The Wrangell sentinel., 1922-10-19
Sutherland is Against the
 Reservation System Dealing
 With the Salmon Fisheries
THE DELEGATE DECLARES THAT THE RESERVATION SYSTEM WOULD SIMPLY OPERATE TO THE BENEFIT OF THE CHOSEN FEW AND WOULD PREVENT THE DEVELOPMENT OF
 PERMANENT FISHING POPULATION

many shall have the first considera- tion of those who have been selected to administer the government, and that the conditions that have ob- tained in the past whereby legisla- tive and bureaucratic effort has been directed towards conferring benefits upon a favored few, shall cease.
 The people of Alaska are as deeply concerned with the depletion of sal mon in their home waters as the Department Of Commerce is; but, l as their representative in Congress, respectfully submit that your pro- posed method of preventing further depletion by the creation of mono poly in the interest of nonresident canners whereby they will decide who shall participate in the Alaskan fisheries of salmon, cannot appeal to any fair-minded person, Alaskan or States resident, as just or equitable.
 Your proposed method for preven- tion of further depletion of the Alas kan salmon fishery is not in any re- spect in accordance with the system successfully adopted by other fishery countries whose migratory fish sup ply has been preserved, nor is it con- sonant with the free and common right of fishery which is recognized as the basis of fishery laws by all progressive nations, and further more, under the interpretation of the Supreme Court of the United States, is recognized as one of the right guaranteed by the American Consti- tuition.
 The constitutional free right of fishery expounded repeatedly by the courts cannot in any way be exer- cised under the monopolistic system which this reservation method of dealing with the situation estab- fishes.
 The granting of exclusive manu- featuring rights in the reserved zones, to salmon canners, by the United States Bureau of Fisheries carries with it the exclusive right of fishery which is in violation of Amer ican principles and traditions.
 The traditional American theory is that the fish of the ocean are for whoever desires to take them, under such regulations and restrictions as governmental agencies may prescribe for the purpose of allowing sufficient escapement of mature fish to replen- ish the general supply by natures process of reproduction of species, but it was never intended by nature that some certain individuals should appropriate to themselves the exclu- siye right of fishery in any waters nor was it the intention of the framers of the constitution than any agency of government should present a few favored persons or corpora tions with exclusive rights to great natural food supply which is naturally the common property of all the people.
 The great basic principle Of fishery laws in all countries whose migra- tory fish supply has been preserved is, and always has been the equitable distribution of employment, or the common and proportionate good of all the inhabitants, and there can not be any other basis of legislation that will tend toward the establish ment and development of a stable fishing population in any country.
 The proposed reservation system of dealing with the Alaska salmon fisheries would simply operate to the benefit of chosen few and would prevent the development of a perma- nent fishing population such as we desire for Alaska and such as has