The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-01-23
CALLS ON NATI0a
 TO SAVE ITSELF
Presidents Message PrOc.alms Need Of Conserving Coun-
 tD's Resources.
REPORT of NATIONAL
 CONSERVATION COMMISSION

\ Sendina It to Congress Executive
 Declares Facts Contained In Doeu'
 mcnt Constitute an Imperative Gall
 +o Aetion-"Permanent Welfare oi
 Our People Cannot Exist Save on 6
 Firm Foundation of Material Well
 Beinay-He Defends General Course
 of His Administration.
 Washington, Jan. 22. President Roosevelt sent to congress today a message transmitting the report of the national conservation commission. He prefaces the report with his own com ment, stating fin vigorous terms his conviction sthat immediate action is needed if the rightful heritage of pos ierity unnatural resources is to be pre-. served.s
 The message says:
 To the Senate and House of Repre-
 sentativea: ~a
 transmit herewith report of the national conservation commission, to- gether with the accompanying papers. This report, which is the outgrowth of the. conference of governors last May, was unanimously approved by the recent Joint conference held in this city between theN national conserva- tion commission and governors of states, state conservat tion commissions and conservation committees of great organizations of citizens. 1t is there fore in a peculiar sense representativ of the whole nation and all its parts.
 With the statements and conclusions of this report I heartily concur, and I .ofnnnend it to the thoughtful considera- ton both, of the congress and of our people generally. Ii is one of the most fundamentally important documents ever laid before the American people. 1t contains the first inventory of it's natural resources ever made by any nation In condensed form it presents statement of odr available capital in material resources, which are the means of progress, and calls attention to the essential conditions upon which the perpetuitv, safety and welfare of this nation now rest and must always continue to rest. It deserves and should have the widest possible distribution among the people.
 The facts set forth. in this report constitute an imperative call to action The situation they disclose demands that we, neglecting for time, if need be-, smaller and less vital questions, shall concentrate an effective part of our attention upon the great material foundations of national existence, prog .ess and prosperity.
 Immediate Action Needed.
 This first inventory of natural re sourcesr prepared by the national con- seryntion commission is undoubtedly but ths beginning of a series which will be indispensable for dealing intel Iigently with what we have. It sup plies as close an approximation to the actual facts as 1t was possible to pre- pare with the knowledge and time available! The progress of our knowl- edge of this, country will continually cad ito more accurate information and better use of the sources of national strength. But we cannot defer action until complete accuracy. in the esti- mates can be reached, because before that time many of our resources will be practically gone. It is not neces- sary that this inventory should be ex- net in every minute detail. It is essen da1 that it should correctly describe the general situation and that the present inventory does. As it stands ;c toI IN hot tra servation of our resources. is the fun aamental question before this nation and that our first and greatest task is( tO set our house in order and begin to live within our means.
 ] The first of all considerations is the permanent welfare of our people, and true moral welfare, the highest form of welfare, Cannot permanently exist save on a firm and lasting foundation of material well being. In this re- spect OUT situation is far fron satis- factory. After every possible allow ance has been madeNand when every hopeful indication has been given it's full weight the facts still give reason for grave concern, HsWould be un- worthy of our histpfy aid our intelli- gence and disastrous to our future to shut our eyes te these facts or attempt to laugh them out of court. The peo- pie should and will Brightly demand that the great fundamental questions shall be given attention by their repre- sentatives. I do-not advise nasty or III considered action on disputed points, but I do urge, where the facts srs known, where the public interest :,ssclear, that neither indifference and inertia nor adverse private interests stfsfrls De allowed to stand in the way or the public goed. /.
 Our Responsibility For the Future.
 fine great basic facts are already we'll, known. We know that our popu- !afion is now addfng about one-fifth to ,.s numbers in ten years and that by the middle of the present century per haps 15O,OOO, 900 Americans and by its end very many millions more must be fed and clothed from the products of o,ir soil With the steady growth in population and tho still more rapid in ctAass tn. consumption our people win hereafter make greater and not less demands per capita upon all the natu- ral resources for their livelihood, com Tort and convenience. It is high time 4r,r H. IL ---4I- L~L LTx