The Raymer enterprise., 1910-09-01
CONSERVATION IS TOPIC
OF ROOSEVELT IN DENVER
He Argue, That Federal Control Of the Coun
try's Natural Resources |, Generally Best.
but Favors State Action Where Il
Will Serve Purpose.

" the common concsrn OF. ali; and where
action 70 the common concern Of eli. e.
psrisncs has shown that II can only b
prohtably undertaken By the National
government
Az . result Of the impossibinty Of est-
ting such wise sstion BY the several state
governments In the east. We are doing
our best to get National legislation under
which the National government, at the
expense OF millions Of dollars, shall under
take to do ~ regards the Appalachians
and White AouataiAs Of the east what II
IL now doing In the Rock Mountains here
out west 1t would b both Q calamity
and An absurd!ty for the National govern
nent now to DO In the west the very
thing that at heavy pecuniary cost Il 10
| trying TO undo In the east. BY actual sx-
periencs In the east We have found to
our cost that the Nation. and not the sew
eral states. can best guard the interests
OF the people In the matter Of the forests
and the waters. and that II II fails TO
| attempt this duty At the outset II will
later on have to pay heavily in order to
DO allowed to take up the work. which
because II IL done 70 late. cannot b. 70
well done .3.if It had been begun earlier.
Water Power.
| Take the question Of the control Of the
water power sites. The enormous inpor-
tAncs OF water power sites to the future
Industrial development Of this country
has only been realised within . very few
ysars. unfortunately. the realization has
come too late ~ regards many Of the
power sites: but many yet remain with
which our hands are free to deal We
should make II our duty to sss that here
ate: the power sites are kept under the
! control Of the general government. for
the use Of the people a. . whole. The
fec should remain With the people a. .
whole. while the use u leased on terms
which shall secure An ample reward to
the lsssees. which shall encourage the de-
velopmsnt and use Of tho water power.
but which shall not create . permanent
monopoly or permit the development 10
be anti,social. to be in any respect hostile
to the public good. The Nation alone has
the power to do this effectively. and II 10
for this reason that you win fnd those
corporations which wish 10 gain improper
advantage and to be freed from efficient
control on the part Of the public doing
all that they can to secure the substitu-
ton OF state for National action.
There 70 something fairly comic in the
appeal made by many OF these men IN
favor Of state control whom you realize
that the great corporations 6eeking the
privileges Of developing the water power
In any given state are at least a. apt to
bs owned outside that state a. within II.
In this country. nowadays. capital has .
National and not . staterose The great
corporations which are managed and
largely owned In the older states are
those which are most In evidence In de-
vsloping and using the minss and water
powers and forests Of the new territories
and the new states. from Alaska to Ari-
| zona. have been genuinely amused du-
ring the past two months at having arKu.
ments presented to me on behalf Of GER
tain RICH men from New York and Ohio,
for instance. as to why Colorado and 9TH
er Rocky Mountain states should manage
their own water power sites Now these
men may be good citizens according to
their lights but naturally enough their
special interest obscures their sense OF the
public need: and as their object 10 to
escape an efficient control. exercised In
the interest Of all the people Of the coun-
try. they ciamor to be put under the state
Instead OF under the Nation. II we are
foolish enough to grant their requests. we
shall have ourselves to blame when we
wake up to nnd that We have permitted
another privilege to intrsnch itself and
another portion Of what should Be kept
for the public good to be turned over to
individuals for purposes Of private en-
richment During the last session Of
| congress bills were introduced to transfer
the water power sites in the National
Forests and the Public Domain to the
control OF the states. I cannot state too
strongly my belief that these measures
are unwise. and that II would bs dlsas-
trous to enact them into law. In SUBJ
stance their effect would Be to free these
great special interests from all effective
control. The passage Of such bill would
Dc victory Of the special interests over
ths general welfare. and . long backward
step down the hill Of progress we have Of
lae been climbing.
| our people have for many years pro-
ceeded upon the assumption that the
Nation should control tho public land. II
] u 10 this assumption Of National outlook
that We owe our wissst land legislation.
from the Homestead Law to the Irrigation
Law The wise use Of our public domain
has always been conditioned upon Ma
| uonal action. The states can greatly help,
but the Nation must take the lead, a. 70.
CARDS the land. as regards the forests and
waters: and perhaps peculiarly In the case
OF the waters, because almost all streams
are really Interstate streams.
Coal Lands.
The same principle applies with pecu.
liaD force TO the coal lands. and especially
tosthe coal lands In Alaska. whose pro-
tection and ownership by the Federal
government 10 10 necessary. both for full
and free industrial development In the
west. and for the needs OF our fleet In the
Pacinc. The coal mines should be leased,
not sold. and those who mine the coal
should pay back q part Of the profit to
the people. II IL the right and duty Of the
people to demand the most vigiiant trus-
teeshlp on that part OF that branch Of
the Federal government In charge Of the
fuel resources OF the United States.
The Open Range.
! am here At the invitation Of the
Colorado Livestock association. and I
desire to express my appreciation Of
their steadfast stand for dsceney and
progress In the handling Of public
lands and national forests. They have
I met and overcome the unraientlng op.
position OF some Of the most influential
stockmsn Of the state; they have won
because they have been right. I want
TO express also my appreciation Of the
work Of the American National Livestock
assoclatieo. II has bssu osss o. the really
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