The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1919-02-07

THIS is TRULY PERIOD
OF CONSERVATION

Philadelphia, Pa, Jan. 80, 1919.
Mr.. A. W. Bradshaw.
Editor The Times, Pennington, Mo.
Dear Mr.. Bradshaw:-The end of
fighting in France opens many a ques-
ton at home. During the war the
hearts and minds Of the men and wo-
men of America were overseas, but
with the coming of victory we can
turn again to home affairs. 1t is right
and fitting, therefore, that the friends
of conservation should inquire once
more as to the status of the conserva-
ton movement.
The people of the United States
own natural resources of enormous
value-lands that contain more than
six hundred million barrels of oil,
four hundred and fifty billion tons of
coal, two million acres of phosphate
lands, and more than fifty million I'M
developed water horsepower.
Legislation is now pending in Con-
gress to trade or give all this away.
While public attention was absorbed
by the war, measures to dispose of
these resources quietly passed both
the House and Senate. AS usual the
House bills are mainly sound, the
Senate bills thoroughly bad There is
serious danger that the latter will be
jammed through in the dying hours of
the present session.
The Senate, on January 7, 1918, af-
ter very brief consideration, passed a
bill Is. 2812), dealing with the coal,
oil, gas, and phosphate resources now
in public ownership. This measure,
masquerading as a leasing bill, would
surrender, with the title, all control
of waste, output, price, and labor con-
ditions. 1t fosters speculation in coal,
oil, gas, and phosphate, and gives no
measure Of prompt development. Even
the leasing provisions afford no pro-
lection to the public against eXtortion
or monopoly. Still worse, it gives tt
tie to fraudulent oil claimants, many
of whom have already had their claims
denied by the courts. Finally there is
a joker which would overthrow the
present lease law for coal lands in AL
aska, for which we fought so long,
and would turn them over forever to
private hands.
A bill for the leasing of these same
resources was passed by the House
on May %, 1918. This measure Oh. R.
3232) is much faifer to the public in
terests than the indefensible compan-
ion bill passed by the Senate.
noSrod e I'm 70 t1, lSl y INC SENATE s
t fo' $500; pn. ~ cory itoSI plosiuiig lor
tne ~ 'ltsiis u lL9hcliiSeS Ior water
i,1h.ta, ~. ia GUY streams. ~ Is
nntoLin ca: Tue nH'otiouS ana uisre-
EP o" "iai I,;I pil' VI Vne previous
IL aon vIo, miiiSm wa ~ ueigateu py pup,
nnn oo' !. L'It t"e iiouse uiu not
+i ppU,H ~ DI' asseu iiisCoaa an en-
tnot;s "." Iitl, ui?"i ny Vle Auniinls-
or I.i0n anu toseIlhs waterpower not
uncr u MI iaY 1as Streams, pet also
and ;ptn Uo i" anu national forests
Whan thi so nd,,,: ma.er way; .,, -
fret ;ntrodn S = and"n a.io;i plll WAS
w. u lhU ouuSeu enuolseu ~ nearby
dne itouse COMMITTEE on water row
go az. 'e;. m;o'e III q new clause, the
nrnnor siS"i III .ne OH, Which was very
N eJar+So,o opposoa Sy .ne rreSi IeI6
AZ 49, 'neleeo' oh SSptehhpEr D, 1912
th;s nlenso ;n, paSs 'he mouse Win
TIL t,ne nv. a,.,u SF LIN
fo-nn S"o rH HII' @ oiis are now III con-
nn , r,incr,i Inc 20 .1eia'e measures Doth
worse tban tha a n U wa'ep'pers are
Mi; TSe r onan , tne notorious Baiilnger
az III lloStLi1 W Ihe Pupllc inter-
rooronoi;on tn M " corporate
4;,ni,, J;tss ne ,iouse Dils are en-
Won tn umeieni Ii; anu Vastly vastiy petter' AS
fer r nno oa,na+ III H rGportea from con