The morning journal-courier., 1908-05-19
Tuesday, May 10, 1908.
OUR NATURAL RESOURCES.


Why It should be so we do not UNI
lertake to say, but 1t is nevertheless
a fact that whenever the average man
is called upon to make statement
with regard to matters Of vital concern
he appears to feel under the obliga-
ton of putting the worst possible
phase upon the discussion. With the
single exception of President Roose-
velt all of the gentlemen who read
papers before the recent conference of
governors at Washington spoke from
the pessimistlc point of view. They
seemed to feel that In order to pro-
yoke widespread interest in the con-
servation of the natural resources of
the country, the subject must be ap-
preached, from the standpoint Of Inc
yitable ruin and destruction, instead
Of from the standpoint of protection
through intelligent construction. In
this last respect President Hadley's
brief extemporaneous talk was re-
treshing and did much to bring the
entire conference down to a practi-
cal basis.
AS our editorial correspondence
from Washington printed in Mondays
tri.z -
set forth, there has been a wicked
waste of our natural resources in the
past ten years. Timber lands have
been denuded as II there was no end
to the generosity of nature to supply
the deficiency, and as II man owed
nothing to nature in a systemized ef-
fort to aid her in recovering her own
strength. The coal mines have been
attacked with no other end In view
apparently than to make money
Clumsy and wasteful mining methods
have prevailed, lives sacrificed and the
future discounted IN a reckless man
ner by the very men who now tell
us of the awful experiences ahead, II
VIC do not at once fall to introducing
new methods. The iron fields have
been treated in the same indifferent
way until famine there is predict
ed. The water ways have been neg
lected for the upbuilding OF the land
instead of being improved for the d.
vision of the common traffic needed.
The soil has been robbed of its recup-
Grating powers through the sheer pro-
digality of those seeking It's momen-
tary treasures. These things are all
true, and there are left doubtless
many other alarming truths which
have not been spoken, but II Is yet
to be demonstrated that on that &C
count such despoilers as Andrew Car
negie and James j. Hill are justified
in predicting an era when we shall be
without these natural resources to aid
us in feeding and clothing the popu-
lation.
There can be no question of the fact
that II the country In its mad race
for money is to 60 on heedlessly In
absorbing the natural resources with
no attempt to replace them In the
many ways given to replace them, the
result will be national starvation. II
takes no great intellect to prophesJ
that, but as was suggested in oul
Washington letter yesterday It is al.
together likely that the human selfish.
ness which is responsible for this
dreadful waste of natures bounty will
provide the cure. II Is not character.
istic of man to be content even witt
the consequences Of his own folly
President Hadey reminded the con.
ference that at Yale men were beinl
graduated every year who are expert
foresters. In twenty-years he assert
ed that Yale would provide every state
in the union with skilled workmer
in the timber lands and upon sol
which now lies abandoned, who woult
begin to aid effectively in the recovery
of lost forces. What Is true Of forcs
try from the Yale point Of view viii
be found to be true Of the othel
branches of the national resource. Al
Washington letter in the Hartford
Courant, written by its gifted editor
Mr.. Clark puts it: Something mus
be done--and 1t will be done TIL,
need was for somebody to ring In {
general alarm, That is what Roose
Welt has done and the bell has beef
heard" To realize the condition II
which one finds oneself Is more thai
half of the required recovery. TIL