The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1916-09-04

DO you believe hat the turhlns :"
forest areas int cultivated t'e'u2'
pasture lands, vii yards and orcf'"ruS
and The subjugat Of The wilderness n,9
to the needs of viizatlon HdS prU
lonSed drouths - harmtuiS "''e''"
the climate?
Many believe that unless large "!Gas
are returned TO forest cnhdltlunS nc,
mat part of the North A ,1IitaJ s,.tes
tlnent occupied by the unlteu o.nueH
will suffer floods and drouthS oil sleau'
lily increasing intensity. ,,;-,,o
II has been stated that me E'in," lazy
is so materially affected 10y .ho LII
ting away OF the forests that tHe wei
being Of future generations II iIlt'l,
aced. The public conscience mas peell
aroused. Large approprla IONS "a pu ,,u
lie money have been made ior tne pua
chase Of water sheds ana retu s &C. :"
ton, and plans laid that VIII ''ae t.,; M
the expenditure Of humorous VI Hili
lions of dollars. -,.,
But NAV it not BIZ that in our right
eous indignation 1T the uiohol,oi'Ha
ton of much of The nations wealth OF
land, OF forest, of mine. anu OF wafer
power, and in the just Anxiety 10 lot
mulate remedial plans ana laws lot
the future, We have accepted rs eSlao-
lished truth the unsupported state
mentS Of honest but mistaken 1or"Si
enthusiasts. The proving OF our Grounu
as we go along does not mean mat we
shall not progress: it. means thal we
shall move in the right dir"ctlon' IN
stead of wasting time ana money IN
the following of Il policy paSeo upon
taliaciouS reaSoningS.
There appears 10 DC plch'E vi esl'
rhe remote past when the salt seas,
both of Asia and of America, had sur
faces of greatly increased size over
those that now exist. In certain OF
these regions trees once grew more
abundantIy than is now the case. This
however must not he taken as proof
that there has been decrease In rain
fall due 10 destruction Of forests. 1t
is true that the forests have dlmln-
ished-in some cases Disappeared
and il is also true that the evidence
strongly supports tho assumption or
Il decrease in rainfall. and therefore.
Of course, Of Il greater or less change
in climate. But this decrease in rain
fall might better be regarded as the
cause rather than as the result Of the
barren condition Of these soils. There
is no evidence that the forests nave
ever been more extensive IN Alaska
and other high-latituhe countries Than
they now are. Nevertheless. in these
countries, too. just as in arid regions
of the great continents, there is evil
drncr of the same slow. long-period
climatic change that cannot be due TO
deforestation This evidence consists
in the slow irregular retreat and dim
mutton OF the glaciers. Which phe.
nomenon is universal. regardless Of
latitude. of longitude and of elevation.
and which appears to have been in
more or less steady progress since the
elimination of the great Ice age. In
fact we may reasonably say that we
are still in tho ice age. vanishing
age. TO be sure but one not wholly
gone.
Unmistakabley evidence Is found OF
the existence Of extensive forests N
Arizona and New Mexico. where only
the trunks Of petrifed trees now re-
main. It cannot he said that man re-
moved these trees and brought on
the drouth. The fact that dead for
ests stand long after the streams haze
receded clearly proves that they are
the last to disappear rather than me
first. and therefore that their rc-
moval did not preCede the drouth, but
that the forests ceased to exist when
the rainfall became deficient. Great
cities and teeming populations once
covered the valley Of the Jordan in