The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-07

and business of that state. Affairs
| that generally concern the people of
| the nation are the problem and BUSH
ness of the nation. Even in solving
the problems of it's own people, every
are part of the American people. OF
| states as of men it is written, mo
state liveth to itself alone"
| Just as the idea of provincialism
has worked other evils, so it has
| worked the waste of our national re-
sources. The provincial idea was that
| the natural wealth belonging to all
| the American people should be hand
ed over for nothing to special inter-
ests. This was done under the plea
| of encouraging individual enterprise
and the fastening of local develop
ment.
The Provincial Idea.
And so forests which once belonged
| to all the people have been ruthlessly
felled and upon their ruins have risen
| the empires of our lumber kings
Priceless deposits of coal, iron ore and
copper which once belonged to all the
people have been surrendered freely
| to special interests; and these sources
of the peoples revenue which should
have flowed into the peoples treasury
to pay the expense of the peoples gov
| eminent have been diverted by the
| ulLCH aug by ID6 PROVINCIAL lQc1, illtO
| the treasury of nulti-millionaires I'M
til the peril of their swollen fortunes
| is one of the problems confronting
| American craftsmanship.
All this waste and robbery of the
peoples wealth must be stopped. No
ancient and provincial Interpretation
of states rights must prevent the en-
| forcement of the peoples rights. No
| special plea for hasty local develop
ment must hinder healthy general
development. No temporary state poll
| itics compelled by the wealthy few
! must impair permanent national
siii'eS'nAnS"'' ''' the ss'A' sOOD u
Had we kept the natural resources
| of all the people and made private
| interests pay the people just return
| for exploiting those resources, the
nations income thus derived would
now pay most of the nations expenses;
| those resources would have been wise
| ly used and not exhausted; and our
whole growth would have been ration
al and sound instead of unbalanced
and defective. We would have en-
! joyed all the benefits from ~our ma
tural resources and yet our children
would have inherited colossal nation
al wealth and small national burdens
| instead of private interests enjoying
all the benefits of our national re-
sources and their children inheriting
colossal private wealth and small pri-
| Vato burdens.
| The nation must keep and admins
| ter for all the people those natural re-
| sources belonging to all the people.
Every state should aid and not hinder
the nation in doing this great duty.
| The state should preserve for the pub
lie good the resources belonging ex-
clusively to it, the municipality the
resources belonging exclusively to it;
| and both should help the nation in
doing the same thing with resources
| belonging to all.
| For example, some of New York's
| swollen fortunes have been expanded
| by corrupt councils selling for a song
to private owners water fronts and
other real estate of great present value
| and almost inestimable future value.
Had New York kept the property
which belonged to the city. the city's
wealth would be greater; the danger
ously great private fortunes would not
be so vast. The gigantic income of the
| heirs of unearned millions would be
less. but the peoples taxes also would
| be less.
Mistakes of the Past.
Had certain states conserved their
resources which the nation gave them,
| instead of turning them over to pri-
vate exploitation, the people of those
states would be better off today, their
children better off tomorrow and their
! economic condition better now and for
Had the nation conserved the re-
sources which belonged to all the
American people instead of abandon
| ing most of them to cunning, strength
and greed, our progress would have
been sounder and more sure.
Cooperation of municipality, state
and nation t. correct past mistakes
and preserve and administer for the
general good of all the people the nat
| ural resources yet remaining-this is
4 the policy of common sense and COM
| mon honesty. Strife and division to
the end that the reign of waste and
pillage under the false name of de-
velopment shall go on and the feverish
upbuilding of private wealth upon the
ruins of the peoples resources shall
continue-this is the policy of private
at-rice and private plumber. Forests
all the wealth that belongs to all the
people must be kept and developed for
the benefit of all the people.
This great policy for the welfare Of
all the people is now well under way.
Let us beware how we hinder or retard
it, 1t is another step in the glorioIs
process of the building the nation. AL
ready it has saved the people much
that remains of their resources; it
must save the people all that remains
of their resources. Honor to whom
II honor is duen-let us not forget that
the man who in thought, deed and
word has championed this vast and
historic reform until today he is its
personification, is that courageous,
1 pure. unselfish young American. the
president of the National Conservation
association, Clifford Pinchot. For years