Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1905-10-19


from the Bay Of Fundy to the Gulf we
will see, within the next few years
ii policy set on foot similar 10 that so
fortunately carried out in the high
Sierras of the west by the national
government, All the higher Appala-
chians should be reserved, either by
the states or by the nation. much
prefer that they should be put under
national control, but it Is a mere tru.
ism to say that they will not be re-
served either by the states or by the
nation unless you people of The South
show a strong interest therein.
Maintenance of Forest Reserves as
Vital as Protection Against
Floods.
Such reserves would be paving
investment, not only in protection to
many interests, but in dollars md
cents to the government The i'm.
portance to the Southern people Of
protecting the Southern mountain
forests is obvious. These forests are
the best defense against the floods
which, in the recent past, lave, dur
ing single twelve month, destroyed
property officially valued at nearly
twice what 1t would cost to buy the
Southern Appalachian Reserve. The
maintenance of your Southern water
powers is not less important than the
prevention Of floods, because If they
are injured your manufacturing inter
ests will suffer with them. The per-
petuation of your forests, which have
done so much for the South, should
be one OF the first objects of Your pub
lie men. The two Senators from
North Carolin.. have taken an honor
able part in this movement. But
do not think that the people Of NORTH
Carolina, or Of any other Southern
state, have quite grasped the import
ance of this movement to the com
mercial development and prosperity oi
the South.
The Industrial Future of Our 0rea,
Commonwealth Lies With the
Young Men.
The position of honor In your parade
today is held by the Confederate vet.
Grams. They, by their deeds, reflect
credit upon their descendants and up
on all Americans, both because they
did their duty in war and because
they did their duty in peace. Now, II
the young men, their sons, will not
only prove that they possess the same
power of fealty to an ideal, but will
also show the efficiency in the ranks
of industrial life, that their fathers
the Confederate veterans, showed
that they possessed in the ranks Of
war, the industrial future of this great
and typical American commonwealth
is assured.
The extraordinary development O
industrialism during the last half cen
tury has been due to several causes
but above all to the revolution in th'
methods of transportation and com
munication; that is, to steam and t.
electricity, to the railroad and tn
telegraph.
When this government was founded
commerce was carried on by essential
ly the same instruments that had bee
in use not only among civilized, bu
among barbarian, nations, aver sine
history dawned; that is, by wheele
vehicles drawn by animals, by pac
trains, and by sailing ships and ro'
boats. On land this meant that con
merce went in slow, cumbrous, an
expensive fashion over highways ope
, to all. Normally, these highway
could not compete with water tran
, portation, If such was feasible b
, tween the connecting points.
| Railroads Have Changed Former Co
!. ditions.
$ All this has been changed by Il
t development of the railroads. Sa'
8 on the ocean or on lakes so large
;. to be practically inland seas, transpo
J. by water has wholly lost its old POI
r ton of superiority over transport
n land, while instead of the old hig
ways, open to everyone on the san
d terms, but of a very limited usefulnes
g we have new highways-railroads
IS which are owned by private corpor
d tons, and which are practically
O unlimited, instead of limited, user
e. ness. The old laws and old custol
" which were adequate and proper
n meet the old conditions need radio
10 readiustment in order to meet the
10 new conditions. The cardinal +
of lures in these changed conditions a
to first the fact that the new highw
j, the railway, is, from the commerc
Sc standpoint, Of infinitely greater
ID nortance In our industrial life til