Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1907-12-06

N.
ure to protect employees from loss of
life or limb, can be effectively reached
any more than the evils of rebates and
stock 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. II the states
will correct these evils, well and good
but the nation must stand ready to aid
them.
Inland Waterway Systems
Should De 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
eur 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 a wonderful measure OF
present prosperity but II this prosper
ity is used Alright II Is an earnest OF
future success such as no other nation
Will have. Tho 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 fact
that to waste, to destroy, our natural
resources. to skin and exhaust the land
instead of using 1t so as to increase Its
usefulness, will result in undermining
in the days OF our children the worry
prosperity which we ought by right to
hand down to them amplifled and devel-
eped. For tho last few years, through
several agencies, the government has
been endeavoring to get our people to
look ahead and to substitute planned
and orderly development of our re-
ip N1a nf hnr Ahn rd or p
ing for immediate profit. Our great
river systems should be developed as
national water highways; the Nissis-
slppi, with it's 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
ernment should undertake this work.
and I hope a beginning will be made
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 the
Mississippi there should be a deep wa
terway. with deep waterways leading
from 1t to tho east and the west Such
a waterway would practically mean
the extension of our coast line into the
very heart of our country 1t would be
of inoalculable benefit to our people. If
begun at once 1t can be carried through
sestion of our great freight t-carrylng
lines OF railroads. The work should be
systematically and continuously carried
forward in accordance with some we'll
| conceived plan. The main streams
| should be improved to the highest
point of efficiency before the improve
ment of the branches is attempted; and
the work should be kept free from
| every taint of reclSlessness or Jobbery."
Attention is called to the work of ir-
| risation and reclamation of govern
ment lands. In the same connection he
asks for revision of the public land
laws along the lines proposed by the
| public lands commission. Believes the
| government should increase its efforts
| to conserve our forests and should in
| crease by purchase the existing forest
preserves. On the subject of the natural
resources of the nation he says:
I'm tho eastern United States the
| mineral fuels have already passed into
| the hands of large private owners, and
| those of the west are rapidly following
| 1t is obvious that these fuels should be
| conserved and not wasted, and it would
| be well to protect the people against
| unjust and extortionate prices so far
as that can still be done. What has
been accomplished in the great oil
| fields of the Indian Territory by the
action of the administration offers a
| striking example of the good results
| of such a policy. In my judgment the
government should have the right to
keep the fee of the coal, oil and gas
fields in its own possession and to lease
the rights to develop them under
| proper regulations; or else, If the con-
| gress will not adopt this method, the
| coal deposits should be sold under linn
| itations, to conserve them as public
| utilities, the right to mine coal being
separated from the title to the sell.
| The regulations should permit coal
| lands to be worked in sufficient guam
tity by the several corporations. The
| present limitations have been absurd,
| excessive, and serve no useful purpose,
and often render 1t necessary that
there should be either fraud or else
| out the coal"
Progress of the Work
| On the Panama Canal
Work on the Panama canal Is pro-
ceeding in a highly satisfactory man
ner. In March the total excavation In
the Culebra Cut, where effort was
chiefly concentrated was S15.270 cubic
| yards. In April this was increased to
s7s,527 cubic yards. There was n con-
| siderable decrease in the output for
May and June owing partly to the ad-
temporary trouble with the steam
| shovel men over the question of wages
This trouble was settled satisfactorily
to all parties and in July the total OK
cavation advanced materially and in
| August the grand total from all points
In the canal prism by steam shovel.
and dredges exceeded all previous
United States records. reaching 1874
4e4 cubic yards. In September this rec.
srd was eclipsed and total of 1.517..
4l2 cubic yards was removed. or this
amount 1,4S1,3O7 cubic yards were frsn
tho canal prism and 36,105 cubic yards
were from accessory works. These re.
suits were achieved in the rainy sea
son with a rainfall in August of 11.Ss
inches and in September of 11.s5 inches
Finally. in October the record wa,
again eclipsed, the total excavation be.
ing 1.S6S729 cubic yards; a truly ex'
traordlnary record. especially in Wow
of the heavy rainfall. which was IT,
inches. In fact, experience during tn,
last two rainy seasons demonstrated
that the rains are a less serious sb
stacle to progress than has hitherto
been supposed.
Work on the locks ana dams a