The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1897-01-30
onEeoN,s FISH INDUSTRY.
Sha IL be Destroyed tosBeEefit the Fish
ermen's Union?
Editor TIMES -MOUNTAINEER.

of the legislation. Then the anti
Dolph men, of which Clatsop county
representatives were members ano
cuscus boilers, were promised thai
| their "Fishermen Union" bill, tC
abolish all traps and wheels, would be
passed in the house and the Steiwei
bill, to license all gear, would be de
feated if they stayed among the boilers
which all came to pass, and the re
marks were made openly by an Astoria
striker, then clerk on one of the
committees, on the floor of the house ot
representatives: Pass the bill and
save the republican party in ClatsJr
county," Now the rump house is dc
| ing the same thing. They did not save
the republican party, but one of the
Clatsop county members has been
brought into the Mitchell fold by the
same promises: "Take your seat and
we will pass your bill to abolish ali
stationary gear"
IfMr. Mitchell has to sacrifice from
$500, ,OO2 to $3.50. COO worth CT property
belonging to private citizens of this
state in order 10 retain his seat in the
United State senate, the sooner the
people of this state know of the fact
the better.
The committee from the last session,
appointed by the president of the SEN
ate and speaker of the house, to inves-
tigate the fisheries of the state, and
the fish commissioner, whose ability
and honesty no one doubts, and who
has in his biennial report to the COVER
nor of the state shown, have drawn
up bill upon their Investigations, to
cover the ground fully, setting aside
such streams as they found necessary
for propagations, and raising fund
from those who are directly engaged
in the fishing business, such as fisher
men, Gamers, shippers and cold stor-
age men, and from the best information
so gathered, by a small license fee
will raise annually sum of from 81 ,00C
to $4,000, out of which all expenses of
collection and of enforcing the law will
be taken, and taking it out of the
hands Of our taxpayers, SO that the
fish industry, second on the list of the
industries of the state, will be self
supporting and will not in the future
necessitate call to the legislature to
appropriate sum to carry onthe Office
of fish commissioner, and propagate
fish for the fishermen at the expense
of the taxpayers. This should become
a law, and the Clatsop county politician
should be taught lesson that all men
have a right to fish in the waters of
the state in whatever manner they
choose, after obtaining license for
the same; that the Fishermen's Pro-
tective Union, by pledging its candi-
dates to destroy all who may want to
fish by other modes than gill nets. have
rights that will be protected, and their
will not be wantOnly de-
stroyed by such foreign elements as
are found in the so-called union, who
say "if we do not want to fish you shall
not" and put the taxpayers of the
states of Oregon and Washington to
the expense of calling out their mill
tary forces to protect life and property
of American Citizens who have their
invested on the waters of our
state.
No one is more to blame for the low
prices now ruling for canned salmon
than this very Union. They have
driven no less than three to four mil
lions of dollars out of the states of Or
egon and Washington into Alaska.
Every Gamer that can clean up his
plant on the Columbia is doing so.
Not a Gamer will advance a pound of
twiHe to fisherman on the river for
new gear or to mend old. Why? be-
cause all fear the repetition of last
years trouble, and the action of the
in the states of Oregon and
Destroy the traps,
wheels and seins and the Fishermen's
Union at Astoria will do the rest, and
q once aourishiug industry. one giving
to thousands of people
and leaving thousands of dollars an
nually in these two states, will be
swept off the face of the earth. Alaska
will supply the worlds markets, and
San Francisco will reap the trade.
Our business people throughout the
state should arise and instruct their
members to do their duty and not bow
TO the dictates of self-styled boss in
order to obtain a seat inthe U. S. senate,
10 pave the way for the destruction of
10 great an industry. Write to your
ish and game protector, and call for
mis- printed report: see what this in
1ustry is worth to your state.
In these dull times, see to it that we
Ill help to build up anything that
brings an honestly-earned dollar into
,ur state, and not endeavor to drive |
capital away from US. Ask any one of
Tour Gamers at this time, or any one |
If the men who expect employment |
rom them, under what conditions they |
ire, and they will inform you that they
ire not ordering any twine, rope or
in, or hiring any men, as they do not |
rnow where they are at. Ask men
Who have from $4,000 to 100000 and
,ver invested in this industry, and
Tou will realize why times are dull and
Why men will not invest among US.
Pass license bill, and 90 not do the
bidding of such men as are running
he Fishermens' Protective Union at
Astoria or members who are elected
rom Clatsop county, who are pledged
o ask our representatives of the state
o aid them. SO they may destroy by.
aw what they are too cowardly to de-
troy by force. Stop and think of the
utrages committed on the Columbia
iver on men who wanted to support
heir families last spring by an honest
ay's work, and the property destroyed.
top and look at the expense of send
ng our militia to Astoria, what it has
ost the state of Washington to protect
he property of its citizens against the
nob of Russian Fins and dagoes, who
erorized the people on the lower river;
ook at what the loss to the state was,
" an estimate of the fish and game
rotector of Oregon, alone $500, 600 in
sh that were not taken, and as much
1ore in the state of Washington. We