Gilpin observer., 1918-04-25

~0et Holt out Of the way while n.
liot Il at Kamatlah. It isn't doing
Holt any good to sit tight clamped to
that claim Of his. He needs a change.
Besides, want him away SO that We
can contest his claim. Run him up
into the hills. Or send him across to
Siberia on whaler. Or. better still,
have him arrested for insanity and
send him to Nome. I'll get Judge Ian.
dor to hold him awhile"
Leave 1t to me. The old man -
going on a vacation, though he doesn't
know it yet"
"Good enough. Wally. I'll trust you.
But remember, this fight has reached
an acute Stage. No more mistakes.
land the knockout punch. We've
beaten this bunch Of reform idiots be-
fore Winton, before the secretary Of
the interior, before the president and
before congress. Now they're begin
ming all over again. Where IL 1t to
endr'
"This is their last kick. Probably
Guttenchild agreed to it SO as to let
the party 60 before the people at the
next election without any apologies.
Entirely formal investigation, should
say"
This might be true, or it might not.
Macdonald knew that just now the
American people, always impulsive in
its thinking. was supporting strongly
the movement for conservation. A
searchlight had been turned upon the
Kamatlah coal fields.
The trouble had originated in a de-
partment row, but 1t had spread until
the Macdonald claims had become q
party issue. The officials of the land
Office, as well as the national admin
istration. were friendly to the claim
ants. They had no desire to offend one
Of the two largest money groups in the
country. But neither did they want to
come to wreck on account Of the Gut
tenchilds. They found 1t impossible to
ignore the charge that the entries were
fraudulent and If consummated would
result in a wholesale robbery of the
public domain. Superficial investiga.
tions had been made and the claimants
whitewashed. But the clamor had per.
sisted.
The facts were simple enough. Mac
donald was the original promoter Of
the Kamatlah coal field. He had en-.
gagged dummy entrymen to take up
100 acres each under the homestead
act. Later he intended to consolidate
the claims and turn them over to the
Guttenchilds under an agreement by
which he was to receive one-eighth of
the stock Of the company formed to
work the mines. The entries had been
made, the fee accepted by the land Of.
fee and receipts issued. In course Of
time Macdonald had applied for pat.
ents.
Before these were issued the maya.
zines began to pour in their broadsides,
and since then the papers had been
held up.
The conscience Of Macdonald was
quite clear. The pioneers in Alaska
were building out Of the Arctic waste
new empire for the United States,
and he held that fair government
could do no less than offer them liberal
treatment. To lock up from present
use vast resources needed by Alaskans
would be mistaken policy, a narrow
and perverted application of the doc.
trine Of conservation. The territory
should be thrown open to the world.
II capital were invited in to do its
share Of the building, immigration
would flow rapidly northward. Within
the lives Of the present generation the
new empire would take shape and
wealth would pour inevitably into the
United States from its frozen treasure
house.
The view held BY Macdonald was
one common to the whole Pacific coast.
Seattle, Portland. San Francisco, were