The news=record. [volume] (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Oregon) 1907-1910, 1907-12-12

{ We are prone To speak OF the resources OF
| this country ineXhaustible; this is not
| so. The mineral wealth of the country, the
| coal. iron, oil, gas. and the like. does not
! reproduce itself and therefore is certain |
to lie exhausted ultimately: and wasteful-
ness in dealing with it today means that |
our descendants will feel the exhaustion
generation two before they otherwise |
would But there are certain other forms |
of waste which could be entirely stopped
the waste of soil by washing for instance. |
| which is among the most dangerous Of all |
wastes now in progress in the United States, |
enormous loss of fertility is entirely un-
necessary The preservation or replacement
of the forests is one of the most important
means of preventing this loss. We have
made beginning in forest preservation. but
IT is only a beginning. At present lumber
ing is the fourth greatest industry in the
United States and ct. rapid has been the
rate of exhaustion of timber in the United
States in the past. and so rapidly is the
remainder being exhausted. that the couh-
try is unquestionaDly on the verge Of a
househ I'D in the land. There has already
Leen rise in the price OF lumber. but there
is certain to be more rapid and heavier
rise in the future.
, The present annual consumption OF lum-
! Der is certainly three times as great as the
! annual growth; and II the consumption and
growth continue unchanged practically all
our lumber will be exhausted in another
| genera :ion while long before the limit to
0 complete exhaustion is reached the growing
scarcity will make itself felt in many blight
ing ways upon our National welfare. About
20 per cent of forest territory is now re-
I
v include the most valuable timber lands.
and in any event the proportion is too small
], to expect that the reserves can accomplish
n more than a mitigation of the trouble WHICH
= | is ahead for the Nation Far more drastic
v action is needed Forests can be numbered
= | so to give to the public the full use OF
= | their mercantile timber without the slight
e est detrment to the forest, any more than
1t is detriment to a farm to furnish a
harvest: that there is no parallel between
Is forests and Mines which can only be com
is pletely used by exhaustion. But forests, II
l. used all forests have been used In
l. the past and as most of them are still used
,e will be either wholly destroyed, or so dam
ly aged that many decades have to pass before
e. | effective use can be made of them again. All
ne | these facts are so obvious that 1t is extra
ne ordinary that 1t should be necessary to re-
III peat them
,o OF course to check the waste OF timber
IL means that there must be on the part OF the
q, public the acceptance of a temporary re-
al striction in the lavish use Of the timber In
"a order to prevent the total loss of this use
e, in the future There are plenty Of men IN
yh public and private life who actually adVo'
an cate the continuance OF the present system
10 OF unchecked and wasteful extravaganza
ii | using as an argument the fact that to checi
H., | 1t will OF course mean Interference with th'
"a | ease and comfort of certain people who nov
~ | get lumber at less cost than they ought u
"a. pay. at the expense of the future genera
70 | tions. Some of these persons actually de
81 mand that the present forest reserves b.
o. | thrown open to destruction, because for
IN sooth, they think that thereby the price 0
III lumber could be put down again for two o
| three or more years. Their attitude Is pre-
~ ~. | cisely like that OF an agitator protestin
against the outlay Of money by farmers
70 70 manure and in taking care Of their farm
an MINERAL LANDS.
me In the eastern United States the mlners
~ | fuels have already passed into the hands c
ul- large private owners, and those OF the Yves
me are rapidly following. 1t Is obvious tha
on one these fuels should be conserved and nc nc
o ox wasted, and 1t would be we'll to protect tn
my people against unjust and extortiona'
ahl prices. so far as that can still be done Wht
M has been accomplished in the great oil mel. y.
In OF the Indian Territory by the action Of tt
mas Administration. offers a striking example
m ml]e the good results Of such a policy. IN n n
8 judgment the Government should nave u
leo right to keep the fee OF the coal, oil ana 81
tier fields in Its own possession and to lease u
res rights to develop them under proper regul
IN tions; or else. J.: the Congress VII not aao
re- this method, the coal deposits should
MY sold under limitations to conserve them
'ith public utilities the right to mine coal bell
IL separated from the title to the soil I
put regulations should permit coal LANDS TO
A worked in sufficient quantity by the sever
sc | corporations The present limitations ha
ECO been absurd, excessive and serve no usel
lity. purpose, and often render 1t necessary tn
heir there should be either fraud or else aba
donment Of the work Of getting out
the coal.
der Work on the Panama Canal Is proceedi
our in a highly satisfactory manner. In MAI
des last John F. Stevens. chairman OF
ONE | Commission, ana cnle1 engineer, resign
oad and the Commission was reorganized a
igh- constituted as follows: Lieutenant Colo
The George W. Goethals, Corps of Enginee
and United states Army, chairman and ch
diff engineer; Major d. d. Gailard, Corps
nfu- Engineers. United states Army; Major
that liam l.. sibert Corps OF Engineers UNI
nth States Army; Civil Engineer H a. Ro
sent seau, United States Navy; j. c. s. Bla'
they burn; Colonel W.. C. Gorgas, United Sta
not Army, and jackson Smith. Commissions
lere- This change of authority and direction W
a I.xNA ofFoA A,Nrtl With
,tion ceptible check in the progress OF the wo
lter- POSTAL AFFAIRS.
nedy commend TO the favorable cohsderat
tenn, as recommended by the Postmas
vely General. The primary object is to encour
ocky the use OF Postal savings ushfS tSeip resour
At particularly those who hays net net the sa'
Of experience q the past few weeks. IT is
nent dent that the advantages of such an In In
and depOsltors S ' have ave, Withdrawn their savings
the time being from National banks, Y
flow, companies and savinge banks; indiyid'
same have boarded their cash and the work
,moh ir been withheld and kept in hiding or in
FOR safe deposit box to the detriment OF p
most ssa,ines hanLs guch money would be
pose stored to the channels of trade, to the
the tual benefit OF capital and labor.
the | further commend to the Congress the
the sideraton of the Postmaster -Generafs rec
1um- mendation for the extension OF the par
land post, especially the rural routes. II
de- are now 3S,215 rural routes serving ne
chii- Io,ooo.Ooo PeoPie WHO 40 nov oI,Ios IN
has 'tnta - ". ", 80 Thasa racommendat
FORK; | hava bean dra IN IN to benefit the far
VINO and the country shopkeeper; otherwise
own | should not favor them, for l believe tina
well Is good policy for our Government to
tion | everything possible to aid the small town
0 did the country district. II is desirable that
D did country merchant should not be crushed o
'ition OKLAHOMA.
are Oklahoma has become state, standing
terly full equality with her elder sisters, and
ex- future is assured by her great natural
sonal sources The duty Of the National Coy
, de- ment to guard the personal and property ri
srved OF the INDIANS wlthih her poIueiS remain
!, ,be | course unchanged.
I reiterate my recommendations OF last
as regards Alaska. Some form OF local
with government should be provided as sir
the and inexpensive possible; 1t is mposi
alton for the Congress to devote the necessary
was TO all the little details Of necessary Alai
ertie legislation Road building and railway bi
iddle ing should be encouraged. The Governo
ap- Alaska should be given an ample appropria
great wherewith TO organize force TO preserve
tbs | public peace. Whisky selling TO the mai
.o 10 | should be made felony. The coal land
20 | should be changed az to meet the peel
thess needs OF the territory. This should be
Z the indiyIduals to locate large areas OF the
lands | lie domain for speculative purposes,
" the cause an immense amount OF trouble, Z
lstice and litigation. There should be another
,ainst dIcial division established. As early as
nuch | sible lighthouses and buoys should be et
, law lished as aids to navigation. especially In