Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-10-11

A<oS 6roeaNAst oeo ~ NOW AVA ~ -
of individual initiative In the business
world II Is also our duty to see. that
the man of exceptional ability displays
that ability In our interests and not
against our interests. I want to give
him all the reward to which his excep-
tional ability entities him But I want
that reward TO be given because he
serves US and not because he swfnoles US
daughter and applause.
Certain Of the papers of the city Of
my birth. edited in the shadow OF Wall
street, regard the doctrine which
have Just enunoiated as smacking OF an
srchy. 1 regard It as the height OF
conservatism.
1T Is peculiarly necessary to do that
In connection with our natural resources.
the ownership OF which. II allowed to
get into one hand. into the hands of one
man or the hands OF one great corpora
ton, might establish q peculiarly OPP
pressive monopoly.
Let us then make II the business OF
the government. national OF state as the
case may be, to see that the mineral
resources, so far as we still have power
over them-that the water power of the
country. and all similar powers. are used
under such governmental supervision and
ernmental regulations as will allow
ampl eproft to the users, and at the
same time guarantee the public at large
In its rights.
ct think that n an essential position
for the government to take. I do not
believe that we could afford only to
allow men OF great astuteness, great
shrewdnsss and sometimes of a mark
ed lack OF scrupulousness, to get pos
- h. and then
treat them as peculiarly their own to
do with as they choose. There is more
than one reason why we should not al
low that; in the first place, for the sake
of the general public IN the present;
in the next place. for the sake OF those
rich men themselves and what they
seek IN the future, for II such a system
Of monopoly Is allowed TO grow up In
extenso, sooner or later the people will
revolt against II, and the revolt will be
very likely to have mixed in IL with
righteousness of attitudS. great unright-
eousness OF attitude, and then the hold
ers OF the privileges would run great
risks Of being treated with an improper
degree OF severity.
LET US EXACT JUSTICE.
Let US exact justice from these big
men, not only in our own interests but
in the interests OF the holders OF the
privileges at some future day. To exact
Justice from them now is the surest way
to prevent injustice from being done
those that come after them.
$50 much for the natural resources
that are not capable Of self-renewal.
Now for those that are capable of renew
al-the soil and the forests.
''It IS our business to see that no
private individual is allowed TO waste
the public heritage, and the public as a
whole is vitality concerned with the soil
and forests and the water for the land.
1T is not so very long ago that our
people would have treated utterly
alien any idea Of taking any care Of the
land which they titled and the owner
ship OF which at the moment they claim
ed. All through the south the term old
field has become so recognized that they
tend 10 treat Il as one word instead OF
two. In most cases. the old field means
field which was farmed under condi-
lions so wasteful that the whole value
OF the field was exhausted. so that Moth
ing could be done with IL except to aban-
don II to become rIven by deep gullies.
and what little soil there was left to be
washed off into the waters, and finally
TO support a growth Of worthless shrub
berry as all that il could give. Here in
the south probably each man who knows
country district can point out farm
after farm which did formerly flourish
and which is now abandoned because It
became worthless.
RECLAIM WASTE LANDS.
"Our forefathers had any amount of
land open to them, and didn't have much
capital II was perfectly natural that
their theory should have been to take a
farm, skin II, leave II dead, and go on
and take another. 1t can no longer be
done. It is now our duty to see not only
that the land that remains fertile is kept
fertile, but that we reclaim both the
waste lands that have been abandoned
and the waste lands that have never
been brought into cultivation.
Some of the most fertile lands of the
future are now swamps, and all that is
! now necessary is to provide a proper
drainage system. Not here, but in the
west, some very fertile soil that is now
waste will yield a hundred-fold II only
water is put upon IT by irrigation. Our
duty then is to shape our policy to save,
and when necessary to reclaim, the act
ual soil.
Just so II is with the forest This
south has the last hardwood forests of
/ great industrial value on the North
American continent. There are cornifer-
Gus forests placed elsewhere that are not
Exhausted.
Il hope the south will use those hard
wood forests in such fashion as to get
the very utmost business ue out Of them
OF which they are capable, provided that
the use is always conditioned upon keep
ing the forests so that our children and
children's children shall have their por-
\ ton Of the benefit from them. Cut every
/ big tree that is worth cutting, cut all OF
the timber that can now be used, but
cut II in UGH fashion and use such safe
guards that the forests will stu remain.
that the young trees will remain to grow
up in their turn into trees that can be
used by your children and your children's
children in their turn. Treat each forest