The Elbert County tribune., 1907-12-05

laws evils such as child labor as the
over working OF women. as the fail
ure 10 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
eood laws To fail to stop these prac-
.iees by legislation means to force
hohest men into them. because other
wise the dishonest who surely will
tahe advantage OF them will have
everything their own way. II the states
VIII correct these evils. well and good:
put the nation must stand ready to aid
them
Inland Waterway sy.tems
should he 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
OASIS without which that civilization
cannot exist. We must show foresight.
we must look ahead. AS nation we
not only enjoy a wonderful measure of
present prosperity but II this prosper
ity IS used Alright II is an earnest of
iuture success such as no other nation
VIII have. The reward OF foresight foi
thia nation Is great and easily foretold.
But there must be the look ahead.
there must be realization of the fnct
that TO waste. to destroy, our natural
resources. to skin and exhaust the land
instead OF using II so as to Increase Its
usefulness. will result in undermining
in the days OF our children the very
Prosperity which we ought by right to
hand down to them amplified and dcvel-
oped. For the last few years. through
several agencies, the government has
been endeRvoring to get our people to
look ahead and TO substitute planned
and orderly development of re-
sources in place OF haphazard striv-
ing for Immediate profit. Our great
river systems should be developed
national water highways; the Atissis-
sippi. with Its tributaries standing nrst
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 hope n 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 it to the east and the west. Such
waterway would practically mean
the extension of our coast line into the
very heart of our country. II would be
of incalcuiable benefit to our people. II
begun at once IL can be carried through
in time appreciably to relieve the CON
gestion OF our great freight-carrying
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 recklessness or jobbery."
Attention Is called to the work OF ir-
rigaton and reclamation OF govern
ment lands. In the same connection he
asks for a revision of the public land
laws along the lines proposed by the
public lands commission. Believes the
government should increase it's 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;
In the 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 II 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
striking example of the good results
Of such n policy. In my Judgment the
government should have the right to
fields in is own possession and to lease
the rights to develop them under
proper regulations; or else. II the con-
gress will not adopt this method. the
coal deposits should be sold under linn
itations. to conserve them public
utilities. the right to mine coal being
separated from the title to the soil.
The regulations should permit coal
lands to be worked in sufficient guam
tty by the several corporations. The
farr ont tfat Ion hatF 49,. a
excessive. and serve no useful purpose.
and often render 1t necessary that
there should be either fraud or else
abandonment of the work of getting
out the COAL
Progress of the Work
ON the Panama Canal.
Work on the Panama canal is pro-
ceeding in 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
sI9.527 cubic yards There was a con-
Siderable decrease in the output for
May and June owing partly to the ad-
vent of the rainy season and partly to
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 ex-
cavation advanced materially and In
August the grand total from all points
in the canal prism by steam shovels
and dredges exceeded all previous
United States records. reaching 1874
404 cubic yards. In September this
ord was eclipsed and a total of BIZ
4l2 cubic yards was removed. or this
amount 1.4s1. .307 cubic yards were from
the canal prism and 361o cubic yards
were from accessory works. These re-
suits were achieved in the rainy sea-
son with a rainfall in August of 1 SO
inches and in September of 11.65 inches.
Finally. In October. the record was
again cclipsed. the total excavation be-
ing 1.S6S.729 cubic yards. truly ex-
traordinary record. especially in view
OF the heavy rainfall. which was III
inches In fact. experience during the
last two rainy seasons demonstrates
that he raI Ina