arm into boiling oil and if his
arm was burned, he was guilty.
Here you say that even where
one of your agents finds me fish
ing in an area that another of
your agents has declared is legal
fishing area, still I must plead
guilty, pay a fine of $250 or else
have my boat seized, myself
arrested, and both tried in a
court three hundred miles away
and incur an expense of at
least $1000 besides losing my en
tire earning season for the year,
to escape the brand of a crimi
nal. Either way I lose, and yet
you defend such a practice on
the ground of “efficiency.”
In the Morrison case, he be
came a victim because of the
different views of the law by
your cwn officers.
But I wish to point out an
other case and see if I cannot
make you see the injustice of
your position and the practice
which you approve because you
get more “convictions” that way
Maxfield Dalton Case
An Indian crew of fishermen,
on August 27, 1978. (Monday
morning) there being some con
fusion as to the time because the
canneries were using Seattle
time and the fisheries officers
were using Standard time, went
to your agent and asked him
what time it was He said ‘ Go
to hell” and other worse things,
and fish by your own time.”
Your agent repeated this to the
second crew that asked him the
time (he was out rowing among
the fishing boats that morning).
The first crew, noting that their
time indicated 6:20 AM, cast
their net; the second crew did
likewise. A third crew, seeing
that two boats had talked to
your agent and then begun fish
ing, cast their net also.
Your agent thereupon placed
all three boats under arrest for
fishing before six o'clock Mon
day morning. Then your other
agents, N. O. Hardy (since pro
moted by your department) and
Capt. O’Connor, still considered
by you to be faithful upholder
of the constitution, told each ol
these crews that unless each
plead guilty, and paid a fine ol
$400, their boats would be tow
ed to Juneau 300 miles away and
confiscated.
Each of these men offered to
go before the justice court (as
the law provides) and have
their guilt determined at once.
But your agents would not per
mit this because you want con
victions and not justice. As a
result, the men plead guilty so
that they could go back to work
to make enough money to sup
port their wives and children.
One of the men had nine child
ren. His share of the line took
all his profits for the season but
about $5 00.
And yet, Mr. Morgan, these
men were so anxious to obey the
law that before easting their
nets each one asked the agent
for the correct time.
I talked to Mr. Hardy about
this case and Mr. Hardy said
your agent acted properly. Mr
Hardy said he had placed the
maker before Dennis Winn, next
to Mi. O’Malley in authority in
Ala ha and that Mr. Winn said
the agent had acted properly.
I cry the agent acted impro
perly, and that your agents have
no right to blackmail these In
dians in o pleading guilty under
the circumstances or suffer a
heavier penalty In proving their
innocence.
Jus'in W. Harding
Acts Unlawfully
Because I protest against this
practice and asked the District
r<0,,.4 ,r rcVjew proceedings,
Judee Harding sought to throw
me into jail via contempt pro
ceedings. I escaped by appealing
to our Circuit Court which court
■'■ensured Judge Harding for his
unlawful acts.
The thing that I ask for was
in the mind of Congress when
it gave Justice Courts jurisdic
tion. But you have reversed the
practice and your department
first blackmails the poor victim
into agreeing to plead guilty
even when innocent and- only
then do you use the Justice
Couit. not to try the accused,
but to fasten the brand of cri
minality on him when he may
be innocent.
It was only by the greatest
effort that I persuaded another
victim to stand trial even in the
District Court. The result of this
case (the Kotor case) was that
the eistrict attorney lowered his
offer of an $800 fine to $400 and
finally dismissed the case re
t -uni eg the boat which had
been seized and also S295.00 fish
money.
1 still believe that Govern
ment officers such as you should
consider our petitions on their
merits instead of constituting
themselves defenders of bad
practices and nu.Uiflers of acts
of Congress.
Very truly yours,
William L. Paul
Grand President
SHORT PACK MEANS CFJT IN
REVENUE
The failure cf the salmon run
m tli 3 Westward will have an
adverse effect on Territorial re
venues for the coming year.
Normally the Territory can ex
pect to collect around $175,000 in
taxes from the red and. king
salmon pack of Bristol Bay,
which is the largest source of
red s°!mon in Alaska. It is now
estimated that the total pack
of that district will not exceed
350,000 cases of all varieties, of
which 300.000 will be reds and
kings.
Sanitary Market
CIIAS. A. GRFENAA
MEAT MARKET
GENERAL MERCHANDISE
Petersburg, - - Air aka
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