WILLIAM SHERMAN
Bill Sherman with Ben Grier hail
from Anchorage. When the memorial
of H. H. Ross of Fairbanks was be
fore the House, they, with Mr. Wil
cox and Joseph Murray were against
it, and thus destroyed whatever
chance Anchorage had to get the
coveted capital of Alaska.
When the appropriations were con
sidered by the Ways and Means Com
mittee, Bill Sherman and Ben Grier
both declared that hatcheries, espe
cially red salmon hatcheries, were ab
solutely no good and they both
pledged their word that they would
not under any circumstances vote
money for the hatcheries at Seward
and Cordova. Their word did not
last a minute longer than it took for
Boss Murray of McCarthy, defender
of Hardy’s bootlegger bill, to tell them
what to do.
Bill Sherman voted for the repeal
of the primary laws. He introduced,
the bill to give the Canvassing Board
the right to throw out ballots and
thus throw the election to anybody
it pleased.
He attempted to amend the Organic
Act itself.
He voted against the non-resident
fisherman’s tax.
He voted to keep the trap tax on a
flat basis of $200, when W. L. Paul
tried to pass a law making the traps
pay a tax according to the actual
catch, and thus Bill Sherman worked
against those little hand traps in the
Anchorage country.
To the credit of Bill, he voted
against the repeal of the Alaska Bone
Dry Act.
Bill should stick to his barbering.
THE STONE MEMORIAL
House Resolution No. G was a reso
lution introduced in the House of Rep
resentatives by the Honorable Joseph
Murray of McCarthy, Third Division
of Alaska, and in the Senate by Tony
Dimond, also of the Third.
In his speech in defense of the
memorial, Mr. Murray said “The
memorial is directed against Harlan
Fiske Stone, former attorney general
of the United States,” but that it was
not directed against Mr. Sutherland,
delegate to Congress. Murray went
on and said that he was an admirer
of Mr. Sutherland and that he had
always voted for Mr. Sutherland.
It was this memorial that called
forth the statements of Senator For
est J. Hunt and Representative Wil
liam L. Paul in which they said that
the charges made by Sutherland were
true. These men did not go outside
of their way to besmirch the fair
name of Ketchikan. They merely re
plied to charges denying what was
well known to every intelligent of
Ketchikan.
The mothers of Ketchikan in a let
ter addressed to the City Fathers
made the direct charge. They said:
“The members of the Ketchikan
Woman’s Council protest against the
conditions which are giving Ketchi
kan the reputation of being the most
Wicked City of its size in the West.
Bootlegging, dope peddling, and
women engaged in illicit and illegal
business, with their agents and solici
tors, are common knowledge.
“We protest against this atmo
sphere of tolerance and indifference
that permits these conditions. . . .
“We women are the Mothers of the
Ketchikan of tomorrow, and we are
offering to you our heartiest co-op
eration. We feel the responsibility
not only of our own children but of all
the children of Ketchikan.”
This letter was signed by Florence
D. Stackpole, Christine S. Malmin,
Margery V. Hall, Lulu V. Taylor, Em
ma M. Falconer, Committee.
Since this controversy began many
people have said to us that they de
plored the bad advertising which
Ketchikan is getting, and yet each
person has had to admit that the
shooting of two women which occurred
within two days after the grand jury
whitewashed this town was a fitting
answer to the same grand jury.
THE PENSION ACT
People will naturally think that
this article will deal with the much
discussed “Old Age Pension Act” or
the “Mother’s Pension Act,” for the
very term indicates that the giving
of help is not for present service,
hut for past service or else for the
relief of unfortunates.
The act to which we refer is in
the latter class, “relief of urfortu
nates,” wherein the Territory^ gives
money help to a certain person for
“(d ing nothing.”
We refer to “Bob” Summers, so
called Engineer of the Alaska Road
Commission.
In 1923, the Alaska Legislature
passed a law authorizing the Gov
ernor to appoint an Engireer, the
distinct understanding at that time
being that this act was not to go
into effect until the Federal Road
Aid Act was extended to Alaska, for
this reason. When that act is ex
tended to Alaska, we will need an
engineer to take over the duties of
supervising.
Bob Sommers, simon-pure Demo
crat and former Surveyor-General
under President Wilson, went nearly
broke in trying to run the Gastineau
Hotel durirg the year 1923 and 1924
so Mr. Claude Erickson took back
the hotel. Then Republican Gover
nor Scott C. Bone, together with
Republican Surveyor General Karl
Thiele, and Democrat Walstein G.
Smith, held a meeting “For the Re
lief of Bob Sommers.” They decided
that there was immediate “need”
for the appointment of an Engineer
altho the federal road act had not
been extended to Alaska, and that
$4000 and expenses was the least
they should pay.
Bob Sommers does nothing. H<j
has nothing to do. Once in a while
the Alaska Road Commission “con
sults” with him, and, we are told,
he draws nice maps. But he gets his
pension. From a political stand
point, he is worth that much to the
federal brigade and so, why r.ot let
the tax payers pay the salary?
TERRITORIAL MUSEUM
AND LIBRARY MADE
FOOTBALL OF POLITICS
The Territorial Historical Library
and Museum is a growing institution
a d the last Legislature appropriated
$2,400, for the biennium, as salary
for an assistant to the Librarian and
Curator, Rev. A. P. Kashevaroff. It
was done at the earnest request of
the latter, who made special pleas
before both Houses for this assist
ance, the Commission in charge hav
ing made no recommendation.
The labor of the assistant would
be chiefly to index the books and
pamphlets, many of which are in the
SITKA CAMP
ALASKA NATIVE
BROTHERHOOD
Metts 8 P. M. Mondays
President: Frank Price
Secretary: A. Hope
J. E. JOHNSON
SCHOOL TAX COLLECTOR
COUNCIL CHAMBERS
QUALITY BAKERY
Qual'ty Bread Made Milk
City Float, Water Street
Phone Cireen 140
KETCHIKAN-ALASKA
KETCHIKAN
SHOE HOSPITAL
IF WE CAN’T FIX ’EM. THROW
’EM AWAY
Your Satisfaction
Is Our Success
L. J. HUTT, Prop.
NEWTOWN CITY FLOAT
KETCHIKAN, ALASKA