The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1918-01-31
Mining Interests Are Threatened by the
Passage of Coal and Oil Leasing Bill.
Chester T. KEENAN, Points Out Dancer

nothing in war time to create any
friction in home government affairs
the while the bureaus, however, are
shamelessly taking advantage of the
pretended excuse of exigency of wa,
to feather their own bureaucratic
nests by forcing their profteering pro
gram through congress while the sold
iers backs are turned.
I'VE now rely wholly on our western
senators to prevent this outrage upon
the western states, which is sought to
be perpetrated under the camouflage
of war.
The political cleavage between our
secretary of war and secretary of the
interior is, however, marked and dis
tinct. The former has recently said :
we at home must fight for democ-
racy here, just as our armies must
tight for it abroad while our sec
rotary Of the interior still brazenly
continues his desperate fight to fasten
upon the public land states an ancient
form of Russian bureaucracy.
Most respectfully,
CHESTER T. KEENAN,"
Senator Jones' Reply.
United States Senate Jan. 7, 1918.
Colonel Chester T. KEENAN,, Hotel
Occur d'Alene. Spokane, Wash.
Mr.. Dear Mr.. KEENAN,: Your favor
of December 22nd with reference to
the leasing bill and the action of the
bureaus at Washington is at hand.
You are exactly right in your at
titude and views, but the people will
find out some of these days that the
bureaus of the government really do
the legislating. What the people think
is conservation in their interests will
be found to be largely in the interest
of the bureaus and the continuance of
their control.
Very sincerely yours,
w. L. JONES.
Senator Poinaexter's Reply.
United States Senate, Jan. s, 1918.
Mr.. Chester T. KEENAN,, Mining Engi-
neer, Murray, Idaho.
Dear Mr.. KEENAN,: Am just in re-
oeipt of yours Of the 31st ultimo and
am glad to know your views about
the pending oil and coal land bill. I
voted against it although it passed
the senate on yesterday. Am enclosing
you copy Of it.
With kind regards,
Very truly yours
MILES POINDEXTER.
KEENAN, to Senator Shafroth.
Murray Idaho, January rs, 1918.
Senator John F. Shafroth, Washing
ton, d. C.
Dear Senator: Yours of recent date
received / had written good many
senator's against this leasing bill, and
believe you are the only one to whom
wrote who voted in favor Of it. After
Ill the lears you and l., and our
friends, have fought against the leas-
ng principle, did not think you
would desert the west, turn square
lround, and vote for it.
The plain right way was to have
brown open to entry all the lands
which, at the behest of the bureau
rats, have been withdrawn from en-
ny in the past few years-and stop
light there.
There Is no shadow of emergency"
,r excuse for now subverting our long
established beneficent land system and
in its stead landlordism
by the de facto ruling class-the bu-
eaucrats-absolutely no shadow or
excuse, except the bland desire of our
secretary of the interior
for gigantic and astounding extern
sion of political and commercial pow
er to him.
Everybody in the west knows that
under the terms of this leasing bill the
intend to- can and VIII,
make it so difficult for anyone to en-