Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1908-12-10
LARGEST FEDERAL
TASK OF TODAY
is DEVELOPMENT OF WATER
WAYS AND FOREST
PRESERVATION.
WORK MUST BE DONE CONCUR
RENTLY, DECLARES THE
PRESIDENT.

Washington, Dec. 9.-In his address
opening the national conservation
congress, President Roo evelt de
clared 1t is the largest national task
of today" No right-minded citizen
would stop the proper use OF ou~ re-
sources, he added, but every good
American must realize that national
improvidence follows the same course
and leads TO the same end as personal
improvidence, and that needless
waste must stop. The time To deride
or neglect the statements of experts
and the teaching of the facts has gone
by. The time TO act on what We
know has now arrived Common
prudence, common sense. and com
mon business principles are applicable
to national affairs just as they are to
private affairs, and the time has come
to use them in dealing with the foun-
dations of our prosperity
Our natural resources are o re
lated that the use of one affects the
use of al the others. This is espec.
tally true OF our waterways. Every
man, woman and child within our Dor
ders has an interest in them. through
all four. We have neglected our wa
terways more than any other natural
resource and We must put an end to
that neglect.
First Let us prepare compre
hensive plan for inland waterway de.
velopment. Such a plan must con
slider every use of the waters, it must
put the interests of all the people in
advance of any private interests what
sOeVer. The preparation of this com
prehensiVc plan should begin at once
Second Let us proceed immedia-
ately with the con truction of the
waterways for which plans have been
approved. and which we are now Ger
tain will fit into the outlines of
the general plan Our previous policy
of procrastination, delay, and fitful
and partial action hs borne its per
feet fruit Our Waterways are de
serted, and in return for our vast eX-
penditures we have little or no actual
to show. The people are
ready for change. Let u have it,
and at once. If we can pay the cost
from current revenues let us do so.
If not let us issue Aonds by either
method let us have the waterways
and that quickly. The plan and the
work can and should proco ed together.
no of ha
ing begun, the plan for the rest can be
The work therefore should begin at
once. But there must not he the
slightest rechessness or waste of
No work whatever should be
that has not been borough
ly examined and fully approved by
competent experts. Above all not one
cent should be expended to satisfy
special interests, whether of a bust
ness or a locality, or promote any
mans political fortunes. This is too
large a matter to be handled in
such a way. We must approach it
from the point of view Of the ntional
uuucI lHe BuluduCt VI the
wisest experts in engineering, in
transportation, and in all the uses of
our streamL Forests and water
ways cannot be separated in any
successful treatment of either. Forest
protection and river development
must go hand in hand. The three
things which should be done without
any further delay are:
First, To provide for a compre,
hensive plan of waterway develop
ment,
Second, To begin at once on work
already planned that will surely fit in
to the larger plan,
Third, To provide amply for forest
protection against fire, against reck
less cutting, against wanton or reck
less destruction of all kinds, and to
secure the Appalachian and White
mountain national forests without de.
lay"