The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1907-12-06

laws evils such as child labor. as the
over-working Of women. as the fall
ure to protect employees from loss Of
life or limb. ran be effectively reached,
any more thar the evils of rebates and
stock watering ran be reached withou,
good laws. To fail to stop these prac-
tees by legislation means to force
hoNest men into them. because other
wise the dishonest who surely will
take advantage Of them will have
everything their own way. II the states
viii correct these evils, well and good;
but the nation must stand ready to aid
them.
When the department OF agriculture
was founded there was much sneering ms
TO Its usefulness. No department Of the
government, however, more EN-
phatically v.ndicated its usefulness, and
none save the post office department
comes 30 continually and intimately into
touch with the people. The two citizens
whose welfare is In the aggregate most
vita; to the welfare of the nation, and
therefore to the welfare of all other citi'
gems. are the wage-worker who does
manua! labor and the tiller OF the soil,
the farmer. There are, of course, kinds
OF labor where the work must be purely
mental. and there are other kinds OF
labor where. under existing conditions,
very little demand indeed is made upon
the mind, though / am glad TO say that
the proportion of men engaged In this
kind of work Is diminishing. But In any
community with the solid, healthy quail
ties which make up a really great nation
the bulk Of the people should do work
which calls for the exercise of both body
and mind. Progress can not permanently
exist in the abandonment of physical
labor. but in the development OF physical
labor, so that 1t shall represent more and
more the work Of the raine mind In the
trained body. Our school system Is
gravely defective in so far as 1t 1t puts a
premium upon mere literary training and
tends therefore to train the boy away
from the farm and the workshop. Moth
ing Is more needed than the best type OF
industrial school, the school for me-
chanieal industries In the city. the school
for practically teaching agriculture in the
country, The calling of the skilled tiller
of the soil, the calling of the skilled me-
chanic, should alike be recognized as
professions, Just as emphatically as the
callings OF lawyer, doctor, merchant, or
clerk. The schools should recognize this
fact and 1t should b. equally recognized
In popular opinion. The young man who
has the farsightedness and courage 10
recognize 1t and get over the Idea that
II makes a difference whether what he
earns Is called salary or wages. and who
refuses to enter the crowded field or the
so-called professions. mi takes TO con-
structive industry instead, Is reasonably
sure Of AZ ample reward in earnings, In
health, In opportunity to marry early
and to establish a home with a fair
amount of freedom from worry. IL
should be one of our prime objects to put
both the farmer and the mechanic on a
higher plane Of efficiency and reward. so
as to increase their effectiveness In the
economic world, and therefore the dig
nifty, the remuneration, n the power OF
their positions In the social world.
Inland Waterway systems
Should BE Developed.
1.-THE conservation OF our national re-
sources and their proper use constitute
the fundamental problem which under
lies almost every other problem of our
national life. We must maintain for
VI civilization the adequate material
basis without which that civilization
canno exist. We must show foresight,
we must look ahead. AS a nation WI
not only enjoy a wonderful measure OF
present prosperity but II this prosper
ity is used Alright 1t Is an earnest OF
future success such as 40 other nation
will have. The reward of foresight fof
this nation is great and easily foretold,
But there must be the look ahead,
there must be q realization Of the fact
that to waste, to destroy, our natural
to skin n exhaust the land
instead Of using it so as to increase its
usefulness, will result In undermining
in the days of our children the very
prosperity which we ought by rtght to
aAs~fru ~ n To tfrv-~~---ratr~u~endzdevef
oped. For the last few years, through
several agencies. the government has
been endea voring to get u people to
look ahead and to substitute a planned
and orderly development OF our re-
sources In place OF a haphazard strlv-
ing for immediate profit, Our great
river systems should be developed as
national water highways; the Missis-
sippi, with its tributaries, standing first
In Importance, and the Columbia sec
ond, although there are many others Of
importance on the Pacific and Atlantic
and the gulf slopes, The national gov
eminent should undertake his work
and / hope a beginning will be madt
in the present congress-; and the great
est OIL Ill our TlftTE, tHo MisstSbippi
should receive especial attention. From
the Great Lakes to the mouth of thu
Mississippi there should be a deep wa
terway, with deep waterways leadini
from It to the east and the west. Sucf
a waterway would practically NEAR
the extension of our coast line Into tn,
very heart OF our country. 1t would b.
of incalculablc benefit to our people. Il
begun at once 1t can be carried through
in time appreciably to relieve the con,
gestion of our great freight-carryinG
lines of railroads. The work SHOULD b.
systematically and continuously carried
forward in accordance with some well
conceived plan. The main stream,
should be improved to the highes'
point OF efficiency before the improve
ment Of the branches Is attempted; ant
the work should be kept free from
every faint Of recklessness or jobbery.'
Attention is called to the work Of ir
rigation and reclamation Of govern
ment lands. In the same connection IN
asks for a revision Of the public LAM
laws along the lines proposed by thu
public lands commission. Believes TIN
government Should increase its effort
to conserve our forests and should in
crease by purchase the existing fores
pfeseTbtSt vi Int supJcst VI tne hatuId
resources Of the nation he says:
I'm the eastern United States tn
mineral fuels have already passed int
the hands OF large private owners, an.
those OF the west are rapidly following
1t Is obvious that these fuels should b.
conserved and not wasted. and 1t woul'
be well to protect the people agains
unjust and extortlonate prices. 90 IA
as that can still be done. What 0a'
been accomplished in the great oil
fields OF the Indian Territory by tn,
action OF the administration offers
striking example Of the good result
Of such a policy. In my Judgment tn
government should have the right {,
keep the fee OF the coal, oil and ga
fields in It's own possession and u leas
the rights to develop them unde
proper regulations; or else. II the con
gress will not adopt this method, Tn
coal deposits should be sold under lin
~itations. to conserve them as pr0ii
utilities. the right to mine coal beinI
separated from the title to the soil
The regulations should permit Goa