Albuquerque citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1907-1909, 1908-05-15
Permanent Society Indepehd-
ent From Call OF PreSi-
dent to Be Organ
lied at Once.
FIRST NATIONAL
CONFERENCE ENDS
Plan for Future Meetings Discussed
and Organization viii EndedvOr
to Save Waste of Nations
Wedlth--O sympathy
for Cleveland.

Washington, May 15.-The third
and last day of the conference of gov
ernors began with every indication
that i'm portant action would result A
full attendance was present and Pres
tdent Roosevelt called the convention
to order this morning.
Governor Blanchard of Louisiana,
Chairman of the committee on reso-
lutlons, presented the report of his
committee. This report embraces
recommendations along general and
broad lines, avoiding specific recon-
mendations for national or state legis-
lation. The report is prefaced by the
reiteration of what has been said in
the conference regarding the neces-
sity for united action which will re-
suit in the preservation OF the natural
resources of the country.
1t heartily commends the action OF
President Roosevelt in ling the
conference and recommends that fu-
ture conferences of like character be
called by the presidents at such times
as conditions shall warrant.
Legislation by Congress and the
states is suggested. not specifically.
but along general lines to further the
ends sought. 1t also suggests putting
the subjects in the hands of compe-
tent commissioners.
The resolutions were received with
hearty approval Governor Glen sug-
gested that the governors meet in
conference whenever one-third of the
governors requested it, Governor Da-
wilson, Wisconsin, said there was
nothing in the declarations adopted
ing an independent organization. 1t
was much better, he said, to have the
president left Independent OF any or
ganization of governors and the gov
ernors independent of the legislative.
Governor Folk, in supporting the
suggestion of Governor Glen, said he
did 50 because of the objection of
taking any action which might here
after form a precedent. He said he
feared that some future occupant of
the presidential chair might use the
gathering of governors to cOerce Con-
gress If the calling of conferences
was left in the hands of the presi-
dents.
The following resolution offered by
William J. Bryan was adopted by the
conference:
Resolved. that this conference ex-
presses deep regret that eX-Presdent
Cleveland is prevented by illness from
participating in this historic meeting
and expresses its sincere wish for his
speedy recovery"
At the suggestion of President
Roosevelt the resolution was adopted
by reclamation. The conference ad-
journed at l2:45 sine die, first ar
ranging that the paper to be read to-
day should be printed in the record.
Emory r. Johnson of the Univer-
sity of Pennsylvania, gave an address
on Navigation Resources of Amer
lean Waterways" He said in part
The waterways in our country, riv-
ers, canals, lakes and coastal chan
nels' have an aggregate length of be-
tween $1,000 and $4,000 miies, and
only ABOUT half OF the entire mileage
Is no" used for navigation.
Considering the great length and
undoubted value of our inland water
Ways, comparatively little has been
done 10 make them commercially
useful The most effective work has
been done in improving the harbOrs
and channels Of Lakes Superior,
Mich gan, Huron and Erie with the
result tnat the freight now shipped
on th' FIedl LaheS--IO million tons
in l9u6-is three times what it was
~ 1880. The traffic passing the ST.
Mary locks rose from a million and
quarter tons in 1850 TO seven and a
half millions IN 1883, and 10 forty
one and a quarter million tons in
1906. an increase of 5000 per cent.
This commerce on the Great Lakes
has been made possible BY total con-
grcssi pnal appropriations of less than
hundred million dollars
Tn total appropriations made by
Congress from the beginning to 1907
for the rivers Of the Mississippi val
ley amount to S20S, S,4S4.72O. This
seems 10 be a relatively large sum;
but when We consider that the United
States has spent during the past hun
drDd years i'm regulating, improving
and extending our system of natural
waterways only A. per cent of the
amount private capitalists have in
vested IN the construction of rdilWa ays,
our congressional appropriations for
the betterment of inland navigation
seem 10 have been cOnseryatively
small
Tne United States has as yet done