminating. It is written by
George Vogel, of Haines, Alaska, to Rev. F. It.
Falconer, of Ketchikan, and in part is as fol
lows:
“They (the Alaska Advisory Board and Henry
O’Malley) recommend closing Lynn Canal north
of 58-40 to all commercial fishing.
“We will take the matter up with him
(O’Malley) in Seattle if we cannot get the order
revoked. It does seem strange that they will
allow the large canneries to increase their packs
and not allow a small cannery that only packs
from ten to fourteen thousand cases at most
to operate. One cannery tlyit I know of which
came into that district to fish, had a pack of
135,000 cases in 1923, and this year they in
creased their pack to 150,000 cases, an increase
over the previous year amounting to more than
the whole pack of our small cannery, and then
they let those large canneries come up into our
district to get the fish in order to get up their
pack.”
We cannot close this article without citing
one more case against the fish trap. It happens
that the point 58-40, which marks the closed
area of Lynn Canal, begins just above Eldred
Rock, where is situated the last trap of the
Tee Harbor Cannery, operated by the Bank of
California under t,he name of the Alaska Con
solidated Canneries. This cannery burned dur
ing the summer, but the trap was allowed to
remain open, fishing every day and night, in
cluding Sundays, for several weeks until the
storms came and broke up the trap. The fish,
amounting to more than 150,000, had been suf
focated in the trap and were scattered by the
storms over the adjacent shores. This quantity
of fish was approximately all the fish that Mr.
Vogel's cannery needed to put up his entire,
summer’s pack. The amount of fish wasted was
more than enough to satisfy the residents of
the Chilkat country, and to have insured food
and clothing for the men, women and children,
and a six months’ period of schooling for the
little,folks. If the resident of the Chilcat coun
try were $200 instead of 200 persons, the appeal
to Henry O’Malley would be irresistible, and
undoubtedly the closing order would be modified.
The Curse of Ignorance
The people ot‘ Alaska little understand how
much they are made to suffer by those who
have heretofore held the reins of power. When
we denounced Governor Riggs and his clique,
most citizens thought that it was due to party
politics. When we denounce the regime of Scott