The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-09-06

ton of our natural resources for econom- ical use, so as to secure the greatest good to the greatest number In the develop ment of this country in the hardships of the pioneer, in the energy of the settler, in the anxiety of the investor for quick returns there was very little time, op- portunity, or desire to prevent waste of those resources supplied by nature which could not be quickly transmitted into money while the investment of capital was so great desideratum that the peo- pie as a community exercised little or no care to prevent the transfer of abso lute ownership of many of the valuable natural resources to private individuals, without retaining some kind of control of their use. The impulse of the whole rev community was to encourage the coming of population, the increase of set tlement, and the opening up of business; and he who demulred in the slightest de- gree to any step which promised addi- tion development of the idle resources at hand was regarded as traitor to his neghbors and an obstructor to public progress. But now that the communities have becon'e old, now that the flush of erthusiastis expansion has died away, now that the woud-be pioneers have come to realize that all the richest lands In the country have been taken up. we have perceived the necessity for change
 
 tional resources as to prevent the con tinuance of the waSie which has charac- terized OUT phenomenal growth in the past Today we desire to restrict and retain under puplic control the acquisi- tion and use by the capitalist of our nat uial resources.
 'The danger to the state and to the peo- pie at large from ,he waste and dissi- patton of our national wealth Is not one which quickly impresses itself on the peo pie of Che older communities, because it's most obvious instances do not occur in lrcir ntghoornoci while in the newer part of the country the sympathy withs expansion and development is so strong that the danger Is seoffed at or ignored. Among scientific mel. and thoughtful ob- servers, however, the danger has always been present; but it needed some one to bring home the crying need for remedy of this evil so to impress itself on the public mind and lea0 tc the formation of Iublic opinion and action by the repre- sentatives of the people. Theodore Roose- welt took up this task in the last two years of his second administration, and well did he perform 1t.
 Inherited the Policy
 "As President of the United States I have, as 1t were, inherited this policy, and I rejoice in my heritage. I prize my high opportunity to do all that an executive can do to help great people realize a great national ambition. For conservation is national. It affects every man of us, every woman, every child What can do in the cause I shall do. not as President of party, but as Pres
 dent of the whole people. Conserva- tion is not question of politics. or of factions or of persons. It is question that affects the vital welfare of all of us- of our children and our childrens chill dren. urge that no good can come from meetings of this sort unless we ascribe to those who take part in them, and who are apparently striving worthily in the cause. all proper motives. and un- less we judicially consider every meas ure or method proposed with a view to it's effectiveness in achieving our com mon purpose, and wholly without regard to who proposes it or who will claim the credit for its adoption. The problems are of very great difficulty and call for the calmest consideration and dearest foresight. Many of the questions pre- scented have phases that are new in this country, and 1t is possible that in their solution we may have to attempt first one way and then another. What I wish to emphasize, however, is that satisfactory