The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1910-12-01
Want to Adopt a Name and
Elect Officers During the !,
Present Conference !.
GOVERNOR NORRIS FAvORs
CONSERVATION bT STATES
National Conseryationists, He De.
clares Meet With Hearty APPROVAL in
the Older States in Which the Nat.
ural Resources Are Gone.

Louisville, KY, Dec. 1.-The time
of the governors in attendance at the
third annual conference has been
taken up to such an extent with So
cial features that little business has
been transacted. The conference may
adjourn tonight. Even though the
conference should last until Saturday
as first planned, 1t is probable the
program would not be carried out so
rapidly, because of the social func.
tions arranged for before and after
the sessions and in some instances
sandwiched in between.
Many of the governors would like
to perfect the organization by elect
ing officers and by giving the body q
name. THE House of Governors" has
been frequently mentioned as the
proper name and this may be chosen.
An executive session was held last
cussed the issues of the day. At the
session this morning general dis.
cussion of Gov. Hadley's address Of
yesterday was participated in. He
spoke on the employees liability and
the workmen's compensation. Spring
Lake. N. ]. was chosen as the next
meeting place of the conference. New
Jersey was the only state represented
at the conference by the governor and
governor-elect.
Norris Ideas.
The idea that the states and not
the federal governments should take
charge of the conservation Of natural
resources was expounded by Gov. Ed
win l.. Norris of Montana in an ad-
dress before the conference late yes
terday.
! The undeveloped resources are
largely in the public land states-that
is to say, in the west," he said. Very
little has been said about conserving
| resources existing elsewhere.
"Montana's legislative assembly in
February of last year passed law
conserving the forests, lands and coal
and other minerals, under state con-
troll. After an operation of nearly
! two years these laws have been prov
en- wise and efficient. The next as
sembly which will meet in January
will enact such laws relative to forest
fires as the experience Of the past
summer has shown to be advisable,
and will also. believe, make regula-
tions for the appropriation and use Of
water for power purposes.
"Since the first conference of the
governors new school Of theorists,
called ''Nationalists" has sprung up
which teaches that conservation is
national function and which pro-
claims that financial benefits shall be
national in scope.
"In the older states, where re-
sources have been consumed in
prodigal use, the views Of the nation.
alists seem to meet with popular ap>
proval. In the newer states, where
use and waste have not prevailed so
extensively, there is a decided con-
viction that the respective states can
and should conserve resources and
that apportionment of financial bene-
fits should be only state wide in scope.
Stated differently, it seems to US
in the west that our brethren In the
east bear in mind the case Of the
prodigal son and, having consumed
their substance in riotous use, now
want a paternal government to make
another division and assign to them
part of our patrimony.
THE last frontier of the natural
resource prodigaI sees naught of jus-
tice in this"