The Alaska daily empire., 1920-08-16


 as Bulletin No. G. in article entitled,
 The Free Killing of Alaskan Brown
 Bears"
 Just why the editor of the Daily Elm
 pire should elect to give the author of
 the pamphlet ten times more credit than
 he deserves for the protection that the
 Alaskan brown bear has received up to
 date does not appear, and therefore apolo-
 gies are due to Dr. c. Hart Merriam, the
 real leader of the opposition to Alaskan
 brown bear extermnaton.
 The article in the Daily Empire applies
 various opprobrious epithets to the cam
 paigning trustee of the Permanent Wild Life Protection Fund who has noted with interest the fact that he has not yet been called horsethief or murderer by direct
 attack
 On May 7 T. B. Drayton writer of special newspaper articles at Seward. Alas
 ka, sent out to four newspapers in the
 States the story of the death of MT.
 Thompson and the dangerous nature of Alaskan brown bears. Along with this he
 incorporated a story to the effect that Will liam T, Hornaday had been publishing the statement that the great Alaskan brown
 bears are harmless animals and he cited
 the alleged arrival in Alaska of those statements coincident with the killing of
 MT. Thompson by bear.
 This statement being without founda-
 tion in fact, was immediately denounced
 by MT Hornaday as wholly false. The
 New York World published the disclaimer
 and promptly referred to MT. Draayton for a
 report On June 10 MT Drayton wrote to
 the World long letter of explanation,
 without furnishing one line of reference in
 support of his harmless yarn, yet lack
 ing the manhood to admit that he was in
 the wrong.
 Mr Drayton represents a small but very
 noisy group of Alaskan editors and writers
 who see red every time their views and
 their demands criticised or opposed by
 anyone in the hated States. It. looks as
 if they are fostering the growth of hostile
 feeling in Alaska toward the National
 Government and especially toward those
 who wish to see the resources of Alaska
 conserved and utilized for the greatest good
 of the greatest number. And MT. Drayton
 complains that he can induce only four
 newspapers to give him half a chance at
 accuracy, much less fair play when he
 writes that rotten subject
 It is the opinion of the writer that
 there are in Alaska few men who just
 now are doing Alaska more harm than good
 and that MT Drayton and the editor Of
 the Juneau Daily Empire two of them.
 WILLIAM T. HORNADAY.
 Dr. Hornaday approaches this question in | manner when he falsely accuses I mpire of holding him responsible for the death larence Thompson. Dr. Hornaday frequently nmes false premise when writing or talking Iaska game problems He did so when he assert efore committee of Congress that there are n ) exceed 5000 caribou in all Alaska when as natter of fact more than that number in a sing and have been from single position
 The Empire cited the instance of the killing larence Thompson as one of many such instanc mich prove the ferociousness and danger of L rown bear around which Dr. Hornaday desires ptain the protection of the law The Empire sai nd now repeats that the brown bear of Alaska menace to human life and domestic and Valuan ame animals Instead of being protected its d tIuction sLoud be encouraged just as the destru ion of ma eating tigers is encouraged in India The Empire said and it repeats, that the blo Clarence Thompson and many others of Alaska cad and mangled calls for the extermination of tn lost dangerous of all North American wild anima IT, Thompson experienced man. lie h. nrved w.th credit to nlmselt througho g ;he wa pd on ,aany battle fronts. If such d man we liable to dcfcnu himself against an atta'k fro brown bear, what hay we expect fron the tho ands of people from the cities and farms which u overnment and others are endeavoring to induce ome to Alaska? Is the brown bear to be protect y Congress for the purpose of killing and manglil hese, and make on their domestic anima nd on the game that would serve to feed them? zWhile The Empire has declared that u food of Clarence Thompson is on the hands Of l. it is among the possibilities that he wou ave been alive if it had not been for the law whit rotects brown bear If that law is retained t tatute books and brown bears continue killing whi eope and natives they have killed them in t ast, the blood of the victims will be upon tho vho responsible for the continued protectiC 'here can be no doubt about that Dr. Hornad nay place the blame others by saying that tn lave influence in the retention of the iniquito nd murderous law than he has, but if he continu o advocate the protection in the future he h n the past he will be unable to avoid all the gui In the meantime, The Empire urges the peoI f Alaska to protect themselves, the members of the antilles. their property and the people generally Jlling brown bears at every opportunity. It su tests, very practical remedy. that the Territori legislature foster the killing of them under the Ia " adding bounty to the value of the belts of hat killed within the law The law permi he killing of three bears each year by single i ivdual If the Territory would give substanti county on each bear killed mp to three for ea' it might make it profitable to organi lunting expeditions to pursue them.