THE BLACKLIST
On Tuesday morning, August 5th,
1924, seiners coming to Ketchikan to
sell their fish were met in nearly
every instance with this statement
by every canneryman, “I’m sorry. I
want your fish. I would like to
buy them from you, but I cannot
take your fish because I will be
prosecuted if I take them. If you
can get a permit from the marshal
or district attorney, I will take them.”
In several instances, the cannery
man would pull out of his pocket, or
from the office files, or from the
safe, a “black list,” on which were
listed the names of thirty-six inde
pendent seine boats. And then the
canneryman would say, “Here is the
list of boats from which I am not
allowed to buy fish.”
On August 6th, several fishermen
came to my office and wanted to
find out what this list was, and to
see if there was any way in which
they could get off the list.
So I called up the Assistant Dis
trict Attorney, Lester Gore, and
asked him if there was a black
list as there were men in my office
who said that cannerymen were re
fusing to buy fish unless they could
get a permit from him. Mr. Gore
answered that he would not discuss
the proposition. When I pressed him
for an explanation, he reiterated that
he wras not discussing the matter,
so then I said “All right” and hung
up.
But when I went up to his office
and sat down at his desk, he did
talk.
He said, “There is nothing that I
can do. I am determined to stop
pirating of fish.”
I argued, “But what about the
fish that are being brought in. There
will be about 200,000 fish brought in
within the next day or two. And
further more, aren’t you convicting
these men without a trial?”
He answered, “Of course I don’t
like to hurt innocent men; but I
am determined to stop pirating.
These men on the list are not even
my list. These names were given
me by the cannerymen. I don’t know
most of the boats. But they ma le
up the list.”
Just then Marshal Beaumont came
in and said to Gore:
“You got any more lists?”
T asked him, “Why don’t you give
me a copy of the blacklist?”
I then addressed both men and said
that it was not right to stop buying
fish from these men without giving
them any warning, and that the
very least “you and Beaumont” could
do would be to let the men deliver
this one load with a warning that no
further deliveries would be accepted.
Both Gore and Beaumont said “If we
let upon one, that will break up the
whole thing.”
Both Gore and Beaumont said they
would not give any relief. I asked
them, “Well, suppose the men make
affidavit that their fish were pro
cured lawfully? The mere fact that
somebody suspects that the fish came
from a trap does not make it so.
Perhaps some of these men do rob
traps, but I know a number who are
getting their fish honestly. Can’t
they make an affidavit?”
Gore said, “No. I cannot give a
permit. My advice to you, -Paul,
is that you tell your clients to take
their fish to the nearest cannery
that does not have telegraphic com
munication and get rid of them.”
Beaumont said, “You will have to
hurry to get Wards Cove because I
am going right out there.”
Beaumont asked Gore if he had
more lists that he was out of them.
Gore replied that he did not. Beau
mont saw some on the table and
said, “How about these?” Gore an
swered, “Oh, that is not complete?”
Beaumont said, “Can’t we get a
stenographer to type them off? Can’t
we have Irene? I’ll pay her.” Gore
said, “I think you could.”
Conditions got worse on August
7th and 8th, because by this time
the cannerymen were throwing the
blame of the black list on the dis
trict attorney entirely, and the dis
trict attorney was passing the buck
to the cannerymen.
Nobody seemed to know just who
started the blacklist, but everybody
was afraid to buy from any boats so
listed and on some others that were
not listed, regardless of anything the
men could do. Some men offered to
sign affidavits showing where and
how the fish were caught, but even
that would not avail.
On Friday Kit Kittles on the Sel
ca brought in a load of fish and
took them to the Pure Food Fish
Company. .T. R. Heckman looked at
the fish and said that he would like
to buy them, that they were good
fish, that they were undoubtedly
seine fish and honestly caught, but
“I can do nothing unless you get
a permit from Mr. Gore.” In this
same cannery’s office, the entire list
of 36 boats was posted.
Kittles went to see Mr. Gore who
said that he had nothing to do with
the blacklist. And so Kittles could
not find out anything; could not
find out who was responsible, who
started it, but there he was without
relief.
However, Mr. Gore said that he
would go down with him. Kittles
went away and met a Mr. O’Brien
and they got to talking. O’Brien said
he was the one who had started this
racket and that he meant to stop
pirating. “Yes,” said Kittles, “but
what right have you to stop the
canneries from buying my fish?”
Of course O’Brien disclaimed any
desire to hurt the innocent. Kittles
went back to Heckman’s cannery and
soon Mr. Gore was there. All look
ed at the fish and now say that it
was plain to everybody that the fish
were indeed seine fish, and so Heck
man bought the fish.
On the 8th, last Saturday, how
ever, the Yankee brought in a load
of fish and nobody would buy because
of that list that nobody now wanted
to father. They all referred him to
Mr. Gore, so Ed Young and I went
to see him.
Gore said he had nothing to do
with the blacklist. I accused him of
calling the meeting for the cannery
men at which the blacklist was made
up, to which he answered. “I called
the meeting of the cannerymen and
they met here in my office; but I
did not make up the black list for
you know that I don’t know any of
the fishermen. You probably know
more of them than I do. The can
nerymen furnished the names.”
I said: “But you made the list ami
Beaumont sent them out.”
Gore: “No I did not, and Beau
mont did not send them out.”
Paul: “Yes, but Beaumont came
into this office the other day and
before he saw me he said, “You got
any more of those lists, Lester?’
You answered ‘No.’ What did he
■ mean when he said, ‘You got
any more of those lists?’
At another time in our talk Gore
said:
Gore: “Kit Kittles came up here
and I went down to Heckman’s with
him and I told Heckman that if
the fish were legitimately caught,
he could buy them. And sure enough
they were seine fish all right. Any
body could see that.”
Paul: “Well, why not go down
with Young here to Nunan?”
Gore: “No I wont. I don’t want
to get mixed up with this business.
I guess I went too far when I went
down with Kittles.”
Paul: “Well, you did it for one
citizen, why not for another?”
Gore: “No. I wont do it. I’m
going to keep out of it.”
Paul. “How can you when you
started it? You are in it up to your
eyes. The cannerymen make no bones
about it. They place the entire
blame upon you.”
And so we left.
As a result of this blacklist got
ten up in Mr. Gore’s office with
Marshal George D. Beaumont as god
father, I sent a telegram to Dan
Sutherland as follows:
Honorable Dan Sutherland,
Washington, D. C.,
Cannerymen, trapmen had meeting
in federal courthouse yesterday with
assistant district attorney Gore ami
Beaumont. They established black
list. Gore threatens criminal prose
cution any canneryman who buys fish
brought in by these forty boats for
pirating. List made up on mere sus
picion include boats never even re