Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-08-11
GOVERNMENT MUST CONTROL
Syndicates Receive Benefit Only a. In
oident to Conferring it.
TASK NOT VERY DIFFICULT ONE
Might Be Necessary to Override Wish
of Great Interests,
COUNTRY TO OWN THE RAILWAY
Former President says Would ne Good
Thing for Nation TO Build Line
that Controls Goa IFieIds
of AIsl<a.

NEW YORK, Aug. President
Theodore Roosevelt has an article entitled
Alaska Again In the current number OF
the Outlook. After taking issue with a
newspaper statement that during the
Roosevelt administration the same course
had been pursued as had been pursued
later in connection with Controller bay, Mr..
Roosevelt discusses some of the general
phases of Alaskan development, and adds:
1.-The government must itself control the
development OF Alaska, and adopt as the
guiding principle the idea of shaping that
development in the interest primarily Of
the people as a whole, the syndicate or
other developing agencies thus receiving
benefit only as an incident to comforting II.
Il do not think the task is very diff
cult one, IL only we. the people, personally
and through our representatives approach
it with this purpose clearly in mind, and
II we insist that the agents of government
act with an understanding of the needs
OF the people and a resolute purpose to see
these needs accomplished, even though II
be necessary to override the representa-
tives of the great interests who wish to
prevent Alaskan development unless It is
shaped primarily to benefit those inter
ests
COrrects Misrepresentation.
Mr.. Roosevelt begins his article with q
reference to an article from the Washing
ton correspondent of the New York Tribune
Of July S justifying the withdrawal of the
Controller bay lands from the forest re-
serves on the grounds that similar action
had been taken by Mr.. Garfield and Mr
Pinchot in eliminating certain areas at
Eyak and Valdez Arm from the forest re-
serves. Mr.. Roosevelt continues:
"The article assumed that was deceived
by Messrs. Garfield and Pinchot It is
hardly necessary to say that any such as
sumption must be made either with intent
to be humorous or with full knowledge
of its falsehood / was in a peculiar sense
responsible for every act of Mr.. Pinchot
and Mr., Garfield when they held office
under me. They represented to a very espe-
cial degree the policies and principles
which had especially at heart. and, while
of course there were necessarily many ac-
tions 1 took on their recommendation with
the details of which 1t was impossible for
me to be acquainted, was absolutely and
entirely cognizant of the principles in &C.
cordance with which each one of these acts
was taken, and each act faithfully repre-
sented the putting into effect Of the prin-
ciples in which 1 believed and which I had
laid down fox the guidance of my adminis-
tration.
Taking Out Town Sites.
"In every part of the country in which
there are forest reserves It has been
found, and it will in the future be found.
necessary to make ellminations for town
sites, for agricultural purposes. for manu-
featuring purposes, and the like Each
such case stands on it's own merits; each
such case depends for its justification upon
the conditions existing at the time II is
made, and is In no sense a precedent for
any other case, arising under new condi-
tons, or when facts hitherto undiscovered
have been made known. 1t may be not
only proper to eliminate given tract of
land, but highly improper not to eliminate
1t; and yet, If the elimination of another
tract of land will give monopoly to a min
ing company, or transportation company.
or any other company, 1t may be to the
last degree improper At the time the
eliminations at Eyak and valdez Arm were
made no suggestion had been made to me
from any source, nor was there any pub
lie knowledge, that there was the slightest
danger of the Guggenheim syndicate, or
any other syndicate, obtaining control Of
Alaska. the developments during the
and as has been a matter of public no.
toriety for at least two years.
Cunningham Affidavit.
Months after the date OF these elirnina-
tlons Cunningham made affidavit that he
knew OF no entrymeh in the Cunningham
group that had any contract with the
Guggenhem syndicate; the examinations
being made in July and September, 1867,
and the Cunningham affidavit in septem-
Der, 1905. When these ellmnations were
made there was not a vestige of evidence
to show that we should be on our guard
to prevent such monopoly as is now
evidently threatened. Incidentally anent
the assertion of Mr. Ryan that he has no
Interest whatever I'm the Guggenneim syn
dicate let me point out the explicit char
acter of the Cunningham affidavit, that
the Guggenheims had no interest in their
claims; and, I'm any event, our entire past
Industrial history gives us warrant for
saying that, II the Ryan read is built IS