Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1910-09-07


beyond Improvement. while much needs
10 be done In some other sections TO i'm
prove country life. AS yet we know COM
paratively little Of the basic facts Of rural
civilization The means for better farm
Ing we have studied with care but Ia bet
ter living on the farm and to better busi-
ness on the farm the farmers themselves
have given scant attention One Of the
most urgent needs Of our civilization IS
that the farmers themselves should I'M
dertake to get for themselves a better
knowledge along these lines and then 10
apply it, Sir Horace Plunkett. for many
years Wyoming cattleman. and now de-
voting himself in Ireland TO the country
life problem there. has suggested in his
recent book on the Country Life Prob
lem in America" the creation OF a Conn-
try Life institute as a center where the
work and knowledge Of the whole world
concerning country lie may be brought
together for the use Of every nation.
am strongly in sympathy with this idea,
and hope to see it carried out with the
cooperation and assistance OF our "wn
people. Last spring while visiting the
capital Of Hungary. Buda-P esth, 7 was
Immensely impressed nv the Museum Of
Country Life. containing an extraordinary
series of studies in agriculture. in stock
raising. in forestry. in mining the ex-
hibits were of the utmost practical I'M
portance and were also intensely Inter-
esting and instructive.
AS people we have not vet learned tn
economics. One of the virtues we Ameri-
cans most need is thrift II is a mere
truism to say that luxury ard extrava-
cameo are not good for Nation. So far
as they AFFECT character, the loss chez
cause NAV be beyond com putation. But
IN tie material sense there Is loss
greater than is caused by both extrava-
ganca ard luxury put together. mean
the needless, useless. and excessive loss
to our people from lrematur death and
avoida bic diseases Wholly apart from
the grief. the suffering. and the wr-~hed-
ness which they cause the material loss
each year has been calculated at nearly
twice what II costs 70 run the Federal
government. In addition to the state and
city health officers end ORGANIZATIONS
there is ur~cntly needed a Federal hui
reau of health. 70 act. so far as the Ma
tiopal. government properly NAV to re-
l'eve our people from this dreadful bur
den
National Conservation Commission.
One Of the most important meetings in
our recent history WAS that VI the gov
ernors in the white house in Nav 1905
In consider the conservation question. Bv
the advice ~ the governors the meeting
was followed bv the appointment of a
National conservation commission The
meeting Of the governors directed the
attention Of The country to conservation
as nothius else could have done, while
the work nj the commission gave tire
movement deinteness and supplied II
with a practical program But ct the
moment when the commiss or was ready
to begin the campaign for piitting Its pro-
gram into effect an amen dment To the
Sundry civil service hill WIS introduced
nv a congressman from Min 7esota with
the purpose Of putting 4 stop 70 o. work
SO admirably begun. Congress passed t,.e
amendment. Its object was to put an
end to the work NJ a number n commits
sions which had been appointed Ivy the
president and whose contribution 10 tho
public welfare hnd been simply inraleu-
liable Among these were the commission
Tor reorganizing the BUSINESS insfhods 81
the government. the public lands cop1-
mission the country l'fe commission,
and the National conservation counris-
sion itself When I signed the Sundrv
civil service hill containing this amend
ment. I transmitted with Il as nv last
carcial art memorandum declaring that
the amendment wps void becaus. ~ was
an unconstitutional Interference with the
rights Of the executive. and that II | were
TO remain president l would pay to II no
attention whatever.
The National conservation commission
thereupon became dorm an. "he susnen-
sion az Its work cag<e at a most unfnr-
tunatc time, and there was serious dan
ger that the progress alreadv made would
he lost A. this critical moment Ne ~"
tional conservation association w7s or
Ranized. II took up ;ht work which 9th
erw.sa would not have been done, md II
exercised a most rss;ll influence u pre-
venting lsS legf-latinn IN securing the
Introduction of better conservation mems
ures AT the past session Of congress ard
in promoting the massage of wise laws. II
deserves tho confidence and sur nort ~
evcry .,itizen Interested in the re'se de-
veInp.1ent and prese"vation Of our nat
ural resources, and in preventing them
iron, rsssing into t''s hands II uncon-
t-oiled nlanopolies. II Joins witt n" M
tianal CONSERVATION congress ir h0'ding
this meeting. arm here by the ioiut In
vitation of both.
Pan-American Construction.
when the pnver1rnant ~ the TTni'ed
States awoke to the idea OF conservation
and saw that T. was good, Il lost no time
in communicating the advanta ses Of the
new roint Of view to its immediate neigh
hors among the nations. A North Ameri-
can conservation conference was held in
Washington and the cooperation Of
Canada and Mexico in the great problem
OF developing the resources OF the CONT
ncn. for the benefit ~ fits peoDie was
asked and promised The nations uDon
wisely realized that their opportunity "a
conserve the natural resources was better
than ours because with them destruction
and u1onopcIization had not gone 90 far
as they had with us So # IS with the
RI ppblirs Of Central and South America.
Obviously thev are on the verge %
period of greet material progress The
DEVELOPMENT Ct their natural resources
their forests their mines their water
and their soils-will create enormous
wealth It IS TO the mutual interest Of
the United States and our sister Ameri-
can republics that this DEVELOPMENT
should he wisely done. Our manusactur-
and more ~ their natural wealth and
raw material while they will Increasingly
desire 10 meet that demand in CONNER
cial exchange. The more We buy from
them, the more we shall sell 10 them
Their prosperity is inseparably involved
with our own Thank heaven. we Of this
continent are now beginning to realize
what in the end the whole world will
realize that normally IL is good thing
for a nation to have its neighbor nations
prosper. We of the United States are
genuinely and heartily pleased 10 see
growth and prosppritv IN Canada, in
Mexico. in South America
u Is clear that unless the governments
of cur southern neighbors take stems IN
the near future by wise LEGISLATION to con
troll the development and use OF their
natural resources, they Will probably fall
into the hands Of concessicnarieS and PRO
motors. with SINGLE purpose without re
gard to the permanent welfare Of the
land in which they work win be to make
the most possible money ia the shortest
possible time. There will be shameful
waste. destructive loss. and short-sighted
disregard Of the future. as We have learned
by bitter experience here at home