, 1888-03-22
R2hTiag &sa and The Gloucester Fish
eruen.
BT JA.rE5 G. SWAN.


and more are Coming. who will bring
rh2lr vessels and families to remain
aEd settle among Us. 1t is proper 10
enquire into the rights of these Am.
arican citizens TO FISH or hunt in Am
eIican waters OF tho North Pacific
ocean. Behring sea and the Arctic,
where the brave energetic and hardy
fishermen OF New England wish TO ex-
pIor3 ICf fishing banks where they
can take halibut, cod D. others Of the
great varieties Of food fishes known
TO exist IL Inyr!ads in all these north
orA waters. These fishermen claim
the right to fish OF hunt in any Amer
lean waters three marine miles from
any island N BenEing sea or from
any O tao coast Of the mainland OF
Alaska
Ihe Act Ct Juiy, 1868, Revised
Statutes, See. 1855, prohibits the in
pCrIalaJion into Alaska cf firearms
and distilled spirits. and the killing
OF Iur bearing aHima!s within tie
limits UI Alaska Territory OF the W.
ter7 thereof. sec. 1859 declares The
Islands Of st. Paul and st. George IN
alaska otherwise known rs the Prib
LO1 Islands, special rosorvatious
See 1850 prohibits the killing Of
fur seal on those islands or in the
waters adjacent thereto except during
the months OF June, July, September
ana October Of each year.
Ia pursuance l. the Act OF July,
1870, the Secretary of the TreaSur!
leased to the Alaska Commercial
Company the right 10 engage in TAX
ing fur seals on the islands of St.
Paul and ST. George for twenty years
from tue first Of July, 1870. But
neither in the act itself nor in the
leaso to the Commercial company is
one word said which c0nfer5 Hpon the
lessees the exclusive right to all the
waters Of Behring sea and all the wa
ter5 OF the North Pacific ocean, which
that company lave arrogantly assert
ed, basing their claim upon the words
''adj djaceEt waters" which everywhere
else throughout. the civilized world
means. and Is understood to mean,
three marnc miles from land.
These Gloucester fisherman believe
that the seal TO0keries OF st. Paul
and st. George should be protected
and they will render valuable aid in
having the laws enforced prohibiting
the introduction of spirituous liquors
Isor firearms among the natives OF Al
aska, but they claim the same right
which has been accorded them in the
Canadian waters OF the North Allan
tic of fishing, or sealing, or whaling
in any of those waters outside of
three marine miles from the land,
They have come, and the large col
ony of New England fishermen who
will be here next season, to hunt and
fish in American waters. and while
they respect the right Of the Alaska
Commercial company to their lease
of the Pribiotf Islands, they demand
for themselves the right TO pursue
their honorable aYocation5 of taking
any of the fish or marin animals in
American waters outside the three
mile limit, without being hunted and
harried and seized, and their vessels
corfiscated and themselves inpris
oned by piratical Revenue Cutters of
the United States, which should be a
means of protection and defense, but
who have exercised their will on de-
fenseiess sealers and fishermen, at
| the dictiOn of an irresponsible &ssis-
tant Secretary of the Treasury for the
sole benefit of the Alaska CONNER
cial company. The lease TO this com
pany is simply for the Pribloff Islands
and adjacent waters, but under that
lease this company claim the right,
and have established trading posts on
every available point of the Alaskan
coast whore they constantly yiolate
the provisions OF Section 1856, Il. 3,
which says, No person shall kill as '
otter, Iaink, martin, sable or fur seal
or other fur bearing animals within
the limits of Alaska Territory or the
waters thereof and they got over
the infraction Of the statute by as
serting that the Indians kill the ami
mails and they only buy the furs from
these natives.
The only mention of the natives il
this act is in section 1860 which says
of st. Paul and St George islands
"Bat the natives of the islands shall
have the privilege of killing such
young seals as may be necessary foI
their own feed and clothing, etc, such
killing to be controlled by regulations
prescribed by the Secretary Of the
Treasury, but nothing is said about
granting any privilege to natives to
Kill any furbearing animals on the
main land 1t is therefore eviden;
that any American citizen has the
same right that the Alaska CONNER
cial Company have TO establish trad
ing posts anywhere in Alaska. But
when American citizens attempt to
exercise this right, the Alaska Oom.
meacial Company qnietly protest and
American Revenue Cutters are en-
ployed to drive off American citizens
from American waters. William II.
Seward did not purchase Alaska from
Russia for the Alaska Commercial
Company, but for the American ma
ton, and these Gloucester fishermen
claim their rights as American citi-
zens to the Nations heritage, and yet
we have the sorry sight of our citizens
being seized and imprisoned and fined
not for the public good, not because
they have committed any criminal
offense, but simply because the Alas
ka Commercial Company claim the
whole of Alaska as theirs and wish to
break up every voyage and ruin every
person who may dare to go TO Behr-
ing sea and the North Pacific and
poach on their preserves.
Up to the present time this AFRO
CANT assumption of the Alaska Com
mercial Company has been met with
but feeble and Intellectual protests
from the few persons in San Fran
cisco, Portland, and Puget Sound
who have been engaged in seal fish
ing. But now a new order of things
is about to be inaugurated. Within
twelve months there will be some
seventy-fve eastern fishing schoon-
ers ip the waters of the North Pa
cific. These vessels are all manned
with crews from twenty to thirty per-
sons each-intelIigent, sober, law
ohidinor citiznDS-but men who know