The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1909-09-15


sources which guarantee our welfare,
and to lead our people to greater wis
dom and effectiveness in every depart
ment of our common life. The out
come of conservation is national eff
ciency."~
The elements of this broad basis to
the conservation fabric were taken up
and elaborated by large list of
speakers. The sessions were so well
attended that they were at times
divided into two sections, holding
simultaneous meetings in separate
audience rooms.
On Saturday Secretary of the In
terror r. A. Ballinger arrived from
his work of inspection with the Senate
Irrigation Committee. In his address
he said:
at is of peculiar interest to me to
address this assembly. 1t is held I'M
der the auspices of the Washington
Conservation Association. I drew up
the articles of incorporation for that
organization, thereby making the body
holding this congress a legal thing.
| If I had an interest in the conserva-
| ton movement when | drafted those
papers, have no less an interest now.
| have read what President Taft has
wired you pledging his administration
| to the best fulfillment of the great
conservation movement. AS an official
| of this government I indOrse the sentl'
ments of the President.
81 broke other very important en-
gagcments to come here and | was
not prepared to make any speech on
this occasion I do prefer, anyway,
| that nv actions speak for more than
nv words, and you will always find
that nv actions speak for the very
best in the conservation movement.
Zone thing | do wish to impress
upon this assemblage, and that Is that
the day has gone by when our vast
natural resources can be converted to
personal uses. l say this as a repre-
sentative of the government. This adj
ministration desires and will conserve
our resources.
81 trust that a great national organ1-
cation will grow out of this meeting
and that the efforts of this meeting
| will be perpetuated in a consistent
policy that will do much to safeguard
the peoples interests
Such an organization was formed,
with the following officers elected:
President, B. w. Baker, Maryland;
secretary L. Frank Brown, Seattle;
executive committee, J. D. White, Mis-
souri,: L. H. Bailey, New York; j. N.
Teal. Oregon; Henry E. Hardtner,
Louisiana; w. A. F. Jones, New
Mexico; A. B. Farquhar, Pennsyi
vania; Mrs. J. Ellen Foster, Massachu-
setts. Judge Thomas Burke, Washing
ton.
e. H. Libby, of Charleston, president
of the Washington State Association,
summed up this first national meeting
as follows:
"Thirty-eight states were represent
ed in this first congress, and at times
more than 1000 persons were In at
tendance at the double sessions. Al
most 600 delegates were accredited.
"Results far greater than were at
tanned in the earlier years of the
National Irrigation Congress were ac-
complished by the Conservation Con
gress.
"The work, however, has only just
begun. The chief object OF the WASH
ington Conservation Association IN
holding this congress was to arouse
public interest in our own state TO the
great and vital problems OF conserVa-
ton and to assist us in organizing all
interested persons, inducing them to
become members of the association,
thereby creating great and strong
body of conservationists, which could
work together upon the actual solution
of such practical problems as protect
ing the forests from waste by IRE,
reforestation of waste lands, protec-
ton of the watersheds of the streams
used for irrigation, power and naviga-
ton. saving of the soil fertility, utiliza-
ton of forests and other wastes by
promotion of manufacturing, preserva-
ton of our matchless scenery In lot