122 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



March 



arguments thus far made have been 

 based primarily on this clause. Ob- 

 viously, the question of interstate com- 

 merce is clearly involved, for the Ap- 

 palachian-White Mountain rivers are 

 interstate rivers and carry commerce 

 which the destruction of the forests 

 is gravely imperiling. 



What Are But suppose there were 

 Constitutions j^q interstate rivers and 

 mterstate commerce m- 

 volved, are we to concede the validity 

 of the constitutional objection? As 

 the Great Teacher asked regarding the 

 Sabbath, so we may ask regarding the 

 constitution : "What is its reason for 

 existence? Is it to help men, or to 

 hinder them? Is it to build up, or to 

 pull down ; to save life, or to destroy? 

 Is it designed to stand as a barrier in 

 the way of National progress and 

 well-being, or as a vehicle to bear our 

 people on to the realization of their 

 possibilities and the fulfillment of their 

 destinies?" 



The answer to this question is found 

 in the preamble, which gives six rea- 

 sons why this constitution was or- 

 dained and established. Of these, the 

 last three bear directly upon the pro- 

 position in hand. The constitution 

 was designed to "provide for the 

 common defence, promote the general 

 welfare, and secure the blessings of 

 liberty" to the generation then living 

 and to posterity. Congress is specifi- 

 cally authorized (Clause is of Sec- 

 tion VTII) to "repel invasions." But 

 suppose, by oversight, these two 

 words had been omitted. Shall we be- 

 lieve that, with an invading army 

 landing upon our coast, the two houses 

 of Congress would sit mute and impo- 

 tent in their seats and permit the 

 land to be desolated by flame and 

 sword ? In case constitutional phrase- 

 ology were desired as a warrant, 

 would they not quickly seize upon the 

 language of the preamble and "pro- 

 vide for the common defence" by con- 

 triving appropriate means for repel- 

 ling the enemy? 



And what difiference can it make to 



the American people, present or to 

 come, whether their land is desolated 

 by a military or an industrial army ; 

 whether they be impoverished for the 

 enrichment of kings, or of million- 

 aires ; whether their wealth be drain- 

 ed away from them in the form of 

 tribute to conquerors, or through the 

 erosion of their fields and the flood- 

 ing of their homes and hives of in- 

 dustry? 



What do we mean by "the blessings 

 of liberty," unless we include in the 

 list of such blessings the liberty to sup- 

 ply our material wants? And if the 

 "general welfare" be not involved in 

 this question, in what question, pray, 

 may we expect to find it ? 



' And if the general welfare is in- 

 deed involved, and specific constitu- 

 tional warrant is still desired, let the 

 anxious, hesitating legislator read the 

 first of the enumerated powers of Con- 

 gress (Clause I of Section VIII): 



"The Congress shall have power to 

 lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts 

 and excises, to pay the debts and pro- 

 vide for the common defence and gen- 

 eral welfare of the United States." 

 What more can he ask than this? At 

 the hearing, on January 30th, it was 

 demonstrated beyond all question or 

 doubt, to the Committee on Agricul- 

 ture, as it had been demonstrated to 

 the ^ame committee some two years 

 ago, and is being constantly proved to 

 the public, that the general welfare is 

 vitally concerned in this question. Let 

 Congress now proceed to exercise its 

 specific and "expressly delegated" 

 power and "provide for the general 

 welfare" by passing the Appalachian 

 Bill. 



T k Off ^^^ menace to that 



the Taxes great amount of forest 

 land which belongs to 

 private owners from unjustly high 

 taxation is recognized. This menace 

 is most dangerous. If it is worth 

 while for the United States to estab- 

 lish National Forests and for the 

 States to plant trees and encourage 

 the planting of trees, it is preposter- 



