Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1908-12-10

equity, SO That they may protect all per-
sons In their rights, and yet break down
the barriers Of privilege. which is the foe
! Of right. ssS5
PRESERVE THE, FORESTS. 81
President Points Out Duty Owed 70
Those Who Come After Us.
II there Is any one duty which more
than another we owe 1t to our children
. to perform at once, It is to save the for
the nrst and most important element In
the conservation Of the natural re-
sources Of the country. There are Of
course two kinds of natural resources
One 10 the kind which can only be used
as part Of process of exhaustion; this
Is true OF mines, natural oil and gas
wells and the like. The other, and Of
course ultimately by far the most Inn
portant, includes the resources which
can be improved in the process Of wise
use; the soil, the rivers, and the forests
come under this head. Any really civil
ICED nation will SO use all Of these three
great national assets that the nation will
have their benefit in the future. Just as
q farmer, after all his life making his
living from his farm, will, If he is an ex-
pert farmer, leave it as an asset Of in
creased value to his son. so we should
leave our national domain to our chill
sdren, increased in value and not worn
out. There are small sections of our own
country, In the east and In the west, in
the <Adirondacks, the White mountains
and the Appalachians, and in the Rocky
mountains, where we can already see for
ourselves the damage in the shape of
permanent injury to the soil and the
river systems which comes from reckless
deforestation. It matters not whether
this deforestation is due to the actual
reckless cutting of timber, to the fires
that inevitably follow such reckless cut
ting of timber. or to reckless and uncon-
trolled grazing. especially by the great
migratory bands of sheep, the I'M
checked wandering Of which over the
country means destruction to forests and
disaster to the small home-makers, the
settlers of limited means.
Short-sighted persons, or persons
blinded to the future by desire to make
money in every way out Of the present,
sometimes speak as II no great damage
would be done by the reckless destruc-
ton Of our forests. It is difficult to have
patience with the arguments of these
persons. Thanks to our own reckless
ness in the use Of our splendid forests,
we have already crossed the verge of.
timber famine in this country, and no
measures that we now take can, at least
has already been done. But we can pre-
vent further mischief being done; and it
would be In the highest degree reprehen-
sible to let any consideration of tenn
porary convenience or temporary cost
interfere with such action, especially as
regards the national forests which the
nation can now, at this very moment,
control. -e- + =
Cases Of Damage Cited.
All serious students Of the question are
aware Of the great damage that has
been done in the Mediterranean countries
Of Europe, Asia and Africa by deforesta-
ton. The similar damage that has been
done in eastern Asia is less well known.
4 recent Investigation into conditions in
north China by Mr.. Frank N. Meyer Of
the bureau of plant industry of the
United States department of agriculture,
has incidentally furnished in very strik-
ing fashion proof Of the ruin that comes
FROM reckless deforestation of mountains,
and of the further fact that the damage
once done may prove practically ire
parable. So important are these inves-
LEGATIONS that I have herewith attached
as an appendix to my message certain
photographs showing present conditions
in China. They show in vivid fashion
the appalling desolation, taking the shape
of barren mountains and gravel and
sand covered plains, which Immediately
follows and depends upon the deforesta-
ton Of the mountains. Not many cen-s
turtles ago the country Of northern China
! was one of the most fertile and beauti-
full spots in the entire world, and was
heavily forested. We know this not only
from the old Chinese records, but from
the accounts given by the traveller,
Marco Polo. He, for instance, mentions
that in visiting the provinces Of Shansi
and Shensi he observed many planta-
tons of mulberry trees. Now there is
hardly a single mulberry tree in either
! Of these provinces, and the culture OF the
slkWorrn has moved farther south, to
regions Of atmospheric moisture. AS an
Illustration of the complete change in
the rivers, we may take Polos state
ment that a certain river, the Hun *IIo,
was so large and deep that merchants
assembled it from the sea with heavily
laden boats; to-day this river is simply
"a broad sandy bed, with shallow, rapid
currents wandering llither and #thither
across it. absolutely unnayigable. But
we do not have to depend upon written
records. @ The dry wells, and the wells
with water far below the former water
mark, bear testimony ito the good days
OF the past and the evil days-of the pres
ent. Wherever he native vegetation has
been allowed to remain as for instance,
here and there around "a sacred temple
al e
still huge trees and tangled jungle, frag-
ments of the glorious ancient forests.
The fick, matted forest growth formerly
covered the mountains to their SUBMITS
"a h natural factors favored this dense
forest growth, and as long as it was per-
mite to exist the plains at the foot
Sot the mountains were among the most
fertile on the globe and the whole coun-
try was a garden. Not the slightest eff
fort was made, however to prevent the
unchecked cutting of trees, or to secure
reforestation. Doubtless for many CEN
turtles the tree.eutting by the Inhabitants
of the mountains worked but slowly In
bringing about the changes that have
| now come to pass; doubtless for genera
tons the inroads were scarcely notice
able. But there came time when the
forest had shrunk sufficiently to make
each years cutting serious mat
ter. and from that time on
the 1sstruct ton proceeded with
appalling rapidity: for Of course
each year of destruction y rendered
the forest less able to recup crate less
able 60 resist next years inroad. NE.
I Mayer describe the ceaseless progress
A1Ss