175. Why conservation of natural resources is necessary. From the Conference of Governors, Proceedings. 179. The legal basis of conservation.. From questions submitted by the Senate of the State of Maine to the justices of the Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, with answers of the justices. 180. Needed conservation legislation... 186. Elasticity under the Federal Reserve System... From Theodore Roosevelt, Annual Message to Congress. 191. Need of thorough study of the tax problem.. From Indiana University, Extension Division, Proceedings of a Conference on Taxation in Indiana. 192. Some principles of taxation READINGS IN AMERICAN DEMOCRACY PART I - FOUNDATIONS IN AMERICAN DEMOCRACY CHAPTER I THE BACKGROUND OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY 1. Christopher Columbus discovers America 1 Of fascinating interest to students of American history is the private journal of Christopher Columbus. In this journal the daring navigator recorded the daily happenings of his memorable first voyage. From what appears to be an abridgment of the original journal, we learn of the departure from Palos, Spain, on Friday, August 3, 1492, and of the anxious weeks spent in search of the Indies. Early in October, 1492, there is, among the weary mariners, a general expectation of finding land at any moment. The journal describes the latter part of the voyage in the following language: Sunday, October 7. For some time all of the vessels had been striving to outsail one another, and thus to be in a better position to gain the reward promised for discovering land. At sunrise, the Niña, leading the caravels by reason of her swiftness, hoisted a flag at her mast head, and gave the signal that she had discovered land. All that day nothing was seen of land, but the voyagers observed flocks of birds making for the southwest, and from this it was thought that land lay in that direction. Knowing that the Portuguese had discovered most of the islands they possessed by attending to the flight of birds, we shifted the course from west to west by southwest. We sailed in the night nearly five leagues, and twenty-three in the day. . . . 1 From Christopher Columbus, Journal. Abridged by Las Casas, and translated from the Spanish by Thames Ross Williamson. Columbus sails to the west. The Niña believes she has sighted land, but is mistaken. |