INVESTIGATION OF THE FUR-SEAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA. 841 



self-confessed by that correspondence of his own officialism, which was sent to the 

 House by him June 24, 1911, in obedience to the order of House resolution No. 73. 



That the machinery of the office of the Secretary of Commerce and Labor had been 

 set in motion by order of the Secretary himself as early as October 23, 1909, so that 

 this renewal of the lease should be made, is attested by the following official letter 

 of Mr. Nagel's direction, to wit (see p. 149, hearing No. 3, 1911; July 6, 1911, H. Com. 

 Exp. Dept. Commerce and Labor): 



[Exhibit No. 1.] 



October 23, 1909. 

 Mr. Walter L. Lembkey, 



Agent Seal Fisheries of Alaska, Department of Commerce and Labor. 



My Dear Mr. Lembkey: Will you please furnish me at your early convenience — 

 say, by Wednesday at the latest — with a statement containing approximately 800 

 or 900 words regarding conditions on the fur-seal islands. The Secretary wishes me 

 to give the widest publicity to the termination of the contract and to the department's 

 intention to advertise for proposals next spring. The Associated Press has promised 

 to send a story all over the country and wishes to add enough readable matter to make 

 it interesting. 



I suggest that your statement describe all that it consistently can of the contract 

 and its terms, and also contain data regarding the life of the natives on the islands — 

 their church, school, mode of subsistence, liquor privileges to the church, etc. Of 

 course, incidents of the past season will be welcome. I want to give a good story to 

 the Associated Press, and you need have no hesitancy in setting forth the facts, for 

 it is the Secretary's desire that they be given publicity within reason. 

 Very trulv, yours, 



T. L. Weed, Chief Clerk. 



The newspaper notices which were prepared and published in accordance with this 

 order of the Secretary, as above cited, appeared all over the country as early as October 

 30, 1909 (in papers like the Boston Transcript), and were reappearing at intervals 

 everywhere up to February 21, 1910. 



These semiofficial publications in the daily press aroused certain public-spirited 

 citizens, who addressed protests to Secretary Nagel as early as November 4-10, 1909. 

 The Secretary paid no attention to them, but called his ' 'advisory board' ' on fur.-seal 

 sendee, with Dr. D. S. Jordan as president, into session, and received from that 

 board a recommendation that the lease be renewed on November 23, 1909. That this 

 board did so recommend that renewal of this lease is fully attested by the official record 

 as below, certified to by the Bureau of Fisheries, George M. Bowers, commissioner, 

 under date of December 15, 1909, to wit (see p. 152, hearing No. 3, 1911; July 6, 1911, 

 House Com. Exp. Dept. Commerce and Labor): 



[Exhibit No. 3.] 



Department op Commerce and Labor, 



Bureau op Fisheries, 

 Washington, December 15, 1909. 

 Mr. Commissioner: There is handed you herewith for your consideration a draft 

 of lease of the seal islands. This has been prepared by Mr. Lembkey and myself in 

 compliance with your request. We have endeavored to make the form of the lease 

 agree with the recommendations recently made by the advisory board, fur-seal service, 

 in conference with the fur-seal board. For your convenience a number of references 

 and citations have been indicated. It is believed that an examination of this tenta- 

 tive draft will enable the Secretary to arrive at the exact form desired. 

 Kespectfully, 



Barton W. Evermann, 

 Assistant in charge Scientific Inquiry. 



This draft of the ''proposed" lease appears in full on page 153, hearing No. 3, 1911, 

 and attached to it was a "memorandum" explanatory, in which the following occurs 

 ''see p. 155, hearing No. 3, 1911): 



"The lease should be renewed. It is foolish to abolish killing on land while seals 

 are being killed in the water. Cessation of killing on land means encouragement to 

 pelagic sealing. Should pelagic or sea killing be abolished, it might be well to have 

 a closed season on land as well to allow the herd to recuperate." 



In the meantime it seems that those citizens who had endeavored in vain to get 

 a denial of Secretary Nagel's intention to renew this lease, November 4-10, 1909, then 

 turned to Congress for that action which would compel Mr. Nagel to desist. They 



