Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1908-05-16
CONFERENCE OF
GOVERNORS ENDS
Form Permanent Organization for
Mutual Interests of States

WASHINGTON. May l6.-The first
conference of the governors OF the
states OF the American union ended
today. Like many of the movements
OF history. time Is needed to reveal
the epoch which the president and the
governors believe has been made.
The accomplishments OF the confer
ence, which has been In session at
the White House for tire days. can
be set forth with mathematical pre-
eision. That its immediate results
are more than ample Ia the express
sion OF President Roosevelt. who
brought It about. and OF the COVER
nors who participated.
The printed records OF the confer
ence. which will later be available TO
every American home. will be a com
pilation OF facts, startling in their
meaning, convincing In their univer-
sal conclusion. that the states must
act and that the states and the ma
ton mLg. cooperate TO the end that
to the whole people OF the nation may
accrue the lasting benefit OF It's ma
tural resources. Besides the eompil-
alton Of facts by the experts and the
freely expressed opinion OF the gov
errors. the conference leaves as Its
permanent record a thousand words
OF declaration" Not declaration
Of independence. but declaration
of cooperation"
Executives 90 Organize.
Perhaps greater In importance than
all else was the determination OF the
governors OF the states TO perfect
permanent organization whereby d
heretofore unknown organization may
be had among the executives OF the
sovereign states. made strong by i
common purpose and made potent by
announcements which may not light
ly be disregarded.
OF the last day the story 10 one OF
many features. The set program
was swept aside. The president pre-
sided throughout. He interiected
remarks and speeches He brought
to the platform men who made plain
the prevailing telling that thought and
care must be exercised for the future
The prepared papers were not pre-
sented. but they will be printed In
the record Their place was taken
first by the declaration. which was
adopted after discussion. which
brought to light no serious objection
to its affirmation.
Then William J. Bryan was pre-
scented by the president. He touched
the same chords which had produced
the vibration OF harmony and coop
Grafton. A governors discussion
brought many state executives to the
platform. but the product was alto
gether that Of harmony and the sent
iments expressed were applauded
alike by all.
Roosevelt Answers Criticism.
President Roosevelt himself. an
swering the one criticism-that OF
Governor Folk OF MlssOuri--to the
declaration. aroused the conference
to it's warmest demonstration Of APP
plause and approval when he swept
aside the academic question" OF
where the line OF authority should
be drawn between the states and the
nation. He wanted action. aud what
he said received endorsement al each
period. II was this:
Just a word OF what has been
called the twilight land" between
the powers OF the federal and state
governments. Ny primary aim In
the legislation that have advocated
for the regulation OF the great cor
porations has been TO provide some
effective popular sovereign for each
corporation. I do not wish TO keep
this twilight land one OF large and
vague boundaries. By judicial deeis-
ion that In 3 given case the state can
not act. and then a few years later
BY other decisions that In practically
similar cases the nation can not &c;
either
II am trying to hnd out where one
or the other can act 20 that there
, shall always be some sovereign power
! that on behalf OF the people can hold
every big corporation. railroad. biz
individual to an accounting 20 that
its or his acts shall be beneficial "a
; the people az a whole. In matters
that relate only to the people within
! the state OF course this state Is q
[ContIn1ed on page f01F.J