The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-05-14
President Roosevelt Called Meet.
ing to Order.
JAMES j. HILL SPEAKS
Railroad Magnate Discusses
Natural Wealth of Land.
Soil Wastage the Subject of
Prof. Chamberlain's Address.

between President Roosevelt and the
governors of the various states and
territories. for the consideration of the
question of the conservation of the
natural resources of the country met
this morning at 10 o'clock. President
Roosevelt called the meeting to order,
aIter which he invited Governor John |
A.; johnson Of Minnesota to preside.
Perhaps the most. DISTINGUISHED |
speaker was James J. Hill chairman
OF the board of directors of the Great |
Northern railroad, on 1.-THE Natural |
ton"
Then followed addresses by Prof. T. |
c. Chamberlain of Chicago, president |
OF the American Association for the |
Advancement OF Science, on soil
Wastage. and by. R. A. Lone. of Kan
sas City, On Forest Conservation" A
general discussion of the subjects of
the addresses was then begun. in
winch number participated.
. AT the afternoon session, Land Re-
sources" was the theme of discussion.
Addresses were made by former Gov
ernor Of California George c. Pardee
on Resources Related to Irrigation
and by the president of the American
National Livestock association H. A.
Jastro of Bakersfield, Cal, on "Graz-
dscnsdon Ing and stock of t, Raising" The general
ed by former United States Senator
Joseph M. Carey of Cheyenne, wyo
Clifford Pinchot, chief Of the bureau
of forestry, will give a reception to-
night to meet the governors and the
members Of the inland waterways
I commission.
The scene previous to calling the
conference together by President
Roosevelt was one of animated dis
cussion. Notwithstanding the intense
east was occupied. President Roose-
velt upon calling the delegates to or
| der. announced that Governor Dineen
| of Illinois, would preside at the after
noon session today. The president then
announced James ]. Hill, chairman OF
the board of directors Of the Great
rNorthern railway, as the first speaker
Of the morning session. He was giver
an ovation. ss
Mr.. HilPs Address.
Mr.. Hill said that. in some respect:
the occasion that called together thu
present assemblage is unprecedented
"It is in effect said he. "a direc
tors meeting Of the great political and
economic corporation known as th
United States of America. The stock
holders are the 81 million people Of thi
country; the directors are the stat
and federal officers. whose position
brings them in touch with the opera
tions of the whole country. We shoul'
not fail to recognize the high note tina
has been struck and the immensity o
the interests involved upon the live
, of millions yet to be-"
Mr.. Hill said that for the first tim
there is a formal national protest un
y der seal of the highest authority
against economic waste.
II May we not hope that from thi
! gathering there may be born not onl
a a wiser system of using the still re
manning resources of this country, bu
: a cooperation between nation an
state that shall be as helpful in ou
political as these deliberations ough
:, to be in our economic future?"
Continuing Mr.. Hill said in part:
= In the movement Of modern times
= which has made the world CONNER
8 cially a small place and has produce
a solidarity of the race such as neve
before existed, we have come to tn
. point where we must to certain e1
q tent regard the natural resources {
=, this planet as common asset, con
. pare them with demands now mad
?. and likely to be made upon them an
4 study their judicious use. If we fail
= consider what We possess or wealt
= available for the uses Of mankin
= and to what extent we are wasting
national patrimony that can never |
- restored, we might be likened to tt
- | directors of a company who never e.
% | anime a balance sheet
s 1.-The resources of the sea furnis
less than per cent Of the food SUI
,r ply, and that is all. The forests
- this country, the product Of centuri
l. Of growth are fast disappearing. II
N mineral wealth stored in the earth CO
al be used only once. When fuel and 1rt
- become scarce, the high priced civiliz
a. tion as far as we can now foresee W
in | suffer as man would suffer by Il
"a gradual withdrawal of the air
i'll breatheS.
Sc Look to the Lands.
n 1.-The exhaustion of our coal supply
not in the indefinite future. The mo
We favorable view of the situation fore
OF the conclusion that iron and coal W
re not he available for common use
anything like present terms before t
"a ia end Of this century; and our induStr1;
ne social and political life must be rea
- iusted to meet the strains imposed
II. new conditions.
Now we turn to the only remainil
resource of man upon this earth, Whl
= is the soil ITSELF.
n Mr.. Hill went on to show that in Is
the total unappropriated public Ian
in the United States consisted OF
~, million acres. OF this area the div
ions of Alaska, Arizona, Calforn
New Mexico and wyoming contain
1a7 700 600 acres of surveyed and
se- miiiion acres of unsurveyed land.
m tie of Alaska was fitted, he said,
lgs General agriculture. while practica
les Ali of the rest is semi-arid land, ava
on ah1e only for grazing or irrigation
1--WE have said he, "substracti
ne these totals so million acres OF survt
ne ed and 36,500,000 acres OF unsurVey
aid land as our actual remaining sto
And twenty-one million acres were q
he nosed of in 1907. How long Will the
q n, maining last? No longer can we
me that Uncle Sam has land enough
ter give us all q farm.
~ M Hill declared that millions
ich acres in the south in places to the
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