EDITORIAL 



773 



In a word, his plan involves the re- 

 tention by the Government, whether 

 National or state it matters not, of 

 water-powers on the several rivers, and 

 the utilization of these powers for pur- 

 poses of public revenue. 



Says a newspaper correspondent who 

 heard the proposal: 



"It has been estimated that the elec- 

 tric power which could be made by con- 

 trolling the floods of the Ohio, the up- 

 per Mississippi, and the Missouri would 

 suffice to pay for the entire cost of the 

 improvements within a decade." 

 _ Which brings us again to the ques- 

 tion of statesmen and statesmanship. 



On the one hand, we have the school 

 which stands for donating the people's 

 wealth and wealth sources, water- 

 powers included, to corporations in per- 

 petuity, and then raising the public rev- 

 enues by indirect taxes paid chiefly by 

 those in moderate circumstances. 



On the other hand, we have the new 

 school, discussed in our last issue, which 

 believes that the property of the whole 

 people should be made to inure to the 

 advantage of the whole people. 



In direct line with the creed of this 

 second school is the proposal of Gov- 

 ernor Deneen. It will, of course, arouse 

 no enthusiasm among the representa- 

 tives of the old regime. 



But between these two schools it is 

 the privilege of the American electorate 

 to choose. 



)^ «? V>i 

 The "Expense" of Conservation 



AN EXCHANGE comments edi- 

 '»■ torially upon the danger of the 

 great and growing "expense" liable to 

 result from "conservation and water- 

 way schemes." It points to the "an- 

 nual increase of $50,000,000 in the ap- 

 propriations," and 'says that the Presi- 

 dent is "advising the curtailment of all 

 expenses." 



This advice, it thinks, may be fol- 

 lowed with the result of largely wiping 

 out the Treasury deficit. 



Our enthusiasm, however, over such 

 economies may, it believes, well be re- 

 strained in view of the menace of 

 "fixed charges." 



5 



Congressman Tawney is quoted as 

 having declared that these, "in very 

 large measure the consequences of 

 war," are eating into the Nation's rev- 

 enues and leaving no trace behind. 



Furthermore, along with existing 

 fixed charges for war and a growing 

 military establishment, the exchange 

 points to another prospective fixed 

 charge, that, namely, from "conserva- 

 tion and waterway legislation." 



This "has already been started," and 

 "unless the utmost care is taken," may 

 result in "another series of fixed 

 charges." The "difficulty," we are 

 told, "is that when these movements are 

 given Government aid, they go forward 

 to an extent that is very uncertain." 



"The saving of $50,000,000 in ap- 

 propriations this year," it is said, "will 

 be a very good thing, of course. But 

 if, while applauding ourselves for this 

 triumph of economy, we allow the Na- 

 tion to become involved in other great 

 obligations that will cling to us, our tri- 

 umph will be barren." 



That the fixed charges resulting from 

 wars, past and prospective, are prepos- 

 terously large. Conservation freely 

 concedes, and deplores. 



But note the issues thus yoked up 

 together — War and conservation. ' 



The ancient Hebrew was forbidden 

 to "plough with an ox and an ass to- 

 gether." Could the lawgiver have fore- 

 seen, through the ages, so unequal a 

 yoking as has above been made by our 

 contemporary, in what language, we 

 wonder, would he have couched the 

 terms of his prohibition ? 



War and conservation ; waste and 

 saving; destruction and production; 

 tearing down and building up; wreck- 

 ing a world and saving it — all to be 

 classed together and equally con- 

 demned ! 



The human mind is fearfully and 

 wonderfully made, and to follow its 

 workings in every ca<:e has baffled the 

 wisest. To fathom the processes 

 whereby war and conservation could 

 be grouped in a single pair were, indeed, 

 a task for the alienist. 



