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About The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (July 12, 1900)
6 Conservative * alliance with England , which must mean discrimination against other friendly nations , and which has already stifled the nation's voice while liberty is being strangled in Africa. Sympathy for Boors. Believing in the principles of self- government and rejecting as did our forefathers the claim of monarchy , we view with indignation the purpose of England to overwhelm with force the South African republics. Speaking , as we believe , for the entire American nation , except its republican office holders and for all free men everywhere , we extend our sympathies to the heroic burghers in their unequal struggle to maintain their liberty and indepen dence. We denounce the lavish appropria tions of recent republican congresses , which have kept taxes high and which threaten the perpetuation of the op pressive war levies. We oppose the accumulation of a surplus to be squan dered in such barefaced frauds upon the taxpayers as the shipping subsidy bill , which , under the false pretense of pros pering American shipbuilding , would put unearned millions into the pockets of favorite contributors to the republi can campaign fund. We favor the re duction and speedy refusal of the war taxes and a return to the timehonored democratic policy of strict economy in governmental expenditures. Appeal to The People. Believing that our most cherished institutions - stitutions are in great peril , that the very existence of our constitutional re public is at stake and that the decision now to be rendered will determine whether or not our children are to en joy those blessed privileges of free govern ment , which have made the United States great , prosperous and honored , we earnestly ask for the foregoing declaration of principles the hearty support of the liberty loving American people , regardless of previous party affiliations. MR. BROWN'S WESTERN TRIP. Mr. John P. Brown , secretary of the Indiana Forestry Association , writes THE CONSERVATIVE the following ac count of his western trip : "I have been several days in the Black Hills , observing the work of the destruc tive beetles which are devastating the pinus ponderosa forests throughout the Hills. "Tuesday , in company with Mr. H. G. Hamaker , forest supervisor , I went fifteen miles from Deadwood , into the Spearfish Cafion. Upon the mountains there are numerous spots of brown and dead trees , killed by beetles in former years one to three years since other spots have a slight yellowish cast , the foliage not yet dead , while in many coses the work is BO recent that no change in the foliage is discernible. "Wednesday , in company with Mr. W. E. Smoad , superintendent of the Homestake mine , I traversed the hills about Lead Oity , finding many young trees , 4 to 8 inches in diameter the second growth forest affected. "Thursday , with Prof. W. V. Hunter , of Nebraska State University , I made another trip to Spearfish , taking the entire day. Booties at Lead City. "The young trees at Lead Oity were so infested with destructive beetles I estimated 10,000 beetles and larva ) in a single eight-inch tree. These were smaller than the ones found at Spearfish - fish , and some eight species of predatory insects were present in small numbers. "lu the large timber of Spearfish Greek were the larger species of beetle and in vast myriads. I should be moderate in estimating 200,000 in one tree thirty inches in diameter , which we examined. This insect devours the inner bark , burrowing along between the sap-wood and bark , severing the latter completely , so that in time the tree dies ; at times not until the follow ing spring. "The small beetles are J inch and the large ones are % inch in length , black and brownish color ; many white larvoj being present. Probably one- fourth of the timber is already destroyed. The grand Black Hills spruce seems not to be affected. Will bo Very I > estructl\o. "So great is this devastation that nothing will prevent a total destruction of all the pines in the hills , including the magnificent second growths which cover the higher mountains , except a speedy action by the government to destroy the pests. "I counted only twenty birds in all during a week's stay in the Black Hills , only two of which were woodpecker species. Were birds abundant there would be no serious injury by the beetle. The dead bark , twigs , leaves and worthless wood should be burned and the dead timber sold to consumers with out restriction. "A large number of woodpeckers might be introduced to protect the un affected trees. While the entomolo gists will study the habits of the beetles and the parasites and predatory enemies , yet the thing to do is to act at once in destroying the beetles which are in such numbers in the dead trees. . "Audubon societies should be organ ized in this region to educate the people , young and old , that birds are their friends. I have no patience with those scientists who teach boys to make col lections of birds eggs , a fact which is worse than that of ladies wearing the feathers of birds upon their hats. " OPPORTUNITIES FOB GRADUATES. At this annual commencement season hundreds of college graduates are sent out with the admonition to conquer the world and achieve for themselves fame and fortune. These admonitions are Largely platitudes. The commencement addresses of one year are but repetitions of those made in previous years. Oc casionally a college president or pro fessor says something which indicates real insight into the future and which is well worth the consideration of all the university and college graduates of the country. President Seth Low of Colum bia university in New York gave utter ance to an inspiring thought of this kind in his commencement address oil Wednesday. In calling attention to the outlook at the opening of a new century , he recog nized the new departures in social , industrial and governmental develop ments , which are in a large sense experi mental , and yet which cannot be stayed or avoided. They are here by a process of natural evolution and must be met , accepted and turned to the best possible account. President Low closed this part of his address with these two sen tences : "Be of good cheer. The new century has work enough to do for all who would serve well their country and mankind. " This is quite in contrast with the teaching of those who declare that modern developments are closing the avenues of success to all except the favored few who are to inherit the wealth of the laud , or secure a portion through favoritism rather than merit. Recognizing that new discoveries and methods are revolutionizing business , society and governments , President Low foresees that these very changes will in volve an immense amount of work and give employment to an immense army of workers. The old and obsolete must be cleared out of the way to make room for the new and up-to-date. This world has not been either finished or exhausted. It is simply being transformed and the process of transformation will offer successful careers to any number of young men of the present generation. What is needed is that the present generation of educated young men shall recognize the changes that are going forward , grasp their meaning , enter heartily into the spirit of the age and address themselves to the task of doing their proper share in the work of trans formation. The world never offered better opportunities of success to the ambitious and the capable than at the present time , all statements to the con trary notwithstanding , and the college graduates who have the good sense to study the existing conditions and the industry to make the best of the oppor tunities that will open before them will have small reason to complain that there are too many young men in the world. Indianapolis Journal. : j , ,133
