is the widespread suspicion among the
, _ , . natives since the
Fear of Luml Grabbers
Japanese war that
the foreigners are going to partition
China. It is not strange that all these
conditions caused friction and excite
ment.
"Then , two years ago , the young em
peror tried to introduce western civiliza
tion and reforms. The old conservative
mandarins hold up their hands in holy
horror , and the reform party was
quickly subdued.
"These same conservatives do not
hesitate to spread the report that it is
due to foreign influences that the flame
of liberalism is being fanned. The Chi
nese want to be left to themselves , and
the one word 'foreigners' sums up the
great cause of the present trouble. "
The administration's policy as out
lined by the Washington correspondent
° * the Chicago
. , .
American Policy. _ . _ , , , .
Times-Herald , is
cautious and in the right direction and
is as follows :
1. The United States will under no
circumstances join in the partition of
China among the powers.
2. The United States will use all its
influence , to the utmost extent , short of
war with European nations , to prevent
the dismemberment of the Chinese
empire.
8. The United States proposes to have
a voice in the settlement of the Chinese
trouble , and its voice will ever be raised
against spoliation and in favor of pre
servation of China's territorial and gov
ernmental entity , along the lines set
forth in Secretary Hay's note to the
powers dated July 8.
4. The United States will not'declare
war upon China on the present showing
of facts , no matter what other powers
may do.
5. The United States acting indepen
dently and for itself , will cooperate with
the other powers in restoring order in
China , in punishing all officials , high or
low , found guilty of crimes against
human life , in setting up a stable gov
ernment that may give guarantees of
security of life and property and free
dom of trade.
FORESTRY AS AN
INVESTMENT.S011 ° f
City , Neb. , began ,
fifteen years ago , an experiment in
forestry as an investment. In a letter
to THE CONSERVATIVE Mr. Eobinson
thus tells about the splendid results he
has attained :
"I started my 40-aore post farm , as I
call it , in 1890 the dry year. I planted
50,000 osage and 58,000 catalpa , one year
old plants. I estimated that I could
raise good fence posts within about 15
years. I guessed about right on the
catalpa , but missed it on the osage. 1
cut 150 catalpa posts , for my own use
- .
last winter , and they will average about
four inches in diameter. Of course they
are of the best ; they are not all that
large. They are making a fine growth
and within the next five or six years
they will make two or three good posts
to each tree. They are growing very
tall ; many of them are now 25 to 80
feet high. They are planted four feet
each way ; had I planted 0x0 would
have had a much better growth , but
would not have nearly so many to the
acre ; and as I only care to raise trees
large enough for fence posts 4x4 is none
too close.
"I am very much encouraged with
my scheme ; am sure it is going to pay
. , _ . . , handsomely. I
3,700 to the Acre. . . . . , , . ,
Imve.of both kinds ,
108,000 trees (2,700 ( to the acre ) and they
will average at least two to each tree ;
so will have in time 200,000 of the best
fence posts grown. We all know what
osage is to last , and from what I learn
about catalpa am satisfied beyond doubt
they are equally as good to last in the
ground as osage , aud in some respects
are a better post. They do not get so
hard and are light and easy to handle ;
am sorry they are not all catalpa ,
although I am not discouraged with the
osage ; they will be all right in timebut
it will take , perhaps , ten years more
before they will be large enough for
posts. Will have a lot of them then. I
out them off close to the ground when
three years old and they sprouted up
from the stump and will make from
one to six from each stump ; will
average perhaps three.
"The cost of plants , planting , culti
vating , trimming and all labor up to
_ , , . , date , for the 40
t . . _
Cost of Planting : . ,
- - -
acres , is $995.88. I
could commence cutting catalpa now
every year , but my idea is to let them
all get large enough for good fence posts
aud cut them all at once and job them
to some railroad company or wholesale
lumber company and then let them
grow again from the stump. I think I
would get the second crop much sooner
than the first ; perhaps within two-
thirds or three-fourths the time. "
Estimating the forty acre tract to be
worth $2,000 , the labor cost $1,000 , the
total investment
ImmoiiHo Profit. , , , ,
would be $8,000.
The market value of the 200,000 posts is
$20,000. This is what Mr. Eobiuson
may sell his posts for o.nd still have his
land and the stumps from which to
grow more posts and the second growth
would mature in about ton or twelve
years. The return on the investment is
about 45 per cent simple interest.
Owing to the depletion of our forests
the price of lumber is constantly in
creasing. For this reason forestry as
an investment will be even more profit
able and attractive in the future than
in the past. Farmers could not make
better or more profitable use of a ten ,
twenty or thirty acre tract than to plant
it with catalpas.
In 1885 , just fifteen years ago , the
editor of THE CONSERVATIVE , in a paper
read before the national forestry asso
ciation , advocated the planting of trees
by railway companies , along the right-
of-way , rows of trees on each side of
the track. This was urged both from
the investment standpoint , to replenish
the ties , and as a means of beautifying
the country. The results obtained by
Mr. Robinson prove that it would have
paid. THE CONSERVATIVE hopes that
the railroad companies will yet become
interested in this matter and will
seriously consider the practicability of
tree planting.
PATERNALISM IN GOVERNMENT.
On the question of paternalism in in
formation gathering , people will always
differ as to where the line should be
drawn. Of late years the drift has been
tremendously strong in one direction.
The agricultural department is now
giving the farmer advice upon every
namable subject ; it is helping the forest
owner to harvest his wood crop by
sending men into the woods to map out
the work ; it is telling thrifty house
wives how to bake bread and how to
make a little extra money by raising
roses for perfumery , or in keeping bees.
What this department is doing for the
farmer the geological survey has long
done for the miner.
It is the same way in countless other
government bureaus. They are getting
information for public distribution. It
would be only a short step to the govern
ment's telling people of every sort of
physical condition what food they ought
to eat ; in fact , this is almost done now
in the bulletins describing Professor
Atwator's experiments. It already tells
them through books , freely distributed ,
how to treat the diseases of horses and
cattle , and it would be an easy transition
to the publication of national 'Guides to
Health , ' and perhaps the issuance of a
series of specifics for common maladies ,
through congressional quotas.
However plausible may be the theories
of Herbert Spencer and Professor
Sunnier as to the relation of the state to
the individual , most students who care
chiefly for practical results find much in
favor of this socialistic sort of informa
tion gathering. It may go too far. It
has in its track certain dangers that
must be avoided , the chief of which is
the . tendency to create bureaus and
commissions for the salaries that go
with them rather than for the results.
In private life , self interest cuts off the
head of the useless employee. In the
government service all the employee haste
to do is to establish "his pull. " Then
the wasteful printing of these paternal
istic bureaus passes all understanding.
The extent to which the system under
mines personal initiative is moreover , its
greatest possible danger , and the one of
all that should not be forgotten. Bos
ton Transcript ( rep. ) .
