New-York tribune., 1912-04-06
TAFT HEARS GUGGENHE'M
Senator's Brother Complains OF
Inaction in Alaska.
rFrom The Tribune Bureau

| ,,..ahtrgtop April 5-The President grant
too,Ino to-day to Daniel Gusgennein'
,na u,oe nresented by his brother. the sen
'.., t,or, Colorado. and who was ANXIOUS
! 49, ,oo-n from the President what II any
,nosroc, there was of Congress carrying
| i,,to effect the recommendations maze pS
Secretary Fisher on his return from Ala'.ra
Iaet fan. At the request of the Preslueh'
the Secretary OF the Interior anu
/ President sherman were present.
| secretary Fisher explained to Mt, Pus-
genbeim that neither he nor the a"ii'',''
! down had deyiated from the poh'S ,o'u
dowr, Nv him end Endorsed by the tresiueil'
last autumn. lie said further that DOM ,he
T-vncutiyc and himself had done everything
/ T., choir mower to induce Congress to carry
ont the Alaska recommendations,
T., ,.iev, of the conflicting politics or tEe
two Houses. tho gross Interpretations
~ Repreeentative Graham, an illinois DEM
| ocrst and Of James Wickersham the ueie-
gate from Alaska, and the Thoroughly uh-
! ,a+isfactory outcome of the tarcicai lnVes-
! .i,,.tior of the Controller Bay incident. Mr
/ pYsber was compelled 10 admit that the
rrosnocts for constructive legislation In ac'
,ordo,,o with the recommendations OF the
administration were far from bright
,rbe President and Secretary Fisher are
/ - +bat the present conditions in
! ,Iael,a due in large part TO lack of needed
/ IorI.le,ior are deplorable. but Mr.. Fisher
/ eo,d he had far from given up all hope
80 occurring come of the more important
o,octoapts ot this session, although he
| r.oe not in a position to give any assur-
ances.
/ Secretary Fisher explained that Repre-
! sentative Flood had introduced resolu-
| ton which would create commission 10
! investigate conditions and pass upon the
/ merits Of the propositions advanced by tne
administration. When this resolution was
referred t. the Interior Department for com
mont Mr. Fisher returned II with the sug-
| gestion that the proposed commission should
| have the authority TO report to the PreSi-
dent that the needed legislation should he
passed subject 10 the report Of the commls~
! sion. and that by this means much time
would he saved. a. it would be unnecessary
to await further action by Congress before
beginning some. at least of the more i'm
portant work
The recommendations Of Secretary Fisher,
which the President cordially indorsed, en-
bodying them in his message of February
2, included the leasing by the government
Of the government coal the phosphate ana
other lands containing nOn-metalliferous
metals: the construction by the government
of a railroad from Seward 10 the Matauska
coal fields, distance of about two hundred
miles. and the appointment Of d commls-
sion including two army engineers, TO eX"
anime and report upon the available routes
for such a railroad, with an estimate OF
the value of the existing, partly construct
ed railroad and Of the cost Of continuing
the railroad to the proper points In the
Tanana and Yukon valleys.
The chief complaint of Mr.. Guggenhe'm
was that his company had invested $4,000
90 in railroad constructed primarily fol-
the purpose Of hauling coal to the sea-
board; that the cancellation of all pending
claims to coal lands had left the railroad
idle. with no earning capacity, and thai
until the leasing bill advocated by the
President becomes d law the interest on
the amount invested III the railroad must
prove a dead loss TO the investors. Mr.
Guggenheim and his associates have given
no intimation that they will lease Goa
lands under the proposed law, but have
expressed the belief that numerous would
ne lessees would appear as soon as a prac'
teal law was enacted