Prosperous Fishermen
The splendidly prosperous condi
tion that now obtains in the halibut
fishing industry should awaken the
people of the Territory to the fact
that the same conditions that pre
vail in halibut fishing can be made
to apply to other branches of fish
ing and there is no good reason why
they should not apply.
You cannot today find a single
halibut fisherman who is dissatisfied
with conditions that govern his
branch of fishery but on the con
tiary every halibut fisherman you
meet is loud in his words of approv
al of these conditions.
There is no monopoly in the hali
but fishery either in fishing or mar
keting. All halibut is sold in open
competitive market and as the de
mand for this fish is strong, good
prices are paid to the fishermen for
their catch.
It was indeed a fortunate day for
the halibut fishermen of the North
Pacific when the Poindexter amend
ment to close the market at Prince
Rupert and create a monopolistic
market at Ketchikan was defeated
in the U. S. Senate. It was also a
fortunate day for the towui of Ketchi
kan, as the contentment with pres
ent conditions on the part of the
halibut fishermen is evidenced in
the increase of trade at this port.
A satisfied, contended people is the
object of civil government, and the
purpose of laws is to bring about
that social condition.
If laws have brought about the
conditions that obtain in the halibut
industry, why is it not possible to
correct conditions in the salmon fish
ery in the same manner? When
laws are enacted for the abolishment
of all monopolistic methods of fish
ing and marketing salmon then will
the same satisfactory conditions pre
vail in that branch that are so no
ticeable in the halibut fishery.
In order to bring aobut the desired
conditions in the salmon fishery it
will be necessary to convince many
good people that the prosperity of
several thousand fishermen and their
families is of a little more import
ance than the prosperity of approxi
mately one hundred cannery opera
tors. It will be necessary to con
vince them that the law of supply
and demand will operate to the re
gulation of industry so that with the
abolishment of monopoly the can
neryman will prosper.
When the common right of fishery
is recognized and protected by gov
ernmental agencies, all monopoly wi1!
cease and then the salmon seiner
will dispose of his product in com
petitive market just as the halibut
fisherman disposes of his catch to
day.
The idea that is now promulgated
by the cannerv interests and the
United States Bureau of Fisheries,
that the salmon of Alaska cannot
be preserved except by monopolistic
methods of fishing is so unfair, so
unjust, so un-American that it should
be combatted by every citizen who
has the welfare of this Territory at
heart. This proposition of turning
over the fisheries of Alaska to
monopoly for preservation has its
origin with the people who will be
pecuniarily benefitted by the plan.
It is in direct opposition to the pro
position contained in this article, and
under such a system there can be
no contentment among the fishing
population.
With monopoly entrenched in the
salmon industry as it is today, it
would seem to be quite a large un
dertaking to dislodge it, but if the
signs of the times count for any
thing they mean that the American
people are heartily sick and tired
of monopoly and when the time is
ripe for its abolishment it is rea
sonable to believe that the Alaskan
salmon monopoly will receive the at
tention that it deserves.
When monopoly in salmon fishery
is abolished and competition in the
industry is established then may we
look for prosperity and consequent
contentment among all the fishing
“lasses in Alaska.
Again we say that there is no
good and sufficient reason why the
competitive conditions of halibut
fishery should not apply to salmon
>r any other fishery.
This is the position of Dan Suth
erland in Congress, and entitles him
*;o re-election.
TO THE VOTERS OF
ALASKA
The Territorial legislature has en
acted a law providing for the election
of a National Committeeman by the
members of each political party in
the Territory. At the Primary elec
tion on April 29, 1924, the Republi
cans elected a Republican National
Committeeman and the Democrats
elected a Democratic National Com
mitteeman.
As a candidate for Republican Na
tional Committeeman T wish to here
announce my platform. The Repub
lican National Committeeman is an
officer of the Republican Party, not
an officer of the people as a whole
for Democrats cannot vote for him.
The Delegate to Congress from Al
aska is an officer of all the People,
both Republicans and Democrats, for
they can all vote for him if they
wish. Therefore I pledge the Re
publicans of Alaska that, if I am
elected the Republican National Com
mitteeman, I will not recommend
any Republican for an appointment
in Alaska who is not first approved
by the Republicans of the Territory
and by those residing in the vicinity
where such appointee is to serve. A
Republican is a voter who takes a
Republican ballot at the polls and
votes for a Republican candidate
for National Committeeman at the
primary, and follows it up by voting
for the Republican candidate for
delegate to Congress, at the election
on the fourth of November. No
others are Republicans.
Yours truly,
JOHN W. FRAME.
Reliable Transfer
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