The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1909-01-23
CONSERVE THE WORD.
(eontinued from page one


history and our intelligence, and dis
astrous 10 our future, to shut our
eyes TO these facts or attempt 10
laugh them ont of court. The people
should and will rightly demand that
the great fundamental questions
shall be given attention by their rep
resentatiVes. | do not advise nasty
or in considered action on disputed
points. but | do urge where the facts
are known. where the public interest
is clear that neither indifference and
inertia. nor adverse private interests,
shall he allowed 10 stand III Inc way
of the public good
The great basic facts are already
we'll known. We know that our pop
nlation is now adding about one-hfth
To its numbers in 10 years, and that
by the middle of The present century
Derhaps one hundred and fifty mill
lion Americans, and by its end very
manv millions more. must he fed
and clothed from The products of our
soil. With the steady growth in pop
nlation and the still more rapid in
crease in consumption our people Will
hereafter make greater and not less
demands per capita upon all the nat
nral resources for their livelihood,
comfort. and convenience. II is high
time ia realize thai our responsible
ily TO the coming millions is like that
OF parents 10 their children. and la,
In wasting our resources We are
wronging our descendants.
We know now that our rivers can
and should be made 10 serve our peO-
pie effectively i'm transportation. hut
that the vast expenditures for our
waterways have mol resulted in main
tanning much less in promoting. in
rand navigation Therefore. let MS
take immediate steps 10 ascertain the
reasons and TO prepare and adopt a
comprehensive plan for inland water
way navigation that will result i'm
giving the people the benefits for
which they have paid but which they
have not yet received We know now
that our forests are fast disappear
ing that less than one-fifth of them
are being conserved. aud thai no good
purpose can be met by failing TO pro-
vide the relatively small sums need
ed for the protection, use and inn
porvement of all forests still owned
by the government. and 10 enact laws
10 check The wasteful destruction of
the forests in private hands. There
are differences of opinion as TO many
public questions: but the American
people stand nearly as unit for
waterway development and for for
est protection.
We know that our mineral re-
sources once exhausted are gone for
ever. and that the needless waste of
them costs us hundreds of human
lives and nearly $500. 900, 900 a year.
therefore,. let us undertake without
delay the Investigations necessary be-
fore our people will be in position,
through state action or otherwise to
put an end TO this huge loss and
waste, and conserve botn our mineral
resources aud the lives of the men
who take them from the earth.
| desire 10 make grateful acknow-
Judgement to the men, both in and
out of the government service. who
have prepared the first inventory of
our natural resources. They have
made it possible for this nation 10
take a great step forward. Their
work is helping MS 10 see that the
greatest questions before us are not
partisan questions. but questions
upon which men of all parties and
all shades of opinion may be united
for he common good Among such
questions on the material side. the