Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1910-01-19
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 10, 1910.
WILL LAND.GRABBERS WIN.

WILL LANO.GRABBERS WIN.
In the Boring river district in
Alaska have been discovered big
coal deposits with an estimated
l 500, 000,0 900 tons that lie above the
river level. from the very first
discovery there has been rush by
syndicates and various groups of
spectators to get title to these
lands. The lands were covered
with fraudulent filings. and for the
past five years every possible in
fluence has been brot to bear upon
the Interior Department to confirm
the title and give patents to the
lands to the supposed hardy Alaska
prospectors" who have filed on the
land. 1t is estimated that not ten
per cent Of those who have filed
have ever been in Alaska. While
Roosevelt was president no progress
was made in securing these fraudu-
lent titles which involve the owner
ship of coal, the profit on the min
ing Of which will nearly double the
amount of the entire bonded in
debtedness of the United States.
With the advent of Taft the schem-
ers succeeded in securing one of
their own crowd, Ballinger, as the
secretary of the Interior.
He had before his appointment as
a member Of the cabinet been act
ing as the attorney for some of the
groups of Seattle spectators who
are concerned in this gigantic pro.
motion scheme. One OF the most
valuable men in the government s
service was Clifford Pinchot, until re-
Gently chief forester. He was inde-
pendent, capable, honest. On June
10, 1907, President Roosevelt said
of him, I'VE are doing everything
in our power to prevent fraud upon
the public lands. -. SO much
for what we are trying to do in
utilizing our public lands for the
public, in securing the use of
water, the oil, the coal, and the
timber for the public. In all four
movements my chief adviser, and
the man first to suggest to me the
courses which have actually proved
so beneficial, was Mr.. Clifford Pin
chot, the Chief of the Forest Ser
vice.
Again, in his address opening the
conference Of Governors of the
United States at the White House
May 13, 1908, President Roosevelt
said: Especial credit is due to the
initiative. the energy, the devotion
to duty, the far-sightedness of
Clifford Pinchot (great applause) to
whom we owe so much of the pro-
gress we have already made in
handling this matter of the co-ordi-
nation and conservation of natural
resources. Ii it had not been for
him, this convention neither would
nor could have been called"
Now President Taft has dismissed
this man Pinchot from the Govern
ment's service because he says he
was guilty of breach of etiqucte
in giving Senator Dolliver certain
information asked for which in it's
matter contained a refec-
ticn on the interior Department.
action in Diminishing CLAWS, whom
Mr.. Pinchot declared was 1.-The
most vigorous defender of the peo-
pies interests. The breach of
etiquette claimed was that the let
ter should have been directed to the
president instead of to Congress.
Just previous to Pinchot's fatal
letter Secretary Ballinger lad writ
ten one to Senator Jones which was
read in the Senate, but the Presi-
dent took no notice of that. It
will now be interesting to see if
the big interests can force thru
these big steals of public lands. If
they will succeed, it will be thru
the efforts Of a subsidized daily
press and the venality of public
men thruout the land. ~
- CrneoPv enorialo Cafr,rlav