The Cordova daily times., 1922-06-08
THURSDAY, JUNE 8, 1922
WHEN PAUL SPEAKS

Some ten years ago there was much talk III Alaska of the Shackelford ring,0f Boss Shack elford, and later to a I3sserl degree similar charges were thrown up to Tom Donohoe. All sorts of things were said of the power they wielded and the manner in which they con trolled their respective parties. But 1t IS prob able the neither even held in his hand such power as does William J. Paul, an attorney of Juneau and Wrangell, who, becatlse some 70 per cent of his blood is of the Indian strain, organizes the Alaska Native Brotherhood be- comes its official spokesman and herds the natives of Southeastern Alaska at the polls.
 Whenever William J. Paul walks to the polls, he casts at least 500 votes, 1t would ap- pear from the returns of the last primary election Except for representatives to the legislature and possibly the senate, those 5OO votes made little difference at the recent eec- ton They did not affect the outcome of the race for the Republican nomination for dele gate as Dan Sutherland had enough without them.
 It is possible that every one of those natives who voted were entirely within their rights ln casting their ballots. It is possible that every one of them is qualified, legally, mentally and otherwise to exercise the rights of citizen ship and take part in the election. But the Chronicle is of the contrary opinion. It be- lieves that there were many, possibly several hundred natives herded to the polls on election day. and voted without anF sembIance of right, except tAe~Mord of their leader Paul that they were entitled to tlre77se of the ballot. i. It was a remarkable coincidence that tin many of the precincts at which almost nobody but Indians voted that they should all be for the same candidate especially when very many of these natives could neither read nor write It is so remarkable in fact that it calls for an investigation of the government, and the office of the eUnited States attorney could do no better than to have a grand jury spend q month looking into the situation.
 The vote, while ostensibly lined up with the Republican party now, is not party vote, and two years hence may be with the Demo- crats, or the Socialists, or anybody else. Paul, it has been charged in least one Juneau paper, bragged before the election that he would vote the natives to man. If he did make such brag, he certainly made good. And if in the fall he saw fit to desert Dan Suther- land and go to Stroller White there is every reason to believe that he would make good on that too. He is power that every cand- date running for office must consider and cope with. A failure to do so, means solid 500 or more votes for the opposition.
 Let the government make an investigation. If these Indians are entitled to vote, let it be known, definitely and for all time. If they are not so entitled, let there be stop. Of course, this doesn't refer to the natives who are qualified under the law, but simply those who are not.
 Such an investigation at this time, when there is no election contest, could not savor of politics, and would be quite as fair to the natives as to the white-Ketchikan Chronicle.