Evening star., 1927-05-01
Capital Sidelights

rampage OF the Mississippi. father of
waters, has focused official attention
on the need for conservation and re-
forestation, that the cause of floods
may be cured at the source.
Nature takes 10000 years to make
one inch of fertile top soil by the proc.
ess of decaying vegetation, then along
comes a stream running out of bounds
and carries this top soil away within
an hour.
OF course, the more appalling result
when forests are cut away at the
headwaters of streams is alternate
floods and droughts, because these
trees act as natural reservoirs, and
when removed streams run wild dur
ing rains and we have the floods.
All this is explained by Representa-
tive Martin l.. Davey of Ohio, ma
tionally recognized as a tree expert.
who during the week wrote the Presi-
dent upon this subject.
Lack of adequate forests brings
about marked adverse changes in cii-
mate. The absence of trees affects Sc.
riously the amount of rainfall and the
kind of weather that any given terri
tory experiences,
These conditions, Mr.. Davey be-
lieves, are even more important than
the peril of a prospective lumber fam
inc. Man" he said, may be able to
devise a substitute for lumber. but he
can never devise a substitute for trees
in their relation to soil fertility, rain
fall and climate"
Scientists estimate that one avera ge
tree in a growing season throws into
the air through it's leaves 500 bar
rels of water by the process called
Transportation. Just as our breath Is
laden with moisture when 1t comes
from our lungs. so there is breathed
out through the leaves Of the trees
great quantities OF water in Vapot
form, which comes back to the earth
in the form Of rain. The moisture
in the atmosphere, they tell us, comes
from two sources, one from eVapora
ton and the other from the leaves
of vegetation
In advocating conservation, Repre-
sentative Davey stresses that; We dc
not own America. We have this great
land only on a life lease, even though
the property stands in our names at
the courthouses all over America. We
have it only so long as the breath
Of life Is in us, and then, according
to the laws Of nature, we must pass
it on to another generation. Thls
great land, the most favored In the
history of the world, the most richly
blessed in the matter Of natural re
sources, which we have spent with a
lavish prodigal hand, this land that
came to use with all It's manifold and
magnificent blessings, brought to US
also a great and solemn and everlast
ing esponsibility-to keep this. our
America, as great and as wonderful
and as worth while as it was when
we received 1t.
Apropos of Forest week and con
servation arguments, and the inn
portance Of trees to the life Of man
the experts Of the Department oi
Agriculture, after a careful survey
tell us that there are 862 species OF
American forest trees. and that if tht
different varieties and hybrids are
counted in there would be q total OF
1,177 different forms of forest trees
The last cheek-up was made % years
ago, when only 604 varieties OF trees
were recognized.
Now that the air mail service is
spanning the Continent from New
York to San Francisco and Los
Angeles, with regular daily flights run
ming as dependably as our passenger
trains, it is of timely interest to hark
back to the starting OF the postal
service, today the biggest business in
the world. 1t was scarcely 150 years
ago, in 1875. year before the Dec
laration of Independence by the
American Colonies startled the world,
that the postal system was estab
lished by the Continental Congress
and placed in charge of Benjamin
Franklin. ..-,. ~
When the Constitution was adopted
this postal service was taken over bod
ily by the new Government, with
Franklin as the first Postmaster Gen
eral, at the munificent salary OF 81 900
The first annual report TO President
George Washington showed the gross
receipts by the United States TO, be
$25, 900. This service has always FOL
lowed on the heels of pioneer settlers
and it was largely responsible Tor the
development of our railroads. Service
today to Point Barrow. on the north
ernmost tip of Alaska, and to Isolated
miners in the Businesses Of the noun
tains. bears out the motto, Where
American citizens go. the mails &c"
Representative r. Walton Moore OF
Virginia, who is rated the best inform
ed man alive ON the history of his ma"
tive State. who makes frequent pill
grimages to the most historic shrines
i'm the Old Dominion, has been devot-
ing a great deal of time this Spring to
a study of autograph records of CO.
Ionial history. He has been especially
interested In an autograph Revolu-
tionary document dated 1774, written
by George Mason of Gunston Hall,
Va. the intimate friend and neighbor
of George Washington, author of the
famous Virginia Bill of Rights. one of
the most prominent trainers of the
Constitution of the United States,
whom Madison pronounced the most
able in the country.
This is Mason's resolution and arti-
cles of association of the Fairfax Com
pany Of Independent Volunteers,
which met for organization october II.
1774, at the courthouse in Alexandria.
which was then the county seat of
Fairfax County, in which both Wash
ington and Mason lived. Washington
himself approved with emphasis the
formation of this military company
the first of it's kind organized on this
continent-and became its first COM
mander, until he relinquished that Of
flee the following year to take COM
mand of the American Armies at Cam
bridge, Mass.