The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1910-09-01
RESOURCES OF NATION
ITS PRECIOUS ASSETS
Theodore Rooseveh Tells Large Audi.
e,ce in Denver Why He Believes
Control Of Conservation BY the Fed-
eral Government UsuaLly IL Best.

80 ths vatssa. aad that n n eails -
attempt this Aaty 1t the outset Il Wiu
later - have u Day heavily IN erase T.
b siseveA - taks ~ the work. which
because Il = 1e0e - late, eaaaeG - -
veil Aoas - u Il haA bssa bsgua earlier.
Wsese pe~se.
faks the 0vsstioa q the coatrel Of the
vaase Dsvss atss- TAs saormeus impos-
Industrial AsvsioSasat q this oesatry
AAs only bssn REALISED within . vsry fsW
ysass. Unfertunstly. the rsaisatioa has
come too late - regards many OF the
Dower sites; but Aaay ~ rsaaia With
which ear hands are free - Asal We
should make II eur Auty - 80 that hses-
ate: the power sitas are kept undsr the
control Of The general sovernmsat. for
the uss ef the psepls - Q whole. fhs
fee should rsAain With the pso1is - Q
whole. while the use 10 leased on terms
which shall secure An ample reward to
the Isesees. which shall encourage the de-
veloppent and use Of the water power.
monopoly or permit the development 70
Be ntfssocial. to Be IN any respect hostile
to the public good. The Nation aioas has
the power to do this effectively. and II y
for this reason that you win AnA thoos
corporations which wish 10 gain Improper
advantage and to b frssd from sfscisat
control on the part Of the public. 1eaag
all that they can to secure the suhstitu-
don OF state for National action.
There 10 somsthing fairly comie In the
appeal made ~ naay Of thsss msa h
favor Of stats ceatroi when ysu realise
that the great corporations oeskinG the
privilege Of developing the water power
b owned outside that state - within IT,
In this country. nowadays. capital has .
National and not . state use. The great
corporations which are managed and
largely owned in the elAss states are
those which are most IN evidence In g.
veloptng and using the miass and water
powers and forests Of the new territories
coma. have been 9enuinely amused du-
ring the past two months At having argu-
ments presented to me on behalf Of GER
tain rich men from New York and Ohio.
for instance. ~ to why Colorado and 9TH
er Rocky Mountain states should manage
their own water power sites. Now these
men may b good citisens according to
their hKhts. but naturally enough their
special interest obscures their sense OF the
public need: and a. their object 10 to
escape an efficient control. exercised in
the interest Of all the people Of the coun-
try. they clamor to be put under the state
instead Of under the Nation. II we are
foolish enough to grant their requests. We
shall have ourselves to blame when We
wake up to find that We have permitted
another privilege to intrench itself and
another portion Of what should be kept
for the public good to be turned over to
individuals for purposes of private en-
rtchment. During the last session of
congress bills were introduced to transfer
the water power sites In the National
Forests and the Public Domain to the
control Of the states. cannot state too
strongly my belief that these measures
are unwise. and that It would be disas-
trous to enact them into law. In sub
stance their effect would be to free these
great special interests from all effective
control. The passage Of such q bill would
be victory of the special interests over
tho general welfare, and . long backward
step down the hill Of progress We have Of
late been climbing.
Our people have for many year, pro-
Nation should control the public land. 1t
10 to this assumption Of National outlook
that We owe our wisest land legislation.
from the Homestead Law to the Irrigation
Law. The wise use OF our public domain
has always been conditioned upon Ma
ional action The STATES can greatly help.
but the Nation must take the lead, ~ re-
CARDS the land. as regards the forests and
wsters: and perhaps peculiarly in the case
OF the waters. because almost all streams
are really interstate streams.
Coal Lands.
Tho same principle applies with pecu-
liar force to the coal lands. and especially
to the coal lands In Alaska, whose pro-
lection and ownership by the Federal
government 10 30 necessary. both for full
and free industrial development in the
nd HRp HHA a..
Pacific. The coal mines should be leased,
not sold. and those who mine the coal
should pay back q part Of the profit to
the people. 1t Is the right and duty of the
people to demand the most vigilant trus-
teeship on that part OF that branch Of
the Federal government In charge Of the
fuel resources OF the United States
The Neutral Ground.
Remember also that many of the men
who protest loudly against effective
national action would be the frst to
turn round and protest against state
action IL such action in its turn beca m
effective. and would then unhesitatinx-
ly invoke the law to show that the
state had no constitutional power to
act. Long experience has shown that
1t 10 by no means impossible, in cases
OF constitutional doubt to get one set
OF judicial decisions which render 1t
Z,
other set which render II impossible
for the state to act. In each case the
privileged beneficiaries of the decision
invoke the aid OF those who treat the
Constitution not As = healthy aid to
growth. but as = fetish to prevent
growth; and they assail the advocates
OF wise and cautious progress as being
opponents Of the Constitution. As I
have said before. I am . strong bSltey-
er in encient national action, whore
such action offers the best hope of Sc
curing and protecting the interest Of
the whole people a. against the inter-
est OF few. But am emphatically
in favor Of state action. where state
action will BEST serve this purpose: and
I am no less emphatically In favor Of
cordial and hearty cooperation be-
tween the nation and the states vher.
their duties are identical or overlap.
II there 10 one thing which 10 more
unwise than another, It 10 the CREATION
BY Legislative, by executive, or hv
judicial action Of . neutral ground IN
which neither the state nor the nation
has power. and which can serve a. a
place OF refuge for the lawlsss nan
and especially for the lawless naa Of
great wealth. who can hire the best