, 1907-11-01
GOVERNOR BROOKS INTER
VIEWED.

At Chicago a reporter for the Record.
Herald looked up Governor Brooks and
obtained an interview that did great
credit in the matter of presenting 20
the people of the nation an adequate
idea of our prospects and resources.
Following is the interview;
Fresh from n trip which had car,
ried him through twenty-three states
Governor Bryant b. Brooks of Wyo-
ming. at the Auditorium Annex yester-
day, joined the ranks of those who
believe in the big bullying prosperity
of the west, says the Chicago Record
Herald.
with the west and the south fairly
wallowing in prosperity, as l have
een with my own eyes, the east is
by nature forced to be carried along
with the tide of splendid business and
agricultural %buoyancy just as oon as
this artificial furry in values has sub
sided" said Governor Brooks.
II have been in nearly every section
of the country since leaving my ofhc,
ial desk at Cheyenne" continued Wy
oming's executive, who was a Chica,
goan originally, but who has beeh
classed with the state builders Of the
western commonwealth for the past
twenty-nine years. Il have seen for
myself just what the conditions are
in states which | have visited. All
along the Mississippi valley, which !
traversed with President Roosevelt's
party on the way to the Memphis deep
water ways convention. through The
eastern states and up in New Eng
land, where Wyoming capital has just
launched one of the largest vessels
to be used in the Atlantic seaboaca
trade. and back through this splendid
middle west, | have seen the evidence
that the country is wonderfully pros
porous. Crops are good, factories busy,
labor scarce and high and everybody
rushing.
unless the general public shah
lose all confidence in railroad securi,
ties, l see no reason why the country
should expect any serious ~setbacks,
was the conclusion of the governor as
TO business conditions.
Governor Brooks discussed the eX
pressed policy OF President Roosevelt
in which the president urged the con.
~servation of he nations natural re
sources through federal supervision.
The Wyoming governor believes that
the president is right on the general
idea, but is Il strong advocate of the
Individual CtafAS fninV tho nrtnol work
n conserving to the states the pro-
duct of whatever development is rea
lized.
"On the trip down the Mississippi to
Memphis" said Governor Brooks, the
large party Of governors who travelled
together discussed n night the ad
visibility of calling a convention to
meet in January in Washington for the
purpose of urging the conservation
of natural such as lands, wa
ter, oil, coal, iron and lumber by the
federal government. During this dis.
cussion all Of the valley governors
seemed to appreciate the importance OF
taking some united action, and ac.
knowledged that the states are today
too loose In too lax in this respect,
Inc also they agreed that some laws
should be enacted giving greater pro,
lection to public interests.
'In my state OF Wyoming, for III.
stance, the water power resources
have an enormous value and should
be kept for the benefit of the whole
state rather than made a means of
taxing the state for the enrichment
of outside corporations.
Great syndicates of eastern capita!
lists are acquiring power privileges in
the west, which are being amalgamated
into huge companies, n in time viii
constitute monopolies of energy more
indefensible and irritating than the