The Washington herald., 1908-05-15

vate smaller farms, so as to make the
most OF them. instead or getting a scant
and uncertain yield from several hundred
acres. and raise productivity by intelli-
gent treatment TO twice or three times rs
present level.
Not only the economic but the political
future Is involved, No people ever felt
the want OF work or the pinch Of poverty
for a long time without reaching out vio-
lent hands against their political insu-
tutions. believing that they might find
IN a change some relief from their dis.
tress. Although there have been moments
OF such restlessness In our country. the
trial has never been so severe or SO
prolonged as 10 put US to the test. 1t is
interesting that one of the ablest men IN
England during the last century, a his
torian of high merit. a statesman who
saw active service and profound stu
dent Of men and things, put on record
his prophecy OF such q future ordeal.
Writing 70 an American correspondent
fifty years ago, Lord Macauiay used these
words; As long as you have a boundless
extent Of fertile and unoccupied land your
labOring population will be found more al
ease than the laboring population of the
Old World, but the time will come when
wages viii be as low and will fluctuate
as much with you as they do with US.
Then your institutions will be brought
20 the test. Distress everywhere makes
the laborer mutinous and dsscontented
and inelines him 20 listen with eagerness
70 agitators who tell him that it Is a
monstrous iniduity that one man should
have a million and another cannot get
q full meal
The day will come when the multitudes
Of people. none OF whom has had more
than half breakfast or expects TO nave
more than half a dinner, will choose a
legislature Is It possible to doubt what
sort Of legislature VIII be chosen? :
There viii be, I fear. spoliation The
spoliation win increase the distress; the
distress viii produce fresh spoliation 8
Either civilization or liberty viii perish.
Either some Caesar or Napoleon will seize
the reins Of government with a strong
hand, or your republic will be as fear
fully plundeTed and laid waste by bar
bariaRs in the twentieth century as the
Roman empire IN the fifth.
State and nation are represented here,
without jealousy or any ambition Of su-
periority on either. side. to apply to the
consideration of our future such cooper
alton as that out OF which this nation was
born and by which Il has won to worthy
manhood. Reviving the spirit OF the DAYS
that created our Constitution, the davs
that carried US through civil conflict the
spirit by which all our enduring work in
the world has been wrought. taking
thought as Washington and Lincoln took
thought, only for the highest good OF all
the people, we may, as a result OF the
deliberations held and the conclusions
reached here to-day. give new meaning
10 our future; new iuster to the ideal OF
republic Of living federated States,
shape anew the fortunes Of this country,
and enlarge the borders Of hope for all
mankind"
Mr. ChRmberIin's Address.
Thomas Crowder Chamberlin. presi-
dent OF the American Association Of Ad.
vanced Science. and head of the depart
ment Of geology Of the University OF Chi
cago, then spoke on soil wastage." He
said IN part.
Let Us turn at once to the basal fac.
tor In the problem, the rainfall the soil
ana soil-Wastage. the special theme oi
this hour. The rainfall is an inherited
asset the soil is an inherited as
sci, even little soil removal is an
asset, but reckless soil-Wastage is a serl-
Gus error. Soils are the product OF ths
atmosphere and its waters modifying thg
rock surface When The atmespberis
waters have aided the air In produclns
SOIL by rock decay they pass, on the one
hand, into plants or back to the surfac,
! soil, and thence through these again Il
the atmosphere by evaporation, or. or
the other hand, they pass on down 70 tht
ground-waters. and thence into The
streams, furnishing in them the basis fol
Water-foods, for power. and for naviga.
ton. Here Is a good deed-soiI produc.
tion-follOwed by a laudable course either
up or down, with beneficent results IT
either course The alternative is TO rusf
away as foul erosive floods on the sur.
face. wasting soil and plant food, gully
ing the surface, choking the ravines
nooding the valleys. sitting the pools
filling the reservoirs. sweeping out ths
dams, barring the streams, and cIoggine
the deltas IF 1t shall be found that all OF
nearly all the waters should go into The
soil and thence into the underdrainage
coming out slowly and steadily by seep.
age and by springs into the streams, eleal
and pure, these streams should present
nearly ideal conditions for water-food. fol
water-poweT. and for water-navigatio
The solution Of the soil problem may
therefore, be. In large part, the solution
OF the whole complex problems Of which
navigation Is the last term. Il may thu!
/ prove 70 be the key 10 the problem
How IS this control to be affected? AZ
i a geologist, I naturally turn first 10 ma
ture's time-tested processes. Nature hal
been working on this complex problem o.
/ balance between soil formation, sol
waste. surface slope, plant growth, and
/ stream development for millions Of years
and we have inherited the result. a mag
nificent inheritance. The larger part o.
our domain. when invaded by US, hat
/ reached a fair adjustment OF SLOPES u
precipitation, was covered with a sol
I mantle of fair depth and high averag'
fertility, and was clothed with rich veg
citation. There were exceptions TO this
and some Of these were large, but limi
tations Of time shut out such exceptions
| here"
Address by Mr.. Long.
He was followed by R. A. Long. Of
/ Kansas City, No, who spoke on For
est conservation. in part. as follows:
Il want to lay down the fact that. aside
/ from our soil, no other natural resourc,
compares with our forests. The lelve!
and barks of trees are converted intC
1 clothing. the nuts and fruits furnish sus-
| tenance. and the wood provides homes
/ furniture, and other essentials. The tie!
: supporting the great railway systems Of
/ this country and nearly all the buildings
connected with it are constructed from #
The government only owning about
! per cent of our forest area, cannot alone
TO any great degree. effect what we are
seeking In this conference, so far a.
| forests are concerned. II might, how
ever, accomplish the purpose in one o.
the following ways
"First-The government could, by
contractual relation with the owners o.
the forests where numbering operations
/ ava now cer~fad m !vs-bc c.~-4F