790 INVESTIGATION OF THE FUE-SEAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA. 



Mr. McGuire. Then at another time $1,000 from the company? 



Mr. Elliott. Yes. 



Mr. McGuire. Then at another time $1,000 and perhaps more? 



Mr. Elliott. Yes; I think more. I have no books; I have not 

 kept them. After the settlement of the Otis dispute, I think they gave 

 me more; I think it went up above that. 



* Mr. McGuire. That is at least $7,000 that you received from the 

 Alaska Commercial Co . ? 



Mr. Elliott. Oh, yes; it might have been $100,000, but what is 

 the difference ? The principle is the same. 



Mr. McGuire. I was just asking you the question. Now, were you 

 in favor of re-leasing the islands in 1909 ? 



Mr. Elliott. 1899 you mean. 



Mr. McGuire. In 1909 I asked you? 



Mr. Elliott. Oh, no. 



Mr. McGuire. Why were you not? 



Mr. Elliott. Because I learned in 1890, that it could not be done 

 properly; that the lease had got to be canceled; I knew that then in 

 detail, and it is the base of my recommendation to that end in my 

 report of November 17, 1890. I said distinctly 



Mr. McGuire (interposing) . Were you in favor of re-leasing them in 

 1899? 



Mr. Elliott. Yes; I did not know then what changes had been 

 made, in the status since 1874. I did not then have any idea about 

 the difficulties which the palagic sealing had brought about. I did 

 not understand the changed order of affairs, as I had not been on the 

 islands for nearly 20 years. Then, when I went up in 1890, I saw 

 at a glance that here was a question of alien private interests in the 

 water, and our own lessees, or their private interests, on the islands; 

 that the alien private interests would never yield as long as our private 

 interests were in the business. That is the reason I made that 

 recommendation. 



Mr. McGuire. In 1889 when you 



Mr. Elliott (iDterposing). 1888, 1 think it was. I do not remember 

 making any expression in 1889. I think it was in 1888 when I was 

 asked by Chairman Dunn to come up and testify before the Committee 

 on Merchant Marine and Fisheries. I went up from the Smithsonian 

 at his request, and he asked me to give him a story of the seal life on 

 the islands. He was interested in the biological end of it, and he had 

 read my works. In the course of that statement, he asked me that 

 question, and I said, " yes" ; I then thought it was all right. I did not 

 know that anything was wrong at that time; had no conception of 

 the change wrought in the premises by the issue of pelagic sealing, 

 which was not in sight even during my studies of 1872-1874. 



Mr. McGuire. Now, Mr. Elliott, unless the other members of the 

 committee want those extended explanations, I would suggest that 

 you just explain far enough to protect your testimony all the way 

 through. 



Mr. Elliott. All right. 



Mr. McGuire. Without quite so much detail. 



Mr. Elliott. I wanted to make that clear; I wanted you to 

 understand it. 



Mr. McGuire. You did make a recommendation in 1888 or 1889 

 for the re-leasing of the islands ? 



