The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1950-09-13
COMMUNICATION

~ Lie CQilOI,
Daily Alaska Empire
This is written to point out sew
eral inaccuracies of fact in the ed
itorial appearing in last nights En-
pire September ID entitled Sen
ator Schoeppels Disclosures"
When l was in New York on
other business last March I was
asked by Delegate Bartlett to check
with former clients of Randolph
Feltus, who was being considered
by the Alaska Statehood Committee
for employment as a lobbyist for
the statehood bill. 1t is true as
you say that I talked with several
officials of the Indonesian Trade
Commission, all of whom recon-
mended Feltus highly and said he
had done an extremely able job for
them under difficult circumstances.
1t is not true as you go on to say
that mo further check, apparently
was made into Feltus' background
and previous employment as a lob
byist."
In addition, I talked to various
officials of Pan American World
Always for whom Feltus had also
worked-and as recall it was still
working at that time-as lobbyist.
They also recommended Feltus
highly. He had also done similar
work for Henry Kaiser, for Colonial
Airlines, and had been appointed
by Secretary of the Treasury Fred
Vinson (now Chief Justice Vinson
of the Supreme Court as Assistant
to the Secretary, in charge of pub
lie relations. I reported what
had learned to Delegate Bartlett
in Washington.
You make the categorical state
ment further along in your editorial
that "he Feltus) was not among
those present at the statehood
hearings held this spring at Wash
ington." The fact is that Feltus
was present throughout the hear
ings. I recall particularly that at
one of the sessions I asked the
chief lobbyist on the other side, Mr..
w. c. Arnold of Seattle, who hap
pened to be sitting next to me.
who is that fellow" when Feltus
entered the room, and was inter-
ested in the reply indicating that
Feltus was at least at that time
unknown to Arnold. Subsequently,
it appears, Mr.. Arnold has found
out about him.
In speaking of Feltus' remunera-
ton you say he enjoyed briefly
the distinction of being the highest
salaried Territorial employee, sur
passing even George Sundborg,
whose reputed income from the
Territory is reported to be in ex-
cess of $4,000 year" I have no
knowledge of what Feltus may have
been paid, but am acutely aware
of my own income as contrasted
with the exaggerated statements
which have been made recently
about it. Instead of $4,000, as you
infer, my total income from the
Territory paid to me as Consult
ant for the Alaska Development
Board is $1,000 a year. This is a
matter of public record which you
can easily verify right here in Ju-
neau and which will save you the
bother of using all those "reputed"s
and "reported"s. My Federal salary
as Executive Assistant to the Gov
ernor, including the differential for
Alaska service, is $3.50 per year.
The total you will see falls some
what short of what has been SO
repeatedly alleged. Inquiry dis
closes, in fact, that there is one
Territorial official and at least 80
Federal officials in Alaska who are
paid higher salaries than the total
I receive from the Federal Gov
eminent and the Territory.
Yours for accuracy, even in ed
itorials and even in a year Of pol
itical campaigns.