Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-07-15
Conserving tho Water Of NIAGARA.

The encouraging thing about the
F, failure Of the house of representatives
at Washington to act upon the Burton
! joint resolution in season to prevent
the law Of that name from becoming
imperative is that, before the matter
! comes UP in that body next winter. tho
/ public. in all probability. will have ac-
/ quired information on the subject
| which may influence it to insist not
merely that Niagara Falls shall he pro-
( tectcd for another period of two years
! but that they shall be adequately safe
! guarded for all time.
| The law which Representative (now
| senator) Burton had passed for the
| purpose of preventing the power com
/ panles at Niagara from taking all tbs
! water authorized by treaty expired by
| Limitation Wednesday. Senator Bur.
| ton had prepared, and the senate had
J passed, a joint resolution extending the
life of this law for another two years
| 1t went to the house IN plenty Of time
| for full consideration, but the foreign
| affairs committee deemed it best to dc.
| fer any action in the premises until
! next December. In the meantime the
| administration stands pledged to hold
| matters in statu quo, so far as the use
| of the water is concerned
1t would seem to the impartial OBJ
! server that there is neither occasion
nor excuse for postponement in tho
!. settlement of this matter AS the
| American Civic Association very prop
| erly holds. Niagara Falls belong to the
| people. The government has no rign'
to dispose Of them by treaty; congress
has no right to dispose of them by law
Industrial encroachment upon then
should never have been permitted
| Partial comm specialization OF one of the
| most magnificent natural spectacles or
! the planet was bad enough: the plea
| that it should be wholly commercials
lied is, we are certain, an undeserved
reflection upon the public opinion OF
the times and one that Will sooner OF
| later be rebuked.
| For the present 1t would seem In
credible that there should be such APP
parent popular indifference with re.
gard to this matter, if 1t were not con-
sidered that the subject OF saving
/ Niagara Falls has been so often dis.
cussed. The truth is, It is not popular.
| ly conceived or conceivable that Mag
/, ara falls can be in serious danger
! That they are in danger and that the
1 OSLllkeT ~ lLlIAAlSlil VII pc HFo0S pa
| to any person who gives a little time tc
| the study Of the statement the Amer
| len Civic Association has issued on thu
subject 1t is not out Of place here t.
! repeat that Niagara Falls even now are
I not what they were ten years ago. The
! tapping Of the river above the great
| cataract is thinning the flow and de-
! priving the falls OF their grandeur.
| Tho assurance that nothing worse
| than is happening now can happen &c
Niagara Falls before next winter will
| give some comfort to the millions Of
| Americans and Canadian-to the mil
| lions turnout the earth-who believe ir
the preservation OF the beautiful gif,
| OF nature, but it should not blind any
body to the fact that 30 long as the
possibility exists for commercializatior
Of the falls, 80 long the falls will be In
danger The higher sentiment Of the
country must insist upon their being