Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-10-04

MNNN"AN i'H may NNH lIHNlH 40 N'NH iva 900 Nt'
works required for the complete devel-
opmcnt ana control OF OUT inland wa
terways.
FORESTS AND FLOODS.
Forests are the most effective pre-
vcntcrs OF floods. especially when they
grow on the higher mountain slopes.
Tho national forest policy. inaugurated
primarily 90 avert or mitigate the TIM
Der famine which Us now beginning 90
be- felt, has been effective also iu SEE
curing partial control Of hoods by re-
tarding the run-on and checking the
erosion OF the higher slopes within the
[ national forests. SIN tho loss rom
soil wash Us enormous. To U.s. computed
that oue-fifth Of a cubic mile in volume
or one billion tons in weight OF the
richest soil matter Of the United states,
is annually gathered in storm rivulets'
washed into the rivers. and borne into
the sea. The loss 90 the farmer Is In
effect "a tax greater than an for re-
claiming lands by irrigation in the arid
regions and by drainage I'm the humid
l0wlands. or for utilizing the water
power now running 20 waste, or LOT
purifying the waters 50 as to reduce or
remove the tax OF soil waste, 20 pro-
mote manufactures and safeguard NE.
It is the part OF wisdom 90 adopt not
| tumble OF unrelated plans. but single
comprehensive scheme FOR meeting an
the demands so far as possible az the
same time and by the same means
| This is the reason why the Inland wa
tcrways commission was created IN
March last. largely in response 20 petl-
lions from citizens OF the INTERIOR m
Guiding many of the members ob Con-
gress. Broad instructions were given
10 the commission Ia accordance WIN
this general policy that no plan shoulu
be- prepared for the use of any stream
"a Without HUNhLAIIA
| considering, and so far as practicaole
| actually providing for, the use OF mat
| stream for every other purpose. rams
for navigation and power should pro-
vide with special care for sites ana
| terminals not only for the Immediate
| nresept but also for the future. IL Is
/ because OF my conviction I'm these mat
! ferf that 1 ann here The inland water
| Wavs commission has a task broader
/ than the consideration OF waterways
! aIaae. There Is am intimate relation
! between our streams anu INC G''clrf-
| mont and conservation OF all the other
| great permanent sources OF Mealtu'
| m is NOT possible rightly to consider
| mo one without the other. No study
| Of the problem of the waterways could
| hope 10 Doe successful which taied 20
| consider also the remaining FACTORS ln
the great problem OF conserving 9ll
| our resources. Accordingly 1 nave
/ asked Che waterways commission 70
| fake account of the orderly develop
| maDt and conservation. not alone OK
ne waters. but also Of the soil, the
forests the mines, and all the other
! natural resources Of our country.
ExHAusTING RESOURCES.
Many of these resources which We
! have naen On the habit o. calling In
pxhaustible are being rapidly exhaust
ed. or In certain regions have actually
| disappeared Coal mines, OH and gas
| fields, and iron mines SD important
| numbers are already worked OUT Inc
| coal and OH measures which remain
| are passing rapidly, or have actually
| rss-ed into the possession or great
| CORPORATIONS, who acquire omlnous
| power through an unchecked control or
! these prime necessities OF modern hle'
control without supervision or any
! kind We are consuming our forests
! three times faster than they are being
| reproduccd. Some OF the richest tim
! bef lands Of this continent have already
! boon destroyed. and not replaced, ana
| other vast areas are on the verge OF
| obstruction. Yet forests. unlike mines
| can be so handled as TO yield the best
results of use, without exhaustion just
! like grain fields.
GOBBLING PUBLIC LANDS.
Our public lands, whose highest use
l is to supply homes for our people, nave
| boon ana are sim being taken IN great
/ quantities by large private owners, 10
/ whom home making is az the very best
! but "a secondary motive subordinate 20
| the desire for profit To allow the pup
! lio lands 90 bc worked by the tenants OF
| rich men for the profit OF the landlords
instead OF by freenolders for the nNeil-
| hood OF their wives and chlldreh' rs Hl-
| de- less than q crime against our pep-
ple and our Institutions. The great
central fact OF the public lana sll1al'i,
as the public lands commission wen
| said. is that the amount OF pubic land
| patented by the government 10 lhalNl4-
| uals is increasing out OF all proportion
/ Co the number OF new homes. IT ls
/ clear beyond ncradventure that our
| natural resources have been and are
sim being abused, that continued abuse
| viii destroy them, ana mat we nave
| at last reached the forks or the ROAD
| We are face 10 face with the great
/ fact chat the whole future OF the nation
| ls directly at stake iu tho momentum
| decision which ls forced upon us. Shall
Wc continue the waste and destruction
| Of our natural resources. or shall we
conserve thcmg There De- uo other cues
lion of equal gravity no" before inc
nation.
It ls the plain duty of those Of MS whC
for the moment are responsible TO maxi
inventory OF thc natural resource
which have boon handed down 90 us
| 90 forecast as wei ns we may M
needs of tho future, aud ao 20 handle
| tle great sources OF our prosperity PM
| NOT to destroy lu advance aN hope il|
] tha prosperity Of our lesceud1uts.
AZ have said elsewhere one cphscF
walton OF natural resources ia the run
] damtntal problem. Unless We solve
thut problem ~ WIN avail us little %
solve ull othora. TO solve &c. the Whol
nation must undertake thc tasi
Through their organizations ana asso
Citations. Through the men whom thel
have made specially responsible Coy in
welfare lf tho several states ana nnal
ly Through Congress and thn executive
a. a preliminary STEP tnc Inland wa
trrsrays commission has decided, VIII
my ful approval to caIl "a conference
on thD conservation of natural re
SOURCES. Including. ui course. On
str,ams 90 meet lu Washington dur
lue tho coming winter This confer
eure ought to Boz among tho most im
uoriant gatherings iu our history 10
mono have had more FIiaI question q
consider
GREAT NATIONAL PROJECT
There 10 great national project al
ready under way which renders the im
proyomont off me Mississippi river am
In tributaries specially nectful
mean the Panama canal, The dlsgln
of that canal WIN he ot benent 90 IN