Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1906-08-23
GRAFT IN COAL LANDS
An Attempt to Divert the Batan
Field to Somebody"
DEMOCRATS DEFEAT THE STEAL

"rent value of the Deposit to h
Government In Time of Wharf.-The
Way the Indian Coal Lands HIVE
Outrageous Scandal.
Unuer the imperial system which has
resulted from the late Spanish-Ameri-
q war, the functions of the war
department have been vastly expand
ed, and the secretary of war is prac-
tically viceroy of the colonies. The
most important scandals in the war
department relate to its policy in the
philippines and the Panama canal
zone.
AT the last session of congress, upon
the suggestion of Secretary Taft, a bill
was passed providing for the Dur
chase OF certain Spanish claims on the
Island OF Batan in the Philippine arcli-
pelago, upon the pretcxt of securing
Tor INC government Of the United
States complete control of that island
ana It's immense coal deposits. We
paid $4,000 for those claims. which
were indefensihle according to the de-
partment of justice, and we got IN
disputed title to the coal deposits. Ac-
cordlng to Chairman Cooper Of the
mousse committee on insular affairs,
1--WE paid the money in order that
somebody might get the coal" (See
congressional Record, June S, 1906, page
oo95.) But two weeks after congress
had passed this bill another bill, pre-
pared at the war department, was in
troduced, which provided for LEASING
these coal lands for fifty years to some
body without any compensation in the
nature Of royalty to the government.
The bill and the debate on it will be
found in the Congressional Record at
pages 1904 to SO9S. In the debate
it was shown that these lands were
worth at least 500, 100000. These
lands were to be practically given
away to somebody, some private cor
p~oration-the American coal trust.
Ii the secretary of war had been
the agent of the coal trust in the man
agement of this affair he could not
nave done more in the interest Of that
monopoly than he did by urging the
passage of that bill. Fortunately the
secretary's bill was defeated in conse-
quence Of a strong opposition by Champ
Clark Of Missouri.
Not long ago." said Mr.. Clark, Eve
voted an appropriation Of $4,000 to
secure the shadowy rights Of somebody
to a passageway to these very identical
lands in order that we might have a
certainty Of having coal over there.
NOW the committee comes in and pro-
poses to lease the land for fifty years
to anybody who bids the highest.
That's the theory, but of course every
body knows who it is that is going to
get the lease for fifty years. 1t is true
that they put into this contract the
clause that they must keep on hand
coal enough for our uses and the uses
OF the Philippine government, but sup
pose they do not keep it on hand, and
suppose that we suddenly get into a
foreign war and find ourselves in the
Philippine Islands without any coal?
We would be in a most unfortunate
and disastrous condition. Inasmuch as
we have these coal lands and have paid
for them I am in favor of the United
States government fixing up Il mine Of
its w over there, so that nobody can
pot q TON of coal ont Of fJ,a i,lo,,l nv
cept ourselves for our own purposes"
The Taft proposition was so scandal
Gus that even a Republican congress
refused to become a party to it. 1t was
an attempt to rob the government by
placing it at the mercy Of the coal
trust as to all coal needed for the navy
In eastern waters. 1t was in line With
the policy of the administration re-
specting the coal lands Of the govern
mentment and those of the Indians in
this country, as that policy was eX-
planned by Senator La Toilette in his
speech on the Five Civilized Tribes, de-
livered in the senate March 26. 1906,
when it was shown that the coal lands
belonging to the Indians were worth
at least S175,000,00 comprising 49,
734 acres, of which 1O4, 200 acres had
already been leased to railroads and
the remainder of which would have
been brought under railroad control by
the passage of the bill relating to the
allotment Of Indian lands as it then
stood, the interior department having
made the leases already in existence
and approved the bill which would re-
suit in the lease Of the remainder to
private corporations.