Our Washington Letter
KING DODO
The Alaska YEARBOOK published by the
ALASKA WEEKLY contains an article entitl
ed CONSERVATION OF ALASKA FISH
ERIES by Henry O’Malley, United Spates Com
missioner of Fisheries, which for expression
of self satisfaction and smug egotism surpasses
any of the propaganda yet issued from the De
partment of Commerce. The principal occupa
tion of that Department is known to be the
spreading of propaganda, and there is no doubt
tha(t the most efficient aggregation of political
propagandists in the whole wide world today
is drawing Government salary through the De
partment of Commerce.
One of the many queer and grotesque state
ments made by O’Malley in his article on the
conservation 01 tne Alaska hsheries is: There
has been a splendid spirit of co-operation shown
by the industry with the Department in its ef
forts to administer the fisheries of Alaska”
Mr. O’Malley should know that there is not a
single resident fisherman from Dixon’s Entrance
to Norton Sound who does not condemn the
administrative methods of O’Malley’s bureau,
which has driven the coast fishermen from their
fishing grounds and placed the large canning
corporations in absolute control of the salmon
catch.
A careful analysis of O’Malley's article can
bring but one conclusion to the mind of any
reader who has knowledge of the Alaskan sal
mon fishery, and thait is that when O’Malley
speaks of the "industry” he has in mind onlv
those who have invested money in canneries
in Alaska, and when he speaks of the co-opera
tion shown by the “industry” he really means
that the “industry” is pleased with the whole
arrangement of rules and regulations which he
put into effect at the request and for the benefit
of the “industry.”
When O'Malley divided up the trap fishing
grounds among the “industry” in such a man
ner that it (I speak of the “industry” as sin
gular) was relieved of the expense of main
taining dummy traps it certainly did co-operate,
in fact, concocted the whole scheme which
O’Malley has put ipto of driyipg the in
dependent fishermen from the fishing grounds
to conserve the salmon supply and then to per
mit more intensive fishing by the “industry”
until the salmon pack is larger than ever be
fore. This is conservation with a vengeance,
conservation by and for the “industry.”
Listen again to O’Malley: “It has been the
constant policy to fallow the *industry9 to have
the fullest liberties and opportunities in the
prosecution of fishing activities
What O'Malley means is that it is his policy
to allow the “industry” (the packers of Chicago,
San Francisco, Portland and Seattle) the “fullest
liberties and opportunities.” This attitude of
Henry’s toward the interests that selected him
for his job has been so obvious ever since his
elevation to the Commissionship that we wond
er why he should make mention of it in his
article in the YEARBOOK.
ine saimon pack or ana tne remarkable
earnings of the packers indicate that Henry
allowed them the “fullest liberties,” while the
poverty of fishermen and their families all along
the Alaskan coast this winter bears evidence
that those human beings outside of what Henry
calls the “industry” did not participate in the
“liberties and opportunities” which he accord
ed to the friends and patrons.
The whole trouble with O’Malley is that he
has not the slighest conception of the meaning
of human rights in their relation to “industry.”
“Industry” to him is invested capital, and noth
ing more. He lives in an age of money worship
and is as much a devotee of the money system
as a pagan is in the worship of his wooden gods.
I realize that in these days one who criticises
the system that O’Malley worships is likely to
incur the displeasure of all those who profit by
it, but if those rights that all people are sup
posed to enjoy under our Government are to be
maintained, or those rights that the independ
ent fishing class of Alaska has lost are to be
recovered, some one must offer protest even
though he lose standing with the financial elect.
O’Malley stands ace high with the investors
of the Pacific Coast and he thoroughly enjoys
the assumed deference these people show him,