The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1910-08-18

4
the Western Conservation League
in the interview printed in your col
umns last evening, would dispel
such doubt. Mr.. Browne put up a
very plausible argument in favor OF
the private monopoly of these re-
sources, but it will not bear analy-
sis.
What are the facts? Up to the
| present time our natural resources
| have been squandered. Our lands
forests, gold mines, silver mines.
coal mines, oil and gas wells, have
been transferred to corporations or
syndicates for a mere song. Our
great highways of commerce, the
rivers-the natural competitors OF
the railways-are choked and un-
navigable; our public lands practi-
cally all appropriated, mostly by
giant corporations; our gold and sill
yer mines, our iron, zinc, lead and
coal mines, our oil wells, natural gas
and our marvellous water power are
| largely under private control, and
we have several times experienced a
coal famine when the coal supply
actual and potential, could have met
the needs of population of a thou
sand millions, our Niagara Falls
have been diverted into the back
wards of private factories without
any adequate compensation to the
public; our giant trees dating back
to the inception of the pyramids
have been ruthlessly slaughtered at
a rate and by methods that should
make the angels weep. All these re-
sources amounting to thousands OF
billions of dollars in value were vir-
tually given away.
Indeed, up to the time that Gift
ford Pinchot took charge of our bu-
reau of forestry, our land policy was
a most atrocious tumble. But there
are still some public lands. Pinchot
holds that these public lands, en-
bracing the tremendous natural re-
sources of timber, minerals and wa
ter power, should be held for the
benefit of all the people and not for
the ACKNOWLEDGMENT of few favor
| ite individuals, as suggested by MI
Browne. To this end, backed by the
powerful influence of President Roo
seyelt. he proceeded to withdraw
these lands from the realm OF Specu'
lative explorations. 1t was obvious
| lv and probably the right thing tC
do. for to parcel these natural re-
sources out, indiscriminately, &c
large corporations, will make it ab'
solutely impossible to exercise any
degree of supervision over their han
ding. Pinchot and Roosevelt believe
that the government should have
full control over the timber-cuttlne
industry to the end that the water
sheds be left standing, the waste OF
fire reduced to a minimum, and the
replanting of trees be systematlcall!
accomplished 1t was high time
that this action be taken, as the
svndicates have already cast covet
Gus eyes upon them.
Our mineral resources were In
Guided in this policy. 1t was held
therefore, that while capitalists
should be guaranteed full and fail
return upon investments necessary
to develop these great resources
that the people, in common, shouio
have an adequate share OF the
wealth produced from these resour-
ces. And in this case, as in the case
of the forests, there was no room
for delay. We were up against It.
With reference to iron, it is estl-
mated by government experts, that
the supply of this ore, outside OF
| Alaska. cannot be expected to last
more than fifty years. Nearly all OF
this ore is now owned by the United
States Steel Corporation. And the
directors of that great trust appre'
ciate it's value even if the people do
not. Charles M. Schwab, who was
president of the Steel Trust at the
time, testifying before the Industrial
commission, May IL, 1901, said: Ii
I were valuing the raw materlal III
this capitalization, it would not De
big enough. This company mas
five hundred millions tons of ore IN
sight in the Northwest. we own
something like 10000 acres of Con-
nellsvilIe coal. There is no more
Connellsville coal. You could not
buv it for $685. an acre. This ore
is the greatest asset of all. WORKS
can be duplicated but this ore can
not" This is the crux of the mat
ter. Works can be duplicated Out
natural resource cannot. Let us
not forget this. And for the priVl-
lege of exploiting these great reser-
voirs of wealth, which the enllght-
ened conscience of all intelligent
men impels them to acknowledge as
the common property of all the peo-
pie. the Steel Trust paid less than
the market of Okanogan farm lands