The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-01-23


ity and decency of every citizen; for
prudent foresight in public matters.
and for fair play in every relation of
our national and economic life. In in
ternational matters we apply a system
Of diplomacy which puts the obligations
Of international morality on level
with those that govern the actions of
an honest gentleman in dealing with
his fellowmen Within our own border
we stand for truth and honesty in
public and private life, and we war
sternly against wrongdoers of every
The obligations and not the rights
OF citizenship increase in proportion
TO the increase of a mans wealth or
man Will be judged, not by what he
has succeeded in getting for himself
/ from the common store, but by how
well he has done his duty as citizen,
and by what the ordinary citizen has
gained in freedom of opportunity be-
cause Of his service for the common
good.
The national conservation commits
statement OF facts and principles. leay-
| ing the executive to recommend the
specific steps to which these facts and
principles inevitably lead
Need of waterways urge that the
broad plan for the development of our
waterways, recommended by the in
! land waterways commission, be put
into effect without delay. 1t provides
for comprehensive system Of water
way improvement extending to all the
uses Of the waters and benefits to be
derived from their control, including
navigation, the development OF power.
the extension OF irrigation, the drain
age Of swamp and overflow lands, the
prevention OF soil wash, and the purf-
fication Of streams for water sup
1t is especially important that the
development Of water power should be
guarded with the utmost care both by
the national government and by the
states in order to protect the people
against the upgrowth of monopoly and
to insure TO them a fair share in the
benefits which will follow the develop
ment OF this great asset which belongs
TO the people and should be controlled
by them.
Protection of Forests urge that
provision be made for both protection
and more rapid development of the
national forests. Otherwise, either the
increasing use OF these forests by the
people must be checked or their pro-
lection against fire must be dangerous
| ly weakened.
The time has fully arrived for recog-
nizing in the law the responsibility to
the community, the state, and the ma
| ton which rests upon the private own
ers Of private lands. The ownership
! Of forest land is a public trust. The
man who would so handle his forest
as to cause erosion and to injure
stream flow must be not only educated
but he must be controlled.
hold as first among the tasks be
| fore the states and the nation in theiI
respective shares in forest conservation
1 the organization of efficient fire patrols
and the enactment of good fire laws or
/ the part of the states.
! Public Lands-With our increasing
/ population the time is not far distant
when the problem of supplying oul
people with food will become pressing
! The possible additions to our arabic
area are not great. and it will become
necessary to obtain much larger crop:
from the land, as is now done In more
| densely settled countries. To do this
we need better farm practice and bet
| ter strains of wheat, corn and othel
crop plants, with a reduction in losse.
from soil erosion and from insects, ami
mails and other enemies or agrlcul
The remaining public lands should b,
classified and the arabic lands disposed
of to home makers. In their interes
the timber and stone act and the com
mutation clause of the homestead &C
should be repealed, and the desert lane
law shoSld be modified in accordance
with the recommendations of the publi
lands commission.
The use of the public grazing land
should be regulated In such ways a
to improve and conserve their value
Rights to the surface of the publ
land should be separated from rights t.
forests upon it and to minerals beneath
it, and these should be subject to sepa
rate disposal
The coal, oil, gas and phosphate
rights still remaining with the gov
eminent should be withdrawn from en-
try and leased under conditions favor
able for economic development.
Waste of Observation-Disclosures SHOW
that the consumption Of nearly all o
our mineral products is increasing NOR
rapidly than our population. Our min
product, or nearly 100000 for eacl
working day in the year. The loss o
structural materials through fire 4
about another million day. The los
; of life in the mines is appalling. TIL
larger part of these losses of life an
property can be avoided.
Our mineral resources are limited i
quantity and can not be increased
reproduced. With the rapidly increas
ing rate of consumption the suppl
7 will be exhausted while yet the natio
is in its infancy, unless better method
are devised or substitutes are foun(
, Further investigation is urgently need
I ed in order to improve methods an
to develop and apply substitutes.
It is of the utmost Importance tina
a bureau of mines be established in ac
, cordance with the pending bill to re
duce the loss Of life in mines and tn
waste of mineral resources and to In
for prolonging the duration of our min
, eral supplies. Both the need and tn
! public demand for such q bureau ar
! rapidly becoming more urgent.
:
: conference already mentioned adopte
two resolutions to which ] call you
2 special attention. The first was in
i tended to promote cooperation betwee
the states and the nation upon all c
the great questions here discussed.
3 is as follows:
Resolved, that joint committee b
: appointed by the chairman. to consis
: of six members of state conservatio
? commissions and three members of tn
: national conservation commission
Q whose duty it shall be to prepare an
0 present to the state and national CON
q missions, and through them to tn
S governors and the president, plan fo
{ united action by all organizations cor
] cerned with the conservation Of nature
resources" -
The second resolution of the joir
V conference to which / refer calls upo
! the congress to provide the means fc
e such cooperation. The principle of til
e community OF interest among all oil
e people in the great natural resource
S runs through the report of the ns
l. 1 tienal conservation commission an
: the proceedings of the joint confer
The resolution follows:
Y I'VE also especially urge on the cor
e gress of the United States the his
o desirability of maintaining a nation;
: commission on the conservation of til
t. resources of the country, empowered
d cooperate with state commissions |
: the end that every sovereign common
g wealth and every section of the countr