The Boise citizen. (Boise, Idaho) 1906-1910, 1907-11-08
STEALING COAL LANDS
HOW The RAILROADS HAVE OPERATED IN lHt
ROCKY MOUNTAIN STATES

and Tressor the article in number dealing WIN
the stealing of coal lands by the railroad companies ana %
we make the following extract: . :. eo,i+,,
w that promise recovery Government OF millions OF doA
worth o coal lands .:1t, one third
f the total coal deposits the comtry-or 926ooooo acres
+ west of the Missouri River (960OOOOO acres IN te
called Rocky Mountain region which includes Nort anu
Dakota Montana Wyoming Utah, Colorado ne" 'le
Tdabol During the thirty-three years Which nave
I'D 1v, was enacted the Department has Sod eiy
@ 4oe 600 acres though the reports indicate tnat w PuD
coal lands which have passed into private o"esP ~ Tbese
than the coal land law amount to more t'Ia! ' ;d land
have been lost to the Government IN various ways +t
- State lieu land selections and by PLAN frauo' lei'5
with the apparent connivance OF the General Lana o w
Il the respective regimes Of Bnger Hermann ana W. "
Richards. - ,4d - 1oo6 in a
- % hearings bv the Interstate Commerce Commission at o
Denver and Salt Lake City, under authority OF tne
60 o,+on calling for investigation OF the relations s
oae 1d and coal and oil companies. The commissions
b+ was TO ascertain railroad companies OF the k5
rain region were endeavoring to obtain monopoly - tI
4, these hearings the commissioners examined Pupnoy
the witnesses that had been previously discovered " t
T1 f the Interior and the Department OF justice anu u
l. testimony heard developed facts that were the seia - -
aT w o,e clearly established that the various Dig 0a
y - the Rocky Mountain region simply side companies "
i, d were energeically and most brazeny engaged III SC
] +be cream of the lands Of the public domain; 1 '
e we're openly and brazenly intent upon securing anu I as
y. ~ ~ the coal resources, and in no way paluola
g e and method State officials, United States oel''
ID " ++is worked smoothly in coluson with them ana '
te d patents slipped softly and swiftly through the "
lv C.. Rr;erv notical influence and even Intimidation WEI"
sr sorted to without hesitation by "ea''y ~
~ m ous and avaricous capitalists 49,, , had .cinch' all
F Se +rno owning or subsidizng most OF the heWsPNp
and the other avenues of publicity OF the region s
in re Drororon of the inhabitants largely conrons P
in r,adno themselves that their enterprise IN deVeoPs
90 tbe country justified them in awbeaking IS not we're
ed ~ tons Of so many of these railroad coal companies ~
md so fragrant, open and general u ,a,erce caused
mt .trr is it surprising that such evil power and influence
in e Of a sovereign State to be false to IT'S asteeSP
5 a HOW UTAH LOST COAL LAND.
u Of TTtah and the two big coal corporations the
ae [ r-t Ee Company the Pleasant Valley Coal CoPy
s of the Union Pacific and Rio Grande western y ~
sed lt;no Utah into Union, the Federal Ooel e.
ates ~ h new State the right select, under the direction o t
1ese g +he Interior million of the pubic Eanu " "
the boundaries to be used for the establishment ana 49,
P % schools asvum and other State purposes but tue at oo
that eacon Of uou-rlileral lands only ne Oao t
de- e,ted = State Board OF Land Commissioners WHICH was "
for 49, o,+ and control of the States million acres
the . one Robert Forester agent of the Utah Fue COMPANY
laIso Of the Pleasant Valley Coal Company ana % lrr
@ @ ost and coal expert, aware Oh the Pe ~ T
knS @ Ne and extensive coal deposits the public lands OF o'1
80 80 the officers of these companies found way 10 secure m
rally lions Of dollars worth Of the Government coaI Ia y
olely and exneditoisly-and fraudulently Having eneu |
en-, ;tt orate deal with the State Land Board ney Po0 ~
bond ~ Of whom were employees of the companies TO app
g GO f Utah for land The State had fixed the price OF u
~ - one dollar and fifty which is Just eight doIars d
York @ Ices than the governments price for coal lands further TIL
the f miles from railroad, eighteen dollars ana H "
mated - than coal lands than fifteen miles theeo
arket +io, being made by and women Tor ian
2 te the duty of the Land Board to ascertain "eu
years the lands were character contemplated Dy e @
onal namely whether they inappropriate u"eS m -,
- lands If it appeared they not under these cS
has = was the boards bounden duty reject the apPhcaho
atye 60 pd did not make any examination INVESTIGATION
uU' ny ~ Continued on Page Three