The Nevada County picayune. (Prescott, Ark.) 190?-current, 1909-01-28

neCleCtng for a time, II need he. smaller
and less vital questions. shall concentrate
an effective part Of Our attention upon
the great material foundations of ma
uonal existence. progress. and prosperity.
The first of all considerations is the
permanent welfare of our people and
true moral welfare. the highest form of
welfare. can not permanently exist save
on firm and lasting foundato of mate
rial wcll-being In this respect our stu
alton is far from satisfactory After
every possible allowance has been made,
and when every hopeful indication has
been given its fun weight, the facts still
give reason for grave concern. 1t would
be unworthy of our history and our in
telligence, and disastrous to our future.
TO shut our eyes to these facts or at
tempt to laugh them out of court. The
people should and will rightly demand
that the great fundamental questions
snail be given attention by their rep
resentatives. | do not advise hasty or i'll
considered action on disputed points. bat
] do urge, where the facts are known.
where the public interest is clear. that
neither indifference and inertia nor ad-
verse private interests, shall be allowed
10 stand in the way of the public good.
THE great basic facts are already well
known We know that our population Is
now adding about one-ffth to its numbers
~ Ten wars, ana lIlal by Inc middle OF
the present century perhaps lJn.000 coo
Americans. and by its end very many
millions more, must be fed and clothed
from the products Of our soil
We know now that our rivers can ard
should be made to serve our people ef-
feetively In transportation but that the
vast expenditures for our waterways
have not resulted in maintaining. much
less IN promoting, inland navigation.
l4f nc llg INN TOT -,
ascertain the reasons and to prepare and
adopt comprehensive plan for inland
waterway navigation that will result in
giving the people the benefits for which
they have paid but which they have not
Vet received. We know now that our for
ests are fast disappearing, that less than
onc-hfth of them are being conserved,
and that no good purpose can be met by
failing to provide the relatively small
sums needed for the protection, use, and
improvement Of all forests still owned by
the government. and to enact laws to
check the wasteful destruction of the for
ests in private hands.
I'VE know now that our mineral
sources once exhausted are gone for
ever, and that the needless waste of
them costs US hundreds of human lives
and nearly 5000, 600 600 a year Therefore,
let us undertake without delay the in
designations necessary before our people
VIII he in position, through state action
or otherwise to put an end to this huge
loss and waste, and conserve both our
mineral resources and the lives OF the
men who take them from the earth
This administration has achieved
some things; it has sought. but has
not been able, to achieve. others; 1T
mas doubtless made mistakes; but all
II has done or attempted has been in
the single. consistent effort to
cure and enlarge the rights and oppor
tunlties of the men and women OF the
United States. We are trying to con-
serve what is good in our social sys-
TEN, and we are striving toward this
end when we endeaVor to do away with
what is bad Success may be made too
hard for some if it is made too easy
Tor others. The rewards of common
industry and thrift may be too small
II the rewards for others, and on the
whole less valuable, qualities are
made too large, and especially il the
rewards for qualities which are really.
from the public standpoint undesir
able, are permitted to become too
large. Our aim is so far as possible
TO provide such conditions that there
shall be equality OF opportunity where
there is equality OF energy, fidelity and
intelligence; when there is a reason