The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1914-02-23
PROSECUTORS GAIN !.
RADIUM TERRITORY
Chief Known Supply Lost 70 Gov
eminent In Less Than Two Weeks
Time Physicians Have Faith
HOPE OF CANCER SUFFERERS
Greatest Radium Supply In World Is
In Paradox Valley Of Colorado And
Utah Containing 100000 Acres

From Congressman G. H. Tavenner.
Washington February 23.-The
cry to save the radium supply of the
United States for the entire public
has probably come too late. Accord
ing to confidential information
which mas just been re-
ceived by the Department of the In
terror, the known radium lands of
the United States and this means
the chief known supply of the world
has fallen into the hands of pro-
spectors with in the space of two
weeks time. Any law which Con-
gress may now enact to guarantee
government monopoly of THE price
less metal will probably prove alb
ortive. -
Thus has the government missed
it's greatest opportunity of the pre-
sent century to preserve to the peo-
pie one of the country's most pre-
cious resources. Future generations
of the sick will probably have to pay
tribute to private owners of this
great curative.
While it is mistake to advertise
any cure as absolute until time has
proven it so, yet as nearly as science
can determine to-day radium is
cure for certain forms external
Cancer. The same government ex-
perts who rejected the friedman
tuberculosis serum, are about con-
WINGED that the remarkable cases of
DR.. Kelly of Baltimore prove the
curative power of radium in the case
of cancer.
Seventy-tive thousand die annual
Iy of cancer. Radium is their great
hope. There is no reason for dis
believing that future experiments
will show it's curative power on all
cancers. DR.. Kelly, who has been
working with. it for six years, has
been carried by enthusiasm out of
the usual reticent calm Of the SCI
entists. His brother physicians are
calling him unethical for advertis-
ing the radium cure But DR..
Kelly has been miracles unfolded be-
fore his eyes, and the ethics Of the
situation do not appeal to him. Nor
do they appeal to the government
scientists who have witnessed some
of the redium cures.
"We will have to wait five years
to see If the cancers reappear," say
the conservative physicians. eff
they do we will treat them with
radium again." replies Kelly, who
ralls radium Wariously 'the invis-
able surgeons KNIT" and "the light
from heaven"
e All of the American radium SUD-
ply is in the carnotite ore lands Of
the Paradox Valley in Colorado and
Utah, so called because the river
crosses the valley instead of running
down the middle of 1T. Here are
100000. acres of radium land. It is
the greatest supply in the world. All
of the worlds radium produced in
1911 and 1912 came from this val
ley. There are in this country today
only two grams of pure radium, one
of which is owned by DR.. Kelly. It
is estimated that it will be possible
to take 900 grams of radium from
the Paradox Valley, enough to treat
every case of cancer in the United
States.
1t was planned by Secretary Lane
and others to preserve this supply
as a government monopoly, distri-
'buting it among the various hospi-
tails of the Public Health service,
where cancer cases could be treated
free. But while the agitation for this
plan was in progress there was a
AuSA I'll pIOSpSCCOIS Hull DcuVSl
and Salt Lake City to the Paradox
Valley, and in a little while all of
the 100000 acres had been staked
off in mining claims. Since regis
tration of these claims is done in
state Offices, it will be three years
before the government can know Of
fcially that the land is gone, since
the prospectors have three years in
which to file claims for patents on
the land.
Senator Thomas bill intends to
undo the evil. 1t provides that all
claims for radium land taken after
January Is, 1914, must be sold to
the government. But this consti-
tutes what is known as retroactive
law, a thing which has been declar-
ed unconstitutional by the Supreme
Court.
PLAN TO Redeem CHICAGO