The Springfield herald., 1913-12-05
CONGRESSMAN KeatinQ's Letter.

sense of thaG much abused term.
We have no desire to see our fol
ests, our coal, oil and asphaltum n
lands, and our almost unlimited
water power, drift into the
hands of unrestrained monopoly
or any other kind of monopoly
so far as that is concerned. We
want these resources developed
in such a way as to benefit the
greatestapossiblenumber of thos'
now living and with a decent re
gard for the interests of pros
perity. If a revenue accrues
from that developement, We be.
lieve it should go to the mainten
ance of our state and county gov
ernments and of our school sys-
TEN. We contend that Uncle
Sam should not poket this mon.
ey and thus assume the roll of an
absentee non-taxpaying landlord,
If Mr.. Pinshot and his friends
really desire to defeat the plans
of the monopolists and conserve
the nations natural resources,
they will cease to treat the pe0-
pie of the west as unconvicted
criminals. Instead they will
give ear to our reasonable COM
plants and join with US in form.
ulating a well thought out nation
al policy which will be just to all
sections of our common country
and oppressive to none.
The times were never more
propitious for such movement.
We have in the White House and
at the head of the Interior De-
partment men who demand the
unquestioning confidence of the
Pinchot followers, and of the
champions of the Western idea.
If these latter forces are sincere
in their opposition to the schemes
of monopoly why not seek COM
mon ground under the leader
ship of Wilson and lane and en-
deavor to win a great construct.
i've victory.
Mr.. Pinshot has shown us how
to lock up our resources. Who
will showus how to unlock them,
make them available for the use
of the people and at the same
time safeguard them against the
burglars? Let me
give you few examples to illus
trate what mean:
Colorado il threatened With in
dustrial paralysis because three
large companies are quarreling
with their men and refuse to
consider arbitration. Yet the
State of Colorado owns one hun
dred thousand acres of coal land
more than the total po-
session of all these coal comIan.
ies-and the United States gov.
ernment :entrols within the
borders of Colorado hundreds OF
thousands of acres of coal land.
Still neither the State nor the
National government seems cap
able of affording the people
relief.
Again, a few men dictate the
price of lumber in this country.
Most of them stole the timber
lands they now possess, but
clever lawyers kept them out OF
the penitentiary and showed
them how to form the lumber
trust, The United States Gov
eminent owns more timber land
than the trusts and spends mill
ions every year conserving" it,
but it can not compel the trust
to reduce it's prices by so much
as one penny on the THOUSAND
feet.
Again John D. Rockefeller
and the Standard Oil Company
enjoy a monopoly of the oil bus
mess Of this country, and through
that monopoly have accummulai
ed fortunes which make the
wealth of Midas aud Creosus
look like a Congressman'a salary
after he has settled with Wash
ington hotel keeper. Now Uncle
Sam controls more oil land than
the Standard Oil Company and
it's auxiliaries, but he can moi
Influence the price of oil bv se