New-York tribune., 1909-01-27
NEW USES FOR OLD DOCTRINE.


The Democratic Senator-elect from Colorado,
Charles J. Hughes, jr.. seems to be Democrat
Of the od-fashoned reactionary school He
was one of the lafgest contributors TO the Bryan
campaign fund but let it be known when he
contributed that he represented some of the
leading corporations in Colorado and would
become their candidate for the Senatorsnip il
the Colorado Legislature happened to be Demo-
cratic He was apparently Bryan corporation
man-for Bryan temporarily and for the cor
porations all the time.
His speech to the Legislature which elected
him contained frank statement of his po-
Iiticaf ideals. He Is an ant-paternalist an In
dividualist who believes that each person and
each generation should be left unhampered IN
working out their own purposes, that the indi-
vidual owes no paramount duty TO the com-
munity and that the generation owes no obllga-
ton to those which are TO follow AFTER IN MS
speech he boldly attacked the Roosevelt pol
lev of conserving the countrys natural re-
sources and requiring through leglslaron
husbandrv of natural wealth for the benent OF
the future. He expressed in an uncompromising
wav what some other Western statesmen think,
but cover up with ambiguous phrases: he
wants a free hand in exploiting western re-
sources no matter what the waste and lne
enormous ultimate loss thereby entailed Inc
future should take care of itself, SAID MI
Hughes to the Legislature. We owe 1t no
fatherIy or grandfatherly care And he added
in a facetous spirit:
We should not make molycoddles or our de-
scendants by smoothing out Of their pathway
the rough places and removing all difficulties
and storing up unearned treasures for their
spendthrft enjoyment and dissipation
Let us eat. drink and otherwise consume
what we need, and waste what we don't need
IF that suits u.s. is Mr.. Hughes's hedonistlc
motto He looks on the austere policy OF spar
ing and planning for the future unreasoning
asceticism. He can see in Mr.. Roosevelts gen
erous and philosophical scheme of restraint i'll
the present that abundance may be assured to
the future only an unfair discrimination against
the appetites of those who want to go on e1-
pIoiting the Far West He thus deplores the
intervention of the government to end the old
wasteful methods:
4 check has been placed upon the kindling
enthusiasm of enterprise, upon the wise put eo-
yeuturous investment Of capital, upon the on
ward march of q sturdy army of explorers and
winners from the wilderness to civilization IN
this magnificent field of human hope and toll.
We do not believe that Mr.. Hughes repre-
sents the real opinion of the West in denounc-
ing the conservation of its natural resources
as crime against unrestricted indiEidualism.
He probably represents more accurately the
exploiting corpora tons operating in the
West and concerned only remotely with the
Vests real interests. They will be the chief
sufferers from any rational scheme OF restric-
tion In the working Of mineral lands and FOR
ests The real settlers will benefit in the end
much more if hurried exhaustion of supplies
is prevented and the riches of the soil and
the forests are made more slowly available for
The general benefit. There are enlightened Demo
Gratis in the Far West, like Senator Newlands, OF
Nevada who see that the policy of care and de-
velopment is the sounder one, and who do not
believe that this generation should be allowed
TO waste what ought TO be considered a national
heritage But. then, Mr.. Newands Is not an
old ia shioned indvidualstic Democrat. He is
able 10 realize that the conditions of the pres
ont make that kind of individualism imprac-
ticable This country has outgrown the pioneer
stage of civilization. It must begin TO husband
its wealth and we think that the people OF Colo
RADIO will themselves refuse 10 sanction return
TO the old go-as-y0u-please processes OF desruc-
ton. even when plausfbly advocated as Demo
cratic doctrine OF the primeval sort.