The Raymer enterprise., 1910-09-08
THEODORE ROOSEVELT ON
OUR NATIONAL EFFICIENCY
In Address Before the Conservation Congress
at St. Paul He Says New Methods Of De-
velopng and Using Natural Resources
Of Country Are Needed.

To b done In some other sections to i'm
prove country life. As yet we know com
paratively 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 the farmers themselves
have given scant attention. Ono Of the
most urgent needs Of our civilization II
that the farmers themselves should un-
dertake to get for themselves q better
knowledge along these lines. and then 10
apply It. Sir Horace Plunkett. for many
years Wyoming cattleman. and now de-
voting himself in ireland to the country
life problem there. has suggested In his
recent book on the Country Life Prob
lem In America" the creation OF q Coun-
try Life institute a. q center where tho
work and knowledge Of the whole world
concerning country life may be brought
together for the use Of every nation. I
am strongly in sympathy with this Idea.
and hope to sec II carried out with tho
cooperation and assistance OF our own
people. Last spring. while visiting tho
capital OF Hungary. Buda-Pesth. I was
immensely impressed by the Museum OF
Country Life. containing an extraordinary
series Of studies in agriculture. In stock
raising. In forestry. In mining: tho ex-
hlblts were OF the utmost practical I'm
portance and were piso intensely inter-
esting and instructive.
As q people we have not yet learned TO
economize. One OF the virtues we Ameri-
cans most need Is thrift. II Ia mere
truism to say that luxury ard extrava-
gancc are not good for Nation. So far
as they affect character. the loss they
cause may be beyond computation. But
In the material sense there Is loss
greater than Is caused by both extrava-
Eance and luxury put together. I mean
the necdless. useless. and excessive loss
to our people from premature death and
avoidablc diseases. Wholly apart from
the grief. the suffering. and the wretched
ness which they cause. the material loss
each year has been calculated at nearly
twice what II costs to run the Federal
government. In addition to the state and
city health ,oficers and ORGANIZATIONS.
there Is urgently needed a Federal bu-
reau Of hsalth. to act. so far as the Ma
floral government properly NAV. to re-
lieve our people from this dreadful bur
den.
National Conservation Commission.
One Of the most important meetings In
our recent history was that Of the gov
ernors In the white house in NAV. lans.
TO consider the conservation question. BY
the advice " the governors the meeting
was followed by the appointment OF a
National conservation commission. Tho
meeting Of the governors directed the
attention Of the country TO conservation
M noth'nk else could have done. while
the work Of the commission v,"" the
movement dehniteness and supplied II
with a practical program. But at the
moment when the commission was reody
TO begin the csmosisn for putting It's pro-
gram into effect an amendment ~ the
Sundry civil service bill ~,s introduced
by . congressman from Minnesota with
the purpos. of putting a .top 70 tn. worl.
80 admirably begun. Congress- rassed the
amendment. It's object was IN put an
end to ~. wort os number u commits
SONS which hal h-rn nn,o'ntcd hv the
president. and whr.s contribution 10 tNs
public, wcltkre hrd been simply 'n"alru-
liable. Among ,Sesc wer" tn" com'r'ssion
TOR re,rv,niring the business r,-'hod' nj
the government III. public lsrhs com
mission, the country We commission.
and the National conservation commits
sion Itself. When 7 .'rrcd ~" snndry
civil service bill containing this amend.
ment. 7 transmitted with II "s NV last
official act a memorandum declaring that
the amendment Was vo'S h~caus" y was
an unconstitutional Interference With the
rights Of the executive. and that II were
to remain president I would pay to II nd
attention whatever.
The National conservation commission
ttereuron became dorm rn'. The susr'n-
sion of IT'S wnrh came at most un'"r.
tunstc time. and thnr. was se-'ous dan
ger tha. the nroyress already msd- would
he lost. 4. this cr'.,tI moment no Ni'-
tinnsl conservation association w1s rr-
ran,zcd II took w N. work vhiri, 9th.
erw.s. would not htvr bee, dp'-. rna II
exercised a most rs,,il influence y pre-.
yen.irr haS lsp'r'sii,n. In securing tho
introluo,ion Of bett.r conservation mems.
urrs Mt 'h~ past session Of convrcr nrd
in promoting the Massage Of wise laws, II
da.c.ves the confidenc. and ufport VI
every .'itiz.n Interested In the 's's' de-
vc,op?l.nt md pre,s-vaton NJ our nat
ural resources. and In preventing then
tron Ieasing INTO ~. hands NJ unr"n'
,-o,In,i mnnopnii.s. Y Joins with n" Ma,
tIr,.al conservation cnh-r"ss 'r hNblirs
TITS meeting 7 am here by :he Joint In
yitation OF both.
Pan.American Construction.
when the rnver-w"r, ~ IN" I'-""t
Hta,es nwokr to the idea OF consnrvntio
and saw that n wa. good, II lost no tim,
In communicating the ADVANTAGES Of thu
new point ot view 10 Its immediate neigh
bors among the nations, A North Ameri
c,n conservation conference was held L.
Washington, and the co-op"rat'on o
Cnrsdn and Mexico In the great Drohlc''
OF developing the resources Of the conti
ncn. for the benefit ~ Its people wn
asked and promised. The nations uoo'
our iorth-rn md southern honn'aric
wisely realized that their opportunity Il
| conserve tn. natural resources was b"ft"
thnn ours. because with them a"''rucso'
and monorcI'zation had not ror~ an IN
| as they had with Us. 20 II u with N
| rspuhlic. OF Central and South hmer'cs
| Obviously they are on the very" o.
period of great material procrrs' Th
| development of their natural r"-nn-"e'-
| their forests. their mines. their water
and their soiis-wil, create enormou
wealth. II II to the. mutual interest q
the United State. and our sister Amer!
can republics that this developmen
should be- wisely done. Our mnnufactur
ing industries offer n market for NOR
and more Of their natural wealth mn
raw material. while they will incrensingi
desire to meet that demand In commef
ciai exchange. The more We buy fror
them. the more We shall sell to then
Their prosperity Ia inseparably involve
with our own. Thank heaven. we Of TIL
continent are now beginning to reaiis'
what In the erd the whole world wi
| repiise that normniiy n n 4 sood thin
for nation to have its neiRhbor nation
prosper. We OF the United States At
genuinely and heartily pleased 10 se