The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-12-31
CONSERVATION
CONGRESS WILL
convene SOON
President Roosevelt Plans
Third Meeting and Mexico
and Canada are Invited to
be Represented.
CONGRESS PROBABLY
WILL HELP MOVEMENT
Selection of Clifford Pinchot to
Invite Two Neighboring Coun-
tries Regarded as a Wise
Move.
BY Sheldon s. Cline.

Washington, Dec 81 President
Roosevelt is determined that his good
work in initiating the general move
ment for the conservation of the coun-
try's natural resources shall not go
for naught His fondest hope is that
before he retires to private life next
March this movement. which aims at
protecting the natural wealth of the
whole country, will bear fruit in the
adoption by Congress of some definite
plan of conservation. The President
already has put enough characteristic
energy into the movement to impress
its Importance on the minds of the
American people, and it remains his
hope to make it's success one of the
browning achievements of his admins
tration. The progress of the move
ment has become SO marked that 1T
will be one of the great heritages of
the Taft administration.
Plan Third Conference.
The movement already has taken the
form of two notable conferences in this
city, one at which the governors of
the principal states were present. and
q subsequent one which was partici-
pated in by the leading conservation
advocates, including President Roose-
welt, President-elect Taft, Clifford Pin
chot, Andrew Carnegie and other dis
tingrished men The President now
plans a third conference to be held on
February is next in this city. He has
extended invitations to Canada and
Mexico, suggesting that those coun-
tries send representatives to confer
with regard to plan of conservation
that involve the material progress of
the whole of North America.
Ideas of Roosevelt.
In taking this step the President has
m mind two-fold plan, in it's elabor-
ateness entirely in keeping with
( Rooseveltian ideas. First, to extend
the movement so that its scope will
include the whole of the North Ameri-
can continent and thereby insure the
perpetuation of the Roosevelt conser-
walton policies. Second, to create
such demand for definite conserva-
ton. through awakening the interest
of the entire people, that Congress will
join with the states and appropriate
money for the preservation of forests
and the protection of navigable
streams.
II the President could feel assured
that In the near future Congress would
expend money literally to check the
present alarming waste of the coun-
try's natural resources he would go
from the White House satisfied that
his work in this direction had been
well directed. While he has some as
surance that this will be done. his
mind would be easier were there not
now indications that his SUCCESSOR
path will be beset with some of the
obstacles that have impeded the pro-
gress of the conservation movement
since its inception-namely, the opposi-
tion of Congress to any considerable
expenditure for forest preservation.
Too New for Congress.
This opposition became marked
when the House at the last session
blocked the passage of the Appalach-
ian Forest Reserve bill. a measure
providing for the purchase of a forest
tract Of some five million acres extend
ing through Tennessee, Virginia, West
Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York
Speaker Cannon thought he detected
private gain behind the measure and ii
was never reported out of committee
This opposition, however. should moi
be COMPOUNDED with opposition to the
protection of forest lands already
owned by the Government. though .
popular impression prevails in som,
quarters that Congress, in refusing tt
appropriate large sums for the pur
chase Of forest lands, is taking the
ground that no forest protection i
needed. 1t may be said that the sub
ject il too new to have taken deep roo
I IN Congress. though it has lately gath
y cred many friends in both houses. Al