EDITORIAL 773 



In a word, his plan involves the re- Congressman Tawney is quoted as 



tention by the Government, whether having declared that these, "in very 



National or state it matters not, of large measure the consequences of 



water-powers on the several rivers, and war," are eating into the Nation's rev- 



the utilization of these powers for pur- enues and leaving no trace behind, 



poses of public revenue. Furthermore, along with existing 



Says a newspaper correspondent who fixed charges for war and a growing 



heard the proposal: military establishment, the exchange 



"It has been estimated that the elec- points to another prospective fixed 



trie power which could be made by con- charge, that, namely, from "conserva- 



trolling the floods of the Ohio, the up- tion and waterway legislation." 



per Mississippi, and the Missouri would This "lias already been started," and 



suffice to pay for the entire cost of the " un i es s the utmost care is taken," may 



improvements within a decade.". result in "another series of fixed 



Which brings us again to the ques- char ~ es The "difficulty," we are 



tion of statesmen and statesmanship. told/'is that when these movements are 



On the one hand, we have the school Government aid, they go forward 



which stands for donating the people's tQ an extent that is very uncer tain " 



wealth and wealth sources, water- , <The say . Qf $saooo>ooo in ap _ 



powers Deluded, to corporations in per- iations this ; it is said> w ill 



petuity and then raising the public rev- * > fi 



enues by indirect taxes paid chieflv by J-i i j- 



if while applauding ourselves for this 



those in moderate circumstances. , , T 



On the other hand, we have the new triumph of economy, we allow the 



school, discussed in our last issue, which tion to become involved in other grea 



believes that the property of the whole obligations that will cling to us, our tn- 



people should be made to inure to the umph will be barren." 



advantage of the whole people. That the fixed charges resulting from 



In direct line with the creed of this wars, past and prospective, are prepos- 



second school is the proposal of Gov- terously large, CONSERVATION freely 



ernor Deneen. It will, of course, arouse concedes, and deplores, 



no enthusiasm among the representa- But note the issues thus yoked up 



tives of the old regime. together War and conservation! 



But between these two schools it is T he ancient Hebrew was forbidden 



the privilege of the American electorate tQ plou?h with an ox and an ass to _ 



g % & , gether." ' Could the lawgiver have fore- 

 seen, through the ages, so unequal a 



The "Expense" of Conservation yoking as has above been made by our 

 AN EXCHANGE comments edi- contemporary in what language we 

 A tonally upon the danger of the wOnder < ould **.***? C " ched the 

 great and growing "expense" liable to term f s of hl * P rohlbltlon? 

 result from "conservation and water- War and conservation: waste and 

 way schemes." It points to the "an- savm ? : Destruction and production: 

 nual increase of $50,000,000 in the ap- tearing down and building up : wreck- 

 propriations," and says that the Presi- in S a world and saving it all to be 

 dent is "advising the curtailment of all classed together and equally con- 

 expenses." demned ! 



This advice, it thinks, may be fol- The human mind is fearfully and 



lowed with the result of largely wiping wonderfully made, and to follow its 



out the Treasury deficit. workings in every case has baffled the 



Our enthusiasm, however, over such wisest. To fathom the processes 



economies may, it believes, well be re- Avhereby war and conservation could 



strained in view of the menace of be grouped in a single pair were, indeed, 



"fixed charges." a task for the alienist. 



5 



