The Lamar register. [volume] (Lamar, Colo.) 1889-1952, 1909-01-27
ACCOMPANYING REPORTS
OF THE CONSERVATION
CONGRESS
URGES NEEDED LEGISLATION
Document In Measure 10 De.
Tense Of the Retiring Administration
Duty Of the Present Generation to
Its Descendants Pointed out-obIi-
cations Of citizenship-Urgen Need
for the Development of the coun.
try's Water Power.

iWashington.-With the transmission of
the report of the national conservation
commission and accompanying papers
President Roosevelt also sent a message
to congress. The following is "A com
prehensive synopsis of the document:
The president declares his entire con-
currence with the statements and con-
illusions of the report and proceeds:
''It is one of the most fundamentally
important documents eyer laid before the
American people 1t contains the first in
ventory of its natural resources ever
made by any nation. In condensed form
IL presents a statement OF our available
capital in material Resources which are
the means of progress. and calls atten-
ton to the essential conditions upon
which the perpetuity. safety and welfare
OF this nation now rest aud must always
continue to rest.
THE facts set forth In this report con-
stitute an imperative call to action. The
situation they disclose demands that we
neglecting for time. II need be, smaller
and less vital questions, shall concentrate
an effective part of our attention upon
the great material foundations of
tionaI existence. progress and prosperity.
1.-The first of all Considerations is the
permanent welfare of our people. and
true moral welfare. the highest form of
welfare. can not permanently exist save
on firm and lasting foundation of mate
rial well-being. In this respect our stu
alton is far from satisfactory. After
every possible ALLOWANCE has been made.
and when every hopeful Indication has
been given its full weight the facts still
give reason for grave concern. IL would
be unworthy OF our history and our in
telligence. and disastrous To our future.
to shut our eyes to these facts or at
tempt to laugh them out Of court. The
people should and will rightly demand
that the great fundamental questions
shall be given attention by their rep
| resentatives. do not advise hasty or ILL
considered action on disputed points. but
/ do urge, where the facts are known.
neither Indifference and inertia. nor adj
verse private Interests. shall he allowed
to stand in the way of the public good.
"The great basic facts are already well
known. We know that our population IL
now adding about one ffth to it's numbers
| In ten years. and that by the middle of
| the present century perhaps 150.000.0oo
Americans. and by Its end very many
millions more. must be fed and clothed
from the products of our soil
I'VE know now that our rivers can and
should be made to serve our people eff
| fectively in transportation. but that the
vast expenditures for our waterways
have not resulted In maintaining much
less In promoting. inland navigation.
Therefore, let us take immediate steps to
ascertain the reasons and TO prepare and
adopt a comprehensive plan for inland
waterway navigation that will result in
giving the people the benefits for which
| they have paid but which they have not
yet received. We know now that our for
ests are fast disappearing. that less than
| one-fifth of them are being conserved.
| and that no good purpose can be met by
falling to provide the relatively small
sums needed for the protection. use. and
| Improvement of all forests stiil owned by
| the government. and to enact laws to
check the wasteful destruction OF the for
ests In private hands.
I'VE know now that our mineral re-
sources once exhausted are gone for
| ever. and that the needless waste Of
| them costs us hundreds of human lives
| and nearly $500. 10000 year. Therefore.
| let us undertake without delay the in
| yestiRations necessary before our people
| will be in position. through state action
| or otherwise. to put an end to this huge
| loss and waste. and conserve both our
| mineral resources and the lives of the
men who take them from the earth.
This administration has achieved
some things: 1t has sought but has
not been able to achieve. others. 1t
| has doubtless made Mistakes: but all
II has done or attempted has been in
| the single. consistent effort to Sc
cure and enlarge the rights and oppor-
| tunities of the men and women of the
United States. We are trying to con-
serve what is good in our social sys-
| tenn, and we striving toward this
| end when we endeavor to do away with
| what is bad. Success may be made too
hard for some II II Is naue 100 easy
for others. The rewards of common
| industry and thrift may be too small
| II the rewards for others. and on the
| whole less valuable. qualities. are
made too large and especially IL the
| rewards for qualities which are really.
from the public standpoint, undesir-
| able are permitted to become too
large. Our aim is SO far as possible
| to provide such conditions that there
| shall be equality Of opportunity where
there is equality OF energy. fidelity and
| intelligence: when there is reason
able equality OF opportunity the dis
| tribution of rewards will take care
| of itself.
"The unchecked existence of monop-
oily is Incompatible with equality of
| opportuntty. The reason for the ex-
ercise of government control over great
monopolies is to equalize opportunity.
| We are fighting against privilege. 1t
was made unlawful for corporations
to contribute money for election ex-
| penses in order TO abridge the power
of special privilege at the polls. Rail-
| road rate control is an attempt to Sc
cure an equality Of opportunity for all
| men affected by rail transportation:
and that means all of us. The great
| anthracite coal strike was settled. and
| the pressing danger of n coal famine
ayerted. because we recognized that