Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-23

opment for the cotton mills OF the South
Atlantic states. and its permanence and
increase depend entirely on the preserra-
tion of the sources of the streams from
which IL comes. The amount OF power that
can be obtained from any stream is. o.
course. limited by its condition In dead low
water: not by the height and violence or
the floods. The more uniform the flow OF a
river. the more valuable IL becomes for
manufacturing power. and the uniformity
of flow depends chiefly on the condition
Of the surface Of the ground on which
the rain falls. The rain which falls upon
an open mountain side where the soil has
been baked TO a crust flows of as IL
would from an asphalt pavement. A large
portion of the mountain side In the Appa-
lachian region has already been denuded
by the lumbermen and baked To crust
by exposure to the sun. SO that II absorbs
none Of the moisture that formerly fed the
springs that are the sources OF the rivers.
Moreover when the floods come they
carry away the fertile surface soil. ruin
the land for cultivation and. at the same
time all up the rivers with silt. Tn"
depend absolutely unon the maintenance
and restoration of forest that VIII pro-
tect the surface and preserve the soil
Proposed Mountain Reserve.
Gov Smith tells me that all these ar.
guments were presente. to the committee
of Congress in support OF the bill drafted
by Secretary Wilson OF the Department
of Agriculture and recommended by the
President In his annual message for the
purchase of a tract of about a million
acres in the mountains where Virginia.
Kentucky Tennessee. North Carolina.
South Carolina and Georgia join. Ii 10
proposed to preserve this forever ma
tiona! park. to replant the mountain sides
that have already been stripped of their
tir,hor hy no lunoherunop and IN f,rayenf
any further devastation OF the forests. In
that way it is believed that a steady and
permanent flow Of water can be obtained
from the springs and from the rainfall.
II is also proposed TO construct a series
of reservoirs through this reserve In
which the melting SHOWS and the spring
torrents can be stored and retained until
the dry season and then released grad
ually as water may be needed TO turn the
spindles OF the cotton factories and float
the fiat-boats down the rivers to the sea.
Georgia furnishes an illustration of gov
eminent ownership OF public utilities. The
Western and Atlantic railway. 14S miles.
that runs between Atlanta and Chatta-
nooga. was built by the state OF Georgia
with public funds in 1S4a, and has been a
profitable investment. The government OF
| North Carolina owns the North Carolina
railroad. which is leased to the Southern.
| and the state of Virginia owns the Rich
mond, Fredericksburg and Potomac.
which Is also leased. The western ana
Atlantic of Georgia was operated by the
/ state for twenty or thirty years. but Is
now under the control OF the Louisville
and Nashville Railway Company. which
pays an annual rental OF 10000 into the
! treasury.
The railroad has probably brought into
| the treasury at least $15.OO0WO, and
now stands as an asset of the state worth
| at least $12.OO00N. For many years It's
extension TO the seacoast has been ear
nestIy advocated. but in order to do that
il would be necessary to borrow the
money for construction purposes. which is
not a popular proposition The rental is
promptly paid. The Louisville and Nash
vile people keep the track in good con-
dition. and the state railway commission
exercises a general supervision over II.
The lease is valuable, and. II the present
lessees should wish to relinquish IL. IL
would be easy for the state to obtain
even better terms from competing COM
panies.
An interesting feature of the situation
is found In the fact that the property or
the state of Georgia lies for some dis
| tance in the territory of Tennessee. ana
! that state owns a considerable tract ~
real estate in the city OF Chattanooga
upon which ii pays taxes into the mu-
| nicipal treasury.