The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-10-12

Atlanta, Ga, Oct. 7.--Gifford
Pinchot, at the initial meeting of the
Southern Conservation congress. de-
clared that the South is as vitality
concerned with the movement for the
conservation of the nations natural
resources as any section of the cOun-
try, and he warned the Southerners
that the big corporations already
monopoly Of the resources of this
section.
"Your water power resources here
in the South are so completely in the
hands of the Duke interests and of
the General Electric company's in
terest." he said, that 1t will be al
most impossible for Independents to
break into the water power mar
ket"
Mr.. Pinchot was the principal
| speaker at today's session and was
| given an ovation by the four hun
| dred delegates.
A bitter attack on new national
ism" by Amos L. Ponder Of Louisi-
ana, was a feature Of the afternoon
| meeting. He said this new theory of
government would "reduce sovereign
States to mere prefectures" and that
its operations would mean the sup
planting of we'll organized govern
ment with unstable government such
| as are to be found in South and Cen
| tral America. He said the apostles
| Of this propaganda stand for one set
| Of principles in the East and another
/ In the West. "In New York it is
| high tariff, in Iowa 1t is low tariff. In
truth. 1t means only a struggle to
sidestep the indignant wrath Of an
outraged people"
DR.. c. Willard Hayes. chief geol-
ogist Of the United States govern
ment told Of the great mineral wealth
Of the Southern States. He laid
| stress upon utilization because he re-
garded it as an essential feature of
any form of practical conservation.
ITO conserve resources for future
generations at a serious sacrifice of
the interests of the present genera
tion." said he, is not only unwise,
but 1t Is wholly impracticable and vis-
ionary. Another point which must
be emphasized, which is wholly ig-
nored by many advocates of conser-
walton Is, that conservation Of our
natural resources means immediate
higher costs of raw materials and
| consequently finished products to the
consumer"
Addresses were also made by Gov.
Wilson OF Kentucky, ]. B. White of
Kansas City. chairman of the execu-
tive committee Of the National Con-
servation association; E. Lee Wor-
sham. State entomologist, and chair
man of the congress; G. S. Barrett.
president Of the Farmers union and
DR.. A. M. Soule. president Georgia
State Agricultural college.
E. Lee Worsham, State entomolo-
gist Of Georgia, was elected president
of the congress and N. p. Pratt of
Atlanta, secretary.
the nioht eas.to- 90 49,
vation congress- Mr.. Pinchot made a
brief address In which he said:
I'm the North we have not under.
stood how fully the spirit which gov
erns the insurgent movement Is the
same as dominates the movement In
the South. 1t is a fight for political
independence on the part of the vot-
ers. 1 am not advocating a new poll
tical party. The lines Of cleavage.
however, are not between Republican
and Democrat. They are between
the men who believe the law should
be administered for the good Of spe-
cial interests OF humanity"
Gov.-elect Hoke Smith said that
ne did not fear interference Of the
federal government in the conser-
vation movement; that the States
and national government should
work together for its success. He
advocated federal government acouir
ing enough land on the mountain
sides from Pennsylvania to north
Georgia to preserve the slopes from
soil erosion and disastrous floods
due to excessive deforestation.