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Show H i GUGGENHEIMS AND ALASKA. H J The Alaska scandal cannot be suppressed. For more than two H f ' years Truth has been gradualh finding its way to, the American peu-w peu-w 'l pic as,' for instance, in the Pinchot cast-, which was the first dis-vj dis-vj " closure' of a corrupt condition in the coal and timber transactions. H. Now comes the Dick-to-Dick letter and the direct charges of col- HL hision made by Delegate "Wickcrsham. B Heretofore the Guggenhcinis, known a the Smelter trust, have H tried to laugh the complainants out of court, but their ha-has have HfV changed to muttered protests and "they are today making threats of K leaving the United States, if they are further interfered with in 1 their pursuit of wealth. H S. R. Guggenheim is quoted as saying: Vi "Should the government change its foolish policy and permit H'I American citizens to go up there and develop the country, we W n promptly -would extend our railroad to tho coal fields, because the H'j traffic would be valuable. "Why the enormous wealth said to lie fl 'J hidden in those fields is kept away from the people passes my under- " sianuing. i uon i ueiievc anoiuer governmcui in me worm wumu H treat so great a store of natural wealth in such a way. H J "Our critics say these deposits are worth billions of dollars Ha Of their approximate value 1 have not the least idea. The govern- J ment refused to permit the' citizens to clevolop them. Then why H doesn't the government open them up and not continue to be robbed, H as charged, by contractors? H "What are our tradueers up to anyhow? Do they want to drive H tho capital we control out of the country? H "The United States is not the only country, you know. In say- H ing this I yield to nobody in loyalty to and admiration of my coun- H try. I am an American and proud of it, although I feel ashamed oft K some of the things our government does." The Guggcnheims, being informed ihcro were great bodies of B " the finest quality of coal in Alaska, encouraged Chamberlain and H i ' others, through false entries to seek to obtain control of the most H , valuable deposits "When the coast -was clear, these men of wealth H wf?re to sneak in and possess themselves of this immense wealth. A Bf few honest representatives of the government, learning of the Hf7 frauds, informed Secretary Ballinger. but that worthy, being a close H; friend of the plunderers, winked at the' irregularities and was about K to clear list the claims when Pinchot made a protest in the name of k the American people. The chief forester stood back of Glavis and HV caused such an uproar that the schemers were halted and finally cle- H fcated in their nefarious plans. B' Since then one scandal has followed another, nntil the public H has gained a sufficient insight to reach a verdict against the whole H crow of pirates. K. The one defense is that the government is retarding the develop- K ment of Alaska. If to check a band of highwaymen is to make busi- B' ness dull, no one of self-respect will complain at the depression; and H if to prevent a piratical raid on the vast coal and timber resources Hp-" of Alaska is to temporarily delay the development of that territory, Hl only those who defend brigandage will be found on the side of "the H . interests" whose representatives are now so lustily shouting "hands H Turning over our vast resources to the alrcad strongly in- H. trenched predatory interests may serve for a time to better indus- H trial conditions, but there will come a day of reckoning, and such H a day as all thinking Americans are praying to avoid, when the dis- H couraged masses, rendered hopeless by this insatiable greed for H wealth and this monopoly of our natural resources on the part of H the "big interests," will turn on the monopolists and demand a bcl- Br fcr chance in the struggle for oxistencc. H ' "Wo as a people should jealously guard our great natural rc- H sources and endeavor to so distribute the wealth to be derived there- B from that neither now, nor in tho near future, shall the door of hope ."be closed to the average young man who would develop an independ- H cnt livelihood. |