The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1910-09-16

fore it does all the evil it easily may.
We have passed the time when heed
less waste and destruction, and AFRO
CANT monopoly, are any longer per-
missible. Henceforth we must seek
national efficiency by a new and a
better way, by the way Of the orderly
development and use, coupled with
the preservation, of our natural re-
sources, by making the most Of what
we have for the benefit of all Of us.
instead of leaving the sources of ma
terial prosperity open to indiscrimin-
ate exploitation. These are some Of
the reasons why it is wise that we
should abandon the old point of view
and why conservation has become a
patriotic duty.
Zone of the greatest of our conser-
walton problems is the wise and
prompt development and use of the
waterways of this nation. The Twin
Cities, lying as they do at the head
waters of the Mississippi, are not up
on the direct line of the proposed
Lakes to the Gulf Deep Waterway.
Yet they are deeply interested in it's
prompt completion, as we'll a. in the
deepening and the regulation of the
Mississippi to the mouth of the Mis-
souri, and to the Gulf. The project
for a great trunk waterway, an arm
OF the sea, extending from the Gull
OF Mexico to the Great Lakes, should
not be abandoned. The Lakes to
the Gulf Deep Waterway, and the
development of the rivers which flow
into it, should be pushed to compile
ton vigorously and without delay.
But, we must recognize at the outset
that there are certain conditions
without which the people cannot
hope to derive from it the benefits
they have a right to expect.
Where the states are unwilling
or unable to undertake it, the drain
age of swamp and overflow lands by
the federal government is a wise and
necessary measure. Much of it must
be done by the nation in any case as
an integral part of inland waterway
development. 1t affords a most
promising field for cooperation be-
tween the states and the nation.
"The people of the United States
believe in the complete and rounded
development of inland waterways for
all the useful purposes they can be
made to serve. They believe also in
forest protection and forest extern
sion. The fight for our national for
ests in the west has been won. At
ter a campaign in which the women
of Minnesota did work which secure
to them the perpetual gratitude of
their state, Minnesota won her ma
tional forest and will keep it; but the
fight to create the Southern Appala-
chan and White Mountain forests in
the east,is not yet over.
But the forest service does more
than protect the national forests
against fire. It makes them prac-
ticaliy and increasingly useful as
we'll. During the last year for
which l have the figures the national
forests were used by $4,000 cattle
men with their herds, 5000 sheep
men with their hocks, 5000 timber
men with their crews. and $4,000
miners. More than 5000 persons
used them for other special indus
tries. Nearly $4,000 settlers had the
free use of wood.
Zone of the most important con
servation questions of the moment
relates to the control of water power
monopoly in the public interest.
There is apparent to the judicious
observer a distinct tendency on the
part of u opponents to cloud the
issue by raising the question Of state
as against federal Jurisdiction. We
are ready to meet that issue if it is
forced upon US. But there is no
hope for the plain people in such
conflicts of jurisdictions. The essen
tial question is not one of hair
splitting legal te~chnicalities. It is
simply this: Who can best regulate
the special interests for the public
good Most of the predatory corpor-
atoms are interstate or have inter
state affiliations. Therefore they are
largely out of reach of effective state
control, and fall of necessity within
the federal jurisdiction. One of the
prime objects of those among them
that are grasping and greedy is tc
avoid any effective control either by
state or nation; and they advocate
at this time state control simply be.
cause they believe it to be the leas,
reflective. In the great fight of the
people to drive the special interests
from the domination of our govern
ment, the nation ia stronger and its