INVESTIGATION' OF THE FUR-SEAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA. 557 



against men who may have violated the law. But there was no 

 reference to any criminal action at all. 



Mr. McGuire. By the way, Mr. Chairman, there was a minority 

 report in that case. 



The Chairman. Yes; you filed a minority report. 



Mr. McGuire. Has the Department of Justice ever paid any atten- 

 tion to the report of the majority of the committee ? 



The Chairman. No; you see there was no action taken on it in 

 the House. 



Mr. McGuire. But has it been called to the attention of the De- 

 partment of Justice? 



The Chairman. No; not at all. You see, even the administra- 

 tion has changed since then. 



Mr. McGutre. But certainly that would not stop justice, would 

 it ? [Laughter.] 



The chairman will not concede that that will prevent justice, will 

 he? 



The Chairman. No; but I mean there is nothing down there in the 

 department now. So far as this committee is concerned there was no 

 hint to the Department of Justice on the part of the chairman in the 

 formal report that such a thing ought to be done. We considered 

 that it was practically ended when the House could not act on the 

 report, because it did not have time enough in which to act. 



Mr. McGuire. Yes; I can see that it was ended, too. I supposed 

 the investigation was through with; and this is all made necessary 

 by Mr. Elliott being sent up there — the very man who made the 

 charges — being sent up there to find the truth. 



The Chairman. No. I will tell you; it was made necessary by 

 some people who wrote letters to the committee and suggested that 

 an injustice was done, and so on; and I considered, for one, that if 

 anybody thought an injustice was done, we ought to go into it and 

 reach the bottom of it and clean it out, so that nobody would have any 

 cause for complaint. The fact of the matter is that this seemed to 

 be a regularry organized movement over in New York, headed by 

 Madison Grant, who states that the committee's report was malicious 

 in the former committee. 



Mr. McGuire. I did not know anything about that. Was there 

 any former action? 



The Chairman. That it was untruthful, false, and malicious. And 

 if there is anybody who thinks that he was harmed, the time to say 

 so and explain why and how is just now, while this question is up; 

 and I think the matter ought to be cleared up until we touch the 

 bottom. 



Mr. Clark. How can we recall the spreading of these charges all 

 over the country, attached to the names of Dr. Jordan, Dr. Stejne- 

 ger, Dr. Lucas, and myself ? How can we recall it ? 



Mr. McGuire. You will get used to that when you get into politics. 

 [Laughter.] 



The Chairman. Yes. 



Mr. McGuire. Mr. Chairman, at this juncture I suppose it will be 

 the proper time to inquire whether there was ever any formal action 

 of the committee sending Mr. Elliott to Alaska ? 



The Chairman. Yes; we had a regular meeting and did so by 

 resolution. 



