The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-11-17
PLEA FOR CONTROL
OF MONOPQL| les
Strong Addresses Are Made In
the Civic Convention
ELIOT ON CONSERVATION
Former President of Harvard Advo-
Gates Radical Action-Janes r.
Garfield Declares Must Pre-
serve Nations Resources.

Cincinnati, November 16-Pleas for the
government regulation of monopoles were
voiced tonight by the joint convention of
the convention of the Municipal league
and the American Civic association by
former Secretary of the Interior James
r. Garfield and President Emeritus
Charles w Eliot of Harvard. Both spoke
on the conservation of natural resources
and both declared that it was imperative
that the government take Immediate
steps toward that end.
A note of warning was sounded by Mr.
Garfield who asserted that the countrys
natural resources were in imminent dam
ger of exhaustion and that the interests
which develop this source of natural
wealth must be regulated upon the same
lines as have already been adopted in re-
spect to the railroads.
Mr.. Garfield also maintained that the
interests of the people were not being
properly safeguarded in the Alaska coal
fields and that legislation on that subject
was urgently needed.
DIR. Eliot was equally emphatic The
sentiment of conserving our natural re-
SOulCcS, lle Sdlu, mas gone IKE WIG
fire throughout the country. The people
have reached positive convictions on tho
subject and they mean to have conserva-
ton. 1t is the experience of the Amer
lean people that when any monopoly es-
tablishes itself, whether of labor or cap
ital, then is the time for the stepping
in of government regulation
In his address James R. Garfield said:
THE permanent welfare of our nation
cannot be assured unless we, in this gen.
GRAFTON, provide for the conservation of
our natural resources. Hitherto we have
been needlessly wasteful. We have been
too much occupied with the present; too
little with the future. The inventory of
our resources shows the immediate dan
ger of their depletion or exhaustion.
Conservation is pre-eminently move
ment for the public welfare. Exactly as
the railroads are regulated because they
are public utilities, so must the interests
that develop natural resources be- regu-
lated because they deal with public in
terests. Unfair use of monopoizing of
either is intolerable.
In Alaska the area of 100000 acres has
been withheld for entry pending investi-
cation. The present laws providing for
the disposition of these coal lands are
not what the should be. Some improve
ments have been made in recent years.
but the right of the public are not safe
guarded. None of these lands should be
disnased nf until legislation is enacted
which will provide method by which
the coal can be developed as it is needed
and such legislation as will prevent spec
ulative or monopolistic holdings by a
few great interests and will yield to the
nation a fair monetary return. Under a
leasing system all these conditions can
be readily imposed and these great fuel
deposits can be regulated by public au-
thority of it will become intolerable mo-
nopoly.
Congress has wisely provided for the
continued development of the great irri-
cation projects which have been started,
but there is immediate need of legislation
to check the use and development of wa
terpower to the end that, as with other
resources, the public may. under a sys-
TEN of franchise, or lease, protect Its
own interests and obtain just compensa-
ton.
THE great progress that has been made
through the recent years will not be stop
ped. The people of our country will not
tolerate any backward step. They de-
mand and will see to 1t that their demand
is needed, that the great policies of con-
servation shall be carried out In the in
terests of the public welfare