Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1909-01-28
REPORTS
OF THE CONSERVATION
CONGRESS
URGES NEEDED LEGISLATION
Document In q Measure 10 De-
tense Of the Retiring Administration
Duty Of the Present Generation to
It's Descendants Pointed Out-obIi.
cations Of Citizenship-Urgent Need
for the Development Of the Coun.
try's Water Power.


for the Development Of the Coun.
try's Water Power.
Washington with the transmission OF
the report Of the national conservation
commission and ccoHnpanying papers,
President Roosevelt also sent a message
to congress. The following is n COM
pr"hcnsivc synopsis Of the document:
Tn" president declares his entire con-
curr"nrc with the statements and CON
illusions 81 the report and proceeds:
1T h one Of the most fundamentally
important Documents ever laid before the
American people. II contains the first In
vcntory Of It's natural resources ever
made by any nation. In condensed form
" presents "A statement OF our availabl"
capital In material resources. which arc
~" means Of progress, ana calls atten-
ton TO the essential conditions upon
which tho prTp";uity, safety and welfare
~ this nation now rest and must always
continue to rest.
"The facts set forth In this report CON
s'i'uir an imperative call to action. The
situation they disclose demands that We.
n"gl.cting for u time, IL need be. smaller
and l"sS vital questions, shall concentrate
an effective part OF on. attention upon
the groa. material foundations Of ma
'''' 49, ''h' b''' 49,
"Thc first Of all considerations IN IA"
permanent w"lfar" of our people; and
iru" moral welfare, H." highest form Of
welfare. can not permanently exist say"
on "A firm AMI lasting foundation OF mate.
rial well being. In this fcSp"rt our stu
alton Is far from sitIFfncturY. Aft"r
every prss!hlo Hll1wnnc" has been made.
and when every hopeful indication has
been given itH fun weight. M" facts sin
give reason for gray" concern. II would
b" unworthy Of our history and our In
'"lliR"n"e, and disastrous to our future.
10 shut our eyes TO these facts or at
tempt 10 laugh them out 81 court. The
p"npl" should and will rightly demand
| that the great fundamental questions
shall l." given attention by their rep
rrscntatiSes do not advice hngty or i'll
considered action on disputed points, but
] do urge. whcr" the facts ar" known.
where the public interest IL clear. that
neither Indifference and Inertia, nor nh-
v"rH" private interests. shah be allowed
10 stand IN ia" way OF ~" public good
"Tbu great basic fnrts are already we'll
known w" know that our population IL
now adding about rnc-ffth to It's numbers
In ten years. ana that by tn" middle OF
the present century perhaps 80, 600. 90
Americans. and by It's end very many
millions more. must be fed and clothed
from a." products 81 our soil.
wv" Know nov that our rivers can ard
shOrlh be mad" 10 B"rv" our people Of
fectilcly In transportation. b.. that IA"
vast expenditures for our waterways
haze not resulted in maintaining. much
lcss In promoting. inland navigation.
Therefore, let M tax" immediate steps TO
ascertain Va" reasons and 10 pr"pnr" and
adopt n comprehensive pan for inland
waterway navigation that viii result In
giving the people the benefits for which
they hay" paid but which they hav" not
yet received. W" know now that our for
oats are fast dirupprhrlnE. that less than
one nth OF them nr" being conserved.
and that no rood purpose "an b" met by
falling 10 pruvld" the relatively small
sums nnri"i for thc protection. use, and
Improvement Of all forests still owned by
the government. and to enact laws n
check ia" WnHtcfui destruction OF the for
-aiH In piIvat" hands.
" know now that our mineral re-
sources Un"r exhausted are gone for
ever. and that H." needless waste oi
them costs us hundreds of human Hives
and nearly :2rO,vyO n. 900 n year. Therefore
let uq UNDERTAKE. without delay the In,
vestiya,irus necessary before our people
viii be In position. through state actor
or wise, to put an "ud 10 this hug
loss and waste, aud conr"rv" both Oul
mineral rnsourcrr and the lives OF tho
mon who taxi" them from the earth.
"rhis administration has achieved
ppfnf lhlNpN, II mas NbURVN, but IHl
not been able, to achieve. others. l
has doubtless made mirinkcs; but al
II has don" or attempted has been ~
the single cOnslHt"nt cnOrt to SO
cur" and enlarge the rights and oppor
t%uniti"s Of the men and women OF tn
United States. We are trying to con
serve what In good in our social sys
TEN, and We are striving toward thii
end when W" cnd"ayor 10 do away witt
what II bad success may he made to-
hard for som" ~ II iH made too cas-.
for others. The rewards Of common
Industry and thriit may be too sinai
~ the rewards for others. and on tn,
whole l'Hs valuable. qualities. ar
made too large. and especially II tn
rewards for qualities which are really
from the public s~tandpOint. undcsir
nble. are permitted to become 10
large, Our aim IL 80 far ns possibi
to provide ouch conditions hat thcr
shall be equality Of opportunity wh'r
th'r" Is equality OF energy. fidelity nm,
Intelligence; when there In "A reason
able" equality OF opportunity the dis
trihuiion ~ rewards will take car
Of Itself.
!. "Tho unchecked existence ~ monop
oily In Incompatible with equality q
Opportunity. The reason for the OK
crcirc OF government control over grea
m~onopolIos IN to cpuaiizc o~pportunit,
We are nghting against privilege. ]
was mad" unlawful for corporation
to contribute money for election OK
ponscs In order to abridKe the powe
Of special privilege at the polls. Rat
road rate control In an attempt to ~
I cure an equality OF opportunity for a
men affected by rail transportation
ard that means all OF us, The grea
:. anthracite coal strike was settled. an
the pressing danger Of a coal famin
aysTted. because we recognised this