Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1908-03-14
PRESIDENT : GOVERN5RS
TO Hold Conference at White House
May 10 IA
GOVERNOR DAWSON ACCEPTS
II viii Be Novel Affair-The First
Of Its KIND in the History Of
the unlted States.

s~ ~t1t~u OkdteS.
Washington, D. G., March 6.--presi-
dent Roosevelt's invitation to the gov
errors Of all states and territories. to
meet with him at the White House in
May for discussion OF methods and
ways OF conserving and making the
best use of the country's natural re-
sources, has been accepted BY Gov
ernor Dawson Of West Virginia. In
accepting the Invitation Governor
Dawson saws:
i am IN receipt Of your letter con-
corning the meeting Of the governors
OF the states with you at the White
House May 10. IA and Is to confer
with you and others upon the impor-
tant question Of conserving the nat
ural resources Of our country.
7 beg to say that am ia very
hearty accord with the purpose OF the
meeting, and am glad indeed thar Won
have called this conference. I shan
be present and bring with me. as sag
gested by you, three other citizens Of
this stated
West Virginia is very greatly In
terested in this matter, as there ia
great waste in this state Of coal. oil
natural gas and timber.
i beg to suggest that a meeting Of
the governor of the United States will
be beneficial in other respects"
The conference which Governor
Dawson will attend will be held in
the historic old East Room of the
White House and the opening ession
and perhaps every session will he
presided over by President Roosevelt
himself. The seating capacity of the
East Room does not exceed 600 Or
100, and this makes it necessary tn
limit the attendance to the governors
and the three delegates which each
VIII appoint, the cabinet. probably the
members of the supreme court of The
United States, the members OF con-
gress the members of the Inland
Waterways commission, and repre-
sentatives of comparatively few ma
tional organizations which are pecu-
liarly interested in the subject to be
discussed.
This will be the first time in the
history of the United States that the
chief executive of practically every
state have met in conference with the
chief executive of the nation. II is
expected to be one of the most notable
and important conferences ever held
IN the country. Great political gath
erings have been held. but this will
have no politics in it, The governors
have responded regardless Of politics.
II will deal with questions national in
character, far-reaching in their scope.
and yet of practical and direct impor-
lance to every state oHwtoTAOIN
lance to each and every state. How
to develop the country's natural re-
sources, use them, improve them. and
perpetuate them, will be the central
point toward which all discussion will
be directed. There will be no program
of long scientific papers. 1t will be
strictly a conference. and a full and
free exchange of ideas among the
governors and delegates.
Though West Virginia is not direct
ly within her own borders concerned
with the reclamation of arid or swamp
lands, or the making of homes ON the
public domain, the state is vitally in
terested in other resources in which
Natures bounty has made It rich.
Governor Dawson has, on many oc-
casions. pointed out how numerous
and great the states resources are,
and how valuable to the whole coun-
try II properly used, and how great
the loss if wasted West Virginia has
| $4,000 square miles of forest. The
state has more coal than any other
equal area in the whole country. It's
natural gas fields are at least the
equal of any, and its oil has reached
t1enormous development. The streams
pouring down from the mountains fur
nish potential water supply of great
but ummeasured possibilities. They
also supply water to rivers-the Mo-
nongahela, Great and Little Kanawha,
| Big andy, and the Ohio-which carry
one-fifth of the inland river commerce
of the whole United States.