The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-03-25
NEW BILL THREATENS
COAL CONSERVATION
Would Sacrifice Surface Of
Valuable Coal Lands and
Cripple Mining


Ssecial to Daily Leader
Washington, March 25-While the
reactionaries III both houses Of con-
sreas are wondering aloud and for
public consumption whether the tron-
BILE which the insurgents are creating
will make it possible for congress to-
carry out the Roosevelt policies or
the Taft legislative program, it is a
matter Of comment that The only one
CT the nine administration conserya-
tion bills which the senate has thus.
fai passed lies pgeon-holed in the.
house committee on public lands, over
which Mr. Mondell of Wyoming pre-
sides.
This Is the most important of the
conservation bills, as it relates TO the
Withdrawal OF public lands, rich in
natural resources, and which through
the efforts of the senate progressives
and former Secretary Garfield has
been shaped into a genuine conserva-
non safeguard. SO far it has beeni
impossible o get this bill out of MI
Nondells committee, and members of
,he committee hold oul little hope for
the measure.
While this true conservation bill
lies thus safely slowed away. Repre-
sentative Mondell has evolved an in-
nocent-looking conservation bill OF his
own, which. in the opinion of Repre-
sentative Scott Ferls of Oklahoma, a
minority member on the public lands
committee, would result in selling for
d song to "hOmesteaders' and actual
settlers" so called, as agricultural
surface lands. millions of acres of
Western coal lands that are selling
today for $40O and more per acre
10 coal miners
This is house bill No. 13,907 and
purports tc open 10 settlement "by
actual settles only the surface oi
ccal lanfs for agricultural purposes
ii stands on the Union calendar anu
il liable TO be called up any time
now by air. Mondell for passage. M,
Mondell. In his report says "this IL
true conservation measure, mas
ueh as it retains the coal in these
lands in TIE possession Of the Gov
trnment.'
The original bill, as made public
hv Mr. Mondell was a fair measu'e e,
ana provided reasonable means BY
which prospector or the Government
might mine the coal under the sur
iace lands. but When The bill got in
iho committee, Mr. Mondell and his
friends amended it and hedged it IN
:. with such conditions of liability on
part of the developer to the home
/ stea1er that, in the opinion OF MT
2 Ferris. no one can afford to work the
= cain, and the result will be that the
/ coal lying thus bound UP unused. Con
, p1ess VIII eventually have to give il
: 60 the homesieader or lei i remain
g untouched forever
THE result" saws Mr. Ferris, is
quite apparent that the rights OF the
. Government or its successors to ie
, rter and remove. or even prospect for
/ the coal. is so onerous and so cum
herenme thai the h0mesteader vii
not alone get the surface lands, bn
e The coal as we'll Now II this is tt
q be done. il should be done In plail
, terms. so that graciousness and gratl
G n.de would not botb be wanting. Bu
s His should MOI be done. 1t woul'
!. dissipate ali hope of coal conserva
d ton. 1t would overturn what en-
Government has been doing since l9o'
b in Classifying and valuing these lands
il would stop all coal land revenue t'
J. the Government ana the development
q Of the coal land area as we'll
Representative Ferris has not beer
), content with merely filing his minor
it\ renort exposing the character o
h the bll but he has sounded the alarm
J, generally among his colleagues owe
l. this far-reachmg attempt TO bottle
un and then give to agricultural ell
i tsymen this vast coal area, aggregh'
ing millions of acres, so that II con
gress passes this bill, II will be doini
il with its eyes opened TO the conse
. quences.