A FOOLISH UTTERANCE
(The Verstovian)
A recent editorial in a paper largely circulated
in Southeastern Alaska 'bears the caption, “A
White Man’s Party Is Necessary.” The gist of
the article is that the remedy for native illiter
acy is the combination of all white voters in one
party upon the platform of white supremacy.
As The Verstovian has repeatedly stated it is
so unfortunate that so vital a matter as the
political fortune of the Native people should be
made an incident in partisan politics. One of
the unfortunate results is such an absurd pro
posal as this. An interesting reply might be
based upon a study of U. S. history of the period
terminating in the Civil war.
But it is better to say that in this age men
of vision are coming to a better understanding
of the theory of the Brotherhood of Man than
is expressed in this editorial. The remedy for
illiteracy is not to be found in the political exclu
sion of all Indians because of the deficiencies of
some of them.
Fortunately there is no serious danger of such
an outcome. The onward progress of the native,
which the last few years especially has witnessed,
will not be stayed. Wise native men as well as
wise white men will continue to regard each
other with toleration. The disposition of the un
prejudiced on both sides will continue the search
for the common basis of truth upon which the
political future of this country, the common
home of all, may be founded.
“THE FROG THAT WAS BOILED TO DEATH”
“In one of the leading universities not long
ago they placed a live bullfrog in a pan of cold
water. The pan was then placed on a specially
arranged heater. The temperature was increased
gradually so that it took over one hour for it
to reach the boiling point. The frog never moved,
and was boiled to death without knowing it.”
The above paragraph was taken from The Real
American, of May 29th issue, and is reprinted
here to illustrate the condition in which resident
Alaskans are finding themselves. Alaskans are
very much like this frog. When you come to
consider the fishery situation, we find that by
the extension of the trap system we are slowly
being boiled to death without knowing it. We
wonder at the decrease in our population, and
in the increase in wealth of very rich men. It
seems that the ordinary citizen will not wake
up until he is boiled to death.
N. 0. HARDY’S BOOZE BILL
The only democrat who was elected
from the First Division was N. O,
Hardy, of Juneau. He made a great
record in the last Legislature. He
was a true representative of John
W. Troy, editor of the Juneau Em
pire. One of the few bills intro
duced by Mr. Hardy for which he
fought was that bill to repeal the
Alaska Bone Dry Act. A few por
tions of the act are worthy of special
notice; for instance, Section One. We
do not see why he did not attach
the Declaration of Independence to
this proposed act of his, but here
it is:
“Section 1. The Territory of Alas
ka reaffirms the sincere attachment
of her people to the principles of
the Constitution of the United States,
and desires to make uniform the en
forcement of the provisions of article
eighteen of the amendments to the
Constitution. To that end, the penal
provisions of the National Prohibi
tion Act are hereby adopted as the
law of this territory; and the courts
of the Territory of Alaska, now ex
isting, or to be hereafter established,
including the commissioner’s, ex
officio justice courts, are herby vest
ed with the jurisdiction, and the duty
is hereby imposed upon all district
and prosecuting attorneys and their
assistants, marshals and their depu
ties, grand juries, commissioners and
peace officers in the Territory, to
enforce the same.”
It is very thoughtful of Mr. Hardy
that he should seek to make the
National Prohibition Act also the
law of Alaska. Through some strong
obsession the prohibition officers in
Alaska have been making arrests and
sending men to jail by virtue of
the Volstead or National Prohibition
Act, but from reading Mr. Hardy’s
bill we feel there must be some
great mistake about it, for appar
ently the National Act does not yet
extend to Alaska.
Section Six is another portion that
is very enlightening and certainly
must create a rousing response and
glow of patriotic enthusiasm in the
hearts of Mr. Hardy’s friends, the
bootleggers.
“Sect:on 6. It being the desire of
the Territory of Alaska that there
be but one law in force to carry
out the provisions of the eighteenth
amendment to the Constitution of
the United States,” etc., the Bone
Dry Act is hereby repealed. Mr.
Hardy, however, was not sure that
his proposed bill would be constitu
tional. Perhaps Congress might dif
fer with him about the National Pro
hibition Act extending to Alaska. At
any rate be added a Section Seven,
which provided that if any portion,
or any word, or ary section of the
Act should be found to be uncon
stitutional the remainder of the Act
would still be in full force and effect.
“Have another drink, boys.”
GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN
An interesting’ incident of the leg
islative session was the heroic ef
forts of Isadore Goldstein to prevent
the legislature from putting anything
over on his deeply beloved friends,
the fishermen.
When it was proposed that fish
ing boats to the value of $2,000 and
gear to the value of $1,000 should
be exempt from execution, Isa jumped
to the defense of his friends. Quick
action on Isa’s part brought the Ju
neau Chamber of Commerce into the
fight. To Isa the idea of exempt
ing the working tools of fishermen
from execution was simply prepos
terous. How could Isa trust a fish
erman for prunes or twine or rope
if his boat should be made exempt.
Greater love hath no man for
fishermen than he who giveth them
credit for cork floats and lead
sinkers.