The Alaska citizen., 1916-02-21
s.lss-a.arlnN PRlCF
Phone 2OS Phone
4 D. AIN DUTY


 in session. this article is written especially for you. You have a sworn duty to perform and 10 tae best ot our knowledge and pellet you are doing that duty. You are representative citizens of the FourA division and you are doing n1 mor, than your f"lIo"'arn r>n ."' ,.. would do.
 But there is one matter 10 ".5.a wa wish to direct your official at tention. provided you have not al ready taken some action in tA, premises. and that i@ what aaD@a. 10 us 10 be malfeasance in o.u"a Or the part of United States Marshal Erwin
 AS near as We can remember you were told after taking VOLT oath of office, that it was your duty to investigate the federal otHoia.s and their several offices, and mak, such recommendations as yoIr fin ings would warrant We tak" it that this being your duty YOU will not shirk il
 We. in conjunction with many oth CT residents of this section of Alas ka. believe that when federal, official drawing a 2oolly 1aIar> from the government spends at least one month of his time con tinuousN in attendin2 to private tinancial undertahtras h. is por forming an ilIesaI decd. and that is the true meaning of malfeasance. The money he draws as official sal ary for his services + unearned, and if it is taken the act should come under the head of an Illegal act"
 The United States marshal, just h4causc he csn travel to and iron the markets Of the States at the expense of the government should not be allow ed to fritter away his time in private enterprises for per sonal gain when his presence is needed at his office to prevent and fair or just to the merchants O the community who, in order to compete with a federal official, must spend their own time and money to select ana purchase their stock of goods, or purchase the same from the United States marshal who becomes a federal transfer, trader
 We have said that Marshal Erwin was needed in his office to prevent and detect crime. In support ot this contention we desire to point out to you that during MT. Erwin s term in office, two inOffensive fe- males have been foully murdered, and when the evidence in one in stance was placed before your hon. orable body you did not consider it sufficient to secure conviction and returned no true bill" Don't you consider, gentlemen of the grand jury, that Marshal Erwin, inssmuCh as he is paid by the gov ernment for his services should be at his post endeavorin9 to SC cure evidence which would fasten the crime ot murder upon the mules" for thirty days on the Val deg trail? Of course Marshal Er- win will tell you, if questioned that he was i'll and not able to travel, but will he tell you that that illness was caused by expo sure 10 the cold weather while look ing after h;s private interests and that he only took to his bed afte, his lungs had become frosted?
 Mir. Erwin was once quoted in his official organ" as having had the honor O turning back five trained detectives whom Mr Cross ley had induced the government to grant him in the ferreting out of criminals and in the prevention of crime MT Erwin was proud of his achievement and immediately rushed into print with it Now the same paper is editorially de ploring the fact that no trained man hunters are in Alaska Even the official organ" realizes the fact that the marshal is unable to conduct private business and at the same time prevent crime
 Gentlemen, it is your duty to look into this matter and make a report to the department. The peo- pie of the community expect you to, and if you fail them they will want to know why. If you think the marshal is playing square cards and a fair game. tell the depart ment so and it will give him more strength there than he now possess es If you think that he should keep his fingers out of the private game when he is a public servant, tell them that and see what will come of it.
 Now gentlemen of the grand jury,