It is this national attitude of exclusive attention to the present, this
absence of foresight from among the springs of national action, which is
directly responsible for the present condition of our natural resources.
It was precisely the same attitude which brought Palestine, once rich
and populous, to its present desert condition, and which destroyed the
fertility and habitability of vast areas in northern Africa and
elsewhere in so many of the older regions of the world.
The conservation of our natural resources is a question of primary
importance on the economic side. It pays better to conserve our natural
resources than to destroy them, and this is especially true when the
national interest is considered. But the business reason, weighty and
worthy though it be, is not the fundamental reason. In such matters,
business is a poor master but a good servant. The law of
self-preservation is higher than the law of business, and the duty of
preserving the Nation is still higher than either.
The American Revolution had its origin in part in economic causes, and
it produced economic results of tremendous reach and weight.
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