Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-01-24

SUNDAY MORNING, JAM AIRY q
statement or 1acts anu prsHcIples Ie9v
ing the executive @ recommend tn
specific steps to which these facts and
principles inevitably lead. According
w. \ call your al tention3 to some Of TIN
larger features of the situation dis
closed BY the report and to the actor
thereby clearly demanded for the gen
eral good. 't>~&r f.3i@.+. a5.1."
....-. 49, Waters. -
The report says: x ~. =
Within recent months It has been REQ
esnized and demanded by tho people
through many thousand delegates IRON
oil states assembled In convention IN az
ferent sections Of the country, that TN
waterways should and must, b improvs<
promptly and effectively a. 2 means o
maintaining national prosperity.
The hrst requisite for waterway i'm
provement II the control Of the waters II
such manner n to reduce foods and reg
ulats the regimen Of the navigabls rav
ers. The second requisite - development
OF terminals and connections In such man
ner az to regulate commerce.
Accordingly I urge that the broad
plan for the development Of our water
ways, recommended by the inland wa
terways commission, be put in e1ec'
without delay. 1t provides for q com
prehensive system Of waterway I'm
provement extending to all the uses o.
the waters and benefits to be derived
from their control, including naviga
ton, the development Of power, the ex
tension Of irrigation, the drainage Of
swamp and. overflow lands, the pre-
vention Of soil wash and the purifca
ton Of streams for water supply. II
proposes to carry out the work by CO
ordinating agencies In the federal de
partments through the medium Of ar
administrative commission or board
acting in cooperation with the states
and other organizations and individual
citizens.
The work of waterway development
should be undertaken without delay
Meritorious projects in known con
formity with the general outlines Of
any comprehensive plan should pro-
coed at once. The cost Of the whole
work should be-. met by direct appro'
priation If possible, but II necessary
by the issue of bonds In small denomi.
nations. ~. d.. -. -a
1t is especially important that the
development of water power should be
guarded with the utmost care both by
the national government and by the
states in order to protect the people
against the upgrowth Of monopoly and
to insure to them fair share In the
benefits which will follow the develop
ment of this great asset, which belongs
to the people and should be controlled
by them.
Forests.
l urge that provision be made for
both protection and more rapid devel-
opment of the national forests. Other
wise, either the increasing use of these
forests by the people must be checked
or their protection against fire must
be dangerously weakened. If we COM
pare the actual fire damage on similar
areas on private and national forest
lands during the past year, the govern
ment fire patrol saved commercial tim
Der worth as much as the total cost Of
caring for all national forests at the
present rate for about ten years.
l especially commend to the congress
the facts presented by the commission
as to the relation Between forests and
stream flow In Its, bearing upon the i'm
portance of the forest lands In nation
al ownership. Without an understand
ing Of this intimate relation the con-
servation Of both these natural re-
sources must largely fail. t..
The time has fully arrived for recog-
MIXING in the law the responsibility to
the community, the state and the ma
tton which rests upon the private own
ers of private lands. The ownership
Of forest land IL a public trust. The
man who would 90 handle his forest
a. to cause erosion and to injure
stream low must be not only educated,
but be must be controlled.
The report of the national conserva-
don commission says: 5#
Forests in private ownership cannot b
conserved unless they are protected from
hre. We need good fire laws, we'll en-
forced. Fire control 10 impossible with
out IN adequate foroo Of men whose sole
duty u hrs patrol during the dangerous
season. Ss-- '' .fz5'&' a@'-- . ~
i hold as first among the tasks be-
fore the states and the nation in their
respective shares In forest conserva-
ton the organization Of encient fire
patrols and the enactment Of good flre
laws on the part Of the states.
The report says further:
Present tax laws prevent reforsstation
OF cut over land and the perpstuation OF
existing forests by use. An annual tag
upon the land itself. exclusive Of the TIM
ber, and q tax upon the timber whom cut
70 well adapted to actual conditions Of
forest Investment and 10 practicable and
certain. It 10 far better that forest land
should pay . moderate tax permanently
than that It should pay IN excessive rev.
snue temporarily and than cease to yield
at Nh. ~.. ~, ST., ~. ~. = ~. o..
Second only in Importance to good
fire laws well enforced Is the enact
ment Of tax laws which win permit
the preparation Of existing forests by