The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1907-12-05

laws evils such as child labor. as the
over-working of women. as the fail
ure to protect employees from loss of
life or limb can be effectively reached,
any more than the evils of rebates and
ock-watering can be reached without
good laws. To fail to stop these prac-
tices 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. IL the states
will 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 succrinE as
to its usefulness. No department of the
government. however. has more en-
phatically viudcated its usefulness, and
none save the post Office department
comes so continually and intimately into
touch with tie people. The two citizens
whose welfare is in the aggregate most
vital 10 the welfare of the nation, and
therefore 10 the welfare of all other Citi.
Zens. are the wase-workcr who does
manual labor and the tiller ol 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 l am glad To say that
the proportion OF men engaged in this
kind of work is diminishing liut 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 a. physical
labor. but in the development Of physical
la bnr IN that shall nd
more the work of the trained mind in the
trained body. Our school system is
gravey defective in so far as II it puts
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-
chanical 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 it should be equally recognized
in popular opinion The young man who
| has the farsightedness and courage 10
| recognize 1t and get over the idea that
it makes a difference whether what he
| GdTHS Is Cdlleu SdluES Vi WdBSS, tiJll WIZ
| refuses to enter the crowded field of the
so-called professions and takes to con-
structiVe industry instead, is reasonably
| sure of an ample reward in earnings, in
| health, in opportunity to marry early,
| and to establish home with fair
amount of freedom from worry. 1t
| 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, and the power of
their positions In the social world.
Inland Waterway Systems
Should Ie Developed.
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
our civilization the adequate material
basis without which that civilization
cannot exist. We must show foresight
we must look ahead. AS a nation We
not only enjoy wonderful measure OF
present prosperity but If this prosper
ity is used Alright it is an earnest Ot
future success such as no other natior
will have. The reward of foresight fol
this nation is great and easily foretold
But there must be the look ahead
there must be a realization of the fac
that to waste to destroy, our natura
resources. to skin and exhaust the lant
instead of using it so as to increase it!
usefulness, will result in undermining
in the days of our children the yer!
prosperity which we ought by right t.
hand down to them amplified and devel
oped. For the last few years. through
several agencies, the governmcnt ha
been endeavoring to get our people t.
look ahead and to substitute planne'
and orderly development of our re
sources in place of haphazard striv
ing for immediate profit, Our grea
river systems should be developed a.
national water highways the Missis
sippi, with it's tributaries. standing frs
in Importance, and the Columbia sec
ond, although there are many others o
Importance on the Pacific and Atlantic
and the gulf slopes. The national gov
ernment should undertake this work
and I hope a beginning will be mad
in the present congress; and the great
est of all our rivers, the Mississippi
should receive especial attention. From
the Great Lakes to the mouth of thu
Mississippi there should be deep wa
terway, with deep waterways leading
from it to the east and the west Sucf
a waterway would practically NEAR
the extension of our coast line into the
very heart of our country. 1t would b'
of incalculable benefit to our people. L
begun at once it can be carried through
in time appreciably to relieve the con
gestion of our great freight carrying
lines of railroads. The work should bt
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 taint of recklessness or iobbery.
Attention is called to the work of ir
rigation and reclamation of govern
ment lands. In the same connection HI
asks for a revision of the public lanC
laws along the lines proposed by thu
public lands commission. Believes thu
government should increase it's effort!
to conserve our forests and should in
crease by purchase the existing fores
preserves. On the subject of the natura
resources of the nation he says:
I'm the eastern United States thu
mineral fuels have already passed int
the hands of large private owners. nnC
those of the west are rapidly following
1t is obvious that these fuels should b,
|
be well to protect the people agains
unjust and extortionate prices. so fa
as that can still be done. What ha
been accomplished in the great OF
fields of the Indian Territory by th
action of the administration offers
striking example of tire good result
of such a policy. In my judgment tn
government should have the right I,
keep the fee of the coal. oil and ga
fields in its own possession and to leas
the rights to develop them unde
proper regula tions; or else, if the con
gress will not adopt this method. tn
coal deposits should be sold under lin
itations. TO conserve them as puhl
, utilities. the right to mine coal beinj
separated from the title to the soil
The regulations should permit Goa
lands to he worked in sufficient guam
tity by the several corporations Th
present limitations have been absurd
excessive. and serve no useful purpose
and often render it necessary tha
there should be either fraud or els
abandonment of the work of getting
out the coal"