The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-02-03
THE PRESIDENT ON ALASKA.

President Taft's long expected mes
sage on Alaskan affair, Was seat "a
congress YESTERDAY From ~ the pub.
lie will gather that tho President l. de
tcrmincd that some thing shall hc done
10 relieve Alaska from tho paralysis
under which il has suffered TOR the past
| ton or fifteen wears. He recommends
q measure of local government by
commission. ouc-half OF the body to he
elected bv the proplc OF Aaska. aud
Ouc half appointed hy the President.
This woull bc no very great measure
of sclf-goycrnmcu. TO bc sure. but it
would doubtless help.
We arc sorry TO see that the PrcSi-
dent has been led by his Secretary Of
The Interior. Mr.. Fisher. as relic Of
the Pinchot faddism. TO approve the
leasing system for coal aud phosphate
lauds, for water power sites. aud the
like. Tba: policy would mean the keep
ing OF the title OF such lands pcrma-
ncntlv in the United States, withdraw
ing them them from local and state tax.
alton. Since the President announces
this a. a policy. no' only for Alaska.
but for the public lands within the
home States, II Is u matter OF very
high importance wherever there Is much
public land 10 bc permanently with
drawn from local accountability,
Throughout .,he history of this country.
when the public lomaiu has been put
to use. either hy tilliug the land or
using the water power. the title has
passed 10 tho proprietor. and the land
or water power has come within ..he
taxing power Of the State. and has
helped carry the common public bur.
dcns. But in States where large areas
are Withdrawn from the public use, the
permanent Withholding Of that land
from state and local taxation must
he a very great hardship In Oregon,
more than half the State is withdrawn
from private entry, occupation. and
use, in various forms of land grants,
reserves. and the like In Idaho the
case stands about tho same. In Utah
the withdrawals have not been as great
in percentage, but still they arc very
large In Montana. it appears from /
the statement OF Senator Dixon. that |
100000 acres Of public lands have !
bocu withdrawn from settlement dur
ing the past eighteen months, and not
one acre Of this has been classified |
aud restored 10 entry.
1t is evident that policy which
would retain in the general government
.hc title 10 huge areas like this. is a
wrong policy. No matter TO what pro
luciive capacity, nor 10 what great
,aIues. such lands might be raised,
lcithcr the State. the county. nor the
ocal community in which those lands
would lie. would have any right 20 de.
i've any revenue from them by way
II public taxation. The National Gov.
'rnmcnt would have the title, and no
aXing power coulI come in for the
purpose OF obtaining revenue. So, that
he hardship is at once evident. and ..hc
Nscnt Of that hardship is measured by
he enormous quantities of the with.
rawals or reservations
Besides this hardship. we are fully
onvinccd that the leasing system is
,rou% in principle. and would be i'm.
practicable in effect. No one is going
o spcud the great amount Of money
cccssarv let uS say, 10 open n coal :
lime and build a railroad TO il. without ;
aving the tile TO that mine. 4 lease ;
S subject TO forfeiture at anv time.
nd the holder Of that lease would be
I the mercy of a swarm Of hIckmail.
rs accuScr>. nni haugers-ou that
.ould mako his life a burden And since
he authorities ~ Washington are al.
'ays very keen 10 listen 10 omplaints
I every kind against malcfactors Of
rcat wealth, and since great wealth
lone could open such mines. build the ,
cocssary transportation facilities. and
ct markets for their products. tho lot
q lcascr, say OF coal mine on Gov
rpmcut land. would bc An impossible
ne. No one having tho necessary
loncv could possibly be induced 10 20
uto an enterprise OF that kind nudcr .,
II the handicaps which would weigh
i'm ,lowu.
The Pre,idcn 5 intentions towards
iaska arr undoubtedly first class, but z
c j. suffering from bad advice with re- !
pect 10 the control and management Of I
he public domain. {