The Brownsville daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1897-1910, 1909-08-10

By Associated Press:
Spokane, Wash, Aug. 10.-Gifford
Pinchot, United States forester, and
chairman of the National Conserya-
ton Commission, who delivered an
address on Home Building for the
Nation" before the National Irriga-
ton Congress here today evidently
found out where he stands with that
body at the conclusion of his adj
dress, when the 1900 delegates that
filed the big armory gave him a sen
sational ovation. For fully five min
utes the throng applauded him en-
Enthusiastically. finally winding up
with three ringing cheers for the
man who had touched the hearts and
appealed to the reason of every
American citizen within his hearing
by his splendid address.
1t was not a lengthy address, but
every word of 1t meant something,
and the attitude, the tone, the ex-
preston of the speaker showed that
his heart and soul were in his words,
inspiring his hearers with a belief
in him and putting them in complete
accord with the cause for which Gift
ford Pinchot stands. Following is
the address of Mr.. Pinchot:
Home Building for the Nation.
The most valuable citizen of this
or any other country is the man who
owns the land from which he makes
his living. No other man has such
stake in the country. No other man
lends such steadiness and stability
to our National life. Therefore, no
other question concerns us more in
tfmately than the question of homes.
Permanent homes for ourselves, our
and our Nation-this is the
central problem. The policy of Ma
tional irrigation is of value to the
United States in very many ways,
but the greatest of all is this, that
National irrigation multiplies the men
who own the land from which they
make their living. The old saying,
Who ever heard of a man shoulder
ing his gun to fight for his boarding
house. f" reflects this great truth, that
no man is so ready to defend his
country, not only with arms. but
with his vote, and his contribution to
public opinion as the man with per-
manent stake in it, as the man who
owns the land from which he makes
his living.
Our country began as a nation Of
farmers. During the periods that
gave it its character, when our indie
pendence was won and when our
Union was preserved, we were pre-
eminently a nation of farmers. We
can not, and we ought not, to con-
tinue exclusively, or even chiefly. an
agricultural country, because one
man can raise food enough for many.
But the farmer who owns his land is
still the backbone of this Nation; and
one of the things we want most is
more of him.
The man. on the farm is valuable
% the Nation, like any other citizen,
lust in proportion to his intelligence,
character, ability, and patriotism, but
mike the other citizens, also in pro-
portion to his attachment to the soil
That is the principal spring of his
his sanity, his simplicity
and directness, and many of his other
desirable qualities. He is the first of
The Nation that will lead the world |
will be a Nation of homes. The OBJ
ect of the great Conservation move
nent is just this, to make our country
/ permanent and prosperous home for
ourselves and for our children, and
or our children's children, and it is
task that is worth the best thought 1
md effort of any and all of US.
To achieve this or any other great
'esult, straight thinking and strong
action are necessary, and the straight |
linking comes first. To make this
what we need to have it, we
must think clearly and directly about
,ur problems, and above all we must |
what the real problems
ire. The great things are few and
simple, but they are too often hid
len by false issues, and conventional. /
unreal thinking The easiest way to /
tide a real issue always has been, and
Ilways will be, to replace it with a
alse one.
The first thing we need in this T
ountry, as President Roosevelt so
veil set forth in that great message I
which told what he had been trying