The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1902-06-19
THE APPALACHIAN RESERVE
SEN ATOR DEPEW,S SPEECH.

SEN ATOR DEpEW'S SPEECH
The Preservation of Our Forest.
Has Been Too Long Neglect
| ed.
The Senate bill for the purchase ol
national forest reserve in the South
ern Appalachian mountains, TO be
known as the "National Appalachian
Forest Reserve" which had been
heartily commended to the considera.
ton OF Congress, was un der considera-
ton in the Senate when Mr.. Chauncey
nj. Depew, of New York, member
of tho committee in charge of the bill
made a strong and argumcntalivc
speech in behalf of the plan. lie said
that the results of an Investigation by
the committee were so convincing and
satisfactory that legislation seemed tc
be imperative, and then he continued
as follows:
Nature has been 80 prodigal in hol
gifts of forests to the United States that
the important question of their prescr-
vation has been neglected too long
The attacks of the settlers upon the
woods FOR clearings and home have
been indiscriminate and Wasteful in
the extreme. The settlers are not tC
blame, nor are The lumbermen. The
a. OF frI,o i0r ,u1, iob
with such frightfully increasing rapid
ity during the last fifty years ls due to
lack of that government supervision
III the interest of the whole people
which can only come from education
and experience. The iumbcrman
wishes to realize at once upon his pur-
chase, and as rule vast fortunes are
made in deforesting the land. Rail-
roads are run into the woods, all the
appliances of modem inventions and
machinery are at work, and this mag
nilicent inheritance is being squandcr-
ed with a rapidity which is full of peril
for the future.
Intelligent conservation of the for
ests of the country is the highest evi-
dence Of its civilization. The climate,
the soil, the productive capacity of the
farm, the equabllity of the rainfall
and the benelicent flow of the streams
arc all dependent upon the science of
forestry. We have wisely set apart
already in the West al nation al re-
servcs-about 46,000,0OO acres. One
of them is already paying expenses
and yielding a slight revenue.
The experience of the older coun-
tres of the world is of great value in
this investigation. Forestry has been
practiced in Germany for hundreds of
years. Except for this wise and
thoughtful care by the government,
the fatherlahd would be wholly unable
to sustain its crowded population.
Twcnty-six per cent. of the ,and OF
that country ls in forests, Of which the
government owns two-thirds. We
have left in our country only 2G per
cent. of our territory in woods. Ger
many has special schools of forestry
for tho education of her youth in this
science. The young forester is taught
all that books and lectures can give,
and then is placed in course of from
three to seven years in the practical
application of his work and personei
study upon the ground. In that Wa.
he becomes better fitted for his carcc', ,
The government not only cares for it's
own forests, but it brings under its SUI
pervision, laws, and rules those of pri-
vate owners.
In France IL per cent. of the coun-
try is in the forest, of which the gov
ernment owns one-ninth. The ruin
caused by floods and by the drying up
of streams from decreasing the noun
tain sides led one of The ablest states
men of France, Colbert, during the
reign of LOUIS XIV, to prepare and
put in force code of forest laws.
Under this code, as perfected, all the
forests in France, whether owned by
the government, by communes, or by
individuals, are under the direct su-
pervision. and control of the depart
ment of agriculture.
The same is true in Italy, in Switz
erland, and in Austria. European
governments are going still further in
the line of forest preservation. The
Italian government found that their
valley farms were being destroyed by
the floods which in the rainy season
poured down from their deforested
mountain slopes. They came to the
conclusion that 1t would be true econo
my for Italy to reforest these hills
rhey have arranged for the expendi
ture of $12 900 900, and this reforest.
only 100000 acres. france, feeling