The San Francisco call., 1910-08-13
BALLINGER TALKS
ON CONSERVATION
Secretary Deprecates "Hys-
terra" Surrounding Subject
in Nation
Advocates Opening of Alaska
Coal Fields and of the
Public Lands

PORTLAND. Ore. Aug. 12-Secre-
tary of the Interior r. A Ballinger was
the guest of honor and principal speak
er at a MONDAY banquet at the rooms
of the Portland Commercial club today
The secretary's subject was practical
Conservation" and was listened to by
gallery which included many of Port
lands prominent business and profess
sional men. Secretary Ballinger in his
speech deprecated the hysteria and ex-
citement with which he said the sub
ject of conservation had been surround
ed; declared his opposition to the lock-
ing up of the Alaska coal lands, and
compelling the residents of that terri
tory TO import their coal at great cost
from the states and foreign countries,
and favored opening for settlement
public lands capable of giving strength
and permanent prosperity to the coun-
try in agriculture. commerce and in
dustry.
WHY THIS EXCITEMENT.
Secretary Ballinger said in part:
What is there about it that calls for
excitement, bitterness of spirit or con-
tention? Nothing The explanation of
popular excitement is in the fact that
many people have been led to believe
that conservation holds the secret of
our national we'll being The dema-
gogue, the fanatic, the sentimentalist,
the faddist are cruising under the ban
ner of conservation mainly because 1t
is popular and holds the attention of
the hour. Their energies might be
equally employed in any other human
virtue with the same argument, but
such reformers are more like torrents,
generally doing more damage by floods
than by the steady flow of useful
stream.
Beyond the matter of agitation what
has the doctrinaire accomplished, un-
less it be the hysteria of conservation?
Has he suggested any practical methods
by way of legislation for disposing of
the remainder of the public lands so
as to give the public better safeguards
against existing abuses? The fact Is
that all the substantial progress that
has been made in this direction has
been enacted by the last congress as
the result of recommendations initiated
by this administration"
GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP
Secretary Ballinger said that ex-
treme conservation theories in their
last analysis mean government owner
ship and operation He said they pro-
ceed on the theory that the states, are
not to be trusted to take care of their
natural resources. He said that be-
cause some of the states have been
wasteful or their officers corrupt it
does not follow that no state can safe
ly manage its own affairs in this par
ticular. He said that in view of the
fact that the states own and control
the water necessary for development,
it would seem that the most feasible
and practical method would be to
transfer these sites to the states un-
der proper limitations to prevent in
furious monopoly. He declared that
the contention that the interior de-
partment may, under any existing law,
exact a charge from the public for the
use of these power sites is utterly
without foundation.
CRITICISES COAL LOOKUP
Taking up the subject of Alaska
coal lands, he called attention to the
fact that with 1900 square miles of
known coal area, containing an esti-
mated amount of $4,000, 900, 600 tons,
some of the very best quality, Alaska
buys most of her coal from British
Columbia, and the United States navy
on the Pacific obtains its coal from the
Pocahontas fields of West Virginia at
a cost ITO the government of 81 per
ton, of which $5 per ton is represented
by freight charges. If the mines of
Alaska were in operation coal could be
laid down at Portland at from SO to 81
per ton. He said Alaska never has had
adequate laws to cover the disposition
of her public lands. To make them
adequate, however, is one of the bur-
dens of this administration. which will
doubtless be met and solved as other
equally important duties have been
solved by it.
OPPOSES LAND TIEUP
Secretary Ballinger declared that he
is opposed to Withholding any lands in
the public domain that are capable of
giving strenth and permanent pros
perity to the country in agriculture,
commerce or industry.
The department of the interior is
one of the executive branches of the
government, instituted by law, and.
therefore. necessarily administered un-
der the law" said Ballinger. THE
public domain was left by the consti- :
tuition to the disposition of congress
and congress has seen fit to authorize
the interior department, under legis-
lative limitations, to dispose of the
public domain. Therefore any disposi-
tion sought to be made by me can be
made only in view of the law and
within the law. All questions OF policy.
all criticisms relating to all proper dis
position of public lands, must neces-
sarily be referred to and controlled by
the law making body established by the
constitution. 1t has become a practice
with many people, either through ig-
norance of these conditions or dis
position to ignore them, to charge the
interior department with the responsi-
bility Of the disposition of the public
domain, regardless of its duty to obey
land keep within the statutes of con-
! gress.
standing securely upon my con-
scious rectitude in the enforcement of
the laws and regulations as laid down
| by congress in these particulars, the
criticisms of the ignorant or the mali