will swim about twenty miles
per day. The abolishment of
the fish trap will mean the es
capement of ten million addi
tional fish, and prosperity in
stead of starvation for the Na
tives of Alaska.
In re: 4th: The great com
monwealths of Washington and
Oregon permit only residents of
12 or more months to fish in
their respective waters. We hope
the Senators and Representa
tives from these States will sup
port our recommendation and
that the rest of Congress will
see that if it is good business
tor these great states to protect
their citizens, it would be good
business for Congress to give us
the same protection. In no other
way will the continuous flight of
the white population from Alas
ka be stopped.
In re 5th: Herring is a good
food fish and its use for fertiliz
er or for soap or Crisco should
be prohibited.
In re 6th: The Bureau of Fish
eries enforces this rule against
seines and gill-nets, but not
against traps. This is a discrim
ination. This discrimination al
so defeats the efforts of the
authorities to stop Sunday or
weekly closed periods. We know
that virtually every fish trap is
fished during the closed periods
but when the wardens inspect
the fish trap, the operator al
ways says: “We caught these
fish Saturday (or the last legal
day).” Under this recommended
rule, if there be fish in the trap
that would be prima facie evi
dence that the trap has been
fishing. Such a measure would
release hundreds of thousands
of fish each week—a true con
servation measure.
Adopted at Haines, Alaska,
this 25th day of November, 1929
by the ALASKA NATIVE BRO
THERHOOD.
William L. Paul,
Grand President.
ATTEST:
Frank G. Johnson,
Grand Secretary.
HOME RULE AND THE JUNEAU
EMPIRE
“The Empire has always in
sisted that the powers given the
people of Alaska in the govern
ment provided by Judge Wicker
sham’s Organic Act were so
meager, so much less than those
given the people of other Terri
tories, that we have not real
Home Rule, and will not have it
until Congress can be induced
to give us what President Taft
and President Wilson called the
“full Territorial form of govern
ment.’’—Juneau Empire editori
al.
Even so arguendo, this same
organic act gave us the right to
elect a Territorial Treasurer.
The Empire fought this propos
al to the last.
This same Act gave us the
light to elect our own Auditor,
and yet the Empire opposed that
measure of self-government.
This same Act gives us the
right to manage our own Pio
neers’ Home, and the Empire
fought that and with their
friends gave this duty to the
federal governor.
This same Act has given us
the right to manage every form
of strictly Territorial activity,
(the Fairbanks College, the Ter
litorial Fish Commission, ter
ritorial fish hatcheries, old age
pension funds, indigent funds,
etc.), and yet the Empire has al
ways opposed control of these
activities by persons or agencies
elected by the people of Alaska.
JAPANESF HALIBUT
“I understand/' Mr. Isadore
Goldstein said at Juneau, “that
four million pounds of halibut
were imported by Seattle from
Japan at six cents per pound.
That is four cents under the
price which local fishermen
must receive in order to remain
In business.”
Japanese halibut must land' at
Seattle. The only immediate
relief wou’d be for the American
fishing interests to ship via
Prince Rupert and thus gain the
two day advantage to eastern
markets which that port fur
nishes.
Ketchikan could be a terminal
pcint via Prince Rupert, 90
miles distant, exactly as Seattle
is a terminal port via Vancouv
cr. B. C., 110 miles distant. There
is no reason why the warehouses
should not be in Ketchikan in
stead of in Seattle. The saving
would be in the freight from Se
attle to Ketchikan—$8 on an of
fice desk; $50 on a Ford, etc.
WHY ALASKA’S CAUSE IS
JUST
“Common law is constantly
being pushed out of its place by
the creation of commissions
which directly or by indirect
means are given power of courts
.. and decisions and issue regu
lations.” — Richard Washburn
Child, one-time ambassador.
Going further in his arraign
ment of the nullification of the
common law, Mr. Child says:
“No small danger attendant
on this reaction.. is the growth
of bureaucracy... ”
The second paragraph of the
Declaration of Independence
points:
“Prudence, indeed will dictate
that governments long estab
lished should not be changed
for light and transient causes.”
The same document observes
that “mankind are more dispos
ed to suffer, while evils are suf
ferable, than to right themselves
by abolishing the forms to which
they are accustomed.”
Possibly that is why the saf
fron hue overcasts Alaskan poli
ticians, or alleged politicians—
they have so long been accus
tomed to the arrogance of bu
reaucracy that they refrain
from taking up the cudgel in an
effort to strike the shackiag