The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1910-08-24


There are no two public question
Of more vital importance to the futur
Of this country than the problem Q
conservation and the problem OF bet
ternNnt OF public life Moreover, thes'
two problems are really interdepen
dent. for neither Of them can be sue
cessfuIly solved save on condition
that there is at least measurable sue
cess IN the effort to solve the other
In any great country the prime physic
al asset-tne physical asset moro 's'sssal
liable than any other-is the fertility
Of the soil. All our industrial and
commercial welfare. all our material
development Of every kind, depends IL
the last resort upon our preserving and
increasing the fertility OF the soil.
This. Of course, means the eonserYa'
tion Of the soil as the great natural
resource. and equally. Of course, II fur
fhermore implies the development OF
country life, for there cannot be per
manent improvement OF the soil If the
life OF those who live on 1t, and make
their living out Of It. is suffered 70
starve and ianguish, to become stunt
ed. and weakened and inferior TO the
types Of life elsewhere. We are now
trying to preserve. not for exploitation
by individuals, but for the permanent
benefit Of the whole people, the
waters and the forests, and We are do
ing this primarily as means Of adj
ding to the fertility Of the soil; al
though In each case there Is great
secondary use both Of the water and
the forests for commercial and indus
trial purposes. In the same way it is
essential for the farmers themselves
10 try to broaden the life Of the man
who lives in the open country; to
make 1t more attractive, TO give Il
every adjunct and aid TO Development
which has been given to the life Of the
man in the cities. Therefore. friends,
the conservation and rural life policies
are really two sides Of the same policy;
and down at bottom this policy rests
upon the fundamental Law that neither
man nor nation can prosper unless, in
dealing with the present, he steadily
take thought for the future
In once sense this problem with
which we have to deal Is very, very
old. Wherever civilizations have hith-
erto sprung up they have always tend
ed to 20 through certain stages and
then to fall. No nation can develop
a real civilization without cities. Up
TO certain point the city movement
Is thoroughly healthy; yet It is a
strange and lamentable fact that al
ways hitherto after this point has
been reached the city has tended to
develop at the expense Of the coun-
try by draining the country Of what IL
best in 1t, and making an Insignificant
return for this best In consequence,
in the past. every civilization in its
later stages has tended really 10 wit
ness those conditions under which the
cities prosper and the men decay.
There are ugly signs that these ten.
denotes are at work In this nation ot
ours. But very fortunately we see now
what never before was seen IN any
ciyilization-an aroused and alert pub
lie interest in the problem, a recogni-
ton OF its gravity and desire to at
tempt its solution.
"The problem does not consist mere
" IN the growth Of the city. Such a
growth in itself Is good thing and
not a bad thing for the country The
problem consists in the growth of the
city at the expense Of the country;
and. even where this IS not the case,
in so great an equality Of growth in
power and interest as to make the city
more attractive than the country. and
therefore apt to drain the country Of
the people who ought 20 live therein.
.'The human side Of the rural life
problem is TO make the career OF the
farmer and the career of the farm la
borer as attractive and as remunera-
tive as corresponding careers In the
city Now. am well aware that the
farmer must himself take the lead in
bringing this about. 4 century and a
quarter ago the wise English farmer,
Arthur Young. wrote of the efforts to
improve French wool: a cultivator at
the head Of sheep farm Of 1900 or
1000 acres would In few years do
more for their wools than all the
academicians and philosophers viii ef-
feet in ten centuries It is absurd to
think that any man who has studied
the subject only theoretically Is fit to
direct those who practically work at
the matter. But. friends, / wish to in
sist to you hereto you practical men,
who own and work your farms--that
it is pernicious absurdity for the