The Aftermath
By an overwhelming vote the
people of Alaska have again
expressed their confidence in
Delegate Dan Sutherland. The
victory is doubly satisfactory
from the fact that the exploit
ing interests were never more
determined to win at all haz
ards, and had subsidized the
entire press of the Territory.
The straight republican (Suth
erland) ticket was decisively
elected in the First Division
ana senator uimona, can
didate for re-election, and cor
poration lawyer, of the Third
Division, went down to defeat.
Present indications are that the
next Territorial Legislature
will be a working body for the
best interests of Alaska.
The vaunted “Power of the
Press” was ineffective because
of the fact that malicious, false
and libelous statements, con
stantly and persistently reiter
ated for the purpose of deceiv
ing and deluding an intelligent
public, failed to deceive. We
do need some papers, conduct
ed in an honest and upright
manner and with such fidelity
to the best interests of Alaska
as to beabove selling out to
the corporate, non-resident in
terests. Much has been pub
lished about the “Illiterate
Indian vote,” the taxing the
canneries out of existence, in
troducing Indian children into
white school, defaming the fair
name of the Territory Etc. ad
libitum; all of which are to be
expected, Now that the Su
therland ticket has been elect
ed. The press is a power when
it supports justice and right,
but when the banner of truth
is "trailed in the dust confidence
is destroyed.
This is the situation in Al
aska at present, but we have
too many independent miners
and fishermen who are not
under the thumb of large cor
porations to suffer Territorial
control to remain under the
domination of their power.
Time was when Bellingham
was the salmon-canning center
of Puget Sound as Ketchikan
now is of southeastern Alaska;
today one small cannery oper
ates at Bellingham, for the rea
son that the salmon were fish
ed in the same ruthless manner
as it is now conducted in Al
askan waters. A few years ago
it was a common sight to see
the seiners set their seines and
make full hauls of thousands
of salmon in Tongass Narrows;
today salmon schools are a
thing of the past. Almost 250
more traps were fished in Al
askan waters this year than
last; the seiners made no money
before the traps closed, many
of them going in debt, some
made a little during the fall
fishing.
There is much said, thru the
cannery press, of what the
salmon canneries are dong for
Alaska and that Sutherland and
his supporters are a menace to
the industry. If the canning
industry is killed it will be
done by their own policy of
forcing methods of trap fishing
for every dollar to be made
now, regardless of the future.
Every effort, that they dare, is
made to supplant seine fishing
with the trap. Instead of en
couragement to those who live
here and have a lasting in
terests in the betterment of
conditions, seine fishing is be
ing destroyed and more traps
introduced with each succeed
ing year, which means the in
evitable destruction of the in
dustry unless the turn is called
very soon. Absent treatment
has ever been the policy of
our foreign interests. Every
advance step has been made
over the opposition of organiz
ed greed for the exploitation
of Alaska’s resources. Fish
traps have been abolished in
British Columbia waters but
the canneries still remain and
report is that more seiners are
employed with much better re
turns than during the period
of the fish traps.
The Future
The future destiny of Alas
ka is with those who have home
interests here, who have in
terests in the general welfare
of her people without distinc
tion between classes or extent
of worldly possessions. Wealth
of today may vanish to-mor
row. What is wanted is stable
industries with equality of op
portunity. Self pride and glori
fication is born of selfish vanity.
What really counts is earnest
endeavor for the welfare of all,
remembering that our first and
most important duties are for
Alaska. We have no opposi
tion interests except to make
them more beneficial, and the
benefits lasting to the develop
ment of our Territory. Slush
funds contributed by corporate
powers whose head is far dis
tant from Alaska, for the cor
ruption of our elections could
be better employed (in my
opinion) to all concerned if
contributed to some of the
public needs of the Territory.
There can be no feudal system
in Alaska. The people are in
telligent and free and will
fight to win and maintain their
rights as American citizens.
Justice is what is sought. “A
fair field and no favors.”
—Profit.
A Good Assortment of Xmas
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