The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-07-17
THE EccLEs INTERVIEW.


dent Of the Nevada Consolidated Cop
per company, and the directing mana
ger OF the Guggenheim interests IN
Alaska. is of more than ordinary I'M
portance. The interview was directed
TO the Nevada Consolidated Mining
Company S interest in part, and TO gen
eral observations on fuels and freights,
but had its large general interest IN his
clcar and forcible explanation of just
what il is that the Guggenhelms have
been doing in Alaska. From his expla'
nation it is entirely clear that they
were simply receptive negotiators
with respect TO certain coal filings IN
Alaska, provided those filings were le-
gal. and the patents were issued upon
them by the government. Those pa
tents and the Guggenhcim claims, so
called, dropped, on the cancellation of
the filings, But they were never. II
appears, at any time properly called
Guggenheim claims. The finders of the
coal mines located their claims and
made their fling according TO law.
There was no reason under the law
why there should have been any con-
troversy about these locations, or any
objection to issuing the patents
promptly on the legal proofs being
made. BIT the faddists pot hold of
the proposition and the understanding
arrived at that the Guggenheims would
buy a half interest IN the claims on
their being patented, and thereupon
the faddists raised an outcry that
echoed from sea TO sea. There was
nothing either unlawful or unprece-
dented in anv Of this, That is the
way that coal companies are usually
organized, that is the way that the
large coal mines everywhere are
opened It is impossible to open a coal
mine of any extent on single fling;
a number of filings have to be com.
bined in order to make il worth while
to open the mine, or to invite the CAPT
tai necessary for that purpose. There
has never been any secret or disguise
a bout this; there was not in the Alaska
case But the uproar was made just
the same, and Alaska has been held in
the paralyzing grip of the faddists,
and deprived of all progress for the
last ten years.
Mr. EccIes shows that Alaska is a
rich land. even agriculturally; that it
is susceptible Of high development,
and that with the laws in operation
there precisely ss they have been in
operation and have governed through
out the opening and settlement of the
public domain from the first, Alaska
would now hold an industrious and
teeming population But, being denied
the nse OF timber. of coal, of water
power, and the filing on any kind of
land being held up as an intent to
defraud, it is, of course, impossible for
Alaska to progress and develop.
The conditions in Alaska as shown
by Mr.. John F. Lathrop, a newspaper
writer who has made study of the
Alaska situation, demonstrates the
truth of what The Tribune has said
heretofore, that enormous interests are
engaged in titanic struggle for the
control OF Alaska. The prize for such
control is worth an immense invest
ment. Evidently those who are max
ing the struggle are not only investing
their money without stint, but they
are obtaining for their support promi-
nent officials and faddists on the one
people Is interests in all this matter we
believe TO he mainly humbug. first OF
all because there is no way OF realizing
on the peoples interests, except by
allowing the people to 90 in there and
open the country, But, under the pre-
tense of conserving the peoples inter
ests,' everybody is kept out. 1t is i'm,
possible, therefore, for people to real
ize on any interest they may be sup
posed to have. The whole matter sim
ply resolves itself into battle fol
supremacy by the vast financial inter
ests that are in this struggle. Thes'
have not fully developed yet, except tC
show that they are against the Gug
geuheims. But the Guggenheims have
in fact. done practically all that ha:
been done in the last ten years to
wards the development of Alaska. They
have built the Copper River railroad
and they are opening the main copper
deposits on that road. Aside from
what they are doing, everything is par
alyzed except the prospecting for golt
by men who have the courage, the Wig
or. and the requisite knowledge TO opeI
up gold deposits wherever they cal
find them. Otherwise Alaska is wait
ing for the big interests that mus
finally triumph and make that rich re
gion its profitable ground for exploita
ton.