The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-05-14

-AA1Ae-AA1iI, 11l9 JAAODa1 4h4A
 resources whose discovery and use have
 been such vital factors in the growth and
 greatness of this nation, and how little
 lhey required to take from this store n
 order to satisfy their needs.
 Knowledge Increases.
 Since then our knowledge and use of the
 resources of the present territory of the
 tinted States have increased a hundred
 told. Indeed, the growth of this nation by
 leaps and bounds makes one of the most
 striking and important chapters in the
 history of the world. Its growth has
 been due to the rapid development. and
 alas! that it should be said, to the rapid | destruction, of our natural resources. Ma | tnre has supplied to us in the United | States, and still supplies to us. more kinds | of resources in more lavish degree than | has ever been the case at any other time
 or with any other people. Oar position | in the world has been attained by the ex- l tent and thoroughness of the control We 1 have achieved over nature: but we are | more, and not less, dependent upon what she furnishes than at any previous time of 1 history since the days of primitive man. | Yet our fathers, though they knew so | little Of the resources of the country, ex- i ercised wise forethought in reference l thereto. Washington clearly saw that l the perpetuity of the states could only he secured by union. and that the only l feasible basis of union was economic l one; in other words, that 1t must be based l on the development and use of their nat ural resources Accordingly. he helped te | outline a scheme of commercial develop 1 ment, and by his influence an interstate waterways commission was appointed by l Virginia and Maryland.
 Steam and Electricity.
 Since the days when the Constitution was adopted steam and electricity have revoutionized the indus.rial world. No- where has the revolution been great as in our own country. The discovery and utilization of mineral fuels and alloys have given us the lead over all other na- tions in the production of steel. The dis eovery and utilization of coal and iron have given us our railways, and have led to such industrial development as has never before been seen. The vast wealth of lumber in our forests, the riches of our soils and mines the discovery of gold and mineral oils, combined with the efficiency of our transportation. have made the conditions of our life unparalleled in com fort and convenience
 The steadily increasing drain on these natural resources has promoted to an ex- traordinary degree the compexity of our industrial and social life. Moreover, this
 
 termining effect upon the character and opinions of our people. The demand for efficiency in the great task has given us vigor effectiveness. decision, and power, and a capacity for achievement which la its own lines has never yet been matched. So great and so rapid has been our ma terial growth that there has been ten dency to las behind in spiritual and moral growth; but that is not the subject upon which speak to you today
 Disregarding for the moment the ques- ton of moral purpose, It is safe 10 say that the prosperity of our people de- bends directly on the energy and intelli- gence with which our natural resources are used It is equally clear that these resources are the final basis of national power and perpetuity. Finally it IS ominously evident that these resources are in the course of rapid exhaustion.
 This nation began with the belief that it's landed possessions were illimitable and capable of supporting all the people who might care to make our country their home; but already the limit of un- settled land is in sight and indeed but little land fitted for agriculture now re- mains unoccupied save what can be re- claimed by irrigation and drainage. We began with an unapproached heritage or forests; more than half of the timber is gone. We began with coal fields more
  and with iron ores regarded as inexhaus- tible. and many experts now declare that the end of both iron and coal is in sight.
 The natural resources l have enumer- ated can be divided into two sharply dis tnguished classes accordingly as they are or are not capable o1 renewal. Mines if used must necessarily be exhausted. The minerals do not and cannot renew themselves. Therefore in dealing with the coal the oil the gas, the iron, the metals generally all that we can do is to try to see that they are wisely used. The exhaustion is certain to come in time.
 The second class of resources consists of those which cannot only be used in such manner as to leave them undimin- ished for our children. but can actually be improved by wise use. The soil, the forests, the waterways come in this cat egory In dealing with mineral resources, man is able to improve on nature only by putting the resources to benehciat use which in the end exhausts them; but in dealing with the soil and it's products man can improve on nature by compell- ing the resources to renew and even re- construct themselves in such manner as to serve increa sngly beneficial uses while the living waters can bc so con trolled as to multiply their benefits
 Duty To Posterity.
 Neither the primitive man nor the pio- neer was aware of any duty to posterity in dealing with the renewable resources. When the American settler felled the for ests he felt that there was plenty of for est left for the sons who came after him. | When he exhausted the soil of his farm | he felt that his could go west and | take up another. So it was with his inn mediate successors. When the soi-wash l from the farmers fields choled the | neighboring river he thought only of us- ] ing the railway rather than boats for moving his produce and supplies.
 1 Now all this is changed. On the aver | age the son of the farmer of today must make his living on his fathers farm. l There is no difficulty in doing this if the 1 father will exercise wisdom. No wise | use of a farm exhausts it's fertility. So | with the forests. We are over the verge of timber famine in this country, and 1 it s unpardonable for the nation or the | states to permit any further cutting of | our timber save in accordance with a l system which will provide that the next | generation shall see the timber increased l instead of diminished. Moreover. we can | add enormous tracts of the most valuable possible agricultural land to the national | domain by irrigation in the arid and | semi-arid regions and by drainage of great tracts of swamp land in the humid