The morning journal-courier., 1908-05-15
Friday, May 10, 1908.
WORK OF GREAT FORESIGHT.


 In its day the United States, be- liev'ng itself acting for the best, has mary times gone far out of its way to help other peoples in their struggles in the face of big odds to keep their heads above water. In South Ameri- ca, along the lines set forth in the Monroe Doctrine: in the Isthmian states; in Cuba, and in the Philippines this has been done. But never before have we taken such radical steps to help ourselves as a people as to- day in Washington by the interstate national resources. To our mind this conference shows. more than any movement in many years, how really united we are as a nation. Europeans may look upon our political contro- versies. which not infrequently reach fever-heat, our complicated religious life, our waring social classes and say: There is a disorganized whole: dis ruption will surely follow" But in matters of tremendous national con cern could we be more solidly inited ?
 Present in Washington are the gov ernors of forty odd states who realize how important is the action of the people of one state to those of every other of these national units. Governors, supreme court justices, senators, representatives, captains of industry and leaders of labor are there in convention assembled, and for what? Not for what will ever inti- mately concern them or perhaps. even their children, but for that which has to do with the nations permanency. Any right-thinking father earnestly desires and strives to leave his son both an untarnlshed name and req sonable equipment for the struggle for life said President Roosevelt in his opening address to the convention. "Sc this nation as a whole should earnest. ly desire and strive to leave to the next generation the national honor un. stained and the national resources unexhausted. Can we not say .hat ism? The land. the forests. the coal. fields, the iron mines. the oil-pockets and the waterways may be going. but they are not gone. Indeed none oi them will have been exhausted within the life time of any now living. Tc be sure the fact that these resources are growing less and less may bc raising the cost of living now to us but nevertheless, the work of tht convention will be almost cntirel, concerned with the interests of 1omins generations.
 "Never before has the national gov error called all the state governors into conference" said Andrew Carne gie. The president has acted Ipor the axiom that, while it is well {, follow good precedents, it is better t make them" It Is, indeed, . goot precedent to get the governors Jf al states together at Washington, what ever the subject to be discussed. Tn wonder is that 1t has never been don before, and the hope may be neld tha 1t will be done to good effect man, times in the future. No state la the right to live unto Itself alone, said Secretary of State Root at tn conference. Tt is true that the con stitution forbids states to make agree ments with each other without tn consent of congress, but there IS Il, limit to the number of agreement that can be made with the consent o congress. The states should not for :; the national government to do wha they should do themselves. Thi opens up new field for national leg islative activity, heretofore unat tempted "The states in the exercis of their soverejgnties, said the sec retary, in the exercise of the power reserved to them, have duty to per form similar to that which is per formed by the nations of Europe whe they conduct negotiations for mutua understanding and mutual good Tn comparison is particularly happ one. So mighty Is this nation that W forget that some of our states are ia larger in size, and others are nor populous, than many of the Europ "a sovereignties. Abroad they have dis armament conferences; they strive fo an accurate adjustment of the balano