Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1913-04-18
From Mondays Daily
OUR GREAT NATIONAL WASTE

True patriotism is the love of country
rs u principle of action. All material
success can be divided into two classes
(a) economical, (bl political. Note the
great centres Of national success.
Those centres are: Jerusalem, Athens.
Rome, Florence, Paris and London. All
human progress in the Old Would has
historically started from these centres.
After the Tudors, England, aided by
her geographical situation, built up by
| colonization and conquest a vast en-
pire based on sea.power. In modern
times she has built it up on national
and humane government. Her sea
power, and her industrial supremacy
are being exposed to serious challeng-
ing.
America has of all modern nations the
greatest chance of success, economic OF
material. The union is n~eighborless.
No enemy threatens in the north. none
in the east or west, and there is no
menace in the south. Two types have
developed in America-the politician
and the business man.
The politicians and business mel tel
us Of our wonderful prosperity, and of
our immense national wealth. America
has h largest moun of gold and the
smallest circulation Of this metal; the
richest mines and manufactures, pri-
vate palaces, and libraries. Why con-
tinue the enumerationI
The big business men are in the big |
business of making millions ont of the
governments mistakes and inadequa-
cies. Both houses of congress are dom
mated by the unreasonable riches of
the Midas m]il!iOnaries.
Morgan, Rockefeller, Horriman, Rog.
ers and all the rest vi the ~milliOnaires
made their billions out of the forests, oil
wells, coal mines. iron mines, banking,
insurance. telegraph, and express bust
ness. Surely but swiftly our national
resources are being wasted.
Take the forests first. Tyre and
Sidon 1000 b. c. had $500 squire miles
of the ccdars OF Lebanon. Some of you
lave heard how Hiram of Tyre CON
tracted with Solomon, Il never knew his
last namel to build the Temple at Jeru-
salem. The work was accomplished
but of that splendid forest country Tyre
is today "a barren rock on which the
fisherman dries his net. Why this cry
"of forest conservation? Do you
read history or is the question of the
baseball pennant more important?
Take the coal. That prophet Carne-
| gle says we have used two billion tons of
coal. How does he know it? He says
we waste more than we use. We can't
plant coal. In 100 years he prophecies
that the coal in America will he ex-
hausted, and says perhaps in 30 years.
Think of the increasing coal bills.
Cheer up, you'll die soon.
Think OF the iron. In Missouri some
years ago the Iron Mountain r. X. paid
handsome dividends. Those mountains
Of iron were exhausted 10 years ago.
Iron does not grow. In % years Amer
ica will b. buying her iron from
| Sweden.
Then the gas, not counting men like
H'NoNh hiNA Ai'hlSAf tlltl' - a. NhSlb Ol
1000 million feet Il day. We dig it. or
manufacture it of materials we can't
grow again.
Next the oil so necessary for the politi-
cal toboggan. For every barrel pumped
by Rockefeller, gas is wasted equal TO
10 barrels.
You say 'thc land is left. Your
share is one acre. The men of Eu-
rope own the land. Beside the Missis.
sirpi carries away one quarter of a mil
lion dollars worth of soil every ycar-
n slice as large us the Panama canal
when completed.
1t takes 800 years to make "A pinetrec.
1t takes longer than that to make one
foot Of soil II took 10000 years of
hard geologic work to make four feet
of soil-almpst as long rs it takes 20 re-
wise the tarif-and yet one ignorant
farmer I'm ten years can waste four feet
of soil.
Finally think of the water. so useful
In waterod stocks why so few canals?
Why have we 80 millinn horse power
running away9
What Is the morale This national
waste must he checked, by tho awak.
ened intelligence, patriotism. ana con.
| science of n OuU.guTnrinv naomi,