The Mena weekly star., 1910-09-08

hn tbnt fs brings. Some of our farminr communities in the Nj Mssissippi valley and Tn the middle west have made mar-eious progress. yet even the best of them. like communities of every other kind, are not beyond Improvement, while much needs to be done in some other sections to irn- prove country life. As yet we know con- parativciy little of the basic facts of rural civilization. The means for better farm Ing we have studied with care, but to bet ter living on the farm and to better busi- ness on the farm tho farmers themselves have given scant attention. One of the most urgent needs of our civilization is that the farmers themselves should un- dertake to get for themselves a better knowledge along these lines and then to apply It. Sir Horace Plunkett. for many years Wyoming cattleman, and now de- voting himself in Ireland to the country Ire problem there, has suggested in his recent book on the Country Life Prob lem in America" the creation of a Coun- try Life institute as a center where the work and knowledge of the whole world concerning country life may be brought together for the use of every nation am strongly in sympathy with this idea, nnd hope to see fl carried out with the cooperation and assistance of our own people Last spring. while visiting the capital of Hungary, Buda-Pcsth. was immensely impressed by the Museum of Country Life. containing an extraordinary reries of studies i1 agricultrre. in stock rntTfng. in forestry. in mining: the ex- hlhitg were of the utmost practical im- aortance and were also intensely inter sting and instructive
 As a people we have not vet learned to ~onors~e. One of inc virtues we Ameri- ans meet need is thrift Ii is a mere -'iism to say that luxury ard extrava- .aucc are not good fer a Notion. So far "a they arrect character. the loss they
 auaa may be bevord computation. But 'r Ito rnGtcr'ai sense there is a loss rrcatcr thsn ia caused hv both cxtrava- yancs md luxnrr put together. I mean Ae ncedler> rselesa. and excessive loss n OUT people from lrrmn'tire death and
 voldnbie iiseaaee Wholly npar. from he grief. the sufferins. and the wretched- ~ess which thev cause tho material iors rach venr has becn caicriated at nearly twice what ft costs 70 run the Fedcrai yovernment. Tn addition to tho s.ate and -ity health officers and orra nizations hero is urgcntiy needed Federal hu- renu Of health. 10 act. 90 far as the Ma 'ional government properly may. 10 re- "eve our people from this dreadful bur den
 National Conservation Commission
 One of the most important meetings in our recent history wns thnt of the gov ernors in the white house in May. i9nS 'o consider the conservation question. By the ndvice vf the governors the meeting wns followed by the appointment of a National conservation commission The meeting of the governors directed tho attention of the country to conservation aa nothsns eire could have done. while tho wcrt cf the commission gave the movement cGhufteness and supplied t with a practical pregrarn. But st the moment when the commission was ready n begin the campaign for putting it's pro ~rnm into effect an amendment to the rundrv civil service bill was introduced Ay congressrnen from Minnesota with he purpose of putting a stop so fhe worl. zo admirably begun. Congress passed the ar,endmert It's obtcct was to put an snf to faa work of number If commis- ssona which had been appointed hy the nr~aidenf and whose contribution 10 tho public welfare hnd been simply inenicu- 'abia Among she~o were the commission fer renrranixfug the business methods Of the government the public lands com r,fssion the country life cor.raieH'on, and the National conservation roYnnis- sson itseIf When signed tho Sundry civil service bti containing th,s amend ment | transmitted with it as my last ~eariai net memorandum declaring that the amcnsre-t was void bereuse t was an unconrtitutionai iuterferenee with the rights of the executive and sN1' if wore to remain president I would pay to it nn attention whatever.
 Tac National conservation commission thereupon became dornan'. ~he suspsn- sion of its work came at A most unfSr- inmate time and there was serious dan ger that the progress already made would be lost. Az this critical moment the Sr- tionat conservation association wos or eansyed It took up iht work which oth- erwise would not have been done. end Il exercised A most rsss,ii influence .n pre- veu,ir0 lac leasstation. In securing the tntrosus ton of better conservation mons urea at she past seaa,on Of congress nrd sr promoting the passaae of wise laws. Il dsgc-ves tho confidence and sur port oi every .,ttizen interested in tho riss de- veiopsnent end preservation of our nat urai resources. and ,n preventing then from tsssing Into t"a hands et uncon' i-niied monopohes. " ,o'ns VII ,u" na. | lInrsl conservation congress In hoicine | thia meeting. I am hero by the joint h. | vitation of both.
 pan-American Construction.
 when the roverument of the United | states awoke to the Idea of conservation | ana saw that 1t was good. it lost no time l tr communicating the advantages Of th' | new point of view to It's immediate neigh ! hors among tho nations North Amer | ~on conservatfon conference was held If | Washington, and the cooperation Q | cnnada and Mexico in the great prooien os developing the resources or the conu
 rcnt for the benefit of its peop'e wn' asked and promised Tho nations upo' our ,orthern and southern boundarie
 vviseiv realized that their opportunity u | couserve the natural resources was pe',e ,to, ours because with them destrucuo' | .rd ,nononciszatton had not gone so Ia
 nc thev had with us So it Is with m
 vepvbiice of Central and South America
 Obviously they arc on the verge o.
 -er,od of great material progress. Tn
 se,,a,nrusrt of their natural resources
 .he,r forests. the'r mines, their water
 ,,d the,r soiis-wili create enormou
 yeauh If ss to the mutual interest Q
 he Tinted States md our sister Amer
 ,an renubiics that this development
 ,hou,d be wisely done. Our manufactur
 ne industries offer a market for nor
 md more of their natural wealth an
 -aw material. while they will increas'ngl | ,essre to meet that demand In eommer
 .,al cxcbonee. The more VIC buy fror
 hem the more we shall sell to then
 -totr prospority is inseparabiy involve | ,th our own. Thank heaven. we or thi
 \, tsnent arc now beginning to realize
 .,,n, in t,.e end tho whole world vi
 arrve that normally it is good thin
 .r nation to have its noighbor nauon
 rosper. We of the United states ar
 s,,'tnotv and heartily pleased to se
 ~owth and prosperity In 1anaua'
 -nxlco. in South America.
 If is clear that unless the governmeh.,
 f our southern neighbors take steps
 he near future by wise legislation 10 coi
 ro, the development and use or the