The daily progressive-miner., 1918-01-02
A GERMAN BULL IN THE
 AMERICAN CHINA SHOP


 strange Teutonic ineptitude in matters of human contrast which has won for the German rulers the enmity of man. kind, is Henry Fortmann, president of the Alaska Packers Association. Though born in San Francisco, and so technically an American citizen. he nevertheless is German in descent and in education, and has set up the type of Prussian Junker as the model of his thought and conduct. In his bus mess life he has always ruled his sub- ordinates with the iron hand of des- pot He has endeavored with vary ing success to impose his arbitrary will upon all with whom he has had dealings, and has chosen to obstruct where he was unable to command. The latest public exhibition of this dictatorial attitude took place a few weeks ago when Ralph Merritt, Fed. eral Food Commissioner for Califor. mia, requested the assistance of John N. Cobb, assistant superintendent of the Alaska Packers Association and recognized authority on the salmon canning industry. Making his request as a matter of courtesy of Mir. Fort mann, the Food Commissioner was told brusquely that if MT. Cobb had any spare time for the Government, there evidently was not enough work for him in the Alaska Packers Asso- citation. By appealing to other direc- tors of the association, MT Merritt ob- tained the desired assistance; but his treatment by Mir. Fortmann was the cause of no little unpleasant feeling, and has tended to place the Alaska Packers Association in distinctly un- favorable light before the Government.
 This was a typical Fortmann incl dent: many similar occurrences, per haps less fragrant but none the less dsagreeable to the victims of MT. Fortmann's discourtesy, could be brought to mind if one were to review the history of the last few years. His obstruction of any activity he cannot dominate was we'll illustrated when, few years ago, it was proposed to undertake to broaden the world mar ket for Canned Salmon. Mir. Fort mann stubbornly withheld his support and loudly denounced the futility of such efforts, though without his help it was carried to conspicuous sue cess. Another typical incident oc- cured last spring, when MT. Fort mann did all in his power to obstruct the effort made by Naval authorities, through one of the local fisheries as- sociations, to obtain quickly statistical data concerning the smaller vessels of the salmon fleet.
 The reverse side of this Prussian domineering is seen in MT. Fortmann's effort to facilitate the Alaska Packers Associations relations with the Fed eral Government by surrounding him. self with former Bureau of Fisheries employees. The present general sup erindendent of the company, the aged Jefferson F. Moser, was placed in his present position soon aftercomplet- ing an investigation of the Alaska fisheries for the Government. The venerable captains chief function has been to represent the association be- fore Congress, where his knowledge of procedure acquired in the Govern ment service is used to obstruct the passage of legislation which MT. Fort. mann considers contrary to his inter- ests. Capt. Moser's actual executive authority is nil; he has always been held in position of servility by MT. Fortmann, who reserves to himself all decisions of importance.
 Bound to Prussia by both intellectu- al and family ties, Mir. Fortmann dur ing the early years of the war was rabid.5 pro-German in his sentiments Ai while the expression of such feel ngs has necessarily been stified of late, they would seem to have broken out involuntarily in his attitude to- ward Government representatives Like many German-Americans, MT. Fortmann, has shown in the shipping episode and the Food Commissioner episode. has apparently failed to grasp the fact that this country is now solid ly aligned behind the President, and which every selfish personal instinct