The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-01-02
Il up 10 President TAFT What
sh.,l b Done With the Gus-
aenhsIm Monopoly up
in Alaska
/, THE FORBIDDEN LAND
81 for the Benefit Of the People is
s Inpossibility uniess Some
thing Is Done in the
Matter.

WASHfNGTON, January 2.--Whati
.Iresident Taft will do with the Gug- /,
.hnheiln monopoly in Alaska is the
|uestion brought up by the brief which
siford Pinchot ana his brother, Amos,
He'd with the president today. The
Sincbots have put it up to the presi-
i,lnt to cancel Immediately The Cum
bingham coal claims in Alaska, valued
twenty-five Millions of dollars. The
Morgan. Guggenheim syndicate has
options on these claims and the con-
lention Of the brief Is that II the
president allows them to go to patent
khs advantage from their development
,gill 20 straight into the pockets of
1.-The Morgan -Guggenheims
The Pinchots in their brief. express
the fear that the president may avoid
responsibility by turning the Cunning
ham clalc's over to a court.
no transfer of the Cunningham
claims to a court for decision upon
the records, they declare. would re-
Here the executive department. of re-
sponsibility"
The Pinchots declare that the duty
Of the executive with regard to the
Cunningham claims is obvious and
Immediate. that in their Judgment,
the record sabundantly proves that
the claims are illegal and that the
\ coniplainanss have conspired TO de-
| fraud the government No resor. 10
court or hearing in the case is
necessary to secure Justice and pro.
tect the peoples property. The case
sgainss the claims Is already con.
lisive. The claims should be can
as elled by the president forthwith"
Whether con gress or Secretary Bal
niger will take action to break ur
lie monopoly which the Pinchots de
sare Is holding Alaska at standstil
another question which the brie'
rings MP. The Pinchots say that ths
}omps development of the Alaska
pal fields is Of great importance bu
Pat today, defective coal land law.
bake Alaska a forbidden land to thu
toal operators. . They say that lat,
tensns figures show that in the las
fn years the population of Alask;
AS increased only one and five-tenth
er cent. They attribute this to tn,
aet that for years the industries 0
;laska have been largely In th
Sands Of greet AID oppressive monor
", the Guggenheim syndicate, whicl
AS kept out other capital, throttle
pnlpetition, and held Alaska at
fandstill in spite of its vast wealt
= minerals. water powers and fisher
es..
They say that capital should
4ncourgaed to develop the Alaska cos
Ields for the benefit of the people
:nt this result can only be accom-
shed BY the passage in congress {
,easonable and practical laws for tn
{sposal OF the coal fields In the il
crest OF the people. Until this
zone, the Pinchots declare. the pre-
int law should be enforced and iii
seapies property protected. They sa
was to prevent Just such monopol
g the Cunningham claimants al
eeKlng that the existing coal Ian
nw was made. They declare that til
cunningham claimants have violate
pls law by fraudulent conspiracy
tcq'ilre more public coal lands the
we law allows. They quote recort
p show that the Cunningham claii
|nss never intenGyd to operate the
falms individually, that the claiI
3nls never took any interest in the
Poifidual claims which the Cunnin
lslhs are trying to secure from Il
Pyernment sill hold good.
ne brief declares that althou.
re Cunningham case involves one
ne Richest coal deposits on the Nor
E'nerlcan Continent. worth many m
fons Of dollars, the responsibility
fasihg these lands to the people W
laced by the government authoriti
me hands Of a young lawyer, WI
tag been translator of Spanish
Ple OF the government department
ssi q 1900 year. and had been grad
E'ed only thirteen months. had nev
n luled case in court, and whose ;
VA, practical law experience W
united to forty-one days. The p
.''o's say thar the people are entitl
y full and able presentation
men case and declare that no transi
8s y me Cunningham cases to a co,
Z would relieve the executive depa
'nent OF responsibility for failure
8 nave the case fully presented by
ofncys OF experience and ability