The Washington herald., 1908-05-14
Declares Limit Has Been Reached in LapishneSS
and it is Time for the Country to Call Halt
if it is to Continue its Present Prosperity.

IN greeting the big conference in the
White House yesterday, President Roose-
welt said:
Governors OF the several States and gen.
tlemen:
I welcome you to this conference at
the White House. You have come hither
at my request SO that we may join to-
gether to consider the question OF con-
servation and use of the great funda-
mental sources Of wealth Of this nation.
So vital is this question that for the first
time in our history the chief executive
officers Of the States separately. and of
the States together forming the nation,
have met to consider 1t.
with the governors come men from
each State chosen for their special &C
quaintance with the terms Of the prob
lem that is before us. Among them are
experts IN natural resources ana repre-
sentatiyes OF national organizations con-
cerned In the development and use OF
these resources: the Senators and Rep
resentatives in Congress; the Supreme
Court the Cabinet, and the Inland Water
ways commission have likewise been IN
vited to the conference. which is there
fore national in a peculiar sense.
Weightiest Problem Before Nation.
This conference on the conservation
OF natural resources is in effect
meeting Of the representatives Of all
the people of the United States called
to consider the weightiest problem
now before the nation; and the oeca-
sion for the meeting lies in the fact
that the natural resources Of our
country are in danger Of exhaustion
If we permit the old wasJeful methods
Of exploiting them longer to continue.
with the rise OF peoples from saw
agery 20 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 re-
sources Of the country. Yet rather
curiously, at the same time the aver
age man is apt to lose his realization
Of this dependence upon nature.
-Savages, and very primitive peoples
generally, concern themselves only with
superficial natural resources; with those
which they obtain from the actual sur
face OF the ground AS peoples be-
come a little less primitive, their in
dustries, although in a rude manner,
are extended to resources below the
surface. then. with what we call
civilization and the extension Of
knowledge, more resources come into
use, industries are multiplied, and
foresight begins TO become q necessary
and prominent factor in LIE Crops
are cultivated; animals are dOmesti-
Gated; and metals are mastered.
Every step of the progress OF man
kind Is marked by the discovery and us'
Of natural resources previously unused
Without such progressive knowledge anC
utilization OF natural resources population
could not grow. nor industries multiply
nor the hidden wealth Of the earth be de
veloped for the benefit OF mankind.
Rapid Present-day Progress.
From the first beginnings of Civiliza
ton, on the banks OF the Nile and th'
Euphrates, the industrial progress Of th'
world has gone on slowly. with occasiona
setbacks. but on the whole steadily
through tens Of centuries to the presen
day. But Of late the rapidiJy of the pro
cess has increased at such rate tina
more space has been actually covered dur
ing the century and a quarter occupies
by our national life than during the pre-
ceding 5000 years that take US back 70 tn