The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-09-18
Only san,nIa

American Textile Manufacturer. Water falling on cleared lands and barren hill sides rushes quickly into ing into the rivers at the same time forms a force of nature the irresisti- ble strength of which can only be appreciated by those who have stood beside one of these raging torrents and tion.
 The flood of last week has left ruin snd disaster along the rivers of the hundred deaths and a crop and proper ssyr loss conservattveiy estimated at
 As awful as 1t seems it Is only a sample of what is to be in years to come if our forests are to be cut down and no foliage left to absorb and hold back the waters of great rains. an, economic question. which we must face and no class of people are so vitaIly interested in this proposition as Southern cotton manufacturers for we must depend upon our streams fox power to run our mills, whether from direct driving or electric transmission < It is absolutely necessary to have
 sst Be ese5 sy coasess es ss carry out this great work. It is not State. but g0vernment matter, for the rains in North carolina are the waters tlNat have brought damage and desolation to the mills and towns in South Car olina and anything which is interstate In its bearings should be regulated by the government:
 The Appalachian National Forest Association has Seen tireless in their efforts. but without material results, for there sits as speaker of the House of Representatlves one Joe Cannon. country and who. because he does not look with favor upon the plan, refuses to let the representatives elected by free-born people vote upon it and de- clare their will.
 The Appalachian Association are. however, not without hope and be- lieve that the growth of public senti- ment will eventually force Speaker Cannon to yield, and that soon an initial appropriation will be made.
 The need of forest preservation is plain to every sensible man however methods of carrying out the work.
 Some believe that the government should purchase the land loutright and then derive a revenue from the sale
 Others believe that only the forest rights should be purchased and that with permission of the forester the owner could cut down trees. but be required to plant new one for every one felled.
 In the matter of details we are not interested, believing that the forestry department and the agricultural de- partment are fully qualified to handle all propositions of this kind and that they will do so for the best interest of all concerned.
 Cotton manufacturers should rally to the support of the Appalachian Ma tional Forest Association and lend their influence to force some action by Con- gress.
 time and energy that can be put on 1t and should have behind 1t and active ly aiding it every practical and pa triotic man in the South.
 Six feet of water on the main busi- ness street of Augusta, five feet of water in the ,Camperdown Mill, in Greenville. and up to the second floor of other mills. water seventy feet above normal at Fayetteville and rail- road bridges washed away throughout all the Piedmont sections are prac- with no forest to hold 1t and yet this Is only a sample of what will be as years go on and the forests are still further depleted.
 It is vital question and comes home to us all farmer merchant and manu- facturer alike and we can only hope for an early solution.
 Our sympathy goes out to the suf- ferers and especially the mills that have been hard-hit
 Having struggled through a period begins to appear and the sail of pros perity Is sighted they are called up to stand a great financial loss against which there is no insurance and no redress.
 We hope they will all be able to weather the storm and that the damage has been exaggerated.