The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1908-05-23
CONFERENCE OF GOVERNORS.

CONFERENCE OF GOVERNORS.
A conference equal in Importance to that of
The Hague peace meeting in its farreaching erect
upon the world was that held last week in Wash
1ngton of the governors of the states and other dis
tinguished figures in the political and industrial
life 81 the nation in the interest of the conserva
ton of the natural wealth of the land 1t is mat
ter Of common knowledge that the natural resources
Of America have been wasted; that they are
handled with prodigaty which bodies evil.
days for the future generations. When read
that 200000,000 tons of coal are wasted annually
in the operation of the coal mines of the country,
all as result of skimming off the better portions
and throwing aside the second class product, and
see IN Utah mining company devCting
years to rehandling the tailings of former admin
lstration and at profit, too, there is further
need of pointing out instances wherein economY
and conservation of our wealth would be prohtahe.
The obstruction of the forests the depletion of the
lands by constant cropping, the annual washing
off of the rich surface ground by the floods all con
tribute to a waste which in the aggregate reaches
INTO the billions of dollars in value. The present
conference to consider these things is the out
growth of a recommendation made by the Inland
Waterways convention to the presidents
In his address opening the conference President
Roosevelt said that the natural resources of our
country in danger of exhaustion if the old
tasteful methods of exploiting them are permitted
to continue. The nation has grown rich, apparent
ly by rapid development but when the mines of
iron and coal and copper have been exhausted and
source of supply is at hand the realization
= Oh
as the sands of the sea-that we have killed the
goose and left for posterity country with de-
Perforated farm lands and with mines entirely bar
rem To save, to waste the precious heri-
tage, was the keynote of the conference.
In the early days the great unexplored America
furnished seemingly inexhaustible supply of
everything required by man. The great forests
through which the aboriginees wandered in urdis-
puted possession furnished them with all the needs
of their primitive existence. When the white men
came the woods stood in the way of civilization and
they chopped down, burned off, destroyed to
make room for tillable fields, No thought was
given to the future. Up to twenty years ago there
was always the great west-the empire of the plains
and beyond the Rockies. But now it is discovered
that the mineral and coal deposits are not renew
able, and when these are exhausted the world must
learn to do without them
Theaconference to conserve the wealth of the
land is the first public recognition of duty we
owe to posterity. 1t concerns not the present gen
Grafton There is enough for us, and more. But
it is plea for economy for foresightedness, that
in the years to the products of the earth may
be sufficient to guarantee comfortable existence to
the earth's population, until the fullness of time
The conference must awaken the nation to real
ization of the mighty problem and the patriotic
duty of taking care of what has been placed here
for benefit Before this problem and this duty
it may be necessary to set aside some of the cher
ished political ideals in recognition of the unity
Of the nation; it may be necessary to abolish the
geographical lines which separate the nations of
the world in recognition of the brotherhood of man