The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1910-09-15
Gov. Patterson's Address.


81 think the president and managers
of this exposition, the people of Knox
county, and the ladies who have given
their aid and encouragement to this
great undertaking deserve the unstint.
ed praise of all thoughtful and patri-
otto citizens.
"The necessity for the acquisition
and preservation by the United States
government of the forest lands of the
Appal achian range is apparent, and of
stupendous economic value. 1t is plain
that the states within whose bounda-
ries parts of these ranges lie cannot
successfully undertake the task.
"Any effort made by them would
have to be in conjunction to be made
effective, and in addition, any plan
agreed upon might be subject to modi-
fication, delay and neglect; but if all
this could be obviated, it is not at all
probable that the states would have
the means to carry out the plan of con-
|servation.
"Nor should any erroneous notions
of states rights enter into the problem,
for in the protection of the forests the
people of all the states have a common
interest, and central authority, which
in this case the United States govern
ment can alone deal practically with
this question.
SIN these mountains where more
than thirty rivers are born, with innu-
merable smaller streams, which flow
from their tops and sides, there is the
largest amount of standing timber be-
tween the Great Lakes and the gulf
When denuded as they soon will be, if
not protected from an unsentimental
and unthinking commercialism, the
disastrous results can not be measured
and can never be remedied.
ave are told the destruction of these
forests will cause profound climatic
changes, and we know from the eXpe-
rience of other countries and from
observation, that when the soil is left
unprotected by vegetation, erosion is
inevitable; that the springs dry up and
the rainfall, instead of slowly sinking
into the ground, will descend to the
lowlands in raging floods, swelling and
overfiowing the rivers and bearing
death and destruction as they go.
"The mountains in France were at
one time practically stripped of vege-
tation, and the consequent floods
wrought such havoc to the towns and
cities along the waterways that the
country was confronted with the inn
perative necessity of re-forestation. This
work was begun and that government
has spent upwards of $2O0,000,000 in
the attempt to restore natural condi-
tions.
"As we do not always realize the
value of health until disease has laid
its hold upon us, so we have failed to
realize the value of our forests until
their entire destruction is threatened,
ave have already felt in a lesser
way the disastrous results in France
but we can prevent their recurrence,
save to ourselves and to generations
yet to come the magnificent natural
endowments with which kind Prov
idence has favored this republic.
"With a small fraction of the CO..
to re-forest these mountain ranges, Va
can preserve them; and with intelL
gent supervision and control, a wise
system of cutting and replanting, we
can even make their present use of
greater commercial value.
awhile / believe this work should
be undertaken by the United States
believe the states within
their spheres should supplement ma
tional effort by doing all within their
legitimate functions to preserve those
stores of natural wealth and beauty
which are fast diminishing, either by
wanton destruction or unsientitic use.
1.-THE trees should not only be pro-
Lected, but every state should have |
forestry department to prevent un-
necessary waste and to inaugurate a
systemI of replanting. In Tennessee,
t is estimated that we use every year
IL times more of our timber than is
by growth, and this pro-