The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-07-24
PIONEERING A CRIME.

II has always been held in this coun'
trv heretofore that those who go out
into the forests, the plains, and the
wilderness. establish homes, trading
posts, open fields TO cultivation, ana
reduce the wildness Of nature to the
service of mankind, were deserving or
commendation, were advance citizens,
whose memories should be honored,
and whose deeds were worthy of praise
A new era has come to us now how
ever, in which those who undertake to
do this are brought under censure.
They arc robbers of the whole people,
it seems, and every effort must be
made to head them of and stop their
'depredations. The man now who
would 90 into a forest on the pub
lie domain and begin to chop down
trees TO make him a home would be
considered public enemy, would be
stopped at once, and would be lucky
if he escaped a fine and sentence to
Jail
These reflections spring from the
conservation reports that we have from
various parts of the country where
exultatiou is expressed when those
who wish to utilize the natural re.
sources of the region are prevented,
and the primitive wildness is indefinite
ly preserved. We find in the Portland
Oregonian the following editorial para
graph on this subject, which shows, as
applied TO Alaska. the contrast between
the present way Of looking at those
who open up a new. and undeveloped
country, compared with the way in
which such pioneers were formerly
looked upon:
A naval coal land reserve is the latest
scheme for dealing with the agitation
over the inroads of private enterprise on
the big coal fields Of Alaska" "1nroads
for the development OF the resources OF
The country. There was time when
meuSwho opened up a new country were
called argonauts, pioneers: patnnnoers;
OF civilization Now their deeds are de-
scrlbed disparagingly as "the inroads OF
private enterprise.
It was the "inroads of private enter
prsie' that opened the United States
to civilization. from the Atlantic shore
to the furthest point Of drainage of
the Mississippi Basin, and then TO the
Pacific coast. Then all at once some
conservation faddists got together
found that the policy hitherto pursued
in opening up this country was alto
gether wrong, and that the pioneers
were criminals in place of public bene.
factors, and that further pioneering in
this country must be stopped.
II was all wrong. it appears, for the
SETTLERS to cross the Allegheny noun
tains and make for themselves homes
in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois,
Missouri, and other States of the old
West They were robbers of the future
generations, and deserved the severest
reprobation in place of the honor in
which they have heretofore been held
The country, according to this view
would have been much better off today
if there had been no "inroads OF pri-
vate enterprise" west Of the Allie
gheny mountains, and if the whole
region Of the Mississippi valley yet re
NAMED an untamed wilderness To &c
upon the public domain, cut down tim
Der. establish homes, open coal mines
utilize the water power, and in general
to take advantage Of and use the re-
sources Of the natural environment. is
oot 10 IA CD ,11
hazards, and the stoppage to be rejoiced
in.
The country has developed too fast
1T appears, by these ''nroads of pri
vate enterprise, and the faddists as
sure us that we must have no more OF
IT; and they are getting their way
| Alaska has been held back withou,
progress for the last fifteen years The
census of 1910 was the same as the
census of 1900 for Alaska, No ad
vance was made in the ten years. Some
gold was taken out, TO be sure. under
great difficulties, but doubtless the con
servationists look upon this with dis
approval, and condemn 1t with q alous
iaEts ~ "ouiN pt bf'bt1, III lHtlI OplU
ion, beyond doubt. if that gold still re
mained and had not been mined II
would be better to have the whole ter
ritory sealed up. and everybody kept
out.
What this all means Is good dea
Of a mystery. When in the Judgment
OF these faddists it would be advisabl,
to lei people 90 into Alaska and oper
up the country does not appear from
their statement. Apparently their pur