The Detroit times., 1911-01-02
GOAL CASES NOW
UP TO PRESIDENT
Pinchots Ask Taft To Cancel Gun
ningham Claims To Foil Morgan
Guggenheim Syndicate.

WASHINGTON, Jan. What Pres
ident Taft will do with the Guggen'
helm monopoly In Alaska Is the ques
ton brought up by the brief which
Clifford Pinchot and his brother, Amos
filed with the president today. The
Pinchots have put 1t up to the 'presi
dent to cancel Immediately the Gun
nineham coal claims In Alaska, valued
at twenty-five millions of dollars. The
Morgan-Guggenheim syndicate has an
option OH these claims and the COZ
tention of the brief Is that III the
president allows them to go to patent
the advantage from their development
Will go straight into the pockets oil
the Observation-Disclosures.
The Pinchots In their brief express
the fear that the president may avoid
responsibility by turning the Cunning
ham claims over to court.
mo transfer of the Cunningham
claims to court for a decision upon
the records" they declare, would re
lieve the executive department OF re-
sponsibility"
The Pinchots declare that the duty
of the executive with regard to the
Cunningham claims is obvious and i'm
mediate" that in their judgment, the
record "abundantly proves that the
claims are illegal and that the claim
ants have conspired to defraud the
government. No resort to court or
hearing I'm the case is necessary to
secure justice and protect the people
property. The case against the claims
is already conclusive. The claims
should be cancelled by the president
forthwith
Whether congress, or Secretary Bal
linger, will take action TO break up the
monopoly which the Pinchots declare
Is holding Alaska at standstill Is an
other question which the brief brings
up. The Pinchots say that the prompt
development of the Alaska coal fields
is of great importance, but that to
day defective coal land laws make
Alaska a forbidden land TO the coal
operators" They say that late cen
sus figures show that in the last ten
years the population of Alaska has
increased only one and five-tenths per
cent. They attribute this to the fact
that for years the industries OF
Alaska have been largely In the
hands of that great and oppressive
monopoly the Guggenheim syndicate,
which has kept out other capital,
throttled competition, and held Alaska
at standstill in spite OF Its vast
wealth in minerals, water powers and
fisheries."
They say that capital should be en-
couraged TO develop the Alaska coal
fields for the benefit of the people. but
this result can only be accomplished
by the passage in congress or reason
able and practical laws for the dis
posal Of the coal fields In the interest
of the people" Until this is done, the
Pinehots declare, the present law
should be enforced, and the peoples
property protected. They say II was
to prevent just such monopoly as the
Cunningham claimants are seeking
that the existing coal land law was
made They declare that the Cunning
ham claimants have violated this law
by a fraudulent conspiracy o.acqnire
more public coal lands than law
allows. They quote records TO show
that the Cunningham claimants never
intended to operate their claims indi-
VlQudlly, Indt the Cldludutb ilcNcI tooh
any interest in their individual claims
which the Cunninghams are trying to
secure from the government still hold
good.
TIL brief declares that although the
Cunningham case involves one Of the
richest coal deposits on the North
American continent, worth many mil
lions of dollars, the responsibility OF
saving these lands to the people was
placed by the government authorities
in the hands of young lawyer. who
had been a translator Of Spanish in
one of the government departments at
s, 200 year, and had been graduated
only thirteen months, had never tried
a case in court, and whose actual prac-
teal law experience was limited %
forty-one days. The Pinchots say that
the people are entitled to full and
able presentation Of their case ana
declare that no transfer OF the Cum
ningham cases to court would
relieve the executive department Of
responsibility for failure to have the
case fully presented by attorneys OF
experience and ability.
N w pATMEp U0N0REn