The Hawaiian gazette., 1909-09-24

that progress in any great public move
ment consists in n series Of advances
and recessions, each advance being
greater than the succeeding recession,
and an improvement over the preced-
ing advance in direction and vigor.
IL may ! think be accepted that he
regards his function in relation TO this
policy like his function in relation TO
many other of the Roosevelt policies,
namely that of placing them upon n
firm legal basis. He is essentially a
great lawyer and great judge. Mr..
Roosevelt is essentially great propa
gandist. The two men are close
friends and served together in various
relations throughout the Roosevelt
regime. Each is man of vigorous
militant honesty, with a high sense of
justice and fair dealing and a high
ideal of citizenship and craftsmanship.
But in their methods of dealing with
men and problems they are wide apart.
No one ! believe recognizes these facts
more clearly than the men themselves.
Mr.. Roosevelt has stated that he be.
lieves Mr.. Taft, the ideal man to
round out the work already begun. Mr.
Taft has repeatedly reiterated his be-
lief in the Roosevelt policies. We can
not doubt then that Mr.. Taft will en-.
deavor to right by legal methods the
inequalities and the injustices to which
the national attention has been called
by Mr.. Roosevelt in stirring messages,
that were received with popular plaud.
its but fell on deaf legislative ears;
and that he will use every endeavor
to have translated into statutes the
many strong constructive policies enun-
ciated by Mr.. Roosevelt and advanced
through their preliminary stages by
him, in some cases by the temporary
device of presidential decree.
Conservation is one of these poll.
eies. We may expect to see 1t Topped
free Of such fads and impracticable
doctrines as have been attached to it
by false or unwise friends and thus
improved we have every reason to ex.
pect that it will receive Mr.. Taft 70
vigorous and effective support. In.
deed many practical steps are now be.
ing taken in quiet way toward the
enforcement Of conservation principles.
] may mention one striking example
that illustrates the tendency. Coal
lands that form part Of the public do
main of the United States are no
longer sold for $l,25l per acre but are
now purchasable only at o price based
on the quality of the coal, it's rela.
ton to transportation and its estimat.
ed tonnage. Under this policy maxi.
mum prices Of $500 per acre are being
paid and these. receipts go toJswell the
Reclamation fund. This-js indeed
practical conservation, r, and, conserva.
tion of this type id Which you here in
Hawaii are especially interested, and
in the PRONUNCIATION Of which under
the leadership Of your territorial Off.
cials you have already taken such ad
vanced ground, is sure to 60 on.
The conservation movement, although
its name and its great prominence are
recent, is not new. Like all great
right movements it has 1ilbng been
growing slowly and had really cquired
much quiet momentum; before it found
powerful advocate in Theodore Roose.
welt. -" o'''D'9
Men here andIcthere all over the
Union have long realized. the needless
waste in our use. OF. our natural products
and have deprecated it. Several scien-
tific bureaus in Washington have been
engaged for years, some dof them fol
quarter of century or more, in lay.
ing the foundation for the present
policy. But the leaders have recog.
nized that it is not sufficient before the
bar of public opinion, to hold convic.
tions. 1t is necessary to be able to
prove them SO that the other fellow
may be convinced also.
The prophet is in effect mere dream
er until he can prove that his prophecy
is based on sufficient facts and sufficient
well based theory. Ten centuries age
the man who predicted that the sur
would disappear for an hour at MONDAY
a month or year or century later
would have been jeered at. Now we dc
not question the accuracy of predictions
! of lunar eelipses. Eighteen years age
when Maj. j. w. Powell, second direc
+ tor of the U. S. Geological Survey, told
great gathering of irrigators and pro
motors in the Southwest that wheI
/ every available drop of water in tn,
arid states and territories was fully
utilized, not five per cent of the deserts
| could be irrigated, he was greeted by
I yells of derision. He was right by {
/ wide margin, and the 10000 who con
4 tradicted him were wrong, but he could
not prove his point, because the neces
sary facts had not been collected. Thil
collection was soon begun, however, anC
/ the foundation for the Reclamation Ser
vice was thereby laid. When ffteeI
or twenty years ago forest conservation
was first advocated in the United States
the advocate was told that he was
! fool, that the timber resources of til,
mainland were SO vast that they coult
not be exhausted, and though he did no
believe it, he could not prove his point
but the mapping of forest areas an'
the estimation of standing timber ant
of its annual reduction began forth
with, and now with these estimate
fairly complete, the Forest Service i
able TO tell us authoritatiyely that with
out "A radical change in policy, our for
esis viii disappear in 80 or 40 years
From time 10 time voices have beer
heard advocating regulation Of coal an'
iron mining, because Of danger of ex
hausti0n Of the reserves of these min
erals hut the facts have not existed an