Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1908-05-13

necessarily be exhausted. The min
erals do not and can not renew them
selves. 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 wise
ly used. THE EXHAUSTION is
CERTAIN TO COME in time.
The secord class of resources con-
slsts of those which can not only be
used in such manner as to leave
them mndiminished for our children,
but can actually be improved by
wise use. The soil. the forests, the
waterways come In this category. In
dealing with mineral resources, man
is able to improve on nature only
by putting the resources to a ben
efleial use which In the end exhausts
them; but In dealing with the soil
and It's products man can improve
on nature by compelling the re-
sources to renew and even recon-
struct themselves In such manner
as to serve increasingly beneficial
uses-while the living waters can
be so controlled as to multiply their
benefits.
Neither the primitive man nor the
pioneer was aware of any duty to
posterity in dealing with the renew
able resources. When the American
settler felled the forests he felt that
there was plenty of forest left for
the sons who came after him. When
he exhausted the soil of his farm he
felt that his son could go west and
take up another. So II was with his
immediate successors. When the
soil-wash from the farmers fields
choked the nelghboring river he
thought only of using tho railway
rather than boats for moving his
produce and. supplies.
Forest Famine Passed.
Now all this is changed. On the
average the son Of tho farmer of to-
day must make his living on his
fathers farm. There is no difficulty
in doing this II the father will ex-
erclse wisdom. No wise use OF
farm exhausts its fertility. So with
the forests. We are over the verge
OF n timber famine In this country,
and IL Is objectionable for the ma
ton or the states to permit any mr-
ther cutting OF our timber save In
accordance with a system which Will
provide that the next generation
hall see the timber increased In
stead of diminished. Moreover, we
can add enormous tracts OF the most
valuable possible agricultural land
to the national domain by irrigation
In the arid aud semiarid regions and
by drainage OF great tracts OF swamp
lands in the humid regions.
Gigantic Scheme.
We can enormously increase our
transportation facilities by the can
alizatlonsof our rivers so as to COM
plete a great system OF waterways
on the Pacific, Atlantic, and Gulf
coasts and in the Mississippi Valley,
from the Great Plains to the Allie
ghenies aud from the northern lakes
to the mouth of the mighty Father
OF Waters. But all these various
mses OF our natural resources are so
closely connected that they should be
coordinated and should be treated
as part of one coherent plan and not
in haphazard and piecemeal fashion.
II is largely because of this that
I appointed the Waterways Commits
sion last year and that / have
sought to perpetuate its work. !
wish to take this opportunity TO ex-
press In heartiest fashion my ac-
acknowledgement 10 all the members
of the Commission. At great per-
sonal sacrifice OF time and effort
they have rendered a service 10 the
public for which We can not be too
grateful.
Pinchot Praised.
Especial credit is due TO the ini-
tiatiye. the energy. the devotion to
duty and the farsightedness of Gif-
ford Pinchot. to whom we owe so
much OF the progress we have al
ready made in handling this matter
of the coordination and conserva-
tion OF natural resources. II II had
not been for him this convention
neither would nor could have been
called.
We are coming to recognize as
never before the right OF the nation
to guard its own futmre in the es-
sential matter OF natural resources.
In the past we have admitted the