The Alaska citizen. (Fairbanks, Alaska) 1910-1917, 1911-09-04

TO find why The pre- sident OF the United States
considers if necessary wise % assume the power
ahrogatc the laws The reasons should be
most cogent. The occasion should be desperate
ard nothing short OF the salvation OF the republic
ought TO the pre- sident venture abrogate
law.
Why should the great coa fields of Alaska re-
main unused? We have heard Of the theory of
conservation originated by Clifford Pinchot ia
yorite courier of the former administration The
man with the inherited fortune. The rich
seeking power for his pastime, using the public
moneys glorify his work in a thousand newspa-
pers magazines. and lectures. adopting the good
word Conservation" meaning waste" as
his campaign cry for power and political prestige.
| think fair subject for conservation would be
the conservation by the state of fortunes that
not earned. like Pinchot's. fortunes that are
earned by Woodworking ancestor to be wasted
that congress ratify and confirm it. Congress con
and worse than wasted by degenerate heir Con
SerNation is word. like virtue and truth and jus
tice, that everyone is in favor Of Captain Healy's
rule thai he would sell only of butter to a
man was good rule and just There short
age and not enough to give even one can to each.
But the captain did not invent that idea: it was
old al the dawn OF history, doubt But he Should
not in his zeal and he did not. refuse to sell any
butter at all lest someone might get more than
can.
No man should be in favor of putting the vast
public d, main under the control Of a bureau officer
in Washington for plaything and toy no matter
no" exquisite or Jealous gentleman he may be.
Neither should The thousands of white men who
az" building up Alaska be made yasSas and ten
ans 20 be coutI.Ilcd ard ruled 10y other men or
bureaus a. Washington and made TO pay unequal
tribute = profit L. the government To my utter
a@nazemeHt tharc arr oyer-zcalous conservation
ISIS rish' her in this city. If YOU speak of the
Alaska coal lands they will say with heat that
they don't want to hose coal lands become
The private rrope,y Of anybody. particularly of
any rich people Why bless their hearts what
would they do with them? They say the lands
belong 10 the whole people. and so they do: but
how will we distribute them to the people? Can we
cut them up into parcels foot square and deliver
deed TO each of the ninety million inhabitants of
this country? There is no better way than TO sell
the land and distribute the money. You can't sell
the land without the purchaser becoming the own
er OF 1t. Why should anyone object to purchaser
becoming the owner of the land if he pays the
purchase price for it and proceeds to use it? But
they say il is wrong that should hold free
and untrammeed title to the lands that the gov
eminent should retain the control of them; that
this bureau clerk in Washington should have power
to say when the lands should be used for what the
coal products should be Sold and to whom they
should be transferred. Are the bureaus Wash
1ngton so infallible that they ought to be given
more power than they have? Are not the people
who created the value of the fields best quail
ned to regulate and to govern them? They say that
the government should lease the lands and not
sell them, in order that more power can be held
over them at Washington. 1t would be nice for
the bureau clerks TO feel the pride of power; but
Tor the upright, intelligent self-respectng men who
are working away there it is not so joyous
They say that the whole people must get more
proht and more revenue from the public lands that
those who have bought them heretofore have got
them too cheap, and therefore they will lease the
lands and make the lessees pay a royalty into the
treasury.
Now. for a man who open coal mine,
considered business proposition, leasehold
is good freehold provided the rental he
has TO pay is sum approximately equivalent to the
disable value of the lands. If man pays sixteen
hundred dollars for coal claim and another sixteen
hundred survey it, making the land him
thirty-two hundred dollars, the interest this
amount of money would come to approximately two