The Sentinel=record., 1911-09-23
CONTROLLING THE
 PUBLIC DOMAIN
CITIZENS OBJECT To PROPOSED BUREAUCRATIC
 CONTROL
Royalty Which Would Be Exacted On Colorado Coal For Single
 Year Would Be $1,8oo,ooo


 cation of the enormous revenue that would accrue to the federal go yern- ment undcr the proposed system ot bureaucratic control of the pubic domain is pointed out by those who are opposed to this form of admin istration of the public lands. The illustration is made by reference to the production of coal ia the state |of Colorado.
 In this state the entire output Of coal for the twelve months in 1910 was approximately 12,O00,0O0 tons. If the coal industry in Colorado were subject to the provisions in the pro- posed act now pending in congress, the federal treasury would receive a royalty not to exceed fifteen cents for every ton mined. If this royal ty were only five cents per ton, the revenue for last year alone would have been $6000O0, or approxlmafeD one half the expense of running the state government of Colcrado. 1T the maximum royalty was exacted. the revenue would have been $1,SO0,- 900.
 Just now Colorado is engaged in the work of securing good roads. The question which the advocates cl state conservation of the public do- main asks at this juncture is: How many good roads would either of the
 two sums quoted build? Another question suggests itself, which is: How many state institutions would be benefited by either of these sums?"
 Practically all of the public do main of the United States is located in the seventeen western states, and the territory of Alaska, included in the call for the public lands con- vention, which meets in Denver Sep tember 2S to October 8. And the illustration which is applied to Colo rado is applicable to all of the other western states. It is admitted that the natural resources of the west have hardly begun to be developed, therefore. it Is pointed out that the people of the western states should view with alarm any national leg islation which has for it's purpose the placing of those resources under the absolute control of the federal gov- ernment. especially when their ad- means that the reve- nues from these resources snail De inverted from the state treasurles
 While it is admitted that the pro- posed national laws governing the of the public domain could not be retroactive, it is also admitted that the production Of coal oil and oIaer natural products, and the development of water power TO date, is infinitesmal when compared with the possible output and devel- of future years. therefore, it is argued, any figures that might De applied at this time by way of H. the possible revenue 10 the would be merely an in dex to the probabilities of the fu- ture.
 The public lands convention was called for the purpose of getting rep- Of the whole people ol the western states together that the subject might be gone into thorough ly. The future administration of ap- proximately 10O,00O,O0O acres of Ian in the western states and the terri tory of Alaska hangs in the balance and the prosperity of seventeen states, rich in natural resources which beggar description, is Yltally affected. And it is for this reason that the executive committee TOT Colorado. which is arranging the de- rails for the convention, urges every state to name it's full quota of dele eates Members of the committee say all they want is a representative qaHhering and then it will be up to the delegates to decide what Tn their opinion. is the best policy for the west to line up for in the ad- minstration of the public domain.
 Friends of federal control will un- doubtedly he present in numbers and lively discussion Is anticipat- ed.