The Nome nugget., 1932-10-15

am going to particularize as to
 those powers. At the present time
 the whole control of the fishing industry lies in Congress; Alaskans
 nave nothing to say about it. And
 the whole control of the fur and
 game lies in Congress and it is
 being exercised through the AL
 aska Game Commission under the
 law which established that com mission and certain amendments
 thereto. think that the entire
 control of the fishing industry should be turned over to the Al
 aska legislature so that the mat ter of the establishment and the ioperation of traps and the opera
 tion of all other gear for the talk ing of salmon could be determin.
 ed and settled by the people of
 Alaska through the legislature. It
 seems to me clear beyond any
 question that the people of Alas.
 ka have the greatest knowledge of
 all things concerning this industry
 and have the greatest interest in
 the proper control of the industry.
 Thousands upon thousands of the
 people along the coast of Alaska
 depend for their livelihood upon
 the fishing industry. They are glad that canneries are establish
 ed and they are glad to see them
 operate. But they do not want
 these canneries to take all of the
 wealth out of Alaska and leave
 nothing for the native residents.
 And equally there is no disposi- tion on the part of the people
 of Alaska to confiscate the pro-
 perty of any corporation or of any person wether engaged in the fish
 ing industry or otherwise. Con
 gress simply lacks the knowledge
 to legislate intelligently for the people of Alaska concerning the
 fishing industry, and, moreover Congress is so burdened with oth- CT matters that it cannot give the necessary time to acquire sufficient knowledge to pass proper legis- lation for the control of the in the entire control is left to a Wash
 ington bureau, the bureau of fish
 cries. I am certain in my own
 mind that the people of Alaska.
 as represented in the legislature can do better job than has ever
 been done regarding this industry. | The people of Alaska will take the
 steps necessary to preserve the supply of salmon and other food fish and they will see that local residents get a reasonable amount of the natural wealth that | is derived from the operation of this business.
 Wickersham Stand
 l,- The question now arises: Where does WiCkersham stand on this issue? Of course he is against ter ritorial control. It is true that he introduced in Congress in the last session a bill which, if enacted, would have turned the control of the fishing industry over to the legislature. But no hearing was ever had upon that bill and no effort was made by Judge Wick ersham to pass it. Of course i, pie, to introduce a bill in Con gress and then just let it lie there, and that is precisely what happened with respect to Judge Wickersham's bill for turning con trol of the fishing industry over to the people of Alaska. So far as know, the only time that any mention was made of the bill before the committee was at d hearing upon another bill, held in the House of Representatives on and subsequent to February II. 1882. In this hearing Judge Wick ersham had described certain. man named Pete Olsen, a resident of San Francisco, and the secretary there of what was called the Al aska Fishermen's Union," as al labor racketeer. It is not necessary to explain to you what a racket ger, or a labor racketeer is. II there is in the world a more des- picable person than a racketeer, I don't know who or what he Is. Then further on in discussing this other bill, Judge Wickersham sug- gested that Congress pass the bill granting power to the legislature of Alaska to conserve and control the Alaska fisheries. Whereupon MT. Sirovich. a Congressman from New York, asked the question, And who will control the Alaska Legisla- ture up there?" MT. Wickersham immediately replied. "Well. who controls Congress: God, only knows. Pete Olsen probably. So, Mir. Wick ersham, when the question was put to him straight, could only tell Congress that Pete Olsen, whom he had described as labor rack eteer, would probably control the Alaska legislature. Of course that was enough to convince the gen. tlemen of the Committee that the