New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-08-11
ROOSEVELT ON ALASKA.
A Reply to The Trlbune-The
DUTY of the Government.

lnStOn correspondent 1usufyinR tns WIN
drawal OF the Controller Bay lands from
the forest reserves and attempting to
show that Mr. Garfield Secretary of the
Interior on the recommendation OF Mr..
Pinchot. the head OF the Forest Service,
had by the elimination from the forest
reserves OF certain areas at Eyak ana
Valdez Arm, pursued the very course tnat
has been pursued I'm connection with Con-
troller Bay. The article assumed that
was deceived by Messrs. Garfield and
Pinchot II is hardly necessary TO say that
any such assumption must be made either
with intent 10 be humorous or with full
knowledge Of its falsehood. ! was in
peculiar sense responsible for every act OF
Mr.. Pinchot and Mr. Garfield when they
held office under me. They represented TO
a very especia degree the policies and
principles which had especially al heart.
and while of course there were neces-
sarily many actions 7 took on their recon-
mendstion with the details Of which II was
impossible for me to be acquainted. was
absolutely and entirely cognizant Of the
principles in accordance with which each
one of these acts was taken and each act
faithfully represented the putting Into er-
feet Of the principles I'm which ] believed
and which had laid down for the guidance
Of my administration
there are forest reserves IL has been
found. and n will In the future be found,
necessary 10 make elimnations for town
sites. for agricultural purposes. for manu-
such case stands on it's own merits. each
such case depends for It's justification upon
the conditions existing at the time II IL
made, and is In no sense a precedent for
any other case arising under new con-
ditions or when facts hitherto undiscoy-
cred have been made known. 1t may be
not only proper 10 eliminate given tract
Of land, but highly improper not 10 elm
mate IL. and yet. II the elimination OF an
other tract of land will give monopoly 10
mining COMPANY, or a. transportation
company, or any other company. N may he
10 the last degree improper. At the time
the elimnatons al Eyak and Valdez Arm
we're made no suggestion had been made
to me from any source, nor was there any
public knowledge. that there was the
slightest danger OF the Guggenhelm syndi-
cate. or any other syndicate, obtaining
control Of Alaska. as the Developments
during the past three years have shown
10 be the case. and as has been a matter
Of public notortety for at least two years.
Months after the date Of these elimina
tons Cunningham made affidavit that he
knew Of no entrymen in the Cunningham
group that had any contract with the
Guggenheim syndicate, the examinations
being made in July and September 1907.
and the Cunningham affidavit I'm Septem-
Der. 1898 When these eliminations were
made there was not vestige Of eT-
dence 10 show that we should he on our
guard TO prevent such a monopoly as Is
now evidently threatened. incidentally.
anent the assertion Of Mr.. Ryan that he
has no interest whatever In the Guggen-
helm syndicate. let mo point out the ex
plicit character Of the Cunningham q fl
davit that the Guggenheims had no inter
est in their claims, and, in any event.
our entire past industrial history gives US
warrant for saying that If the Ryan roao
is built as planned II viii be but matter
of time and probably very, very short
time before Ryans road and the Gug-
zenheim interests are merged into one.
The state of affairs brought 70 light
n k. cd, ,infc rrat lon ~
showed COnclusively. and for the hrst time
that We had 10 guard against monopoly IN
connection with the development or Alas
ka, or. 70 speak more properly. me ex-
ploitation Of Alaska by q great syndicate
for the sole benefit Of that syndicate When
the eliminations az Eyak and Valdez Arm
were made. not q revelation as REGARDS
the Gugeenheim syndicate or any owner
syndicate had been brought 10 my atten-
ton or a far &c 7 knew. or know. 70 the
attention Of any man IN responsible posi-
ton around mo, and the public was wholly
unaware Of the existence of any such stare
If things the Ballinger investigation
showed to exist
Whether Mr.. Garfield or any one else had
been told that the Guggenheims were en-
gagged in a syndicate 10 act In Alaska
know not, for I never was informed out'
In any event IT was Of no possible conse,
Quence. because at that time nothing had
developed to show that they had become
an exploiting syndicate tending 10 estao-
tion aside from the fact that II had never
been suggested. as it has since been proved
that they were expecting TO he inc peht
fiCiaries Of what has since been declared 10
be a fraudulent transaction. The diner,
ence between elimination in one case ana
i'm the other seems TO me 10 be sufilclehuS
obvious.
The eliminations at Tyak and Valdez Arm
have no more bearing upon the elimination
Of the Controller Bay tract than have the
previous eliminations in the Rocky Noun
tain States In the Rocky Mountain states
I eliminated tract after tract Of forest
reservation 10 permit Of agriculture. OF
manufacture, or the esta bishment OF town
sites: and | refused TO make what on inc
surface were similar examinations when !
became convinced that they were really
asked for the purpose Of monopolizing the
water power.
In the newspaper dispatch 10 which !
have referred II Is limited that ! acted as
I did because 7 thought tho law. then ana
still I'm force, sufficiently protected the pub
lie interest. Perhaps this Is meant TO pe
ironical II is certain that the law did not
sufficiently protect the public interest II
Is for that reason that. as President ] re-
peatedly urged that the laws pertaining
10 Alaska be amended; as I still urge that
they be amended. .
from the fact that the ownership or inc
coal and the ownership OF the railways
have been permitted to fall into the same
hands What havoc such combination
can work was shown when, during the an
thracte strike. the people OF large sec
ton OF tho country were threatened WIN
winter coal famine which would nave
caused disasters as great as those OF the
civil War The effort TO remedy this state
OF affairs by government action, after II
had been permitted 10 arise because or
government inaction. was necessarily
fraught with hardship and suffering for
many innocent holders OF securities.
II is. to my mind. the duty OF the nited
States government To prevent similar
condition arising i'm Alaska. / do not be-
lieve in the policy of state-owned railways
as a general thing; but ] am quite willing
10 see the Panama Railroad owned and run
by the government, as it actually is; and in
the same way. II difficulty occurs III CON
nectIon with what has been done in Con-
troller BAY | feel that IT would be good
thing for the United States 10 build and
operate tho short line Of railway with its
terminals) which would connect the bay
with the coal fields. Then with the coal
fields given over TO private developers on
a leasehold system as simple as possible
and on such terms as 10 guarantee an
annie profit To those engaged In the work
~ development the trouble in connection