The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-10-05
PRESERVATION
 CONVENTION Protection for Nations Natural Resources. PRESIDENT WILL CALL IT Stated This in Speech at Memphis Yesterday Governor,s Dlsappreve Making Ex- precision or Taking Any Action
 In Advance of Deep Wa
 terway Convention.
PRESIDENT WILL CALL IT

today President Roosevelt announced that he would call another convention to be held at Washington January ,, next. to advocate the preservation and conservation of the natural resources of the country Including coal wafer power oil, etc.
 The fact that such a call would be issued was noised yesterday on some of the boats accompanying the Mis- sissippi on her voyage down the river. It had been under consideration for sos.ae ti...e hx- the members of the In land Waterways Commission. and the details were presented by members of that body to the President at luncheon given him on the commission boat. "Colonel Mackenzie. and the sixteen Governors on the Alton were taken into the commissions confidence when that body went aboard that vessel after dinner to present the matter to them.
 A meeting was organized on the main deck of the Alton. over which Governor Folk presided and at which it was soon made evident that a de- termined effort would be made to se- cure an endorsement of the project in advance of action by the President. Statements in explanation of the com. missions plans were made by Chair man Burton, Senator Newlands, Dr. 0CNFGSs 6t IiHtttot anu otHct i1tHAuCfH of the commission. from which 1t ap- peared that they desired to have the prop6sed convention follow the river and harbor conference to be held in Washington in December and to have 1t devoted largely to other than nav igation matters.
 Governors Change View.
 Responses were made by practically all the Governors present and Rna<.~ <1. nature. developed into such opposition that a resolution of commendation which had been offered by Governor Chamberlain when the meeting was called to order at 8 o'clock. was with drawn by him just before 1t adjourned shortly after 10 o'clock. All the speakers exept Governor Brooks of Wyoming announced approval of thy idea oK-a convention, But the general expression was opposed to an express sion of opinion previous to the Mem phis convention which might be con- strued into an effort to dispiace the deep waterway matter as the question of paramount importance. This was first voiced by Governor Blanchard of Louisiana, and The opposition sentt- ment developed so rapidly that by the time the meeting had adjourned the opinion against action at that time was almost unanimous.
 Duty of Governors.
 In the course of his speech. Senator Newlands expressed the. opinion that unless the Governors and others not in Congress took up the matter of pro- itecting the country's interests, 1t would be difficult to secure their proper con- servation. He declared that many Senators and Congressmen owe their relation to the influence of the inter- ests which are destroying the national resources, and said that the public lands committees of both houses are composed largely of men from the public land States. and added that 1t was evident that if reform Is to come at all, 1t must come from the outside. He attributed the labor troubles in Colorado to the operations of the Colo rado Coal and Iron Company in that State.
 MT Pinchot said that the country is already entering upon a timber famine and that unless something Is done to conserve the forests, the situation will soon become. very serious.
 pr. McGee declared that under pres ent conditions. 1t would be possible for two or three wealthy men to get control of all the power developing capacities of the streams of the coun- try and thus paralyze all the lnous- tries of the nation.
 Governor Brooks took a positive po- sltion against the whole Idea or convention, saying that the peple or the West want the vast resources or that section developed and do not want them tied up even by the Government itself.
 Letter to President.
 The commissioner letter requesting the call for the meeting is as tol- lows: =, "The President. on Board the U. D.
 Steamer Mississippi:
 "Sir-In the course of inquiries made under vour direction. that the Inland Waterways Commission shall consider the relations of the streams 10 the use of all the great natural resources an1 their conservation for the making ana raa airtenance of prosperous homes, the noennhers of the Commission have been iad In feel that 1t would be desirable "a hold A conference on the general suhiect of the conservation or the hA- tural resoures of the nation Among inc reasons for such conference are the following:
 First-Hitherto our national poicy has been one Of almost uhrestsiesIc .st. dIsposal of natural resources. ana thls s. more lavish measure than in any n1har nation in the worlds history; ond this policy of the Fed srai Government has been shared S,snosa1 of natural resources, and this In rnore lavish measure than Tn any n,bar ,H nation in the worlds history; and this policy of the Federal Gov cement has been shared by the con stituent states. Three consequences have ensued:
 st-Unprecedented consumption of resources; second, exhaustion of these resources. to the expent that a large part of our available public lands have passed into great estates or cornorate interests, our forests are sa far depleted as to multiply the cost of forest products. and our supplies of coal and iron ore are so far reduced ne to enhance prices and, third. un- eouaIed opportunity for private mo- nopoly. to the extent that both Fed eral and State sovereignties have been to enact laws for the pro- tection of the people.
 "second-we are of the opinion that the time has come for considering the policy of conserving those material re- sources on which the permanent pros