The Alaska daily empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1912-1926, 1922-06-12
U, S. BUREAU
IS DENOUNCED
! BY DELEGATE
Delegate Sutherland Roasts
Departments for Prevent
ing Fish Piracy.

The full statement of Delegate Dan
A. Sutherland, in which he denounced
the Bureau of Fisheries and other
branches of the government, on ac-
count of the announcement that three
subchasers and two Coast Guard cut
tiers would be used in Alaska to pa
troll the waters for aiding in carry
ing out a plan for the cooperation of
the Departments of Justice, Com
merce and Treasury for the suppress
sion of fish piracy and the prosecu-
tions under all fishing laws for de-
predations on the industry" which
was given "a first page, last column
position and run under a page-wide
streamer head in the Seattle Post
Intelligencer, follows;
81 have herewith a statement from
the Department of Justice regarding
alleged lawlessness OF fishermen in
Alaskan waters. and | can only say
that IT is unfair and unjust to the
people of Alaska and | regret that
dt has been ISSUED.
Propaganda of Canneries
''This same thing has occurred sew
eral times in the past and is part of
a system of propaganda by the large
cannery interests of Alaska to stig
Matte the local fishing population
and make 1t appear to the country
that they are disloyal and lawless
people. This is for the purpose of
camoufla cling their own lawless and
disloyal work, to conceal the real
purpose of their efforts, which is to
secure title and exclusive rights TO
the public Fishing grounds of Alaska.
THE Territory must be branded as
BolsheNist in their struggle to main
tain their rights of fishery rights
which ara their natural, human
rights, just as much as those rights
emuncI'ated in the Declaration of In
dependence.
Federal Bureau Aids
THE large cannery interests of
Alaska are assisted at every turn by
the United States Bureau of Fisher
Gos, which lis really AN adjunct of the
packers, and under their domination
ard control, in their work of usurp-
ing public fishery rights and obtain
ing special privilege and monopolistic
control of the natural food supply
of the nation.
THE real danger of the Alaskan
Fisheries Dis not the petty larceny
thief, but the large and influential
interests that seem to be always i'm
mune from punishment. The court
records of Alaska show 10 indict-
ments of canning companies for
violations of THE Fishery law for one
of independent fishermen. In the
past the cannerymen have settled
with the United States attorney and
the court by pleading guilty and
paying a nominal fee for stolen fish
THE record of the disloyalty and
criminal avarice of the large packing
interests of Alaska is in the depart
ment of justice and has been there
for a period of two years.
Sold Rotten Salmon
These fellows sold to the United
States army over 100000 cases of de-
composed and putrid salmon and rep
reseDtatives of the Bureau of Chem
t,'ry testified under oath that it was
rotten and unfit for human consump.
ton when it was placed in the cans.
There was enough of this poisonous
stuff sold Ito the army to have sick
ened and perhaps killed all the
American forces. and it was done de-
1iberately. cold bloodedly and avari-
ciously
There are no extenuating circum-
stances lin the case.
81 am prepared to submit com
plate list of these persons and the
amount of poisonous food each and
every one prepared and sold to the
government for consumption by the
American lighting forces.
fortunately, inspection in season
prevented it becoming army rations
Was Investigated
This entire matter was inspected
by a committee of House members
headed by Representative Graham of
Illinois.
"In conclusion. permit me to call
attention ito THE fact that Alaska sent
more men to the war in proportion
to it's population than any other gov
ernment unit of the United States
an a large number of these men
came from the fishing fleet. They
answered their country's call prompt
~ and were deprived OF the profits
accidental to fishing during the war.
whMe men who are maligning them
today were swelling their profits by
Supplying the army with poisonous
food"