Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-22
THE SUNDAY STAR WASHINGTON D. c. MARCH o. 1e14-pARr

have become convinced that this can only
be brought about through a leasing sys-
tenn, since the odds in Congress are toe
strong for them.
ut is little less than criminal to CON-
pei our people to continue to pay the
high prices for coal brought from the At
lantic states, when millions of tons OF
coal lie almost at our doors" said one
western senator who has opposed the
leasing principle. Il am inclined to think
that we will have to come to this leasing
system in order to get at the resources of
our own states. l am inclined to think.
too. that the leasing system will eventual
" break down. Certainly it will foster a
great bureaucratic, almost monarchical
system that is foreign to all American
IDEAS
In Form of Compromise.
These administration bills suggest in a
way compromise, because they permit
after preliminary or prospecting period
OF two years, the prospectors to take up
as their own one-quarter of the land over
which they have been permitted to pros
pect Also the bills call for a return to
the states in which they are collected 30
per cen~ of all royalties from leased
lands to be used for schools and other
development uses. Primarily the royalties
are to be used in development of irriga
ton work in arid and semi-arid lands.
But although many Of the western
senators and representatives have reach
ed the conclusion that only through sub
hitting to leasing legislation can the re-
sources in their states be developed, there
will undoubtedly be a warm fight in both
houses before the bills are passed In
the Senate the fight will be hotter and
longer than in the House. probably, for
the forces in favor of the adnlinistratio
measure do not outnumber the opponents
of these measures to such am extent as is
the case in the House.
One of the leaders of the opposition to
the leasing plans among the democrats
of the House will be Representative Tay
lar of Colorado. member of the COM
mittee public lands, to which the
House bill has been referred. But poll
of that committee, so far as it was posi-
bile to make a poll at this time. indicates
that the administration measure I'M
doubtedly will be reported favorably to
the House, perhaps little modified.
Prevention of Monopoly.
Arguments of the protagonists of the
administration measures are to the eff
feet that they will prevent monopoly.
spelled with a big NJ. and that the gov
eminent is the best guardian of the re-
sources of coal. oil and such materials for
the use of the people of the country.
They argue also that the national gov
eminent is entitled to some of the profits
to be derived from these vast resources.
The opponents of the leasing plan in
sist that it will work an injustice to
the new states: that the old states
have been developed by private enter
prise; that the consumers of coal and
oil will have to pay in the end the
royalties which the government is to
receive; that great bureaucratic sys-
TEN. with it's head in Washington,
thousands of miles away. will be de-
veloped to govern these huge govern
ment holdings: that the entire plan
is antagonistic to all American ideas.
The Walsh bill-the administration
bill-which was framed after confer
ences between the chairmen of the
mines and mining, the public lands and
the territories committees of the Sen
ate and House with Secretary Lane of
the Interior Department, at present is
before the Senate mines and mining
committee, of which Senator Walsh is
chairman. There is a motion pend
ing in the Senate, however, to take
the bill from this committee and refer
it to the committee on public lands, OF
which Senator Myers of Montana is
chairman. 1t is likely this course will
be followed for when the bill per-
hitting the leasing of coal lands in
Alaska was introduced in the Senate
it was taken away from the mines and