The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-09-06

whose contribution to the public wei
fare had been simply incalculabIe
Among these were the commission To-
reoSRanizing the business methods b
the government the Public Lands com
mission, the Country Life commission
and the National Conservation com
mission itself When I signed the sun.
/ dry civil service bill containing t1i.
amendment / transmitted with it al
my last official act memorandum de-
claring that the amendment was void
because 1t was an unconstitutional In.
reference with the rights of the exec
utfve. and that if were TO remain
president would pay to it no attention
whatever
The National Conservation commits
sion thereupon became dormant The
suspension Of its work came at most
unfortunate time, and there was seri-
lous danger that the progress already
made would be lost. At this critical
moment the National Conservation
association was organized. 1t took up
the work which otherwise would not
have been done, and it exercised a
most useful influence in preventing
bad legislation, in securing the intro
duction Of better conservation meas
ures at the past session of congress,
and in promoting the passage of wise
laws, It deserves the confidence and
support of every citizen interested in
the wise development and the preserv-
alton of our natural resources, and in
preventing them from passing into the
hands of uncontrolled monopolies. 1t
joins with the National Conservation
congress in holding this meeting. am
here by the joint invitation Of both.
Pan-American Conservation.
When the government Of the United
States awoke to the idea of the con-
servation and saw that it was good, it
lost no time in communicating the adj
vantages of the new point of view to
its immediate neighbors among the ma
tons. A North American Conservation
conference was held in Washington,
and the cooperation of Canada and
Mexico in the great problem of devel
oping the resources of the continent
for the benefit of it's people was asked
and promised. The nations upon our
wisely realized that their opportunity
to conserve the natural resources was
better than ours. because with them
and monopolization had not
gone so far as they had with us. So 1t
is with the republics of Central and
South America. Obviously they are
on the verge of a period of great ma
terial progress. The development of
their natural resources-their forests.
their mines, their water, and their
soils-will create enormous wealth. 1t
is to the mutual interest of the United
States and our sister American repub-
lies that this development should be
wisely done. Our manufacturing in
dustries offer market for more and
more of their natural wealth and raw
while they will increasingly |
desire to meet that demand in COM
mercial exchange. The more we buy |
from them, the more we shall sell to
them. Their prosperity Is inseparably |
involved with our own. Thank heav-
en-, we of this continent are now begin |
ming to realize, what in the end the |
whole world will realize, that normally |
It is good thing for nation to have
It's neighbor nations propser. We of
the United States are genuinely and
heartily pleased to see growth and |
of Canada, In Mexico, in
South America
1t is clear that unless the govern
nents of our southern neighbors take
steps in the near future by wise legis-
lation to control the development and
use of their natural resources, they |
will probably fall into the hands of
and promoters, whose
single purpose, without regard to the
permanent welfare of the land in
which they work, will be to make the1
most possible money in the shortest
possible time. There will be a shame
Jul waste, destructive loss, and short
sighted disregard of the future, as we
nave learned by bitter experience hero
1t home.
Unless the governments Of all the
American republics, including our own,
,naet in time such laws as will both
protect their natural wealth and pro-
note their legitimate and reasonable
future generations will
I'VE their misfortune to us of today. A
,rear patriotic duty calls upon us. We
we 1t to ourselves and to them to give II
he American republics all the help we
an. The cases in which we have fall
d should be no less instructive than
he cases in which we have succeeded.
With prompt action and good will the
ask of saving the resources for the
eopIe is full of hope for all of us.
State and Federal Control.
But while we of the United States
re anxious. as / believe we are able,
) be of assistance to others, there are
roblems of our own which we musr
OF overlook. One of the most i'm
ortant conservation questions of the
lornent relates to the control of water /
over monopoly in the public interest.
here is apparent to the judicious OBJ
erver a distinct tendency on the part
f our opponents to cloud the issue by
aising the question of state as against
ederal jurisdiction. We are ready to
leet that issue If it is forced upon US.
Tut there is no hope for the plain peo-
lie in such conflicts of jurisdictions.
he essential question is not one of
air splitting legal technicaliues. II Is
imply this: Who can best regulate
he special interests for the public
God? Most Of the predatory corpora