Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1910-03-10
eEVERiDGE'S BILLS AIM TO PRE-.
VENT FURTHER LooTiNG OF
PUBLIC DOMAIN.
VAST SUMS ARE INVOLVED
Riches Of Such Magnitude That They
Are Estimated In Billions at Stake
Bad Features Of Railroad
Rate Bill.

's'sa 1850 q wv
on the disclosures made before the
committe on territories by the repre- |
sentatives of the Morgan Guggenheim
syndicate, Senator Beveridge has in.
reduced into the senate bills to pre-.
vent the further looting of the natural |
resources remaining in the public do.
main in Alaska.
His bills provide that all coal lands |
shall he withdrawn from public entry,
and that hereafter individuals and
corporations who desire to operate
these lands shall do so through leases
which are to run for not more thar
~ years. and which are to cover not
more than $500 acres in any one
lease.
Mr.. Beveridge made g statement to
the senate when he presented the bills
which In part Is as follows:
Returning to the testimony before
the committee which gives point and
substance to this particular thing at
this time, | call the attention of the
senate to the fact that the testimony
or the manager Of The Alaska Syndi.
cate who voluntarily appeared be.
fore our committee, and who repre-.
sented The Alaska Syndicate which
is made up of the M. Guggenheim
Sons and j. p. Morgan G. Company
interests, testified under cross.exam.
nation that the cash value of the
Bering river coal fields alone was
$9OO.OOO, 900 gross; that II would prob
ably take $70O, 000, 900 out Of this
$500, 900, 900 to develop the coal fields
and get the coal to the market, leav.
Ing a profit on the 800. 900, 900 of
5000 OO. 900. or nearly 30 per cent.
And these coal fields are quite near
the %seaboard, quite convenient to n
port.
Other Fields immensely Rich.
1T was further testified that what
Is known as the 'Matanuska coal
fields in the Cook inlet region, were
In themselves worth at least as much
as the Boring river coal fields. That
is another 5000, O00. 600.
q
But, Mr.. President, this is not all.
i have secured the advanced report
concerning Alaska Of the geological
survey, and it shows that, in addition
to these two coal fields where 5000.
600 900 at least are accounted for,
there are extensive Goa deposits in
the Alaska peninsula region. In the
Yukon region, in the Seward PENN.
sula, and In northern Alaska. So It
Is certain that all the coal in Alaska
is worth many billions of dollars
vol many millions, but many billions.
] will not say how many billions. for
the aggregate astounds the under.
standing and probably would not be
credited II expressed in dollars"
Senator Beveridge's bills and his
speech are significant In that their
bearing upon the Ballinger case was
clearly apparent, and also because
they were accepted as formal aban.
donment by the senator Of the dis,
credited If expressed In dollars"
Scheme OF Gigantic Size.
This bill, the Ballinger scandal and
the efforts of the Morgan-G uggenheim
syndicate to grab everything Of value
in Alaska are now so closely associ-
ated in the suspicion with which all
are regarded, that they are naturally
discussed as parts of the same gigan.
tic scheme against the public interest.
Under the bill providing for a legls.
lative council for Alaska, 1t was con.
tended that that council would have
charge over the resources OF that
country, and that the Morgan-Guggen.
helm syndicate would have been able
to control them. In fact. Messrs.
Birch and Steele admitted as much
before the committee on territories.
Senator Beveridge. who reported the
Alaskan legislative bill from the com.
mittee on territories. when 1t was
brought to his attention that this
would be the. result, consented to hav.
ing the bill. deposed from the position
of vantage which II had as unfinished
business of the senate. and when the
Morgan~-G uggenheim representatives
made the damaging admissions before
his committee as to the wealth Of the
prize for which they were contend
ing In Alaska, he brought In the bills
the effect of which will be to preserve
that prize to the public. There Is nc
doubt but that a majority of the mer
In this congress are not In sympathy
with a real conservation policy, Blu,
In the light OF the testimony o.
Messrs. Birch and Steele. and Of the
Investigations as to the mineral fue
wealth Of the country made by tb