The San Francisco call., 1910-08-30
Address on Conservation

In his address on conservation
Roosevelt in part said:
Conservation does not mean non
use or nondevelopment. It does not
mean the tying up of the national
resources of the states. 1t means
the utilization of those resources
under such regulation and control
as will prevent waste, extravaganza
and monopoly, but at the same time
not merely permit but encourage
such use and development as will
serve the interest of the people gen
orally.
the whole people and not handed
over for exploitation to single indi-
Vlduals. We do not intend to dis
courage Individual enterprise by un-
wisely diminishing the reward for
that enterprise. On the contrary,
we believe that the men of excep-
tlonal abilities should have excep-
tional rewards up to a point where
ate TO the service, up to the point
where the abilities are used to the
detriment of the people as whole.
Now, to preserve the general well
fare, TO see to it that the rights of
the public are protected, and the
liberty of the individual secured and
encouraged as long as consistent
with his welfare and curbed when
II becomes inconsistent Herewith,
1t is necessary to invoke the aid OF
the government. There are points
in which this governmental 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 1 believe in
states rights. But there are large
classes ofScases where only the au-
thority of the national government
will secure the rights of the people,
G he
convinced and thorough going be-
lever in the rights of the national
government.
Take the question of the control
of the water power sites. The enor-
NOUS Importance of water power
sites to the future industrial devel-
opment of this country has only
been realized within a very few
years. Unfortunately, the realfZa-
tion has come too late as regards
many of the power sites; but many
yet remain with which our hands
are free to deal. We should make 1t
power sites are kept under the con-
troll of the general government, for
the use of the people as a whole.
The fee should remain with the peo-
leased on terms which shall secure
an ample reward to the lessees,
which shall encourage the develop
| ment and use of the water power,
Dul WHICH, STILL not CISdI0 peTIIld-
nent monopoly or permit the devel-
opment to be anti-social, to be in
any respect hostile to the public
good.
gress bills were introduced to trans
fer the water power sites in the
national forests and the public do
main to the control of the states.
lief that these measures are unwise
and that 1t would be disastrous to
enact them into law. In substance
their effect would be to free these
fective control. The passage of such
bill would be victory Of the spe-
cial interests over the general well
fare and long backward step down
the hill of progress we have of late
been climbing.
The same principle applies with
peculiar force to the coal lands, and
especially to the coal lands in Alas
ka, whose protection and ownership
by the federal government is so nee
essary, both for full and free indus
trial development in the west and
for the needs of our feet in the Pa
cif1c. The coal mines should be
leased, not sold, and those who mine
the coal should pay back part of
the profit to the people. 1t is the
right and duty of the people to de-
mand the most vigilant trusteeship
on that part of thar branch of the
fuel resources of the United States.
I do not believe that single acre
of our public lands should hereafter
pass into private ownership except
for the single purpose of homestead
settlement, and I know that the
stockmen stand with me in their
desire to remove every obstacle from
| the path of the genuine homestead
er, and to put every possible obstacle
| in the pathway Of the man who tries
| to get public lands by misrepresen-
tation or fraud This is absolutely
necessary on the agricultural lands
| 1t is at least equally necessary on
the mineral lands. IT would be
calamity. whose baleful effect on
| the average citizen we can scarcely
exaggerate. if the great stores of
| coal and other mineral fuels still
| owned by the people in Alaska and
| elsewhere should pass into the un-
| regulated ownership of monopolistic
| corporations.
There is no more effective instru-
ment for the making Of homes than
! the United States reclamation serv-
| ice, and no government bureau while
I was president had reached higher
| standard of efficiency, integrity and
devotion to the public welfare
Like the forest service, the rec
| lamation service has clashed with
certain private interests and has had
! to pay the penalty of its service to
| the public in the form of bitter op-
| position from those with whose
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