The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-10-29
FOREST PRESERVATION.


| President Roosevelt in his Raleigh
speech in favor of the Appalachian
Forest Revenue has attracted atten-
ton all over the Republic. 80 far
as we have seen nobody has undertake
en- to reply to the Presidents argu-
| ment and alr who ave written CT
i spoken nit the Importance OF
not delaying the estab> hment or the
forest reserves.
One of the most important decla-
rations is the following from the
Brooklyn Eagle, the great newspaper
edited by Hon. st. Clair MckelWay.
He writes:
''It is almost a pity that President
Roosevelt put his advocacy or Iarge
| forest reservations as feeders TOT
water supplies into the same speech
| in which he outlined his railroad
program. The railroad fight is so
absorbing that the talk about the need
| of a great tree-covered watershed IN
| the eastern country will be overlook
ed In fact. the work which Presl-
dent Roosevelt pointed out is more
important than railroad regulation.
If the water courses or the eastern
! Appalachian country should be DRIED
| up by skinning the hillsides TO 1eed
| lumber and pulp mills there would
| by no business for the railroads, and
| the only regulation they would need
would be to tear up their rails and
throw them on the scrap heap. mat
| is an extreme statement OF the case,
but it is a logical result oil the poIcy
which has been pursued among the
| New England mountains ana Whlch
| has made some Roadway in the re-
-; oh,
spoke. But because the destruction
will require many years people re-
| fuse to become alarmed by it or inter-
ested in means for its prevention
| The creation of an Appalachian Tor
| est reserve, which the President ad-
vocated on the lines of the great r.
rigation reserves which the govern
ment has established in the West is
properly the business Of the States
through which the Blue Ridge runs,
and those states are among the poor
est in the Union. Even rich New
England cannot secure the reserVa-
lions Of crests of the White and Green
Mountains for State parks. Inc
project may be helped in the South
somewhat, PERHAPS, by the PROPOSE
| ton to turn mountain streams into
sources of electric power for gener-
al distribution, a plan which is now
being carried out on a large scale at
| Chattanooga. The Presidents speech
will direct attention to the need, but
| the inertia to be overcome peIore
state parks can be set aside is enor-
nous. More than occasional speeches
even from the President, is needed"
The President. in his speech told
the people of the Southern States
| that they must "get busy" if they
hoped to succeed. and that he could
not help them unless they organized
| effectively to help themselves. The
inertia is great the opposition to
spending so much money in the South
is greater, but coupled with the New
England proposition there ought to be
enough votes to secure the necessary
appropriation, backed up as 1t is by
the President, the American Forestry
| Association, and the strong public
opinion, provided and always pfoVid-
ed that the Speaker of the House
will permit the measure to come to
a vote. Speaker Henderson refused
to permit it's consideration. He came
| from Iowa-a State of the plains-and
knew nothing of its importance.
Speaker Cannon was born in North
Carolina, but, his almost lifelong
residence in Illinois has put him out
of touch with the needs in States hav-
| ing high mountains and great forests.
| Up to date he has refused his assent
| to it's consideration. The Southern
people, now helped by the great pres
| tige of the President, should press
this great matter with new zeal, ana
seek to have it considered during the
coming winter. If Mr.. Cannon's poll
| icy of economy stands in the way. let
| them be satisfied with an appropria-
ton that will make a. good beginning
| and let the appropriations come
million dollars at a time II that is
the only way the great enterprises
can be started. 4
The Eagle is mistaken when it as
serts that this is properly the busi-
ness of the States through which the
Blue Ridge runs" That would be
Icorrect if the Government had not
distinctly abandoned that theory In
it's work of internal improvements.
The maintenance of the great forest
reserves of the west have not been
regarded as properly the business OF
| the State through which those noun
| tain ranges run 1t would be, there's
fore. unjust to refuse TO make the
care of the Appalachian and Whlte
Mountain reserves the object of ma
tional care. If that rule should be
adhered to. the cost of the improve
ments on the Mississippi river should
be borne by the States through which
that majestic river flows. The South
Carolina cotton mills are dependent
upon the saving of the forests IN
North Carolina, and the expenditures
of the Government and the naVlga-
ton interests of Tennessee ana other.
rivers are dependent upon the same
things.
TRIED TO CAPTURE THE con-.