The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1906-09-07
Secretary of Agriculture Viii
son Sees Ray of Hope in
JameSJ. Hills Prophecy
of Woe.

How shall we feed the 900. .5G3 alu Amer
! leans who will in fifty years Constitute
this nationE' demanded Jam. !. Hil
railroad king. fnancier, Hn.. empire
builder. in the course OF "a r.markable
article he recently wrote
1--WE are wasting the resources Of our
land" he went on "and OF our mines
and forests We can already see exhaus-
tiou in sight. What will take the place
Of these things-our iron and coal and
OIL our lumber and timber. the virgin
fertility of a soil fast being exhausted ?''
That was, in substance, the searching
inquiry addressed TO the American people
by a man whose right 10 deliver himself
OF prOphesy is proved by the fact-ths.t
a generation age ne foresaw today.
backed his phOphecy. and won one OF
the greatest fortunes in the world
II was a striking showing that Mr.
Hill made NO nation. ne declared.
was ever confronted with a sterner
question than this certain prospect sets
before MS. What are we 10 do with our
brother. whose keeper We are; how 20
provide our own children with shelter
and their daily bTead2'
Four Sources Of Natural Wealth.
-Four sources of natural wealth. the
sea. the mine. the forest. and the soil.
Mr.. HilI postulated. are provided for
man 70 develop. The sea contributes not
more than or 8 per cent. Coal and
iron are the two great resources Of the
under earth, In 1850 We will approach
an ironless age our home supply Will
have retreated almost to the class of the
precious metals IN the last decade we
doubled cur consumption of it, and.
strangely enough. we think the record
of its progressive exhaustion Is q record
Of prosperity OF which TO be proud
England has now exhausted her more
easily available coal and iron-and mil
lions Of paupers attest the pinch of ad-
juttment To the new conditions. Our
forests are cut and wasted. and no
thought given 20 the future. The soil
is exhausted. and never replenished.
What must be the end?
To this pessimistic outline OF the ma
ti0neI economic destiny, an answer has
been made by a man perhaps equally
as we'll qualified by his studies OF the
sources Of wealth. and his contributions
to developing them. as Mr. Hin. He is
the man who is giving leadership today
90 the greatest movement anywhere
I'm the world 10 fortlfy against such a
tragic destiny as Mr.. Hin foresees. He
is Secretary OF Agriculture James VII
son. and his answer breathes the spirit
OF optimism and confidence and assur-
ance OF the future.
Security Of Nation in Soil.
The future security of the nation must
be in its soil. said Mr. Hill. and in this
Secretary Wilson fully agreed. The SOL
must bring forth new forests In place
OF those cut down. IL must give power
and heat and light for the teeming mil
lions Of mankind when the coal and oil
shall have been exhausted; It must de-
velop substitutes for the iron that can
not last long. And all these 1t will do;
II is now doing them.
Il have read Mr.. Hurs article" said
Secretary Wilson, and regard II as a
complete and statesmanlike paper. He
outlines all the situations with accura-
cy and an ability that nobody less
familiar with the national interests
could have applied.
with regard 70 the exhaustion OF
wood. oil and coal. the farmer will meet
that. Congress has taken the first step
In granting free alcohol. and this de-
partment is at work learning what can
he done to develop it's possibilities. The
=
IN Illinois 70 learn how to produce alco-
hol cheaply from the byproducts Of that
business, and an expert has been sent
10 Europe To study and bring back sup
plies Of seed for production Of the big
stock potato raised there for alcohol
and stock food. It is not the ordinary
edible potato we know, but viii give
twice the alcohol per acre. Still other
experts are studying the uses Of alcohol.
heat and power. ] have no uneasiness
about the prospective lack OF coal and
OIL
Soil to Rescue in Iron Famine.
"As 10 the approaching exhaustion OF
iron, I would not add TO what Mr.. Hin
has said. He is an expert in that line
and / am not.
But while the Secretary would not at
tempt to combat the seriousness Of the
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