The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-01-23
RooseUelt ReUielUs
 Conservation Work

end to the huge loss and waste. and conserve both our mineral resources and the lives of the men who take them from the earth | desire to make grateful acknowl- edgement to the men. both in and out of the government service. who nave
 ns s't Fssy nave made it possible for this nation to take q great step forward. Their work is helping us to see that the greatest questions before us are not partisan questionss but questions upon which men or all parties and all shades of opinion may be united for the common good. rial side, the conservation of natural resources stands first. It Is the bot tom round of the ladder on our up which the nation as a whole. and it's citizens as individuals. will set nation- al efficiency and the public welfare be-
 The policy of conservation is per haps the most typical example of the general policies which this govern ment has made. peculiarly its own ent esnanry as Ths asction Gt he of onr government is to Insure to all It's cit- izens, now and hereafter. their rights piness. ri . s If we eap Of this S Pgensrstion de- stroy the resources from which our children would otherwise derive their aur land to support a population, and so either degrade the standard of liv- ing or deprive the coming separations 9f their Elsht to life on this continent: tions to exercise unregulated control of the means of production and the neeessaries of life. we deprive the Am- industrial liberty. a right no less pre- cious and vital than political freedom. !ndustrial liberty was a fruit of polit- one of it's chief supports. and exactly as we stand for political democracy so We must stand for industrial de-
 The rights to life and liberty are fundamental. and like other funda- mental necessities. when once acouir- ed. they are little dwelt upon. The the right whose presence or absence. Is most likely to be felt in daily life. In wh atever 1t has accomplished, or tion which is inst drawing to a close has at least seen clearly the funda- mental need of freedom of opportunity for every citizen. We have realized own life. provide for his family, and endeavor. according to his abilities, to secure for himself and for them a fair sh ould be subject to one limitation and to no other The freedom of the indi- vidual should be limited only by the present and future rights. Interests.
 
 make up the community. We should do all in our power to develop and pro- tect individual liberty, individual Nni- Te; of preservins I % snS promotinS % 4 the @ gena Gen eral good. When necessary. the pri- vate Tight must yield. under due pro- cess of law and with proper compensa- wealth. The man who serves the conn munlty greatly should be greatly re- warded by the community; as there IS bs rreat ssTyes of go but no map and no set of men should be alloWef to play the game of conn petition with loaded dice
 The underlying principle of conserva- ton has been described as the appli- cation of common sense to common problems for the common good. If the tion Is the great fundamental basis for national efficiency. In this stage of the worlds history to be fearless, to three great requirements of national life. National efficiency is the result of natural resources well handled. of free- do mof opportunity for. every man. and Ity, knowledge and will, collectively and individually to use that opDortunt-
 This administration has achieved some things; 1t has sought but has not been able to achieve others; it has doubtless made mistakes; but all it has done or attempted has been dn the single, consistent effort to secure and enlarge the rights and opportunities of the men and women of the United States. We are trying to conserve what is good in our social system, and we are striving do away with what is bad. Success may be made too hard for some if 1t is made too easy for others. The re- wards of common industry and thrift hn knn rda other, and on the whole less valuable, qualities, are made too large, and especially. if the rewards for qualities which are really, from the public stand point. undesirable, are permitted to be- come 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, fidel- reasonable equality of opportunity the distribution of rewards will take care of itself.
 The unchecked existence of monopoly is incompatible with equality of oppor- unity The reason for the exercise of government control over great monopo- lies Is to equalize opportunity. We are fighting against privilege. It was tribute money for election expenses in order to abridge the power of special privilege at the polls. Railroad-rate control is an attempt to secure an equality of opportunity for all men af- fected by rail transportation; and that means all of us The great anthracite coal strike was settled. and the press- ing danger of a coal famine averted, be- cause we recognized that the control of a public necessity involves a duty to the people, and that public interven- tiou in the affairs of a public service corporation is neither to be resented as usurpation nor permitted as privilege hv inc corporations, but on the contrary to be accepted as a duty and exercised as a right by the governemt in the in- terest of all the people. The efficiency of the army and the navy has been tn- creased so that our people may follow