Salt Lake Tribune | 1910-03-15 | Page 4 | Public Railroads for Alaska

PUBLIC RAILROADS FOR ALASKA. Mr. Bonj. B. Hampton, editor of Hampton's Magazine, has an articlo in tho forthcoming April issue of that magazine, in favor of government construction con-struction of railroads iu Alaska, and advocating a form of leasing of the vast resources of that Tcrritor He claims that Alaska is now under control con-trol of tho Morgan-Guggenheim combination. combi-nation. Mr. Hampton urges the well-known fact that tho great troublo with Alaska is the lack of transportation. If tho various combinations which have formed or nro forming to utilize the rich national resources of that Territory Terri-tory aro allowed their vttiy, thoy will freczo out every ono else. Their railroads rail-roads will lead to and develop in every case ono particular region. Anything of value in that region will go to the combination which puts in tho railroad, rail-road, and no matter what anyono olso might have found, occupied, or developed devel-oped withiu tho sphere of tho combination's combi-nation's inlluoncc, that person might as well turn over what he has to the combination, for ho will never gel any benefit out of it. It is understood, generally, among goological oxperts that there is very little first-class coal in Alaska; tho most of the coal thero is in tho form of lignites of various degrees of com-bttstibility com-bttstibility and in immense laj'ers or ledges. Thero arc. it is conceded 13' them, a number of smaller layers distributed dis-tributed through those liguites of good coal; and the theory is that the combinations com-binations arc formed to exploit tho country and dig out and exhaust thpso rich veins, leaving the lower grade coals or the liguites, valueless in place. What is wanted mob't is a thorough understanding of what ought to bo dono for the advancement of Alaska. The trouble is that- Alaska being an immense region, and so. different from other parts of tho country, it is not clear just what to do. The suggestion made by Mr. Hampton is ono that is not liable to" be considered favorably ly Congress. As an initial proposition, it would mean the expenditure of vast amounts of .monc3p,. with very littlo prospect of much immediate return. Jt would be in a different sort of way, something like the venture of tho digging dig-ging of tho canal across tho Isthmus or Panama. Tho pride of the country once engaged in the outorpriso, should tho building of railroads "in Alaska bo undertaken, would bo sufficient, to sustain sus-tain operations until it is completed; and eventually it is very likely that the system of procceduro suggested by Mr. Hampton might ovcutualh' bo a good one for tho Government a generation or two henceforward; but at presont it is open to the same old objection -so often found in tho proposition of Eastern East-ern capitalists, financial men, bankers, and operators, that- is; that when it is a matter of doubtful venture, or assured as-sured loss, then tho Government is put to the front to do the work, solve the problem or suffer the loss, as the case may be. But when gain is in sight, tho Government must keep its hnnds off. This, as a rule, has been the sort of proposition that comes from the speculative specu-lative moneyed centers. Congress as a rule has.' boon quite road- to respond to that method, and doubtless Congress will continue in the samo line as heretofore. here-tofore. We do not consider that thero is tho least likelihood of any serious attention at-tention being given b3' Congross to Mr. Hampton's proposition, meritorious though it ma3 be as a speculative idoa for the benefit of ages to come.