Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-09-05
President Says He Has
Done Best to Carry
it Forward.
ADDRESS AT ST. PAUL
Opening of Conservation Con-
gress and Labor Day CeIe-
brated at Same Time.

= st. Paul, Mimi, Sept. 5.-Leaden
skies and rain-soaked bunting greet
ed Taft when he stepped from the
train here this morning. However
great crowds gathered at the station
and along the streets to welcome the
president. The arrival of his train
was signalized by the firing of the
presidential salute by a battery. AS
soon as the train stopped, Governor
Eberhart and other members of the
reception committee, composed of
Senator Clapp, Representatives Stew
ems and Nye and President Nortsrop
of the University of Minnesota, and
other notables boarded the car May
flower to extend the city's and states
greeting.
Goes to Reviewing Stand.
President Taft and Governor Eber-
hart and party walked briskly to au-
tomobileS and then, with mounted
police ahead, and followed by inian-
try and two squadrons of troops from
Fort Smelling, proceeded at a rapid
pace along the designated route to
the reviewing stand at the postof-
flee, where the president was to re-
view the labor parade.
Surprises Hearers
President Taft in his address before
the National Conservation congress to-
day, made plain his position on the
whole spDjsot of conservation. The
president showed an exact knowledge
of the subject which surprised many
of his hearers.
The central note of his address wa5
an appeal for practical common sense
in conservation.
Text of Address.
In his address the president said:
. Conservation as an economic and po~
Gtical term has come to mean the pres
ervation of our natural resources for
economical use so as to secure the
greatest good to the greatest number.
In the develoment of this country, in
the hardships Of the pioneer. in the
energy Of the settler, In the anxiety of
the investor for quick returns, there
was very little time, opportunity or
desire to prevent waste of those re-
sources supplied by nature which
could not be quickly transmitted into
money, while the investment Of capi.
tai was so great a desideratum that
the people as a community exercised
little or no care to prevent the trans
fer OF absolute ownership of many of
the valuable natural resources to prt-
vate individuals without retaining
some kind of control OF their use.
The impulse of the whole new COM
munity was to encourage the coming
Of population, the increase of settle
ment and the opening up Of business,
and he who demurred in the slightest
degree to any step which promised ad-
ditional development of the idle re-
sources at hand was regarded as a
traitor to his neighbors and an OBJ
structor to public progress But now
that the communities have become old,
now that the flush of enthusiastic ex-
pansion has died away. now that the
would be pioneers have come to re-
alize that all the richest lands in the
country have been taken up. we have
perceived the necessity for change
of policy in the disposition of our ma
tional resources SO as to prevent the
continuance Of the waste which has
characterized our phenomenal growth
in the past.
Today we desire to restrict and re-
tain under public control the acquisi-
ton and use by the capitalist of our
natural resources.
Roosevelt Heritage.
Amou3 y. .e..,..., .,i,ii AID thoughtful
observers. however. the danger has al
ways been present, but it needed some
one to bring home the crying need for
remedy of this evil so as to impress
itself on the public mind and lead to
the formation of public opinion and ac-
tion by the representatives of the peo-
pie. Theodore Roosevelt took up this
task in the last two years OF his sec
ond administration, and well did he
perform it.
AS president OF the United States
have, as ii were. inherited this policy,
and l rejoice in my heritage. ! prize
my high opportunity to do all that an
executive can do to help a great people
realize great national ambition, for
conservation is national. 1t affects
every man Of us. every woman. every
child.
What 1 can do in the cause / shall
do. not as president Of a party, but as
president of the whole people. Conser-
walton is not question of politics or
os factions or of persons. 1t is a ques-
tion that affects the vital welfare Of all
of us-of our children and our chill
dren's children. / urge that no good
can come from meetings of this sort
unless we ascribe to those who take J
part In them and who are apparently