Omaha daily bee., 1910-09-07
GLAD OF CONGRESS- ACTION
Approves WorL of separating surface
TitIe to Land from Mineral re-
meath It--Part May lie
BNccilcd.

ST, PAUL, Sept 6,--rhcodore Ruoscvclts
speech On conservation, delivered today W
the National Conservation congress, Nas
received with the widest applause 1t
was several minutes after he arusc to
speak before lac could make himself
heard, SO peIsistently dd the crowd cheer
him.
Colonel Roosevelt outlined his ideas as
to conservation saving that tho reckless
and uncontrolled waste OF the past must be
stopped he declared himself in favor OF
rigid steps to preserve the counry's nat
ural resources for the benefit OF the whole
people and 10 check the power OF
monopolistic corporations.
Much that l have to say on the sub
ject of conservation will he but repetition
of what was admirably said from this
platform, yesterday" said Colonel Roose-
welt. His compliment to the president was
received with a cheer.
Minnesota, he said had becn one of the
first to take hold of the conservation
policy in practical fashion
And" he added ut has done greal
work and is an admirable example to the
rest Of the United States, doing work rep
resenting a policy well set forth In your
governors address yesterday, | am glad
this congress is held I'm "A state whore we
can listen to such addresses as have been
made by your governor, who had a right
to speak for conservation"
Waterways and Railroads.
In speaking of the control of waterways
by the railroads. Colonel Roosevelt warned
the people not 20 sit supine and let the
railroads get control, only To say later
that those at the head OF the railroads were
very bad men.
The ex-president then turned to the ques-
ton of drainage, departing from his pre-.
pared speech Where the land to be drained
lay entirely within one state, he said II
might be well, for the time for the states
TO take control Iaf the mattel.. Swamps
which extend over parts OF more than one
state he said, should be improved by the
federal government and he thought II would
be better II state swamp lands should ue
ceded back to the general government thai
it might do the drainage work.
IAN friends of conservation" he con-
! tinued. should be in heartiest agreement
with the policy which the president LAID
down in connection with the coal oil and
phosphate lands. and am glad to be able
to say that at its last session congress
fully completed the work OF separating the
! surface title to the land from the mineral
beneath II.
ne average american Is an ettlClent
man." he added "There Is great reason to
be proud of his achievements, but there is
no reason TO think we cannot excel our
past"
Kansas mn Example.
Speaking of the railroads Colonel Roose-
welt said:
"There are classes OF bulk freight which
can always go cheaper and better by water
! IL there is an adequate waterway and the
existence OF such tyne OF waterway in itself
helps to regulate railroad rates"
Referring to his recent trip through Kan
sas as showing the lively interest the people
there have in such-spehding their own
money for the improvement OF their water
ways the speaker held up as an example
that should be ernulated by other states,
the course that had been followed by
Kansas
When Colonel Roosevelt came to that part
of his speech referring to the national con-
servation commission he told the story OF
the introduction by congressman from
Minnesota OF an amendment to the civil
service bill when he said was designed to
put an end to the work Of the commission.
HIS recital OF this story threw the crowd
into an uprOar.
A man in the balcony shouted:
Nov, what do you think OF Tawnoy?"
The colonel went on to say that the mat
ter came up just at the close OF his term
in the White House. II he remained presi
dent, he said, he would have paid no at
tention to this provision of law. because
he believed 1t to be unconstltutlonal. This
declaration was appaudod loudly.
! Speaking Of forestry. he declared, amid
tremendous cheering, that after winning
SO much in the fight for conservation. If
the people lose what they had fought for.
they had themselves only TO blame
But" he added, we are not going to
do It,"
ut has been shown" he said. that the
states in the east could not do the work as
well as the national government and we are
now getting tho national government to
take these lands bach and do the work
When we are doing that IN the east, IL
seemed to me the widest folly to ask us in
tho west to repeat the same blunders that
are now being remedled in the east"
Colonel hoOseveIts Address.
Colonel Roosevelt said:
Americas reputation for efficiency
stands deservedly high throughout tho
world we are efficient probably to tho
full limit that any nation can attain by
the methods hitherto used. There is great
reason to be proud OF our achievements,
and yet no reason to believe that we can.
not excel our past. Through a practically
unrestraineG individualism we have reached
a pitch Of literally uneNampled material
prosperity, although the distribution of this
prosperity leaves much to be desired from
the standpoint OF justice and fair dealing.
But We have not only allowed the indiyid-
ual a free hand. which was In the main
right, we have also allowed great corpora
tons to act as though they were indiyld-
uas, and to exercise the rights u indi-
viduals in addition 10 using the vast COM
bined power Of high organization and onor-
nous wealth for their own advantage. This
development; OF corporate action, Il Is true.
Is dnubtlesa I'm large part resnnnalhIn fnr