5 o2 CONSERVATION 



Building a Nation revenue ; neither are the American peo- 

 ple prepared for the establishment of any 



In our news columns appears the pro- system of taxation which would raise 



posal of Mr. Arthur Hooker, secretary the funds in time. 



of the board of control of the National There is but one other way in which 



Irrigation Congress, to memorialize the money can be obtained ; namely, by 



Congress to borrow $5,000,000,009 for borrowing. 



drainage, irrigation, deep waterways, Many of our people have developed 



good roads and forests. a constitutional dread of debt; they 



The press swarms with comments on look upon bonds as marks of bondage, 



this proposal, few apparently hostile. The burnt child cannot be blamed for 



It must be admitted that the proposal fearing the fire. 



looks big; yet we must become accus- Still, the American bonded debt 



tomed to big things. has largely ceased to be a burden. 



Some years ago we had our first The interest on our national debt, $1.09 



"billion-dollar Congress." An econom- pe r capita in 1882, had shrunken in 1908 



ical member exclaimed against the un- to 24 cents per capita, 



heard of extravagance. Another mem- Nevertheless, if it were proposed to 



ber, however, in replying, reminded the borrow any considerable sum on the 



first that ours is "a billion dollar coun- same basis as our war loans, we might 



try." still rightly hesitate. But Mr. Hooker's 



Oceans cannot be crossed with row- proposal is quite different. "Congress," 



boats nor stellar places penetrated with j ie savS) " w ill not be asked to appropri- 



spectacles. Great ends demand appro- a t e a penny. The returns from the im- 



priate means. provements would pay off the bonds." 



The American people face the task The Government would simply act as a 



of Nation building the greatest task banker, as it does now for the various 



which ever confronted a people. Al- irrigation projects. The proceeds from 



ready we are looking forward to the sa i e of reclaimed lands alone, he esti- 



time, not far hence, when our population mates, would justify the expenditure of 



will number 150 and 200 millions, and $2,500,000,000. 



it has been demonstrated that our re- From facts at hand proving conclu- 



sources are going at a rate which, un- sively the profitableness of drainage, 



less checked, would in a few generations reclamation, deep waterways, good 



embarrass even such a population as we roads and forestry, it should be evident 



have now. that the payment even of $5,000,000,000 



\Ye cannot awake too soon to the sit- for a utility so vast and on a hundred 



nation. years' time, would be a trivial invest- 



The work suggested by Mr. Hooker ment for the American people to make, 



must be done if our people would avoid There is one question, however, that 



hardship, even calamity. Now, who is should be carefully considered. How 



to do it? are the American people, as a people, to 



Obviously, individuals cannot, and obtain the chief benefit from a series of 



corporations and trusts will not. At the enterprises so gigantic ? 



best, all these agencies can but help. Selling the lands after they have been 



Tasks of such magnitude, if per- reclaimed will undoubtedly repay the 



formed at all, must be performed by entire cost, including interest. Even so, 



government municipal, state and espe- the people as a people may receive but 



cially national. a small percentage of the actual value 



Further, they cannot be performed created through their initiative and 



without money. based upon their credit. If they would 



And whence shall come the money? receive a larger percentage, they may 



A moment's reflection must convince, reflect upon the lesson taught by the 



any thoughtful mind that no Congress sixteenth section of land in the heart_of 



will vote an adequate sum out of current Chicago, which belongs, not to private 



