New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-07-04
From The Tribune Bureau -
Washington, Ju

WAqninRtOIl, Jh''
SIMPLY SHOCKING.-Tha Charies ".
Van Hise. president OF the unNeiav
WISCONSIN NEXT friend Of Senator Roper'
Marion Ia Toilette. leading speaker AT ''o
conference Of governors in 1908 and autumn
of 1.-THE Conservation OF Natural i'eSou'0, :,
in the United States" should ma h'",'o
in a predicament differing only 10y teci'ii-
cau,,- from that of Clarence Cunningham
And other claimants in the Cu''ni''s non.
80, o,sos IN Alaska constitutes one OF
those unfortunate divergencies pet"ee"
practice and precept which are hkely "
nol those who have been merely
tracted 20" the conservation theory ar"
too often shake TO It's foundations INC
faith OF those who have adopted IL DR. an
economic philosophy. That with tne as.
sistance Of DR.. Charles Kenneth Le'h' Vi
the same university, and certain studeh'S
Of the university, and with John T. spy
\ Chicago lumber baron,' as hhahCia.
hacker. he has procured title 10 Soile "'-0'
acres Of iron ore lands In Canada' anu l""'
10 exploit these lands the Onaping IRON
ore Company. Limited. was organized'
President Van Hise does not deny. Also
bait lands, for which he is understood TO
have realized upward of S26,oo, whlcn sum
was paid over to him by the Colonial trust
and Savings Bank, OF Chicago, PRESIDENT
Van Hise enters no denial. In view OF the
fact that he has been confronted by the
affidavit of Professor Leith and Altred
Warner Lewis. one Of the claimants, there
seems 10 be no occasion TO enter denial
LIKE CUNNINGHAM CAsE.-There are
some striking similarities between the
course of President Van Hise and that Oh
the Cunningham claimants. and some ma
terial differences I'm the results. For IN
stance, the land acquired by President van
Hise is iron ore land. That which the
Cunningham claimants sought to acquire j.
coal land The properly of the Van rise
syndicate consists of fourteen claims. lhe
nroperty TO which the Cunningham
claimants sought title embraced twenty
five claims President Van Hise and his
associates organized the syndicate or cor
poration above described to work the
fourteen claims. il was for taking up their
claims with the purpose of organizing
syndicate or corporation to work them that
title was denied to the Cunnmghams and
their associates. There is. however-and
this is important-an essential dlHerehce
between the efforts of the Cunninghams In
Alaska and those Of President Van Hise
and his associates in Canada, and that rs
that the Canadian laws do not prohibit
the aceIuirement of number of claims and
the transfer Of title thereto 10 corpora
ton, whereas the laws Of the United States
do prohibit the requirement Of such lands
with the purpose of transferring title TO a
syndicate or corporation. IT may he
argued that the provision of the Canadian
law which requires that the Crown lands
shall be taken UP in small parcels by indi-
vidual claimants implies purpose on the
part Of the government 70 prevent their
passing into the hands Of syndicates. BE
that as il may, the law as thus far con
strued does not prohibit the course pur-
sued by President Van Hise and his asso-
clates II is merely a question of ethics,
but an examination Of the preaching Of this
conservation propaganda shows that it is
difficult to square his preaching with his
practice.
DO NOT CONDEMN CUNNINGHAMs.
w men dShtu 10 captain iiS NouISt re-
Gently. President Van Hlse emphatically
denied that he had ever condemned the
Cunninghams or their methods. When in
formed that there was a general impress
sion that he had done so, and that he had
shared the view Of ex-Forester Pinchot
ana other lights of the conservation move
ment the president OF the University of
Wisconsin reiterated his assertion, declar-
ing that he had never condemned the ac-
QUESTION Of the Cunningham claims as lille
gal, and he added that the lands he and
his associates had acquired in Canada had
been acquired wholly in accordance with
the law. DR.. Van Hise further indicated
that he did not consider it any ones bust
ness how he acquired these lands, that 1t
was his private affair and something with
which the public had no right to concern