The Wrangell sentinel., 1938-01-07
WASHINGTON NEWS LETTER
By J. J. Eckles, Secretary to
 Delegate Dimond

Washington, D. c. Dec. Is, 1937-
 h view of the apparent uncer- tainty that the Japanese will again invade the Boring Sea and Brlstol Bay with their floating canneries when the salmon run in that area starts next year-and that these annua lraids may be expected to continue on an expanding scale as long IS the salmon exist in these waters-Delegate Dimond has made clear that he will do all that he possibly can to rush action on leg lslation now pending before Con gress that will definitely prohibit foreign nationals from fishing in Alaskan territorial waters.
 h order that the bill which he has introduced in the House for this purpose be taken Up without delay after the regular session of Cognress conyenes. the Delegate has requested Hon. s. 0. Bland, Chairman of the House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, to arrange that hearings be had on the bill early in the session-pret- erably in January-so that the pro- posed legislation may be undertak- en by Congress in time to halt any present preparations that are being made by the Japanese for the 1888 fishing eason near the Alaska coast.
 Public sentiment in this country is definitely against the thought of our engaging in any war with Japan, but there is a very apparent growing reaction against Japan, resulting from her violation of ac- cepted international rules of con- duct as exhibited in the present conquest of China. This sentiment has been particularly strengthened on account of the unnecessarily harsh treatment accorded noncom- batants who have been unable to leave the zone of conflict. In the ruthless sinking of the United States gunboat Panay and the American vessels anchored alongside the Pan ay, with consequent killing and wounding of American citizens, it seems likely that Japan has placed herself in a situation from which it will take a long time to be clear ed despite any number Of apologies or promises of indemnity.
 Following the precedent estab- lished in 1904 when she attacked Russia without any declaration of purpose, Japan has not yet found an expedient to declare war on China.
 It is said that the present conflict is referred to as the Chinese in- cident" by the Japanese. Obviously popular sentiment in the United States was becoming more fixed as one incident" led to another, until the sequence was finally climaxed by the Panay incident" which, after all, may not yet be the climax in a series of incidents which can only be properly apoi- ogized for in the flowery language of Japan It seems certain that America has not forgotten the last foreign war in which she fought, and for which she is still paying, long enough to pay the part Of big brother to falling China now. But it seems equally certain that we are learning of the surety with which one incident" will follow another in Japan's march to em- pire, and the public reaction is clearly in favor of protecting our home industries and resources from foreign invasion.
 Obviously Delegate Dimond had a clear conception of the progress sion of incidents that follow one another in Japan's climb in any direction, when in his speech on the floor of the House on May 20, 1897, he outlined the commencement of Japanese operations in Boring Sea few years ago by fishing and canning crabs, how these operations were expanded and extended to the taking of other forms, of sea life, until finally they had commenced the taking and processing of Alaska salmon. And in his conclusion, the Delegate put this question to list ening members of eongress-"f the Japanese are permitted to get away with this in the Bering Sea, will it be long until we have Jap anese floating canneries lowering off the coast of all those parts in Alaska where salmon run and thence southward to the entrance to Puget Sound and the mouth of the Columbia River?"
 In the invasion of the Alaska Fisheries Japan started her opera tions with the entire absence of publicity characteristic of the mod esty outlined in her undertaking of the Russo-Japanese War and the nr e ent Sino-Japanese conflict