The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1909-01-22
cALLa ON NATION
lcohlInued from PaEs ~

better use OF The sources oF national
strength. But we cannot defer action
until complete accuracy in the esti-
pates con bc reached. because before
Mat ilmc many Of our resources viii
NJ practically gone. 1T Is not neces.
shry lha4 this inventory should be ex-
hcf II every minute detail II Is essen
ilal that II should correctly describe
the general situation and that the
present inventory does. As It stands
u Is 40 lrrefuiablo proof that the con.
srrynilon Of our resources Is the FUN
dnmeaial question before this nation
and that our first and greatest task Is
70 set our house IN order and begin 10
live within our means.
The first OF an considerations Is the
permanent welfare Of our people, and
true moral welfare. the highest form
0f welfare, cannot permanently exist
save on q firm aud lasting foundation
Of material well being. IN this re-
spect our situation il far from salts
factory After every possible allow
nnce has been made and when every
hopeful indication has been given IT'S
full weight the facts stlll give reason
for grave concern. II would be un-
worthy of our history and our intelli-
gence and disastrous TO our future to
shut our eyes to these facts or attempt
to laugh them out OF court The peo-
pie should and win rightly dcmaud
that the great fundamental questions
shall be given attention by their repre-
seutatives. ! do not advise hasiy or
III considered action on disputed
points, but do urge, where the facts
nre known. where the public interest
ip clear that neither Indifference and
Incrtla nor adverse private interests
ahnl be allowed to stand IN the way
OK the public good.
Our Responsibility For ths Future.
The great basic facts arc already
we'll known We know that our popu.
latlon Is now adding about one-ffth TO
It's numbers IN ten years and that by
the middle Of the present century per,
hnps i50.0O0.00O Americans and by lts
end very many millions more must be
fad and clothed from the products of
our soil With the steady growth in
Population ana the still more rapid In.
l-ease IN consumption our people win
hereafter make greater and not less
demands pcr capita upon al the natu
ral resources for their livelihood com.
fort and convenience. IL Is high time
20 realize That our responsibility to the
coming millions Is Ike that Of parents
to their children and chat In wasting
our resources we are wronglng our de-
sccndants.
We know now that our rivers can
aud shonid be made 10 serve our peo-
pie effectively IN transportation, but
that the vast expenditures for our wa.
terwnys have not resulted IN maintain.
Ing, much less IN promoting, inland
navigation. Therefore lei us take lin
mediate steps to ascertain the rcasons
and to prepare and adopt n compre.
henslve plan for inland waterway nav
ignition thar viii result IN giving the
people the benefits for which they have
paid, but which they have not yet re-
ceiyed We know now that our forests
nrc fast disappearing. that less than
one.ffth Of them are being conserved
and that no good purpose can be met
by failing 60 provide The relatively
small sums needed fer the protection,
usc ana Improvement az an forests sun
owned hy tie govern uent and 10 enact
laws TO check the wastcful destruction
OF the forests IL private hands There
arc differences Of opinion as te many
public questions. but the American peo'
pie stand nearly he q unit FOR water.
way development aud for forest pro.
tcctou.
We know now Tint our mineral re-.
sources. once exhausted. are gone for
ever and that the needless waste Of
them costs us hundreds Of human lives
ana nearly s900.000.000 year There
fore let Us undertake without delay
the investigations necessary before our
people WIN be IN position through state
action Or otherwise to put an end to
this huge less ana waste and conserve
both our mineral resources and the
lives Of the men who take them from
thc earth.
! desire 10 make grateful acknowl-
cdgment 20 the men both 10 aud out Of
tho government service who have pre-
pared the first Inventory Of our natu-
raj resources. They have made Il pos.
glble for this nation 70 take q great
step forward Their work Is helping
us to see that the greatest questions
before us nro not partisan questions,
but questions upon which men Of al
partlua ard all shades Of opinion may
bc united forthe common good Among
such questions, on the malerial side,
the conservation Of natural resources
stands first. II Is the bottom round of
the ladder on our upward progress TO-
ward condition IN which the nation
az whole and ITS citizens as indlvldu.
aia win set NATIONAL efficiency and the
public welfare before personal profit
lnduttrlal Democracy IN Danger
The policy OF conservation Is per-
hapa. ihe most typical example Of The
general policies which this government
has made peculiarly It's own during the
0penIng years Of the present century
The function Of our government Is 70
insnre 70 MI rs citizens now ana here