6 INVESTIGATION OF THE FTTK-SEAL INDUSTKY OF ALASKA. 



]VIr. Watkins. You are reading now from a paper which is not a 

 part of your report ? 



Mr. Elliott. Yes, sir. I am coming to that point now. [Read- 

 ing:] 



due to the mismanagement of the fur-seal herd by our own agents and officials 

 during the last 20 or 25 years. 



I have done so, and now submit it to the committee. But, gentlemen, there is a 

 certain personal equation between that seal-island business and myself which can not 

 be well reduced to writing, and I am going at this point, and before I take up the 

 subject of that loss and its cause, to digress a little. I do so in order that you may 

 fully understand me and my understanding of the questions involved. 



As an associate and collaborator of the Smithsonian Institution, I was asked by 

 Prof. Henry and Prof. Baird (secretary and assistant secretary) to go to the Pribilov 

 Islands, in April, 1872, there to study the biology of the fur-seal herd and make draw- 

 ings from the life and collections of specimens for the Institution. At that time there 

 was absolutely nothing specific known about the herd; no naturalist and artist had ever 

 lived with it or studied it until I did so during the seasons of 1872, 1873, 1874, and 

 1876; no naturalist had ever given to the literature of this life a single definite or cor- 

 rect impression of it until I published my monograph of the seal islands of Alaska, in 

 1882, based wholly upon my field notes of 1872-1876, properly elaborated and sys- 

 tematized. 



Those findings of fact published by myself 31 years ago have been verified by this 

 committee in the hearings held by it during the last two years. All of the carping 

 and incompetent critics — -all of the "scientific" prostitutes who have been busy since 

 1890 in denying my work have been brought to book under oath here, and compelled 

 to confess their complete ignorance, or worse, in the premises. 



Mr. Watkins. Excuse me, I do not think language of that kind 

 should go into the report. 



The Chairman. No. 



Mr. Elliott. Well, change it. As we go into the details, I believe 

 you will see that it expresses the truth. 



The Chairman. You will understand, Mr. Elliott, that the thing to 

 do is to submit facts. 



Mr. Elliott. I am coming to the facts. These are facts which I 

 am submitting. 



The Chairman. There should be no characterizations; just let us 

 have the facts. 



Mr. Elliott. I have mentioned no names. 



Mr. Watkins. We understand: we do not care to go into this con- 

 troversy. 



Mr. McGuire. My own persons! opinion is that I would like to 

 have this go into the record, and I will be frank in stating my reason. 

 I do not agree with Dr. Elliott at ; 11. and he lias exhibited an uncon- 

 trollable feeling all through this matter, which I think makes him 

 entirely incompetent, end there is no better evidence of incom- 

 petency than statements of that kind. I think the Congress is en- 

 titled to know who it is making the statement and giving this testi- 

 mony. 



Mr. Watkins. I have not made any motion to strike out it, but 

 I merely made a suggestion that it was extreme. 



Mr. McGuire. I think you are correct about the statement being 

 extreme, and that is one reason I thought it should go into the record. 



Mr. Watkins. I withdraw my objection. 



The Chairman. We will let this go in, but the witness will have 

 to be cautioned that he shall submit facts and nothing else. 



Mr. Elliott. I am going to submit the facts that a man called a 

 scientist has charged me with being the head of a pelagic sealing 

 lobby. 



