when even Congress does not expect or want
us to do so.
A Controller Bill, founded largely upon the
measure that was presented to the Senate in the
past two sessions, will be one of the main issues
of the Republican Legislative nominees in the
First division. They want Alaskans to perform
Alaskan duties for Alaska. They believe with
Mr. Jefferson:
“Never trouble the Government to do for you
what you can do for yourself.”
TAKU INLET CLOSED
Southeastern Alaska Indians, who were en
couraged to believe that Secretary of Commerce
Hoover was engaged in a conspiracy to hand
the Alaska fisheries over to the packing trust,
were given an agreeable surprise recently when
they forwarded a protest to Washington, ap
pealing against a regulation extending the “dead
line” of a closed area near Juneau. Immediate
ly upon receipt of the protest, Secretary Hoover
ordered the restoration of the old line, pending
further investigation. This was done for the
benefit of some sixty Indians who fish on the
Taku river each season.—Anchorage Times
Unfortunately for the budding confidence of
Alaska Native in Herbert Hoover, this “agree
able surprise” was short-lived. Immediately up
on his return to his office from an extended
vacation, Hoover’s Man Friday, Henry O’Mal
ley, summarily ordered a return of the “dead
line” to a point four miles farther out, which
practically closes Taku Inlet. All in the “in
terests of conservation.” The traps all the way
to the ocean continue to fish unrestricted; but
these Natives who have fished in Taku Inlet
from time immemorial will bear the whole
burden of the conservation. The fact that, be
cause of the milky waters of Taku Inlet, these
men are equipped to fish with gill nets only
and consequently are practically limited to that
one area for their livelihood makes no difference
to the Bureau of Fisheries. But it makes a
great deal of difference to the Natives. They
and their families will not starve, of course.
They will muddle through somehow. But next
November they will go to the polls and vote for
Dan Sutherland and William L. Paul and all
the rest of the fishing class will go with them.
And Libby, McNeill, and Libby will put up
their pack from trap fish, and spend their pro
fits in Chicago,
The Juneau empire can nowi until aoomsaay
about “boss domination of one man”; but the
facts are that every step that the Native has
made toward the polls has been made because
of some discriminatory act against him. If the
Empire really wants to break up the “solid
Indian Vote,” let it come out and work for the
abolishment of the fish trap. It will then be
doing something of untold value for every white
man as well as Indian in Alaska.
Indians cannot become “competent Christian
citizens” by voting with the sole object in mind
of getting privileges for Indians as Indians.
The only way to become competent citizens is
for each Indian to become an individual Amer
ican citizen and not a voting digit for William
Paul.—Juneau Empire.
Indians in Alaska have never asked and are
not now asking for privileges for themselves as
Indians. They are asking solely for no dis
crimination against themselves as Indians.
What does the editor of the Juneau Empire
know about “competent Christian citizenship?”
HUT REPORT MIS
LEADING
Halibut vessel owners return
ing to Seattle from the north
banks state that the report of
the action taken in a meeing at
Ketchikan, Alaska, February 11
last was very misleading- Ac
cording to the account taken
from a Ketchikan paper, a num
ber of the vessel owners signed
a petition to Senator Wesley
L. Jones, urging an amendment
to the law, prohibiting importa
tion of fresh or frozen halibut
or salmon through any foreign
country, except when same shall
be in bond from an American
port. The obvious effect of
such an amendment would be to
close the Prince Rupert market
to American fishing vessels.
According to vessel owners,
no such petition was sent to
Senator Jones, and those who
signed the petition, in some
cases at least, did so under a
misapprehension. Their under
standing was that it provided
for the exclusion from the Unit
ed States of halibut taken by
foreign vessels, the purpose be
ing to secure protection from
the importation of cheaply pro
duced Japanese halibut; but
there was no desire to stop the
shipment of American fares in
bond direct from foreign ports,
at least if any other way could
be found to protect the Amer
ican market from Japanese fish.
American fishermen have for
years landed many of their
fares at Prince Rupert and their
general desire is that this mar
ket shall remain open to them.
It would of course be im
possible for the United States
Senate to initiate any action
of this kind, since the Consti
tution provides that all legis
lation on tariff matters shall
originate in the House of Rep
resentatives.— Pacific Fisher
man.