Daily Kennebec journal., 1908-05-16

| washington, May 15.-The first con
ference of the governors of the state
of the American Union ended today
Like all important events of histor.
time is needed to reveal the epocl
which the President and the governor!
believe has been begun. The accom-
plishment of the conference, which ha.
been in progress at the White Hous,
for three days cannot be set forti
| with exactitude, but that it's immedi
| ate results are more than ample is thS
expression of President Roosevelt, Whc
| brought it about and of the governors
who participated. The printed recor(
of the conference, which will be avail
able by every American home later on
will be a compilation of facts, startling
in their meaning and convincing Ii
their universal conclusion that the
states and the nation must cooperate
to the end that to the whole people OF
| the nation may accrue the lasting ben
| eft Of its natural resources.
| Besides the compilation of facts by
| the experts and the freely expressed
| opinion of the governors, the confer
ence leaves as it's permanent record a
| thousand words of declaration" Not
d 'Declaration of Independence" but
| declaration of "co-operation." Per-
| hapS greater in Importance thanh all
| else was the determination OF the
| governors to perfect permanent Or
| ganizaricn whereby heretofore un-
known intimacy may be developed
among the executives of the 46 sovor-
| eign states. made strong by a common
| purpose, and made potent by pro-
| nouncements which may not lightly be
disregarded.
The last day was one of many fea-
lures. The President presided through
out. He interjected remarks and
speeches. He brought to the platform
men who made plain the prevailing
feeling that thought and care must be
exercised for the future. The prepared
papers were not presented, but they
Will be printed in the permanent rec
ord. Their place was taken first by the
"decldration," which was adopted af-
ter discussion which brought to light
no serious objection to it's affirmations
Then William j. Bryan was presented
by the President. He touched the same
chords which had previously produced
harmony and cooperation. A COVER
nors discussion brought many state
executives to the platform but the
product was altogether one of concord
and the ideas expressed were applaud
ed alike by all.
President Roosevelt himself, answer
ing the one criticism-that of Cover
nor Folk of Missouri-of the declara-
ton, aroused the conference to its
Warmest demonstration of approval
He swept aside the academic" ques-
ton of where the line of authority
should be drawn between the states
and the nation. He wanted action and
what te said received endorsement at
each period. 1t was this:
"Just word of what has been call
ed the Twilight land between the
powers of the federal and state gov
ernments. Ny primary aim in the leg
islation that I have advocated for the
regulation Of the great corporations
has been to provide some effective pop
ular sovereign for each corporation
do not wish to keep this twilight land
one of large and vague boundaries, by
judicial decision that in a given case
the state cannot act, and then a few
years later by other decisions that in
practically similar cases the nation
canont act either. / am trying to find
out where one or the other can act so
there shall always be some sovereign
power that on behalf of the people can
hold every big corporation, every big
individual to an accountability so that
it's or his acts shall be beneficial to
the people as whole. In matters that
relate only to the people within the
state Of course, the state is to be SOW
creisn aid it should have the power
to act. If the matter is such that the
state itself cannot act, then / wish on
behalf Of all the states that the ma
tional government should act
Take such a matter as charging a
rent for water power. My position is
simply that where a privilege which
may be of untold value in the future
to the individual grantee is asked from
the federal government, then the fed
eral government should put into The
grant condition that it shall not be
a grant in perpetuity. If it is neces-
sary for the grant there must be pow
er to attack conditions to the grant.
Make it long enough so that the cor
poration shall have an ample material
reward. The corporation deserves it.
Ample reward to the captain of in
dustry but not an indeterminate and
indefinite reward. Put in provision
that will enable the generation, that
will enable our children at the end of
certain specified period to say what,
in their judgment should then be done
with that great natural power which
is of use to the grantee only because
the people as whole allow him to use
it. 1t is eminently right that he should
be allowed to make ample profit from
his development of it; but make him
pay something for the privilege and
make the grant for a fixed period, SO
that when the conditions change, as in
all probability they will change, our
children, the nation of the future. shall
have the right to determine the con-
,-h oh ,,ri1- ,,I,o II