THE ALASKA FISHERMAN
Published the 15th of each month at Ketchikan, Alaska
WILLIAM L. PAUL, ATTORNEY FOR THE
Alaska Native Brotherhood
Entered as second-class matter at the Post Office at
KETCHIKAN, ALASKA
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE $2.00 FOR TWELVE ISSUES
OUR PLATFORM:
ALASKA FOR ALASKANS.
FULL TERRITORIAL GOVERNMENT.
ABOLISHMENT OF ALL TRAPS.
COMPETENT CHRISTIAN CITIZENSHIP.
The standard of public officials appointed by
our Governor from New York is being main
tained. Morton E. Stevens, President of the
Board of Regents of the College at Fairbanks
was arrested during August for being drunk.
Governor Scott C. Bone has been asked several
times to remove him, but without any results.
It is not known whether Mr. Stevens and Mr.
Bone are too illiterate to read the Eighteenth
Amendment, and we suggest that John W. Troy
be appointed by the City Council of Juneau to
read and explain the Amendment to both men.
General Calles
At a recent dinner in New York, General Calles
said: “There are 12,000,000 people in my coun
try who are only on the fringe of civilization,
who neither know nor enjoy the material gifts
and the spiritual advantages which are the pa
trimony of the American people. When educa
tion comes to these people—our direct need is
schools—when they have learned to appreciate
and enjoy a better standard of living, then the
already, considerable trade of Mexico with the
United States will have become truly tremen
dous.
‘ My Government will omit no sacrifice of ef
fort to achieve the betterment of the working
classes, and I invite the well-intentioned indus
trialists and capitalists—not aggressive and pi
ratical capitalism—to join with me in this task
of the reconstructive development of a people.’
—New York Times.
Taxation—The Alaskan Poll Tax
The Alaskan poll tax and the annual license
tax, imposed upon a non-resident fisherman who
visits the territorial waters to fish, are consti
tutional.
Ilaavik v. Alaska Packers’ Association, Adv.
Ops. 199, Sup. Ct. Rep. 177.
This decision resulted upon an action brought
by a fisherman, a California resident, who came
to fish for four months within the waters of
Alaska, to recover from his employer amounts
deducted from his wages to pay certain taxes
imposed upon plaintiff by the Alaska Legisla
ture. The taxes the validity of which were thus
questioned were an annual poll tax of five dol
lars imposed on every male person within the
territory or waters of Alaska, and an annual
license tax of five dollars upon every non-resi
dent fisherman. The District Court for the
Northern District of California sustained the
taxes, and judgment entered for the employe
was affirmed on appeal by the Supreme Court
of the United States.
Mr. Justice McReynolds delivered the opinion
of the Court. He said in part:
Plainly, we think, the Territorial Legisla
ture had authority under the terms of the
Organic Art to impose both the head and tne
license tax unless, for want of power, Con
gress itself could not have laid them by
direct action. (Citing cases).
Appellant went to the Territory for the
purpose of engaging in the business of fish
ing and remained there for at least four
months. He was not merely passing through
—not a mere sightseer or tourist—but for a
considerable period while so employed en
joyed the protection and was within the jur
isdiction of the local government. To re
quire him to contribute something toward
its support did not deprive him of property
without due process of law within the Fifth
Amendment.
We are not here concerned with taxation
by a State. The license tax cannot be said
to conflict with Sec. 2, Art. IV, of the Con
stitution—“the citizens of each State shall
be entitled to all privileges and immunities
of citizens in tire several States.” It applies
only to non-resident fishermen; citizens of
every State are treated alike. Only resi
dents of the territory are preferred. This
is not wholly arbitrary or unreasonable, and
we find nothing in the Constitution which
prohibits Congress from favoring those who
have acquired a local residence and upon
whose efforts the future development of the
territory must largely depend.
The case was argued by Mr. II. W. Hutton for
the fisherman and by Mr. John Rustgard, At
torney General of Alaska, for the employer.—
Am. Bar Assn. Jr.
Poor Stroller
In the event of' the election of William Paul
as a member of the Territory legislature the
question will naturally arise, who will he repre
sent? Certainly not the majority of or any
thing like the majority of those who own nine
tenths of the property, pay nine-tenths of the
taxes and who alone can be depended upon to
advance the best interest of Alaska. lie will,
however, represent a few hundred ignorant and
illiterate Indians who take no thought for the
morrow and who, in their present semi-civilized
condition are incapable of taking thought for
the morrow. It is a deplorable condition of af
fairs that can but react to the detriment of
Alaska—a blot cn her alleged civilization.—Strol
ler’s Weekly, Juneau.
(We got at least one subscription from a fish
erman on the strength of the above).