Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1910-07-14
Misery ALTON.
THE FIRST CONGRESS FOR THE
PRESERVATION OFOuR
" RESOURCES
WAS A GREAT SUCCESS
Papers Read and Suggestions Offered
Will Be of Lasting Benefit
to Sunshine State

Pierre-The first conservation and
development congress ever held in
South Dakota has closed its session,
and the results cannot but be bene-
fetal in many ways.
Foremost it stands out as a gather
ing of the most representative citizen
ship of the state. Men of prominence
i'm practically every walk of life made
1T their duty to attend the meeting,
and while many of them took no active
part they are none the less interest
ed in what the different speakers had
to say in regard to the many and
varied subjects assigned to them
While many different subjects were
considered, through all the work ran
the idea of agricultural conservation
In some Of its forms. Whether the !
subject was that Of the home, the
school, the mines or the factory, each
was placed in the light where it in
directly if not directly benefited the
large class of people who make their
living in the Sunshine state through
agricultural pursuits.
The delegates who came from every
part of the state showed their interest
in the work of the speakers, many
times by asking questions to bring
sssout some point of special interest in
manner more clear to the audience
Principal of all the propositions pre-
scented was that of conservation of
soil and moisture. For while ii is a
fact that a large territory along the
eastern border of South Dakota is at
present engaged in immense drain
ing plans to get rid of the surplus
waters, which for number of years
have made part of the state unfit
for cultivation, it Is true also that a
large part of the state lies in territory
where conservation of moisture be-
comes a necessity at some time in
practically every crop season, however
much rainfall the whole season may
show.
While South Dakotans will work un-
der the banner of Conservation this
will mean not only that alone, but
development and state building in all
its phases. 1t will be broad enough
in it's work to cover every phase OF
industrial life in the state, and will
build by conserving to the people Of
the state what is their own. To build
up the farm to a higher state of pro-
ductiveness through more intelligent
application of well-known scientific
aid in the development of fruit Gull
ture, which work has been so well
started by Professod Hansen of the
State School of Agriculture; to make
the schools more efficient; to bring
Ato the state better highways-these
are some of the intentions.
The endorsement by the delegates OF
tn doctrine of good roads. and the
creation of an immigration bureau fol-
the state, will have strong bearing
upon legislative action at the coming
session along both OF these lines
Among the delegates were MANY legis
lative candidates, and with their In
dorsement before the opening of the
session, the movement both re eivet
a great momentum.
The good roads problem Is another
in which the legislatures have aoso
lutely refused any forward movement
They have retained the antiquatet
method Of working out road taxes, tt
the detriment of the roads. The prop
osition of the resolution committee i
for joint national, state and count.
expense of maintenance, but to begi,
with securing legislation which vii
Mace the roads under county. lnstea
of district control. From this it l
hoped to work to the point OF state
then national aid, along that line, tn
position being that the national gov
eminent is interested In the countr
road as a post road; the state Is In
terested on the grounds of genera
travel upon the roads by the peopl
Of the state from all sections, and tn
county is interested In the local ira
fic of its people. With such a com
bined interest, each Is asked to do 1t
share toward bringing the time whe
the public roads will be benefit IL
stead Of a disgrace for large pal
of the year.
The educational men who were o
the program, however, foreign the
j.. subject might be, each and all too
4 occasion to ISLAM" the present con COZ,
mon school system, which IS gett1n
70 he pretty well scored all over tt
country at the present time. What
demanded by all who touched the SUI
iect was complete reorganization
the system to bring into the cnrr
culum the teaching of somethin
which will be of material benefit to tt
hoys and girls of the state after the
have left the school room-not to teac
under system which requires II
nnnil to go outside of what is taug]
him in the school room as soon
he begins to meet the real problem
of life.
Elementary agriculture. manu-
training and domestic science appear'
to be the principal demands as
what should be brought into ssho
life. But the need Of complete T
organization of the common s'ho
system was declared by all to be t!
CRYING need of the educational q
nartment of the public, and to prove
the waste Of money which is annare
under the present system OF ins-ru
ton. which by one of the speaSe
was declared to be "chiefiy an erfo
TO do enough to get the salary on
mart of the teacher, on the one han
Indians Will Celebrate
sisseton Indian Agency-The sio
indians belonging at this agency
order to show their patriotism ha
decided to hold rousing Fourth
11r oa1ahrat ion hut instead of bel