The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1919-03-07

terviewed and found they were all
naturalized citizens with high civic
ideals and great love and loyalty to
the United States and they then and
there individually and collectively
pledged and vouched personally for
the loyalty and good conduct of all
of their people.
This was a remarkable thing to
do and one which no German-Amer-
lean could be got to do with respect
to his fellow nationalists.
But what was still more remark
able was that these naturalized Dal-
nation gentlemen delivered the
goods. Big meetings OF these South
Slav fishermen were promptly held
in the principle Sound ports and
the policies OF President Wilson and
Of Congress we're there warmly in
dorsed and the genuineness of the
loyal and patriotic character of the
rank and file who attended these
meetings as we'll as that of their
leaders was attested to me at the
time by my own agents who unbe-
known to the fishermen were on
hand to report on what went on.
There are very few, If any, Aus
ro-Hungarian fishermen in the
waterways of this Naval District,
who are Of the Hungarian or OF the
Austro- German nationalities; peo-
pie Of those nations have not been
bred up to be fishermen and usually
follow other pursuits.
"Of the many South Slavs engag-
ed in fishing in the Puget Sound
waters, and those of Alaska only
eight persons all told, to my know
ledge, have caused the navy the
slightest trouble in any way, some
of these 7 reported at the time to
yourself and you stopped all further
trouble. Their difficulties were per-
sonal and not unusual and were not
of disloyal character. These peo-
pie fished industriously and skill
fully at a time when food was bad
" needed for the United States and
her allies. I found no evidence of
rank Socialism or I. w. w. ism
among them. Their conduct has
compared very favorably with that
of good citizens of this country
The naval officer and Commits
sioner Darwin don't seem to agree.
Now the'singular thing about this
effort to conserve the fish supply
of Puget Sound is that the Big Six
Fish Trap Trust does not see any
thing wrong with the Darwin code
bill. At least the trust does not
appear at Olympia In opposition to
1t, nor In favor of it.
The fish traps take about go per-
cent Of the fish and give employ
ment to 500 or 500 people.
The purse seiners, trollers and
all other fishermen take 40 per cent
of the fish and furnish a livelihood
to from 1000 to 5000 persons.
There may be no joker in Mr..
Darwin's bill but there surely
is trap.
1t seems that, not satisfied with
driving the seiners out of business
the Darwin code would make sports
men pay a license. If the salmon
supply cannot be conserved without
saving all the fish sportsmen would
catch in a season it is not worth
bothering about.
Now, If it be necessary to stop
the depletion of the salmon supply
why not cut out the fish traps and
allow the seiners to continue? This
would also continue the employment
during salmon runs of 5000 per-
sons and save so per cent of the
fish.
The abolition of trap fishing
would make it hard on profiteer-
ing in fish, but 1t would only take
employment from q portion of the
600 persons now employed by the
Big Six.