The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1910-09-06
MAKES MASTERY PLEA FOR
NATIONAL CONSERVATION
Roosevelt is Central Figure in the National Conservation
Congress in st. Paul and Reiterates His Ideas on
Conservation and Improvement of Inland Water
ways-Advises Better Protection of Resources

Auditorium, spacious though it is,
proved totally inadequate to accom-
modate the crowd that sought admit
lance this morning to hear the ad-
dress of ex-President Roosevelt. The
ex-president's address on the subject
of National Efficiency was the
chief feature of the programme of
this. the second day of the National
Conservation congress.
John Barrett, director of the In
ternational Bureau of American Re-
publics, presided at the session this
afternoon. The speakers and their
subjects were as follows: 1.-THE
Prevention of Power Monopoly, :"
Herbert K. Smith, United States COM
missioner of corporations; THE
Franchise as a Public Right" Gov
ernor Hadley of Missouri; "Conserva-
tion-the Principle of the Red
Cross" Miss Mabel Beardman, presi-
dent of the American Red Cross So
ciety; THE Development of Water
Power in the Interest of the People, -
George c. Pardee, ex-governor of
California; Safeguarding the Prop
erty of the People," Francis j. Heney
of California; Water as a Natural
Resource" E. A. Fowler of Phoenix,
Ariz., president of the National Irri-
cation congress.
Colonel Roosevelt said in part:
Americas reputation for efficien-
cy stands deservedly high throughout
the world. We are efficient proba-
bly, to the full limit that any nation
can attain by the methods hitherto
used. There is great reason to be
proud of our achievements, and yet
no reason to believe that we cannot
excel our past. Through prac-
tically unrestrained indiviGualism
we have reached a pitch of literally
unexampled material prosperity; al
though the distribution of this pros
perity means much to be desired
from the standpoint of justice and
fair dealing. But we have not only
allowed the individual a free hand.
, which was in the main right; we
have also allowed great corporations
to act as though they were individu-
ais, and to exercise the rights of in
dividuals, in using the vast combined
power of high organization and
enormous wealth for their own adj
vantage. This development of cor
porate action, it is true, is doubtless
in large part responsible for the gil
gantic development of our natural
resources, but it is not less RESPONSE
BILE for waste, destruction, and mo-
nopoly on an equally gigantic scale
THE method of reckless and uncon-
trolled private use and waste has
done for us all the good it ever can
and it is time to put an end to it be-
fore it does all the evil it easily
may. We have passed the time when
needless waste and destruction, and
arrogant monopoly, are any longer
permissible. Henceforth we must
seek national efficiency by new and
better way, by the way of the orderly
development and use, coupled with
the preservation of our national re-
sources, by making the most of what
we have for the benefit of all of us,
instead of leaving the sources of ma
terial prosperity open to indiscrim-
mate exploitation These are some
of the reasons why it is wise that we
should abandon the old point of view,
and why conservation has become a
patriotic duty.
Waterways.
'One of the greatest of our conser-
walton problems is the wise and
prompt development and use of the
waterways of this nation. The Twin
Cities, lying, as they do, at the head