The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1907-12-09
WHITE PINE DAILY NEWS. MONDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1907

ture. II is this attitude which per-
mits the self interest of a very few
persons to weigh for more than the
ultimate interest of all our people.
There are persons who find it to their
immense pecuniary benefit to destroy
the forests by numbering. They are
to be blamed for thus sacrificing the
future of the nation as a whole to
their own self interest of the mo-
ment; but heavier blame attaches to
the people at large, for permitting
such action, whether in the White
mountains, in the southern Allie
ghenies, or in the Rockies and Sier
ras. A big numbering company, i'm
patient for immediate returns and
not caring to look far enough ahead
will often deliberately destroy all the
good timber III a region, hoping after
wards to move on to some new coun-
try The shiftless man of small
means, who does not care to become
an actual home maker but would like
immediate profit, will find it to his
advantage to take up timber land
simply to turn it over to such big
company and leave it valueless for
| luluIt StllltIS. "A D1S llllt OWHcl,
anxious only to develop his mine at
the moment, will care only to cut all
the timber that he wishes without re-
gard to the future-probably not
looking ahead to the condition of the
country when the forests are eX-
hausted, any more than he does to
the condition when the mine is
worked out. | do not blame these
men nearly as much as | blame the
supine public opinion, the indifferent
public opinion, which permits their
action to go unchecked.
CHECKING TIMBER WASTE.
OF course to check the waste of
timber means that there must be on
the part of the public the acceptance
of temporary restriction in the law
iSh use of the timber, in order to
prevent the total loss of this use in
the future. There are plainly of men
in public and private life who actual
1y advocate the continuance of the
present system of unchecked and
wasteful extravaganza, using as an
argument the fact that to check ii
will of course mean interference with
the ease and comfort of certain peo-
pie who now get lumber at less cost
than they ought to pay, at the eX-
pense of the future generations. Some
of these persons actually demand
that the present forest reserves be
thrown open to destruction, because
forsooth, they think that thereby the
price of lumber could be put down
again for two or three or more years
Their attitude is precisely like that
of an agitator protesting against the
outlay of money by farmers on
manure and in taking care of theii
farms generally. Undoubtedly, if the
average farmer were content abso-
lutely to ruin his farm, he could fol
two or three years avoid spending
any money on it, and yet make a
good deal of money out of it. But
only savage would, in his private
affairs, show such reckless disregard
of the future which the opponents
of the forestry system are now en-
deavoring to get the people of the
United States to show. The only
trouble with the movement for the
preservation of our forests is that it
has not gone nearly far enough, and
was not begun soon enough. ut is a
most fortunate thing, however, that
we began it when we did. We
should acquire in the Appalachian
and White mountains regions all of
the forest lands that it is possible to
acquire for the use of the nation
These lands, because they form ma
tiOnal asset, are as emphaticaly ma
tional as the rivers which they feed
and which flow through so many
states before they reach the ocean.
NO TARIFF ON FOREST
PRODUCTS.
There should be no tariff on any
forest product grown in the country;
and, in especial, there should be no
tariff on wood pulp; due notice of the
change being of course given to those
engaged in the business so as to en-
able them to adjust themselves to the
new conditions. The repeal of the
duty on wood pulp should if possible
be accompanied by an agreement
with Canada that there shall be no
export duty on Canadian pulp wood