pockets, taxes to pay, grocery and clothing bills
to pay. They only asked for opportunity to earn
a decent living but it was refused them—and the
citizens of Ketchikan, those grocers and business
men who make their living from the earnings of
the fishermen had not the guts to stand up and
condemn the system which was robbing the
laboring men and themselves of opportunity to
develop Alaska.
No, Ketchikan was too damnably busy calling
“Paul a radical.” Paul only wanted to get rid of
the Seattle spirit from dominating the affairs of
Alaska and giving birth to a much needed “Spirit
of Alaska.”
-x
ABSENTEE VOTING
-x
Delegate Wickersham introduced in the House
of Representatives H. R. 9889, a bill to validate
chapter 89 of the Session Laws of Alaska for. the
year 1931, and for other purposes. The measure
is an “act to provide a method of voting for ab
sentee electors, and to prescribe penalties for the
\ iolations of the provisions thereof,” enacted by
the last legislature, approved by Governor Parks
on April 30, 1931 and printed in the authenticated
volume of the session laws of the Territory at
pages 159-177, which provides its approval by the
uongress ot tne United States.”
The gang that has misruled in Alaska these
many years has been grasping at political
straws, using legislators and every possible influ
ence to retain their power. The absentee voting
:aw above titled is one means whereby they would
retain that power. It is a known fact that many
electors leave the territory prior to general elec
tions and return about primary election time.
Under the terms of the law many of these would
be able to swear in their votes and thereby negate
the wish of the majority who remain in the terri
tory throughout the year. If this law is ratified
by Congress, it will be only a matter of time when
the citizens of the Territory will be confronted
with crooked elections and tricks to its hurt. The
measure has many vicious qualities and should
not pass.
FOR THE. RELIEF OF CLYDE SHELDON
-hany years 4to haafe
thi*our <a o
columns of the autocratic abuses and misrule by
the bureau of fisheries. Its officials have black
mailed law abiding citizens into pleading “guilty”
to violations of laws and regula/tions of which
they were not guilty. But, in order that they
might retain use of their fish boats and gear,
in the hope that they might strike a run of fl fo
e nd thereby keep clear of the toils of the law
they would plead “guilty."
The history of the Clyde Sheldon case is on?
in point. In October 1929 Sheldon fished in a
‘ closed area," was arrested and fined. Too late it
was discovered that the area was not a fish stream
nor in the closed area and consequently the facts
charged in the information did not constitute
a crime.
The Committee on Claims in Congress said:
“From these facts it appears that the claimant
Clyde Sheldon was not violating a Federal Statue
v/hen he was arrested and that therefore, his
prosecution and the subsequent fine, remission of
which he is seeking, was illegal."
A letter from the Attorney General of the
United States relating to this case is published on
another column. We point out that the makers
purporting to close the area in which Sheldon
was fishing at the time of his arrest, “were placed
by mistake by some person or persons unknown
to me and that no record exists showing when or
by whom they were placed,” according to the
Secretary of Commerce. We point out that no
markers are placed in any of the waters of Alas
ka except by employees of the Bureau of Fisheries
under direction of Capt. O’Connors, Warden Den
nis Winn or Commissioner of Fisherips O’Malw
or subject to their orders. There was no mistake
about the markers being up—the mistake was in
the zealousness of the bureau of fisheries in its
e/forts to make a record of convictions to show
the department that the fishermen of Alaska hold
the rules and regulations in contempt.
If the Committee on Claims examined all the
cases in Alaska wherein fishermen have plead
guilty to violating the laws, they will remit many
fines. Yet there are men in Alaska who condemn
us for holding in contempt any man or group of
men who hold no respect for the rights of citizen
ship in Alaska and who hold themselves to be but
a little lower than the angels.
-x
ANTHONY J. DIMOND
-x
Was the one Senator who, since his first
session in the Legislature, has had an eye always
to the political effect of his actions. He is a
gracious man and sauve, always willing to vote
for any measure that would help along any
colleague, providing ’it had no political future
effect—on his own record and did not conflict
with the wishes of the Governor of Alaska nor
the president of the Alaska College.
Anthony Dimond has always been a good
Democrat—except when he went “independent”
in the Marquam for Delegate campaign when he