The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1909-01-28
President Approves Report
OF National Commission.
SENDS MESSAGE TO CONGRESS
o-ses Measures to Conserve the Nat
terity-should be Put In Effect
ural Resources as Legacy to Pos
Without Delay.

SiSoS Inc IOlfOWlng
bearing on the conservation of our
natural resources.
1 transmit herewith a report of the
national conservation commission. to.
gether with the accompanying papers.
lnls report, which is the outgrowtb
Oh the conference of Governors last
May, was unanimously approved oy
the recent joint conference held in
TINS city between the national con.
servatlon commission and Governors
OF the States, State conservation com.
missions and conservation commit
tees OF great organizations of citi-
zens. 1t is therefore in a peculiar
sense representative Of the whole ma.
ton and all its parts.
Ihe facts set forth in this report
constitute an imperative call to act
Ion. The situation they disclose de-
mands that we, neglecting for q time.
II need be, smaller and less vital
questions, shall concentrate an efsec-
tive part OF our attention upon the
great material foundations of nation
al existence, progress and prosperity.
The progress Of our knowledge of
shls country will continually lead 70
more aeurate information and better
use Of the sources of national
strength. 1t is not necessary that
this knowledge should be exact in
every minute detail. 1t is essential
that it should correctly describe the
general situation. The conservation
OF our resources is the fundamental
question before this nation.
Our population is now adding about
one-hfth to its numbers in ten wears.
Many millions more, must be fed and
clothed from the products of our soil.
with the steady growth in population
ana the still more rapid increase in
consumption our people will here
AFTER make greater and not less de-
mands per capita upon all the nar-
ural resources for their livlibood.
comfort and convenience. It is high
time to realize that our responsible
itv to the coming millions is like that
or parents to their children, and that
IN wasting our resources we are
wronging our descendants.
Our rivers can and should be made
10 serve our people effectively in
transportation, but the vast eypen-
dltures for our waterways have not
resulted IN maintaining, much less in
promoting, inland navigation. There.
lore, let us take immediate steps to
ascertain the reasons and to prepare
and adopt a comprehensive plan for
lnland~ waterway navigation. Our
forests are fast disappearing. and
less than one-ffth of them are being
conserved, and no good purpose can
be met by failing to provide the rela-
tvely small sums needed for the pr,.
lection, use, and improvement of all
forests still owned by the govern
ment. Let us enact laws to check
the wasteful destruction Of the for.
ests IN private lands. The American
people stand nearly as unit for
waterway development and for forest
protection.
Mineral Resources Wasted.
Our mineral resources once ex-
hausted are gone forever, and the
needless waste of them costs us hun
dreds of human lives and nearly
$3OO,OOO,O00 year. Therefore, let
us undertake without delay the in.
vestlgations 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 tax.
them from the earth.
The conservation Of our natural
resources is of first consideration. If
we OF this generation destroy the re-
sources from which our children
would otherwise derive their liyIi.
hood, we reduce the capacity of our
land to support a population, and su
either degrade the standard Of livin.
or deprive the coming generations of
their rights to life on this continent
If we allow great industrial organ
laztions to exercise unregulated con.
troll OF the means of production and
the necessaries of life, we deprive
the Americans of to-day and of the
future OF industrial liberty. a right
no less precious and vital than poll
teal freedom.
The administration which is Just
drawing to a close, has at least seen
elarly the fundamental need of free.
dom OF opportunity for every citizen
No man and no set of men should be
allowed to play the game of competi.
ton with loaded dice. The uncheck-
ed existence of monopoly is incom.
patible with equality of opportunity
The reason for the exercise of gov.
ernment control over great monopo.
lies is to equalize opportunity.
Waterways.