The Washington times., 1908-05-13

Finally, we began with soils Of
unexampled fertility and we have
so impoverished them by injudiei0us
use and by falling TO check erosion
that ,heir crop producing power is
diminishing instead of increasing.
In word. we have thOughtlessly,
and TO a large degree unnecessarily,
diminished the resources upon which
not only our prosperity but the
prosperity OF cur children must al
ways depend.
Resources Give Power.
We have become great because Of the
lavish use OF our resources and we have
just reason 10 be proud of our growth.
But the time as come to inquire seri-
ously what VIII happen when cur for
ests are gone when the coal, the iron.
The oil. and the gas are exhausted. when
the soils shall have been sun further
impoverished and washed into the
streams, poHuting the rivers, denuding
the fields. and obstrucJing navigation.
the next century or to the next genera
ton, IL is time for US now as a nation
TO exercise the same reasonable fore
sight in dealing with our great natural
resources that would be shown by any
prudent man H. conserving and widely
using the property which contains the
assurance OF well-being for himself and
his children.
The natural resources have eHumeT-
ated can be divided into two sharply
distinguished classes accordingly as
they are or are not capable of renewed.
Mines Il used must necessarily be eS-
hduSted. The Minerals do not and can
not renew themselves Therefore ia
dealing with the coal. the oil, the gas.
the iron. the metals generally, all that
We can do IS 90 try % see that they are
wisely used. The exhaustion IS certain
TO come I'm time.
The second class OF resources consists
Of those which can not only be used in
such manner as TO leave them undimin-
lshcd Tor our children, but can actually
be improved by wise use, The soil, the
forests the waterways come ia this
category In dealing with mineral re-
sources, man 81 able 20 improve on ma
ture only by putting the resources 10 a
prhencld4 use which m TlS end eA-
hausts them, but iu dealing with the
SOIL and its products man can improve
on nature by compelling the resources
TO renew and even reconstruct them
selves in such manner as to serve I'm
credslngiy beneficial uses-while the liv-
ing waters can be SO controlled as to
multiply their benefits
Neither the primitive man nor the
pioneer was aware Of any duty 10 DOS
terity I'm dealing with the renewable
resources. When the American settler
telled the forests, ne felt that there
was plenty OF forest left for the sons
who came after him. When he ex-
haustcd the soil Of his farm he felt
that his son could so West and take
mediate SUCCESSORS. When the soil
wash from the farmers fields choIt ed
the neignbOriuE river he thought only
or using the railway rather than boats
TOT moving his produce and supplies.
Need Of Wisdom.
Now all this is changed on the aver
age the son Of the farmer Of today
must make his living on his fathers
farm. There is no difficulty IN doing
this If the father VIII exercise wisdom.
No wise use OF ?. farm exhausts its
fertility. So with the forests. We are
over the verge Of a timber famine in
this country, and IT is objectionable for
the nation or the States 10 permit any
further cutting of our timber save in
n
provide that the next generation shall
see the timber increased instead OF
diminished. Moreover, we can add
enormous tracts of the most valuable
possible agricultural land TO the "a
tiOnal domain by irrigation in the arid
and semlarid regions and Jy drainage
Of great tracts Of swamp land in the
humid regions. We can enormously IN
crease our transportation facilities by
the canaIlzatOn of our rivers so as to
complete great system OF waterways
on the Pacific, Atlantic, and Gulf
coasts and in the Mississippi Valley.
from the Great Plains to the Ale
ghenies and from the nor hern lakes
10 the mouth II the mighty Father OF
Waters. But all these various uses
OF our natural resources are SO close
iy connected that they should be CO.
ordinated, ana should be treated as part
OF one coherent plan and not in hap
hazard and pieCemeal fashion.
Il IS largely because Of this that I
appointed the Waterways Commission
last year and that ] have sought 10
perpetuate its work. 1 wish to take this
opportunity to express in heartiest fash
Ton my acknCp 'edgment 70 all the MEM
bers Of the commission. At great per-
Sonal sacrifice Of time and EFFORT they
have rendered a service tc the public
Tor which We cannot be too grateful
Especial credit Is due 10 the initiative.
the energy, the devotion TO duty, and
VIC lsAt 9iStLtAhFoS OF [TtltiA r AAiIAtpts
10 WnOm we owe so much OF the prog
Tess we have already made n handling
this matter of the CO. ordination and
conservation CT natural resources. If It
had not been for him this convention
neither would nor could have been
called.
We are cCming to recognize as
never before the right of the na-
ton TO guard its own future in the
essential matter Of natural re-
sources. In the past we have ad-
mitted the right of the individual
to iniure the future of the republic
for his own present profit. The
time has come for a change. As
people we have the right and
duty, second to none other but the
right and duty Of Obeying the moral
law, Of requiring and doing Justice,