Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1907-10-04

homes and increase the productive
ness and power of the nation. The
reclamation Of overflow lands and
marshes, both In the interior and
along the coasts, has already been car.
ried on with admirable results, but in
this field too scarcely more than a
good beginning has yet been made.
Still another fundamentally important
question Is that Of water power. Its
significance in the future development
of our whole country, and especially
of the West, is but just beginning to
be understood, The plan Of the city
of Los Angeles, for example, to bring
water for Its use distance of near
ly $50 miles--perhaps the boldest pro
ject Of the kind In modern times
promises not only to achieve its pur.
pose, but in addition to produce a
water power sufficiently valuable to
pay large interest on the investment
Of over s23,00O,OoO
Forests are the most effective pre-
venters Of floods, especially when they
grow on the higher mountain slopes.
The national forest policy, inaugural.
ed primarily to mitigate the timber
famine which Is now beginning to be
felt, has been effective also in secur.
ing partial control of floods by retard-
ing the run-off and checking the eros.
ion Of the higher slopes within the ma
tional forests. Still the loss from soil
wash Is enormous. 1t is computed that
one-tifth of cubic mile in volume. or
one billion tons in weight Of the rich.
est soil matter of the United States,
Is annually gathered in storm rivulets,
washed into the rivers. and borne into
the sea. The loss to the farmer Is in
effect tax greater than all other land
taxes combined, and one yielding alb
solutely no return. The department of
agriculture Is now devising and test
ing means to check this enormous
waste through improved methods Of
agriculture and forest management
Abuse Of Public Lands.
"Our public lands whose highest
use is to supply homes for our people,
have been and are still being taken in
great quantities by large private own
ers, to whom home-making Is at the
very best but secondary motive sub
ordinate to the desire for profit To
allow the public lands to be worked
by the tenants of rich men for the
profit of the landlords. instead of by
fl leeholders for the livelihood of their
wives and children, is little less than
q crime against our people and our
The great central fact
of the public land situation, as the
public lands commission well said, is
that the amount Of public land patent
ed by the government to individuals
Is increasing out Of all proportion to
the number Of new homes. 1t Is clear
beyond pre-adventure that our natural
resources have been and are still be-
ing abused, that continued abuse will
destroy them. and that We have at last
reached the forks of the road. We are
face to face with the great fact that
the whole future Of the nation is d.
rectly at stake In the momentous de-
cision which is forced upon us. Shall
we continue the waste and destruction
of our national resources, or shall we
conserve them? There Is no other
question of equal gravity now before
the nation.
1t Is the plain duty of those Of US
who for the moment are responsible
to make inventory of the natural re-
sources which have been handed down
to us, forecast as we'll as we may the
needs of the future, and so to handle
the great resources of our prosperity
as not to destroy in advance all hope
for the prosperity Of our descendants.
GAS I have said elsewhere, the con-
servatism of natural resources Is the
problem. Unless we solve
that problem it will avail us little to
solve all others. To solve it, the whole
nation must undertake the task
through the men whom they have
made specially responsible for the
welfare Of the several states, and fin
ally through Congress and Legisla-
lures.
The Need Of Good Laws.
I'm conclusion, friends, let me I'm
press upon you one thing. Good laws
can do much good; indeed, they are
often indispensable There is urgent
need that we should have honest and
efficient action by those whose prov
nce it is to put the legislation into ef-
feet. But there is infinitely more need
of high individual character. The
only permanent way to help any man
Is to help him to help himself TO
teach him permanently to depend on
anything save his own powers is to
do him harm and not good. Let no man
persuade you that laws by themselves,
no matter how necessary and beneflc-
Ial. will make any community happy
and prosperous, or be even the chief
factors in securing such happiness
and prosperity. In the last analysis
the vital factor in each mans effort
IN achieya success in life must be his |