INVESTIGATION" OF THE PUE-SEAL INDUSTRY OP ALASKA. 243 



By getting their own man into this office, armed with that "duty" 

 and authority of making "scientific" studies of that herd, and of the 

 lessees' work annually, it became easy for Mr. Senator Elkins and 

 Mr. D. O. Mills to control that arm of inquiry, and report. Then, 

 with that "scientific" control on the one hand, with the control of 

 the civil agents on the other, the lessees had nothing to concern them- 

 selves about over reports that might be annually filed in the Treasury 

 Department, or in the Bureau of Fisheries. 



The results that followed amply paid them for their trouble in 

 getting this unfit man Bowers installed. They kept him there, too, 

 in spite of protests and proof of his unfitness piled mountain high. 



The lessees also had another object in sight, and Bowers was the 

 man to reach it for them. They knew that they would have great 

 opposition to a renewal of their lease in 1910, so they banked upon 

 Bowers in this office as being able to secure that renewal for them. 



In order that Bowers should not be hampered, they persuaded 

 Theodore Roosevelt and Oscar Straus to put all of the details of this 

 fur seal business into Bowers's control by an Executive order dated 

 December 28, 1908, as follows, to wit. 



December 28, 1908. 

 To the Commissioner of Fisheries, the agents charged with the management of the seal 

 fisheries in Alaska, and others concerned: 



By virtue of the authority vested in me by the Revised Statutes of the United 

 States, sections 1973 and 161, and by the organic act creating this department, ap- 

 proved February 14, 1903, it is hereby ordered that, subject to the direction of the 

 head of the department, the Commissioner of Fisheries shall be charged with the 

 general management, supervision and control of the execution, enforcement, and 

 administration of the laws relating to the fur-seal fisheries of Alaska; that the agents 

 charged with the management of the seal fisheries of Alaska, together with such other 

 persons in the employ of the department as may hereafter be engaged in the execution 

 of the said laws, shall be subject to the immediate jurisdiction and control of the Com- 

 missioner of Fisheries, and shall, in addition to the duties required of them by law, 

 perform such other duties as he may, with the approval of the Secretary of Commerce 

 and Labor, prescribe; that the appropriations for "Salaries, agents at seal fisheries in 

 Alaska," 1908 and 1909, "Salaries and traveling expenses of agents at seal fisheries 

 in Alaska," 1908 and 1909, and "Supplies for native inhabitants, Alaska," 1908 and 

 1909, shall be expended under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Fisher- 

 ies, subject to the supervision of the Secretary; and that all records, papers, files, 

 printed documents and other property in the department appertaining to the fur-sei'l 

 fisheries of Alaska shall be transferred from their present custody to the custody of the 

 Bureau of Fisheries. 



Oscar S. Straus, Secretary. 



The story of how United States Commissioner of Fisheries, George 

 M. Bowers, used every arm of his office to secure a renewal of this 

 lease for his patrons, is one of the most remarkable exhibitions, self- 

 confessed, of arrogant, official malfeasance that has ever been put 

 into sworn testimony; and how he failed is equallv interesting. It 

 is all set forth in Hearing No. 3 (pp. 147-162, July 6, 191:1, H. Com. 

 Exp. Dept. Coni. & Labor). A brief excerpt of this ama2ing testi- 

 mony is given below: 



Mr. Elliott. And I want Mr. Bowers to pay some attention to this, because this 

 is important, at least some good lawyers have told me that it is very important to 

 hiim — ■ 



"Being an official letter covering a 'memorandum' addressed to George M. Bowers, 

 commissioner, urging him to take steps to prevent the passage of the Dixon fur-seal 

 resolutions introduced in the United States Senate by Senator Joseph M. Dixon. 

 (S. Res. 90, 91, 92.) 



