The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-01-30
Secretary BaIIinger Talks On
That COuntIys' Resources
CONSERVATION IS OvERDONE
The Speaker Declares That He Be-
lieves In Conservation But Not In
Bottling Up the Resources of
the Country.

Providence, r. l., January 29.-"Alaska
is prize package, the full value OF
which no man can yet estimate declared
Secretary of the Interior Ballinger be-
fore the Conservative club of Rhode
Island. and the Economic club of Provi-
dence here tonight
In declaring that the natural wealth
of the land should be conserved, the
secretary made no reference to his con-
troversy with Clifford Pinchot
He announced his willingness to answer
any questions after he had concluded
his address, but no queries were put to
him.
The secretary said that the homestead
one of the most benefcent ever enacted
statute signed by President Lincoln was
for the upbuilding of this country. and
was of especial value to the farmers
of Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and other
places in the west but was an absurdity
in the forest lands of Oregon, which were
SO thickly timbered as to be almost i'm
penertable and almost equally absurd
when applied to the valuable mineral
lands of Alaska.
In beginning his remarks Secretary Bal
linger declared that while he believed
In conservation he did not believe that
conservation meant bottling up natural
resources.
Public Is Interested.
The secretary said he did not believe
that conservation which merely preserves
the resources of the nation. inter SITS the
public. but added that he did believe the
public Is interested In conservation which,
through development, saves them from
waste and improper usage.
Some people. 1 fear, declared the
secretary have a notion that to con-
serve our natural resources we mr.
pickle them, or bottle them up. All ki
OF extreme notions are likely to be .
vanced by those who take an impractit
view of this subject. | was confrontt1
recently by the suggestion that the gov
ernment build homes upon the remaining
public lands, fence them in and stock
them and rent them to applicants and
become the landlord of the public do
main.
lit is all right to place reasonable re-
strictions upon the usage of our natural
resources to prevent the mischiefs which
result from monopoly and greed, and
extortion, but when you attempt to reg
ulate a mans private business. or de-
clare how he shall use his property, so
that he can no longer exercise a reason
able independence and competence over
1t, he may as well surrender his bust
ness and property to the state, and let the
state operate 1t.
incentive For Industry.
Individuality and incentive for indus
try will certainly disappear under any
system of public regulation and control
which imposes or presages a strictly gov
ernmental guardianship over the citi-
zen.
THE American system of government
contemplates the freest possible exercise
of individual liberty. consistent with the
public good and in discussing the con-
servation of our natural resources and
the supervision, regulation and control
that Is proper to be exercised by federal
or state authority Of the same, this prin-
ciple should be constantly recognized.
After all the question of conservation is
a question of practicing with our re-
sources frugality and economy.
"Profligacy and wanton waste of our
inheritance in this particular of course
is to be restricted whenever and wher-
ever the power exists and particularly
when the loss objects the future hap
piness of mankind.
Our nations future in the highest de-
gree is involved in the perpetuation of
our wealth and the ability of our peo-
pie to live in happiness and prosperity
in all generations to come, therefore, We
can Justly say that no man can crafty
his lust for wealth or his ambition for
power by destroying the opportunities to
live and enjoy their share OF the boun-
ties of nature
Reference to Taft.
Secretary Ballinger referred to Pres-
dent Taft's recent message to Congress
which declared that the soils of the
country which produce the foodstuffs are
also worthy of conservation and the
secretary declared that soils should be
included in conservation with the forest,
the mine and the water resources.
water power sites should be devel-
oped under governmental control" said
Mr.. Ballinger, for the purpose of saw
ing the coal and forests from being corr
sumed ,r fuel"
Mr.. I ,lllnger declared such develop
ment 4 ould be through private enter
prise u der government supervision and
control and added that Congress should
give the executive branch of the gov
eminent the authority to OBJ those
results. ~
I'm view of the national interes.
these resources concluded the secre-
tary, ''it is incumbent upon Congress to
give to the executive branch of the gov
ernment sufficient power and authority
to protect against the continued waste
and reckless disposition of the public do
main by controvertion and" he added.
ct is the earnest desire of the admin
istration that II may be clothed with
tho necessary machinery to accomplish
all that is possible through federal
agencies In this particular
Man and Woman Found Dead.