The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-07-29
Frederick Haskin's etter
OUR NATIONAL ESTATE

Washington, D. c., July 1S.-Ev-I
cry cittsen Of the United States has
an interest In an estate estimated |
to BE- worth at least $50, 900. 000.- !
900, with q potential annual income
OF from III, 000. o00. 900 to $4,000
00o, 900. Founders Of great fortunes
have agreed that their only real
difficulty lay in acquiring the first
thousand dollars-the thousands
and millions came as mere mat
ter Of multiplication. Upon that
basis any man, woman or child
who owns allegiance to the Stars
and Stripes has only to cash in one
individual share In this $4,000
0O0, 900 estate to be in q position to
60 after the Rockefeller record for
piling up treasures Oh earth.
Unfortunately for any such
plans, however, the estate is not in
process of settlement or liquidation,
and there is little likelihood that
the average citizen will ever ac-
tually get his hands on a dollar Of
it. It's real wealth and his title to
a proportionate share Of it is not to
be disputed. 1t may increase large
ly in value and no one can ever
cheat him out of his part of it. Yet
he will never be able to borrow a
nickel on his share and whatever
benefits he may DERIVE from it will
be so indirect that he will never be
conscious Of them. Tantalizing,
isn't It?
This vast estate is made up Of
the public domain and natural re-
sources, the title to which is vest
ed in the Federal Government. Ad-
mittedly its value is hypothetical
a matter of estimate-but it has
been placed at the figures quoted
by no less an authority than Sec
rotary of the Interior Fall. Mr..
Fall is recognized as a shrewd
business man and as he is practic-
ally its administrator he ought to
know more about what it is worth
than anybody else knows.
Here are some of the items of
this national estate, as the secre-
tary calls it: 175,000,000 acres OF
forest lands; 90,000,000 acres OF
grazing lands; 150,000,000 acres OF
arid and swamp lands; immensely
valuable when reclaimed; 120, 000,-
O0O, 900 tons of COAL; $4,000, 000. 000
barrels of petroleum and shale oil
waterpower that might develop TO-
100000 horsepower with industrial
and commercial possibilities be.
yond estimate; vast deposits Of
potash, phosphate. gold, silver, cop
per and other minerals. and $780,.
000, 900 acres Of national parks.
Leasing Possibilities.
Take the coal, oil, mineral anG
waterpower items alone and it stag
gers the imagination even to ap
proximate the wealth producing
possibilities. 1t is Secretary Fall!
idea that these resources should b
explored by a system of leasing tt
private interests and if his esti
mates as to royalties are correc
the national debt could be wiped
out in short order and the gov
ernments income would be sucl
that it would not be necessary tt
levy any taxes to meet the expense.
of the federal establishment
That, however, like the prospec
Of the individual citizens ever cash
ing in ON his share of the nationa
estate. is something of an brides
cent dream. The government has ;
constantly growing income from
the development Of the public re
sources, and the experiment o
. leasing oil lands on royalty basi
is now being tried, but it is ex
tremely doubtful that the countr
will ever embark upon an ambi
tious program Of this kind. Their
j is too much politics in the propo
sition or, in any event, there is to
much of a possibility for playin
politics in connection with it.
1t involves the old familiar figh
. over the question of conservation
On one side is the element that be
5 lieves that the natural resources G
the public domain should be care
5 fully preserved and guarded les
E private individuals and interest
3 lay unholy hands upon them, prof
D fting unduly thereby. On the othe
e side are those who insist that tn
only sensible policy is to max
these resources Immediately Pre-
D ductive and that this cannot b
4 done by the government itself. Bot
! groups declare that they are intel
3 ested solely in promoting genera
e welfare, but each is lntolerant {
q the others ideas. and each calls tn
other names. 1t may be added thu
such strong case is made by eac
side that the average layman is III
able to decide which is right. Pos
!. sibly neither is wholly right nc
3 wholly wrong.