The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1884-04-17
Prevention OF Floods.

II Is urged by several newspapers
that, to prevent further losses from the
floods which annually fll the valleys
Of the great rivers, al towns and dwell
ings should be moved 10 sites above
the line Of the highest food. That this
il imprscticable will at once occur to
any one who gives the matter . mo-
ment Of thought Almost all the inn
pOrtant manufacturing and all the
commercial places Of note are situated
npon the margin Of navigable waters,
and will doubtless always be. All the
losses caused by foods this year will
not equal the increase In expenses
which would follow the removal Of
shops, store-houses, farm buildings. and
dwellings from the river banks and the
lowlands bordering them. At best such
removal would BIO Of comparatively
little worth, since 1t would cost cnorm-
onsly to effect and more to sustain.
The valuable botton-lands would still
be overlooked and vast areas in the
South inundated each year, to the great
injury If not tho utter ruin Of those
owning property there.
More effective and wide-rcaching
means must be adopted to avoid such
misery and destruction along the Ohio.
The occurrence Of these floods shows
moro forcibly than does almost any
thing else the necessity of placing IL
the national government power to con-
troll, SO far as it Is possible for human
ingenuity to govern, all causes affect
ing the welfare Of the people. It should
be in the power Of tho nation to protect
the millions who live in the valleys Of
Americas great rivers from the disas-
trous effects Of the laundering and the
reckless greed Of those who have by Ak
and fro In the northern hills destroyed
the safeguards Of the south. Hereto
iore the study has been how TO prevent
the overflow Of the broad lowlands of
the Ohio and Mississippi by building
weak barriers of loose soil, to be each
year In part rebuilt at an enormous
outlay Of money. With the best levee
system ever used in the south the coun-
try thus protected was threatened with
desolation by each succeeding flood.
The preventive measures should have
been applied at tho headwatcrs of tho
tributaries Of the great rivers. THO
unchecked eagerncsS OF the farmer and
the lumberman resulted In stripping
much Of the land Of every ycstige Of
forest, and foods and drouths arc the
inevitable results. There Is yet timo
to recover much of the ground which
has besn barred of its woods, and there
Is hope that this may yet DO done. II
the timber which the settler destroyed
in the states east Of Illinois were stand
ing to-day as it stood forty years ago it
would hare . cash value greater than
that Of the acres which it once covered.
As \ protection to property in the val.
ley Of the Mississippi its influence would,
be Of incalulablc value. 1t has been
shown repeatedly that growing trees
Of the more valuable sorts pays far bet
ter than does the growing Of grain,
even where crops can be- grown at =
minimum cost, and trees have been
planted on thousands Of acres in the
plains country, while the destruction
Of noble forests has been carried on al
most rs rapidly, il possible, in tho Mid
die and Eastern states. Will not tho
nation be- justified in the undertaking
what the guardians Of the commercial
interests Of New York are trying to do
in that s,atc--prevent tho further de-
struction of timber?