The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1906-06-28
TRIES
TO SAVE COAL LANDS
Resolution Will Prevent Grab offs
100000 Acres.
PRESIDENT IN FULL ACCORD
Purpose is to Keep What is Left of
Nations Fuel Beds Out of the
Control OF Monopolies and
Trusts.

Nations Fuel Beds Out of the
Control of MonOpolies and
Trusts.
I Washington, d. C.-Standard Oil
and railroad. senators sat up and
took notice when Senator La Toilette
introduced concurrent resolutions
which, if adopted, will prevent the
Federal Government from selling
any more public lands underlaid
with coal, ignite or oil. the purpose
being to keep what is left of the
lands out of the grasp of the copora-
they could get as rapidly as possible.
1t is Senator La Follette's idea
that there are left AS 5000, 900 acres
of public lands known to be under
laid with rich supplies of fuel. He
thinks they will become a factor in
the future industrial development of
the country and should be retained
by the Government. He has no radi-
cal notions about the Government
operation of these fuel beds, but he
is firm in the conviction that these
necessities should be kept out of the
1 S1OONJ AA@" III IL A4OAOpO1IC0 LII
trusts which are grabbing for them
wherever they can be obtained by
purchase or theft.
La Follette's belief is that with
the Government in perpetual control
of these fuel deposits it could pre-
vent any threatened tieup of fuel
such has been imminent in the past
from coal strikes. President Roose-
welt is in thorough accord with Sen
ator La Toilette on this subject.
Soon after Senator La Toilette had
spoken in the Senate on the fragrant
wrongs being perpetrated against the
five civilized Indian tribes by the
seizure of their valuable coal and
mining lands by the railroads, the
President sent for the Senator from
Wisconsin and talked over the en-
tire question with him. The Presi-
dent then wrote in his message &C
companying the Garfield report on
Standard Oil:
THE time has come when no oil
or coal lands held by the Govern
ment either within the public domain
proper or in territory owned by the
Indian tribes should be alienated.
The fee to such lands should be kept
in the United States Government
whether or not the profits arising
from it are to be given to any Indian
tribe, and the lands should be leased
only on such terms and for such per-
iods as will enable the Government
to keep entire control thereof"
The central point of the resolu-
tons is contained in this section:
THAT the President be authorized
to withdraw from entry and sale all
public lands known to be underlaid
with coal, Ignite or oil and all such
lands as, in the judgment of the di-
rector of the geological survey, con-
tain deposits of coal, Ignite and oil,
and that all such lands be withheld
from entry and sale until such time
as Congress shall determine other
wise"
Senator La Toilette in presenting
his resolutions spoke briefly, saying:
81 believe that there should be no
doubt in regard to the Presidents
power to withdraw these lands from
entry and sale. There is little more
to say in regard to the resolutions
other than I believe every man in
this country has a direct interest in
knowing the character n extent OF
the coal deposits.
There is not a pound of coal
which should be wasted. The Gov
eminent. has about f 100000 acres
of coal and Ignite deposits. 1t
should retain control of them. I do
not contend that it should operate
them. 1t might lease these lands to
private companies upon it's W
terms to prevent the mOnopoliZation
of the fuel supply, the manipulation
OF prices or the occurrence of such
DISASTROUS strikes as the great strike
in the anthracite coal fields. The
fact hat the Government would w
the coal supply and could dispose Of
it upon such terms as it would be
pleased to impose, would enable the
Government to enforce arbitration at
least in all disputes between labor
and the operators. I know that the
President is anxious to conserve the
fuel supply of the country, and the
purpose of my resolution is to clear
up all doubt as to his authority to
withdraw these public lands for
SALE"
Another feature of the La Toilette
resolutions indicating the possible
Government development of the fuel
lands ready for operation, was this:
THAT the Secretary of the Interior
cause to be made a thorough investi-
CATION of the fuel, Ignite and oil de-
posits of the United States and report
to Congress the nature, extent and
best methods of mining the same, so
as to operate them with the least
amount Of waste"
Standard Oil might find a COM
petitor in the oil field which it could
not crush in the United States Gov
eminent.