Omaha daily bee., 1910-06-30
Prominent Men from All Parts Of
State Will Take Part.
EXECUTIVE OUTLINES WORE
Big Problems Confronting People Of
State Touched Upon.
READY FOR DEVELOPMENT ERA
Broad Exchange of Ideas Needed to
Get Best Results from Marvellous
Natural Resources of the

PIERRE, S. D., June 2s.-(speciaL)-Th
South Dakota conservation congress
opened here this afternoon with an attend
ance of several hundred delegates from
practically every county in the state. The
music for the occasion was furnished by
the state regimental band. The address
of welcome was delivered by Governor
Vessey, who said:
1T is a great honor to me and 1t gives
me unusual pleasure we'll to be per-
mitted at this time to open the first Con-
servation and Development Congress ever
held in our state, and as executive of the
commonwealth Of South Dakota and as
resident of the city Of Pierre / welcome
you.
South Dakota is no longer state of
new beginnings. 1t has been tried in the
furnace of fire and drouth, but has stead
lily advanced until now it's destiny Is as
sured, its future is bright and there is no
uncertainty as to the final outcome. AS
q producing state we are not an expert
ment, but a proven success. For eleven
years or more South Dakotans have, each
year without exception, produced more
wealth per capita than the people of any
other state in the whole United States.
Great Variety of Resources.
Probably no other state in the union
has such an extensive variety of natural
resources as has our home state. The
wealth of our land and the richness OF our
soil has not and cannot be estimated. The
amount Of valuable ores and precious
stones within our hills and mountains is,
perhaps, unlimited. Our manufacturing In
dustry is but an embryo and awaits de-
velcpment, and so on up the gamut And
now in my judgment, the time is ripe in
South Dakota for the creation of an era
OF development Within the last decade
we have progressed wonderfully, but with
q general use of scientific methods and a
wido diffusion OF knowledge appealing to
mans practical understanding. the onward.
march OF events will find us far In adj
vance of our present position. In this day
and age a man must have more than SIM
Pile muscle If he is to be successful. He
must be a man of brain as we'll as Drawn,
and am confident that such a meeting as
this which is now in session in Pierre win
materially assist in impressing this upon
the minds of our citizens The broad ex-
change of ideas, the intake of new
thoughts, theories and practices, which
same are the result of comprehensive study
and scientific research, will undoubtedly
end in great improvement and will be of
lncalculable benefit to the state at large.
Problems of the Soil.
Even in this new commonwealth the
public health is being seriously menaced
in the near vicinity OF some of our cities
and towns, by the harmful, unsanitary
conditions and the unscientific disposal of
waste. At the same time our soil is in
some sections of the state being robbed
and depleted because of failure to return
to it certain elements of fertility which
are being so rapidly drawn from it by our
bountifu crops, and these same elements
are being wasted at the barns in the
nearby towns and are so handled as to be
constantly threatening the health of the
public. 1t is evident that the policy is a
poor one and should be radically changed
Erosion and soil wash should be guarded
against as much as possible; the semi-arid
lands of the state should be reclaimed by
irrigation and scientific methods of farm
ing; the fertility and productiVeness of the
soil should be carefully preserved; our nat
ural scenery SHOULD be guarded and kept
! inviolate. and new trees should be planted
in order that wood supply be not eX-
hausted. We have in certain sections of
hausted. We have in certain sections of
the state great quantities of Ignite which
should be utilized. The streams of the
SAdNS DC uSeh W uSNSlOp power IOI
the extension OF our manufacturing indus
tries, and deep water navigation should be
encouraged. To the states OF the middle
west, in particular, and to the nation in
general the significance and the value Of
deep waterways cannot be overestimated.
Our resources could be further and more
completely developed, the cost OF living
would be cheapened, transportation rates
would be lowered, and our commercial pres.
tige materially enhanced. Too much can
not be said on the subject.
Good Farmers Are Needed
South Dakota, being primarily a state
of agricultural possibilities, probably more
attention can profitably be given to in
tensive farming than to any other OF oul
Industries. Further, in connection with tn,
conservation of our soils, streams, forests
and all the various natural resources, tn,
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