The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1910-09-03
ROOSEVELT FOR
FEDERAL CONTROL
Believes Government Should Gen.
orally Be Leader in Con-
servation.
SAD EXPERIENCE IN EAST
Addressing Public Meeting in Denver,
Ex-Presldent Discusses Water Pow
er, Coal Lands, Ranges and Forests
Powerful Plea for Conservation.

Denver. Colo, Aug. 29.-Colonel
Roosevelt arrived in Denver from
Cheyenne this morning. and after a
parade in which representatives Of the
state and city. the Live Stock asso-
citation and the Spanish War Veterans
/, took part, was the guest of the Den
yer Press club at a cowboy luncheon
1t Overland park In the afternoon
he delivered a public address at the
Auditorium and later spoke to the
Spanish War Veterans. and then he
was the guest of honor at round
up" dinner at Eljebel Temple.
Talks on Conservation.
Mr.. Roosevelt's main address was
on conservation, and was as follows:
This country has shown definite signs
" waking up to the absolute necessity of
. handling its natural resources with fore
\ ight and common sense. The conserva-
hon question has three sides. In the first
place, the needless waste OF the material
resources must be stopped. 1t is rapidly
becoming a well-settled policy OF this peo-
pie that we of this generation hold the
and in part for the next generation. and
aot exclusively for our own selfish enjoy
nent. Just as the farmer is good citi-
ten II he leaves his farm improved and not
impaired for his children. and a bad citi-
ten II he skins the land in his own selfish
interest. SO the Nation behaves well IL 1t
treats the natural resources as assets
which II must turn over to the next gen.
bration Increased and not impaired in
value. and behaves badly II 1t leaves the
and poorer to those who come after US.
In the second place, the natural re-
Iources must be developed promptly.
completely, and in orderly fashion. 1t Is
Aot conservation to leave the natural re-
,ources undeveloped. Development Is
Indispensable part Of the conservation
plan. The forests. the mines, the water
powers. and the land itself, must all be
put to use. Those who assert that con-
servation proposes to tie them up depriv-
ng this generation of their benefits in
srder to hand them on untouched to the
next. miss the whole point of the con-
servation Idea. Conservation does not
mean depriving the men of today of their
natural rights in the natural resources of
the land. All 1t means Is that we OF this
generation shall so use our rights not
20 deprive those who come after us of
their natural rights in their turn.
{, In the third place. 30 far as possible
.hese resources Nust be kept for the
whole people and not handed over for
exploitation to single individuals. We do
aot intend TO discourage individual enter
Prise by unwisely diminishing the reward
or that enterprise On the contrary. we
believe that the men of exceptional abil
Ties should have exceptional rewards up
70 point where the reward becomes dis
proporfionate to the service. up to the
point where the abilities used to the
3etriment Of the people as a whole. We
are for the liberty of the Individual up to
and not beyond the point where 1t be-
tones Inconsistent with the welfare of
The community. Thus our consistent aim
Is to favor the actual settier-the man
who takes as much of the public domain
rs he himself can cultivate. and there
makes a permanent home for his children
who come after him: but we are against
he man. no matter what hts ability. who
tries to monopolize large masses of public
land.
State and Federal Control.
Now, to preserve the general welfare.
10 see to II that the rights of the public
are protected, and the liberty of the indi-
vfdual secured and encouraged as long as
consistent with this welfare. and curbed
when 1t becomes inconsistent Herewith II
ID necessary to invoke the aid of the
government. There are points in which
this governmental aid can best be rem
Tered by the states. that is. where the
exercise of states rights helps to secure
popular rights: and rs to these / believe
In states' rights. But there are large
glasses Of cases where only authority
Of the National government will secure
the rights of the people, and where this is
the case I am convinced and thor
bugh-going believer in the rights of the
National government. Big business. for
Instance. is no longer an affair of any one
state: big business has become national
lxed and the only effective way of con-
!, srolling and directing IT. and preventing
abuses in connection with It. is by having
slhe people natfonalize this control in order
" prevent their being exploited by the in
yfviduals who have nationalized the bust
ness. All commerce on a scale sufficient
" large to warrant any control over 1t by
he government is nowadays Interstate
foreign commerce. and until this fact Is
heartily acknowledged and acted upon by
both courts and legislative bodies. Ma
.ional and state alike. the interest of the
people will suffer.
In the matter of conservation. I heart
ny approve of state action where under
BUR form of government the state. and the
state only. has the power to act cor
1ially join with those who desire to see
The state. within its own sphere, take the
most advanced position in regard to the
whole matter of conservation. have
taken exactly this attitude in my own
state Of New York. Where the state alone
had power to act. I have done all could
10 get 1t to act in the most advanced
manner; and where the Nation could act.
{ have done all I could to get National
action in the same direction. Unfortun-
ately, in the east we have in this matter
paid the penalty OF not having our forest
and under National control; and the PEN
altv has been severe. Most of the states
although they are old statcs-have not
protected their forests. each failing to
act by itself because the action was real
" the common concern of all. and where
action is the common concern of all. ex-
perience has shown that 1t can only be
profitably undertaken by the National
government
As a result Of the impossibility Of get
ling such wise action by the several state
governments in the east. we are doing
sur best to get National legislation under
which the National government. at the
expense OF millions of dollars. shall under
take to do as regards the Appalachians
and White Mountains of the east what 1t
b now doing in the Rock Mountains here
,ut weS. II would be both a calamity
and an absurdity for the National govern