The Alaska daily empire., 1916-05-17
poLlrlcAL ooAL IN ALAsKA
fNew York Times,

petition presented i'm the senate oy Nil 'oneo o' Washington from tho Chamber of Commerce at COT. aova Alaska shows a curious misunderstanding or the majestic theory and practice which the feoerai government follows There are three avaiiaDle Nas' kan coal fields, Boring River MatanusAa Nenune' % In the days of darkness private capital would nave been allowed to develop mineral resources You can buv coal lands You may lease them. private rall' road can only lease coal lands for its own use rms privilege Is valueess for the small amount useu DS railroad cannot be mined cheapy
 railroad wants coal to transport well as co burn But enlightened laws forbid an Alaskan rali' road to carry coal mined by it or m whicn N mas any interest The railroad can't own or lease COZ" iers' neither can a coal company own railroad II the two combine they are guilty of conspiracy or unaW- ful combination. The Copper River Northwestern rms nearly half the way to the Bering fields. once It took option of 5000 acres in those neos' sur veved and would have built road and dug coal mines The stern parent at Washington forbade the crime. The Copper River & Northwestern people were accused of conspiracy and monopolistic intention Inen co" land title torn up. Virtue was VlhoCaveu' lns coal needed for the development of the rich copper region stretching a hundred miles along the copper River and Chitina valleys is safe in the ooweis oi the earth Save for the one great mines Tor whieh inc Copper River Northwestern was built tne mineral treasure is mostly helpless and useless NO railroad no coal; coal no raroad no coai no cop per mighty industry is choked but let us praise tne famous wisdom of Congress, of eonservauon' NHs" Alaska a,
 Ieasea lands means government railroads To all intents and purposes there be private railroad building in Alaska. Irrespective or tne law, wno 10 going 10 face government competition? Coal Tor Al askan use coal for industry is vital necessary Watch the benevolent government In the railroad DUST ness The CordoYan petitioners recte that under lnc act of March 12 1914 the President has mad surveyed and ordered built line from Seward 'o "ilD"iH'' o with branch line to the Matanuska coal neids' 0V4 miles while nearly 500 miles are yet to be locateu that the designated mileage will open the Me1anu9Ae and Nenana coal fields but not the berlns 'ne "sSi eet to the market of all the Alaskan coal lands me Lrofrh r1rc ig Notanugka to Seward 1S4. from Boring River to cor dova 6S The estimated cost with time or oonaihs railroads to the three fields is SSOVVVOV anu e"e years S7OOOOO0 and three wears, SlOOVOVV anu DIN months Do the simple cordovans wonder at me gov ernments choice? They plead to their innocence Vu1 inc Be-ne coal being nearest and necessary TOT great cooper mining and smelting the government S'oulU build the thirty miles of road rom me ler,"nuS ~ the Conner River Northwestern to the Bering ilea and twenty miles additional to tap the aAta''" OH
 The memorandum of Senator Jones says naively that .The principal value of the (Berlns co"i ID 'o local uses" The main value of the Alaska coal or Alaskan resources In general is political unmnea. u fills the bunkers of smon-pure conserVauoNiseS cbor tbev lack fuel that Copper River valley may be prosperous? Mir Jones bares the oneS o' ''u'' ' another part of his argument
 of nolitieal controversy. The most astonishing
 lies (why "astonishing?D have been .o'g
 about it and reailed 10 the public TOT pouuc"
 purposes The BalllngerPnchot quarrel rang
 ed about it. The enemies of the Taft admins
 tration used 1t freely weapon to attack
 the Cunningham coal cases and the Controller
 Bay incident Its uses for such purposes
 onrbt to have passed The time seems to
 have come when 1t should be put to its ma
 tural uses. ,soe c,,
 Its natural uses political Since lSso con cress has passed six acts about Alaska coal iano' Alaska coal remains political Congress must have occupation. ,
 Hlr Jones quotes the interstate commerce la" against discrimination. and asks;
 If it is criminal for private corporation to stranee and kill one locality while 1t up
 holds another should not the government i'
 selft refrain from doing the same thing
 The government can do no wrong but It IS snr 10 have troubles of It's in its railroad busi