The Alaska citizen., 1911-03-27
THE MATTER WITH ALASKA,

In the last issue of the Saturday Evening Post, Rex Beach asks and answers the question:
 What's the Matter With Alaskan" The answer will not suit all persons in these United States. It will not suit the Pinchot-Glavis brand of "conservationists," for example. for he excellent reason that 1t is true Between Pinchotism and facts, there
 is great gulf fiXed-and Pinchot, at least, has never shown much dis position to go a sailing.
 Mir Beach shows first that the real resources of Alaska are very great, though but fraction of what they are touted by the press bureau which tried to supercede con- gress and the courts as governing bodies in this country. He shows that the prime need of Alaska Is transportation, and some system of pubic land laws which will permit the development of the country. He shows that the coal land laws of the United States are utterly un- fitted for country like Alaska; and that the administration of those laws has made them infinitely worse than their text He shows that only combination of large capital, wise and daring and just legislation and administrator can develop Alaska Capital can doubt less be secured. Daring if not wis dom is always on tap in America. But the United States government for the past six years has blocked capital and courage, has refused to permit the development of any DOT tion of the vast territory, has talk en the money of the miners who filed on coal lands, and refused to give them a title or to return the cash, has tied up all development, because some schemes of develop ment have been dishonest. The net result of this precious business, MT. Beach puts in the following sen tences:
 ",n the Yukon. there Is bitumin- ous coal at the edge of the river, but the steamers have to use cord wood cut from the banks, or import fuel oil from California There is a little railroad up in the Panama valley that burns wood in most Wasteful manner, and pays fifteen dollars cord for it, plus the stump age. Part of the roadbed is laid over an extensive bituminous coal field, but if fireman picked up a lump of that outcrop to throw at hen ptarmigan, there would be a riot that would be heard in Pata- gonia.
 This winter, the residents of Alaska many of whom believe they own the best coal on the Pacific coast, are paying from s10 to $15 a ton for a British Columbia grade at Cordova, and from $25 to $50 a ton at Fairbanks. Those coal miners who can't afford to buy coal are chopping wood, and paying the be- nign government fifty cents a cord for the blessed privilege Alaska needs fuel more than any section of our country, and she surely ought to have the right to burn her own coal"
 Of such are the glories of Pin chotism. We do not hesitate to say that the attempt to safeguard" the resources of Alaska has set back the progress of that territory at least a dozen years, bankrupted and embittered scores if not thou sands of men, kept the price of coal on the Pacific coast at least s3 per ton over what it would be if the Alaskan fields were developed AND HAS BENEFITED NOBODY, LEAST OF ALL THE GOVERN. MENT WHICH HAS BEEN BE- PRAYED INTO THIS FOLLY.
 There Is distinction, as MT. Beach points out, between conserva- tion and highway robbery. There is also a distinction between con- servation and insanity. But both distinctions have been lost to sight in the management of Alaska.-Den- yer News.