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
