be no further question in the matter.
Briefly stated, my reasons for oppos
ing the bill were as follows: that the
Treasurer’s Office has for the last
several years issued in the neighbor
hood of five hundred fish trap li
censes; to require it to keep an indi
vidual account of each fish trap and
weekly catch thereof was imposing
a big burden on an already over
burdened office; that a system of
collecting more than the basic lis
cense fee, with refund of any amount
unearned, would be extremely con
fusing in our accounts; that it
seemed advisable to me that the
courts be cleared of our present tax
litigation before new and increased
additional taxation be imposed, or
taxation that might be construed as
increased and additional.
Your letter requested a statement
in connection with the report appear
ing in the Juneau Empire and the
foregoing is respectfully submitted.
Very truly yours,
(Signed) W. G. SMITH
Territorial Treasurer
Ketchikan, July 11, 11)25
Hon. Walstein G. Smith,
Territorial Treasurer,
Juneau, Alaska.
Dear Sir:
Your unsigned letter, dated July
8th, on the subject of House Bill
31, re fish trap license, has been
received.
I am rather surprised at the posi
tion of your office in reference to
legislation passed by the Territorial
Legislature. Reduced to its simplest
terms, your position is simply this:
Regardless of the opinion or deter
mination by the Legislature of what
is best for the Territory, you are
opposed to the same if it adds work
to your office. In other words, you,
an officer appointed by outside influ
ences, have set up your judgment
against the formal judgment of the
elected representatives of the Terri
tory. It would seem to be nothing
more than logical that if you have
too much to do and are unwillirg
that additional burdens, as you call
it, should be placed upon your of
fice, that you would resign and get
out. It seems plausible that your
objection to increased burdens was
the sole impulse for asking Governor
Bone to veto House Hill 31. I sus
pect that the true reason is this: The
large cannery and trap interests,
through their attorneys, for instarce
Senator Tony Dimond, were opposed
to this bill because the said large
trap men would have to pay a
license in accordance with their
catch. Trap men catching five hun
dred thousand fish a season would
pay fifteen hundred dollars a year.
You have rendered them a very use
ful service and have saved such trap
men some thirteen hundred dollars
each.
It does not enter into the calcu
lation of these interests that small
trap men, catching only ten or fifteen
thousand fish are unfairly taxed on
the flat rate basis, wherein any
such small trap pays two hundred
dollars a year license the same as
the trap which catches a million
fish. There is only one answer to
what you have done. Your office
should be made directly responsible
to the electorate. When this happens
I am well satisfied that you will
think a great deal more about ren
dering common justice to the small
resident trap owner in Alaska and
will care less about serving these
large interests, who through their
influences are, under present condi
tions, able to secure your influence
and save thousands of dollars in
taxes. This will be accomplished,
and your action in bringing about
the pocket veto of Governor Bone
will be a powerful influence in ac
complishing this result.
Respectfully,
WM. L. PAUL.
WLP:ED
McCarthy, Alaska,
Feb. 25, 15)25.
Hon. William Paul,
Juneau, Alaska.
Dear Sir:
In the plebiscite of November 7,
11)16, the Alaskan people voted dry
by a little better than a two to one
majority. We were not at war then.
It was a calm expression of the will
of a clear-thinking- people, at peace
with the world.
The Eighteenth Amendment to the
Constitution was ratified by 46
States. Fifteen States ratified in
15)18, by Legislatures elected in 1916,
long before we entered the war.
Thirty states ratified in 1919, after
the war had closed. It cannot be
reasonably claimed that the war
drove us to prohibition. Again it
was the calm expression of a clear
thinking people at peace with the
world.
The total vote for the amendment
in State Assemblies was 3,942, or
80 per cent dry. The total vote in
State Senates was 1,925, or 86 per
cent dry. It cannot reasonably be
said that the amendment expresses
the will of the minority.
Of the 36 states necessary for
adoption, 33 were already dry by
their own vote, and 68 per cent of
the population of the U. S. were liv
ing in dry territory when the amend
ment was adopted. It is very rea
sonable to assert that prohibition
was not thrust upon us suddenly. It
had been definitely on the way for
69 years.
The Volstead Act was passed by
Congress over Woodrow Wilson's
veto, so it must have received at
least a two-thirds vote of both
Houses of Congress. No one can
reasonably claim that it was put
over by the minority.
The new House of Representatives
has 321) dry votes to 115 wet ones.
The new Senate has 72 dry votes
to 24 wet ones. This is the driest
Congress we have ever elected; and,
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EYESIGHT SPECIALIST
Ketchikan, Alaska
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KETCHIKAN
SHOE HOSPITAL
IF WE CAN’T FIX ’EM, THROW
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Your Satisfaction
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L. J. HUTT, Prop.
NEWTOWN CITY FLOAT
KETCHIKAN, ALASKA
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CITY FLOAT PHONE W 84
Water Street Ketchikan