The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1907-10-04
President Emphasizes ImpOr-
tance OF Both
IN SPEECH AT MEMPHIS
Speaks Of the Importance Of the Former
Going TO the Tilier Of the Soil, and
Of Panama Canal as Connecting
East and West Coasts.

Memphis, Oct. a.-Reporte TINS morn
ing from caruthersville, Mo, and points
further down the river indicate the feet
Of steamships bearing The president and
party Is making schedule time and viii
arrive here about noon. The report
early today that tho Mississippi, the
presidents hagship, had met with an
accident after passing New Madrid, Is
generally discredited, or believed at
least the accident was not enough 10
delay the fleet.
Presldent Roosevelt arrived nearly
on time, and after being given royal
reception, proceeded 70 the meeting OF
second annual convention OF the Lakes
and Gulf Waterways association. The
President said in part;
Our public lands, whose highest use
4 10 supply homes for our people, have
been and are still being taken In great
quantities by large private owners, 70
whom home making Il at the very best
but a secondary motive subordinate 20
the desire for profit. To allow the pub
lie lands to be worked by the tenants
Of rich men for the profit Of the land
lords. instead Of by freeholders for the
livelihood of their wives and children,
is little less than crime against our
people and our institutions. The great
central fact Of the public land situation.
as the public lands commission wen
said, Is that the amount OF public land
patented by the government 20 indi-
viduals is increasing out OF oil propor-
tion TO the number of new homes. II
il clear beyond preadvcnture that our
natural resources have been and are
still being abused, that continued abuse
win destroy them, and that we have at
last reached the forks Of the road. We
are face to face with the great fact that
the whole future Of the nation is di-
rectly at stake in the momentous de-
cision which il forced upon u.s. Shall
we continue the waste and destruction
OF our natural resources, or shall We
conserve them? There Is no other ques-
tion Of equal gravity now before the
nation.
II Is the plain duty of those Of us
who for the moment are responsible 20
make inventory Of the natural resources
which have been handed down to US,
TO forecast as well as VIC may the
needs of the future, and so TO handle
the great sources of our prosperity as
not to destroy in advance all nope OF
prosperity of our descendants.
AS / have said elsewhere, the con-
servation Of natural resources is the
Fundamental problef Unless We solve
that problem II will avail us little 10
solve all others. To solve it, the whole
nation must undertake the task
through their organizations and asso'
Citations, through the men whom they
have made specially responsible for The
welfare of the several states, and family
through Congress and the Executive. A.
a. preliminary step, the Inland Water
wavs Commission has decided, with my
full approval to call conference ON th'
conservation of natural resources, in
cluding. Of course, the streams, to peef
in Washington during the coming
winter. This conference ought to b.
among the most important gatnering
In our history, for none have had NOR
vital question to consider.
There is a great national project al
ready under wav which renders the i'm
provement Of the Mississippi river an,
its tributaries specially needfuLsI NEAR
tue Panama canal. The digging Of tina
canal will be Of benefit to the who'll
country, but most Of all to the state
of the Pacific slope and the Gull; an
IL the Mississippi is properly improved
to the states through which IL flows
When The canal is finished our navy eal
move from one ocean to the other a
will; for. remember that our doors opel
On both oceans Until then our battl
fleet, which should always be KEEP
nlaneuvered ais a unit. ought now t
appear in our home waters IN one oeea'
and now to apear in our home water i
another. And, oh my friends and fel
low Americans, ! most earnestly hon
all our people viii remember That !
tie fundamental questions most deepl
affecting the life Of the nation ther
can be no proper diversion on part
lines.