156 



FUR-SEAL HEED OF ALASKA. 



rilK DEADLY PARALLEL. 



Secretary Xa'gol ilou't know 

 anything himself —he relies wliolly 

 upon the advice of experts (hily 

 appointed. 



The letter of Secretary Charles Nagel in 

 answer to inquiry by (^ommittee on 

 Conservation of National Resources as 

 to his "authority " for his work of killing 

 fur seals on the Pribilof Islands in ^■io- 

 lation of law and rules, and who puts 

 this killing as done squarely upon Jor- 

 dan, Stejneger, ^lerriani, et al. 



[Copy.] 



Department of Commerce and Lahuk, 

 Office of the Secretary. 

 Washington, January 14, 1911. 



My Deak Senator: I have your com- 

 munication of the 12th instant inclosing 

 Senate bill No. 9959 to amend an act en- 

 titled "'An act to jirotect the seal fisheries 

 of Alaska, and for other purposes." 



The essential purpose of this bill 1 take 

 to be a suspension of seal killing for a 

 period of five years from and after the 1st 

 of May, 1911. Since the hearing before 

 your committee last year I luiA'e had some 

 occasion to consider this question with 

 the result that the impressions tlien ex- 

 pressed have, if anything, been strength- 

 ened . 



Of course my personal judgment is with- 

 out value. I am relying upon the advice 

 of experts who have been appointed to in- 

 quire and report and who have given the 



department the l>enefit of their opinion. 



* * * * 



If it is proposed to have a hearing upon 

 this bill, I respectfully ask that as much 

 notice as possible be given, so that I may 

 make sure to have present those represent- 

 atives of tie bureau and such members of 

 the boards and commissions as are more 

 especially conversant with tl e question. 

 A^ery sincerely, yours, 

 (Signed) Charles Nagel. 



Hon. Joseph M. Dixon, 



United States Senate. 



The fm--seal "experts" alluded to by 

 Secretary Nagel in the above letter are all 

 "officially'" and modestly presented. 

 June 9, f911, to the House Committee on 

 Expenditures in tie Department of Com- 

 merce and Labor, as follows (see p, 109, 

 Hearing No. 2) (Hearing No. 14, pp. 914 

 918, July 25, 1912.): 



Btit Merriani swears that he 

 has not advised Secretary Nagel, 

 and (U^es not know anything 

 al)ont it, either. 



The Chairman. Well, how long have 

 you been on the advisory boai'd? 



Dr. Meruiam. Since the beginning. I 

 do not remember tlie date; but I have 

 been absent from the city during a num- 

 ber of th.e sittings of tl at committee, as I 

 am engaged in field work in the West at 

 least half of every year, and tl erefore have 

 not been in ^^'ashington at tlie time most 

 of these meetings were lield. 



The Chairman. Were you at the meet- 

 ing of the advisory boanl tliat the previous 

 witness referred to in his testimony? 



Dr. Merriam. I do not remember any 

 such meeting. 



The Chairman. Are you a member of 

 tlie board now? 



Dr. ^Ierriam. Yes. 

 * * * * 



Mr. Elliott. One question more. I 

 understood you to say that you had not 

 been in consultation with Mr. Bowers 

 when he issued his orders for killing 13,000 

 seals in 1910? 



Dr. Merriam. I do not tlunk I was 

 present at any conference when tiiat mat- 

 ter was up. 



Mr. Elliott. I have no further ques- 

 tions to ask at this time. 



The Chairman. Is there anything else 

 iliat you wisli to state, Doctor? 



Di\ Merriam. No. (Hearing No. 11, 

 May 16, 1912, pp. 692, 699.) 



Mr. Elliott. I wish to ask Dr. Merriam 

 some cpiestions. Dr. Merriam, when did 

 you arrive on the seal islands for the first 

 time in your life? 



Dr. Merriam. In the summer of 1891. 



Mr. Elliott. What was that date — 

 about what time? 



Dr. Merriam. On the morning of Julv 

 28. 



Mr. Elliott. When did you leave? 



Dr. Merriam. I left on August 10. 

 (Hearing No. 11, May 10, 1912, p. 695.) 



