Los Angeles herald., 1910-06-07
ALASKA WRAPPED
IN STRA|T-JACKET
DECLARES NELSON
Policy Is Conservationism Run
Riot, Says BaIIinger-Pin-
Chot Committee Head
WITHDRAWALS ARE OPPOSED
People of Territory Denied Access
to Coal Lands for Fuel,
Is Claimed
CAssociated Pressl


VIZ ASHINGTON, June 6.-Declaring
w that Alaska had been placed in
w a strait jacket" by the with
drawals of the public lands. Senator
Nelson today sharply criticised the pol
icy of conservation as practiced in that
territory. The Minnesota senator was
discussing the bill authorizing the
president to withdraw from entry pub
lie lands for public purposes, which
he advocated. The measure is one or
a series of administration conservation
bills and was taken up on motion OF
Senator Smoot.
Mr.. Nelson's declaration attracted
special attention because he is chair
man of the Ballinger Pinchot commit
tee and also of the public lands com
mittee of the senate. He said it should
be understood that he did not mean to
criticise either the present adlninlstra-
ton or the preceding one. He added
he thought congress was as much to
blame as any one.
TOO MUCH POWER
| Mr. Nelson's address followed a
speech made by Senator Clark of wy
oming, sharply criticising the bill.
The wyoming senator contedded the
bill would confer an authority entire
| ly too wide, as it would supply legis-
lative Interpretation of the Jrds pub
| lie purposes" far more comprehensive
than ever had been given it. He pre-
sented an amendment restricting the
phrase to the ordinary acceptance of
| its meaning
Mr.. Clark contended that the presi-
dent never had authority for the sus-
pension of the public land laws. He
| believed there ought to be some legis-
Iation giving such authority but he
! would have it properly limited. AdVo-
eating the passage of the bill as re-
ported, Senator Nelson contended that
| it imposed a restriction instead OF
granting new authority.
Is FIRST CHALLENGE
Never had the presidents right to
withdraw the public lands been ques-
! toned, he said, until exception was
taken to the excessive Withdrawals
made by Secretary Garfield during the
last month of President Roosevelt S
administration.
Mr.. Nelson found justification in
existing law for the withdrawal of the
public lands from entry. However, he
| favored conservative action on the
part of the executive in depriVing the
public of the opportunity to avail it.
! self of the public resources. He thought
IndI the present S6llcI dliOll SllOltlI iltN {
full access to these resources. AS IL
Illustrative of his contention that eX-
| ecutiVe action might go too far, Mr
! Nelson instanced the course Of Secre-
| tary Garfield in withdrawing for water
power purposes about 100000 acres OF
land in the west during the last month
of President Roosevelt's administra-
ton. Mr.. Nelson said that while he
gave his adherence to a conservation
policy, he did so only when it was
rational.
PLANNING 'FOR FUTURE
| He would have the public resources
so administered as to afford the liv-
! ing generation 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 it unless he
can stop precipitation from the clouds.
Why should our supply of coal be tied
up and the people prevented from util1-
| zing that fuel?'
Discussing the application Of the
conservation policy to Alaska, he
dwet on the fact that except in the
extreme southern part of that terri
tory there was no timber, and that con-
sequently the people were without fuel
unless they were allowed to use the
coal of that region.
OPPORTUNITIES DENIED
"In 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 ST."
This he denounced as conservation
run riot" Between the withdrawal
| for forest reserves and on account of
of the coal deposits, he declared. AL
aska has been placed in a strait-Jacket
and its development greatly restricted.
Mr.. Nelson was interrupted several
times by Mr.. NeWlands, who called at
tention to the fact that one of Mr..
Nelson's constituents, Mr.. Weyerhaus-
er, the Lumber King" was the owner
of 1000, 900 acres of timber lands that
the Nevada senator said he had been
able to acquire under "our misfit land
laws"
Mr. Nelson replied that Mr.. Weyer-
hauser had become one of the most ar
dent conserVationists.
He out-Herods Herod." he added.