Evening journal. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1907-1913, 1908-01-01
THE BASIS OF OUR WEALTH
MOTHER EARTH is KIND TO ALL
HER CHILDREN.
Utilization of Natures Resources
Goes Hand In Hand With the
Advancing Civilization.


Old mother earth is the basis Of all
wealth. Greatness of nations is com
.mensurate with the degree Of utiliza-
lion Of the mineral elements and other
products, all of which are the result
of natural laws. The higher the civ
ilization the greater and the more eco
nomical are the uses of the earth's
resources. In the great commercial
aud manufacturing centers of the
world is found the superior intelli-
gence. Wherever there is industry
there fiourishes civilization. With
the decay of commercial Importance
nations retrograde and lose power,
and finally find a place in history
only.
Wealth Of countries can be divided
into two classes; that which is ex-
haustible, and that which is renewable.
The exhaustible is the mineral wealth,
gold, silver, iron, copper, and all the
useful metals-coal, salt, sulphur, oil
and mineral products which once util-
lied in manufacture and commerce are
not renewable. The renewable wealth
is entirely in the vegetable and ami
nal kingdom and nearly all of it is
included in the field of agriculture,
using the word in its broadcast sense
and is represented by the crops Of
cereals, vegetables, fruits, fibrous
plants, the useful gums, such as rub
Der. the woods of trees and all that
is Of utility in the arts and manufac-
lures
The wealthiest nations, and those
that give promise of the longest ex-
istence, are those that possess abun-
dance of both exhaustible and renew
able wealth. Both classes afford
field for manufacture and commerce
The nation that lacks the conditions
necessary for the production Of re-
Movable wealth, and only has exhaust
ible wealth, will eventually find its.
resources for self-sustainence at an
end and will Of necessity become de-
pendent upon some other nation.
No other nation possesses such dl-
versified resources as does the Unit
ed States. With mineral resources
that will require ages OF time to util-
ize, the millions upon millions Of
rich timber and agricultural lands rep
resenting renewable wealth, and every
natural advantage for manufacture,
within its vast territory hundreds of
millions of people can find homes and
sustenance for thousands of years to
come, and if necessary supply other
nations with surplus of its products
Thus the nation will grow richer
through disposing of its renewable
wealth for what represents the labor
and the exhaustible wealth of less fa-
yored nations.
The countries comprising Great
Britain have little renewable wealth
according to population, and relies
chiefly upon exhaustiblet resources,
their utilization in manufacture and
the value Of the labor OF its people IN
manufacture for commerce Of arti-
cles from the raw products, both min
eral and vegetable, imported from
her dependencies and other nations.
It is plain that the nation that ex-
changes its raw, eyhaustible wealth
Tor the renewable wealth Of another
country viii grow poorer, and the IA,
sion that receives this exhaustible
wealth in exchange for its renewable
wealth will grow richer.
Principles tAat apply to nations in
this regard, are also applicable to in
tegral parts of nations, and in re-
public like the United States, to it's
states and lesser communities. Thus
it is patent that the state or com.
munity that employs its people in man
ufacturing from it's products to the
greatest extent, instead of having
them go to the markets of the world
in raw state, and retains within its.
borders the profits accruing from
labor employed in the production OF
its articles of commerce, will advance
in wealth and Importance.
ID. M. CARR.