The Washington herald., 1909-08-15

i
the serving Of the others follow
JOHN ALLISON,
Chancellor Chanc-ry Court. Nashville. Tenn.
summer time through the hundreds OF
springs on and along the sides and base
OF the ranges.
Thus nature had created many reser-
voirs in the mountains In which first 90
store great quantities of water and then
later IA the summer 10 hlter II out
through springs. clear. pure. and cool,
thereby preserving during the summer
the surface water volume for the streams
and rivers I'm the valleys.
Conditions Now Changed.
After an absence OF nearly twenty
years I revisited some parts and some
of the streams OF the range. Ny visit was
made Ia the summer season. IN this visit
I found conditions materially changed
Considerable areas near the base of low
ranges had been entirely denudod or
cleared OF all timber gr0wths and put
under cultivation. and other considerable
areas OF the mountain sides and in the
ravines and hollows were likewise strip
ped OF the forests. and the reservoirs
described had been destroyed by the
opening UP Of logging wagon roads that
the wagons might pass up after and
/ then come back down with the logs and
/ lumber. These roadways serve now as
/ "Sh00t-the-chute" for the heavy rainfalls
to rush down and flood the streams.
/ The whole appearance Of things had un-
/ dergone a change.
/ found dry holes IN the earth where
I Tn
viously existed. and I found dry cheek
beds. Furthermore it was as perceptble
/ 10 my eve that the volume of water IN
some of the larger streams and little
rivers was very much less than twenty
years before that time as 80 was plain
( 10 my vision that much OF the forest had
| been removed and wagon roads made
where natures reservation had once eX-
/ listed.
Affects Flow OF Rivers.
/ Tn all the years preceding lSsS the Ten
/ uessee River did not at any time reach
a stage below zero on the gauge az Chat
! tanooga. and only twice did il reach
! low-water~ stage Of less than one foot
above zero. whereas. for the zen years
| following 1895 Il was four times al a stage
/ of less than one foot above zero. and on
! October 25. 26. and q 1901. 70 was at the
! lowest stages IN its history-nine one
Z hundredths Of q foot below zero-and
/ ravigable this year only 30 days, the
| year following. 2t0 days. which is the
/ latest data I have
I Prior 20 1890 the Tennessee was navl-
gable at Chattanooga an average Of
more than 800 days in each years. The
/ Ohio does not seem 10 have suffered loss
/ In late years In its volume OF summer
and fan water at least not so much as
/ the Tennessee.
/ II Congress has power under the Con-
stitutl0n 70 expend money In erecting
great dams for the purpose Of collecting
/ body OF water, and then IN making tun-
nels and canals 20 carry the water from
/ ,his body into arid or desert lands for
! the purpose OF producing moisture for
| agricultural purposes where IL does not
/ exist. then. by what process OF reason
/ ing can it be maintained that Congress
may not under the same Constitution ex-
I pend money 70 protect the sources Of
| streams already supplying moisture fo-
! agricultural purposes?
! I maintain that # such power be vested
! in Congress for either Of such purposes
/ il exists also for The other. and that the
! Congress having already exercised this
power I'm the expenditures made in the
]
! sistently deny the existence Of such
power for the purpose Of preserving the
/ existence Of moisture as we'll as for the
/ purpose Of producing moisture for agri-
/ cultural purposes.
Irrigation TO Reclaim Land.
! The expenditures by the government In
! the Reclamation Service are with the
sole purpose Of making habitable arid
or desert lands-that IS. making homes
for IT'S citizens, and not as "aa aid to
the navigability OF streams"
The statistcian Of the Reclamation
! Service has pointed out that $50. $40
have already been expended which has
furnished land as homes for 1900 citizens
q cost OF about $3.50 20 each man.
woman, or child Of the 1900 already pro-
vided with and settled on homes thus
made.
! ! am not complaining at the cost. for
/ every time the government makes a
! home owner Il also make a patriot
Destruction Of Soil and Homes.
The gradual inundation I'm the early
| springtime of the river bottom" lands
Of which there are many thousands Of
acres along the river not navigable which
fow out Of the proposed reserve. is
| neither hurtful to the soil nor harmful
/ to the crops that are pitched" later.
but, in fact helpful 20 both; the alluvium
! thus deposited enriches the soil. while
the moisture which has gone down deep
/ into the earth remains 10 produce crops
after the overflow has receded. just as
/ does moisture remain in the soil which
/ has been overfowed by water carried out
/ through the artificial irrigating bitches or
channels made and being made by the
4 government in the arid and desert lands
! The ruin Of lands and improvements
! thereon or along the same rivers. caused
| by sudden and great floods is common
! knowledge.
/ The injury however. worked 10 the
! home owners in the narrow valleys along
/ these rivers has been enormous and ir-
\ reparable. Not only their homes. barns.
/ FENCES, implements. all improvements.
! have been swept away, but much OF the
/ soil itself carried of. the currents Of
the food-tide cutting deep channels
fields and farms. and entirely covering
over what Is left with rocku gravel. and
/ sand rendering Il worthless: and where
/ there were one day happy homes. with
! plenty, there was the next day desolation
/ and poverty.
! II this range Of mountains be strinre5
/ or the remaining forest and It's incidents
much Of these valleys will thereafter not
/ be habitsble
Is II worth saving for the present and
sNs lutUFef JOHN ALLISON.