The Evening post. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1888-1889, 1888-12-07
AN APPEAL FROM ALASKA
THE oUTRAGEs COMMITTED UPON
THE ALEUTs.
A Matter That viii be Investigated by n
Congressional Committce--The Natives
of the Seal Islands Said to be Treated
Like Slaves.

EgaasriHe Special to ne Post Dispatch.
The recent rumors, of which collec-
ton has just been issued from Indianap-
oils, concerning outrages committed upon
the Seal Islands of Alaska, have a good
foundation, and several prominent news
paper men from the East have been in
this city during the past few days in an
effort to interview Mr.. William Gavitt,
the special Treasury agent, who has just
returned from that country. He has
lodged them ut every turn and finally
went of to indianapolis, to which point
he was followed, although he refused to
give out any information.
But it has Just come to light that an
appeal to the American people from the
citizens of Alaska, has Just been received
by one of the leading statesmen of this
State, and, by stroke of good luck, the
Post Dispatch representative was allowed
| to see it. 1t was written in the Russian
| language, and signed by large number
of the most prominent chiefs and priests
of the Aleutian Islands.
A hasty transaction Of the lengthy
document sets forth the fact that the
Aleuts are subjected to such expressions
by the agents of the Alaska Commercial
Company as should make every freeman's
blood boil. They assert that their family
ties are being broken up, their wives and
daughters debauched, and all that is
sacred tramplod under foot
1t declares that these employees of the
Alaska Commercial Company are, as a
rule, degraded class of men, who obey
no law of God or man, and who, in their
government of the natives, discounte-
nance virtue and encourage and remuner-
ate prostitution. The appeal further
sets forth the fact that these same bad
men debauch the public service and make
the Government agents bend to their
will by system of prosecutions of the
blacklist nature.
They make ii profitable to the official
who will close his eyes to the evils that
surround him, and will blaclen the char
acter of any one who will antagonize
them. They have the advantage in
numbers being about five TO one, and
thus fortified, can overcome any state
ment made to the Treasury Department
by overwhelming counter testimony.
For this reason but few complaints are
allowed to reach Washington, and when
they do, they are in some way. immedi-
ately hushed up.
~ llluhO blOlt btCulC bllt1
set traps to catch the official and if he
persists in not falling into them they
hatch up things against him anyway and
declare that he furnishes whisky to the
natives or that he violates the home Of
some native, or that he furnishes sugar
to them, or, in fact, anything that is
against the regulations, And when it is
taken into account that the official is
daily under obligations for transporta-
ton, for hotels and for medicine to these
men, 1t is seen what a powerful coercive
weapon is constantly in the hands of
evil-disposed men of the Alaska Com
mercial Company.
The appeal further declared that the
Aleuts are American citizens who are
fully entitled to all the rights and priv
ileges of such, but that the system which
now prevails in Alaska makes them
slaves, with no hope of relief from even
the agents of the Government sent to
protect their interests.
1t SAYS that no Aleuts can have the
islands, and that consequently they have
no avenue of carrying their complaints
and wrongs to the outside world; that
the only men in absolute authority there
are their oppressors; that their best men
are being corrupted by constant contact
with these evils; that all law is dis
regarded and crime and cohabitation are
in mad revelry.
The appeal contains many other facts
regarding the social and religious con.
dition of the natives, and how an unjust
favoritism is practiced in the annual
divide" Those natives who have
yielded to the will of the company's
agents, and brought their wives and
daughters to them, are rewarded by be-
ing placed in the higher class, while
those who have antagonized them are re-
dueed in class and deprived of their just
dues. AS the company has entire con
troll of this feature, and as they furnish
all supplies to the natives, it is easily seen
how arbitrary and oppressive they can
be, and the poor have no possible re-
dress.
The appeal is written very closely on
three pages Of foolscap, and has long
| list of queer native names attached
thereto. Some of them are signed by
the natives, but the majority are signed
with cross.