The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-08-30

Denver Col, Aug. Instrumentation
does not mean non-use or non-develop-
ment II does not mean the tying up
Of the natural resources Of the states,
II means the utilization of those re-
sources under such regulation and con-
troll as will prevent waste, extrava-
| gance and monopoly, but at the same
time not merely permit but encourage
such use and development as will serve
the interests of the people generally"
This was the opening statement made
! by Col Theodore Roosevelt in his
speech delivered here late yesterday
! afternoon. Continuing, Mr.. Roosevelt
| said:
This country has shown definite
signs of waking up to the absolute ne
cessity of handling its natural resource
! es with foresight and common sense.
The conservation question has three
sides. In the first place the needless
waste of the natural resources must be
stopped. 1t is rapidly becoming a we'll
settled policy of this people that we of
this generation hold the land in part
for the next generation, and not exclu-
sively for our own selfish enjoyment
Just as the farmer is a good citizen if
he leaves his farm improved and not
impaired for his children, and bad
citizen If he skins the land in his own
selfish interest, so the nation behaves
well if it treats the natural resources
as assets which it must turn over to
the next generation increased and not
impaired in value, and behaves badly
If 1t leaves the land poorer to those
who come after us.
I'm the second place, the natural re-
sources must be developed promptly,
completely, and in orderly fashion. 1t
is not conservation to leave the nat
ural resources undeveloped
Development is an indispensable
part of the conservation plan. The for
ests, the mines, the water powers and
the land itself, must all be put to use.
Those who assert that conservation
proposes to tie them UP, depriving this
generation of their benefits in order to
hand them on untouched to the next,
miss the whole point Of the conserva-
ton idea. Conservation does not mean
depriving the men of today of their
natural rights in the natural resources
of the land. All it means is that we
rights as not to deprive those who
come after us Of their natural rights
in their turn.
I'm the third place, so far as posi-
BILE these resources must be kept for
the people and not handed over for ex-
ploitation to single individuals. We do
not intend to discourage individual en-
terprise by unwisely diminishing the
reward for that enterprise. On the
contrary, we believe that the men Of
exceptional abilities should have ex-
ceptional rewards up to a point where
the abilities are used to the detrinrent
of the people as a whole. We are for
the liberty of the individual up to and
not beyond the point where 1t becomes
inconsistent with the welfare of the
community. Thus our consistent aim
is to favor the actual settler-the man
who takes as much Of the public do
main as he himself can cultivate, and
there makes a permanent home for
his children who come after him; but
we are against the man, no matter
what his ability, who tries to monopo-
lie large masses Of public land.
State and Federal Control.
"Now, to preserve the general well
fare, to see to II that the rights OF the
public are protected, and the liberty
of the Individual secured and encour-
aged as long as consistent with his
welfare, and curbed when it becomes
inconsistent Herewith, it is necessary
to invoke the aid of the government
There are points in which this govern
ment aid can best be rendered by the
states, that is where the exercise Of
states rights helps to secure popular
rights; and as to these / believe in
states rights But there are large
classes of cases where only the author
ity of the national government will Sc
cure the rights of the people; and
where this is the case am a convinced
and a thorough going believer in the
rights of the national government Big
business, for instance. Is no longer an
affair of any one state; big business
has become nationalized, and the only
effective way of controlling and direct
ing 1t, and preventing abuses in con-
nection with it, is by having the peo-
pie nationalist this control in order
to prevent their being exploited by the
individuals who have nationaIized the
business. All commerce on a scale suf-
ficiently large to warrant any control
over it by the government is nowadays
interstate or foreign commences; and
until this fact is heartily acknowledged
and acted upon by both courts and leg
islative bodies, national and state alike;
the interest of the people will suffer.
I'm the matter of conservation, T.
heartily approve of state action who e
under one form of government tire
state only, has the power to act. 4
cordially join with those who desire to
see the state, within it's own sphere,
take the most advanced position in
regard to the whole matter OF conser-
walton. have taken exactly this at
4 -.