The sun., 1908-05-14

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| the delegates and describing the objects
! Of the conference was in part as follows:
THE PRESIDENTS ADDRESS
The Presidents address follows.
GOr,rNors OF The sorsrai States and Gsntl,m,H, ,
This conference on the conservation OF
/ natural resources ia in eheCt a meeting Of the
, representatives Of all the people Of the United
States called TO consider the weightlest prob
len. now before the nation, and the oo-
CaslOn for the meeting lies In the fact that the
natural resources Of our country are in dan
ger Of exhaustion II we permit the old waste
ful methods Of eKpl0ing them longer 10
continue
With the rise OF peoples from ssvSsery 10
civilization, and with the consequent growth
In the extent and variety Of the needs Of the
average man. there comes a steadily increAs-
ing growth Of the amount demanded by this
average man from the actual resources Of
the country, Yet. rather curiOusly, at the
same time the average man is apt to lose his
realization OF this dependence upon nature.
When the founders OF this nation met At
Independence Hall in Philadelphia the con-
ditions Of commerce had not fundamentally
changed from what they were when the
Phpnician keels first furrUwed the lonely
waters Of the Mediterranean. The differ.
ences were those Of degree, not OF kind. and
they were not in all cases even those Of degree
Since then our knowledge and use of the
resources OF the present territory OF the United
States have increased hundredfold. Indeed
the growth Of this nation by leaps and bounds
makes one Of the most striking and important
chapters Ia the history OF the world. Its
growth has been due % the rapid development
and. alas that It should ba said to the rapid
destruction Of our natural resources. Nature
has supplied to us In the United States, and
still supplies to US more kinds OF resources
IN q more lavish degree than has ever been
the case at any other time or with any other
people. Our position in the world has been
attained by the extent and thoroughness of
the control we have achieved over nature:
but We are more and not less dependent upon
what she furnishes than at any previous time
Of history since the days OF primitive man
This nation began with the belief that its
landed possessions were illlnhtable and cap
able OF supporting all the people who might
care to make Our country their home, but
already the limit Of unsettled land Is In sight,
and indeed but little land fitted for aRricul- |
turs now remains unocoupied save what can |
be reclaimed by irrigation and drainage We |
began with an unapproached heritage Of |
forests more than half OF the timber Is gone. !
We began with coal fields more extensive |
than those Of any other nation and with iron
ores regarded "a lneNhaustible. and many
experts now declare that the end of both |
ron aud coal Is in sight.
The enormous stores Of mineral oil and
gas are largely gone our natural water
" ays aIs not gone. but they have been 80
Injured b. neglect aud By the division OF
responsibility and utter lack Of system IN
dealing With them that there Is less nayIga-
ton on them now than there was fifty years
ago Finally We began with soils OF un-
exampled fertility and We have so lmpover-
ished them by injudiCious use and by falling
iO check erosion that their crop producing !
bower Ia diminShing instead Of Increasing
In word. We have thoughtlessly. and to q
srge degree unnecessarily, diminished the
resources upon which not only our pros
Derity but the prosperity OF our children
must always depend
We have become great because OF the
ayish use Of our resources, aud We have
ust reason To be proud VI our growth But
he time has come TO inquire seriously what
viii happen when our forests are gone, when
he coal, the iron. the oil and the gas
IRE exhausted. when the soils shall have
/
nto the streams, pollutinH the rivers, de-
uding the fields and ObstruCting nayiga-
ion. These questions do not relate orly
o the next century or TO the next genera
lon, II is time Tor MS now as a nation 20
Iercise the same reasonable foresight in
ealing with our great natural resources
hat would be shown by any prudent man
n conserving and widely using the property
Ihioh contains the assurance Of wellbeinR
Or himself and his children.
We are coming TO recognize as never before
he right Of the nation 10 guard It's own future
the essential matter OF natural resources
n the past We have admitted the right OF the
ldividual 10 iniure the future OF the republic /
Dr. his own present profit The time has come I
,r a change. As people We have the right
nd the duty second 10 none other. but the ,
ght and duty Of obeying the moral law, Of ,
squirting and doing Justice 10 protect our ,
lives and our children against the wasteful Z
evelopment Of our natural resources, whether ,
rat waste is caused by the actual destruction /
such resources or by making them lmpos- .
bic OF development hereafter. I
Any right thinking father earnestly de. -
res and strives to leave his son both an I'M !
FINISHED name and a reasonable equipment I
" the struggle Of life. So this nation "a a /
hole should earnestly desire and strive 10 h
ave to the next generation the national q
onor unstsined aud the national resources A
ne1hausted. There are signs that both the d
iton and the States are waking to reallza. I
On Of,thiS great truth. On March 10. 1905,
e Supreme Court OF Maine rendered an ex- O
'ednRly important judicial decision. This 5
,inion was rendered in response 10 uues. n
ons rs TO the rights Of the Legislature I v
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