The San Francisco call., 1910-06-07
nelson WARNS UP
HEART Of ALASKA
Pleads for Release of Coal Lands
on Theory That Country
Needs the Fuel
Says North Is in ''Straitjacket"
Through Conservation
Run Riot

80 Ga ieJdShcL Dy the WllnuTdWdl ol
the public lands, Senator Nelson today
sharply criticised the policy of con-
seryation as practiced in that terri
tory. The Minnesota senator was
discussing the bill authorizinz the
president to withdraw from entry pub
lie lands for public purposes, which he
advocated. The measure is one of a
series of administration conservation
bllis, and was taken up on motion of
Senator Smoot.
Nelson's declaration attracted spe-
clal attention because he is chairman
or the Ballinger- -Pinchot committee
and also of the public lands committee
of the senate. He said it should be
understood that he did not mean to
criticise either the present admins
tration or the preceding one. He
added that he thought congress was as
much to blame as any one.
Nelson's address followed a speech
by Senator Clark of wyoming,
sharply criticising the bill.
AUTHORITY TOO WIDE
The Wyoming senator contended the
bill would confer an authority en-
tirely too wide, as it would supply
legislative Interpretation of the words
public purposes" far more eomprehen
- - Sholi CfOI AcQ OCCh SlNOh ~ iiS
presented an amendment restricting
the phrase to the ordinary acceptance
of its meaning
Clark contended that the president
never had authority for the suspension
of the public lands law. He believed
there ought to be some legislation Civ
ing such authority, but he would have
1t properly limited.
Advocating the passage of the bill
as reported, Senator Nelson contended
that 1t imposed restriction instead
of granting new authority Never
had the presidents right TO withdraw
the public lands been questioned, he
said, until exception was taken to the
excessive Withdrawals made by Secre
tary Garfield during the last month of
President Roosevelt's administration.
| GARFIELD CRITICISED
Nelson found justification in existing
law for the withdrawal of the public
lands from entry. However, he favored
conservative action the part of the
executive in depriving the public of
the opportunity to avail itself of the
public resources He thought that the
present generation should have full
access to these resources. AS Illus
trative of his contention that executive
action might go too far, Nelson in
stanced the course of Secretary Garfield
in withdrawing for water power pur-
poses about 100000 acres of land in
the west during the last month of
President Roosevelt's administration.
Nelson said that while he gave his
adherence to conservation policy, he
did so only when 1t was rational He
would have the public resources so ad-
ministered as to afford the living gen.
Grafton the opportunity Of the full and
proper use of them.
"There will be plenty of water power
hundreds of years after we are dead"
he said mo man can stop 1T unless
he can stop precipitation from the
clouds. Why should our supply of coal
be tied up and the people prevented
from utilizing that fuel?'
THEY NEED THE FUEL
Discussing the application of the con-
servation policy to Alaska, he dwelt
upon the fact that except in the ex-
treme southern part of that territory
there was no timber, and that conse
quently the people were without fuel
unless they were allowed to use the
coal of that region.
I'm face of the fact that there are
valuable coal fields in various parts of
the territory, the people have not been
given opportunity to use a ton of it,
with the consequence that they are
compelled to bring their fuel either
from Australia or China or around the
horn from our own eastern states.
Thus they are compelled to pay from
S12 to $40 per ton when they ought to
get it for 81"
This he denounced as conservation
run riot" Between the withdrawal
for forest reserves and on account of
the coal deposits, he declared, Alaska
had been placed in a straitjacket and
its development greatly restricted.
wEYERHAUSER AN INSTANCE
Nelson was interrupted several times
by Newlands who called attention to
the fact that one of Nelson's constitu-
ents, Weyerhauser, the lumber king"
was the owner of million acres of
timber lands that the Nevada senator
said he had been able to acquire un-
der "our misfit land laws"
Nelson replied that Weyerhauser had
become one of the most ardent conser-
vationists.
"He out-Herods Herod." he added.
| Newlands also fell into controversy
with Hughes of Colorado over a state
ment by the former to the effect that
one concern in Colorado had been en-
abled to procure immense deposits of
| coal contrary to the general public In
| terest. Hughes denounced the state
| ment as an aspersion upon the state
and declared it to be radical and un-
| warranted"
! The house bill, authorizing the dis
posaI of the surface of coal lands for
agricultural purposes was passed by
the senate today. The measure, which
! is considered very important, now re-
quires only the signature of the presi-
! dent to make it law.
Statehood Squelched
WASHINGTON, June s.-By a vote of
| 40 to "a, the senate today took up
| the administration bill to authorize the
president to withdraw public lands for
| conservation purposes. The negative
| vote was cast by members who believed
that the bill to admit Arizona and New
Mexico to the Union as separate states
| should have been given the right of
way.
The action today indicates that even
| If an agreement is reached subse-
| quently by which vote shall be taken
on the statehood bill it will be de-
layed until near the close of the ses-
sion, when there may be slight chance
| for it to emerge from conference.
The democrats led in the movement
! to have the statehood measure SUBJ
stituted for the conservation bill, but
seemed to see in the situation scant
| opportunity for action on it at the pres
ent session.
The general understanding is that