Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1905-04-27
Still Those CLANS LEGAL LABOR HOURS
HOQUIAM WASHINGTONIAN Per.
SISTS IN DEFENDING law.
About $50 People WILDE Thrown Out
of Employment for no Other Rea-
son Than III Temper of a LegiSIa-
tor. Fish commissioners admit
no knowledge on Subject.

no knowledge on Subject.
The Washingtonian has accepted the
job Of defending Com.
missioner Davis sneak in the matter Of
the clam protection law, and its writings
on that subject are calculated to give out
the wrong impression that it voices the
sentiment OF Hoquam, and that this
sentiment is based upon jealousy of
Aberdeen, because the largest cannery
affected is located here. The impression
is wrong. Hoquiam may, like all other
places, contain few narrow. minded
pin.heads, who still believe that an in
jury to Aberdeen is blessing to Ho.
quiam. But, very great majority OF
| Hoquiam people possess the business
sense to appreciate the fact that neither
OF the two cities can be benefited or in
jured without affecting both, and that
the true mission Of the two towns is to
build great commercial and manufac.
turing city on Grays Harbor.
In its attempt to mislead, the Wash.
ingtonian proceeds to prove Davis pub.
lie benefactor and wise legislator by such
editorials as the following:
| "The Davis clam protection bill passed
the senate with A members unanimous.
lv, and passed the house with 94 mem.
bers by the same vote. II anything was
needed to show tn, feelings Of the legis-
lature, surely this fact will. Out of 13S
votes in the Legislature not one was re.
corded against the measure"
The HERALD has shown by the record
just how this measure passed without
opposition how it was that every inter-
ested member believed the action OF the
committee--ratified by the house-was
satisfactory to all concerned, including
the state fish commissioner. 1t has
shown how it was secretly followed TO
the senate by Davis, where but little in.
terest was taken in it, and altered to its
present form, and passed in that shape
by the house in the rush OF the closing
hours unnoticed by the interested mem.
bers, who. in total ignorance OF the move
of Davis, were not even aware that it
had come back to the house at all, but
were confident-Davis and all others who
manifested an interest having been ap.
parently Satisfied with the two months
close season-that it would pass the sen.
ate and 60 to the governor in the shape
decided upon.
Like many others, in defending an in
defensible position, the Wathingtonian
proves too much. The very fact that not
single vote was recorded against the
measure proves the success OF Mr.. Davis
secret mission to the senate, not the
popularity of the law. and the elimina.
ton of Puget Sound from it's provisions
shows that Puget Sound senators were
perfectly willing to allow Mr.. Davis to
revenge his imaginary slight by the com.
mittee, so long as their sections OF the
country were not included.
In the letter Of Mr.. Poison, referred to
in the last issue of this paper, that gen.
tlemsn betrayed himself short on facts
in several places, but in none 90 badly
as when he stated that the Aberdeen
cannery people had moved here after
depicting the clam eupply con 25 miles
Of beach, between Ilwaco and Shoal.
water Bay" 1t 90 happens that those
people were never on that beach, but
came to Grays Harbor from Warrenton,
Oregon, where they operated a clam
cannery for nine years, and so far were
they from exhausting them that two
canneries are running there ever since,
and the Oregon clam beds have been dug
for more than SO years.
The main trouble with this vexed
question appears to be lack OF technical
knowledge on the subject. All agree
that the clam beds may require protec-
ton as modern methods OF marketing
this product obtains, but, those appear
ing to be the best authority admit they
do not understand the habits and his.
tory OF CLANS sufficiently to legislate
intelligently for them.
In the meantime, while clans are
being packed on the Oregon coast and
shores of Puget Sound, the canneries on
Grays Harbor-with an investment of
nearly $4,000, and employing about $50
people-will remain idle, q monument
to the finesse OF Representatives Com
missioner Davis.