The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-03

Iof sucn public works as may be deemed ! necessary or useful.
 There is no difference between the req sons which call for the application of the
 leasing system to the coal lands still re- tained by the government in the United States proper and those which exist in
 Alaska
 There are now in Alaska only two well known high grade coal fields of large ex- tent-the Boring river coal field and the Matanuska coal field. The Bering river coal field. while it has varying quail ties of coal from the bituminous to the ! anthracite Is very much lessened in value and usefulness by the grinding effect
 to which in geological ages past the coai
 measnresa have been subjected, so that the coal does not lie or can not be mined l in large lumps It must be taken out m almost a powdered condition. The same 1 difficulty does not appear to the same eS- | tent in the Matanuska coal fields. fhe
 Boring river coal fields are only 20 miles l from the coast. They are within easy dis- 1 tanee of an existing railroad built by the 1 Morgan -Guggenheim interests, and may
 also be reached through Controller bay by the construction of other and com
 peting railroads.
 l Controller bay is not a good harbor. but could probably be made practical with the l expenditure of considerable money. The l railroad of the Morgan n-Guggenheim in- 1 terests running from Cordoya. could be made a coal carrying road for the Boring l river fields by the construction of l branch to those fields not exceeding 30 or i 60 miles. It is practicable. and if the coal measures were to be opened up. doubtless
 the branch would be built. Tn the present 1 condition of things. there is no motive 10 l build the road because there is no title or oportunity to open and mine the coal The Matanuska coal fields are longer | distance from the coast They are from
 150 to 200 miles from the harbor of Seward.
 on Resurrection bay. This is one of the l finest harbors in the world. and reserva-
 tion has been made there for the use of | the navy of the United States. A road | constructed from Seward to the Matancs- l ka coal fields would form part of a sys- l tenn reaching from the coast into the heart of Alaska, and open the great in- l terior valleys of the Yukon and the Tan
 ana, which have agricultural as well as 1 great mineral possibilities.
 1 The Alaska Central road has been con- structed some Il miles of the distance
 from Seward north to the Matanusl1a coal 1 fields, but the construction beyond this l has been discouraged, first, by the fact | that there has been no policy adopted of opening up the coal lands upon which in- vestors could depend, and second be- 1 cause there seemed to be lack of finan- | l terprise. The Secretary of the Interior l has ascertained that the bondholders, who l are the real owners of the road, are will I ing to sell to the government. and he recommends the purchase of the existing road, such reconstruction as may be nec- 1 essary it's continuance to the Matanusl<a coal fields, and thence into the valleys of the Yukon and the Panama. It would be a great trunk line, and would be an open nc mi nit 1 I am not in favor of government owner ship where the same certainty and effl- ciency of service can be had by private enterprise, but think the conditions pre- sented in Alaska are of such a character 1 as to warrant the government, for the purpose of encouraging the development of that vast and remarkable territory, to build and own,a trunk line railroad, whicn l it can lease on terms which may be va | ried and changed to meet the growing l prosperity and development of the ter l ritory.
 There is nothing in the history of the l United States which affords such just | reason for criticism as the failure of the federal government to extend the benefit of its fostering care to the territory of Alaska. There was time, of course,
 when Alaska was regarded as so far re- ] moved into the Arctic ocean as to make any development of it practically impoS- sible, but for years the facts have been known to those who have been responsible for it's government, and everyone who has given the subject the slightest consider alton has been aware of the wonderful
 possibilities in it's growth and development l if only capital were invested there and a good government put over it. I think | the United States owes it. therefore, to | Alaska, and to the people who have gone
 there to take an exceptional step and
 10 build a railroad that shall open the | treasures of Alaska to the Pacific and to | the people who live along that ocean en our western coast. The construction of a railroad and the ownership of the fee do not necessitate government operation. i Pursuant. however, to the recommenda- i ton of the Secretary or the Interior, l l suggest to Congress the wisdom of pro- l viding that the President may appoint l commission of competent persons, includ- l ing two army engineers, to examine anu
 report upon the available routes for rail- i road from Seward to the Matanuska coal 1 fields and into the Panama and Yukon val l leys, with an estimate of the value of the 1 existing partially constructed railroad and
 of the cost Of continuing the railroad to the proper points in the valleys namen. 1 This proposal is further justified by tho need that the navy of the United States has for a secure coaling base in the North Pacific. The commission ought to make a full report also as to the character of the coal fields at Matanuska, and the proD-
 lem of furnishing coal from that source for mercantile purposes after reserving for government mining a sufficient quan- tity for the navy.
 I have already recommended to Con gress the Establishment of form of com
 mission government for Alaska. The tor
 ritory is too extended, it's needs are too varied, and it's distance from Washington too remote to enable Congress to keep up with it's necessities in the matter of i legislation of local character.
 l The governor of Alaska in his report, which accompanies that of the Secretary I of the Interior points out certain laws that
 ought to be adopted. and emphasizes what 1 i have said as to the immediate need for l q government of much wider powers than now exists there. if 1t can be said to have | any government at all.
 l do not stop to dwell upon the lack of | provision for the health of the inhab- l tants and the absence or inadequacy of I laws, the mere statement of which shows | their crying need I only impress upon Congress the imperative necessity for talk | ing action not only to permit the begin l ming of the development of Alaska and 1 the opening of her resources, but to rro- | vide laws which shall give to those who
 come under their Jurisdiction decent pro- i lection
 Lower Colorado River
 l There is transmitted herewith a letter 1 from the Secretary of the Interior setting
 out the work done und ar joint resolution apprOVed Illna 15 1q1o artl,o.iz;,,.. +io 1..